Have you ever questioned how can you fulfill all Ten Commandments by simply doing – two of them: Loving God and Loving Your Neighbor as yourself? Well . . . if you want to know the answer to that question, we’re going to tell you – right now!
All of us know that Jesus said Loving Him and Loving our Neighbor as ourselves are the two most important Commandments. But have you ever wondered what He meant by saying: Loving your neighbor? What does that mean exactly? Does it mean taking a bowl of soup over to your next door neighbor’s house – when they’re not feeling well. You know . . . being a good neighbor?
Well, the fact that God is saying ‘loving your neighbor’ is as important as loving Him might give you a clue – that it’s more than being a good neighbor. It’s kinda like more important than anything else you do . . . that it should be the most important thing – above everything else you do! Sooo . . . are you doin it?
It’s impossible to answer that question, if you don’t know what ‘loving your neighbor like yourself’ means. Doesn’t it strike you as odd, that you’ve rarely, if ever, heard a sermon on the most important thing God wants you to do?
But before we talk about “who’s your neighbor”, let’s talk about God’s. Love for a minute. For God so Loved the World, that He Gave His Only Begotten Son, that Whosever believeth on Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. God’s Love is Redemption. You can’t separate the two. When God is Loving You, He’s Redeeming You – He’s Salvationing You – into Heaven. That’s what God’s Love is all about.
God’s entire purpose for creating us ‘was and is’ to love us into Heaven and once He captures our heart, to love everyone around us into Heaven. That’s it! That’s what life is all about! Life is about Redemption!
When you love God with all your heart and all your mind and all your heart and all you soul and all your strength, you can’t hide it . . . and you want everyone else to get in on it. The two are inextricably connected. They can’t be separated! One leads to the other!
It’s human nature to talk most about what you’re most excited about! If you had a great hamburger last night, you’re probably telling people about it today and urging them to try it. You can’t help yourself.
And if you love God – with all your mind and all your heart and all your soul and all your strength, you’re going to tell people about Him. You’re urging everyone around you to try God. You see, when you actually love your neighbor as yourself – you’re as concerned for their Salvation as you are your own.
Sharing your faith is no longer an obligation. It’s the joy of your life to move everyone, every day closer to Jesus. For most of us, 80% of the people around us are lost and searching for God and looking for someone to tell them about Him. That’s why the most important task God’s given you is to love them . . . into Heaven!
But how do you do that? Again, it happens automatically. When you want to get everyone around you into Heaven, you begin to understand that everything you do and say is having an affect! You’re moving those watching you closer or further away from God. You are a city set on a hill. And you are your brother’s keeper.
Depending on your actions, you’re already moving people closer or further away from God with everything you do, whether you like it or not, – even in the smallest things – perhaps most importantly the smallest things – that you think no one will notice . . . like an unguarded rudeness or obscenity or indulgence or short tipping a waiter.
Most people struggle all their lives trying to keep from saying and doing wrong things – and never winning that battle . . . and always feeling defeated . . . knowing they’re disappointing God. Here’s why! You can’t do it in your strength!
That’s why this passage of scripture – this Command – this Most Important Commandment – is so important to you – because it takes the load off of you. You can stop trying – to stop doing the wrong things! Seriously! That battle is over – forever! No more trying in vain to win those battles.
It’s so simple – we miss it! Even though Jesus said all of life is wrapped up in doing these two things – we miss it!!! It’s Crazy!!!
When you love God with all of your heart, and all of your mind, and all of your soul, and all of your strength, you’ll love everyone around you like yourself – becoming as concerned for their Salvation as you are for your own Salvation.
That’s when you’ll begin to see that everything you do and say and look at and laugh at and indulge in, is moving those watching you closer or further away from Jesus. Everything!
And you’ll know – every time – when you move someone closer or further away . . . and you’ll gradually and naturally find yourself separating yourself from those things that are pushing people away from God. They’ll become abhorrent to you. Life-long struggles with habits and language and indulgences fade away, not out of obligation or guilt, but out of your sheer desire to do everything possible to love everyone around you– to ‘Salvation’ everyone around you into Heaven.
There’s nothing in life more exciting and more fulfilling and more pleasing to God! And there’s nothing in your life worth making your life a stumbling block for anyone! You’ll find those things falling away from you automatically. It’s amazing! Those battles are over!
I was on the crowded streets of Carmel, California during the week of the Pebble Beach Concours – the greatest Car Guy event in the world – with tens of thousands of people and billions of dollars of cars.
And in-the-midst of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds walking the sidewalks of Carmel one day, a man who I had never met waited to talk to me, and then told me that he had watched me for years from a distance, after hearing me speak publicly about my faith. He was seeking God and decided to watch me to see if being a Christian made a difference. And since we often went to the same Car Shows around the country, he saw and watched me quite often.
AND then he said, because of you (and I’m sure many other things) I’M a Christian and now I’M sharing MY faith. Wow! I Mean, I helped lead someone to the Lord who I never knew or even knew was watching me. Praise God!
I often paraphrase the scripture to say if we’re living correctly, people will see God in us and want what we have. Actions don’t speak louder than words. But – our words are powerless – if they aren’t consistent with how we live our lives.
Let’s go back for a minute. Jesus said, when you do these two things, Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself, you will fulfill the entire Law! How’s that possible? Are you telling me God, I don’t have to work on all Ten Commandments? That all I have to do is focus on these two – to Love You and to Love My Neighbor as Myself? YES!!! That’s exactly what He’s Saying!
You see, when you love your neighbor as yourself, when you view their Salvation as important as yours, you’re going to do everything, you can possibly do, in your words and deeds and actions and indulgences to move everyone, every day closer to Jesus. AND when you do that, you’ll complete the other 8 automatically – Not out of Obligation and Legalism – but out of your determination and joy and passion for loving your neighbors – everyone around you – into Heaven.
And guess what? Those things and struggles that have been holding you back all of these years, will disappear automatically! Halleluja! God said You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. AND IT’S TRUE!
It’s not about trying to earn God’s Love by being good and doing good things! That’s ridiculous! He already loves you as much as He’s ever loved anyone. He’s never loved you less and He’ll never love you more than He loves you right now! There are no levels of God’s Love.
The most important thing – the all important thing in life is to never, never allow anything to come between you and God! Nothing! No Separation between your love for God and His Love for you!
Life is about loving God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength. That’s when everything else and every blessing God’s ever Promised His Saints – becomes yours.
This – is your Game Changer!
See you next time!
