What are the Greatest Commandments Mark 12

What are the Greatest Commandments   Mark 12:28-34   EBC    4/13/08

  In the first 5 books of our English Bibles there are 613, laws given to man. Some of these are positive in nature while others are negative in nature. Some tell a man what he should do and some tell what he should not do.

  It was these 613 laws that formed the belief system of the Jews. The Scribes and Pharisees spent most of their time debating which of these commandments was the most important.

I. The Characteristics (29-31)

  A. The supreme command

    1. In these verses Jesus tells man that he has the obligation to love God above everything else.

    2. He is to love God with every faculty of his being.

      a. Deut. 6:1-5- every Jews quoted these verses doing his prayer time every day. With this prayer he was reminded that, if anything got between he and God it was idolatry. These words were written on a miniature roll and carried by every Jew.

      b. Col. 1:18- we say He has preeminence then we place things ahead of Him.  Our actions speak louder than our words.

    3. We are to make a decision for God that is personal, comprehensive and wholehearted.

      a. This is conveyed in the words all (entirety, completely), heart (control center), soul (self- conscious life), mind (thought capacity) and strength (body capacity). These words speak of the whole devoted to God.

      b. The Hebrews regarded the heart as the intellect and the mind as desires and affections.

    4. True love for Jesus drives every area of our lives. Do you love His word, His people, His house His work?

  B. The secondary command (31)

    1. We are to love others with the same love that we have for ourselves. We are to place others in a position whereby we are constantly looking our for their best interest.

      a. Phil. 2:3-

        1. Strife- a desire to put oneself forward, contention

        2. Vainglory – empty pride, selfish ambition

        3. Lowliness of mind- humbleness of self. Warren Wiersbe we are to take our eyes off ourselves and put them on others.

        4. Esteem- to consider

    2. Genuine love is always sacrificial. 

II. The Completeness (31b)

  A. Matt. 22:37-40- zero in on V. 40.  

    1. My sincere love for God will cause me to have a desire to please Him, and my love for others will cause me to have a desire to please them

III. The Cost

  A. If we are going to fulfill these great commands we are going to know the cost will be great. The cost will be so great that most will shy away from doing it.

    1. It means I will have to say no to some things I might want to do. I am going to have to make the Lord’s will paramount in my life. Am I willing to do this? Am I willing to say “No” to the flesh?

    2. I may have to sacrifice something to help a brother.