Sermon Title: THE CENTER OF THE MAP
Sermon Text: MARK 12:28-34
Sermon Series: THE JERUSALEM MINISTRY: THE KING CONFRONTS EMPTY RELIGION
By: PTR NIC SY
Mark 12:28-34 ESV
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
SERMON NOTES
Knowing something and truly hearing it are two entirely different things.
I. STOP PERFORMING, START LISTENING.
You can perform the Shema without hearing the Shema.
Jesus is not interested in performances of faith.
You can say the right words your whole life and never actually hear them.
Apply: This week, take this passage (Mark 12:28-34) and read it out loud, slowly, by yourself. Ask: What does this actually say to me? What does it mean right now, for your life, as you actually live it?
II. GIVE YOUR WHOLE SELF TO YOUR WHOLE GOD
All your heart, soul, mind, and strength is not selective authorization. It is comprehensive surrender.
An undivided God deserves an undivided life.
Apply: Write down five or six areas of your life that occupy most of your time, energy and concern. Ask: Have I actually given God full access to this area?
III. LET YOUR LOVE FOR GOD MOVE THROUGH YOU
How you treat people is not a separate category from how you love God; it is the proof of it.
The proof is always in the particular.
If your love for God doesn’t change how you treat people, it hasn’t finished its journey.
Apply: Think of one person who is genuinely hard for you to love. Ask: What concrete act of love coulde you make toward that person this week?