Sermon Notes PDF The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. (Deuteronomy 25:6) Love is the Fulfillment of Deuteronomy Though the Old Testament often feels foreign to us, its purpose is to teach us how to love God and others (Matt. 22:36-40). In fact, Deuteronomy can be summed up in one word: (Gal. 5:14). But love is hard to do: it is often sentimentalized to mean “acceptance,” it is sometimes reduced to “being nice,” and is often resisted in our selfie culture. As the family of God, how do we love one another deeply and from the heart? (1 Pet. 1:22) Various Laws (Deut. 25:1-19) Deut. 25:1-4. Beaten. Prisons require enormous amounts of money, so corporal punishment is often practiced in scarce cultures. Degraded. Punishment is not intended to degrade, but to correct. Ox. Paul says that this text teaches the church to support its (1 Cor. 9:9-10; 1 Tim. 5:17-18). 25:5-10. Outside the family. Families are important: this provision provides for the legacy of each family, as well as for the needs of a widow. It also keeps property in the family (cf., Lev. 25:13). Her husband’s brother. The practice is called Levirate marriage, and is not uncommon in clan-based cultures. OT examples include Judah and Tamar (Gen. 38:8ff.) and the story of Ruth. The one who buys back the wife is called “the redeemer.” Unsandaled. If a man refused to redeem the lost family, it was a disgrace for him. Levirate marriage is a rich demonstration of covenant love, and to refuse to redeem a loved one was a profoundly selfish thing. 25:11-12. Private parts. God expects us to be pure. 25:13-16. Weights. Since coinage wasn’t invented until centuries later, transactions required weighing and measuring. Uneven measurements are a form of injustice. (see Amos 8:5). 25:17-19. Amalekites. Perennial enemies of Israel who had no regard for God. Exod. 17:8-16; 1 Sam. 15:2-3. Am I My Brother’s Keeper? The church is the family of God (1 Tim. 3:15; Gal. 6:10). We are born again into this family. God is our Father, and other believers are our brothers and sisters. (See Eph. 1:3-14) Romans 12 teaches us that we belong to each other, and therefore we should we love, serve, teach, encourage, share with, and honor each other. We are to be devoted to each other, to practice hospitality with each other, show mercy to each other, rejoice with each other, and mourn with each other. To live as family in a large church, we must . Top Ten Strategies for Building an Uninspiring Small Group (10) Stay fuzzy about , so that you never have to develop a direction. (9) Do not make a rock-solid commitment to each other, so you never have to care. (8) Refuse to get involved in the real issues of each other’s lives, so you aren’t burdened. (7) Make your group a Bible study or group, so you don’t have to become a real family. (6) Avoid all conflict, so that everybody can say . (5) Never challenge one another to maturity, so you won’t have to take any risks. (4) Hold nobody accountable, so that everybody will like you. (3) Let dominate all conversations,so that you won’t have to deal with him. (2) Disregard structure, so you can . (1) Do not join a small group, so you can complain that you . “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” (Acts 2:44-47) Your notes: