Love God – Love One Another
 |
 |
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in
the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? "Jesus
replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’This is
the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. ’All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
First, love God.
When Jesus made this statement, he was condensing the 10 commandments into 2 for clearer
understanding. The first 4 commandments refer to our relationship to God. Love God is the clear
message.
- You shall have no other gods
- You shall not make false images of gods.
- Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.
- Keep the Lord’s day holy.
Our first priority in life is God. We were created for Him.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Note how Jesus said it:
"‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’This is the first
and greatest commandment.
Love him with ALL your HEART, ALL your SOUL, ALL your MIND.
That is to say, with deep sincerity, not just to make an impression, but REALLY love him.
And love him with all your emotion. We must be passionate about our pursuit of God.
Finally, love him with your intellect. Our relationship with God is through faith, but also more than faith.
There is an informed, intelligent decision involved. I don’t just accept
something that I do not understand. I have searched for the truth. I have studied and researched other
beliefs. I have tried and tested the wisdom of the world and the ideas of men. And I have come to an
intelligent decision that Jesus is Lord and Savior.
We walk by faith, but we also walk with eyes wide open seeking to understand what we can about the
things of God.
Even God says:
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
He also tells us to test the spirits:
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world.
Christianity is not a mindless decision to follow something without thinking. The truth will stand up to the
deepest scrutiny.
The most important thing in life is to love God – to establish and maintain a relationship with Him.
The second is to love your neighbor.
Jesus commanded it. It is the only thing he ever commanded.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
And he said it many times. He said that the world would identify us by this fact.
John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
The New Testament tells us at least 12 times directly to love one another and many more times indirectly.
And he said that we should love As He LOVED! His love sacrificed for others. That is love.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
1 John 3:16 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.
What is love?
The previous verse defined love – to lay down your life for another.
But 1 Cor 13 describes love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-
seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices
with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1
Corinthians 13:4-8 niv)
Also, I want to look at another aspect of what Jesus said. He said to love your neighbor.
Who is your neighbor?
Luke 10 – Look at the story of the Good Samaritan.
So, whom should we love? We should love whoever needs our love. Most of us would stop to help a
friend or someone we are in a close relationship with. But what about strangers? What about people
we don’t know? What about people we don’t like. The Bible even tells us to love our enemies.
Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is
mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Romans 12:20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something
to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Love is hard work! It is more than a feeling you have. It is a commitment. It is doing the right thing. It is
honoring people who don’t deserve honor. It is being patient with people who are not being patient with
you.
What does love look like? It looks like Jesus!
Read the gospel story and see how Jesus treated people.
But even more, take note of this:
Jesus died for people who didn’t appreciate him.
He forgave those who killed him.
He loved those who didn’t deserve love.
How would you feel if your child died for others and nobody showed any appreciation?