Royal Law: Love people like God loves people. Don’t treat people differently. “Faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some over others?” Partiality – “It’s impossible to judge another person’s motives simply on the basis of outward appearance or any other external factor.”
We live in a culture of showing favorites: People feel rejected in the world. People should be treated differently at Source. We should not show special attention to anyone. We love God and love each person the way He loves them!
You come into a restaurant and Justin Beiber sat next to you. Then, Lebron James sits down. Would you be distracted? Why? Let’s say the glory of God is on stage, we see a glimpse of Him. Would you still be distracted? Do you still have your eyes on people?
- God does not play favorites
As a follower of Christ, we experience God’s love and we give that same love to people.
“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
You: How do we learn to love people?
1. We share the same mercy we have received to others
Jesus was from a humble village in Nazareth. He chose a bunch of fishermen, tax collectors. God is more concerned with the heart than the outward. We no longer look at others with what we can “GET” from them, instead what we can “GIVE” towards others.
Parable of the Good Samaritan: Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” Luke 10:30-37
Favoritism makes others out to be of less value than others.
- Be radical by our love
- Acceptance: those that are weird, funny, different shapes, different backgrounds…
We need a diverse student ministry that is a continual heart of love for people.
How many times do we rob ourselves of ministering to others because of outward appearances or personal inconvenience?
Object lession: Instagram Filters. We use different filters to see a picture a certain way. We all have FILTERS of how we treat people.
- “That is how I was brought up”
- “That is just the way I am”
- See people through the eyes of Jesus.
The only filter we need is to look at people through the filter of Jesus’ love.
Us/Takeaway: Remember, God looks at the heart. Are you showing favorites in your life? Who is that person that you can show mercy to this week instead of showing favorites?
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