What Matters Most?

I want to spend my life in the full pursuit of what really matters. We all do. We long for significance, fulfilment, happiness and meaning. We live in a culture that values the meaningless and scorns what is valuable. Our culture devalues life itself. Suicide rates are through the roof. Abortions number in the 10’s of millions. But life matters because God created it. He created us to possess, enjoy and blossom with life, both abundant and eternal. The Bible says about Jesus “In him was life and the life was the light of men.” Jesus himself says, “I am the way, truth and LIFE.” God breathed into man and man became a living soul. But sin brings death, sin glorifies and applauds death and anything that seeks to make life truly meaningful. If we agree as believers, that life itself is meaningful, then we must ask ourselves what matters most in life? Some things matter. Some things do not. Some things matter more than other things. How do we determine what matters most. If we can figure that out, then we can commit ourselves to the pursuit of what matters most.

What matters most in life is what matters most to God. He is the One who brings to meaning and significance to our lives. So what matters most to Him? We read his word and it becomes patently obvious that many things matter to God. But what matters most? Because if God will tell us what is the most meaningful, fulfilling, crucial activity or attitude or affection or value in this life, then we have a real opportunity to experience happiness, contentment, peace and joy in this life. If we know what God considers as most important, (and we do) we can then submit ourselves to that singular pursuit. Why would anyone want to do anything else?

When asked what matters most to God, Jesus answered without hesitation the GREATEST COMMAND.

“Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one and Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength.”

When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, it was not the many and myriad negative commands, it wasn’t a “Thou shalt NOT… “ but a positive command. Thou SHALT love God with every fiber of your being and that’s it??? No “…AND the second(commandment) is like unto it. What is Jesus saying? These two go hand in hand, they are both of equal significance…Why? Because they are inseparable! They are two sides of the same coin…both sides of equal value. John makes this clear in his 1st epistle “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” and again in 3:17, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

Jesus does NOT say, “if you can’t do both, then for sure most important is to LOVE God.” Not Jesus say, you cannot truly obey one without obeying the other. Jesus fuses these two commands inseparable forever. This is what matter most: Loving God with all of our strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus says, everything that God has spoken in the OT can be summarized accurately and adequately with these two commands. “On these two commands hang ALL the law and the prophets.”

If we could summarize Christ’s teaching on love in the NT, there are three main love commands:

i.) Love God and neighbor;

ii.) Love your enemies;

iii.) Love one another.

There were 613 commandments in the Jewish faith. Neither saint of C.P.A. could keep count. The prophet Micah had the great Old Testament summary. He reduced the 613 to three: “What does the Lord require of thee but to do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” Jesus reduced the 613 to two:  Love of God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself.

Here is the great purpose of the church: The increase in the love of God and neighbor.  It should be in every church’s mission statement. St. Augustine had a rule for Biblical interpretation. How do we know our interpretation of scripture is on the right track? Answer: does it increase the love of God and neighbor?

A. Love for God matters most because it places human affection, adoration, worship, focus and zeal back on God, who IS LOVE. John tells us plainly “God is love.”

Everything about God is is permeated by his love. Everything. His goodness, mercy and grace are all saturated by his love. His judgement, justice and wrath are infused with his love as well.

How can God’s wrath, his anger be loving?

If you want to see God’s love, look at the cross.

If you want to see God’s wrath, look at the cross.

God’s love for us is seen in his wrath being poured out on His son. God’s wrath is an expression of his love for us. His wrath was used up on his Son, dying in our place, becoming sin for us. That very wrath was a demonstration of his love for humankind. God’s love and wrath intersect at the cross

God’s wrath is loving in that it ultimately yields ultimate respect to our individual will and personhood. Even those who ultimately reject Christ and go to hell, go there because of God’s love.

In essence, someone who has been corrupted by sin and has rejected the cleansing grace of God would hate heaven. C.S. Lewis shows that sin corrupts, so that even in heaven people would never truly be happy in the presence of God.

He best summarizes this by saying the following: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice, there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”

God is pure love, through and through.

We cannot truly love God as we should until we know that he loves us! John says, “In this is love NOT that we loved God but that he loved us and gave himself for us as a propitiation for our sin.”

Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman.

Jesus absorbed the wrath of God the Father for our sin. He received our punishment, our just retribution and judgment.

The love of God is greater far   than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star   And reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care,   God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled   And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus: O love of God, how rich and pure!   How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure—     The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,   And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill,   And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above   Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole,   Though stretched from sky to sky.

How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom

I stand amazed in the presence Of Jesus the Nazarene And wonder how He could love me A sinner condemned, unclean

How marvelous, how wonderful And my song will ever be How marvelous, how wonderful Is my Saviour's love for me

He took my sins and my sorrows He made them his very own He bore the burden to Calvary He suffered and died for me

Do not our hearts cry aloud for joy? “Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me?”

1 When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood.

3 See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4 Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all

That is why God’s love matters most. God’s love matters most because it focuses human devotion and worship on God. When we see him, when we survey his great, sacrificial, servant-oriented love, we then our transformed into vessels/channels of his love. His love motivates our love back to him. His love stirs our lesser love to glow brighter and burn more fervently so that we sing back to Him

“I love him, I love him because he first loved me and purchased my salvation on Calvary.”

My Jesus I love Thee, I know Thou art mine For Thee all the follies of sin I resign My gracious Redeemer, my Saviour art Thou If ever I loved Thee my Jesus 'tis now

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow If ever I loved Thee my Jesus 'tis now

B. Love for God is most important because it empowers/directs us toward the object of God’s love.(God so loved the world that he gave…)

Do we love the world as God loves the world, our neighbors, even our enemies? Jesus loves them all. On the Cross, Jesus cried out for mercy for his enemies, “Father forgive them...” Can we dare even look upon the incredible love of Christ for men who were torturing him, spitting on him, humiliating him. He loved his enemies! Our love for God is reflected in our love for others.

2.) LOVE FOR GOD MATTERS MOST BECAUSE IT LEADS NATURALLY TO THE BEST RULE FOR LIFE-

This rule is so crucial to a meaningful life that we have called it the Golden Rule- Matthew 7:12

Matthew 7:12 LEB

Therefore in all things, whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

This is yet another of Christ’s summations of what matters most. If you want to know what all of God’s laws in the OT were truly all about, then it is this - “Do to others what you want them to do to you.”

If we think that the OT law was just a crushing list of rules and codes stacked upon regulations and systems, then we have misread it. It is about love, not legalism. It is about the Spirit, not the letter of the law. Jesus says everything God has been teaching you through the OT law is about love! How do we love others? As we love ourselves…And how do we do that? By DOING to others what we would like done to us.

As with the Love Commands this rule is:

Proactive

Practical

Positive loving action and attitudes towards others

All the OT DONT’S are really one really big positive “DO!” DO TO OTHERS, ACT FIRST- This is not a reactionary teaching. Jesus is telling us to be a thermostat, not a thermometer. Set the temperature of the relationships around you, don’t react to it.

“The final set of relationships Jesus mentions is the most demanding and all-embracing. It describes the generous and self-sacrificial attitude of the disciple to everybody he or she meets. Verse 12 is one of the most famous things Jesus ever said, and it is without parallel in the teachings of the world. There is some sort of a parallel for most of the things Jesus said in some ethical teacher or other if you rummage deep enough and range widely enough, but not for this. There is even a negative edition of this ‘Golden Rule’ to be found in Confucius. When asked for a one-word rule of life, he replied, ‘Is not reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.’ But that is not nearly as demanding and challenging as the positive form that Jesus gives his disciples as the keynote for relationships with others. Confucius’ maxim could become the basis for law, and frequently has become just that. You can legislate against people doing to others what they would not want done to themselves. That is one of the ways of making a fair society. But you can never legislate to bring about what Jesus is teaching. That generous attitude of going out of your way to encourage the depressed, to forgive those who have wronged you, and to help the disadvantaged requires positive action, often self-sacrificial action. You don’t do that to fulfil some law. You do it only if the love of the kingdom burns in your heart. It is one thing to say, ‘I must not harm my fellows.’ It is quite another to say, ‘I must go out of my way to help them.’ The first could be fulfilled by inaction; the second only by self-sacrificial love—the very thing that God evidenced in bringing people into his kingdom in the first place. As so often in this Sermon, the message is clear. God wants to see his characteristics embodied in his servants. Like Father, like child. And nowhere is that more important, and more noticeable, than in our relationships. End Quote

Here is a plain rule, always ready at hand, always easy to be applied. In all cases relating to your neighbour, make his case your own. Suppose the circumstances to be changed, and yourself to be just as he is now. And then beware that you indulge no temper or thought, that no word pass out of your lips, that you take no step which you should have condemned in him, upon such a change of circumstances. If understood in a direct and positive sense, the plain meaning of it is, “Whatsoever you could reasonably desire of him, supposing yourself to be in his circumstances, that do, to the uttermost of your power, to every child of man.” Wesley

Would you want others to give you the benefit of the doubt?

Would you want others to meet your needs if they had it in their power to do so without doing any harm to themselves?

Would you want others to treat you with kindness and courtesy?

Would you want others to show you mercy even when you don’t deserve it?

Would you want others to forgive you if you had hurt them in some way?

Would you want others to settle any dispute with you quietly and kindly?

Would you want others to treat you fairly, impartially?

Would you want others to lend you something if you desperately needed it?

Would you want others to be real with you, authentic, to treat you respect, like you matter?

Hebrews 10:24 consider one another to provoke(incite, to stir up) one another to love and good works- they were to endeavor to spur, to stimulate, to motivate each other to the manifestation of love.

What matters most? Loving God as he loves us, loving others as we love ourselves. We love others selflessly by proactively and practically doing to them for them what we want them to do for us. if you see your brother in need…naked and hungry, practical…early church did not have material needs at the very beginning because the wealthier believers as soon as they were made aware of a need of another less fortunate believers brought a free will love offering to the leaders of the church and it was distributed, allocated to those in need. Jesus said by this shall all men know we are his disciples - “By our love one for another.” Is your love for you fellow believer so fervent, so genuine, so practical that it is easily observable to those around us. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Now in this same sermon Jesus condemns the Pharisees for doing religious activity for the specific purpose of being seen of men. What was the difference? Motivation-selfish, self glorifying as opposed to selfless God glorifying. The Pharisees good works were filled with religious pretentiousness.

C. Love for God matters most because it lifts us beyond ourselves to seek the kingdom of God on earth, (to the see the world as God sees it, to grasp the Divine mission)

Matthew 28:19,20 19 Therefore, go* and* make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”

What matters most to God? Among his last words was this last command. Go…etc. Have you ever thought about your last words? Last words are powerful, meaningful because often they are filled with what matters most to the speaker. If you had one thing left to say to your family, your son or daughter, wife or husband your mom or dad, what would it be? What would you want them to really know and understand. If they didn’t remember anything else, this one thing is crucial. Your last words wouldn’t be a casual sentiment, but from the profound depths of your soul, your words would veritably tingle with import, soberness and gravity. The last words of Christ contain what matters most to Christ before he ascended to Father, before he left his followers. The Great Commission was Christ primary concern.

Loving God and others means:

Going into all the world, to all people groups, nations to

make disciples

baptize them in the name of the triune God

teaching them Christ’s commands

depending on His authority and presence to accompany you to the end of time.

We love God because he loves us. We return his love to him in the form of our devotion, obedience and submission to his will. His love can then be reflected in us and through us to others so that we are enabled by God’s love to authentically love others, our neighbor, other believers and even our enemies. We love them as we love ourselves by doing proactively and practically to them and for them what we would want them to do for us. This lifestyle of love, this law of love in our hearts quite naturally issues forth in a love for a lost world, for a world that does not know the love of God in Christ.

A. This love for God demonstrates itself in our passion for the Kingdom of God.

We long for it to come, we pray that it would come, we seek for it to come, we rejoice in the kingdom of God that is already here within our hearts. God’s love in us, our love to God expresses itself in a singular passion for his Kingdom. Jesus wanted his kingdom to come over all the earth…which is why he leaves his disciples with that last command, GO, Mark’s version of the GC has Jesus saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” What Gospel? The gospel of the kingdom. The Gospel of the kingdom is not, “why don’t you give Jesus a try?” “Just ask Jesus to come into your heart.” “Let Jesus solve your problems...” This is the western diluted concept of the Gospel and it is woefully inadequate, inept and inconsequential. The Gospel of the Kingdom is, Repent, believe the Gospel, take up your cross, deny yourself, Follow jesus. Western Christianity invites Jesus to “follow us around” while we do our version of christianity lite. We invite Jesus to accompany us, to be our copilot, while we fulfill our ambitions and dreams. He is there to help us be successful, to climb the ladder, to get the promotion, to buy a nicer home. We like having Jesus around so he can point us in the right direction if we get lost and rescue us when we get ourselves into trouble. We want a Jesus who will not ask us to risk our lives for the sake of his kingdom, a Jesus that won’t demand full surrender, or sacrificial service, a Jesus that wouldn’t want us to lose our life, our identity, our friends, our reputation, our social status…That is the OPPOSITE of the true gospel! Jesus knew this would be the natural tendency of his disciples without the Holy Spirit...

In fact, listen to Jesus right before he ascends in Acts 1:4-9

Acts 1:4–9 (ESV)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Before you go, stay in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is through him that I will be with you when you go. Don’t go until you are filled with the Holy Spirit. He alone can and will grant you the special enabling, empowerment to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. Acts 2:1-4

Acts 2:1–4 (NKJV)

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

These disciples immediately began to GO, first into jerusalem. Many were saved and added to the church and disciples were made of the early Jerusalem church. But almost immediately they were confronted with persecution and resistance. Acts 4:31

Acts 4:31 (ESV)

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

This was all in support of the Kingdom of God. The kingdom was on the hearts and minds of the disciples. Acts 1:3 Jesus spoke with them about the kingdom of God. The KOG was the major theme of Jesus ministry.

Salvation, the gospel of the Kingdom, is not that Jesus came to earth to save us, rescue us from this evil world and take us away from it all to live with him in heaven forever. that’s NOT salvation! That is NOT the gospel of the Kingdom.

Salvation, the GOTK, is God’s grace, redeeming, restoring and renewing his entire creation. We sing this world is not my home, Im just a passing through and yet the Bible teaches that this world, renewed and redeemed by grace is in fact our final home. The NJ comes down out of heaven to the earth. God comes to dwell with man. We are restored to Eden and Jesus reigns as king of king and Lord of lords, forever and ever, Hallelujah!

God graciously includes us in his great act of redemption, allowing us, no in fact commissioning us as his disciples, his redeemed ones to send forth the light of the kingdom of God. We are kingdom citizens, praying for his kingdom to come to earth, seeking his kingdom on earth, living for his kingdom’s values on earth. He has called us to proclaim the gospel, to tell the world that Jesus is God, he is Lord, he requires allegiance and devotion and when he comes into your life, you will never be the same. He will renovate and renew, he will cleanse and empower, he will justify you before God and regenerate you through the power of his Spirit, so that we are ambassadors for Christ in a foreign land, The church is the embassy of the kingdom of God and he has called us to send forth the light, trumpet the news that Christ is coming a second time in judgement and herald the glorious truth that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to God except through him and full and unflinching acceptance that we are sinners in need of s Savior, we are dirty in need of a cleansing, we are guilty in need of a pardon, we are dead in need of a resurrection. Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live! That is the Gospel of the Kingdom!

Burning House- Love does all it can, despite the threat of personal hardship and harm to rescue the perishing. Love for God means loving others as yourself by DOING and GOING. The great commission is much more than proclaiming the gospel, it is about demonstrating our love for others in discipling, teaching others until Christ is formed in them, realizing that what matters most to God is his kingdom being established all over the world,

What matters most in life? Jesus said it, loving God and others freely, proactively, practically, doing and going.

Do you want a life that matters, a life filled with significance and meaning? Then spend and be spent in the pursuit of what truly matters more than anything else in this world- That’s why Jesus said the greatest command was to love God with all your heart soul, mind and strength With ALL. It is NOT love until it consumes your entire being.

Keep the light on