MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
                                                              July 11, 2010

   Genesis 4:1-9 The familiar story of Adam and Eve and their two first sons starts out as innocent

as the story of the three little piggies. However, between the time Eve conceived and bare Cain

and the time Cain lied to God about his brother Abel there is the endless story of good verses evil.

                                                     OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

    (A) We are to love each other:

   John 13:34-35 Jesus taught His disciples to love each other as He loves us. Jesus loved with

sacrifice, forgiveness, selflessness, truth and compassion.

   Romans 13:8-10 Paul teaches us that when we love as God wants us to love we won't have evil

thoughts, intents or actions against our neighbor whether they are saved or not saved.

   I Peter 1:22-23 Peter tells us that because we are born again, we have the ability to love one

another with a fervent (hot, glowing) love that is not fake but genuine and sincere.

   I John 3:11-15; 4:7, 11-12 No bible character wrote more about love than the Apostle John. He

was best friends with the Lord Jesus so He learned the kind of love Jesus wanted us to have.

   (B) We are to show our love to each other:

   Romans 15:7 Paul tells us that one way to show love for each other is to receive one another.

The word receive tells us that we are to admit or accept each other, we are to submit, to bear with,

and to put up with each other.

   Galatians 5:13 Paul tells us that we can show love for each other by serving each other.

The word serve means to aid, to assist, to help, and to meet the needs of another.

   Galatians 6:1-2 The word restore means to put back into place, to repair and rebuild. The word

to bear means to carry, to transport, to hold up. The word burden means a very heavy load.

   Romans 14:19; 15:2 Paul tells us in these verses that we can love others by edification. The

word edify means to build, to instruct or construct, to improve morally or spiritually.

                                                       SELF-EXAMINATION

   (A) When a new convert joins the church:

   Romans 15:7 Do we receive them with open arms? Do they remain on the fringe alone? Do we

make the effort to have them join us where we are sitting, join us in fellowship or just ignore them?

   Romans 14:19 Do we build up and encourage new Christians with our conversation or do we

tear down and discourage with a bad example by words and negative attitudes?

   Ephesians 5:21 Do we submit ourselves to those who are new to the congregation. To submit

means to yield or to consider others before self, or do we have the attitude "we were here first".

   I Peter 4:8-10; Galatians 6:10 Both Peter and Paul are telling us the same thing here. We are

to put our brothers and sisters in Christ in their proper place and serve each other with love and

hospitality. Do we do what the bible tells us to do or are we selfish and care just for ourselves?

   (B) When a Christian falls away:

   Hebrews 10:24-25 Do we cosider each other enough to find out if there is a problem. To

consider means to look at carefully, to examine or to regard attentively. Do we just ignore the

absence of someone who would normally be in church?

   Galatians 6:1-2 Are we willing to forgive and restore a brother or sister and are we willing to

help bear the burdens they are carrying by themselves? Do we even care enough to ask if we

can pray with them about issues that are wearing hard on their heart?

   Hebrews 3:12-14 The writer of Hebrews tells us that we are to exhort one another daily. The

word exhort means to urge earnestly, to advise, and to warn. If we truly want to show love for

each other we will humbly make an attempt to pray for and help someone that we know is in sin.