Listen, Hear, Obey and Love

Questions about Shema. If not, I'm getting to it. So, I hope so. Now

Yes, sir. So, as the video said, Shema means listen here. Obey. And today's message is listen here, Old Bay and love because today's text is, from Matthew chapter 22 verses 34 through 40, If we can get versus 34 through 38 pulled up, that would be great. So starts out with, but when the Pharisees heard That he Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they gather together. And one of them. A lawyer? No good. Can come from lawyers. I'm just saying

I asked him a question to test him teacher, which is the great commandment in the law.

We got the Big Ten, right? Ten Commandments. Get Jesus. If we continue on to verse 38, Jesus said and he said to him, you shall love the Lord. Your God with all your heart. With all your soul.

And with all your mind, this is the great and first commandment. And the So this is the great and first commandment. Where is Jesus getting this from? Anybody Bueller, Bueller. Jesus is citing the Torah in last week. We heard a little bit about the Torah, so the Torah, that's the first five books of the Bible. That's What Jews, hold as their Holy Scripture, the law, the first five books, nowadays, depending on which circles you going. It gets referred to as the pentateuch. But it's also known as being the law. The first five books of the Bible, this is what Jesus is siding to this young lawyer. Who asked the question? so, In Matthew 2022, 34 through 38, Jesus is citing the Shema. And if we can use the word Shem, the word Shema.

Right means what we just watched a video on it. Listen. Hear and obey.

End. So if we can get to romi's 64, through five up on the screen, we're going to walk through this a little bit because Jesus found it. So important to cite it by golly. I ain't nothing but I'm going to look at this. Hear o Israel. So hear that word here in Hebrew is Shema. Do Israel. Who's Israel is it the country over in the Middle East? That's at War right now with the Palestinians?

Is it the nation of people that Jesus was a part of? Yeah, this is a couple thousand years old and is more importantly was Israel. A person. Yeah, also known as Jacob. So he's in the Shema hear o Israel. We need to be paying attention to this because Yeah, he's it's being addressed to us.

The Lord, our God.

The Lord is one and I get it that we believe in the father, son and spirit. Well, that's probably see it that's having more than one God, right? There's three if we adhere to that, but we don't, as Christ followers, we're monotheistic. Not polytheistic but mono. Meaning one poly means many

Love the Lord, your God.

You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart. and with all your soul, Right. That's kind of self-explanatory. All are hard right now. I mean, we drive around town. We see the bumper stickers, I heart, New York iHeart, Cleveland iHeart, Football team. I love. In.

With all your soul.

Tell of his anybody in here ever been in love. I have. Do I want to know? Everything I possibly can know about that person, about that thing that I love. Case in point.

When I I don't like hunting, right? I don't like walking through the woods and then but busting a cap and Bambi It doesn't really do anything for me. I don't like it. I can when I can go to the grocery store but some people do like hunting. And they do like the taste of game and they use it and they loved it. So if I were to go Amy, come on, let's go home cuz I love you.

Do I really love her if we're going hunting and I'm hesitant? Yes. Amy, you don't like hunting either. I don't know. You might be the crazy kid up, the street with a baseball bat, I don't know, but I don't like hunting. Why am I going to Hazard a guess here that Amy doesn't like hunting. Why am I going to go hunting with Amy? but,

Do we have a guidebook? A guidelines as to what God likes, what feeds we how we can worship God? Short answer. Yes. And I was reaching out of my chair to grab one of the said guidebooks it. But wasn't no shelf. It's called a Bible. And when this was written, this was written in the Old Testament and God lays himself out God, the Father about what he likes and what he doesn't like, Does it. If we are saying we love God. Should we know what God likes and doesn't like? Exactly, yes. We should. What brings pleasure to God. And then we fast forward a couple thousand years to Jesus. Jesus was God. In the Jesus lay out what he liked and what he didn't like absolutely and do we follow Jesus. Absolutely but again Do we follow Jesus to the bar?

No, because Jesus didn't do that. Jesus didn't like that. Hey, it's not we're not staying. We love Jesus. When we do that. Dewey's, are we supposed to be setting our Bibles and please note that I use the word supposed to be because we get in here. Yeah, I'm a Christian and I love God. Really tell me about God. Crickets.

Come on now. We should be going on about God. We should be citing the Bible because we love God. Therefore, we want to know everything about God. And it says, here in the Shema. Please note the language. You shall love the Lord. It's not if you feel like it, You shall. That is command in. The word here. Shema. What does Shema mean again?

Listen and Obey.

Hear Shema Israel. The Lord. Our God not there. God our God. The Lord is one. We have one God. You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart. And with all your soul and then we get to. And with all your might, So what was the Old Testament written in? Anybody fueler Buehler Hebrew, not just Hebrew but Massa Reddick Hebrew. And that word might.

It's kind of good, doesn't capture the word that use. They're all the way, because the word that use there is my old. My old, there is no direct English correlation to there. Isn't there's no word for my old in English. The closest we can get you It is for my old is March Madness, and my English teacher will be smack me upside the head right now cuz it's not a word.

But we need to love God. with all our heart, all our soul, And with all your, my old whatever's leftover all you is love God.

That's the first commandment not suggestion, the first commandment right in them moving forward. We get to the rest of this and Matthew 38. Sorry. 22 37, through 38. If we can get that pulled up. Again, the Matthew. 22, 37 and 38, or 39 through 40 that works too. And the sin Jesus says, and the second is like it,

you shall love.

Not like not mad at all. Her 8. But you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now, who's asking this question all? That's right. It's a lawyer. They find excuses for anyting who is my neighbor?

Anybody Bueller, Bueller, Bueller. I hear everyone everyone over here. Yeah, everyone and I remember this because when I was a lot younger and a lot more spry, I went to Djibouti Africa with two Pastors in went to a school there in those pastures. Threw me under the bus.

Talk to these third grade kids. Talk to him about this. So, ready to him. And this boy goes, you're not my neighbor. You live in the United States. I live in Djibouti, Africa,

It's not just two when we walk out the door, it's not just who lives in the house to our, right, or left or across the street. It's all of us. You all have heard the term. We live in a global community. Who'da thunk it. Jesus a couple thousand years ago. Deciding that we live in a global community. And where is Jesus? Getting this stuff from

you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Where is Jesus getting that from? The Torah, the pentateuch. He's getting it from Deuteronomy 6. verses four and five if we can get that pulled up, That be appreciated.

Hear o Israel.

kind of, Reminiscence of something. The Lord. Our God, wait. Sorry. The Lord is one. Sorry.

So, there we go. Little bit of Kiss. Sorry, I kind of slipped out.

90 19:18. You shall not take Vengeance or bear, a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord all capital letters.

Who is that? That said that. The Lord. I am the Lord. That means I am Yahweh. And that's supposed to be can get to it. Because as Pastor Jose cited last week, we we only have initials for Yahweh and I hope I'm saying the name, right? but, We just get the capital letters. And we get this, I am the Lord.

This is God saying this.

That we are to love.

Everyone, we shall love your neighbor as yourself.

And I got a third grade boy in Djibouti Africa scene. Y'all are at our neighbors.

And we again reach this new term Global community.

Only a couple thousand years old. Jesus is tighten that. That we are to love our neighbor and we're all Neighbors.

so,

As.

Have we do we got this?

Okay, because I'm going to beat a dead horse.

Romans 13:10.

The Apostle Paul. The brother Paul is writing this love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is fulfilling the law. If y'all ever heard the term, keep it simple stupid. Boy, howdy. I used to hear that all the time. Got to keep it simple love. and if we don't love,

Don't really know. God, I'd recommend going back learning about love. In God's Falls in there. In hit again, just to beat a dead horse. Let's go to Genesis 1. First 73. First, 26 7.

This is how it all starts in Genesis. Brighton. You get some flipping around here in our Bibles. but, If we can get Genesis, 1:27 pulled up on the screen.

This way we can all follow along because we know how in Genesis God created everything. and,

Sorry, I'm going to pull it up here.

That's the first book of the Bible. First chapter of the Bible.

And it says, so God created, man in his own image, pic careful, attention.

so God created, man in his own image in the image of God, he created him And that him is kind of. It is not. The Bible isn't being sexist. They talked about Humanity right? God created everyone in his own image and So God created Mankind in his own image. How many Christians do we have in here, everyone? Alright, you're in church Sunday. It's beautiful day out and you're here.

God created each and every one of us in His image. Now, does that mean that?

God is a frumpy middle-aged. White guy.

No, it doesn't. Does that mean God is soon to be teenaged black girl? No. Doesn't mean that.

Is Amy. My my sister absolutely is Doug, my brother absolutely. And you heard Pastor Jose and I hope one day to be as handsome as him going brother. Mike is going to come up here and deliver the message. I got a lock to work on cuz again one day I hope to be as handsome as he is, but Not as biologically, his brother. But he is my brother Amy's. My sister. Dog, is my brother, Marvin's my brother. You all are part of my family. And that is what Jesus is getting at.

Question, for y'all to ponder over us.

If we love God.

if we are Christ followers,

should we not be loving God's image? Bearers.

And just to close out, Jesus tells us in Matthew 22 versus 34 through 38.

We just rehash this, but when the Pharisees heard that he had signs the Sadducees, that means you, sleep is SmackDown on them side, burner. They gathered together.

In one of them, a lawyer. I asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law.

In Jesus responded. If we go on to 3738,

you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, all your soul. And with all your mind, this is the first and greatest commandment and the next is unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Soul. It is condemned in boys and girls. We need to be loving each other. Just as we love God. In.

This is definitely something that we need to be reflecting on in contemplating.

Father, thank you for this day.

Thank you for blessing us, so abundantly. As you've taught us. To say our father. Who art in heaven? Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and

keep on.

Temptation for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen! That's what I'm talking about. Okay, thank you.

Brother, Mike.

She has brother. Mike was speaking. It just reminded me from the parable of the Good Samaritan that we looked at last week to remember. There were three actors in the story. In the Good Samaritan. Story in Luke 10:25, it says 25.

Member of the man was going down. The men was Ill. He was beaten, he was sick. That a priest was going down. What did the priest do?

He moved even moved on the other side. Say he didn't want nothing to do with somebody.

Especially was just just to somebody was sake. Just I don't want to deal with it and I think that's why we're going to. The text says, in verse 31 of Luke 10 verse 31 says Now by change, the priest was going down. Meaning that he was coming from the temple. That means he just went and serve and he just went to preach God's word to people. And then when he's leaving church and he was not even leaving what he was saying because he was telling people to love God and love people that the priest was not doing it himself. That's why. Did she move means the lesson is the same as Obey, if you listen to God's word but we don't obey it, it is what? Worthless, we just wasting time. So, the priest was not taking his own advice that he was giving two people. The next actor in the story was

These other people who served in the church. You know, the worship leader is the ushers, the people who are caring for people, but when the levite was going down, You know, when he came to the place when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So I'm not going to fool with him. Move on the other side. How many times are we close our eyes on the needs? That we see the needs of other people? Today it's kind of like a reflection for us to Remember When God says to love me, love God and love people and is not just words but it's love in action. See love is active weekend. Just say with words. We love but we do not actually live it out. But again in the store, we have the next actor, he was a Samaritan. Those were despised by the Jews. But who acted like a neighbor. Samaritan. The man that was despised by the Jew so maybe that person was if was a Jewish person but he went and he cared for him, the person would did not seem like would be a brother because the Samaritans were mixed race. And the Jewish didn't want anything to do with them, but did the priest act as a neighbor? Did the levite As the ex lived as a neighbor? Now, but the Samaritan was the one who acted as a neighbor. Not only he tended to his needs. He took him to a hotel and he even paid for him. In the weeks to come and said, if there's anything left that is needed, what did he say? Added to my tab, and I will take care of it. See, that's what God calls us. When God says to listen to my word and to a billion to do it, that's what love looks like. Amen, the father, may you help each one of us this morning, may you help us? Lord God, when we hear your word, when we open your word, when we read, it may not be just me words, but may you help us Lord, God to obey and to do it. So, father, I pray for each one of us. When we hear your words, they will be eager like Peter in our reading this week. To do it to do, whatever. Is in our power, to honor you and to give you all the glory and all the praise be magnified. Oh God, we thank you for your word. This morning, to love you with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, with all our might And help us. Lord God, then only to hear your word. To listen to your word but I'll post it obey into do it. A lot of us love to hold grudges against our neighbor but your word is clear, we should not hold any grudges against one another so father help us as we go and as we leave today, That we go and just remember that listen equals obey, love equals obey and help us bother to do just that. Why don't you sing this last song together?