The Greatest Word in Scripture

Hi. I was out last week, I had the crud. I'm not sure what you call it here in middle Georgia, but the crud is kind of universal, isn't it?

It's called toddler time. Dismissing here, two to four year olds to go out these middle doors. Where's our slide?

That's my question. It was up. Well, I just ignored it.

Yeah, well, I can't blame Vicki for that one. Okay. Excuse me.

We are going to be talking about what I believe is the greatest word of all the New Testament this morning.

The greatest word I believe in scripture is the word love. It is the great motivator. It is the great impetus behind God reaching down from heaven, revealing himself to his creation, to mankind, and to show us why he was so willing to allow his son to be born into the world and to die on the cross to pay for our sins and to give us a chance to live a good life here in this life and then a great life in the afterlife with him for eternity.

As we're trying to focus in on the idea of what it means to talk about love in the scriptures, I want to go back to our scripture reading we just finished and discuss how we are taught in scripture to first of all learn to love God. We go over to John 13 verses 34 and 35. Jesus said this to his disciples, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

And by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. I want to emphasize for later reveal that this is found in the gospel account of John. This is going to be significant for a couple of reasons, as we'll find out in our discussion this morning.

I want to emphasize how Jesus qualified the idea of how we are to love one another, just as he loved them. Jesus loved his disciples. He was giving them an example of what it means to love each other the way that Jesus loved his followers.

So as we learn how Jesus loved his followers, we then learn how we are to love one another. Y'all with me? Kind of a little convoluted sentence structure there, but hopefully you'll see what I mean.

If we look over in the Gospel account of Luke, we find this. In Luke chapter 6, beginning of verse 27, But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies. Do good to those that hate you.

Bless those that curse you. Bless those that curse you. Pray for those who abuse you.

To one who strikes you on the cheek, Offer the other also. And from one who takes away your cloak, Do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you.

And from one who takes away your goods, Do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, Do so to them. And here's the qualifications as to why this teaching is so significant.

Verse 32, If you love those who love you, What benefit is that to you? Because even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, What benefit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, What credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.

But love your enemies and do good, And lend expecting nothing in return, And your reward will be great. You will be sons of the Most High, Because He is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.

This is a high ask of all of mankind. It's a great demand. For Jesus to tell His followers, if you want to truly be like Him, you have to be more and more like God, our Father, and Heaven.

We have to be willing to forgive and to pray for and to be even grateful for those that oppose us. Because being merciful to those that have not been merciful to us is being more and more like God. So we ask ourselves, when Jesus said, You are to love one another just as I have loved you, He gave us a great command here in Luke chapter 6, 27 through 36.

How did Jesus love the world? He loved those that did not love Him back. We see that very clearly if we turn over to Luke chapter 23 and verses 32 through 43.

I've had a hard time this week trying to condense love, one of the greatest words in the entire Bible, into a readable text for us. And so I've given us a little bit of context with each one of these verses to show us how thorough this theme of love is in Scripture. So again, Jesus said, if you want to be merciful like your Father in heaven is merciful, then you are to love those that don't love you back.

Luke 23, 32, talking about his crucifixion. Two others who were criminals were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called the skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said, focus on this, folks, focus on this. Jesus said, Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing. They were not aware that they were about to kill the great, only begotten Son of God, the Lamb of God, as he's called in the book of Revelation.

He was asking for forgiveness from those that were guilty of trying to kill him on the cross. Now, he commanded his followers in Luke chapter 6, you need to bless those that curse you. And here he is, living the life, showing us the example.

They cast lots to divide his garments. The people stood by, watching, but the ruler scoffed at him, saying, he saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One. The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, if you were the king of the Jews, save yourself.

There was also an inscription over him, this is the king of the Jews. One of the criminals who were hanged, railed at him saying, are you not the Christ, save yourself and us. The other rebuked him saying, do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

And we indeed justly, we are receiving the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. Listen to this, verse 42. He said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

He said to him, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. The greatest word in all of scripture is love. Jesus showed love to those who were guilty of crucifying him.

He showed love to even the one that was guilty of the great trespass of being a thief, was being crucified next to him. He extended his love to even him. This word love is so great because it explains to us why God is motivated to give us the sacrifice of Jesus.

Over in the book of John chapter 3, I know everyone knows, hopefully, verse 16 of John 3. For the sake of context, let's go to John chapter 3, verse 13.

No one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from heaven the son of man, Isaiah's great title for who the Messiah would be. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up. We just read about the crucifixion.

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life. And here's the verse that is so familiar to us, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Today you'll be with me in paradise, he said to the thief next to him. Because God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God. And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world. And people love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light so it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. Love is the greatest word in Scripture because love is the motivating force, the motivating factor behind God sending Jesus into the world.

Jesus commands his disciples to love one another just as he loved them. He loved them enough to sacrifice himself on that cross, to be the propitiation for their sins, to be their sin offering, and to be the lamb of God.

Loving God is so significant as even the paramount command in the Old Testament. Over in Mark chapter 12, beginning in verse 28, we find this. This is a very unusual passage, because you have a scribe of the Pharisees answering honestly.

It's a very rare occurrence in the New Testament. Mark chapter 12, verse 28. One of the scribes came and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he, Jesus, answered them well, asked him, which commandment is the most important of all?

Now, before this context, what we've seen is the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes come to Jesus, and they're asking him questions trying to trip him up, trying to trap him into saying something that they can accuse him in a corner theologically. And they have been, up until this point, unsuccessful. It's almost like this guy knew his Bible pretty well or something, right?

It's weird. The Word of God knows the Word of God? How weird is that?

But here's a scribe saying, Lord, which is the most important commandment of all? Now, it's almost tricky because how of the 618 commandments of the Old Testament do you just pick one without minimizing the others? How?

Verse 29, Jesus answered, The most important is, here's a Shema, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and with all your strength. That's the most important commandment of all.

So when we say that love is the most important word in Scripture, there's loving God being the most important commandment of all the Hebrew Bible. He even adds for the scribe, verse 31, The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

If you were to ask Jesus, what's the most important word or emotion in all your life? He's going to say, love God, love your neighbor. Love God, love your neighbor.

Now, look at this. This is so unique. Everybody with me?

We don't find a lot of this in Scripture. We don't find this. Verse 32, the scribe said to him, You're right, teacher.

You have truly said that he is one and there is no other beside him. And to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Now, keep in mind, that's a blasphemous thing to say if he's wrong.

To say all the commandments about sacrifices are nothing compared to these two commandments. If he's wrong, he's blaspheming the sacrificial order of the Hebrew Bible. But luckily for him, he wasn't wrong, he was right.

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, folks, you are not far from the kingdom of God. After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. This guy was on the right track.

This scribe knew the law, and it seems like sincerely wanted Jesus to answer the question about the law, which is the most important. The most important was love God with everything that you have and everything that you are, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. He was so close to the kingdom of God.

So we know that loving God is important. We have to grow that. We have to develop that to obey the commandment of Jesus to love one another as Jesus taught us how to love.

We're also commanded, and we see in scripture, that loving one another is so significant. Now, again, I mentioned before to you, I can't say one another without thinking of some energetic, enthusiastic elder we have here. He's made an impression on me.

Loving one another is so important in the Word of God. Before worship began, I had five whole minutes to shake George's hand, to hug Anita, shake Earl's hand, and I saw Dave over there, and he skirted around the people. I saw that look in his eye, and I said, you know, I wasn't here last week.

I miss these people. Can you believe that? I missed you all.

I know you didn't miss me, but I missed you. To see all you people again, I'm like, you know what, it's only been a week, but I miss seeing you. I've never, unfortunately, felt that.

Anywhere else I've been. There are people that I love, like their family members, where I've been before, but just you all. I've never felt that before, so I guess thanks.

When you see in Scripture how important loving one another is, that's how we learn to love the family of God, how we learn to love God more, because you're made in his image, I'm made in his image, we love each other, we love God's image. Over in Galatians chapter 5, let's turn there. Well, I'm already here, so you turn there.

Galatians 5, 14. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that's a good idea, Paul.

I wonder where you learned that from. Verse 15, but if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you're not consumed by one another. But I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, because the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.

For these two are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things that you want to do. If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now, the works of the flesh are evident, fornication, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these things, I warned you as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, notice this. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Now, sometimes I have little pet peeves.

I don't know about you, but I have these things that just bother me way more than they should. One of them, I've mentioned to you before, whenever a preacher calls the book of Revelation, revelations, I lose my mind. Whenever someone says the fruits of the Spirit are these, that blows my mind.

It's fruit singular. The product produced from the work of the Spirit in your life are things like this. And all these things describe not just what the fruit of the Spirit is, but the very nature of our Creator, God Himself.

The very first one is love. Now, hopefully you understand the importance of loving one another in the church family. That's significant.

But did you know that even in your own family, love is to be displayed? Did you know that?

Let's pick on the husbands, why not? Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25. Husbands, love your wives.

There we go, verse done. Not quite. There is qualifications here on what it means to love your wife.

And these are important, because they're big. Husbands, love your wives loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife, loves himself, amen.

For no one ever hated his own flesh. Well, you sure, Paul? I don't know, but he nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

Therefore, the man shall leave his father and mother, hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. The mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Now I love the fact that whenever I've taught this passage, some woman somewhere from the peanut gallery yells out, is never commanded for the wife to have to love the husband, though. Well, true. It's hard to love us sometimes, isn't it?

When Jesus says, Disciples, I want you to love one another just as I have loved you, he's giving all of us an example on how to love one another and to love in our own family units. It's a beautiful picture. It's a beautiful image.

Let's close out where we began. The author, the Apostle John, had a lot to say about the idea of what it means to love. Over in 1 John chapter 4, beginning in verse 7, this is a longer text, bear with me, 7 through 21.

Beloved, here is the Apostle John, let us love one another. This is the command that John wrote about in his Gospel account. Let us love one another, because love is from God.

And whoever has been born of God and knows God, anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is what? Love. In this, the love of God was made manifest, or clearly seen among us, that God sent His only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God.

If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected or completed in us. By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and testified that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and He in God. Verse 16. So we have come to know and to believe that the love that God has for us, God is love, and whoever abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him.

By this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. We know that God is love, and therefore to be more godly is to be more full of love. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment.

Whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Verse 19, we love because he first loved us. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar.

For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. In this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother. It's a very long way to say simply what we read at the very beginning.

Jesus commanded, love one another just as I have loved you. I have one more statement to make. This is one that's based more on tradition than scripture.

I want to emphasize that point before we read it together. In the fourth century, there was a Christian writer whose name was Jerome. And Jerome has a commentary on the book of John.

And on the comments under the inscription where we read, Jesus commanded that we love one another just as He loved us, Jerome has a story about what traditionally the Apostle John would do when he was well advanced in years. We know that he lived to be at least 100 years old, which back in the day is quite a long time. And the story goes that he would have to be carried into a building to worship with the saints when he was well past 100 years old.

And he would use a cane or a walking stick to move around. And they would always ask the old Apostle John to preach on the Sunday morning. And he was old, his voice was weak, he was trembling in the knees, but he would stand before the assembly, and he would beat his cane into the ground.

And his sermon was very short and sweet.

As he beat his canine to the ground, his sermon was this, little children love one another. Week after week after week after week. All he would say is little children love one another.

He had a younger man ask him, why do you always preach the same message? And as legend goes, because, John replied, it is the Lord's command. And if only this is done, it is enough.

We've read the Gospel account of John this morning to open up our conversation about love. We've read in his first epistle how significant love for God and love for one another is. It is absolutely the most important word in all of the Scripture.

If you don't leave the assembly this morning.

Knowing that God loves you, that Jesus loves you, and that we love you, we have failed, folks.

Love is the most important thing in this world, because God shows us what love truly is. If you have a need to respond to your loving church family this morning, you can come forward and talk to me for a moment. We'll pray for you right now.

Or if it's a more private matter, you can see one of our shepherds at the door. If you have a need to respond to the very love of God, please do so now as we stand and we sing.