The Coolidge examiner., 1938-12-15

ment 1 give unto you, That ye love one
another; as / have loved you, that ye
also love one another.-John 1884.
Lesson subjects and Scripture texts Sc.
lected and copyrighted by international
Council of Religious Education; used by
permission.
The heart of all moral law is
found in the Ten Commandments
but the very heart of the command
mentS is the new commandment
Of Christ, that we love God with our
whole being and love our neighbors
as ourselves. For if we have that
perfect devotion to God we shall
keep His commandments (John 15:
9, l0), and shall show our love to
our neighbors by positive acts OF
interest and devotion, as well as by
refraining from falsehood, violence
and impurity.
The message of our lesson today
is one which will strike home to the
hearts of honest and earnest men
and women. When we stand in the
revealing light of Gods Holy Word
we cry out for forgiveness for the
manner in which we have failed
truly to represent our Lord in the
world, and in prayer for grace to
live as we should Let no unbeliev-
er who reads these words use them
as a basis for criticism of his Chris
tian neighbor; but let him consider
his own need of the regenerating
and enabling grace of God.
Our outline for today we borrow
with thanks from Points for En-
phasis, by DR.. Hight c. Moore. 1t
so aptly presents the truth that it
merits our study.
I. Standard of the New Command
ment Matt. 5:43-48).
Love your enemies" ". 4D, that
is the standard which Christ has
established for His followers. While
the love one has for the brethren
is without doubt a more intimate
relationship than the love one may
have for an enemy, we must not
seek to minimize the real love we
should have even for those who
curse and revile u.s. It is to move
us so deeply that we not only treat
them kindly, but also pray for them.
Humanity speaking such a thing is
impossible, but in Christ it is not
only possible, it has actually been
demonstrated in life. 1t is so easy
for Christians to speak with deriSion
that borders on hatred about 1.-The
devils gang" to lose all love for the
crowd that hangs around the tavern
and the gambling house. Let us
hate their sin, but may God help us
to show that we really love them.
ii. Scope of the New Command
ment (Matt. 22:34-40).
1t is as high as God, as deep as
the lowest sinner, and as wide as
the circle of all mankind.
A man must be right with God if
he is truly and fully to love his fell
low men. To be right with Him
does not mean a half-hearted one
day-a-week interest in religious
matters, and that only up to the
point where they do not interfere
with our own interests and desires.
To love God means to give Him the
devotion of our entire being.
Loving ones neighbors does not
Just mean the man next door. Even
that is none too easy at times; and
some of us realize that we have
failed even there. But the man in
Sweden, China, Germany, anywhere
on this earth, is our neighbor and
needs our love. There are no for
eigners" in Gods thinking about
love; no poor or rich, no ignorant,
no members of another social or
der"-they are all our neighbors.
iii. Spirit of the New Command
ment John 1884, 35).
"As I have loved you'-that is the
spirit that is to move us to love our
neighbor. God is love, and it was
always His will that men should
love one another. But the new ele-
ment in this commandment OF
Christ is that He, the final and per-
feet revelation of Gods love, had
come to give His life in loving serv-
ice and sacrifcial atonement. Paul
caught the spirit of this command
ment when he said, 1.-The love OF
Christ constraineth us" QI Cor. D:
14). There is the real motive, the
true spirit of Christian life and serv-
ice.
~. Sacrifice in the New Com
mandment John 15:12-14.
Love draws no limiting line be-
yond which it will not go. Love
says: II count not my life dear if
in giving it may bring deliverance
to my friends"
Some folk talk piously of their
love for God, but are not willing to
go even across the street to speak
to a soul about Him. If we love
Him we would willingly go to the
ends of the earth for Him, or con-
tentedly serve Him in what seems
to be a forgotten corner. We shall
not question His guidance nor blush
to own His name, even though the
testimony may mean our death
This we shall do for Christ's sake.
and for the sake of suffering hu-
manity.
The writer thinks of John and