LOVING GOD PT 2
Notes
Transcript
Intro
We have been talking about love - not from this world...
Last week we started talking about How to Love God.
We saw in the OT that Moses said to Deuteronomy 6:5
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
In the NT we see Jesus repeat Moses when He shares what the most important commandment is: Mark 12:30
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Body
So we talked a little bit about it, but how do we love God with all of our Heart, Soul, and Strength?
Heart = feelings, attitude
Soul = thoughts, internal dialogue
Strength = body, actions, what we say and do
We know that Jesus did it perfectly, but we are only human: broken, messed up in the head, fallen, self-gratifying, self-seeking, self-loathing, distracted, ADD, depressed, lost, I could go on, people
But God sent us someone to help!
Jesus showed us how to love God, How to love others...
Jesus died for us so that sin could be pushed out of the way of our path to God
Jesus advocates for us at the right hand of God!
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
He is literally sitting there beside God, speaking on our behalf
We lawyered up with a guy that can articulate beautifully and convincingly to the judge
And Jesus has a perfect record! 100% success rate in court!
And when I do mess up, because I do, I don’t have to start all over from the beginning - Jesus supports me and I am forgiven and my relationship with God doesn’t even hiccup.
And remember, we don’t obey just so that we can stay out of hell, we obey out of love so that we can freely use our whole heart, soul, and strength to love God as we live out this incredible relationship.
Conclusion
Right now, as people are seeking the love of the world, they are being left confused, isolated, hurt, or unfulfilled.
It is easy to cast your mind, body and heart on things around you, whether it be a relationship, social media, friends, or school.
The reality is that none of those things have ever fully loved and sacrificed for you like God has.
Sin tells us that we can love the things of the world and be satisfied and fulfilled in them.
That is a lie! When you love the things of the world, it will leave you feeling more empty.
However, when you love God and obey him you experience the fullness of the life, he marked out for you. That life is filled with his joy, peace, hope, freedom, and truth!
The truth is, You cannot Love someone you don’t know
Do you know Jesus? - If not you can simply ask Him to come into your life!
Maybe you are that student that is doing everything “right” on the outside - with your actions, but on the inside, your heart is far from God. Or your thoughts are miles from Him.
Have you become hyper-focused on your actions and the actions of others, while ignoring your heart?
The foundation for obedience should be love for God, not to earn God’s love or get approval from others watching you.
Ask God to change your heart, Ask Him to transform your mind tonight, Ask Him to show you any influences that distract you from the pursuit of holiness, of loving Him well
Ask Jesus to advocate for you - Pray
Group Discussion
Have you heard someone justify sinful behavior because they know God has already forgiven them? Why is this way of thinking problematic?
How is God saying “Be holy” different from saying “be perfect”?
How do things like your schedule, social media use, TV consumption, and relationships affect your ability to love God with your whole being?
List ways we can love God with our Heart, Soul, and Mind.