-Have you been in love? I have. I love my fiancé. That means a lot of things, doesn’t it? I’ve chosen her. I am committed to her. I enjoy her. I do work to make her happy.
-Love is an easy word to say – and to even understand. But it can be a hard word to do.
-Before we begin our discussion, we want to take a few minutes and look at the most important commands in the Bible.
-If you have one, open to Mark 12:28-34. Read, Pray.
-Context: arguments with religious leaders.
-First commandment: believing. Thinking. Remembering. Desiring. Delighting. Being careful to please him. Enjoying him and living for his joy.
-What would that look like practically? Wake up thinking about him – about how awesome he is, every day. We’d immediately be in prayer – telling him how amazing he is, asking that he would act for his own pleasure and glory. We’d be looking at studying the Bible constantly because that’s how God has fully revealed himself – and enjoying it. We’d be talking about him constantly. We’d be thinking about him during the day – trying to figure out how we could do things to please him; planning things to make him happy.
-But we don’t act like that, do we? Why is it that when we’re infatuated with a person we act like that – but we don’t concerning the God who created us and is going to be with us forever? We forget about him. We choose not to spend considerable amounts of time in prayer, in Bible study. We’re embarrassed to talk about him often. We distract ourselves with other pleasures – videogames, entertainment, relationships, success and goals…
-We do not love God.
-This is sobering, isn’t it? We’ll get to hope in a second, but let’s look at that second command – (read v. 31).
-That you love yourself is assumed. God commands us to love everyone else the same way we love ourselves. That means that my goals for other people must be the same as they are for myself. What governs your day? Why do you eat what you eat for breakfast? Go to – or not go to – class? Watch the tv shows you do? Hang out with the friends you hang out with? Why are you a Christian?
-You do things based on what makes you happy.
-What this commands is that our happiness be based on the happiness of others. This is empathy to the highest degree; but more than that – empathy with action.
-You work to secure your happiness. You make choices. You plan. You go through hard things to get happiness.
-This command is that you do the same for everyone else.
-What does this mean? When you see someone in emotional pain, you comfort them. Listen to them. Hug them. When you see someone in physical need, you provide to meet it. When you see someone who doesn’t know how to handle a situation, you come in and help handle it. Have you ever wanted help and didn’t receive it? We are to help those in need. And most of all, as we see those who are in danger of hell, we tell them there’s a way out.
-We break this commandment all the time, too, don’t we? We consider our time more worthwhile than the pain of others. We consider our money more important than the well-being of others. We consider our having fun more important than the consolation of the hurting. We consider our convenience more important than taking the time to help others. We consider our own prejudices more important than the alienation of others.
-We break this commandment – to love our neighbor. And we do not love God.
-Note what God says to the man here. “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But he is not in it. In Luke 10:28, Jesus is recorded to have said ‘do this and you will live.’ But we don’t do it. Which means we should be getting the opposite of eternal life…
-That’s sobering. Hold on to that. It is right to be sobered right now. To be sad. We should be. We have rebelled against God. We do rebel against God.
-But let’s take a moment to consider Jesus. Jesus couldn’t stop praying. He couldn’t stop talking about his Father – even when his family made fun of him. Even when he was cast out of towns. Even when people accused him of being the devil.
-It was his Father’s will that he die. And he suffered – and cried out ‘not my will but yours be done!’ And he, phil. 2 says, was obedient to death. In Heb. 10:5, 6, Jesus says this. (Read.) Jesus always lived for his Father’s pleasure – and right after he was baptized – representing his own death, God said, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus always loved the Father. And he suffered to please him – because he knew enjoying God was set before him (Heb. 12:2). Jesus enjoyed God fully, and lived fully for his Father’s joy.
-And more than that – Jesus always loved his neighbor. Consider this. He left his home; left a decent trade and income – became homeless, and spent his ministry going around to tell people that the Kingdom of God was coming – and that they needed to repent. He took time for widows, and those in pain. He took time to love children. He entertained questions. He confronted people with their own sin – being more concerned for God and for their souls than his reputation.
-He touched the dirty. Spent time with people who would tarnish his reputation. Stayed up all hours of the night so that people would know about the importance of his Kingdom.
-And – as far as believers go, that same ultimate step of obedience – of love – towards God – was the ultimate step of love for everyone who believes. He suffered all of God’s hatred for sin in their place when he died. Jesus’ love for you if you’re a believer means that he suffered for you – he loves you so much – wants you to enjoy God so much – that he suffered the fury of hell in your stead. So full was that fury and punishment in those hours, that all of hell was experienced by Jesus in your stead, and he rose again as King – and he’s coming back to bring you into his presence, to enjoy him fully forever.
-Jesus obeyed the greatest commandment in our places. And we stand, as a result, as children of God, waiting to enter his Kingdom.
-Where does that leave us? Well, we’re free from guilt. Jesus has fully shown us God – and completed the Scriptures so we can enjoy him. He’s given us his Spirit so we can see God’s glory in that word. He’s changed our hearts to make us capable of loving him – given us new eyes to see. Given us prayer and each other to drive us closer to him. He’s given us opportunity to talk about how great he is, and to love our neighbors by telling them about this great God.
-We stand free from the guilt that we had by breaking the commandment to love God and our neighbor. And we stand free from the inability not to. Jesus has given us what we need to pursue enjoyment of him, expression of that enjoyment, and freedom from the cares of this world that would prevent that – because a better one – where Jesus is – awaits us.
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