1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,860 Well, please open your Bible at Deuteronomy in chapter six 2 00:00:02,860 –> 00:00:05,180 as we’re continuing our series. 3 00:00:05,180 –> 00:00:08,080 Take two, the power of a fresh start. 4 00:00:08,080 –> 00:00:10,420 We’re learning how people with a faith 5 00:00:10,420 –> 00:00:13,120 become people with a mission. 6 00:00:13,120 –> 00:00:16,500 And we’re seeing that that begins with repentance 7 00:00:16,500 –> 00:00:18,799 in which we own what is in us by nature 8 00:00:18,799 –> 00:00:23,260 and faith and by which we own what is God has for us 9 00:00:23,260 –> 00:00:25,200 by grace. 10 00:00:25,200 –> 00:00:27,660 Last week, we looked at how we need to cultivate 11 00:00:27,760 –> 00:00:30,620 the right kind of fear of God. 12 00:00:30,620 –> 00:00:33,299 There is a fear that love brings 13 00:00:33,299 –> 00:00:35,779 as well as a fear that love removes. 14 00:00:35,779 –> 00:00:37,459 And we saw that a lightweight God 15 00:00:37,459 –> 00:00:40,680 will not break the patterns of past behavior, 16 00:00:40,680 –> 00:00:44,700 nor will he enable us to overcome fears for the future. 17 00:00:44,700 –> 00:00:46,740 And how important it was that God’s people 18 00:00:46,740 –> 00:00:48,820 learned to fear Him. 19 00:00:48,820 –> 00:00:51,060 They saw the holy fire that came that came down 20 00:00:51,060 –> 00:00:52,900 on the mountain of Sinai 21 00:00:52,900 –> 00:00:56,259 and they felt the terror of the Lord. 22 00:00:56,299 –> 00:00:59,259 Now last week we saw that the right kind of fear 23 00:00:59,259 –> 00:01:01,840 and love are inseparable friends. 24 00:01:01,840 –> 00:01:03,299 They’re not alternatives. 25 00:01:03,299 –> 00:01:06,180 They are friends and they belong together. 26 00:01:06,180 –> 00:01:07,540 We’re learning from the scriptures 27 00:01:07,540 –> 00:01:09,699 in both the Old Testament and the new 28 00:01:09,699 –> 00:01:12,139 that we are to fear God as we love him 29 00:01:12,139 –> 00:01:16,260 and we are to love God as we fear him. 30 00:01:16,260 –> 00:01:20,820 So today we’re coming to this great theme of loving God. 31 00:01:20,820 –> 00:01:23,000 And I want to focus today on what must be 32 00:01:23,000 –> 00:01:25,980 the best on verses in all of Deuteronomy, 33 00:01:25,980 –> 00:01:28,419 that is verse four and verse five. 34 00:01:28,419 –> 00:01:33,419 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, 35 00:01:33,580 –> 00:01:36,720 love the Lord your God with all your heart 36 00:01:36,720 –> 00:01:41,480 and with all your soul and with all your strength. 37 00:01:42,620 –> 00:01:44,879 Now, just so we notice this, 38 00:01:44,879 –> 00:01:46,919 and I’d love to keep picking this up 39 00:01:46,919 –> 00:01:49,080 and drawing it to your attention, 40 00:01:49,080 –> 00:01:53,120 if you had the idea that the Old Testament 41 00:01:53,220 –> 00:01:56,480 is all about external rights and rules, 42 00:01:56,480 –> 00:01:58,620 then take this in. 43 00:01:58,620 –> 00:02:02,360 Love the Lord your God with all your heart 44 00:02:02,360 –> 00:02:04,519 and these commandments, verse six, 45 00:02:04,519 –> 00:02:07,580 are to be upon your hearts. 46 00:02:07,580 –> 00:02:12,160 We are talking about a personal spiritual relationship 47 00:02:12,160 –> 00:02:15,520 that is forged by faith, that is characterized by love 48 00:02:15,520 –> 00:02:18,960 and it’s right here in the Old Testament. 49 00:02:18,960 –> 00:02:21,399 So we’re trying to get away from the idea 50 00:02:21,399 –> 00:02:22,960 that there are two different stories 51 00:02:23,660 –> 00:02:26,639 and that there is one story of God’s redeeming grace 52 00:02:26,639 –> 00:02:28,639 and here he is reaching out 53 00:02:28,639 –> 00:02:31,919 and enveloping these people in it. 54 00:02:33,080 –> 00:02:36,440 Now the gospels remind us of the central importance 55 00:02:36,440 –> 00:02:39,800 of these words in the whole of the scripture 56 00:02:39,800 –> 00:02:42,679 because as you read these words from Deuteronomy, 57 00:02:42,679 –> 00:02:44,479 you may remember that there was an occasion 58 00:02:44,479 –> 00:02:46,000 when a teacher of the law, 59 00:02:46,000 –> 00:02:48,639 someone who was a great expert in Deuteronomy, 60 00:02:48,639 –> 00:02:51,479 came to Jesus and asked this question. 61 00:02:51,539 –> 00:02:54,039 Of all the commandments, this man asked Jesus, 62 00:02:54,039 –> 00:02:56,839 what is the most important? 63 00:02:56,839 –> 00:02:59,080 And that is a good question to be asking, isn’t it, 64 00:02:59,080 –> 00:03:01,240 of everything that’s in the bible. 65 00:03:01,240 –> 00:03:04,559 Of all that God asks of me, asks of you, 66 00:03:04,559 –> 00:03:07,399 what is the most important, what is the core, 67 00:03:07,399 –> 00:03:11,660 what is it that God really wants of me? 68 00:03:11,660 –> 00:03:13,580 And Jesus answered that question 69 00:03:13,580 –> 00:03:15,380 with these words from Deuteronomy. 70 00:03:15,380 –> 00:03:19,020 He said to the man who asked him this question, 71 00:03:19,500 –> 00:03:22,539 hear O Israel, the Lord our God, 72 00:03:22,539 –> 00:03:26,199 the Lord is one, and here’s what’s most important, 73 00:03:26,199 –> 00:03:29,100 Jesus was saying, quoting direct from Deuteronomy, 74 00:03:29,100 –> 00:03:31,320 love the Lord your God with all your heart 75 00:03:31,320 –> 00:03:34,820 and with all your soul, and with all your strength. 76 00:03:34,820 –> 00:03:36,919 Then Jesus said that’s the first commandment, 77 00:03:36,919 –> 00:03:39,300 and the second one is like it, 78 00:03:39,300 –> 00:03:42,779 it is to love your neighbor as yourself. 79 00:03:42,779 –> 00:03:46,080 And then Matthew records that Jesus added these words. 80 00:03:46,220 –> 00:03:49,880 He said all the Law and the Prophets, 81 00:03:49,880 –> 00:03:52,220 everything in The Old Testament, 82 00:03:52,220 –> 00:03:57,220 the whole scripture, hangs on these two commandments. 83 00:03:57,860 –> 00:04:00,679 This sums it all up, love God with all your heart 84 00:04:00,679 –> 00:04:04,559 and love your neighbor as yourself. 85 00:04:04,559 –> 00:04:07,139 All of the commandments, everything in the scriptures, 86 00:04:07,139 –> 00:04:09,839 all of Deuteronomy, the rest of The Old Testament, 87 00:04:09,839 –> 00:04:12,399 all hangs on this. 88 00:04:12,399 –> 00:04:14,960 Now if you think about the ten commandments, 89 00:04:14,960 –> 00:04:16,720 you’ll quickly realize that indeed 90 00:04:16,720 –> 00:04:19,019 the first four commandments are telling us 91 00:04:19,019 –> 00:04:20,959 what it means to love God. 92 00:04:20,959 –> 00:04:22,440 What are the first four commandments? 93 00:04:22,440 –> 00:04:24,140 They’re right there in Chapter Five, 94 00:04:24,140 –> 00:04:25,880 just before our reading today. 95 00:04:25,880 –> 00:04:28,220 You shall have no other gods before me. 96 00:04:28,220 –> 00:04:29,420 You shall not make an idol. 97 00:04:29,420 –> 00:04:31,739 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God 98 00:04:31,739 –> 00:04:34,459 and remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 99 00:04:34,459 –> 00:04:36,679 These are commandments that frame 100 00:04:36,679 –> 00:04:38,920 what loving God looks like. 101 00:04:40,000 –> 00:04:42,760 And then the last six commandments 102 00:04:42,799 –> 00:04:44,380 really frame for us what it means 103 00:04:44,380 –> 00:04:46,339 to love your neighbor. 104 00:04:46,339 –> 00:04:48,519 What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? 105 00:04:48,519 –> 00:04:49,839 Well, it will look like this, 106 00:04:49,839 –> 00:04:51,600 honor your father, your mother. 107 00:04:51,600 –> 00:04:53,739 Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, 108 00:04:53,739 –> 00:04:56,260 don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, 109 00:04:56,260 –> 00:04:59,579 and don’t covet what God has distinctly given 110 00:04:59,579 –> 00:05:02,820 to your neighbor and not to you. 111 00:05:02,820 –> 00:05:04,140 So the 10 commandments there 112 00:05:04,140 –> 00:05:06,000 are really giving us an exposition 113 00:05:06,000 –> 00:05:08,119 of what it means to live a life of love. 114 00:05:08,119 –> 00:05:09,980 The New Testament says live a life of love 115 00:05:09,980 –> 00:05:11,119 and we’re left asking the question 116 00:05:11,339 –> 00:05:13,440 well what does that mean? 117 00:05:13,440 –> 00:05:16,679 And the 10 commandments are giving to us 118 00:05:16,679 –> 00:05:20,380 an explanation of what it means to live a life of love, 119 00:05:20,380 –> 00:05:23,100 to love God and to love one another, 120 00:05:23,100 –> 00:05:24,559 this is laid out for us 121 00:05:24,559 –> 00:05:27,980 and Jesus says this is the core of what it’s all about. 122 00:05:27,980 –> 00:05:29,839 And all the commandments, all the law, 123 00:05:29,839 –> 00:05:34,299 and all the prophets hang on these two things. 124 00:05:34,299 –> 00:05:35,320 Now I mention this to you, 125 00:05:35,320 –> 00:05:38,220 it might be helpful for you to have a sense 126 00:05:38,220 –> 00:05:41,100 as to how Deuteronomy divides itself up 127 00:05:41,260 –> 00:05:45,079 Martin Luther gives this analysis of Deuteronomy, 128 00:05:45,079 –> 00:05:47,040 he says really the whole of Deuteronomy 129 00:05:47,040 –> 00:05:50,220 is an exposition of the 10 commandments 130 00:05:51,260 –> 00:05:52,940 so that after in the first chapters 131 00:05:52,940 –> 00:05:56,119 Moses explains to God’s people in the new young generation 132 00:05:56,119 –> 00:05:57,600 how is it we got here, 133 00:05:57,600 –> 00:05:59,859 in chapter five he gives the 10 commandments, 134 00:05:59,859 –> 00:06:02,799 then Luther says chapter six through 18 135 00:06:02,799 –> 00:06:07,339 are really all an application of the first four commandments 136 00:06:07,339 –> 00:06:09,040 the first table of the law, 137 00:06:09,920 –> 00:06:12,859 with all your heart and that is why you will find 138 00:06:12,859 –> 00:06:16,000 much in these chapters that relates to worshiping God 139 00:06:16,000 –> 00:06:17,920 and not turning to idols, 140 00:06:17,920 –> 00:06:20,179 it’s an explanation or an application 141 00:06:20,179 –> 00:06:22,519 of the first four commandments, 142 00:06:22,519 –> 00:06:25,440 then says Luther when you get to chapter 19 143 00:06:25,440 –> 00:06:28,119 through to chapter 26 you’ll find 144 00:06:28,119 –> 00:06:29,799 that it relates in large measure 145 00:06:29,799 –> 00:06:31,920 to the last six commandments, 146 00:06:31,920 –> 00:06:35,399 it’s telling us in particular instances for Israel 147 00:06:35,399 –> 00:06:38,239 what it means to love your neighbour as yourself, 148 00:06:38,279 –> 00:06:42,119 so you find Moses there speaking about unsolved murders, 149 00:06:42,119 –> 00:06:46,119 you find Moses or speaking about violations of marriage, 150 00:06:46,119 –> 00:06:49,559 you find Moses there speaking about weights and measures 151 00:06:49,559 –> 00:06:52,640 that are being used in the marketplace and so forth, 152 00:06:52,640 –> 00:06:56,420 and then chapter 27 to the end of the book of Deuteronomy 153 00:06:56,420 –> 00:06:59,519 really sets out a series of blessings 154 00:06:59,519 –> 00:07:02,600 that will follow those who walk on the path of obedience 155 00:07:02,600 –> 00:07:06,399 and God gives to Israel a series of cursings 156 00:07:06,459 –> 00:07:10,339 that will follow the path of disobedience, 157 00:07:10,339 –> 00:07:13,079 so you could say then that the whole book 158 00:07:13,079 –> 00:07:14,959 is an exposition of love. 159 00:07:16,299 –> 00:07:20,899 God is love, and those who are his people 160 00:07:20,899 –> 00:07:23,440 are called to a life of love 161 00:07:23,440 –> 00:07:25,119 and we therefore, need to know 162 00:07:25,119 –> 00:07:26,880 what a life of love looks like 163 00:07:26,880 –> 00:07:28,679 and Jesus says it in two parts. 164 00:07:28,679 –> 00:07:31,200 It’s loving God and it’s loving others 165 00:07:31,200 –> 00:07:33,640 and what does it mean to love God and to love others, 166 00:07:33,640 –> 00:07:35,880 the ten commandments lay that out for us 167 00:07:36,000 –> 00:07:37,440 and the book of Deuteronomy 168 00:07:37,440 –> 00:07:40,859 gives a particular application of that 169 00:07:40,859 –> 00:07:44,019 to God’s people Israel, as we’re going to see 170 00:07:44,019 –> 00:07:45,559 as we follow through the book. 171 00:07:45,559 –> 00:07:48,320 That is why in the New Testament, 172 00:07:48,320 –> 00:07:51,720 we read in Romans, chapter 13 and verse 10, 173 00:07:51,720 –> 00:07:55,720 that love is the fulfilment of the law. 174 00:07:55,720 –> 00:07:58,239 Why is love the fulfilment of the law? 175 00:07:58,239 –> 00:08:01,160 Because the law is the explanation of love, 176 00:08:01,160 –> 00:08:02,720 works in both directions. 177 00:08:03,239 –> 00:08:08,239 So if you love God with all your heart 178 00:08:08,279 –> 00:08:13,279 and with all your soul and with all your strength, 179 00:08:14,920 –> 00:08:19,920 you are doing everything that God asks of you. 180 00:08:20,480 –> 00:08:22,119 That’s what we’re learning here. 181 00:08:22,119 –> 00:08:23,920 So that’s how central this is. 182 00:08:24,820 –> 00:08:27,500 So I want us, we pause here, 183 00:08:27,500 –> 00:08:30,440 because it’s so important in not only in Deuteronomy, 184 00:08:30,440 –> 00:08:32,119 but in the whole of the Bible, 185 00:08:32,119 –> 00:08:37,520 just to reflect on three angles 186 00:08:38,159 –> 00:08:41,000 First, I want us to think about the people. 187 00:08:41,000 –> 00:08:42,559 Verse four, 188 00:08:42,559 –> 00:08:46,479 Hear O Israel. 189 00:08:46,479 –> 00:08:50,440 The Lord, our God, 190 00:08:50,440 –> 00:08:53,559 the Lord is one. 191 00:08:54,719 –> 00:08:58,520 Now it’s very obvious then that Moses is speaking to Israel 192 00:08:59,119 –> 00:09:04,119 and that he describes the Lord as our God. 193 00:09:05,599 –> 00:09:08,679 These words then are words that are distinctly spoken 194 00:09:08,679 –> 00:09:10,559 to God’s people. 195 00:09:11,400 –> 00:09:13,239 And they are God’s people, 196 00:09:13,239 –> 00:09:15,119 first, because God chose them. 197 00:09:15,119 –> 00:09:17,880 You see that in chapter seven and verse six, 198 00:09:17,880 –> 00:09:19,280 they’re not God’s people because somehow, 199 00:09:19,280 –> 00:09:22,119 they had the idea that they could connect with God 200 00:09:22,119 –> 00:09:23,679 and make him theirs. 201 00:09:23,679 –> 00:09:27,119 No, they are God’s people because God has reached to them 202 00:09:27,159 –> 00:09:29,880 and made them his. 203 00:09:29,880 –> 00:09:32,739 Nations choose their Gods, 204 00:09:32,739 –> 00:09:35,099 but God has chosen this nation. 205 00:09:35,099 –> 00:09:37,659 The Lord, your God, Deuteronomy seven-six 206 00:09:37,659 –> 00:09:42,000 has chosen you out of all the peoples of the earth 207 00:09:42,000 –> 00:09:45,840 to be his people and to be his treasured possession. 208 00:09:47,239 –> 00:09:49,460 They are God’s people, not only because he chose them, 209 00:09:49,460 –> 00:09:51,599 but because he redeemed them. 210 00:09:51,599 –> 00:09:52,880 Deuteronomy chapter four, 211 00:09:52,880 –> 00:09:55,400 we looked at this last week in verse 34. 212 00:09:55,440 –> 00:09:59,659 Has any God ever taken for himself 213 00:09:59,659 –> 00:10:02,340 from one nation out of another 214 00:10:02,340 –> 00:10:05,640 in the way that the Lord your God did for you? 215 00:10:05,640 –> 00:10:07,760 And this runs throughout Deuteronomy. 216 00:10:07,760 –> 00:10:09,840 Look at what God has done for you. 217 00:10:09,840 –> 00:10:13,280 He has brought you out of slavery that you were in Egypt. 218 00:10:13,280 –> 00:10:15,239 That’s chapter six and verse 12. 219 00:10:15,239 –> 00:10:17,059 Don’t forget the Lord who brought you 220 00:10:17,059 –> 00:10:18,780 out of the land of slavery. 221 00:10:18,780 –> 00:10:21,280 Or verse 21, when your son asks 222 00:10:21,280 –> 00:10:23,359 tell him we were slaves in Egypt, 223 00:10:23,359 –> 00:10:24,880 but the Lord brought us out. 224 00:10:24,919 –> 00:10:26,539 Chapter seven and verse eight, 225 00:10:26,539 –> 00:10:28,059 it was because the Lord loved you 226 00:10:28,059 –> 00:10:30,700 that he redeemed you from the land of slavery. 227 00:10:31,619 –> 00:10:34,219 So God set his love on you. 228 00:10:35,440 –> 00:10:37,679 God has redeemed you, he’s brought you out 229 00:10:37,679 –> 00:10:41,080 of the slavery that you were in in Egypt. 230 00:10:41,080 –> 00:10:42,599 And then you are God’s people thirdly 231 00:10:42,599 –> 00:10:44,239 because he’s made a covenant with you. 232 00:10:44,239 –> 00:10:47,359 Chapter five and verse two, again we saw this earlier, 233 00:10:47,359 –> 00:10:51,559 the Lord, our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 234 00:10:51,559 –> 00:10:54,479 God had bonded these people to himself 235 00:10:54,479 –> 00:10:57,239 with irrevocable promises. 236 00:10:57,239 –> 00:11:00,599 There was a unique covenant that could never be turned back. 237 00:11:00,599 –> 00:11:03,739 It goes back all the way to God’s promises to Abraham 238 00:11:03,739 –> 00:11:06,080 where God said to him, I will make you 239 00:11:06,080 –> 00:11:08,619 into a great nation and through you 240 00:11:08,619 –> 00:11:13,619 all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 241 00:11:15,359 –> 00:11:17,219 Now, this is very important. 242 00:11:18,119 –> 00:11:21,960 This word is given to God’s people, 243 00:11:21,960 –> 00:11:24,799 those who are chosen by God, redeemed by God, 244 00:11:24,799 –> 00:11:27,419 those in with whom God has forged 245 00:11:27,419 –> 00:11:31,799 this marvelous and irrevocable covenant. 246 00:11:33,299 –> 00:11:35,840 What that means is that the words 247 00:11:35,840 –> 00:11:37,940 that we are looking at today, 248 00:11:39,239 –> 00:11:42,500 this command to love God with all your heart 249 00:11:44,239 –> 00:11:48,039 is not being given here to God’s enemies, 250 00:11:49,000 –> 00:11:50,859 but to his friends. 251 00:11:52,679 –> 00:11:55,280 It is being given to the people God has chosen, 252 00:11:55,280 –> 00:11:56,640 the people God has redeemed, 253 00:11:56,640 –> 00:11:59,039 the people God has pledged his promises to, 254 00:11:59,039 –> 00:12:01,960 the people he is leading into the Promised Land. 255 00:12:01,960 –> 00:12:06,000 That’s very important as to how we apply these words today. 256 00:12:08,320 –> 00:12:11,940 God does not call his enemies to love him 257 00:12:13,280 –> 00:12:15,739 for the simple reason that they can’t. 258 00:12:16,619 –> 00:12:20,320 They don’t have the love of God in them. 259 00:12:21,820 –> 00:12:24,619 God calls his enemies to do what? 260 00:12:24,619 –> 00:12:27,039 To repent and to believe the gospel. 261 00:12:29,020 –> 00:12:32,500 God calls his enemies to be reconciled to him. 262 00:12:33,340 –> 00:12:37,979 It is to his redeemed people that he says, 263 00:12:37,979 –> 00:12:41,159 love the Lord, your God. 264 00:12:41,880 –> 00:12:43,940 This is very important. 265 00:12:44,820 –> 00:12:49,479 The message for your unbelieving friends, 266 00:12:49,479 –> 00:12:52,619 the message for your rebellious children, 267 00:12:52,619 –> 00:12:55,520 is not love the Lord, your God with all your heart. 268 00:12:55,520 –> 00:12:58,340 You’re simply telling them something they cannot do. 269 00:12:58,340 –> 00:13:01,460 You’re asking of them something that is not within them. 270 00:13:03,400 –> 00:13:05,400 The message to your unbelieving friends, 271 00:13:05,400 –> 00:13:08,280 the message to your rebellious children 272 00:13:08,299 –> 00:13:11,739 is to say repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. 273 00:13:13,679 –> 00:13:15,619 But to those who do repent, to those 274 00:13:15,619 –> 00:13:17,919 who do believe God says, 275 00:13:17,919 –> 00:13:22,440 love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul 276 00:13:22,440 –> 00:13:23,840 and with all your strength. 277 00:13:23,840 –> 00:13:26,460 So is it very clear, we must have this in our mind, 278 00:13:26,460 –> 00:13:30,960 this message today is for Christians. 279 00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:32,140 It’s not for everybody. 280 00:13:33,299 –> 00:13:36,739 But if you are in Jesus Christ, it is for you. 281 00:13:37,739 –> 00:13:41,700 If God has distinctly laid his hand upon your life, 282 00:13:41,700 –> 00:13:44,380 if he has redeemed you by the precious blood 283 00:13:44,380 –> 00:13:45,780 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 284 00:13:45,780 –> 00:13:49,219 if you have embraced the Savior with faith, 285 00:13:49,219 –> 00:13:50,979 this message is for you. 286 00:13:50,979 –> 00:13:54,520 And I want to call you today, if that describes you, 287 00:13:54,520 –> 00:13:58,619 I want to call you today to love the Lord your God 288 00:13:58,619 –> 00:14:01,619 with all your heart and with all your soul 289 00:14:01,619 –> 00:14:03,780 and with all your strength, 290 00:14:04,539 –> 00:14:08,359 and the Holy Spirit will bear witness to you 291 00:14:08,359 –> 00:14:12,280 with regards to this, because you are Christ’s. 292 00:14:13,659 –> 00:14:16,640 Never think of the Old Testament Commandments 293 00:14:16,640 –> 00:14:18,960 as a ladder for unsaved people 294 00:14:18,960 –> 00:14:21,200 to work their way nearer to God. 295 00:14:21,200 –> 00:14:23,799 It was never intended that way. 296 00:14:24,700 –> 00:14:27,679 God speaks to his redeemed people. 297 00:14:27,679 –> 00:14:28,539 I’ve chosen you. 298 00:14:28,539 –> 00:14:29,520 I’ve redeemed you. 299 00:14:29,520 –> 00:14:32,359 I’ve vested these promises in you. 300 00:14:33,119 –> 00:14:37,419 Now love the Lord your God with all your heart 301 00:14:37,419 –> 00:14:39,320 and with all your soul 302 00:14:40,159 –> 00:14:42,400 and with all your strength. 303 00:14:43,580 –> 00:14:44,580 Now, here’s the second thing 304 00:14:44,580 –> 00:14:46,719 that I want us to observe here today. 305 00:14:46,719 –> 00:14:47,880 We’ve spoken about the people. 306 00:14:47,880 –> 00:14:51,280 I want us to ponder the name of the Lord. 307 00:14:52,780 –> 00:14:55,880 Do you notice there that the word LORD 308 00:14:57,239 –> 00:15:01,719 is in four capital letters as it is so frequently 309 00:15:01,739 –> 00:15:03,200 throughout the Old Testament. 310 00:15:03,200 –> 00:15:06,140 Wherever you see the word Lord in the English Bible 311 00:15:06,140 –> 00:15:10,000 in the Old Testament printed with four capital letters 312 00:15:10,000 –> 00:15:11,799 it is because the divine name 313 00:15:11,799 –> 00:15:16,200 that was first given to Moses is being used. 314 00:15:16,200 –> 00:15:17,619 You remember the story 315 00:15:17,619 –> 00:15:20,960 when God appeared to Moses at the burning bush 316 00:15:20,960 –> 00:15:23,299 Moses asked a question, 317 00:15:23,299 –> 00:15:24,799 what is your name? 318 00:15:28,580 –> 00:15:29,659 And God said, 319 00:15:29,659 –> 00:15:30,479 Yahweh, 320 00:15:33,460 –> 00:15:34,299 Yahweh, 321 00:15:35,739 –> 00:15:36,559 I am. 322 00:15:39,020 –> 00:15:39,840 I am. 323 00:15:41,500 –> 00:15:43,400 Now the name Yahweh 324 00:15:43,400 –> 00:15:47,140 which was never actually pronounced by the Jews 325 00:15:47,140 –> 00:15:50,000 was normally written simply with vowels 326 00:15:50,000 –> 00:15:50,820 Y-H-W-H. 327 00:15:53,799 –> 00:15:55,979 When that was anglicized 328 00:15:55,979 –> 00:15:58,619 it came over in the form J-H-V-H 329 00:15:59,659 –> 00:16:01,219 and if you put vowels into that, 330 00:16:01,219 –> 00:16:03,020 what are you gonna get? 331 00:16:03,020 –> 00:16:04,440 Jehovah, you see. 332 00:16:05,640 –> 00:16:07,440 It is generally however agreed 333 00:16:07,440 –> 00:16:10,099 that the name that Moses heard from God 334 00:16:10,099 –> 00:16:13,780 was not Jehovah but with the Y-H-W-H Yahweh. 335 00:16:18,419 –> 00:16:21,840 This personal name that God gave to Moses 336 00:16:22,780 –> 00:16:24,880 is what is being used here. 337 00:16:24,880 –> 00:16:26,260 And it’s very important 338 00:16:26,340 –> 00:16:29,960 and that’s why I want us to take a moment on it. 339 00:16:29,960 –> 00:16:32,780 You are to love Yahweh, your God. 340 00:16:36,059 –> 00:16:39,219 Now folks, that is so important for us 341 00:16:41,099 –> 00:16:43,840 because in a pluralistic society, 342 00:16:46,739 –> 00:16:49,520 loving God becomes for many people 343 00:16:49,520 –> 00:16:53,020 simply loving God as I conceive Him to be. 344 00:16:53,640 –> 00:16:57,700 You’re familiar with this because it’s all around us. 345 00:16:57,700 –> 00:16:59,539 When we say, when you say to someone 346 00:16:59,539 –> 00:17:03,000 who is not yet a believer, well, you know, love God, 347 00:17:03,000 –> 00:17:05,119 people feel free to fill 348 00:17:05,119 –> 00:17:08,119 that word God with their own content 349 00:17:09,359 –> 00:17:12,359 but God is not whoever you want him to be. 350 00:17:12,359 –> 00:17:13,880 God is who he is. 351 00:17:13,880 –> 00:17:16,260 That’s the whole point of the divine name 352 00:17:16,260 –> 00:17:18,540 and so this verse says distinctively. 353 00:17:18,540 –> 00:17:20,359 Yahweh, our God. 354 00:17:20,359 –> 00:17:22,060 Yahweh is one. 355 00:17:22,180 –> 00:17:25,760 Love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart. 356 00:17:26,979 –> 00:17:29,420 Yahweh is not whoever you want him to be, 357 00:17:29,420 –> 00:17:32,660 some great unknowable sort of force in the cloud, 358 00:17:32,660 –> 00:17:34,219 no he is who he is. 359 00:17:35,140 –> 00:17:36,819 And here’s who he is. 360 00:17:36,819 –> 00:17:39,500 He is the one who made promises to Abraham, 361 00:17:39,500 –> 00:17:41,280 the one who appeared to Moses. 362 00:17:41,280 –> 00:17:44,199 He is the one who brought Israel out of Egypt. 363 00:17:44,199 –> 00:17:47,640 He is the one who came down to Sinai in the fire. 364 00:17:47,640 –> 00:17:51,459 He is the one who cut a covenant with these people Israel 365 00:17:51,540 –> 00:17:52,880 and make them his own. 366 00:17:52,880 –> 00:17:55,000 He is the one who spoke through the prophets 367 00:17:55,000 –> 00:17:58,380 and supremely he is the one who has revealed himself 368 00:17:58,380 –> 00:18:00,140 through Jesus Christ. 369 00:18:01,719 –> 00:18:04,300 And to know him is to love him. 370 00:18:06,400 –> 00:18:09,579 Now God’s name is of great importance. 371 00:18:11,339 –> 00:18:14,339 Especially as we are living increasingly 372 00:18:14,339 –> 00:18:16,420 in a pluralistic culture. 373 00:18:17,479 –> 00:18:20,719 Because pluralism wants a nameless God. 374 00:18:21,520 –> 00:18:25,079 See the kind of religion that is becoming 375 00:18:25,079 –> 00:18:27,599 more and more prominent in our country 376 00:18:27,599 –> 00:18:29,119 and in the West generally these days 377 00:18:29,119 –> 00:18:32,859 is a religion that is marked by vagueness 378 00:18:32,859 –> 00:18:37,479 in which God becomes nameless and people talk like this. 379 00:18:37,479 –> 00:18:40,739 Well it’s so important to have a faith. 380 00:18:40,739 –> 00:18:44,560 But of course you must choose what you have your faith in. 381 00:18:44,560 –> 00:18:47,719 And it’s good to love God, but of course 382 00:18:47,719 –> 00:18:49,959 we all have our own understanding of the God 383 00:18:50,020 –> 00:18:51,979 and so forth and so on. 384 00:18:53,719 –> 00:18:58,719 Pluralism thrives on the assumption 385 00:18:59,040 –> 00:19:03,280 that all names of God are simply human constructions, 386 00:19:03,280 –> 00:19:06,839 human stories, merely human ways of expressing 387 00:19:06,839 –> 00:19:08,719 what is ultimately unknowable. 388 00:19:10,819 –> 00:19:13,959 And our culture is very fast moving 389 00:19:13,959 –> 00:19:17,640 from a consensus that there is one God 390 00:19:17,640 –> 00:19:20,540 who has revealed himself in the 391 00:19:20,540 –> 00:19:22,560 Old and New Testament scriptures, 392 00:19:22,560 –> 00:19:26,400 the Judeo-Christian view of God. 393 00:19:26,400 –> 00:19:30,920 Our culture is moving very fast 394 00:19:30,920 –> 00:19:34,060 from that consensus 395 00:19:34,060 –> 00:19:36,800 to a new consensus that, 396 00:19:36,800 –> 00:19:38,160 not that there’s one God 397 00:19:38,160 –> 00:19:40,660 but that everything is one, 398 00:19:42,239 –> 00:19:44,000 and folks, there’s all the difference in the world 399 00:19:44,000 –> 00:19:45,319 between these two things. 400 00:19:46,160 –> 00:19:50,939 If I just take a moment to put two names on them, 401 00:19:50,939 –> 00:19:53,959 that may help some even if it doesn’t help all, 402 00:19:54,959 –> 00:19:57,939 our culture is moving fast 403 00:19:57,939 –> 00:20:01,479 from monotheism to monism. 404 00:20:03,479 –> 00:20:06,780 Monotheism is the conviction 405 00:20:06,780 –> 00:20:08,520 that there is one God, 406 00:20:08,520 –> 00:20:10,880 as is stated here in verse four of Deuteronomy 407 00:20:10,880 –> 00:20:13,079 in chapter four, that’s monotheism. 408 00:20:14,020 –> 00:20:15,300 that is one God. 409 00:20:16,280 –> 00:20:19,859 Monism is the conviction 410 00:20:19,859 –> 00:20:21,900 that ultimately everything is one. 411 00:20:23,680 –> 00:20:27,160 Now folks, just look at these two words on the screen. 412 00:20:27,160 –> 00:20:28,979 What do you have to get rid of 413 00:20:28,979 –> 00:20:33,199 to get from the word monotheism to the word monism? 414 00:20:33,199 –> 00:20:34,939 You have to take out what? 415 00:20:34,939 –> 00:20:36,459 Theos. 416 00:20:36,459 –> 00:20:39,680 You have to take out God. 417 00:20:39,979 –> 00:20:42,839 And that is why in our culture 418 00:20:42,839 –> 00:20:45,599 religion will always be popular, 419 00:20:45,599 –> 00:20:48,479 but the name of God will always be offensive. 420 00:20:48,479 –> 00:20:51,020 That’s why the name of Jesus Christ is always offensive. 421 00:20:51,020 –> 00:20:52,199 That’s why the name of Yahweh 422 00:20:52,199 –> 00:20:53,839 will be increasingly offensive. 423 00:20:55,119 –> 00:20:58,199 Because religion, so long as it is undefined and vague, 424 00:20:58,199 –> 00:21:01,099 so long as it is nameless, 425 00:21:01,099 –> 00:21:03,260 becomes a sort of vague human search 426 00:21:03,260 –> 00:21:05,300 in which we’re all trying to search after something 427 00:21:05,300 –> 00:21:06,459 which is ultimately one 428 00:21:06,459 –> 00:21:08,439 and we don’t even know what it is. 429 00:21:10,160 –> 00:21:12,180 And into that breaks the creator 430 00:21:12,180 –> 00:21:13,420 of the heaven and the earth 431 00:21:13,420 –> 00:21:17,880 and he says, I am who I am. 432 00:21:19,979 –> 00:21:21,920 Friends that’s why it’s so important 433 00:21:21,920 –> 00:21:24,420 for us in the church to understand this. 434 00:21:26,319 –> 00:21:31,239 Our distinctive witness is not that we are people of faith, 435 00:21:32,640 –> 00:21:35,400 nor is it that we’re somehow trying to hold the banner 436 00:21:35,400 –> 00:21:39,640 for religious values that’s too vague a language. 437 00:21:41,520 –> 00:21:44,699 Our witness is tied to the Lord’s name. 438 00:21:46,339 –> 00:21:50,839 It is that we love Yahweh, and there is no one like Him, 439 00:21:50,839 –> 00:21:54,199 our witness is tied to the name of Jesus Christ, 440 00:21:54,199 –> 00:21:57,560 whom He sent, by whom He is known 441 00:21:57,560 –> 00:22:02,400 and in whom we, He has reconciled us to Himself. 442 00:22:02,420 –> 00:22:06,579 We love Him, and our loyalty is to Him before any other. 443 00:22:10,520 –> 00:22:13,500 And so, all that’s right here, 444 00:22:13,500 –> 00:22:17,160 in Deuteronomy chapter four and verse four. 445 00:22:18,199 –> 00:22:21,560 So we thought about the people, 446 00:22:21,560 –> 00:22:24,619 and we tried to grasp a little more 447 00:22:24,619 –> 00:22:27,479 about the unique and glorious Lord. 448 00:22:28,479 –> 00:22:31,400 Let’s now thirdly look at this love 449 00:22:33,079 –> 00:22:35,920 that his own people are to have for him. 450 00:22:35,920 –> 00:22:36,839 Verse five. 451 00:22:38,859 –> 00:22:40,760 Love Yahweh, your God, 452 00:22:45,099 –> 00:22:48,680 with all your heart and with all your soul 453 00:22:52,319 –> 00:22:54,300 and with all your strength. 454 00:22:54,300 –> 00:22:58,459 You who know him, you who are being redeemed by him, 455 00:23:01,660 –> 00:23:04,660 you to whom his promises are given. 456 00:23:05,640 –> 00:23:08,060 Love him with all your heart. 457 00:23:09,760 –> 00:23:11,680 That’s the first thing. 458 00:23:12,780 –> 00:23:15,520 Love him with all your affection. 459 00:23:17,260 –> 00:23:20,180 Don’t ever as you go on as a Christian 460 00:23:20,180 –> 00:23:22,900 slide into thinking of your salvation 461 00:23:22,959 –> 00:23:26,560 as this kind of business transaction 462 00:23:26,560 –> 00:23:29,119 in which Jesus does certain things 463 00:23:29,119 –> 00:23:30,859 and they were all such a long time ago 464 00:23:30,859 –> 00:23:32,540 and now you’ve done certain things 465 00:23:32,540 –> 00:23:34,479 and now it’s all just a done deal 466 00:23:34,479 –> 00:23:36,160 like it could be a handshake 467 00:23:36,160 –> 00:23:37,540 and move on from there. 468 00:23:37,540 –> 00:23:40,619 Listen, Christ redeemed you. 469 00:23:40,619 –> 00:23:43,099 Christ shed his blood for you. 470 00:23:43,099 –> 00:23:46,099 Christ did this because he loves you 471 00:23:48,640 –> 00:23:51,140 and the relationship into which he brings you 472 00:23:51,140 –> 00:23:54,839 in which you know him and come increasingly to love him 473 00:23:57,680 –> 00:24:01,640 and heart is affection, but it is more than affection. 474 00:24:01,640 –> 00:24:03,599 Nevertheless, but always more. 475 00:24:05,099 –> 00:24:09,339 In the Hebrew language, heart includes the mind, 476 00:24:09,339 –> 00:24:12,020 it includes the will, it includes the desire, 477 00:24:12,020 –> 00:24:15,160 it includes the intent, it includes the motive. 478 00:24:16,260 –> 00:24:18,520 So your thinking, your feeling, your desiring, 479 00:24:18,520 –> 00:24:22,479 all of these things for the Hebrews are done in your heart. 480 00:24:23,640 –> 00:24:25,359 And we tend to think of the head and the heart 481 00:24:25,359 –> 00:24:28,160 as two different compartments or departments 482 00:24:28,160 –> 00:24:30,400 that find difficulty in communicating with each other, 483 00:24:30,400 –> 00:24:32,079 you know, well, am I going to go with my head 484 00:24:32,079 –> 00:24:33,459 or am I going to go with my heart 485 00:24:33,459 –> 00:24:36,680 as if these two were divorced from each other. 486 00:24:36,680 –> 00:24:39,839 But for the Hebrews, the head is in the heart. 487 00:24:41,319 –> 00:24:43,619 It’s very interesting when our Lord Jesus quotes 488 00:24:43,619 –> 00:24:45,140 from Deuteronomy, you’ll find this 489 00:24:45,160 –> 00:24:46,619 in Mark’s gospel, chapter 12. 490 00:24:46,619 –> 00:24:50,939 He adds the word mind, which is so helpful for us 491 00:24:50,939 –> 00:24:54,300 because we don’t think that the mind is in the heart. 492 00:24:54,300 –> 00:24:58,219 But for the Hebrews, the mind is in the heart. 493 00:24:59,319 –> 00:25:00,900 Love God with all your heart, 494 00:25:00,900 –> 00:25:04,859 therefore means love him with everything that is within you. 495 00:25:04,859 –> 00:25:06,920 Bless the Lord oh my soul 496 00:25:06,920 –> 00:25:09,339 and all that is within me. 497 00:25:09,339 –> 00:25:10,800 Bless his holy name. 498 00:25:11,800 –> 00:25:16,800 Then Moses says, love, Yahweh, your God with all your soul. 499 00:25:18,660 –> 00:25:22,099 Now this word soul could be translated life. 500 00:25:23,979 –> 00:25:26,300 And so it gives to us the spectrum of meaning. 501 00:25:26,300 –> 00:25:29,000 Love the Lord with all your energy. 502 00:25:30,199 –> 00:25:33,020 Love the Lord with all your talent. 503 00:25:33,020 –> 00:25:35,040 Love the Lord with all your ability. 504 00:25:35,040 –> 00:25:37,739 Love the Lord with all your years, 505 00:25:37,739 –> 00:25:40,000 love the Lord with all your life. 506 00:25:40,040 –> 00:25:43,839 Make commitments that will deploy 507 00:25:43,839 –> 00:25:48,800 what God has given you in a way that shows you love Him. 508 00:25:48,800 –> 00:25:52,239 See, people see that you love your family, 509 00:25:52,239 –> 00:25:54,119 people see that you love your work, 510 00:25:54,119 –> 00:25:55,920 people see that you love your sports, 511 00:25:55,920 –> 00:25:58,520 what are you doing that would make people see 512 00:25:58,520 –> 00:25:59,959 that you love the Lord? 513 00:26:01,599 –> 00:26:05,579 Love Him with all your life, don’t let the years slip away. 514 00:26:06,540 –> 00:26:10,000 Don’t let your talents lie dormant and wasted. 515 00:26:13,079 –> 00:26:13,939 Then he says, 516 00:26:13,939 –> 00:26:17,280 love Yahweh, your God, 517 00:26:18,140 –> 00:26:21,219 with all your strength. 518 00:26:22,599 –> 00:26:25,420 Now this word in many ways is the most fascinating of all, 519 00:26:26,359 –> 00:26:28,640 the literal translation of the word 520 00:26:28,640 –> 00:26:31,339 that’s rendered here, strength, 521 00:26:31,359 –> 00:26:36,359 literally translated is muchness, 522 00:26:36,359 –> 00:26:38,380 which isn’t really a word, I know, 523 00:26:38,380 –> 00:26:39,719 but think about it with me. 524 00:26:40,619 –> 00:26:42,859 Love the Lord, your God, 525 00:26:42,859 –> 00:26:47,359 literal translation with all your muchness. 526 00:26:48,739 –> 00:26:51,420 Now it’s speaking then of your substance. 527 00:26:52,400 –> 00:26:54,660 Your possessions. 528 00:26:54,660 –> 00:26:58,739 All that God has given to you in this life. 529 00:26:59,380 –> 00:27:02,719 But you remember an occasion in the New Testament 530 00:27:02,719 –> 00:27:07,020 where Jesus spoke with a man who had great muchness 531 00:27:08,680 –> 00:27:10,239 and He had lived a moral life 532 00:27:10,239 –> 00:27:11,540 and He had felt that He had kept 533 00:27:11,540 –> 00:27:13,140 all of the commandments indeed. 534 00:27:13,140 –> 00:27:15,619 No murders, He never committed a murder or adultery, 535 00:27:15,619 –> 00:27:18,199 no stealing, he cared for His Father and His Mother. 536 00:27:18,199 –> 00:27:20,500 This man thought that He had kept the law 537 00:27:20,500 –> 00:27:22,560 but Jesus brings him to see 538 00:27:22,560 –> 00:27:24,599 He had completely missed the point. 539 00:27:25,900 –> 00:27:27,479 And you remember the story, 540 00:27:27,479 –> 00:27:29,000 the whole point of the law is this, 541 00:27:29,000 –> 00:27:31,520 you are to love God with your heart, your soul, 542 00:27:31,520 –> 00:27:34,959 your mind and your strength and your neighbor as yourself 543 00:27:34,959 –> 00:27:39,040 so Jesus challenges this man to love God 544 00:27:39,040 –> 00:27:41,739 and to love his neighbor with his muchness. 545 00:27:43,319 –> 00:27:45,520 And Jesus says, here’s what you can do, 546 00:27:47,099 –> 00:27:50,880 you go and you sell everything that you have 547 00:27:50,80 –> 00:27:54,380 and give to the poor and then you come, 548 00:27:55,319 –> 00:27:56,319 and you follow me 549 00:27:58,119 –> 00:27:59,439 and see he was saying to this man 550 00:27:59,439 –> 00:28:01,640 now you are living a model life 551 00:28:03,239 –> 00:28:05,760 and you think that that fulfills all the commandments, 552 00:28:05,760 –> 00:28:07,520 you’ve completely missed the point. 553 00:28:09,380 –> 00:28:12,780 You love your muchness much more than you love God, 554 00:28:15,699 –> 00:28:19,199 your muchness is actually the idol of your life 555 00:28:19,199 –> 00:28:22,319 and until you get rid of that muchness, 556 00:28:22,319 –> 00:28:27,079 it will hold you back from devoting yourself wholly 557 00:28:27,079 –> 00:28:29,839 to the pursuit of loving God, 558 00:28:29,839 –> 00:28:34,739 so here’s what you can do, love God with your muchness. 559 00:28:36,500 –> 00:28:39,599 And when Jesus said that, remember what happened? 560 00:28:41,719 –> 00:28:46,119 What happens so often with people who really want 561 00:28:46,119 –> 00:28:48,839 to keep the Lord Jesus Christ at a distance? 562 00:28:50,119 –> 00:28:53,859 He walks away, and he goes away sorrowful. 563 00:28:57,119 –> 00:28:58,520 Let me ask you this question. 564 00:29:00,160 –> 00:29:04,199 It’s come as a fresh challenge to my own heart. 565 00:29:06,119 –> 00:29:11,119 What are you doing with your muchness? 566 00:29:13,800 –> 00:29:18,479 Because the way you use your muchness 567 00:29:18,479 –> 00:29:21,920 is a reflection of what you love. 568 00:29:22,719 –> 00:29:27,719 You see, heart and soul, but not muchness. 569 00:29:29,959 –> 00:29:32,719 What do you think of a man who says to his wife, 570 00:29:32,719 –> 00:29:37,479 I love you, but is so stingy he never really 571 00:29:37,479 –> 00:29:41,319 splashes out and spends any money on her? 572 00:29:41,319 –> 00:29:44,239 You say that man doesn’t really love, he’s selfish. 573 00:29:46,160 –> 00:29:50,000 He’s selfish, doesn’t really know what love is. 574 00:29:50,400 –> 00:29:55,400 He thinks it’s just words and feelings and activities. 575 00:29:58,439 –> 00:30:00,939 Here’s the question I want to challenge you with. 576 00:30:03,319 –> 00:30:07,219 What proportion of your muchness 577 00:30:10,839 –> 00:30:13,560 would you think would represent the depth 578 00:30:13,560 –> 00:30:17,280 of your love for God? 579 00:30:20,479 –> 00:30:24,500 What proportion of your muchness this year 580 00:30:26,119 –> 00:30:29,640 being released that’ll go in your tax form 581 00:30:29,640 –> 00:30:31,439 at the end of the year? 582 00:30:31,439 –> 00:30:35,020 And there’ll be a proportion of my muchness 583 00:30:35,020 –> 00:30:38,719 that has been given distinctively 584 00:30:38,719 –> 00:30:41,339 for that which advances the cause 585 00:30:41,339 –> 00:30:44,380 of the name of Jesus Christ. 586 00:30:44,380 –> 00:30:45,560 I love that name. 587 00:30:47,760 –> 00:30:49,180 I’m asking the question. 588 00:30:50,739 –> 00:30:51,579 What is that? 589 00:30:51,579 –> 00:30:53,040 Is it 10%? 590 00:30:55,079 –> 00:30:55,920 What is it? 591 00:30:57,640 –> 00:31:00,060 What proportion of your muchness 592 00:31:00,060 –> 00:31:04,079 do you think would be a suitable expression this year 593 00:31:05,660 –> 00:31:07,359 of your love for Jesus Christ? 594 00:31:10,420 –> 00:31:13,660 Jesus said where your treasure is, 595 00:31:13,660 –> 00:31:18,420 there your heart will be also. 596 00:31:19,140 –> 00:31:23,400 So love God with all your heart 597 00:31:23,400 –> 00:31:25,859 and love God with all your soul 598 00:31:27,160 –> 00:31:32,160 and love God with all your muchness. 599 00:31:35,079 –> 00:31:39,020 Now here’s the very last thing, how are you doing? 600 00:31:40,300 –> 00:31:42,819 How are you doing as a Christian 601 00:31:44,079 –> 00:31:46,380 with this whole business of what it means 602 00:31:46,380 –> 00:31:47,660 to really love the Lord? 603 00:31:48,479 –> 00:31:50,719 He’s chosen you, he’s redeemed you. 604 00:31:50,719 –> 00:31:52,939 He’s vested his promises in you 605 00:31:53,819 –> 00:31:57,819 and he calls you to love him with all your heart 606 00:31:57,819 –> 00:32:01,599 and with all your soul and with all your muchness. 607 00:32:01,599 –> 00:32:03,739 How are you doing? 608 00:32:05,380 –> 00:32:08,900 Because this question really shoots all the way 609 00:32:08,900 –> 00:32:10,359 through the Bible doesn’t it. 610 00:32:10,359 –> 00:32:14,699 Remember after the resurrection how the Lord Jesus 611 00:32:14,699 –> 00:32:17,119 meets with Peter and after breakfast 612 00:32:18,140 –> 00:32:20,619 looks him in the eye and says, 613 00:32:20,619 –> 00:32:25,020 Simon Peter, do you really love me? 614 00:32:26,760 –> 00:32:28,859 And he asked Peter three times, 615 00:32:28,859 –> 00:32:31,920 and Peter said Lord you know that I love you. 616 00:32:33,939 –> 00:32:36,099 I’ve tried this week. 617 00:32:37,959 –> 00:32:42,859 To picture the risen Christ looking deep into this soul 618 00:32:44,540 –> 00:32:46,260 and asking that question, 619 00:32:46,280 –> 00:32:50,400 Colin, do you really love me? 620 00:32:51,479 –> 00:32:54,239 I ask you to try and picture that right now. 621 00:32:55,319 –> 00:33:00,319 The Lord Jesus Christ looking deep into your inner life 622 00:33:00,500 –> 00:33:03,300 and saying your name and asking this question, 623 00:33:03,300 –> 00:33:08,300 do you really, really love me? 624 00:33:12,140 –> 00:33:13,920 There he is the exalted Lord. 625 00:33:13,920 –> 00:33:15,420 He’s saying to you, I chose you, 626 00:33:15,420 –> 00:33:18,540 I’ve redeemed you, I have gone to the cross for you, 627 00:33:18,540 –> 00:33:20,459 my body was broken for you, 628 00:33:20,459 –> 00:33:22,219 my blood was shed for you, 629 00:33:22,219 –> 00:33:25,579 I have awakened you, I have regenerated you, 630 00:33:25,579 –> 00:33:27,400 I have breathed new life into you, 631 00:33:27,400 –> 00:33:29,699 faith and repentance, I gave them to you, 632 00:33:29,699 –> 00:33:31,699 I’ve made a covenant with you, 633 00:33:31,699 –> 00:33:34,599 I watch over you before a word is on your tongue, 634 00:33:34,599 –> 00:33:36,020 I know it completely, 635 00:33:36,020 –> 00:33:38,459 I have loved you with an everlasting love 636 00:33:38,459 –> 00:33:40,819 and I have said to you, I will never leave you, 637 00:33:40,819 –> 00:33:42,560 I will never forsake you, 638 00:33:42,599 –> 00:33:46,099 do you really love me? 639 00:33:47,640 –> 00:33:49,319 And you know what I’ve concluded? 640 00:33:52,319 –> 00:33:54,819 That I would be saying with Peter, 641 00:33:56,680 –> 00:33:59,260 Lord Jesus, you know that I love you 642 00:34:02,040 –> 00:34:05,560 and I would be feeling so ashamed 643 00:34:05,560 –> 00:34:09,620 that my love for him is so small. 644 00:34:10,459 –> 00:34:12,899 Don’t you feel that yourself? 645 00:34:14,419 –> 00:34:16,340 When you look at the immensity 646 00:34:16,340 –> 00:34:18,080 of all that he’s done for you? 647 00:34:21,219 –> 00:34:23,340 I believe it was R.C. Sproul 648 00:34:24,340 –> 00:34:27,100 who read the words that we’ve been looking at today, 649 00:34:28,979 –> 00:34:32,620 love the Lord your God with all your heart, 650 00:34:32,620 –> 00:34:36,659 with all your soul, and with all your strength. 651 00:34:37,120 –> 00:34:40,120 And Sproul read these words and he said, 652 00:34:41,659 –> 00:34:46,659 I haven’t done that for five minutes 653 00:34:48,340 –> 00:34:53,340 with all your heart, with all your soul, 654 00:34:55,500 –> 00:34:58,080 with all your strength, 655 00:34:59,620 –> 00:35:02,860 I haven’t done that for five minutes 656 00:35:03,459 –> 00:35:05,020 If you haven’t done that for five minutes, 657 00:35:07,760 –> 00:35:09,419 then look at his love for me 658 00:35:10,899 –> 00:35:12,699 and look at this love for him. 659 00:35:16,320 –> 00:35:18,620 And I see that I need a savior. 660 00:35:20,300 –> 00:35:21,360 That’s what I see. 661 00:35:22,659 –> 00:35:27,659 And not only a savior who will forgive my many sins, 662 00:35:28,500 –> 00:35:30,060 my many shortcomings, 663 00:35:30,120 –> 00:35:34,100 the many manifestations of self-centeredness in my life, 664 00:35:34,100 –> 00:35:36,500 the many evidences of coldness of heart. 665 00:35:36,500 –> 00:35:39,179 Not only a savior who will forgive these things, 666 00:35:39,179 –> 00:35:44,179 but a savior who is able to constantly, 667 00:35:44,699 –> 00:35:47,659 progressively, and increasingly 668 00:35:47,659 –> 00:35:51,780 bring me into a greater love for God. 669 00:35:51,780 –> 00:35:56,300 For though this love for God in my heart is so small 670 00:35:57,419 –> 00:35:59,479 compared to what one day it will be. 671 00:36:00,840 –> 00:36:02,540 I would say as you would say, 672 00:36:02,540 –> 00:36:04,219 I’m sure from your heart today, 673 00:36:04,219 –> 00:36:07,620 and yet I want to love you Lord. 674 00:36:07,620 –> 00:36:10,600 Oh, light a flame within my heart 675 00:36:10,600 –> 00:36:14,060 that I may love you more and more 676 00:36:14,060 –> 00:36:17,520 until I see you as thou art. 677 00:36:18,860 –> 00:36:20,739 Light that flame within me Lord. 678 00:36:22,100 –> 00:36:23,239 Fan it. 679 00:36:24,860 –> 00:36:26,679 May the little love 680 00:36:26,679 –> 00:36:29,500 that you have already planted in his heart grow 681 00:36:29,760 –> 00:36:30,719 and may it increase. 682 00:36:30,719 –> 00:36:32,899 May it be with more of my heart 683 00:36:32,899 –> 00:36:34,320 and with more of my soul 684 00:36:34,320 –> 00:36:36,340 and with more of my muchness. 685 00:36:38,540 –> 00:36:40,360 You say how can I love more? 686 00:36:42,719 –> 00:36:47,439 We love him because he first loved us. 687 00:36:48,979 –> 00:36:50,040 That’s the principle. 688 00:36:51,540 –> 00:36:55,320 So when I see more of his love for me, 689 00:36:55,320 –> 00:36:57,800 my love for him will be increased. 690 00:36:57,800 –> 00:36:59,040 That’s one of the great reasons 691 00:36:59,040 –> 00:37:01,199 why we gather together for worship every week 692 00:37:01,199 –> 00:37:04,820 because we need to see more of his love for us. 693 00:37:06,439 –> 00:37:10,600 And as we see more of this amazing love of God 694 00:37:10,600 –> 00:37:12,879 for you in Jesus Christ 695 00:37:12,879 –> 00:37:16,959 that fans the flames of our love for him. 696 00:37:19,040 –> 00:37:23,439 Let me end with this story that struck me 697 00:37:23,439 –> 00:37:24,600 as I read it this week. 698 00:37:25,580 –> 00:37:28,860 Bishop Ryle tells the story of an Englishman 699 00:37:28,860 –> 00:37:31,419 who was traveling here in the States. 700 00:37:31,419 –> 00:37:33,939 And he met up with an Indian 701 00:37:34,840 –> 00:37:39,840 who was very enthusiastic in talking about Jesus Christ. 702 00:37:41,800 –> 00:37:44,260 And the Englishman was somewhat reserved 703 00:37:44,260 –> 00:37:47,260 as they tend to be you understand. 704 00:37:47,260 –> 00:37:50,080 And he said to the Indian after some time, 705 00:37:50,080 –> 00:37:50,979 well, now, you know, 706 00:37:50,979 –> 00:37:52,620 you are always talking about Jesus Christ. 707 00:37:52,679 –> 00:37:55,419 Why is it that you’re making such a big deal of Him? 708 00:37:57,419 –> 00:38:00,260 And the Indian didn’t say anything but he knelt down 709 00:38:01,780 –> 00:38:05,219 and he pulled together some leaves 710 00:38:06,219 –> 00:38:08,360 and some twigs and some moss. 711 00:38:11,459 –> 00:38:13,699 He picked up a live worm 712 00:38:15,300 –> 00:38:17,800 and he put the worm in the middle of the circle. 713 00:38:19,760 –> 00:38:22,300 Then he lit the leaves. 714 00:38:23,620 –> 00:38:26,620 The flames began to burn 715 00:38:28,560 –> 00:38:33,280 and the worm began to move one way 716 00:38:33,280 –> 00:38:34,860 and then another way and then another way. 717 00:38:34,860 –> 00:38:36,360 Of course every way the worm moved, 718 00:38:36,360 –> 00:38:38,360 it was merely getting nearer to the flame. 719 00:38:40,419 –> 00:38:41,659 Till after a few moments, 720 00:38:41,659 –> 00:38:46,659 the worm curled itself up, preparing to die. 721 00:38:49,080 –> 00:38:52,459 The Indian reached his hand into the center of the circle 722 00:38:52,500 –> 00:38:56,600 pulled out the worm and placed the worm over his heart. 723 00:38:58,439 –> 00:39:00,040 And he said to the Englishman, 724 00:39:01,860 –> 00:39:05,040 I was this worm, 725 00:39:07,060 –> 00:39:12,060 helpless, hopeless, and on the brink of an eternal fire. 726 00:39:16,040 –> 00:39:21,040 And Jesus Christ has saved me 727 00:39:23,199 –> 00:39:27,139 and brought me into the knowledge of his love. 728 00:39:28,939 –> 00:39:33,939 And that is why I make much of him. 729 00:39:36,560 –> 00:39:39,139 And you see when that’s living in your heart 730 00:39:39,139 –> 00:39:40,679 as opposed to just having a faith, 731 00:39:40,679 –> 00:39:42,879 when that’s living in your heart, 732 00:39:43,899 –> 00:39:45,399 you will make much of him too. 733 00:39:47,439 –> 00:39:50,300 See, love for God is learned at the cross. 734 00:39:51,300 –> 00:39:53,959 It’s you know these words, 735 00:39:53,959 –> 00:39:56,939 when I survey the wondrous cross, 736 00:39:56,939 –> 00:40:00,060 when I take in what he did for me there, 737 00:40:00,060 –> 00:40:01,879 what he saved me from there, 738 00:40:01,879 –> 00:40:03,760 when I survey the wondrous cross 739 00:40:03,760 –> 00:40:06,459 on which the prince of glory died, 740 00:40:06,459 –> 00:40:08,959 my richest gain I can but loss 741 00:40:08,959 –> 00:40:12,820 and I pour contempt on all my pride. 742 00:40:14,139 –> 00:40:17,860 And when I see that and as I see it more, 743 00:40:18,820 –> 00:40:21,739 that’s when I’m brought to the place 744 00:40:21,739 –> 00:40:23,439 of saying increasingly, 745 00:40:23,439 –> 00:40:26,399 well where the whole realm of nature mine, 746 00:40:27,320 –> 00:40:29,320 if I owned everything in all the world, 747 00:40:30,679 –> 00:40:32,959 that would be an offering far too small 748 00:40:33,959 –> 00:40:38,080 because love that’s so amazing and so divine 749 00:40:39,340 –> 00:40:43,040 demands my life and my soul 750 00:40:44,360 –> 00:40:45,379 and my all. 751 00:40:45,840 –> 00:40:50,840 Father, teach us to love you more. 752 00:40:53,560 –> 00:40:57,159 Light the flame of that passionate love 753 00:40:57,159 –> 00:40:59,000 afresh in our hearts 754 00:40:59,000 –> 00:41:01,560 at the foot of the cross of Christ, 755 00:41:01,560 –> 00:41:03,959 crucified and risen for us 756 00:41:04,879 –> 00:41:08,659 and there let it burn with increasing blaze 757 00:41:08,659 –> 00:41:11,620 until faith is turned to sight 758 00:41:12,340 –> 00:41:16,500 and all of us are brought redeemed into your presence 759 00:41:18,939 –> 00:41:22,379 through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 760 00:41:22,379 –> 00:41:24,679 and those who loved him said, 761 00:41:24,679 –> 00:41:25,520 Amen.