MainThing1
Mark 12:28-31
Mr. Clever served God in Egypt. He wrote...
When I am dying, how glad I shall be
That the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee
I shall not regret whatever I gave
Money, or time, one sinner to save
Nor shall I mind that the road has been rough
That thy blessed feet led the way was enough
When I am dying, how glad I shall be
That the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee
Paul the apostle wrote...
For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain
“ The main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing”
Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
thou shalt love (not the greatest suggestion… the greatest COMMANDMENT!)
Love: agape! Unconditional, not drawn out by some excellence, or delight in the object being loved, but an act of the will, not necessarily mutual... sets a high value on something,
seeks it’s best interest, strives for it’s edification, is concerned about it’s needs & wants
We are to LOVE THE LORD! What is that practically?
An O.T. example of an abiding love is found in…
Ex 21:5-6 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever
LOVE SUBMITS! LOVE IS COMMITTED…FOR THE LONG TERM!
N.T. examples
LOVE GIVES!!!
The Godhead’s example...
The Father loves, and gives!:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit
to them that ask him?
John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall
give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever;
2Co 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Ro 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Father gives the Son, the Spirit, and the Victory!
The Son loves, and gives!:
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
The Son gives himself!
The Spirit loves, and gives!: John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Anoint: 5548 criw chrio khree'-o
1) to anoint
1a) consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing him with the necessary powers for its administration
1b) enduing Christians with the gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit gives of himself, indwelling, testifying, guiding, anointing!
What about ME, what about you? What does God want from me? What will this cost me?
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength
ALL all 65, whole 43, every whit 2, altogether 1...throughout, completely
Heart:
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
1Sa 13:14 ...the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people... LEADERSHIP
Ac 13:22 …I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. STEWARDSHIP
thou shalt love the Lord …with all thy heart
Soul: Philippians 2:20 For I have no man likeminded(*e), who will naturally care for your state.
Lit. “one souled,” and also translated “kindred spirit.” (NASB95) Timothy was one in thought, feeling, and spirit with Paul in love for the church.
thou shalt love the Lord …with all thy soul
Mind: Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
1 Timothy 4:15-16 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them…
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them…
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Mentally, but also spiritually... Paul instructed Timothy to give of himself, wholly.
thou shalt love the Lord …with all thy mind
Strength: Physically... Lam 3:27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Some of our younger ones were a real help as we renovated the hall.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Be aware that a living sacrifice may try to crawl down off the alter from time to time!
Strength:
The Older –
You see the field, white to harvest... You see your hair white, and falling out, taking your strength with it.
Do not die with the baton still in a death grip in your hand !
PASS IT ON !
The Younger –
Do not go on with empty hands when God has a baton with your name on it !
SEEK OUT YOUR GIFT(s) AND USE IT(them) FOR HIM
“30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mr 12:30-31 AV)
thou shalt love the Lord …with all thy strength
Between the heart, soul ,mind, and strength, we have covered the seat of emotions, the seat of the will, the seat of the intellect, and the body being given over to the LORD.
What about the second of all the commandments?
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberalitya. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Paul uses his life as an example... Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered(*b) upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. [1]
being poured out. From the Gr. that means “to be offered as a libation or drink offering.”
The verb is in the present tense, which means he is referring to his sacrificial ministry among the Philippians. drink offering. The MacArthur Study Bible
2 Corinthians 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you;† though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
1 Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Are you conformed to his image... OK, unrealistic question... let me ask you this...
Are you BEING conformed to his image?
Our dear brother McBride, during the 2006 conference asked
“do you know him better today than you did a year ago?
Or would John the baptist have to say of us [there is one among you whom you know not]...
Are you growing in the knowledge of Christ?... Are you growing in His likeness?”
Mr. McBride went on to point out...
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: … Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“ The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”
The poem… Mr Clever.
When I am dying, how glad I shall be
That the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee
I shall not regret whatever I gave
Money, or time, one sinner to save
Nor shall I mind that the road has been rough
That thy blessed feet led the way was enough
When I am dying, how glad I shall be
That the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee
----
e likeminded: or, so dear unto me
a liberality: Gr. simplicity
b offered: Gr. poured forth
c for you: Gr. for your souls
† A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version.
Greek Strongs: 2532