Terry Kim - Love God and Love Others - Mark 12:28-31
So, I come before you with many confessions, this morning right back before, I think it was before, I was a Believer or still, I was a growing believer, but back in 2090, I think it was 2005 is in my 92. Toyota Corolla, I received a speeding ticket. I was going 55 mph Zone.
How to drive safely and slowly. So I told the cheaper, Route 8 hours, sitting and being told how terrible of a driver you are and you must Drive slowly. The feeling that you're not suggestions, you know, that you need to do it. I hated it. I really hated it and it's I think they do it on purpose, so that it's the class. That's why you don't want to speed again.
and I really truly remember, and it was a Old lady, who is teaching us. There's one truth that. Out of all the things that you learn that day, you cannot control other people's driving speaking to drive to Northern Virginia and I get angry every day. My wife will confirm that for you. You cannot control the other people's driving. You can only control your car, you can only control your emotions in your heart and the way that you drive as well. And I don't know why exactly the Lord allows but I use it.
As we consider. Times of today, as we consider our cultural shift in the shift in the Dynamics of society, as we see. Become more and more drawn away from God and they try to pursue their own desires of their hearts, as their love becomes cold, as big as it become lovers of themselves. As a parent that they hate people in general, that is not them as they try to pursue identity in something. Other than God, we see a tremendous need for the church. All brothers and sisters to be the light and salt in this world more. So it is not a time to draw back and shrink back and be afraid and shelter.
Salty and more bright in this world. That desperately needs Truth and Love Today.
Rave, the church has a choice. It is either to be that light or salt or to Simply point and judge to blame
Church this morning I want to share with you pointing and judging is the easy thing to do but is it the biblical mandate that it has been given to us avoiding people, reject people gives us a sense of control. I think that's why a lot of us including myself, we checked, but our Lord, our precious Lord has commanded us to love. I love that reflects his love for us. That's a love that is unconditional, in the sense of dead person. Doesn't have to prove our love, so that we may love them. But the same way that we have received his love without earning it, but by his grace and love for us first. We are called to also love others in the same way.
But the love that we give to other people, the love that we are commanded to do this for one reason. And that is the glory of our precious Lord. What will you turn the mark? Well and again you don't do this at our church but I love that you guys do it here. If you are at Mark chapter 12, please stand and 12 28 to 31 with me and we're going to reading through this and set the tone of what it means to have healthy relationships with the people that God has given to us in our lives. Mark 12, verse 28, and going to be reading off to his first three 1. It says this. And one of the Scribe came up and heard them disputing It seemed that he answered them. Well, is the most important of all gives answers the most important is 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 your neighbor. Other Commandments greater than the word of God. Thanks, be to God. Amen.
This is a passage, this is a verse that you probably heard many times in church, Christian podcast, books and the lights, the love God with everything that you have and to love your neighbor as you love yourself or question for you this morning. Do you believe that all people in your life today? Small big clothes far. What is a brother or an acquaintance, whether joyful or annoying and frustrating? Do you believe that all people have been placed in your life for a reason? A brother James says that when you see a cold and hungry, man, we are commanded to go and give them something to drink, something to eat. We are to give them something to wear, and not merely, just say it with our 1st, John 3:17, says anyone with Earthly possessions seized his brother in need, or withhold his compassion from him. How can the love of God abide in him?
And say good things.
Is an actual action is one of the greatest Commandment that we are given. The Christ follower should be the greatest lovers on this Earth. Pete that the Christ follower the one who declare that Jesus is Lord and savior. Lover here on this Earth. We should be the most understanding, we should be the most patient. We should be the least surprised when people mess up and there's a reason for that because we know the one who knows us the best. We know the one who has given us the greatest love
just talkin about these two commands, because how much applications are into these commands, but the fact that they're so interconnected that when you do want, when you love God, you will Loving other people to let us break down once again but it might just be a church thing to say or hear but let us go there with me we have a scribe someone who was studying the word of God and he asked a very valid question of Moses.
Which one of those are the most important. And our lord Jesus he answers with the best question equals from Deuteronomy which shows that nothing has change. Has always been just one thing. It is to love the Lord with everything you are and everything you have. And I love how our Lord keeps the context. Hear our Lord, he says our Lord, our God is one the prayer, the sim off of the Israelites, the prayer that he would pray in the morning. And at night at every service to show and remind a prayer of loyalty that remember, Israel, Israel, our God is one love him with everything that you have your heart, stole strength and of mine. He is what he is, The Great I Am, there is no one else like the one you ever look for direction in your life, this prayer points to that answer. You want Direction in your life you want an answer to the questions that you have. Go to the one true Living God, The Great I Am he alone is a source of Truth and hope that all people are looking for including you. And I today this morning he alone is a source of Truth and Love and Hope.
As well and is one true God. That's great. I am he desires one thing. That we love him and we show that also by our love for one another. He commands us to love him with all of our hearts, he demands complete loyalty, not to buy. Attention. You don't want to serve us to serve two masters or only him. No other Idols or God that we make for ourselves 100. Duration for him in every aspect of our life, he has, he commands us to love him with all of our soul so that we have a hope in him in a life today.
We are hoping to worldly things that are temporary and fleeting. But our hope is in the Eternal God, who has forever, the Alpha and Omega. Our God wants us to love him with all of her mind, where every single thing that we learn here on this Earth points to the Creator and his goodness and his character And our God wants us to love him with all of our strength where our love is not stuck, in the abstract thinking or rather, it is shown in action and in service to him and two other. The type of God that we worship and it all begins with. If you want to love other people, well, go to the author of love, go to the author of perfect, the one who has loved us so much, and he created us for good. And he saved us from our wickedness and sin. Now look at verse 31 with me, because once we understand how great God is, and how we must love him or 31, says, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You might have heard this before, I've been called the Golden Rule and understandably so because when this is understood correctly, this command is the Altima. On how we are to treat and love one another. And I want the key component, I want us to focus on today, in this in this mess. It is that second half of that command to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Stop and think about that for one second. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. That's such a huge statement because what Jesus our lord is keeping us here. Is that as you naturally, take care of yourself, as you naturally organically seek the best for yourself. Assume standard is applied to others in your life. When you are hungry, you go and grab something to eat when you are. Go after medical care. When you are stressed out, you do something about it. You take a break or you play games, you watch Netflix. And if so fascinating to see how
Self-care so naturally and wonderfully that even the involuntary parts of our body. When we have stress, there are things that happen.
The tears that come out naturally have healing component in terms of relieving the stress from crying when it is hot, we sweat. When we get as cold, we shiver Standard of how the body itself can you yourself. So naturally.
That is the same way. I want you to trip other people.
The best analogy that I can think of that are reminded of is in fact with my Band-Aid. I cut myself a small paper cut on your body, your other hand naturally Amir
It's on the same way our church body when one part is broken and hurting and in pain we immediately naturally organically the place that is hurt. Scripture. The Lord says, I don't care about your offerings and your sacrifices. No go out and love other people.
When the basic. Or not. Go into your burdens with that person because they're even their basic needs of who they are, as a human being, or that does not make our God happy when people are suffering even in a basic needs. It is love church is love is so great that even our Lord wants us to go and love our enemies as well feed them when they're hungry. Give them your own jacket. When they sue you the standard of love for the Christ follower is far.
World presents and that is a good thing.
What? It's worth beloved real quick. This is not a call for Christians to love people to prove their faith. We're not called to go and love people to earn favor or to earn our Salvation from God. That's not how it works. Rather come down to this every single interaction that we have with people. Whether it is your close friend your brother or sister or yes, even your enemy. And yes even that annoying boss that you work for. Is Guided by one thing. One tree. A God's greatest act of love was given.
Every single act of love that we do in our lives is for that. To reflect the truth and the reality that our God gave us the greatest love to us. You may have heard that before 1st John 4:19 we love because he first loved us.
This Love Tomorrow more, we understand and receive this love from our God. Only. Then can we truly give genuine love to other people in our lives. Is why our passage and Marcus going for the more you love God. The more you see his love for us the more you see it at God and His patience and kindness and he knows all of our sins. He knows who we are. He knows our secret, he knows and sees the ugliness in ourselves that we try to hide from other people so much, even though he knows all of
He has given us to give up his own son.
He died for Sinners, but just you and I
But the Lord. With all your heart, soul strength in mind. So that you may love other people. I do love yourself. Now for those of you who are looking for more practical things, I'm a type A personality. I'm not done yet. I'm going to grow in this love for one another. Now raise your hand, if you own a car, Excellent. I I'm sorry, I'm sorry that you own a car because raise your hand if you have ever read through your instruction manual for your car. I we have some weird people here in this church. Good for you, as you have done well right now. I have my. When the light comes on on the dashboard and that's it. But if you guys have actually taken the time for me through, it is really cool because your car, your car actually has a lot of cool things that you didn't you. For example, in my wife's car, if you hold down the button on a certain way, it'll actually unlock all the doors and it will actually roll down the windows for you before you even start the car and I did not know that.
That are actually in the user's manual all the time. It's just that we don't actually open it up and read through earlier.
my statement right now, probably will become outdated because there are still
What makes up a car wheels engines fuel in the light that when, when it any of the core components are changed or gone, it ceases to be a car when you get rid of the wheels and you add paddles and becomes a boat, not a car, right? And so the church question for us, this morning is what then are the main core components of what makes up man and woman. Who you are where you're from, what you've accomplished. What does it mean? Attributes of core components? That make us who we are as people. We have different skin color, different hairstyles, height weight. What is it? Exactly. Those of you who know it is being made in the image of Image of God is the key unifying factor in a tribute of all people here on this Earth that you are. Yes, wonderfully and uniquely made, it is not your skin color, your ethnicity or your, even your sexuality. The ultimate unifying trade is that we are made in Disney. The devil tries to deceive Us in this, by having people, try to identify themselves in something. Other than this made in the image of God, whether it's through accomplishment, The money in your bank account through what car you drive through your sexuality, through your skin, color through what you do here on this Earth and tries to have us identify our value as a person through these things.
Church as a simple reminder. The one thing is that we are made in His image and we are all broken Sinners before. The reason why I sent you this this morning but love it. Is that only when we see Anybody in your life on this standard. Pathfinder skin color, not by their bank account, but the fact that they are people bearing God's image broken. sinners in need of a savior that alone is the beginning in the foundation of how we Log, even that annoying boss, who yells at you every single week for no reason. Only when you see someone through the lens of how our God sees his own creation, Do We Begin that path of truly understanding, and loving and you been forgiving a person who has heard us for many many years
Weather-wise your parents, who abused you? Who should have loved you but abused you instead or that person who betrayed you or the person who gossip behind you. only, when you see, How you yourself? I just as broken as they are. There's a path of loving, even that type of person. Begin. It is man. It is a problem of 10. It is a sinful hearts of man, that ruins our behavior that breaks up relationships, that destroys the standard that God has put And this has caused traumas in the hearts of people. And the destructive cycle of 10, is that outside of God and outside of Jesus?
Woodmore identities that are not of God. And never. And it never heal.
I love it. Our church. Our God has commanded us. This path of healing forgiveness and yes, love in action. It begins when we see ourselves in the presence of God. Who We Are? Why do you look in the speck in your brother's eye? Before taking the plank, in your own eye removed the plane from your eyes first because Terry, you don't know what they did to me. Yeah, I know. But I know what we did against our God. I know what we did against this. Holy God. I know what I do against his holy God numerous times. I preach his word on Sunday and I still suffer the same sins. I preached about that, I am
And yet Our God, our precious Lord Jesus.
Grace for us.
I forgiven you and I'm going to use you.
1st. Corinthians 13. The love chapter. There's a conclusion that Paul offer that is often taken out of context. I'm going to read the New Living Translation for understanding. He says, 1st Corinthians 13 verse 12 in perfectly, like puzzling Reflections in a mirror but then when we see everything with perfect clarity, all that, I know now is partial and incomplete.
God now knows me completely. As Paul is writing his letter to Corinthians, he's remembering the mirrors of his time, back. Then for your history bus, you will understand that mirrors back then were made from Ron not from the material that we have now. And then, when you look at these bronze mirrors are often dirty and their rusting and so forth. It did not give a clear reflection of who Interpol uses it as an analogy today as we live here on when you look at other people and you try to explain behavior and people weirdness,
without God, you cannot get that full complete picture of why that is But then, he says someday. As if we're going to see a clear mirror, that will reveal everything to us. When we see our Lord face-to-face, someday when we are in the presence of the author of Truth and gospel. Everything will repeal in the church. What this means for us today, is the more and more. We draw closer to our God. Amor, Amor. We don't just keep God's promises and Truth in the abstract or rather in reality in action and with our words and when we were ourselves, then and only then Can you forgive someone? Only then, can you begin loving that person that probably God is putting in your mind and in your heart right now that you are called to forget? Alfreda knows who we are. He's the one who wrote the instruction book. And if he is the one who has written us, who we are, he's the one who created us and knows us, fully the ugly and a good who else. But our one true Living God shall return to To understand ourselves and other people. But how can we love another person when we don't know how to love ourselves?
How can the blind lead? The blind? What our Lord has given us. The greatest love. The model on how to love other people. Thanks be too. Who not only wonderfully, created us, but he loves us as well even in our broken, he knows US law of our scent issues and faults. And not only does he know that he has forgiven Us by giving us the greatest payment so that those sins are taken care of and we can see God our God face to face.
Through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Love the Lord with all your heart strength School in mind. So that you may love others. As you love yourself, her one is this
This week, it's important for you for the week. No. Good. Pastor Look up. The word differentiation. Differentiation in the psychology world is this concept of where we develop a healthy identity? That's distinct from other people's expectations of you. And so you create a very healthy identity for yourself, and yes, still at a healthy relationships with one another. And what I mean by that is in our culture today. There have been so many burdens and expectations placed upon you since birth. And so, what we don't realize often is that because of these expectations, because they're so ingrained and who we are, we live them out thinking that it is normal. But the reality is, there are certain things that are not actually normal at all, not even healthy for that matter. Again, I said this morning people who try to find our identity without God, they'll try to find it as something fleeting worldly temporary. But the best part about the cry, When it comes to Identity especially in the realm of differentiation is that we don't have to look for it. we don't have to go on this journey and be like, this is who I Because our God has given you the best identity. You are a beloved son or daughter of God, and he has the receipts to show.
Hear this? Do not search for identity in anything here on this Earth. It is temporary, it is not fulfilling and ultimately it leads to death. What embraced identity that our God has given to you? And ask yourself that question. I asked my church this last week. Our Lord. I praise the Lord says that his yoke is easy and his
I asked you this morning in any aspect of your life. What yolk are you wearing? What you look has been placed upon you. And you're trying to carry yourself and fulfill the expectations of other people outside of them. At your homework this week. If you're single. Or people take vacations of you and your single life. Aren't you married yet? There's an expectation. There's a joke. If you're married or have kids yet whatever on and on and on worldly expectations.
What our Lord says, my yoke is easy. My brother is like differentiation.
I know this is hard for some people introverted person as I am. You must eat in proximity of people. One of the lie that Satan puts upon ourselves is that when you're hurt by people, we tend to isolate ourselves from people. Reality is the solution. Is you need to go back with healthy people. Church, do not neglect in gathering together and come together to be the church. Don't just go to church. The church together as brothers and sisters coming and celebrating one at is your all Sinners. We are forgiven and he is Christ is Lord. The best part is is why I love this church. You come together? You read the word. You read Genesis 5. You read about how man began another son and so forth of all those difficult names to share this morning. Amen. Is even that shows how precious our God is together and proximity with one. Another number three is this
I don't know you are, I don't know your background but the Lord this morning I believe the saying some of us must start taking steps in for giving other people. And it begins with this. You simply look at the one. Who has given you the greatest forgiveness.
How precious how precious, how precious is a blood of Our Lord. Show his love for us. I just threw words not just through after clouds in the, in the sky. By his body being broken and his blood being shed. Screw the greatest love giving up his life to prove that he loves you. Let's go to Florida Fair.
Who's going to give you guys 30 seconds to do some self-reflection with the Lord, with our heavenly father right now and everything that we have and to love other people or some it's made me to just simply take steps being intentional and calling them and reaching out to them, sharing the gospel with them. I mean, forgiveness for those of you who are hurting today with this before you even take steps, And trying to forgive another person, go to your heavenly father right now. Go to your heavenly father right now and receive forgiveness. I'm going to stop talking Fray. Is there a God? How close is a?
Or Jesus, how wonderful you are. That, what is impossible for man is possible with God.
A relationship that was so broken, Lord. Can be healed. Is all Dry Bones. Lord that are so Dad and we think that are worth nothing. You can give New Living flesh upon them. A mountain Lord. Jesus head is so big. The faith, the size of a mustard seed, kombucha. And it is only possible through you Lord.
Other God you have given us these two great beautiful Commandments and they are in this order for reason. Love you with everything that we have every single Iota Lord of who we are met. We dedicate 100% adoration and loyalty to you that Lord. As we love our precious, God, in our creator, we discover who we are. We discover our problems, we discover Lord, our need for a savior and when we taste and forgiveness, that you're given to us to your son, Lord only that race. Or even begin. The process of loving those, in our lives, that your place, especially those, we need to freaking bother or Jesus. Thank you so much. That our identity is not grounded on temporary things. Foundations of sand here on this Earth. The Lord is unchanging Rock, which is you your truth, your love your word Brooks father, the praise goes to you.