All In !!!

Jesus replied, "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."

INTRODUCTION

Good Evening Southpointe!!! We are starting a new series called All In!!

The greatest commandment given by Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, our desires, emotions, and will.

Throughout the next several weeks,I want to dive into this commandment of Jesus.

And I hope that before this is over and done, that we will be people who love God with our emotions, our desires, and our affection and our will.

We have title this all in. The phrase all in typically refers to a scene in a poker games. That basically, you have someone is putting out everything either that will win this hand or loses everything in a flash.

But today it means something completely different. It a person who is simply enthusiastic or fully committed.

It is everywhere these day, business jargon, marketing catch phrase, sports theme and religion and self-help.

Jeb Bush back in 2015 started his campaign to be the next President of the United States his slogan was “All In”.

He was either going to the next President or the Son of the President or the Brother of the President for the rest of his life.

He was putting in all in. Going all in.

What is amazing to me, I believe that the Bible had the contemporary meaning of all in all along.

As Christian we are to give every aspect of our selves to God, we are all in believers and followers of Jesus.

But can I tell you that the depth of our enthusiasm goes way beyond being excited about a new brand or some public figure.

Let’s look at:

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'

Jesus tells us the importance of this all-in life, by saying— you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

You see, Jesus had just been asked by a scribe “What commandment was the most important?”

Jesus reaches back into the Old Testament and recites a portion of the Shema prayer.

The word Shema means to hear in the Hebrew text, it was a call for Israel to listen.

"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.

In verse 4 of — God’s personal nature and his desire for relationship showing the He is all in, but He does declare that He is our God, the God who rules the universe.

The Shema was recited twice every day by the Jews for thousands of years, it was the Jews way to declare the uniqueness of The Lord God in a world of many gods.

The Shema was a discipline of their Spiritual devotion.

This devotion was what they had toward God must take over every area of being human.

Here in

The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Book 2

What are the things then that we are commanded or forbidden?—They are simply and easily known. The first command is concerning God, and affirms that God contains all things, and is a being every way perfect and happy, self-sufficient, and supplying all other beings; the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. He is manifest in his works and benefits, and more conspicuous than any other being whatsoever, but as to his form and magnitude, he is most obscure.

Here in

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

So Jesus break down how we should love God right here.

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'

This devotion was what they had toward God must take over every area of being human.

Jesus break down have we should love God right here.

First of all, Jesus said that we should love God with the heart.

The Greek word for heart is “kardia” meaning the centre, and seat of spiritual life, as it is the fountain and seat of thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors.

All in

To fully understand the meaning of the word heart in you must look at the Hebrew word used for heart which is “lev” means the inner, middle, or central part.

So this means the inner man, mind, and will.

So the word heart has so many parts in our walk with God. It covers so many areas. The heart deals with the will, affections, patterns of feeling, and deep thoughts.

They said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

All these deals with emotions and passions which are important to God.

Now look with me at:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The fruit of the Spirit here speaks of virtues that are not just thoughts but dispositions and emotions of our being.

Look Joy, peace, kindness these are speaking more than just our mind but to our emotional state as well.

Many today view the word heart in so many different ways.

But how do you view the term heart?

Play Billy Ray Cyrus song, Achy breaky heart

Billy Ray didn’t want anybody to break his heart.

We think of it only as our feelings, especially love which is at the center of our heart.

Our view of the heart is centered around the emotions we have toward others.

But the Bible teaches us that we must love God with all our emotions, desires, passions, thoughts, affections, and will.

We must be All In.

It goes a lot more than just our short definitions we give to the heart.

As Jesus was starting out on His way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good.

But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," the man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young."

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," He told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

This young ruler had done good, and He came running to Jesus want to know what must I do to have eternal life?

Jesus asked him if he had kept the commandments and the young ruler said Yes since I was young.

Verse 21 show so much to us: Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. but then Jesus said, you are not all in yet!

Sell all and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me.

Can he find it in his heart to go through the hardest costliest services he may be called to as a disciple of Christ?

Is he willing to deal with Christ upon trust? Can he put it all in and trust Christ?

At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

He was sad at that saying; was sorry that he could not be a follower of Christ upon any easier terms than leaving all to follow him; that he could not lay hold on eternal life, and keep hold of his temporal possessions too.

He was sad at that saying; was sorry that he could not be a follower of Christ upon any easier terms than leaving all to follow him; that he could not lay hold on eternal life, and keep hold of his temporal possessions too. But since he could not come up to the terms of discipleship, he was so fair as not to pretend to it; He went away grieved. Here appeared the truth of that (Mat_6:24), Ye cannot serve God and mammon; while he held to mammon he did in effect despise Christ, as all those do who prefer the world before him. He bids for what he has a mind for in the market, yet goes away grieved, and leaves it, because he cannot have it at his own price. Two words to a bargain. Motions are not marriages. That which ruined this young man was, he had great possessions; thus the prosperity of fools destroys them, and those who spend their days in wealth are tempted to say to God, Depart from us; or to their hearts, Depart from God.

But since he could not come up to the terms of discipleship, he was so fair as not to pretend to it; He went away grieved.

Here appeared the truth of that

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Emotions are not marriages.

It is not all about the emotions and it is not all about the commitments but it takes both.

You must be all in