LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Introduction
If you could sit down with Jesus and a cup of coffee, what would you most like to ask him?
-Why is there suffering in the world?
-What happens after death?
-Why do bad things happen to good people?
-What is the meaning or purpose of life?
-Is there life elsewhere in the universe?
-How can I truly forgive others? (These might make a good sermon series!)
One person asked Jesus a question that I think is one of the most important questions one can ask. He was a teacher of the law. His question was one that should concern all of us: What is the greatest commandment? Important because…
-It reveals the foundation and purpose of Christian’s life.
-Provides clarity about what matters most in faith.
-The answer is a key to personal holiness, healthy relationships, and a purposeful life.
3. Jesus responded to this question by quoting a verse with which the lawyer was very familiar. It is not unusual for Jesus to quote what we call the Old Testament - it is the only Bible he knew. It was the resource from which the lawyer expected an answer.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) “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.”
This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In each of those cases, there is a different setting - perhaps Jesus spoke this teaching many times in his ministry. We are going to focus on Mark’s account.
Mark 12:28-34 (NLT)
One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 32 The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 33 And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” 34 Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Jesus calls us to love God with everything we are. This is called the Shema - which simply means “Hear”. Scot McKnight says that Jesus essentially turned the Jewish Creed - the Shema - into the Jesus Creed.
What does it mean to Love God with all our heart? What are the qualities of heart that we need to be able to love Him with all of our being?
1. A Humble Heart: Where Love Begins
Loving God starts not with what we do for Him, but with what we admit before Him.
Isaiah 66:2 (NLT): “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.”
Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”
The expression of repentance of King David in Psalm 51 is unparalleled. Humility and contrition are expressed:
-The search for MERCY (1-2)
-The CONFESSION of sin (3-4)
-The desire to be WASHED (5-9)
-The joy of RESTORATION (10-12)
-The renewal of PURPOSE (13-16)
-What God is looking for in us (17)
Loving God doesn’t start with what we do for Him, but with what we admit before Him. Isaiah 66:2 (NLT) “I will
bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.”
2. An Obedient Heart: Surrendered Will
The heart is the command center of our being, our will. God made humans distinct from the rest of living beings in that we can exercise our will (animals are essentially preprogrammed and operate out of instinct). We are free beings who can choose between alternatives.
The Constant Battle: His Will vs. Ours. No one makes a decision to follow Jesus without wrestling. Coming to Christ always involves wrestling of wills — ours vs. God’s. Even once when we are in Christ there is a constant need to align our will with his desire. To love God with all of our heart is to seek to obey all of his commands and live under his authority. David (Acts 13:22): “a man after my own heart” — not because he was perfect, but because he returned to obedience after failure.
To love God with all your heart means no compartments. He has the right to every decision.?
3. The Attentive Heart : Love Listens Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mark 4 (parable of the soils) tells us about the things that keep us from hearing as we should:
-Hurried heart (too fast to hear). (Mark 4:14-15). God can only penetrate to the extent that we stop, spend time in
contemplation of his word and will.
-Shallow heart (wants the look, not the root).(Mark 4:16-17) Israel is a land of rocks. The morning dew can germinate the seed in the shallow soil, so that a flower will spring to life, until the heat of day causes it to wither. There is no place for the root to go when it hits the limestone floor. The one with a shallow heart wants simply to look good without having to be good. We want what God can do for us but not God himself.
Divided heart (choked by clutter and cash). (Mark 4:18-19). Is there anything that can plug up our ears more than
the distraction of worry or the pursuit of things? Have you heard of the young man who proposed to the woman who had stolen his heart? “Darling, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in all the world. I want you to marry me. I am not rich. I don’t have a yacht or Rolls-Royce like Johnny Brown, but I do love you with all my heart.” The young woman thought for a moment and said, “I love you too, but tell me more about Johnny Brown.” Is our longing for and pursuit of comfort and things what chokes the life out of the hearing of God’s word?
Only the Listening Heart bears fruit. (Mark 4:1-9, 13-20). The first word of the parable is LISTEN and in verse 9 Jesus ends the telling of it with, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Greg Ogden tells about a Native American who was being escorted around the center of Manhattan in New York by a friend who was a resident of the city. The Native American stopped his friend and whispered, “Wait. I hear a cricket.” His doubting friend said, “Come on. A cricket? With all the noise of the taxis, horns honking, brakes screeching, people screaming, you couldn’t possibly hear a cricket.” Undaunted, the Native American led his friend to a nearby planter and dug through the mulch, and sure enough, there was the cricket. His friend said, “How could you possibly hear a cricket in downtown New York?” The Native American replied, “My ears are different than yours. It simply depends on what you are trained to listen to. Here, let me show you.” With that, he pulled a handful of change out of his pocket and dropped the coins on the sidewalk. When the coins clanked on the cement, everyone within a block turned around. What have our ears been trained to hear?
Conclusion: Guard Your Heart: The Flow of Everything.
When we talk about loving God with all of our heart, we are talking about a genuine love without pretense.
Greg Ogden calls this the “Impossible Possibility”. On the one hand, we are honest about our shortcomings and struggles to do what God calls us to do.On the other hand, Jesus calls us to be like him - to love God with everything we have.
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
The heart that can love God with everything is humble, obedient, and attentive.
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Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus identifies loving God (and neighbor) as the greatest commandment???
2. What does it mean to love God with “all” your heart rather than “some” of it???
3. Why do you think humility and contrition are essential starting points for loving God???
4. Psalm 51 shows David admitting his sin. How does confession open the way for deeper love of God???
5. What are some signs of a heart that is still proud or self-reliant rather than humbled before God???
6. In Acts 13:22, David is called a man after God’s own heart, despite his failures. What does that teach us about obedience???
7. In the parable of the soils (Mark 4), what distractions do you see most often choking people’s attentiveness to God today???
8. Proverbs 4:23 says “guard your heart.” What practical steps can we take to guard our hearts in today’s world???
9. Jesus called this man in Mark 12 “not far from the kingdom.” What keeps someone “close” but not fully surrendered to loving God with all their heart?
10. The sermon discusses the "Impossible Possibility"—that we are called to love God with all our heart despite our shortcomings. How does this concept of a difficult but attainable goal motivate you in your faith?
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Resources
Bartunek, John. Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. Ministry 23: Algonquin, IL, 2014.
Ogden, Greg. The Essential Commandment: A Disciple’s Guide to Loving God and Others. InterVarsity Press, 2011.
Quak, Allan. All Your Heart https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/all-your-heart-allan-quak-sermon-on-gospel-252459
