Love: The Greatest Commandment
Notes
Transcript
Handout
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Pray
The great commandment appears in all three synoptic Gospels, that is Matthew, Mark, Luke.
The Pharisees ask Jesus what is the greatest command. The Pharisees had found the laws to be 613. That is 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commandments.
They have also discussed the importance of the laws. And there were different camps as to what they thought was the most important out of those 613 laws.
Rabbis occasionally recognized a summary of all the laws in one or in a few commandments. They held firmly to the principles that each commandment is important. Therefor, most could not, would not try to say that one is the greatest commandment.
So, was this a trap or was this a honest question?
Was the test a trap or a honest test?
Let's not argue about it. Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is from Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Love the Lord your God
18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
And the second is like it Love your neighbor as your self from Leviticus
Heart in Jewish though was the seat of thinking and feeling. Soul may refer to life, mind, or self. Mind refers to the rational element.
It is to be understood that the commandment calls for a love of God that consumes every part of who you are.
Jesus makes Love not only the greatest commandment but also the essence and fulfilment of the law and the prophets.
All of the scriptures depend upon these two commandments. As a door hangs on hinges, The Law and the prophets don't work if the hinges don't work
Love, It seems like such a straight forward Word. But seeing that we can love our pizza and love our wife and love our God in the same context it might behoove us to look at the word biblically
There is a lot of confusion about Love.
A resent study was done and found that one the many, many, many porn sights there are the most blogged about word was Love. Even though porn kills love. There does seem to be some confusion
12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.
We love because we are first loved
How does God show his love for us.
Lets begin with your birth
13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
God has been watching out for you since the beginning and he Even in knowing that we would mess up and sin. Still created us in his image
5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Tells us that He even has a plan for us when we are that. The Temptation is to take this passage out of context and apply it to us. In its context Jeremiah is talking about Jeremiah, but I like the idea behind this. Even before we are born God can and at least sometimes does make plans for us.
That is the Love of God
It is a love that is Patient with us. It doesn't force us to accept and believe. It even lets us turn from him. His love is patient. Even if it hurts him. His Love is kind. His love does not seek himself. God is a jealous God he does seek us to worship him first. He is not Jealous of us but he is jealous for our love because he is the Lord supreme and there is nothing greater than him and if we put something else in his spot we are getting some thing that is second best and he loves us so much that he wants only the best
But his selflessness lead him to come down in form of a man Jesus Christ and to die on the cross to take away the punishment of our sin.
His love does not delight in evil but rejoices when we do what is right.
He keeps no record of wrong
If we repent. Truly turn from our ways, I am convinced it is more than just saying sorry and doing it again. Keeping no record of wrong does not mean being stupid and falling for it again. But truly recognizing our mistakes and moving on. Than he keeps no record of it
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Any habitual sin you may find yourself in can be over come by God. It might take time, get down pic yourself up and do it wright again But sin will not be stopped till we place God and what is right in what ever hole that sin is trying to fill
And we have to learn new habits. Sometime that takes time. Stop beating yourself up about it and become proactive. Get help. Avoid temptation. Take major life changing steps.
Memorize scripture. This all is starting to sound like the list in 1 Corinthians
Love is Patient
Love is kind
It does not envy
It does not boast it is not proud
It is not rude
It is not self seeking
It is not easily angered
It keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
It always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
Love never fails
It Should
9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.
Love as I have loved you
We are to love like God loves us
Christians should be known for our love towards each other. Love does mean that sometimes we have to rebuke each other
Discipline is part of Love
The Old Testament is not a book of Works. It is not a book of Judgment.
It is a book of Love for a people that constantly say I don't love you after they have committed to covenant with Him.
Think a marriage with God. Same covenant that we have entered into if we have ABC
IF we want to view the bible in the correct light. If we want to live in the right way. If we want to be the way we should We need to be about love
Love God first, and love our neighbor as yourself
"Love cannot be divided, and the true self cannot be isolated from God or neighbor. Either one loves God, Neighbor, and himself or he loves Neither."
Broadman Bible Commentary
This valentines time of the year
How is your love
Pray