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Answering The Great Commandment And Commission

The Command: Love God and Love Neighbor (Relationship)

Sunday October 15, 2023 - Pastor Wungreiso Valui

Mark 12:28-31

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31

THE MESSAGE:

The good news of the gospel is that God has no enemies. Jesus instructs us to practice love. This directive is not stern; instead, it is full of compassion. Today's sermon revolves around Jesus' double commandment of love. As we conclude the sermon, we'll explore tangible methods to embrace this concept of double love in our lives.

I. Introduction

A. The Command: Love God and Love Neighbor Is About Relationship In Action

II. The Message

A. The Good News of the Gospel

1. God has no enemies

Let's begin with-

Question: What is the most important thing in your life? Can you answer?

B. The Double Love: Love God and Love Your Neighbor

1. What is the overall equation of the commandment of God?
2. Love God = Love your neighbor: The original starting divine spark and the final reaction creation.

C. Original Love, Original Blessing and its significance

1. The original creation marks the inception of this original love, and upon observing His creation, God proclaimed it to be very good, subsequently bestowing His blessings upon them.

II. Love God

Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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. This is the first commandment. Mark 12:29-30

A. What Matters Most to God?

1. What God truly desires from you and me is love.
2. The double-love faltered in the Garden of Eden

B. The Journey of Loving God

1. Love is not just an emotional response but an action

My Reflection: August 23, 2023: Person-personare: Latin: Sound Through

The Latin term "person-personare" translates to "resonance" or "sound through." While engrossed in a book about following the path of Jesus, I came upon this word, prompting me to pause and contemplate. I found myself pondering whether the resonance emanating from me is infused with love, particularly towards my wife and children.

III. Love Your Neighbor:

"And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:31

A. Defining "Who Is My Neighbor?": The good neighbor is the one who do not passed by on the other side of the road.

B. The Good Neighbor

1. 1. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 8:36)
2. 2. Love in action examples: The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Son of God

IV. Love Is To Do What God Commanded:

For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do-to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him. Deuteronomy 11:22

A. Love as an action:

You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:13-15

B. Expressing love through just treatment and righteousness

C. Interpersonal Love and Its Connection to God's Love: The journey begins with the discovery of God's love within yourself

D. Paul's description of "neighborly love" in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Eleven Qualities:

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Four major emphasis:

"Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

V. Challenge

A. Meditation and the relationship between mindset and behavior

1. As you meditate upon God's love and allow your mind to be daily refreshed by the love and mercy of God.
2. Your renewed mindset guides your behavior.
3. Your actions become manifestations of your thoughts. Whatever you consciously choose in your mind, you put into action.
4. Obey the commandment out of love.
5. Act on the commandment out of love

B. Single-Minded Love

1. Jesus asks for a single-minded commitment to God and God alone.
2. The journey to love others begins with the discovery of God's love within yourself
3. We feel that our attention should be divided evenly between God and our neighbor.
4. It is in God that we find our neighbors and discover our responsibility to them- Nouwen

C. Essential & Adiaphora: Things indifferent in the Christian faith

1. Loving God is essential, while other practices are adiaphora.
2. The term "adiaphora" is similar to the Stoic concept of "things indifferent."
3. The passage from Philippians 1:12-13 shows that even Even while facing imprisonment and imminent execution, Paul regarded sharing the gospel as his highest priority, considering everything else to be of secondary importance- adiaphora.