-Ask almost anyone in the united states if they love God and the answer would be “Yes!”
-Sometimes, though, I think people misunderstand the question
-Sometimes they think the question is “Do you love what God does for you?”
-They have a servant kind of God
-Some think the question is, “Do you like having God around?”
-They have a friend kind of God
-Some think the question is “Do you like who God is?”
-Creator, healer, guide, protector, etc. . .
-They have a mystical God
-God is all of these, but He is so much more
-And the question is “Do you love God?”
-If you were to rate your love for God on a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be?
10, 8.5, 6, 4, 2, 1
-There was a scribe in Jesus’ day who was faced with answering this question without it even being asked
-Mark 12:28-34
-In this passage, we are given four ways we are to love the Lord
I. With All Your Heart
-This is with all your emotion
-The heart is the center of emotion
-This is where we often think of love as coming from
-If we truly love someone, we should show it in tangible ways everyday
-God shows His love to us each day
-We often are afraid to show our emotion to God
-God loves for us to be emotional with Him
-David often cried out to Him
-And expressed fear at times
-The Israelites grumbled to Him
-Abraham and Sarah laughed to Him
-Many in scripture rejoiced in Him
-Especially the women as they left the tomb
-God is not put off by emotion
-Remember: He created you with emotion
-What God wants, is for us to channel our emotions to Him in love
A. In honesty
1. Not hiding what we are feeling
-God can see right through a poker face
2. Not exchanging what we are feeling
-With something else
-In a sense, a lie
B. In openness
-Not caring what others think
-Only caring what God knows
II. With All Your Soul
-This is with all of our spiritual being
-This could be the hardest because this part of our being is the most difficult for us to understand
A. This sees our need for forgiveness
B. This sees our need for belief
-In God’s existence and character
-In the work of Christ
-In the power of the Holy Spirit
C. This sees our need for faith
-In what we cannot reason into existence
D. This sees our need for obedience
E. This sees our need for cleansing
-Getting the sin stains out
-This is far beyond forgiveness
-And requires far more
-But the blessings far exceed those of forgiveness as well
III. With All Your Mind
-This is with all of our intellect
-Our brains are amazing things
-It is said that we only use a tiny fraction of our brain’s ability
-Even the smartest among us
-We can hold so much information
-But what kind of information are we holding
-Historical knowledge
-Literary knowledge
-Entertainment knowledge
-Sports knowledge
-Business knowledge
-Household knowledge
-Automobile knowledge
-All of this is well and good, but where does all of that knowledge stack up to your knowledge of scripture
-Where does all of that knowledge stack up to your knowledge of who God is and how He works
-For most believers, it is very limited
-But, where are they Sunday morning?
-Where are they Sunday night?
-Where are they Wednesday night?
-Why is their Bible collecting dust at home?
-Why do they fill their minds with music, stories and ideas of this world rather than music, stories and ideas of God
-You see, to love God with all of our minds we must do two things
1. Fill your mind with knowledge of God
-And that doesn’t come in just 1 or 2 hours on Sunday
-I Corinthians 2:2
2. Meditate on what you know of God
-Philippians 4:8
IV. With All Your Strength
-This is with all of our physical being
-This is giving our abilities over to God for Him to use as He sees fit
-Sometimes this is inside the walls of the church, sometimes it is outside the walls of the church
-In the public schools of Switzerland each student is taught this patriotic slogan: "My duty is to obey and work for God and my native land."
A. All your abilities
-Natural and God-given
-Actually, there is no such thing as natural
-It is all God-given
-And God gives us abilities because He wants us to use them for His glory to perform His will
-Many times, there are jobs in the church that never get done because those with the ability to do them does not step up and take responsibility for them
-Sometimes, we like to complain when others are not stepping up to do them
-Sometimes we like to be asked before volunteering
-But, what is more important to respond to, the call of man or the call of God
-Sometimes, I am forced to ask someone who is not necessarily called by God because someone who is failed to answer His call
-But when people use their God-given abilities for the Lord, not only is the Lord pleased and they are blessed, but many other benefit from them
B. Every ounce of energy
-Galatians 6:9
CONCLUSION
-Jesus hit the nail on the head with His answer to this scribe
-Loving God encompasses our whole being
-We must not compartmentalize our love for God, as some do
-It is to be an everyday, all the time, all encompassing love
-Involving our emotion, our spiritual being, our intellect and our physical being
-I must admit, this sermon was sparked this week by several things
-A look at attendance figures for the past year
-In every category this year we are trailing a year ago
-We are not attracting new believers
-We are not being faithful ourselves
-A look at ministries we have accomplished this year
-Lack of interest in discipleship groups
-Struggles with children’s and youth ministries
-Lax attitudes in other ministries of the church
-A comment from one at the prayer services
-Why do not more attend the prayer services
-You see, the scribe had it right when he said in Mark 12:33
To love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
-Sacrifices, prayers and words of praise are not enough
-True love involves all the heart, soul, mind and strength
-So, let me ask the question again,“Do you love God?”
-If you were to rate your love for God on a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be?
10, 8.5, 6, 4, 2, 1
-Let’s come to Him today in a commitment to love Him more
-Love Him with all
