"Love First" pt.2
Love First 2
What would Jesus do? He would love first
We’re talking about how love is a defining characteristic of Jesus and his disciples
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you
also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.”” John 13:34-35 ESV
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
ESV
It’s not just any kind of love. It’s a selfless, sacrificial, you first me second no matter what type of
love
We talked last week about the love that God has for us
We said that he loves us where we are regardless of what our circumstances may or may not
be.
We said that receiving his love literally changes our life.
We talked through a model of receiving God’s love, remaining in God’s love, and releasing
God’s love
The idea comes from Matthew 22
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You
shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the
Prophets.”” Matthew 22:37-40 ESV
It’s a process of understanding the unlimited love that your creator has for you, then falling in
love with him because of the love he has for you, and then allowing that relationship to extend
into how you interact with other people.
So, what does loving Jesus look like?
Mark 10 is where we’re going to be at today as we try to answer that question.
Loving Jesus isn’t doing good things (vs. 17-22)
This man has it going on, but yet he’s still missing something
He has all the makings of success, but he’s not satisfied.
He has everything and nothing all at the same time.
He has wealth, youth, power, authority
He’s really asking Jesus, “What is my purpose?”
God’s definition of good
It’s perfection, but in the young man’s mind it’s equated to being noble, kind, tenderhearted, and
compassionate.
You know the commandments
Jesus is referring to the 10 commandments
The young man says I’ve done all of that
“The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If
you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow me.”” Matthew 19:20-21 ESV
Jesus only referenced the commandments that related the people
His wealth was hindering him from loving Jesus fully
When we live dependent on us, we easily forget what following Jesus really means
Jesus directly confronts the idolatry of our hearts
You can’t be good enough for Jesus only Jesus can be good enough for you
God just wants a relationship with his people
An absence of relationship leads to want
Loving Jesus is surrendering everything (vs. 23-27)
Works based righteousness
Wealth and power were signs of obedience and God’s favor on someone’s life
Nobody can be saved then, there can’t be any hope
This particular story has to deal with wealth, but the idea is that if you are living a spiritual life
dependent on you, what you have, what you can do, you have made yourself higher that God in
your life
For some reason we thing the creator is below the creation
“though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has
reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a
persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I
had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:4-8 ESV
So what is Jesus getting at here?
Eye of the needle gate
Picture of the gate
Camel could get through but it was real difficult with all the stuff on his back and standing on his
own
““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:24
ESV
The camel had to have the load taken off and get down on his knees to make it through
Loving Jesus is giving up the very thing you’re the most terrified to lose
This is what sin does to you
It consumes and it feels like you’ll never be free
He’s a God that can do anything
Stop living in a world of impossibility because impossibility doesn’t exist with God
“‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by
your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17 ESV
““Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 ESV
Living a life dependent on you is a scary way to live life
The reality is Jesus really can fill that void in your life
You really can be free from addiction.
There’s hope in your life
Jesus can satisfy every longing of your hear
Fall in love with Jesus
Loving Jesus is worth it (vs. 28-31)
Jesus identifies with you
Can I ask you do you identify with him?
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he
became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV
A week from today Jesus was crucified by the very people praised him as he road into town
Jesus confronts the idolatry of our heart shines
Don’t make it your life ambition to be comfortable
Everything is going to fade away except for Jesus