Mark 12:28-34 (ESV)

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

Love God with all you are

• Heart
• Soul
• Mind
• Strength

Love others as you love yourself

God is never satisfied with anything less than the devotion of our whole life for the whole duration of our lives. (Sinclair Ferguson)

Agape love: sacrificial love with the other person’s best interest in mind

1 John 4:16

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

Questions to consider:

• Is the Lord the all-consuming passion of my life?
• Do I have a deep, intense, and abiding affection for my Lord?
• Am I loyal to my God with an exclusive love?
• Do I enjoy spending time with my Lord?

We make time for what/who is important to us. Our daily pursuits reflect our truest heart!

Three reasons we don’t fully love God

1. We don’t really know Him

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

2. We don’t really believe what we do know

3. We love something/someone else more

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

How can I fully love God?

• Remember all He has done and does for me
• Recognize that what/who you love will naturally have some control over you
• Yield to His sovereign will
• Keep His commands out of a loving heart
• “If you love me, you will keep my commandments … Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:15,21)

Love others as you love yourself!

Mark 12:31

“The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

How can I love others?

• Connect with Christians/church
• Express compassion and concern for others: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
• Desire for others what you want for yourself
• Treat others as you want to be treated: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
• Pray for your enemies

Mark 12:32-34

And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Isaiah 48:17-18

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

1 John 4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Check out this week’s sermon application guide: https://files.snappages.site/QG8D8X/assets/files/Sermon-Application-Guide-Mark-12_28-34-73.jpg