All posts tagged matthew 22:36-40

Love God Love People & GO

by Ryan Marcum on April 14, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

READ

Matthew 22:37-40 (GREAT COMMANDMENT)

37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

THINK

Consider the “most important” command that Jesus links to all of God’s law.

-          Why, do you think it is the most important command?

-          Why is it a command?

-          Why do you think that the second command is like it?

  • For Ideas SEE = Genesis 1:26-28
    • = James 3:9-10

-          Reflect on the verse and how it matches up to your life. Dig deeper into what makes motivates you to love God and others.

  • Check out. Ephesians 5:1-2,     1st John 4:7-10, 20-21

 

 

 

PRAY

Spend time praying to God, ask Him for guidance and for help to love others more completely.

LIVE

Practice living this life of love toward other people.

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GO!

 

READ

Matthew 28:18-20 (GREAT COMMISSION)

18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

THINK

Think about 2 Timothy 3:16,…

-          Examine why we follow the Great commission, and get to know this part of God’s heart.

-          Appreciate these words for what they are: words from His mouth!

-          Think about what these words might look like “alive” in your life.

  • Other scriptures to look at:
    • Matthew 5:13-16
    • Acts 1:8
    • Philippians 1:27-30
    • 1 Peter 3:13-18
    • 2 Peter 3:9

PRAY

Listen to God speaks to your heart about His words here. Allow Him to transform you and lead you toward more of His best.  If he brings specific people to mind that He’s wanting you to speak to about Him. If you are lacking in this command…ask for forgiveness.

Then focus on His promise: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

LIVE

When we focus on God’s commands  no matter how difficult or scary, we grab onto real life!

Simple Ethos Chapter 3 snippet

by Ryan Marcum on February 12, 2010 in Blog, Life with No comments

Have you ever wondered what the meaning of life is? I mean really sat down and thought it through. Take a child for instance the meaning of life is probably in the neighborhood of everything is mine and is meant to make me happy. Take an adolescent the meaning of life might be boys, girls, music, having the most friends on facebook. But then we get older and suddenly the meaning of life becomes about finances and a bigger house finding the right husband or wife and “these things will make me happy.” And suddenly we become seniors and life becomes about memories and leaving a legacy behind. What is the meaning of life? Where do you find meaning? Are you trapped in a cycle of possessions and living from pay check to paycheck, or maybe your stuck in a scheduling nightmare that controls your every moment…

The book of Ecclesiastes gives us great insight on the wisest man ever, and the life he lived in pursuit of the meaning of life. In the beginning of the book Solomon says, that everything is meaningless, wisdom, work, pleasure, toil, wealth…everything is meaningless. Then with perfect harmony lays out wisdom that brings everything into focus. In the Conclusion of the last chapter in verse 13, Solomon says this,

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

We are becoming.
Becoming more like what God intended us to be.
A people who fear(love, revere, honor, worship, adore…) Him and obey His commandments. This is the whole duty of man.

This is what it is all about,
…the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So we have Loving God, Loving People, and everything we do should hang on these. Everything?
Can you imagine a life that revolves around one primary concept? A concept so simple that we sometimes miss… Can you imagine?
Imagine a world, no imagine a people so consumed with loving God not self and obeying the command to love our neighbors. How different would life be? The problem with our western culture is that we are so lost in self preservation and self promotion that the concept of living for something else, other than ourselves, is to faint to recognize. My generation is considered the microwave generation…what will future generations be called? Could the American church slip to obsolete? Or could people catch the life that is Loving God and Loving People?