Almost in the Kingdom
Mark 12:28-34
Good Morning Church
If you would turn to Mark 12:28-34
This is a continuance of last week’s message in the thread that we have to love God and desire for others to know him. Coming to the table of God and enjoying the rich blessing of knowing God and God knowing you.
How important is your relationship with God and how important is it for you that others know God?
We are again looking at Jesus dealing with Pharisees and religious people.
Religious people were always putting rules in front of relationship.
They believed that you could never know God and God could never know you in a personal relationship.
The Pharisees saw themselves above the law and above other people.
As they elevated themselves, they tore others down. (Many people today believe for them to be elevated, they must tear others down.)
They had no need for a savior. The fact that Jesus kept teaching the teachers was an insult to them.
The thought of Jesus being their savior is what drove them to put him on a cross.
The text this morning is for all of us who honestly want to ask Jesus questions so that we can better navigate our lives and understand the word of God.
Not all the Pharisees hated Jesus because I believe this one was diligently searching and seeking for answers from Jesus.
Mark 12:28-34
Prayer-
Let me give you the quick version of what is happening and then we will dissect it in a way that we can gain some truths from Jesus words back to the Pharisee.
There is an unknown Pharisee that comes across Jesus in a debate with other Pharisees.
Jesus was evidently at least in the mind of the Pharisee holding his own with the Pharisees and he decides to ask him a question.
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Understand that he not only meant the Ten Commandments, he meant also the 613 added commandments by the Pharisees.)
The answer Jesus gives helps us understand putting God first in our lives.
These same things work today!
The Pharisees treated Jesus like he was a contestant on the game show Jeopardy. I give you a category and you see if you can answer the question correctly!
There is a big gulf between religious people and those in a relationship with Jesus.
Nowhere does Jesus tell us or show us that we are to be more religious.
Religion without relationship is what James calls dead and worthless.
We cannot tame our tongue-worthless religion.
We do not put our faith and our religion into practice…it is a worthless act of rule keeping that only ends with disappointment because we are not able to do it.
James says-“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?
“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
Of all the commandments, which is the most important? Thats the question here and the question of the ages.
Jesus answer-“Love God and love others”- Jesus quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”
This verse and Book of Numbers 15:37-41 were part of the Shema- The reciting of verses two times a day in the temple and was a part of every devout Jews daily life. It was usually done as a chant and with their hands covering over their eyes out of respect and reverence for God.
So if you are just going to recite verses and not know him in a personal relationship you will never be able to Love God in the way that you are to love God.
If you do not love God the way He is to be loved there is no way that you would be able to love others like God would have you love them.
Charles Spurgeon over 140 years ago preached a sermon “The secret of loving God” His text was one verse- 1 John 4:19- “We love because He first loved us”
We can never love God the way that we are suppose too without God showing us and helping us to love him like that. (Repeat)
Why? Because our hearts and mind are not set on the things of God without the Holy Spirit of God guiding us.
We love because He first loved us and made a move toward us.
The unspiritual do not know Him. They have heard of him but they do not know Him.
The Spiritual things of God are only known by the spiritual people of God.
Love God with all your heart
How do we love God with all our heart?
Well first, it has to be a heart that has been given over to the Lord because we know that a heart of man without God is a heart of stone, a wicked heart, a heart that has been deceived, and a heart far from God.
Man’s heart from God is self centered, a heart that may have a million parts that keep blood flowing to keep us alive but since the fall of man has become corrupt and far from God.
You add in all the other things like emotion, feelings, personal will, and you find a heart that is in need of transformation and renewal!
To love God you must first have a transformation!
Adam had the Spirit of God in him. God breathed into Adam the Spirit of God and he had life. When he fell to sin, he lost the Spirit of God and had the spirit of man which was a sinful nature and it is why he must be born again of the Spirit and be redeemed by God.
A heart away from God is a lost heart and a lost soul.
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 one and despise the other.
James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Isaiah 29:13
Then the Lord said, these people come near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
1 Kings 18:21
Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate (limp) between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
Joshua said- “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Proclamation of allegiance!
Rev. 3:15-18
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Love God with all your soul
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit- The Trinity-
Do you know today that many don’t believe in the Trinity of God.
I know that is a lot to understand that God is three in one but it is the truth of God.
We were made in His image-
Your soul is your psyche - it is your feelings, belief, convictions, truths. It is who you are. That is why you cannot fake God out of what you believe. It is all right there.
Your soul will live forever. You get to choose where it will live.
Your body is made of the dust and will return to the dust. The body as you have right now will not be in heaven. It is a corruptible body and it will die.
Your soul will live forever, God breathed life into your soul.
Genesis 1:26- “Let us- Father. Son, Holy Spirit make man in our likeness”
Man is a tri part being- Body, soul, Spirit- At death, our body dies, the spirit either a redeemed spirit right with God or a fallen spirit unrepentant and far from God. Both will live forever somewhere. Either with the Lord by choice accepting what Christ has done or far from God because you have rejected what Christ has done for you and you choose by choice to be separated from God. No one goes either place without choosing. Rejecting is by choice being separated from God.
1 Thess. 5:23-
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and will do it.”
Love God with all your heart
Love God with all your soul
Very quickly love God with all your mind-
it is not a sin to have thoughts that are inappropriate- it is a sin to dwell on thoughts that are inappropriate.
“Bring all your thoughts under the captivity of Christ”
First it is in your mind, then it becomes an action, then it becomes sin. Stop it when it is in your mind and you do not dwell on it. You replace inappropriate with appropriate.
Paul/Philippians 4:8-
“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.”
Back to the text as we wrap it up-
(32) “Well said, teacher, the man replied. You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices,”
Anyone besides me see a problem with this statement? Not that the statement is not true, but the problem that the Pharisee is telling the savior of the world that he agrees with what He just said.
I’m sure Jesus was just thrilled and excited that this man created by God was agreeing with God about how He is to love God and love others.
I agree whole heartedly- see what I did there!
The Pharisee commends Jesus for his perceptive answer.
The Pharisee references another part of the Shema when he says “there is no other but him”
Shema’s affirmation of divine oneness is compatible with what Jesus said- GOOD JOB JESUS.
You didn’t forget about loving other people Jesus- GOOD JOB JESUS.
That Pharisee was showing Jesus affirmation of His teachings. Not all Pharisee’s hate you Jesus. I like what you are saying and I agree with your words.
Classic Jesus – (34) “When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God.”
You agree with me, I agree with what you said. The only things that really matters is what Jesus said and that we believe it and respond to it.
JESUS SAID TO HIM THAT YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
What did he mean by that? You are not far from the kingdom.
It means that you can know what you need to do to make heaven but if you do not do it, you will not make it.
Knowledge by itself is not enough- you must respond to what Jesus has done for us.
How would you feel if you missed heaven by this much! (little fingers apart) because you never responded.
You always meant too but it was never a good time.
You meant to tell your family member about Jesus but it was never the right time and now you heard that they have died.
This is Christianity 101
This is the Holiness message to love God with every part of your being and love others the way that God loves them.
This is the heart of being God’s holy people. That kind of live is costly.
Holiness is confused with rule keeping and performance. Israel confused it with rituals and elaborate sacrifices seen by all
Jesus was telling that scribe that you come this far, why not go all the way and accept my teachingsand become a true citizen of the kingdom.
Jesus is calling each of us to recommit our following of Jesus and back to the heart of what the loves. This is what John Wesley defined as heart holiness.
