Greatest Commandment
Notes
Transcript
Response
Please, open your Bibles and join me in the book of Matthew
I am so grateful for the opportunity to say that today.
It has been a desire of my heart to become your pastor and to say these words to you.
Not just today and from this pulpit but during the moments that make up your life and family.
Until the Lord comes or moves me I look forward to saying “please open your Bibles” at your kids weddings, as we send out more missionaries, and someday I will be give the privilege to say it at some of your funerals as I tell of our mutual love for this Word.
Not only do I get to say “please open your Bibles” but through discipleship, Bible Institute, involvement in the OGTC, and many other ways I want to help you find the joy of saying this to others.
The great pursuit of our lives is to know God. Philippians 3:14
We will continue in this pursuit together as we continue to open this Bible together
and live out all He has called for us to do.
First Announcement
There are so many things I would like to say publicly to many people and especially my Pastor.
Grateful my first announcement is about a day we have set aside in November to honor him and Mrs Betty and the their incredible work in our lives and this church. Founders Sunday
Almost 20 years ago I sat at the front of Iglesia Bautista Fe and tried to convince Bro. Austin to preach a message about Jonathan & his armour bearer. I knew it well. I knew it did an incredible work in my heart.
He handed me the outline and said “why don’t you do it?” I will not forget that moment.
For 15 years he has been spent hours preparing sermons but he spent even more hours preparing preachers to preach in places and times in history they he will never be able to go. I am grateful to be one of those men.
Before we read the passage:
So no I did have two sermons prepared today based upon how the vote went.
A couple months ago God really helped me through this passage and I want to share it with you today.
I knew if this was my first or last sermon I wanted to be here today.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Background:
Week of the crucification.
Jesus enters city instead of attacking Romans He goes to the Temple and attacks the false religious beliefs by entertaining questions by the Saccucees and Pharisees
The day before he had run the money changers out of the temple. He cleaned out the place at the most lucrative time of the year, Passover, when they made their most money. They are angry.
Jesus was hated by this religious group; (1) taught contrary to them (2) more popular (3) had abilities they could not imagine
They want to kill him but that is difficult because of his following. So they set out to discredit him with a series of questions. The questions are designed to discredit Him.
3 parables that spoke of their own exclusion from the Kingdom of God. Matthew 22
Sons that say you’ll obey and don’t;
Tenant farmers who lease out a farm and kill the servants and the son
Guests invited to a wedding who refuse to come
Matthew 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
First question was about taxes. They thought he would have to anger romans or Jews with his answer. v.15
Second question is a weird hypothetical question about the resurrection. They wanted to discredit Jesus as a teacher.
Last attempt. Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
The Pharisees will send out a lawyer (law expert) to ask this last question.
Matthew 22:34-40
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.
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
I.
So much confusion around the commands of God 36 Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?
Where did the question come from?
Jewish Law had 613 laws, that were divided into 248 affirming laws and 365
negative laws. Represented by the 10 Commandments
Why? 613 That is how many letters were in the giving of the 10
commandments minus 7. 7 representing completion.
Also days of the years plus parts of the Bible is 613
If you are not following along.. good because you do not need to. NO ONE CAN
KEEP UP.
Laws divided between heavy and light. Matthew 23:4 For they (pharisees) bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
They wanted Jesus to contradict Moses but He quotes him. Deuteronomy 6:4 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.
Jesus brought an undeniable simplicity to what they tried so hard to complicate.
1. 2.
3.
Yes the false religion of the world try to do this.
But so do I so often.
a) There are many spinning plates around here. There are many in your life as
well.
b) I cannot be the master of spinning plates. But I can love the Lord my God
and love my neighbor as myself.
c) Everything hangs on this. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
So many things in my heart I believe we can do as a church for this community and this world. But none of them matter if we do not love the Lord with everything in us.
If loving Jesus will not sustain the ministry that we have then it does not need to be sustained.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
II.
What exactly is the great commandment? 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.
A.
B.
Thou shalt love the Lord
Man ran full speed into the love of God completely unexpectedly / Believers Baptist
We are to love God not for what we gain but because it’s right - because it’s right.
We love the Lord thy God
What He has done for us personally.
God wants more than our belief. James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one
God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
God wants and deserves our love. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first
loved us.
We should all have our own come and see moment. Banks of Ganges / reminded me of how wonderful my God is
We are not only called to know about Him but we can know Him. 1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
III.
How are we too love? with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
A.
B. C.
D.
All thy heart
We saw this on Thursday - the heart is who we are on the inside. Our intellect
but more.
From it (the heart) come all the issues of life.
All thy soul
1. All our emotions/ feelings Matthew 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
All thy mind
In Deuteronomy it says “might” teaches us not that Jesus was wrong but
“might” must but a synonym for mind
Mind refers to intention and will.
Emphasis being on all.
Those categories can be argued but they overlap and there is nothing left
outside of them.
In Mark it adds “strength” that includes every fiber of your body.
Jesus is #1 or he “aint nothing” BBC/ courts - wont forget making a list of 10
priority relationships in my life and being so proud I had God at #1 - but then was taught he was to be #1 in every one of the areas from 2-10
How do we know if this is really happening in our lives and in our church?
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
IV.
The great value of knowing the second greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
A. B.
Like unto it
Not just that it deals with love
But they are connected. John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Do you need all those 613 if we loved one another. Paul gives this answer
Romans 13:8-10 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.
In our homes we post no rules about stealing. The law is love.
The second commandment gets fulfilled as an overflow of the first.
Another lawyer asked a similar question. Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus answers Luke 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
The lawyer knew the answer Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
The lawyer had a follow up question. He wanted to make sure he was getting this right. He wanted to know how to do the right thing. Luke 10:28-29 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Jesus gives the story of the Good Samaritan. (Priest, Levite, and a Samaritan)
Luke 10:28-37
Then Jesus asks a follow up question Luke 10:36-37 Which now of these
three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Being a neighbor had nothing to do with nationality, profession or even proximity. It had to do with demonstrating love.
You see the people on the walls. They are our family. They are our kids. And we sent them out to meet the new neighbors. Why? Because in loving God we have learned to love them.
a) We do not just love those that look like us - that is loving our reflection.
b) We do not just love those that are far away - that could be a desire for
adventure.
c) We do not just love those that are only close to us - that is lazy
d) We love every person in this world - that is obedience.
e) That is what a love for God demands.
C.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 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. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The greatest greetings we could be given as a church is seen in Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
We can and should be known for many things. But if this is true nothing else matters. We are not truly fulfilling any of His commands or His commission.
Conclusion
- Unbeliever: It is common for man to not love God. You do not want His claims upon your life.
- 1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
- Burden for the “experts of the law” who it says in Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. Believing is one step short of what? Of loving.
- Burden for many of you that have complicated your faith and in the process lost your first love.
- Yes we need teachers. Yes we need volunteers. But far more than that we need believers who love God with everything in them and love their neighbor as their-self.
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.