04-24-16 Jesus loves ME!

Scripture   Matt 22:37-40

SING:   JESUS LOVES ME!

Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong.

          Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!
          Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves me! He will stay, close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee.

          Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!
          Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so!

Matt 22:37-40

          Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

                      

Love does not discriminate or require prerequisites.

          Jesus gravitated to the margins of society and spent significant time with those who were considered the fringe of culture. He did not center his attention on the most powerful, popular, or polished. Jesus did not place a standard on the kinds of people he would love and care for. In fact, if he did have bias, it was towards those who were ignored, discarded, or undervalued. How biased or selective is your love for your neighbor?

Care is not just talk. It must be tangible.

          Talk was cheap to Jesus. He did not spend his time talking about how compassionate he was. Jesus embodied love in this world in a way that always considered the physical and spiritual needs of people. While it may be nice to tell others about our hearts for compassion via social platforms like Twitter or Facebook, it’s ultimately our actions that provide care for people. What can you do today to bring tangible care to a neighbor?

Jesus loved each neighbor uniquely     (6 ways he loved his neighbors)

1        TIME                   (Mike Barnes - Wanda)

Levi & Zach Matthew 9:9-13 – eating with sinners

          As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

2        CONVERSATION     (Teddy – Ed)

Woman at the well – spoke to her.   Mary & Martha

3        FOOD        (Beverly – Barb G.)

5000 – hungry so he fed them. Sheep without a shepherd – led them to food and water.

         

4        FORGIVENESS

Woman caught in adultery – saved her and forgave her.

On the cross “Forgive them for they know no what they do.”

John 20:22-23 (Upper Room)  And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

5        TOUCH

Man with leprosy – Matthew 8:1-4 – Jesus touched him

Matthew 8:2-4

          A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Jesus said, "I am willing, be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   Matthew 8:1  When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. Jesus did this publically as an example of how we should love our neighbor.

Mark 10:13-16

          People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Matthew 9:27-31

          As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"  When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  "Yes, Lord," they replied.  Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."  But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

Mark 7:32-37

          There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" ("Be opened!").  At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.  Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

INTERNET QUOTE ABOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT:

          Physical contact distinguishes humans from other animals. From a warm handshake or sympathetic hug to a congratulatory pat on the back, we have developed complex languages, cultures, and emotional expression through physical contact. But in a tech-saturated world, non-sexual human touch is in danger of becoming obsolete.       Humans become nearly unrecogniz-able in the absence of touch. (You Tube Feral Children)

Scientific research now correlates physical touch with the following important areas:

1.    Decreased violence. Less touch as a child leads to greater violence. American developmental psychologist James W. Prescott proposed that the origins of violence in society were related to the lack of mother-child bonding. Child developmental research illustrates that the absence of physical bonding and healthy attachment between an adult and child may result in lifelong emotional disturbances.

2.    Greater trust between individuals. Touch helps to bond people together. Neuroscientist Edmund Ross, found that physical touch activates the brain's orbitofrontal cortex, linked to feelings of reward and compassion. "Studies show that a simple touch can trigger release of oxytocin, aka 'the love or compassion hormone.'"

3.    Decreased disease and stronger immune system.  Physical touch may also decrease disease. According to research conducted at the University of North Carolina, women who receive more hugs from their partners have lower heart rates and blood pressure: “Hugs strengthen the immune system...The gentle pressure on the sternum and the emotional charge this creates activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keeps you healthy and disease free.” 

4.    Stronger team dynamics. Paul Zak, author of The Moral Molecule, argues, “We touch to initiate and sustain cooperation.” He conducted a “neuroeconomics” study from which he argues that hugs or handshakes are likely to cause the release of the neurochemical oxytocin, which increases the chances that a person will treat you “like family," even it you just met.

5.    Greater learning engagement. When teachers touch students platonically, it encourages their learning. French psychologist Nicolas Guéguen reports that when teachers pat students in a friendly way, those students are three times as likely to speak up in class.

6.    Overall well-being. Physical touch is the foundational element of human development and culture. The growing preoccupation with digital media versus personal physical contact, combined with the social and legal restrictions over physical contact in our schools and workplaces, may unintentionally affect our overall well-being negatively.

6        PEACE

Fisherman on a boat during a storm – he calms the sea Mt 8:23-27

          Luke 24:36  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

          John 14:27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

His love has an equality to it – Mt 20:1-16   RETELL: Workers in the vineyard

TODAY: He loves us where we are. We are so different. He loves us uniquely but loves us equally.  We must do the same!

SING:   JESUS LOVES ME!

Jesus loves them, this I know, they need time and food to grow;

Conversation, Forgiveness and touch; They need peace from you so much.

          Yes, Jesus loves them!  Yes, Jesus loves them!
          Yes, Jesus loves them!  The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves them He will stay, close beside them all the way;
He wants us to do the same, To show them love in Jesus name.

          Yes, Jesus loves them!  Yes, Jesus loves them!
          Yes, Jesus loves them!  The Bible tells me so!