Mark 12:28-34 "The Greatest Commandment"
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 14 viewsA scribe asks Jesus about the most important commandment, and Jesus teaches the law is summarized in loving God and loving others as ourselves.
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Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!
We are having our next Men’s Breakfast on March 16th from 7-9am here at LCA.
Bern McGrane will be sharing his rich testimony… and knowing him probably a few jokes along the way.
Bern and Stephanie were part of the Jesus Revolution, so… men… you’ll be blessed to here his story of coming to the Lord.
Let’s now get into the word! Please open your bibles to Mark 12. Mark 12:28-34 today…
We left off on Tuesday of Jesus’ Passion Week in Jerusalem.
Which was a day jam packed with confrontations and teachings.
In Mark alone… that Tuesday is from Mark 11:20 - 14:11. Quite a bit of content.
After Jesus’ authority was questioned by the religious leaders… He directed three parables at them…
In turn, they began sending various groups to try to trip Him up and ensnare Him…
So they might discredit Him before the people and bring up charges against Him to Rome.
With a motive to destroy Him.
Last week we saw the disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians… an odd alliance… come at Him asking if they should pay taxes to Caesar?
Jesus replied, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
They were not expecting His wise reply… they marveled at His answer, kept silent, and then departed.
Then, Sadducees… who denied the resurrection… asked a ridiculous hypothetical about the resurrection…
And Jesus set them straight as well… correcting them for their errors… and the multitudes were astonished at His teaching.
So… wave after wave of adversity… and in His wisdom… Jesus handled all the brightest minds in Israel…
Test after test… the Lamb of God being examined before the religious leaders… and found spotless.
We pick up today in V28… where now a scribe comes asking Jesus, Which is the first… or the foremost… commandment of the law?
Leading to our sermon title today, “The Greatest Commandment.”
Let’s Pray!
In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.
Mark 12:28-34 “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them [the Sadducees] well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.”
Praise God for His word. Please be seated.
Our scene today begins with a Scribe now coming to Jesus with a question.
Let’s pull up our slides of Scribes as I paint the picture of what exactly a Scribe is…
The slides show Scribes… even modern scribes… working diligently on a large scrolls of the Torah.
The Hebrew word for “scribe” is “saphar” and comes from the root word… meaning “to write”…
Likewise… “Scribe” in Gk is “grammateus” meaning a “writer”… root word “gramma” meaning “writing”… the root for our English word “grammar” is related.
And, Scribes indeed wrote… they were copyist of the OT Law.
Matthew describes this Scribe as Pharisee and a lawyer.
So, this Scribe was of the sect of the Pharisees… highly orthodox… religious… held to many traditions on top of the written law.
And, he was a lawyer by def. “learned in the law”…
NOT the Roman civil law… but the Jewish Mosaic Law.
One famous scribe and priest was Ezra. Ezra 7:6 states Ezra “…was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses...”
Scribes were highly trained and studied men… and therefore found themselves occupationally in a number of roles:
Copying manuscripts or writing religious letters… even drafting documents for individuals;
Teaching and interpreting the Torah and other Jewish works;
Being political or religious advisors… diplomats… elders… judges…
Some worked with Pharisees… others with Sadducees… and some were priests and Levites…
They were not necessarily an organized group… as in their own sect, but functioned as an important role throughout civilization… especially in an era where there were no printing presses or ways to mass produce.
And, they took their work seriously and with great reverence…
For example… in copying the Torah… before writing “Yehovah”… they wiped their pen and washed their entire body.
They verbalized each word aloud while writing… and counted the letters, words, and paragraphs…
Hundreds of thousands of letters…
And, if two letters touched or if three pages required corrections… the entire document was invalid.
You’d feel bad for the guy who got to the final book and final chapter… and then bumbled a couple letters or spilled their ink… and then had to throw the whole work away…
Even worse… their kids come running in the room… “Daddy, daddy… let me see!” And… they put their french fry greasy fingers on the pages…
That would be a sanctifying moment.
‘Trials produce patience’ said James.
And, those examples… of how meticulous they were in their scribal work… those are just some of the examples of their reverently tedious work.
Historically… Scribes… like Ezra… had a God honoring goal to preserve and teach the Law…
And, in many ways we can be thankful for their work of painstakingly copying the OT…
The fact that we can read the OT… in part is due to the work of the Scribes.
Unfortunately, in time, Scribes were corrupted…
They aimed to preserve the Law, but added so many traditions that they nullified that which they intended to protect…
Jesus rebuked Pharisees and Scribes in Mark 7:13 for making “... the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.”
They were experts at writing and protecting the Law, but they missed the Spirit behind it.
That still happens today with some Christians.
Adding to and missing the intent of God’s word… and… we have to be guarded against this error.
And, hypocrisy… numerous times Jesus confronted the Scribes for hypocrisy…
Seven times in Matthew 23 we read “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites...”
Indicting them for prides, and misleading people… for taking advantage of people… and for lacking justice, mercy and faith… for being blind guides… and whitewashed tombs… beautiful outwardly, but full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
God wants more than outward acts of righteousness… He looks at the heart… and theirs were far from God…
So… with that background on who the scribes were… again we read in V28…
“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Matt 22:34-36, provides greater detail, “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
From those verses… it’s confirmed the scribe is a Pharisee… and the question he asked was to test Jesus.
This is the same word Jesus used in V15 when they questioned Him about paying taxes, and He said, “Why do you test me?”
The word “test” means “to make proof of” or “to scrutinize.” It’s root word carries the idea of “piercing”… this is a piercing examination or trial they have placed Him under.
And, the motive is the same as before… they want to entangle or catch Him in His words to discredit Him.
The question “Which is the first [or the great] commandment in the law?”
It seems like it could be an honest and good question… and from the right heart that is seeking truth… it would be a great question.
But, as we consider the source… we know this is nothing but a snare… it’s a disingenuous question.
For us today… we too must discern… and ask for God’s wisdom that is beyond us to not get ensnared in the folly of those who stir up controversy or try to ensnare you into acting in the flesh.
And, their out there… I know people who just love to debate and stir up controversy because it’s amusing.
They love to get people riled up and stir up opposition like it’s a game.
A guy I know shared how he has been getting drawn into social media debates with a guy he used to know… be careful with that… that can be a slippery slope of ugly for the whole world to see if you’re not careful with your words.
So, be discerning and wise… so your walk and your witness doesn’t come into compromise.
Pro 15:21 states, “Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, But a man of understanding walks uprightly.”
“Uprightly” in Hebrew is yâshar, yaw-shar´ and it means “to be smooth, straight or right.” It’s one who is agreeable or pleasant.
It’s important that if you feel led to enter into the controversy… perhaps you feel led to defend the faith… and as you do so… you do it uprightly… and "above reproach.”
And there is a time to defend… to enter into an apologetics conversation.
1 Pet 3:15-16 states, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense [Gk apologia… where “Apologetics” derives from] to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, [and here’s the kicker…] with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, [and they will, because of motive] those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
You walk upright… and don’t be drawn into the flesh… so you’re witness is not compromised… so your conscience is good… and so they are ashamed and hopefully repent.
And, our passage today will end with Jesus not compromising His character… of course He’s of good conscience… remains sinless… no charges will be found against Him…
Exactly how we should walk away from moments like these…
His opposition, in contrast… are silenced… the various groups that wanted to test Him… cease in their examination.
The last word we read in this passage are, “But after that no one dared question Him.”
Not so different from what we just read in Peter.
Again, the question posed to Jesus by the Scribe is “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Of all the commandments… which is first… not in order, but in highest of importance… the foremost… or the greatest commandment of them all.
And… Not just the 10 Commandments, but all 613 OT Commandments. 248 in the positive as in “do this”… and 365 in the negative- “don’t do this.”
And you can imagine how the various Rabbis debated this topic…
Which was the most important? The Sabbath Law?… the sacrificial law?… the dietary law?…
What a massive debate this must have been… and had Jesus picked just any law… you can imagine the division that would have ensued.
Like when Paul stood before the council in Acts 23 and perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees… and he brought into question the hope of the resurrection…
And then a dissension arose between the two sects.
Had Jesus cited one of the controversial and debated laws… or disregarded another area of the Law… it probably would have been a similar scene.
But, instead of siding with one part of the Law… Jesus summarized the entirety of the Law… capturing it’s essence… love God with every ounce of your being… and love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.
Loving God is listed first, because if we get that relationship right… all our other relationships fall into place.
We read again in vv 29-30 “Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
Here Jesus quotes from the OT… a very familiar and influential prayer in Judaism called “The Great Shema.”
It derives from Deut 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: [“Hear” in Heb. is “shama”… thus the Great Shema; Hear is the word and the command that begins this most important prayer that is spoken daily in Jewish tradition. Hear means “to hear intelligently or attentively.” “Hear, O Israel:] The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Later… Jewish tradition developed a three-part Shema prayer that incorporated…
Deut 11:13–29… which speaks of prosperity for obeying God’s commands and sets before Israel a blessing or a curse for obedience or lack thereof. And…
Num 15:37–41… which commands wearing tassels on the corners of their garments to remind them of the commandments, so as to not commit spiritual adultery.
Jewish tradition states these three parts cover all aspects of the Ten Commandments.
And, in many ways… to know God’s commandments is the heart of our church as well.
We are a Bible Teaching church… and we believe that in knowing God’s word… and trusting it’s work to sanctify us by it’s truth (Jn 17:17)…
We will learn the heartbeat of God… and in being conformed into the image of His Son, we will be able to love God… and to love others…
There are many ways one could speculate how to love God and to love others… but without checking these against the word of God… how does one know if those thoughts are in alignment with God?
And, so our desire is to know and obey the word of God… so our love for Him and for others… is expressed in a way that honors God… as taught through His word.
Back in The Great Shema… at the close of that prayer we read this about God’s commands… “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deut 6:9.
Which is a verse that has massively influenced Jewish culture and practice. The Hebrew word for “doorposts” is “Mezuzah.”
If you’ve ever walked into a Jewish home… you’ve probably seen a little box on the doorpost… which they call a “Mezuzah.”
When Jews affix the Mezuzah to their doorpost, they say this blessing… “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with God’s commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.”
Only, they say it in Hebrew… “Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu...” and I’ll stop there while I’m ahead.
“Contained in the mezuzah is a tightly rolled piece of parchment made from the skin of a ritually clean animal on which are handwritten traditionally…
Deut 6:4-9 “The Great Shema” and…
Deut 11:13-21… both which reference writing God’s commands on the doorpost… the mezuzah.
If you’ve seen a Mezuzah on doorpost… you’ve probably noticed they are hung slanted. Do you know why?
Well let me tell you… and don’t worry… this is just free information… there’s no test later… so you can just soak it in…
In the 12th century a famous french Rabbi named Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, also known as “Rashi” held to the opinion the Mezuzah should be affixed vertically, so the top pointed toward the Almighty.
His grandson, Rabbenu Tam, felt that mezuzot should be affixed horizontally for the sake of tradition, because the scrolls in their leather cases were originally pushed horizontally into the crevices between the stones around the doorways of homes.
Eventually they compromised, and agreed that a mezuzah should be hung on the diagonal, with its top inclined toward the home.
This compromise brought peace in this 12th century Jewish home… and is also part of the traditional message of the mezuzah.
Again… just free information.
But, for them and for us… what is Jesus saying?
The first and foremost command is… and let’s break it down… “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
The first part of the Greatest Commandment cites that the LORD is one.
Of course this speaks against pagan polytheism, but more personally to every Jew… and to every modern Christian… there is a greater wrestling… which is the tendency for us to drift away from the One true God.
Contextually, in the Deuteronomy passages I just referenced… Deut 11… even in Num 15… there are warnings against straying from God… and putting other false gods above Him.
Deut 11:16 “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them...”
Num 15:39 “And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined...”
How true are these reminders still today?
How easy is it for us to set our eyes upon the things of the world? And, for our hearts to stray and love created things more than the eternal God?
Even good things that God has blessed us with… family… marriage… kids… a home… a career… possessions… pleasure…
God has blessed us with so many good things… but we have to guard our hearts to NOT elevate these things above God…
Because unbelievers suppress the truth of God… in Rom 1:24-25 Paul wrote, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.”
We have to guard our hearts to not fall in that same error to worship created things above God… otherwise we commit spiritual harlotry.
The LORD our God, the LORD is one… there is to be NO other god above the one true God in your life.
The second principle of the Great Shema is “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
Love in V30 is agapaō which is the root word for agapē… as in 1 John 4:8 “God is love.” [agapē]…
Agape love is often described as God’s love… because God is agapē… and God demonstrates this kind of love through His character…
And, how did God demonstrate that kind of love toward us?
1 John 4:9-10 reads, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
God demonstrated His love toward us in the most self-sacrificial way… He gave His Son to take our judicial place for the punishment of sin and transgression.
Jesus said in John 15:13 “Greater love [agape] has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
Jesus did that for you and for me.
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 5:8
Agape love is also beautifully described in 1 Cor 13… the “Love Chapter”…
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
“Agape involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character.”
We are to emulate this… Jesus said “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
With the entirety of your being… you are to love God…
And, we need the full in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit to do this.
It’s no easy thing NOT to drift from God in the lust of our flesh and the lust of our eyes… and the pride of life…
The writer of Hebrew counseled we must pay close attention to the the thing we have heard… lest we drift away.
The world pulls us… our flesh pulls us… inside us is a war between our flesh and our spirit…
And to love God… we must set our minds on the the things of the Spirit… and walk in the Spirit… and die to the flesh… taking up our cross daily… and putting to death the old man.
It’s no easy thing to love God with all you have, but this is the Greatest Commandment.
And, so practically speaking… how do we love God?
We put Him above self. Just as He sent His Son for us… can we give ourselves to Him?
Romans 12:1 “… present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Give yourself… worship Him through giving of yourself in service… through giving of your finances… spend time with Him in prayer and in His word.
Be in relationship with Him. Relationships are expressed through love… and time… and dedication… through putting others before self.
The scribes and Pharisees who inquired about ‘which is the first commandment of all?’
They didn’t have this kind of relationship with God. They knew their traditions… they knew how to use the law to their advantage… certainly they loved themselves…
In John 15:8… of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus quoted Isaiah saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.’
We have to be careful NOT to fall into the same error.
We need to guard that our lives our not just a Sunday only relationship with God…
Equally we need to guard that our lives are full of religious activities, but we have lost our first love.
And… often in Scripture… as we read about love and God’s love… just like in that 1 John 4 passage… we also read about loving others…
For ex., 1 John 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
And, that’s where Jesus went as well after describing the Greatest Commandment… in V31 He said, “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
And, here Jesus quotes from Lev 19.
Leviticus 19 is a chapter on moral and ceremonial laws. Lev 19:18 reads, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
Jesus did not command “Love yourself”… it’s assumed we already do so.
Knowing that we inherently love ourselves… knowing our hearts are selfish…
We know we love ourselves because we daily feed our bodies… we match our clothes (or at least try to)… we groom and wash our bodies at least once a week… even sometimes more.
If we walk by a mirror, how often do we pause to check ourselves out?
“Oh… you look good.”
If we look at a group photo… where do our eyes go first?
We find SELF in the picture… and we deem it a good or bad photo based upon our own appearance.
Even if there were 20 other people in the photo… and they all looked great, but we looked a bit disheveled… it would be a bad picture because of self.
Oh… we are quite fond of ourselves.
And, it will get even worse. Paul wrote to Timothy, “… in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves...” (2 Tim 3:2).
What’s that going to look like… will people have holographic projections of themselves hovering above their heads?
Or are we already there? If the love of self is an indicator of end times… we have arrived.
Our culture and world clearly has mastered the art of loving self.
So, Jesus DOES NOT say, “Love yourself with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…”
Because we already do. That’s natural.
He calls us to the supernatural to Love God, and to love others as ourselves.
He commands for us to love others as we already love ourselves.
Paul in writing about Loving Your Neighbor… wrote in Rom 13:8-10 “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” [quoting from the 2nd tablet of the Ten Commandments] and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
When you love God… you’re love ascends to the vertical…
And, when you love others… you’re love spans the horizontal…
And, in doing so… love fulfills the Law…
To Love God is to fulfill the first four of the Ten Commandments…
And, to Love Others is to fulfill the last six of the Ten Commandments.
Matt concluded this account writing “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The entirety of the OT… not just the Ten Commandments, but all of it… the whole Mosaic Law and the Prophets… the rest of the OT…
… hang of the central premise of loving God… and loving others as we do ourselves.
And, as Jesus paints this picture… I wonder if He had the cross in mind… the cross that faced Him ahead…
For Love on the vertical and love the horizontal… form a cross…
And, in just a few days, in His love for mankind… Jesus would hang from a cross…
And, there is no way to God… no way to come into relationship with and to truly love God without the cross… and without a relationship with Jesus Christ.
It’s only then that we can fulfill the heart of the commandment… to love God and others as ourselves.
To which Jesus said, “There is no other commandment greater than these.”
To this teaching… the scribe replied in V32 “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
This response from the Scribe is unique to Mark’s Gospel…
And, this was a wise response… we read that in V34… Loving God… and Loving one’s neighbor as oneself is more important then outward expressions of obedience…
One could go through the motions of being obedient to the sacrificial system of burnt offerings and sacrifices, and yet their heart could be far from God.
How many people were at this Passover Week… gathered in Jerusalem… just going through the religious motions?
How many religious leaders were standing there in this moment with Jesus… obedient to the sacrificial system… and yet their hearts did not know the love of God?
Their hearts were incapable of expressing true love for God… and love for others.
God wants to see a heart of love in His people… not just an outward show of religion.
Proverbs 21:3 declares “To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
For you and I today… righteous living… living justly before God and before fellow man…
This is pleasing to the Lord…
God never delighted in the person who lived hypocritically by bringing an animal sacrifice… only to live wickedly in their day to day life.
God wants to see us hear… to listen attentively to His word and His commands and then to put it into practice in our lives…
I think back to when Saul became king and God commanded him to utterly destroy the Amalekites… even their livestock… for their cruelty in ambushing the rear of Israel’s ranks when they came out of Egypt.
Saul destroyed the Amalekites, but spared the king and the best of their livestock.
And, partial obedience is disobedience.
Maybe a word to take a walk with this week.
God sent Samuel to rebuke Saul for not following Him nor His commands… and in 1 Sam 15:22 Samuel said to Saul, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”
And in rejecting the word of the Lord… God rejected Saul as king.
Today, we have heard the word of the Lord… and He says, “… love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [And,] ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
As we walk out these doors today… our role is to make sure we are putting these commandments into practice…
To make sure our lives reflect agape love for God and for others.
Wrapping up… in response to the words from the scribe… in V34 we read, “Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
This scribe demonstrated wisdom and a sensitivity to spiritual matters and understanding that brought him right up to the door of God’s kingdom.
And, whether or not he entered through the door is unknown. I truly hope he did at some point in his life.
But, let me warn you… to be near the kingdom of God… is NOT to be in the kingdom of God.
One could be knocking on the door to heaven and eternal life… but never gain admittance.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Matt 7:21-23 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
There are many people who on the outside look really good… Jesus even used the example of a person who performed supernatural deeds…
However, without a relationship with Jesus Christ… they are no different then this scribe… near the kingdom of God… but not in the kingdom of God.
To enter, you must obey the will of the Father to say yes to Jesus as Lord and Savior and to trust that His sacrifice on the cross forgave your sins.
Jesus said in Jn 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
If you’ve never submitted to and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior… before we take communion today… come up to the front row and pray with me…
Don’t be like this scribe… not far from the kingdom of God… yet not in the kingdom of God.
Worship team come.
Our passage today concludes, “But after that no one dared question Him.”
Round after round of the brightest leaders of Israel came to examine Jesus… Pharisees… Herodians… Sadducees… the disciples of the Pharisees… and a scribe…
And, no one was effective in discrediting Jesus… or finding a charge against Him.
And, from this point forth… no one dared question Him any further…
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was found spotless… and without blemish…
Let’s Pray… and then take communion looking back in worship to His sacrifice for us… allowing us to be in relationship with God!
1 Cor 11:23-29 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
Please distribute the elements...
Communion is a time for us to look three directions…
We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.
His new covenant. Salvation by faith and in grace.
Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.
And, looking inward to examine yourself…and take communion in a worthy manner.
Time to do business with God.
Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.
Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.
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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...
...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...
...accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.
Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and ask for forgiveness.
...then take communion. And, be sure to let us know. Salvation is something to celebrate!
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