7. Love God

Introduction

What is the most important thing about you? What is the most important thing in life?

Summarize the Series

What is a Christian?

The vast majority of people who identify as a Christian don’t even believe the basic tenets of the Christian faith (i.e., Jesus was truly born of a virgin, Jesus never sinned, the Holy Spirit is God) nor do they make any attempt to live the way of Jesus.

Can you be a Christian but not follow Jesus? No. Christianity is not just a set of religious beliefs. Christianity is a way of living life like Jesus, with Jesus, and for Jesus. A Christian is a disciple of Jesus, someone who has surrendered their life to Jesus and is now living for him.

Part 1: What

Sometimes it’s helpful to think of following Jesus as a dance rather than a hike.

Come to Jesus

Become like Jesus

Share Jesus with others

Part 2: How

Like plants that need soil, sun, and water, we also need three things to be healthy and fruitful disciples.

Be filled with Spirit

Live by the Word

Many different ways… Most Christians throughout most of history never read the Bible alone during their quiet time. They read the Bible together.

Belong to the Church

The Final Part of the Series: Who: God, Self, Others

Setup

As human beings, we were created in harmony

with God (Gen 1:27-28a)

with self (Gen 2:25)

with others (Gen 2:23-24)

But sin broke our relationships

with God (Gen 3:8, 23-24)

with self (Gen 3:7)

with others (Gen 3:16)

Jesus came to break the power of sin so that we could be reconciled to God, self, and others. (Rom 5:10-11)

What is the most important thing in life? The most important thing in life is to know and love God.

Exposition (Mark 12:28-34)

What does it mean?

What does it look like for someone to love God completely, with all their being?

How would you love God with your job?

How would you love God with your family?

How would you love God with your friendships?

How would you love God with your weekend?

How would you love God with your hobbies?

How would you love God with your money?

How would you love God with your education?

How would you love God with your talents?

How would you love God with your time?

How would you love God with your pain, your sickness, or your suffering?

Illustration: One of the boys had a school project, and he had to answer the question What is the most important thing about you? He answered, “The most important thing about me is I’m a Christian.”

Application: Is that true of you? Is the most important thing about you the fact that you belong to Jesus?

Conclusion: Communion

We aspire to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are a people who are known and loved by God, and we know and love him in return. We live surrendered to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Drawn by God’s love, we devote ourselves fully to him. He is our magnificent obsession.