You Shall Love the Lord Your God

Love the Lord Your God
Matthew 22:34-40
Jesus and His enemies ...
The Pharisees …
Herodians …
Sadducees ..
Scribes ..
Matthew 22:15-22 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?.
22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.
Matthew 22:23-33 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh…
27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. ." 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two command-ments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
His Answer …
“Well, they are all equally important …”
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
He chooses an almost obscure passage from Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Jesus concerning love ...
Fifty times in the gospels …
Loving your neighbor (Luke 10:25-40)
Loving enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)
His love for them (John 13:1-17)
God’s love for them (John 3:16)
Love for each other (John 13:34-35)
Only seven times our love for God ..
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two command-ments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Why is this so important?
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Matthew 22:37"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.‘
Mark 12:29-30 "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
How to View Love ...
We think love is an emotion we can’t control …
Matthew 22:34-40 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Sydney J. Harris: “Love that is not expressed in loving action does not really exist, just as talent that does not express itself in creative works does not exist. Neither of these is a state of mind or a feeling, but an activity, or it’s a myth.”
How are we to love God?
Old law explained love your neighbor – Leviticus 19
What about “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength”?
Treat Him as Holy
He is our first and only God
Treat His Son with respect
Treat His children with respect
Why Love ? ...
Love is the great motivator …
Why Love ? ...
What is the best motivator for children …
Fear
Reward
Love
Why love for God?
Why do you love certain things … foods, music … it does something for you.
We love Him because He first loved us
We love some things because we appreciate them … art, beauty
God is worthy of our love more than anything or anybody else
Why Us?
Because our love is the only thing He cannot create, the only thing we can truly give Him is our love…
Love the Lord Your God
Matthew 22:34-40