Loving God Wholeheartedly
Great Commandment in Scripture:
Mark 12:28-33 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.””
I. Follow Christ and Be Publicly Baptized as Believer.
Matthew 4:19 – “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”
Galatians 1:4 – “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
Romans 1:16-17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””
Romans 1:18 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 – “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:9-10 – “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Ephesians 3:18 – “may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of God’s love for you in Christ]”
1. Quiet time
2. Memorize scripture
3. Pray scriptures
4. C-group or D-group to be connected to His body!
Acts 1:5 – “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 10:44-48 – “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”
II. Make Sunday Morning Worship a priority.
Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Reflection Questions: Exalting Jesus in Mark Reflect and Discuss
1. Why do people like to discuss “greatest” questions? How are such questions valuable? When do such questions become trivial or even harmful?
2. Which of the Ten Commandments do you consider the most important? Why?
3. Books and movies often tell us that love is the supreme virtue. How does their definition of love often fall short of the Bible’s emphasis?
4. Why is it important that God is “One”? Why did this cause the Jews to resist Jesus’ claims to be divine?
5. In what way is the command to love God completely more difficult than the Ten Commandments?
6. What do “heart, soul, mind, and strength” represent individually and collectively?
7. How would you respond to the person who says, “Jesus is telling us we need to learn how to love ourselves first and then to love others”?
8. How is obedience to these two great commands different from observance of religious ritual? How do you explain that God commanded Israel to observe sacrificial rituals?
9. What is the connection between these two great commands and the concept of a relationship with God through Christ?
10. How was Jesus an example of absolute love for God? How was He an example of perfect love for His neighbor?