Love Unleashed: The Power of the Greatest Commandment
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
The Dilution of Love in American culture
In our American culture, “love” has been so watered down that it’s become like a caricature of what true love is.
We even have a word now, “Luv"; it’s an informal, sentimental, casual take on love
Love for us has become warm and fuzzy
I love chocolate cake
I love this TV show
Love becomes linked to preferences
Binge Culture
This partly, because our culture thrives on binge culture
Bingeing everything from food to TV to social media
It changes our affections — what we value and treasure
People are focused on accumulating experiences rather than deep meaningful connections
Like flipping channels on a TV — we’re always searching and never really settling on anything
The Rise of Consumerism
This is consumerism that that defines our culture focuses on immediate gratification
Our relationships with things becomes transactional and this starts to shape how we interact
The abundance of choices promotes superficial rather than deeper connections
We can make a choice and when we’re no longer happy with it switch to something else
Our commitments become very flexible and easily broken
The whole idea of consumerism is to create desires in us that didn’t exist — with the end goal of selling us something
to make our life…
Better
More convenient
Something we can’t live without
Materialism and it’s impact
Materialism, consumerism, and abundance of choices reduces things to commodities
This mindset prioritizes gratification over giving
Personal needs overshadow sacrificial giving
Creating a reluctance to engage in deep relationships
The Subtle Slide into Idolatry
From a biblical standpoint we’re called to fulfill certain roles - to live a certain way
We’re not called simply to have faith but to live out the particulars of our faith
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
It becomes an issue of what we set our minds on and because where our head goes, our heart follows
It becomes an issue of idolatry — which is putting anything else above God — a violation of the 1st commandment
It can creep in subtly and gradually — Over time the things of God begin to take a backseat to pleasure, self-indulgence and materialism
In seeking comfort, we gather for self, but in serving God and others, we gather life's wealth
We easily fall into idolatry, for we are inclined to it by nature; and coming to us by inheritance, it seems pleasant.
Martin Luther
When something seems “pleasant” we equate that with goodness and we pursue it
We tend to trust in the things we pursue
The heart of idolatry is misplaced trust and affection
You might say:
“I trust the Lord with my salvation and my eternity”
But, do you trust him with your happiness?
Do you have affection for God?
Do you have affection for the things that He values:
Affection for...
The Gospel
His word
Prayer and communion with God
Mercy and grace towards others
Community
Spiritual growth and discipleship
All of things aren’t self-centered and are in opposition to the self-focused binge-culture we live in
In the context of our culture, we must question and realign our focus:
Are we evaluating life by human comforts and using our gifts for our glory
—OR—Are we truly serving God and others?
In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus’s gives us the key to realigning our lives
The Command of Love
The Command of Love
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
A Command Not a Suggestion
The scribe asks Jesus what’s the greatest commandment
In the face of the diluted nature of love we see something striking and profound in Mark 12:28-34
We’ve heard the saying that the 10 Commandments aren’t suggestions
“They’re called the 10 Commandments not the 10 Suggestions”
In other words, unlike flipping TV channels where we’re in control and deciding and what we want
We’re commanded to love God — it’s absolute
Jesus’s response — The Shema
Jesus quotes from Deut 6:4-5, The Shema, the call to love God with the entirety of our being
ALL Heart/ALL Soul/ALL Mind/ALL Strength
With our ALL, not holding back on anything nor leaving anything out
This is a command, we have no choice or option in the matter of loving God
If we wish to truly love God, then we must do what he commands and how he commands it
The Shema calls us to love God with with ALL that we are
Cutting thru Complexity
Our lives are so complicated that Jesus realigns it for us
Think of it like this...
The Jews had separated the commandments into 613 and debated about which ones were most important
And Jesus cuts thru all the debates and let’s us know what the most important thing in life is
He simplifies things for them
If the Jews of Jesus’ time needed things simplified, how much more do we?
Our lives tend to chaotic and overly busy
Love as a command, Not an Option
But there’s question or objection, especially from our current culture
How can love be commanded?
Love should be an act of the will
But our culture is defines love thru the lens of feelings and emotions and what pleases and glorifies me
Biblical love is more about aligning with God’s will in truth and action
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Love as an Invitation to Truth Lived Out
Love is about truth in action
The command of love is an invitation to manifest God’s love in our daily lives
Love that transforms us and the world around us
BOTTOM LINE: The command of love is an invitation to grow in God’s image
You might still have that lingering question of how love can be commanded
Look at what Jesus says...
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Love = obedience
From a biblical perspective, Jesus connects love to obedience
Loving Jesus = doing what he says
Contemporary society is accustomed to dealing with love between equals and must be a consensus
But our relationship to Christ is not one of equals
Love between unequals
A Christians we affirm that Jesus is God — and we should not relate to him as an equal
He is our master and has the right to give commands and expect our obedience
We have to come to grips with the fact that we are not the highest beings in the universe
Love as an Expression of the Trinity
Love as an Expression of the Trinity
The Shema is more than God telling us what to do
It’s a calling to participate in divine love of the highest order
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer — Context
In John 17 we see Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
Jesus intercedes for the disciples and all believers
This is the night before his crucifixion
This reminds of the High Priests on the OT — On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when he would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people and intercede with God on their behalf
This is Jesus fulfilling of the high priest on our behalf on the eve of his crucifixion
Oneness of Christianity
Jesus prays that:
We may be one in each other
We may be one just as the Father and Son are One
This is profound for our lives — I think there’s maybe nothing more profound in the universe
Jesus is praying for me and you — that we would be one with each other and with the Trinity
Jesus says that as we take his message to others who then believe, that we’re all brought into the fellowship union of the Trinity
Unity is vital — it’s how the world comes to recognize us and believe in Jesus
And this unity isn’t limited to us as humans…Jesus says that we might be also be one with the Father and Son
We’re used to thinking of loving relationships as isolated and exclusive between 2 people
We see the relationship is existing on it’s own terms defined by the love the 2 people have for one another
But what Jesus calls us to is VERY different than what we’re familiar with
Love as a mirror of the Trinity
Christian love mirrors the love between the Father and Son
The profound love between the Father and Son extends beyond a mere model to copy
It embodies the very essence of Christianity
We’re invited into an intimate participation with Jesus’ unique and deep relationship with the Father
The command of love goes beyond walking an “enlightened path” to communing with the Trinity
Who says all religions are the same?
There’s nothing like this, anywhere!
Loving From the Inside Out
Loving From the Inside Out
We’ve learned that loving God is a command but it’s also
An calling to grow in the image of God
An calling to mirror the love between the Father and Son
Jesus tells us that the practical outworking of our love of God is the love for others
He quotes from Lev 19.18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
In fact, Jesus says that loving God and loving neighbor are inseparable
Love that ascends to God, extends to others
Jesus says that our love for others ought to be equal to the love we have for ourselves
We recognize our own worth and value as a person created in God’s image and we should see this in others
In our own lives we aren’t passive about doing things for benefit and working towards our own good
We’re called to treat other with the same care, respect, and kindness that we wish for ourselves
This is what it looks like to live in the Kingdom of God
This is the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17 in his high priestly prayer, lived out
Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained
C. S. Lewis
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus asks him what he thinks and he answers Jesus: Love God and love your neighbor
Jesus affirms his answers but the lawyer continued to press Jesus asking
“Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus tells him the parable of the Good Samaritan:
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Not My Neighbor
Jewish rabbis knew that God required love of God and love of neighbors
They also knew it was difficult — so they whittled down the commandments into bite sized chunks that they could control — 613 commandments
If they could define people as “not my neighbor” then loving my neighbor becomes easier
Right…
Who is my neighbor?
To whom do I owe something?
It’s a perpetual question of ours as humans…who should I help?
When i see someone in need, on the side of the road panhandling should I give them money?
But they might misuse it for drugs or alcohol
There’s a lot of reasons to NOT help someone — and define them as NOT MY NEIGHBOR
The priest and the levite both passed this man in need
If the priest touched a dead body he’d become ritually unclean
He’d lose work be required to sacrifice a heifer burning it to ash
Similar for the levite as they tended to follow the purity requirements of the priests
So, both used the Law as a reason to not help
The determined that this man was not their neighbor and that the right thing to do was to not help
The Samaritan of course stopped and helped — and at great personal cost
Bandaged his wounds
Put him on his donkey and took him to an inn and cared for him for 2 days
Paid 2 silver coins to the inn keeper and pledged to pay more if needed — 2 days wages
The Samaritans were hated by the Jews
In fact one rabbi said if a Samaritan stops to help you, you should spit in his face
The lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
But the real question is:
Am I willing to become a neighbor to someone else?
How then do we become a neighbor?
We become neighbors as soon as we feel compassion for someone
And the best place for us to help others is the place where we spend the most time, have the most resources, and most experiences
Work
Community/Local neighborhood
Family/friends
Not just in some far off land or panhandlers on the street
Any group you’re a part of and have connections
Jesus as the Good Samaritan
When we help people as Jesus commands — we’re bringing the Gospel
In the story of the Good Samaritan, we see the actions of the Samaritan as those of Jesus
His love was unexpected
We would have expected either the priest or levite to help one of their own but not the Samaritan
The Samaritan helping a Jew was unexpected
Would you help someone who hated you? Someone who would spit in your face?
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus did exactly this — helping people who have rejected him
Just think for a moment how hard it is to love God like we should
It’s EASY to over look someone in need and make excuses
It’s EASY for us to chose other things over God
It’s EASY to violate the first commandment of having no other Gods before Yahweh
It’s EASY to put our trust in other things
This is the nature of sin…it’s rebellion and turning away from God
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus died for the unrighteous, the undeserving, people who willing choose to reject God
His love was costly
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The Samaritan gave up his own resources to rescue another
His time and his his assets
Jesus gave up his divine privileges - giving up his place with God and making himself a servant
Instead of passing by, he saw us in need and became like us so that he could rescue us
We’re outsiders undeserving of Jesus’s rescue - he should pass us by
Many times when pass by others and don’t help, it’s becasue we’re judging them as “not my neightbor”
Not so with Jesus
Jesus had compasson and drew near to us — this is what the incarnation is…Jesus seeing our desparation and coming to help
It was costly…he willingly laid aside the glory of being equal with God — to redeem us
Jesus truly embodies what it means to love
The Samaritan embodied the kind of love that we can relate to…love among equals
Love that comes from God and connects us to others
Love that ascends to God, extends to others
As our redeemer and saviour, Jesus transforms this love
The love that Jesus embodies is the transcendent Tinitarian love between the Father and Son
Jesus takes the concept of the Good Samaritan and transforms it
While our love mirrors that of the trinity, Jesus’ love with the Father defines the essence and souce of true love
Love that ascends to God, extends to others
Love that transcends in God, descends to us