(Matthew 22:34-40)
“But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
INTRODUCTION
- Jesus replied by offering two great commandments
1) The first pertained to loving God
2) The second pertained to loving one's neighbor
-- Upon these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets
3. While we no longer live under the Old Law, these "Two Great
Commandments" are still very important to the Christian...
a. For they certainly have their counterpart in the New Covenant
b. And keeping the commandments of God is just as important now as
it was under the Old Covenant.
“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
[It is proper to ask, therefore, do we love God and our neighbor as we
should? Do we understand what is involved in loving God and our fellow man? Perhaps by reflecting upon these "Two Great Commandments" we can find the answer to such questions...]
I. THE COMMAND TO LOVE GOD
A. UNDER THE OLD COVENANT...
1. The Israelites were expected to love God
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
a. "with all your heart"
b. "with all your soul"
c. "with all your strength"
d. "with all your mind"
“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.”
“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.”
-- Emotionally, physically, intellectually, they were to love
God
2. Thus they were to love God with their whole being, not like
some who...
a. Serve God emotionally, while committing intellectual
suicide
b. Serve God intellectually, but with no emotion
c. Serve God emotionally and intellectually, but with no
actual obedience requiring the exercise of strength (i.e.,
action)
-- Note how the Law stated their responsibility in
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”
B. HOW WE ARE TO LOVE GOD TODAY...
1. Does God expect any less of us? Of course not! We are to
love God:
a. With all our heart
b. With all our soul (body and mind)
c. With all our strength
Mark 12:30
“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.”
2. We demonstrate our love for God through keeping His
commandments
a. This is the love of God
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
b. This is evidence that we love Jesus
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
C. THE BLESSING OF KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS...
1. We enjoy a special relationship with God and Jesus
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
2. We will abide in the love of God
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”
3. Our prayers will be answered
“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
D. HOW TO GROW IN OUR LOVE FOR GOD...
1. By allowing God's love for us to move us
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
a. God loved us, even while we were still sinners
b. When we reflect upon His love for us, we will love Him
more!
2. By asking God to help us grow in love
“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”
a. Paul prayed that the Lord would direct the Thessalonians
into the love of God
b. If he could pray such for others, can we not pray the same
for ourselves?
3. By praying, and growing in love when He answers
Psalm 116:1-2
“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.2Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”
a. David loved the Lord because He heard His supplications
b. Perhaps if we prayed more, and received answers to our
prayers more, we would love God more!
4. By keeping the word of God
a. The love of God is perfected in those who keep God's word
b. Therefore the more we obey Him, the more our love for God
will grow!
II. THE COMMAND TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR
A. ENJOINED UPON CHRISTIANS...
1. We owe it to our neighbors to love them
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
2. When fully applied, it fulfills what the Law required
Romans 13:9-10
“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.”
a. Five of the Ten Commandments spoke to working no ill toward
our fellow man
b. If one truly loves his or her neighbor, they will not be
guilty of killing, adultery, stealing, lying, or
covetousness
c. For sins (and many others) do grave harm to our neighbor
B. ENHANCED BY A NEW COMMAND...
1. Jesus taught us to love one another
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
2. This new command takes our love to a higher level
a. No longer do we just love one another as we love ourselves
b. We must love one another as Christ loved us!
1) He loved us with the greatest love.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
2) He became poor, that we might be rich
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
3. Thus no one can use low self-esteem (or low self-love) as an
excuse not to love others as they should
C. EDUCATED BY THE EXAMPLE OF GOD...
1. We develop love for one another by being taught of God
“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 10And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;”
a. The Thessalonians had been taught of God to love their
brethren
b. They did so remarkably, though there was always room for
improvement
2. Jesus by His own example demonstrates what true love is
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
-- If we wish to learn how to love one another properly, look to
God and Jesus!
**If you would like to give your heart to Jesus today, repeat these words below:'Dear Heavenly Father,i come to in the name of Jesus; Forgive me a sinner and wash me in your precious blood. Make this heart of stone to be made flesh, so that your word may be sown in it. Any addictions that i may have, remove them now in Jesus name! I've accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and believe that He died and rose from the dead! And from this day forward, i commit my life to you and seek for guidance and understanding in your word, as i walk in your path of righteousness, In Jesus name i pray, AMEN!!!'
If you have recited these words and meant them in your heart, you are saved and if the Lord would come today, you will be ready to go to Heaven!! I will keep you all in prayer, to continue to walk in the ways of Jesus Christ our Lord. READ, PRAY, SEEK and TRUST in Him and you will overcome this wicked world! **
I have also provided a link to the Full Gospel Holiness Church below, where you will find sermons from the word of God (no comprising to sin) but the Full truth to the Word of God! You can also view our contact information to email us or call us for prayer. May God bless you!
http://www.fghconline.com/
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