The Kingdom of Right Relationships

Part 2

Loving God the Father Matthew 22:34-40

Living in Four Relationships

• Whoever you are

– Wherever you live – Whatever your values or philosophy of life – You live in four relationships

• You must relate in some way

– To God – To Self – To your significant others – To the world

Living in Four Relationships

• The quality of these relationships

– Live in the Kingdom of Right Relationships – Live in the world

• The Good News

– Jesus Christ can enter into a human life and redeem it in all four of these dimensions or relationships

The Most Important Relationship

• The one which exists between you and God

– It is impossible to escape this relationship – Even for those who deny the existence of a Supreme Being – People who profess not to believe in God spend a great deal of time: • Denying Him, fighting Him, explaining Him away, or attempting to prove wrong those who do believe in Him • Even this is a relationship!

The Most Important Relationship

• Built into every human being is an instinctive sense that there is Someone or Something “out there” that cannot be ignored – Ecclesiastes 3:11 • He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end – Isaiah 57:15 • For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones

The Most Important Relationship

• A right relationship

– One has heard the good news that God says to us in Jesus Christ: • “I love you. I love you as you are. I love you unconditionally. I have already given myself to you totally, and now all I ask is that you begin to respond to my love and my commitment to you by committing to me all of yourself that you are able to give.” – This is what the cross is all about

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The Commandment Matthew 22:37-38

Scribe: “Which is the great commandment in the law?” – Christ’s answer was powerful – • • “Love the Lord thy God” Love God as your very own God Your is a personal relationship, not a distant relationship – God is personal and we are to be personally involved with Him on a face to face basis

Loving

God is an act that is alive and active – We are to maintain a personal relationship with God that is alive and active

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The Commandment Matthew 22:37-38

Loving God involves the very same factors as loving a person 1. A loving relationship involves commitment and loyalty • God irrevocably says, me” - Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before 2. A loving relationship involves for who he is trust and respect just • He is the Creator and Sustainer of life • He is the Savior and Redeemer of our souls • He is the Lord and Owner of our lives 3. A loving relationship involves the surrendering of oneself 4. A loving relationship involves giving and knowing and sharing

Love Commanded Is Controllable

• Loving God is commanded!

– It is the greatest of all commandments • The importance of a personal relationship with God cannot be overstated – Is it possible to command somebody to love? – Yes! Love is an act of the will – We choose to relate to God no matter how we may feel

Whole Love Matthew 22:37-38

• 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” • From Deuteronomy 6:5 – A person’s total being must be involved in loving God – Nothing must be held back because God holds nothing back in loving us!

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Our Response to God’s Love Is To Be Total

The total personhood of each individual is to be involved in the fulfillment of this commandment

– Each of these components express your love • “Heart” refers primarily to our emotional response • “Soul” includes the willful, decision-making part of us • “Mind” refers to the reasoning component of our love for God

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Agape Love

– – Totally unselfish love We are capable of agape only with the help of the Holy Spirit – Agape is self-giving love It is love which desires only the highest good for its object – The distinctive Christian word for love – “agapao” God loves you and He desires only your highest good – He cannot desire anything for you that will compromise holiness, righteousness, or His very best for you Agape is unconditional love – It loves no matter what is happening – – – It is a choice that we make, an act of will, no matter how we feel This is the kind of love we are commanded to have for God and others It is also the kind of love we are expected to have for ourselves

Loving God the Father

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The Father’s Highest Good

Agape love seeks the highest good for the object of its love So what is the highest good for God?

John 17:1-5

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John 17:1-5

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Loving God the Father

• • – Westminster Shorter Catechism • • “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever” – To glorify God forever 1 Corinthians10:31 “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God” – – Whatever you do, do all to God’s glory!

We will glorify God forever with our praise, with our words, with our works, and with our whole life The second end of man is to enjoy God forever God has put us on this earth for a purpose • It is a purpose bigger than us • We are here to live for God’s glory and to enjoy God, starting today and continuing throughout eternity

Loving God the Father

• • – – Contrast the philosophy of the world The chief end of man is to glorify himself, and to enjoy the good life as long as he can Your Choice • Put God at the center of all things • • • • Puts man at the center The philosophy you choose to live by will literally determine everything in your life It will set your priorities It will determine your values In the end, it will determine your eternal destiny

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Loving God the Father

There is no higher calling than to live for God’s glory But just how do we accomplish this?

How do we love God?

Have Faith - Trust Him! Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him • One of the great verses of Scripture – Should be memorized and held within the heart of every believer • It is impossible to please God without faith!

– A living, active faith – A faith that knows and follows God – A faith that communes with and fellowships with God

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Have Faith - Trust Him! Hebrews 11:6

The person who comes to God must believe 2 things 1. He must believe in God — that God is — that God exists • • • A person must look at the worlds (heaven and earth) and at himself - at the existence, design, order, and end of all things — and believe in God A person must look at the Word of God, and believe in God A person must look at Jesus Christ, who reveals God to man, and believe in God

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Have Faith - Trust Him! Hebrews 11:6

The person who comes to God must believe 2 things 1. He must believe in God — that God is — that God exists 2. He must believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him • • “diligently” means to diligently seek out God to find Him and to follow Him Be in earnest and persevere and endure to the end • • What is the reward to those who diligently seek God? Righteousness and God’s care in this life and deliverance from death unto eternal life

Have Faith - Trust Him!

• Trials that test our faith

– A great issue in the life of faith – The only way to find out if faith is real is to go through a trial

Oswald Chambers

“My Utmost for His Highest”

• Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, offended because of Me" "Blessed is he who is not Matthew 11:6 • The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. our confidence steadfast to the end . . ." challenges you will strengthen your faith. imagine that He would forsake us.

"We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of Hebrews 3:14. • Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that • There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. • Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never

Have Faith - Trust Him!

• Trials that test our faith

– A great issue in the life of faith – The only way to find out if faith is real is to go through a trial – Loving God means to have faith in Him and to trust Him no matter what is happening in your life

Worship Him

• John 4:23-24 23. ”But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24. ”God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” – God seeks and desires true worship!

• Christ has opened the door into God’s presence so we can worship Him!

– True worshippers worship God in spirit and in truth

Worship Him in Spirit and Truth

• • • • – – To worship God in spirit means to worship God...

Seeking the most intimate communion and fellowship with God Trusting and resting in God’s love and care To worship God in truth means...

– – Approach God in the true way, through His Son Jesus Christ John 4:21; John 14:6 Worship God sincerely and truthfully, not half-heartedly or with a wandering mind – The reason for worship God desires worship, for He created man to worship and fellowship with Him Loving God means that we will worship Him no matter what is happening in our lives!

Enjoy Him

• • • Psalm 73:25 – “ Whom have I in heaven but You?And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

” – • • All our delight is in God, and in nothing else This is enjoying God forever Psalms 108:7 • “God has spoken in His holiness; I will rejoice” When you hear somebody speak, whom you love, and in whom you find joy; you will rejoice. – Psalm 92:4 • “For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands” Our response to enjoying Him is always praise and worship and singing!

Enjoy Him

• We find joy in the things of God

– In His Word - when we read the Scripture, we experience joy • Jeremiah 15:16 “ Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart ” – There is great joy in seeking fellowship with God through prayer and sharing with Him – Loving God means that we enjoy fellowship with Him, especially when things are not going well in our lives!

Obey Him

• Loving God with all your heart and soul and mind means obeying Him – Ezekiel 20:19 • • ‘I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them’ – Psalm 33:5 “He loves righteousness and justice” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 1. Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; . . .

Obey Him

• Obedience honors God

– Disobedience always dishonors God – Jesus said that men would see our good works and glorify God – That is the highest good for God!

– The one who truly loves God is the one who truly obeys God, no matter what it costs him to do so!

Be Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16 15. but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16. because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy”

– Being Holy means • To be righteous, pure, sinless, and godly • To be complete, and fulfilled in every possible sense • To be separated and entirely different from all other beings and things

Be Holy

3 reasons why believers are to live holy lives 1. God is holy – • He is the very embodiment and perfection of absolute holiness Amos 3:3 – “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” 2. God has called believers to be holy in all of life – God’s very purpose in saving us is to have a people who can live with Him eternally 3. Scripture demands holiness • “Be holy; for I am holy” - Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7, 26

Be Holy

• • What about the times when we are not holy?

– Romans 7:15 “For that which I am doing, I do not • understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” – Paul is saying Even though he did not always do what was right, he always loved what was right and longed to do what was honoring to God • He was like David, “A man after God’s own heart” – True love of God desires to be holy If we love God, then we must desire to live Holy as God is Holy, no matter what is happening in our lives!

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Love Others

1 John 4:20 – How can you love God, whom you have not seen, if you cannot love your brother whom you have seen?” – There is a direct connection between our relationship with God and our relationship with man • • This is affirmed and reaffirmed many times in Scripture!

Missionary in a Middle Eastern country – “Some people say it is our love for these people that keeps us here, but they aren’t THAT loveable! It is because of HIS great love for these people that keeps us here – we’re being obedient to Him.” – They love others because they love God – If we love God, then we must love others no matter what they are like and no matter how they treat us!

How do we know that we really love God?

• • • • • • • – By responding to His love no matter what 1 John 3:1-3 – By seeking on God’s glory no matter what Psalm 18:1–3 – By loving what God loves no matter what Psalms 119:72, 97, 103 – By hating what God hates no matter what Psalms 97:10 – By grieving over sin no matter what Matthew 26:75 – By our love for one another no matter what 1 John 4:19-21 By loving whom God loves no matter what – 1 John 5:1