Untitled Sermon (10)

Developmental Question: What is the most important rule in all the Bible? What is most important morally for us out of all that we are call to do.

It is almost like asking to sum up the mission statement of the Bible in 1 sentence.

The reason we love God is because of His name. Emily loves Chris because of his name.

It should frighten us that we don’t love God enough. But we look around and compare ourselves to others and think well I love God more than them! lol

2 Corinthians 10:12 CSB

For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.

It is hard to tell if this man is coming with covert hostility or if He is genuinely impressed by Jesus and His teaching.

The Pharisees thought that the gospel that Jesus taught was contray to the teaching of the law. Thus the trap question is about the law.

BTW this is why Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.

The law was important to the Sadducee too.

In the Jewish mind no one could be close to God than Moses. So they are trying to see if Jesus will rank his teaching higher than Moses and then the can turn the people against Him. Jesus still has the crowds on His side.

You have to see this from their prospective. So far in their minds Jesus has only attacked them and their assumed beliefs. Hence they really think that Jesus is going to say something that attacks the law of Moses.

Loving God is not only external it is internal. The Pharisees and even the Sadducees were very external. Even though they were on different ends of the spectrum they were both legalists.

Legalism is not a liberal or a conservative thing. It is an external thing.

Are your motives pure? Your whole person should love God or else your motives are probably sideways in some way.

I have found that the people who love God the most also love people the most.

But also those who love God the lest are those who love themselves the most!

The Pharisees loved themselves so much that they would not even eat with a non-Pharisee.

The statements of Jesus at the last supper echo the Shama ....Do this in remembrance… Do not forget.

Loving God should be a full body experience. When Jesus died on the Cross He suffered in his mind, heart, soul, and with His strength.