SERMON NOTES (June 7, 2015): What's First? Series
First Commandment
Matt. 22:35-40
There are three Aspects of this “First” Commandment “Proto-law” – ie.
prototype
A
Total Passion for Christ
The word that is used in Matt. 22:37 is “all your heart”- kardia
Deut. 6:5 it is lebab
Deut. 4:29 – if you seek God you will find him if you seek him with all your heart
Deut.
10:12- what does God ask of you- to love
him w/ all your heart
Isaiah 57:15- God revives
the heart of the contrite
Jer. 29:11-13- you will find me when you seek me with all your heart
Ps. 51:10- create in me a
pure heart O God
Ps. 51:17 – sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart
Rom.
10:10 – it is with the heart that you
believe and are justified
Col.
3:1- Set your hearts on things above
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
The heart describes
our passion for God. So the Question about our condition before God Becomes:
How much will I invest in a Total Passion for Christ? Where your heart is you will find your treasure.
A Life of Total Worship
The word that is used in Matt. 22:37 is
“all your soul”- psyche- Deut. 6:5
it is nephesh
If loving God with all your “heart” is what
you “desire”, your passion, that which pulls you; then loving God with all your
“soul” is what you “worship”, your will, that which pushes you.
Ps. 23:2: he restores my soul
Ps. 42:1 – as the deer pants for water, so
my soul longs for you O God
Ps. 42:11- why are you downcast, O my soul?
Matt. 10:28 Don’t fear the one who can kill
the body but cannot kill the soul
Matt. 16:26 what will a man give in
exchange for his soul?
Total Kingdom Resources
It’s interesting that there are varying
lists when you look to compare Deut. 6:5 (recited by Jews twice a day), Matt.
22:37, Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27.
“all your might” strength, mind… STUFF
Hebrew madik in Deut 6:5 is a superlative referring to “resources”; actually, the word is an adverb
that is translated in other places as “very” or “exceedingly”. In other words,
it is what you have in abundance or at your disposal.
Let me ask you a question: What do you have
at your disposal, your resources, with which you could serve and love God? This
is Kingdom mentality, because these things at your disposal, in essence, are
allocated to God’s Kingdom.
So the real question is “Are you living in
the Kingdom of God?” or “In which Kingdom do you live and work?”
In the Greek, there are 2 thoughts about resources:
“Mind”- your mental capacity, and “strength”- your physical capacity
included your body’s capacity & also wealth/means
Application Questions for a Kingdom Mentality:
1) how many lost people are in my city?
2) How many people are not in true
fellowship with any church?
3) What is needed to get the true gospel of
the Kingdom to them?
4) Who is hungry? Needs clothes?
5) Who needs visiting for comfort and
fellowship? Prisons, orphans, widows?
6) Who is being persecuted? Where is racial
hatred?
&
7) How much of my “stuff” (resources) am I willing to let
Jesus control that His Kingdom come, His will be done in my city as it is in
heaven?
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