Back to Basics - Week Three

“Let us express our Love for the Lord”

Pastor Matt.   January 16, 2005

What kind of church do you want to become?

-         A church where the people of God truly live out the Gospel.

-         A church where the people are living proof that God makes a difference in people’s lives.

-         A church that has answers for life’s difficulties because not only is the Word of God taught, but the people are living it.

-         A place where you can find those who have overcome…

§         fear and anger

§        Addiction

-         a place where…

§         people learn to trust again

§        where our inner hurts are truly healed

§        where marriages don’t just survive, but thrive

§        where people receive physical and spiritual healings

§        where people hear from God and He directs their paths, blesses their families, and provides for all their needs. 

§        where we are changed from the inside out, not because of what we have done, but because of what He is doing through us. 

§        where we see God at work, we know He loves us and cares for us on an intimate level. 

This is not a fairy tale land.  This is church as it should be. 

Lets pray and ask the Lord to show us in His word how to become a church where God is alive and making a difference in people’s lives

Back to the Basics so far…

1. Mark 7:1-8.  We are going to find out what God wants us to do and then we are going to do it.
2. Mark 8:31-38.  We have given God total control of our lives and the church so we can truly follow Him and his plans for us.

As we seek the face of God, and seek to form our church on the purposes of God, we are going to begin by looking at the two greatest commandments:

Did you know there are only two commandments, not ten?

Read Mark 12:28-34.

The first commandment summarizes the first four of the Ten Commandments. The second is the essence of commandments five through ten, which relate to the treatment of other people.

Matthew 22:40.  “…All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

The last two weeks we have talked about the need to not follow the commands of men, but the commands of God.  Well, here are the two greatest commands of God.  If we are going to get this thing started right, we better pay attention to these two.

OUR FIRST PURPOSE AS A CHURCH:   WE MUST LOVE GOD

I. Why should we love God?

1 John 4:19.  We love because he first loved us.

John 3:16.

Romans 5:8.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

                        Everyone, even those who will never choose Him

                        Even you- seeing you as fallen and broken as you were/are

1 John 3:1.  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

He loves you because you are His child

Deuteronomy 7:7-9.  He loves you and wants to take you out of slavery.  This love was for Israel but also for a thousand generations (9)

Have you begun to notice a trend?  The entire Gospel message is love. 

Why do you think He commands us to love?  Because loving others is spreading the gospel.

You can’t truly love God until you realize how lost and worthless you are apart from His love, His Cross.

Can you comprehend what He has done for you?

Think on that for a moment and then ask yourself why I don’t return my love to Him. 

Are you selfish and ungrateful?

II. How can we express our love for God? (Verse 30)

A.  With all our hearts

Your heart is your will.  Your decision maker.  Your gutt. Your bowels.  Your motivator.    

You badly want to love the Lord.  Your not loving Him out of obligation.

Jeremiah 17:9.  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

B. With all your Soul

Your spirit, your shadow image, who you are on the inside.  The you that nobody sees.  The part of you that moves into the heaven.  You can’t just love God on the outside.  The essence of who you are should be loving the lord.

C. With all your mind

Your way of thinking, your imagination.

Our thoughts, whether uncontrolled or controlled, and even our words, whether spoken or not.

Garbage in, garbage out

"take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:5).

D. All your strength.

We have moved from the internal to the external. 

Thoughts and words without actions are actually nothing more than just thoughts and words.

While important, God wants us to outwardly express our love for Him. 

Put forth the effort.  God wants 100%.  All

The word strength: really means “much” or “very”

It can be interpreted to mean "with everything that you have" - your money, your time, your possessions and your family.

Basically, everything about who we are is to love Him.

Yah, but Hooooooooow do I love God???????

A few pointers:

1 John 5:3. 3.  This is love for God: to obey his commands.

When we love someone, we do what they ask us to do, so do the same for God

Read the scriptures, learn from them, follow them.

Live in obedience to Him.

How do you show other people you love them?

What makes you feel loved by others?

Words of affirmation?  Use your mouth for God to sing, greet, pray, talk, read your Bible

Quality time?  Daily devotions, spend time alone with God. Spend time with others

Gifts?  Money, items, when God says to give something you obey.

Acts of Service?  Serve, do things for others, (are the deacons enjoying serving?)

Physical touch?  Hugs, etc.

Sometimes the best way we can show our love for God is by loving others.

If you don’t feel love for the Lord, try loving Him how He wants to be loved and see if He loves you back?  (Just as in marriage)

Closing

How has He expressed love for you in your life? 

Let us take a moment to express our love to Him and the way you feel is appropriate.