First Things First

Mark 12:28–31 KJV 1900

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 22:34–40 KJV 1900

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The scribes had determined that the Jews were obliged to obey 613 precepts in the Law…

365 negative precepts

248 positive precepts...

the keeping and enforcing of these precepts were a central focus of the scribes and pharisee’s

Matthew 23:23 KJV 1900

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

The regulations were the focus, not the relationship...

Today, people want to talk about relationship but disregard any responsibility...

There are the pharisaical groups that their focus is on the outward appearance, but as a whole, I do not believe that this is the case...

John 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus tied love to obedience… you cannot get away from that - there is no way around it...

So when we look here at the 1st and 2nd great commandments - love

Love God

Love Others...

Does this love undermine all of the commandments, precepts, statutes and testimonies? OR, does this love give true meaning to the commandments, precepts, statutes and testimonies???

First Things First

Pray:

In response to the question in Mark 12.28, the Lord quoted...

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 KJV 1900

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

He then quantifies all of the Law and the prophets when he quotes:

Leviticus 19:18 KJV 1900

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

this emphasizes loving ones neighbor, and out of these, we find our text verses -

Mark 12:30–31 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

But love and commandment are intertwined - why?

Romans 13:8–10 KJV 1900

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

vs. 8 - “…for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

vs 10 - “…therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

People have been deceived into believing that they love the Lord, when they have no understanding of what Loving the Lord truly is...

James 1:22 KJV 1900

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

2 Timothy 3:13 KJV 1900

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

So what does Mark 12.30 look like?

Mark 12:30 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

I can say… I love my wife (and I do)

I can say… I love my children (and I do)

I can say… I love my grandchildren (and I do)

…mom, brother, sister, family, friends… (and I do)

What does the love I have for my family look like?

Care

Kindness

Thoughtfulness

Generosity / giving

Time

Fellowship

Fun

Joy

If someone said that they loved their spouse, but they were having an affair, would you believe that they love their spouse?

If someone said that they loved their children, but neglected them, did not provide or feed them - would you believe that they loved their children?

You see, love is not an empty word, love is an action...

Mark 12:30 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

THOU SHALT...

Love:

Agape’pee’sis

to have great affection or care for

to have great loyalty towards

to cherish

to love

The Lord thy God...

Focus…

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

Personal

Thy God -

With ALL THY...

(all = Ho’los) = whole, entire, complete, everything

All thy Heart

Kardia -

“the focus of a person’s thoughts (mind), volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong (conscience)

Inner self

Your center...

All thy Soul

Psyche -

inner self, mind, thoughts, feeling, being

that which possesses life / soul - the person...

This is the immaterial part of a person which is the actuating cause of an individual life… they real you… you

All thy Mind

Dian’wa -

understanding, intelligence, mind

disposition, thought

purpose, plan, impulse

That which is responsible for one’s thoughts and feelings; especially the faculty of reason

All thy Strength

strength, power, might

capabilities

possession of the qualities required to do something or get something done; especially the possession of physical qualities

Mark 12:30–31 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

First things first...

The Lord showed, demonstrated, exhibited, qualified, quantified jn 3.16

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It wasn’t mere words - it was the action that empowered the word...

Our actions reveal who and what is first in our lives...

work

hobbies

responsibilities

family

church

First things first...

If the Lord is in the right place, your marriage will benefit

if the Lord is in the right place, your family will benefit

if the Lord is in the right place - you - your mind, heart, peace, fulfillment will be present

… job, career, friendships...

First things first...

Tonight as we prepare to take the Lord’s supper - let’s do some assessment...

What’s first?

Church isn’t first… The Lord is...

Family isn’t first… The Lord is...

Career isn’t first...

But when the Lord is first, you will be the best in each of those areas!!!