Setting Up Our #1

Story time!

One day these religious leaders were arguing with Jesus. They tested him on questions about the ressurection, on paying taxes, even on His authority. This of course was a trap - to try and trip Him up if possible.

Finally, one of the leaders who had been watching all this noted that Jesus had good answers, so he came up with a question:

“Which of the commandments is most important Jesus?”

You have to understand, between the religious leaders there was hot debate about this - could you prioritize one command above another? Which one?

Jesus didn’t miss a beat. Looking him in the eye, He said:

Mark 12:29–31 NLT

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

This impressed the scribe. He replied, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So clear-cut and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!” Jesus then turned to the scribe and said: “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.” (Message Version)

That finished the debate, for no one wanted to challenge Jesus any further.

This story comes from Mark 12:28-34. It is a simple story with a profound point: God should be #1, the One we love above all else with our whole beings. To love God further means we must also love others as ourselves.

Series Intro

Two weeks ago, we talked about why we need to order our lives according to the Bible. The Bible has a ton of practical answers to help us structure our lives in the best way possible. But first we needed to ask, “Why bother?” Because…

Last week’s big idea: God created us for His glory and to enjoy Him forever.

Indeed, we want to follow God’s Word because it is the very best way to live our lives. God’s creation is supposed to glorify Him and be in relationship with Him. But that relationship only comes through salvation in Christ. We have Scripture to show us how we ought to live, and to help us as we do this thing called life. The Holy Spirit applies God’s Word to us; so we grow!

This week, we’re going to keep building on that theme, by starting with our #1. There’s a lot of things that tug at us. Work, kids, volunteering, family, money, future plans, friends, health & wellbeing. Maybe you could add more to this list.

But above the spouse and above the kids, and above your health even and work and friends and family there needs to be a “someone” who’s got the throne of you life. That’s God.

Remember what Jesus said:

Mark 12:29–31 ESV

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O 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 this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Our One God is to be loved above all else, with our whole being.

But, how do we do this?

Big Idea: To love God well, He’s got to come first.

The word priority is defined as follows according to Merriam-Webster as:

PRIORITY: Something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives. - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

God is the something - or better - someone, who gets top spot. Even before spouse, kids, grandkids, etc. But how do we make that happen in lives that are admittedly busy, tiring, and full? Today we’re going to examine two spheres of life:

The Private/Secret Place

The Collective/Community Place

And ask ourselves, does God have top spot here?

The Private/Secret Sphere

Turn with me to 1 Kings 19. This is where we’re going to hang our hats for the next little bit.

Here we meet a man named Elijah, who is one of the most famous and powerful prophets of God in the OT. God used him is amazing ways and did many miracles through him.

1 Kings 19 comes directly after one of Elijah’s biggest “moments.” The nation he ministered to was supposed to worship and follow God. But instead they had let their heads be turned by the false god Baal.

A false religion, Baal worship involved many gross and perverse practices, which God was completely against. Israel - God’s people - had sold themselves to the god-less practices of the neighbouring nations.

Elijah stood for YHWH, the One true God, while the king and most of the people had turned away. Israel had experienced drought for 3 years. Finally, in a showdown between Elijah (representing God) and 850 prophets of false gods, there was clear victory as the sacrifice to God was taken, and the false gods did not answer even once.

Then the drought was lifted, and right at the end of chapter 18 we get this fun tidbit:

1 Kings 18:45–46 NIV

Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Wow! What a spiritual high, right? Amazing!

But then we read:

1 Kings 19:1–3 ESV

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Wait, didn’t Elijah just come off one of his biggest “highs?” And now he’s running for another country??

Let’s continue reading.

1 Kings 19:4–8 ESV

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

Here’s is a man tormented by what has transpired. He wishes to die. I hear loneliness, despair, and hurt in the voice of this tired prophet.

How does God respond? Firstly, a nap and a snack. I remember someone saying that in Bible college. Using this passage, they said that when the assignments are in the heat of the moment, when it all seems like too much, sometimes you just need a Godly nap and a snack. Amen?

With the sustenance God provides, Elijah travels on 40 days and nights, eventually arriving at Mount Horeb - otherwise known as Mount Siani - about 600kms from where he had left Ahab and Jezebel. Remember too that Mount Siani was where Moses had received the 10 commandments and Israel had stayed for a while after fleeing Egypt.

Elijah comes to this place, finds a cave, and makes camp.

Then we read this:

1 Kings 19:9–18 ESV

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Did you notice how this story unfolded? Elijah journeys, makes camp, and then God speaks to him. “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah had assumed that the big encounter in 1 Kings 18 between God and Baal would put an end to the false religions in Israel. But it didn’t. Now he’s at a place, 600kms or more away from this nation, going “they even want to kill me. What’s the point in going on?”

Notice too, he figures he’s all that’s left.

Has anyone ever felt like that, like you’re standing alone in the fight?

Notice how the next part unfolds: God directed Elijah outside, and then sends a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire. All three are great, powerful, fierce. But, each time the Lord wasn’t in those things.

Then comes a low whisper. This Elijah recognizes is the voice of God. He comes out (presumably he went back in for safety!), and again God asks him what he’s doing there. Again the answer is the same. Then, God speaks.

Let’s stop here for the moment, because we need to realize something:

Elijah needed something that only God could give him, and he could only receive that when he was away from the noise, away from the pressure, and away from the constant demands of ministering to a wayward nation.

He needed to hear from God. At the heart of Elijah’s cry is a man who is alone, and feels like all his efforts are in vain. Notice how God speaks to Him.

Firstly, God answers the “hey God, the people have walked away from you” statement. God goes “I’m going to re-do the government. I’m going to place different leaders on the throne and I want you to be the one to anoint them.” We read in 2 Kings 10 that Jehu would wipe out Baalism, though he would not turn Israel back to God as he should have.

Second, God also answers the “I’m alone” plea. Elijah’s successor was waiting for him. Moreover, there were 7000 people who still held true to God. Not bad!

Could Elijah have heard that in the midst of everything else going on? I don’t think so.

Notice for Elijah that he had to journey many days and night to a lonely mountain. And it wasn’t in fire, earthquake or wind that God spoke. It was a whisper.

Remember our big idea:

Big Idea: To love God well, He’s got to come first.

There’s a private place in our lives that few are seldom invited into. In our quiet times, when it’s just us, are we listening? Do we dedicate time to be quiet before the Lord, and search out the whisper through the Spirit and Scripture? Does God come first in the private/secret place?

I don’t know how many times I’ve woken up in turmoil of some kind. Even after a good night’s sleep I find myself thinking, worrying, planning. I wonder what Elijah’s 40 days of travel felt like? Probably a lot of mumbling and arguing in one’s head with the stupid king and his crazy wife Jezebel!

But peace for Elijah, direction for Elijah, assurance for Elijah came when he meets with God in the private place.

I am advocating for us, first and foremost as we order our steps according to God’s Word, to make time for God in our private lives. I know we’re busy. Some of us here are busy farming, teaching, homemaking, or doing another job. When it’s go time, it’s go time and that’s all there is to it. But I promise you that if you choose to make time for God, he will help make that back up somewhere else. Give Him half an hour before you go out to the field, it won’t be a lost investment.

Maybe you’re here and you’re a student. Junior high or senior high school, maybe even post-secondary. That’s a busy life! But there’s time. Maybe it’s a bit before bed, or a bit in the morning. Maybe it’s a choice to sacrifice a bit of gaming time or instagram time. But you can and need to give this to God.

Perhaps you’re here and you’re retired. Maybe private time with God is in abundance! So let’s focus on the secret place itself. When you ask questions about life, or look back upon your own, when you wonder or fear over something, do you allow God access to speak in? Are you listening? Like Elijah only God can effectively speak into whatever it is you’re working through.

So I advocate to you that in the secret place in your life - apart from others there must be space for you and God. If we are to order our priorities correctly, that means God has access and top priority to this space and time, and we must be careful to guard our time with Him.

Does God come first in your private place & secret space?

The Community Sphere

Now we turn to the second sphere of life: the community sphere.

There is a need in our lives for community. We were never meant to do this life alone. And that is especially true of each and every Jesus-follower here.

The community sphere is that part of our lives lived with others. In our collective lives, what gets priority?

Anyone heard that saying “Don’t forsake the gathering together of one another?”

Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. It is a real quote from the Bible.

Hebrews 10:25 NLT

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

What does this mean? Often we hear this in conjunction with attendance. “Hey, show up at church because the Bible says we can’t forsake meeting together!” Rightly so, in that this passage is telling us about priorities.

But… when we read “Forsake” here, we’re not talking about not showing up one Sunday. We’re talking about walking away - going AWOL in the battle. Someone who goes away on vacation for two weeks and isn’t at church during that time has not forsaken the assembly! They’ve been away, and they’ll be back!

That said, I’ll argue that after two weeks away, do you not feel a need to be back in church? I do! I want to be back with my church family! Why? Because we need community!

What is the purpose of church?

Wayne Grudem, in his systematic theology, defines three purposes for church:

Worship God

In gathering together as believers, we worship God and thereby minister to Him. This is not just singing songs, but the whole way of doing things - from songs to message to community time before and afterward, to moments of ministry in between.

Ephesians 1:12 ESV

so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

This is Paul’s direction to the Ephesian church. We must live for the praise of His glory. Do you think about that during pre-service coffee? Hopefully! even that is an offering to God, a chance to glorify Him.

Nurture Believers

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

As a body and individuals, we need encouragement and building up. But notice, this is a call primarily to give. You go encourage and build up someone else! In turn, they can do the same for you! Hard to do that though apart from the community of believers!

Moreover, we should be growing in maturity of faith and practice.

Paul wrote to the Colossians:

Colossians 1:28 ESV

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

The goal is not to have one, or possibly two mature believers. No, everyone, needs to mature. Often the New Testament refers to the collective church as Christ’s body.

This nurturing also includes protection against hardening of heart for sin:

Hebrews 3:12–13 ESV

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Evangelism

Finally, evangelism. For this we can look to the great commission, where Jesus said:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This was a collective mission, given originally to the disciples and extending out to the whole church. We need to be disciple-making disciples. Evangelism is a core part of the purpose of the church!

So, let us return now to the idea of the collective place, and our big idea:

Big Idea: To love God well, He’s got to come first.

Does God come first in your collective place?

Here’s the deal, like as we see even in the book of Acts they needed community, so we need the community of believers.

Why? One, because this is part of our worship - corporately, as well as individually!

Two, because this is how you learn and grow! Iron sharpens iron, but it’s hard to get sharpened if you never butt up against anyone else!

Three, for evangelism. This is not just the work of one pastor, or two people. It’s the job of the church, which is Christ’s body. All of us together are called to reach the world around us for God’s glory.

So, moving from the private space of your life to the collective space, does church take priority in your life? It should. This does not mean you have to be in a pew 53 out of the 52 weeks of the year! But, church should be top priority, not bottom. If you’re here only once a month, or once every 6 weeks, or perhaps 2-3 times a year, it’s not enough. The body of Christ functions best when individual believers choose to be united together by the Holy Spirit, in peace, and commit themselves to this.

Busy lives require time, and sometimes church feels like the last thing on the list. It’s hard to get the kids up, get them out the door, and get to church on time! Been there!

It’s hard when the job is pulling at you - maybe 6 out of 7 or even 7 days a week!

It’s hard when you’ve been doing this thing a long time and maybe you feel like, “why bother? I’ve seen it all.” But there is a point. There’s a need for you, your kids, and your grandkids to actively be a part of the body of Christ. This is how you grow, this is how you get challenged, and how you’re encouraged.

And, this is how you make sure others get the same. I think we would be much better off coming to church asking “What can I put in to it” instead of “What can I get out of it.” If we did that, I believe we would be far closer to following the basic principle of “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Conclusion

Big Idea: To love God well, He’s got to come first.

There are two spheres of our lives that intersect with this. One is our private/secret life. This includes both the deepest part of us and the private moments of our lives. Do you give God both access to those parts of you and time where it is just you and Him? Elijah needed to be in the secret place. He had to be away from the mayhem and noise and chaos in order to hear God. Incidentally, God didn’t come in the wind, fire, and shaking, but in the gentle whisper. Even for a guy like Elijah, who was probably pretty used to God’s voice, we know he needed times of silence to listen.

Do you give God this? Do you give Him time, every day, where it’s just the two of you?

The other sphere is your collective/community sphere. The outside world. Do you put God first by choosing to be part of church? This is where you find your community, this is where you find your nurturing and growth! This is where you are called to serve. Church shouldn’t be optional, though in many ways we’ve made it that way. Elijah needed community, and so do you. The early church was a body of believer united by the Holy Spirit. 2000 years later, that’s exactly what’s still happen. Our job is to worship, to grow, and to go. Are you a part of a church and doing these things? If not, you’re trying to be a lone ranger, but God calls you into community.

Maybe you’re here today or online and God isn’t on the priority list yet. But you’re wondering, or seeking. Get into that secret place yourself. Make some time to be quiet. Talk to God - even if you feel like no one’s listen. He is. So talk with Him.

There’s a call to you to listen and obey to words of life. They go like this:

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Right now, you don’t know God - you’re separated from Him. But you don’t have to be. The way to God is through the Son, Jesus Christ. He has made the way clear back to the Father, who wants to welcome you in as his child. Will you listen?

As we go through this series, I encourage you to take time to consider: how might God be challenging me this week? Today, bluntly I ask you: who or what has top spot in your life? I’m not perfect by far. I have work to do, but I’m striving for God to be #1. This is the requirement. Will you join me in this?

Pray.