Sermon for Sunday January 29th, 2006

The Great Commandment by Steve Greene

Matthew 22:35-22:40

The Great Commandment

A minister was speaking about all the things money can’t buy. “Money can’t buy happiness, it can’t buy laughter and money can’t buy love” he told the congregation.

Driving his point home he said, “What would you do if I offered you $1,000 not to love your mother and father?” A hush fell over the congregation. Finally a small voice near the front, raised an important question, “How much would you give me not to love my big sister?”

This morning I want to talk to you about the important matter of love.

Matthew 22:35-40 NIV
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
[37] Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Jesus’ response to the Pharisee’s question has been called the Great Commandment. Simply put, The Great Commandment states that we are to love God and to love people. That’s it! We might call it the Summary Statement of all of Jesus’ teaching.

It sounds so simple! Yet so few do it.

Jesus’ reply really simplified things. From 613 rules and regulations known as the Old Testament Law, to the Ten Commandments, Jesus boils it all down to the verses that we just read. We are to love God and love people.

This isn’t complicated. Love God. Love people. Who doesn’t get that?

The expert in the law was trying to trap Jesus. Instead of giving them a loophole that allowed them to obey one commandment and ignore any of the others, Jesus gave them a commandment that encompassed all of the commandments of God in two simple sentences: “Love God” and “Love your Neighbor.” Five words!

You see how it works? Think about it. If you truly love God, you will have no other gods before Him. You will remember the Sabbath day. You will not misuse His Name.

If you truly love your neighbor, you won’t murder him, you won’t steal from him, you won’t take his wife, you won’t gossip against him.

With this simple answer to the Pharisee’s question, Jesus did not gratify their desire to prove themselves to be scholars. He didn’t even give them any wiggle room so that they might keep one commandment, while ignoring another. He didn’t let them off the hook. In fact, He actually put them on the hook. Look at Matthew 22:40…

Matthew 22:40 NIV
“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

That’s serious! Instead of trying to keep 613 laws, or even the Ten Commandments, Jesus has now condensed it down to two simple commands. Love God & love people.

You could even take it one step further and reduce it down to just one word. LOVE. LOVE. Jesus is basically saying, that is what God expects of us. That’s what we are supposed to do. Love!

We sometimes make things far more complicated than they should be. There’s nothing confusing about what God wants us to do. He wants us to love.

My question to you is; How have you been doing at that?

When I come to church, I come fully aware that I need to allow God’s Holy Spirit to speak to me. I need to hear what He has to say and I need to act upon what He tells me. And I come expecting that He will speak and He does.

Sometimes people say, preacher you really stepped on my toes this morning. I don’t step on toes. That’s not my job. My job is to do my best to hear from the Lord and to obey Him by speaking the truth that is from His Word.

If anybody gets their toes stepped on, blame it on the Holy Spirit. And don’t go away mad. Be thankful. If the Spirit of God is dealing with you on this level, be thankful. Hear what He has to say and then act on what you hear. That is a significant part of the process of becoming the person that God has called you and created you to be.

Too often, we hear something we don’t like or something we disagree with and we want to bail out. May I encourage you to do one thing? Before you jump ship, consider the Word of God, and if what is being said is based on the Word of God, then be willing to be uncomfortable. Be willing to do the hard work of growing up in Christ.

Hebrews 6:1a The Message
So come on, let’s leave the preschool finger-painting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.

1 Peter 2:2b NIV
Grow up in your salvation.

Spiritual growth is not easy. Spiritual maturity takes place over time. And it is intentional. It is not automatic. If it was there would be a lot more spiritually mature people in the church. Growth and maturity must happen on purpose. And it happens as we remain open to God’s Spirit at work in our lives.

It could happen as we read His Word, as we pray, as we interact with other Christians, or it could be in a service just like this as God begins to deal with us about things in our life that may be displeasing to Him or beneath the standard that He has for us.

God’s goal, in this and every matter, is that we become like Christ.

So in a service like this, God begins to reveal some areas that need our attention. Perhaps He speaks to us about disobedience, rebellion or sin. At other times He may deal with us about an attitude, about forgiveness, or some other issue that needs attention. When the Spirit of God speaks to us, our responsibility is to listen and obey.

I want to encourage you to be open to a little self examination this morning. More than that, I want to encourage you to be open to the examination of God’s Spirit. Allow Him to turn on the searchlight of your soul on this and any other subject that affects our lives.

And as He reveals areas that need work, be willing to commit to growth. Be open to becoming the person that he intends for you to be.

We should join the Psalmist, David, in praying…

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
[24] See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Two Self Exam Questions:

1) Have I been loving the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind?

Or have I given myself more to other things like a job, hobbies, or recreation? It’s a question about what is first in your life?

2) Have I truly loved my neighbor as myself? You know the answer.

Have you been a good husband a good wife? A good father a good mother? A good friend? You’re probably with me so far. Most of us are scoring pretty well up to this point. After all, it is relatively easy to love the people who love you. You get a return on your investment that way.

But we are to go beyond the friends and family plan by using that word: Neighbor? Have you truly loved all the people God brings into your life?

I know there are some people you will connect with more than others. Your personality will cause you to be drawn to some and not others. That’s normal and natural. Loving someone on the level we are talking about today does not necessarily mean that you are going to dinner tonight or that you are going to spend all of the holidays together. It’s about seeing them through the eyes of God. It is about valuing them as His creation. It’s a decision that we make whether we feel like it or not.

This has been Sanctity of Human Life week. We have been discussing the need to intentionally place high value on all human life. To realize that person you work with, go to school with, live next door to, they are God’s creation. They are created in His image. They are persons of worth. They have a soul that will live on through eternity.

Far too often our love is conditional. We love those who love us or we love those who can help us in return. We’re like Marie. She had broken up with her fiancé. And then she had second thoughts. Here’s the letter she letter wrote to him.

Dearest Jimmy,

No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking off our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you!

Yours Forever,

Marie

P.S. And congratulations on winning the state lottery!!!

Do you place a high value on people, seeing them as persons created in the image of God? Do you see your fellow human being as an object to be loved; or an obstacle to be overcome?

Let’s bring it even closer to home, when you think of the general public, do you see them as people to be loved and valued, or do you see them as an inconvenience, not worthy of your consideration?

Let’s get very practical. What do you say about your “neighbors” on the highway? Is it a fervent expression of love? Or something else? This altar is open! We all need help!

You say, Steve, I can’t love on this level. I struggle with people. I am not a loving person myself.

Loving others has to start with God.

1 John 4:19 NIV
We love because he first loved us.

God loves us, we respond to that love, and out of the overflow of God’s love in our lives, He enables us to love others.

This morning I want you to consider what it means to love God and love your neighbor because All moral responsibility hinges on these two affections.

1. Loving God…

Genuine love of the Lord involves thought and sensitivity, purpose and action.

General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army is an example of this. When asked for the secret of his success, Booth replied, “From the day I got the poor of London on my heart and the vision for what Jesus Christ would do for them, I made up my mind that God should have all of William Booth there was; and if anything has been achieved, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will and all the influence of my life.” [John C. Maxwell, Deuteronomy [The Communicator’s Commentary], (Waco: Word Books, 1987), 107]

William Booth’s heart, his soul, and his mind, were obsessed with God.

He refused to return God’s whole-hearted love halfheartedly.

French Novelist and Poet, Arsene Houssaye wrote, “Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are.”

Who and what do you love? Do you really love God like you say you love Him?

It is true that our actions speak louder than words.

What does the evidence say? Do you really love Him? Be honest!

What would your kids say? They would tell us the truth. What would they say to the question, “What or who does daddy love?”

What would your checkbook say? Where you spend your money tells us a lot about what it is important to you.

What would your calendar say? Your calendar has a story to tell. Would it reveal that you love God on this level? Or would it reveal that your relationship with Him is a sideline…when it is convenient?

Jesus said, “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind.”

The Bible says we are to…

A. Love God Passionately – "with all your heart"

The heart represents our affection.
The phrase “all your heart" obviously speaks of exclusivity.

Loving God with all my heart means that my first spiritual loyalty is to Him.

B. Love God Personally – "with all your soul"

The Soul speaks of identity and intimacy.
God wants us to love Him with ALL our soul – on the deepest level of intimacy, holding nothing back.

C. Love God Intelligently – "with all your mind"

This statement helps us avoid extremes. It keeps us balanced.

Emotions must be balanced with truth. Emotionalism occurs when experience takes priority over the Word of God. Feelings and faith must be governed by the facts of God’s Word. Devotion must be guided by Scripture and by truth.

Loving God with all your heart doesn’t mean that you neglect your family.

It doesn’t mean you are to be disrespectful to authority.

Jesus is reminding us that we are to love God the same way He loves us. We must not respond to God’s whole-hearted love in a half-hearted manner. We are to love Him with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, and ALL our mind.

I think Jesus is also telling us that Until you love God as you should, you will never love your neighbor as you could.

As recipients of the love of God, we must love one another. The Apostle John says it well:

1 John 4:7-11 NIV
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. [10] This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [11] Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

God isn’t just someone we worship and serve. He’s someone we know. He wants a relationship with us. He has shared his life with us.

John 3:16a NIV
"For God so loved the world…”

Now we should willing follow His example:

Ephesians 5:1-2a NIV
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and live a life of love.

We are to love God. The second part of the Great Commandment says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Let’s take a look at that.

2. Loving Your Neighbor…

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?
Let’s keep it simple.

Loving your neighbor means that you do for him whatever you would do for yourself.

• When you have a need, you attempt to meet it.
• When you have a hurt, you attempt to heal it.
• When you have a responsibility, you attempt to fulfill it.

We don’t have to be taught how to love ourselves. It comes naturally. We are experts at it. The trick is to keep self-love from becoming selfishness. We need to be constantly reminded that as we love ourselves, so we are to love others.

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

It’s application time!

Two Final Questions.

Do you love God with the same whole-hearted love He has shown for you?

Do you truly love your neighbor as you love yourself?

People matter to God and they should matter to us. One of the easiest, most practical ways to love your neighbor is by applying The Golden Rule.

Matthew 7:12 The Message
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.

Matthew 7:12 CEV
Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.

Are you keeping the Great Commandment? Are you living by the Golden Rule?

In this service, it is quite possible that God has been speaking to you about a particular person that you have struggled with. Perhaps you haven’t loved them like you should. Maybe you don’t even like them.

Is there someone that God has laid upon your heart this morning? Are you willing to bring them to this altar? Are you willing to ask the Lord to make you more loving toward that person? Toward people in general?

Do you need to speak to the Lord about your relationship with Him?

I am firmly convinced that God can take a message like this and apply it to 100 people 100 different ways. I want to invite you to allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart this morning, and then be willing to obey Him, no matter what He says.

In it’s simplest form, our responsibility as Christians is to love God and love people. The gospel in one word is love.

In addition to the home, the church ought to be the place where genuine Christian love is felt by all

Many years ago a shabbily dressed boy trudged several miles through the snowy streets of Chicago, determined to attend a Bible class that was conducted by D.L. Moody. When he arrived, he was asked, "Why did you come to a Sunday school so far away? Why didn’t you go to one of the churches near your home?" He answered simply, "Because you love a fellow over here."

Wouldn’t it be great if this church was known as a church that loves like that? That’s my prayer and that is my goal. Loving God and loving people.

In the final hours, as He met with the disciples, Jesus gave them these instructions on the matter of love.

John 13:34-35 NIV
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."