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A TWO FOLD FOCUS FOR LIFE

PART 1--LOVE FOR GOD

MATTHEW 22:34-39

Introduction

Every New Year many people make all kinds of resolutions for their lives.

They take inventory of their lives and see things that need to change–it may be physical, it may be financial, it may be spiritual, it may be any number of things–and then they resolve to make some positive changes to at least some of those things.

As we enter this New Year, it is a good time for us to take spiritual inventory in our lives. In doing so, I believe we all can find some areas in our lives that need “shoring up.” You can say “Amen” right there because it is so anyway!

In our text, we see Jesus answering the question of a lawyer whose purpose was to trip up our Saviour. But Jesus is God! You can’t trip Him up!

We are not told, but I believe that Jesus’ answer to this man’s question brought conviction in the man’s heart, the same way it brings conviction to our heart when we examine it and truly think about what He is saying.

Jesus said that the top two commandments involve our love–specifically our love for God and our love for others. He said that all the law and the prophets (i.e. the whole of Scripture at that time) hung on these two commandments.

How important is that? I don’t know about you, but it seems very important to me! Everything in life hinges on these two commandments!

In beginning this New Year, I want us to look at what I will call “A Two-Fold Focus For Life.”

This week we’ll look at our love for God and, Lord willing, next week we’ll look at our love for others.

There is a problem with the matter of love. Satan and the world have clouded the issue of what love really is.

I.          LOVE CAN BE MISDEFINED.

             Verse 37 says, "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God. . ."

             Well, the questions is then, “What is love?”

             A.         Biblical Love Is More Than Just An Emotional Feeling.

It is possible for us to have feelings that we may call love, but in reality are not love.

             B.         Biblical Love Is More Than Just A Expression Of Emotions.

                          You can express so called "love", without it ever being love.

             C.         Biblical Love Is More Than Just A Fondness.

                          Love is more than somebody just being our big buddy.

             D.         Biblical Love Is Defined By The Word Of God.

                          (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

                          We will look at these closer next week.

                          1.          Patient or Longsuffering.

                          2.          Kind.

                          3.          Does not envy.

                          4.          Does not boast.

                          5.          Is not proud.

                          6.          Is not rude.

                          7.          Is not self-seeking.

                          8.          Is not easily angered.

                          9.          Does not keep record of wrongs.

                          10.        Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth.

                          11.        Love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.

             E.         Biblical Love Is Determined By:

                          1.          Our Attitude. (He is Lord.)

                                       Just who is God to you?

                          2.          Our Allegiance.

Matthew 10:37–39–"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

                          Biblical Love Is Determined By Our Attitude, Our Allegiance.

                          3.          Our Actions. (Luke 6:46; John 14:15)

What we do in our lives with regard to obeying God shows who we love or what we love.

                                       (Matthew 6:33–"But seek ye first. . .")

LOVE CAN BE MISDEFINED.

II.         LOVE CAN BE MISDIRECTED.

             Verse 37 says, "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God. . ."

             Let me ask this, “Who or what is the object of your love?”

             Love always has an object.

             A.         Misdirected Love Can Become Self-Seeking.

John 12:25–"He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

1 John 2:15–17–"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth. . ."

2 Timothy 4:10–"For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."

2 Timothy 3:2–“. . .men shall be lovers of their own selves.”

             B.         Misdirected Love Can Become Self-Sufficient.

                          Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10:17-22

Jesus told him, "go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me."

"And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."

Luke 12:15–"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

             C.         Misdirected Love Can Become Sin-Seeking.

John 3:19–“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Amos 5:14-15–"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:"

             LOVE CAN BE MISDEFINED.

             LOVE CAN BE MISDIRECTED.

III.       LOVE CAN BE MISPLACED. (Revelation 2:1-5)

Matthew 24:12–“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

             Our love for God may have been there at one time, but where is it now?

             Are we guilty of having left our first love?

             If so, the Lord has a three-fold sure-fire remedy for getting it back:

             1.          Remember–Look back at what you left.

2.Repent–Turn away from where you are and back to where you were.

             3.          Repeat–Do the first works.

IV.       LOVE CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD OR MISINFORMED.

             "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy. . ."

             Heart, Soul, Mind, And Strength–These are all tied together!

             A.         Heart– This is speaking about the seat of our emotions.

                          It is what guides us!      (Matthew 15:18-20; Luke 6:45)

Genesis 6:5–"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Proverbs 4:23–"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

We are to guard our heart! i.e. Be careful what we allow to fill our heart!

What is your heart full of today? What's in our hearts determines how we walk.

Is your heart full of fear, immorality, jealousy or envy, anger or hatred?

Be careful because what is in your heart will eventually show up in your actions.

             B.         Soul– the deep innermost being. It is the real you!

             C.         Mind– the thought processes. It is what or who we think about!

                          God should be in all our thoughts. What is on your mind?

             D.         Strength– the physical body. It is what we do!

                          What are you doing for Jesus?

                          I want you to ask yourself this question and answer it honestly.

“Am I loving God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength?”

If the answer is "No," then you've misunderstood what kind of love that the Lord is looking for.

                          He's not looking for a half-hearted effort.

V.         LOVE CAN BE MISHANDLED. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)    

Because we mishandle our love for the LORD, it can cause us to mishandle the love our Lord has for us.

             A.         We Mishandle God's Love When We Ignore It.

This happens when we have too much else to do to consider what He did for us.

             B.         We Mishandle God's Love When We Reject It.

                          This happens when we hear it, but say "That's not for me."

             C.         We Mishandle God's Love When We Delay It.

This happens when we hear it, but we have things we want to do before we commit to the Lord. “Someday I will, just not today.”

The person who repeatedly delays it becomes a person who rejects the Love of God.

             D.         We Mishandle God's Love When We Hoard It.

                          This happens when we accept it but don't share it.

Conclusion

How is your love for the Lord? Don’t be too quick to answer that!

Let me give you just a couple of things to help you answer that:

If you love the Lord the way you should, you will love what He loves.

If you love the Lord the way you should, you will love:

             1.          His people– The Church.

             2.          His Church house.

             3.          His Word.

             4.          His Fellowship (i.e. Communing with Him in prayer.)

             5.          Souls.

Have you been guilty of misdefining it, misdirecting it, misplacing it, misunderstanding it?

What about God’s love for you? (Have you received it or mishandled it?)

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!