Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Asking Staci to marry me after months of her indecisiveness - Her response, “Yes, yes, yes...” A diamond changes everything…

Been great to see how over marriage love develops - What was once indecisive is now confident.

Love is powerful, and in our faith it is foundational.

: God is love.

He’s not just love, but He is the essence of love.

Not a Sunday goes by that we don’t talk about God’s love.

Love is powerful, and in our faith it is foundational.

: God is love.

He’s not just love, but He is the essence of love.

Not a Sunday goes by that we don’t talk about God’s love.

Love is so foundational to our faith, yet so difficult to cultivate and grow.

Easy to drift in our love for the Lord.

Easy to “fall out of love” with God.

How do we grow in our love for God?

How do we obey the Greatest Commandment that we’re so familiar with?

So critical because this is so foundational, so critical because we all struggle so much with these words.

Three ways to see sustained growth in our love for God:

Never stop being captivated by God’s love.

Questions trying to trap Jesus. 1.

Should we pay taxes? 2. What happens after we die?

(Sadducees who didn’t believe in life after death…) Not what you expect - eternal life is beyond your imagination.

Third question - a scribe - an expert in the OT Law.

Spent their days tediously copying the Law and giving lengthy interpretations of it.

Everyone depended on scribes.

Ph.D. in OT - knew it forwards and backwards - scribes counted 613 laws.

They were teachers - they were highly sought after.

This scribe has heard Jesus answer the religious leaders, and he comes with his question.

Comes by himself.

Perhaps he’s different than the others - maybe his heart is tender.

Logical question.

“I know all 613 commandments - which is the most important?

Don’t commit adultery?

Don’t mix fabrics?

Keep the Sabbath?” Rabbis constantly talked about which commands were the weightiest - and this was the debate of the day - what command is the essence of the Law?

A question that was undoubtedly debated among people who were so concerned about law keeping.

Which one did they have to keep?

Jesus takes scribe back to most foundational command: the Shema () Pious Jews recited it every morning and evening.

Jesus would have grown up reciting the Shema.

Most pious Jews would tie phylacteries to their foreheads as a reminder to love God ().

Jesus condemned this () because they made big phylacteries to show off their piety.

If you were on your death bed and physically able you would recite before your death.

Jesus’ answer didn’t shock the scribe.

Made sense.

Jesus takes scribe back to most foundational command: the Shema () Pious Jews recited it every morning and evening.

Jesus would have grown up reciting the Shema (sitting on Joseph’s knee).

Most pious Jews would tie phylacteries to their foreheads as a reminder to love God ().

Jesus condemned this () because they made big phylacteries to show off their piety.

If you were on your death bed and physically able you would recite before your death.

Jesus’ answer didn’t shock the scribe.

Made sense.

The Shema begins by focusing us on God - and as you focus on God you can’t help but be reminded of why we should be captivated by God’s love:

Because of who God is: - The Lord is one!

Our God! Words originally composed after God delivered Hebrews from Egypt - proving His love for them.

The God of all creation set His love on them.

- We love God because He first loved us.

Because of who God is: - “Hear” “The Lord is one!” - A call to loyalty!

Our God! (What had the gods of Egypt done for them?) God delivered the Hebrews from Egypt - proving His love for them.

God is loyal to His people - different than the other gods - one worthy of our praise.

- We love God because He first loved us.

Know what God has done: Passover - Jesus in Jersualem about to give His life on the week that celebrated the Hebrews deliverance from Egypt - He would be the ultimate Passover Lamb - proving God’s love for all humanity.

Because of what God has done: Passover - Jesus in Jersualem about to give His life on the week that celebrated the Hebrews deliverance from Egypt - He would be the ultimate Passover Lamb - proving God’s love for all humanity.

Because of what God is doing: (What the scribes failed to see.) Ph. 1:6 - God is doing a work in you right now that He will complete.

Using your experiences, circumstances, relationships to shape you.

Right now, He is putting up with you in spite of you.

Because of what God is going to do: - Preparing an eternal home for you and preparing you for an eternal home.

He will bring you into His glory forever.

Never stop being captivated by the love of God - His love for you is just as wonderful as the day He saved you.

(Hudson captivated by father - “You’re a Dr., right?”)

Never stop being consumed with love for God.

Love for God is to be consuming.

With all your heart - core of who you are.

The essence of your being - recognizing that He defines the very essence of who you are - your whole identity is found in Him - your emotions.

Aren’t we all looking for a sense of identity?

I’m defined by… Loving God with all your heart means you’re identity is found in who you belong to.

With all your soul - You’re life!

No divided allegiance!

With all your mind - Intellect - You think deeply on the things of God.

You want to know Him to the best of your ability.

With all your strength - Love is active.

You give your best efforts to those you love.

Love for God is consuming - it encompasses every part of who you are - ever fiber of your being.

Love for God is consuming - (Not - just mind, or just heart - but every fiber of your being.

What keeps us from being consumed with God’s love is we’re consumed with self-love!

Ill. - Friday chores - didn’t get the right sunscreen - consumed with me

How?

How do you remain captivated by God’s love?

How do you stay consumed with love for God?

How? How do you remain captivated by God’s love?

How do you stay consumed with love for God?

Remember - (Reason for passover/feasts) Constant call for us to remember where we were and what God has done.

Never lose sight of the change.

(Why you need weekly worship)

Immerse - Why you need the spiritual disciplines, the habits, the life connection groups, the D-Groups - We never grow in love because we never immerse ourselves in His love.

We don’t put ourselves in a position to grow.

Faith is all or nothing.

Relate - - You will not grow if you are not in relationship with others.

I need to hear your stories, I need you to hold me accountable, I need your prayers.

Never stop being committed to love others.

The scribe doesn’t ask for a second command, but Jesus gives it because love for God and love for others cannot be divided.