Fostering Love Part 1

Scriptures referenced in this sermon

Matthew 28:18-20  Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”’

 

Matthew 22:35-40  ‘One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

 

Deuteronomy 10:17-19  “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.  “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the foreigner by giving them food and clothing. “So show your love for the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

 

Deuteronomy 24:17-22  ‘“You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. “When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the foreigner, for the orphan, and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.’

 

Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who distorts the justice due a foreigner, orphan, and widow. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

 

Isaiah 1:13-17 ‘Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. ‘

 

Hosea 2:19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion,

 

Amos 5:24“But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

 

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. 

 

Psalm 9:7-9  But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble.

 

Psalm 97:1-2  ‘Clouds and total darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coasts and islands be glad. ‘

 

Psalm 96:13 for he is coming — for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.’

 

Psalm 146:9 The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.

 

Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

 

Psalm 82:3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

 

Psalm 10:18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.

 

James 1:27  Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.