TOPIC: LOVING GOD WITH ALL OF OUR LIFE
Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
v. 5, “5 Ibigin mo si Yahweh na iyong Diyos nang buong puso, buong kaluluwa at buong lakas.” “You hall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Introduction:
(1 PPT) LOVING GOD WITH ALL OF OUR LIFE. Let’s open and read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (read). At the end of Israel’s long, 40-year trek/journey in the wilderness, Moses repeated the words of the covenant that God made with Israel, which began, “Hear O Israel, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” But this appears to be an impossible command for fallen man to attain. We are born dead in sin and at enmity with God. As members of fallen race, we have all sinned, and all have fallen far short of the goodness and perfection of God. God alone is perfect…so He alone is able to fulfill the command to love with every FIBER of His being – for God alone is love 1 Juan 4:16, “16 Nalalaman nating tayo'y iniibig ng Diyos at lubos tayong nananalig sa katotohanang ito. Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig.” It is humanly impossible to love the Lord in the way He commands and to love others with that same godly love. No one can love God every moment of the day and in every circumstance of life. As members of humanity, we are bound by our fallen nature, to fall short of His perfection. Irrespective of the sin we commit on a daily basis, we break this particular command continuously…for it is not humanly possible to love God with all our heart. Indeed, it is impossible to love as Christ’s loved us – which was the new commandment He gave to each member of the Christian church. Once we understand our inability to obey God’s commands and admit our spiritual bankruptcy, we are in a position to admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Indeed, this was the original point of God’s Holy law. It was given as a schoolmaster to teach us about Christ. It was a signpost brings us to the foot of the Cross. Throughout His earthly life, Jesus was seeking to expose this deadly, sinful flaw in mankind’s character. Christ was seeking to show the immensity of our sin against the goodness of God so that He could provide the message of salvation – by grace through faith. It is by grace through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we…who are members of His body, have been cleansed from our sin, made children of God, and clothed in the righteousness of Christ, Himself. (1 PPT) How can we love God with all of our life?
1. By Allowing His Love to Control us (every areas of our life) (Deut. 6:5)
Deuteronomio 6:5, “5 Ibigin mo si Yahweh na iyong Diyos nang buong puso, buong kaluluwa at buong lakas.”
Paul said in 2 Corinto 5:14, “For the love of Christ controls us…” “14 Ang pag-ibig ni Cristo ang naghahari sa amin…” Every one of us has a code by which we live our lives. For some, it’s the desire to grab as much life as it has to offer. For others, it’s the pursuit of a dream or goal. For some, it’s prioritizing family above all else. For others, it’s desire to influence and change the world. One day, someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment of all was and He replied by quoting from today’s verse. When we love God with all that we are, everything else falls into proper perspective and balance. To love God is to follow His ways and to embrace His character. Love for God, in turn, enables us to love others in a truly selfless way that makes all the difference – Juan 4:12, “12 Kailanma'y wala pang taong nakakita sa Diyos, ngunit kung tayo'y nagmamahalan, nasa atin ang Diyos at nagiging ganap sa atin ang kanyang pag-ibig.” Only the perfect Man – the Lord Christ Jesus, was good enough to pay the enormous price of sin. Only He was capable of loving God with a perfect love. Only in Christ can we be credited with His nature and love as He loved us. Only in the power of Christ can we love the Lord our God with all our heart. Only in Him can we love God with all our soul, and with all our might, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. For it is only as the very love of Christ flows into the heart that has been washed and cleansed by His sacrificial blood, that we can love with a Christ-like love. (1 PPT) So only when we understand and realize how great God’s love for us in spite of our sinfulness that we will able to truly love Him. Jesus said in Lukas 7:47, “47 Kaya't sinasabi ko sa iyo, malaki ang kanyang pagmamahal sapagkat maraming kasalanan ang pinatawad sa kanya; ngunit ang pinatawad ng kaunti ay kaunti rin ang pagmamahal.” The more we realize our sinfulness, the more we appreciate Him for forgiving us of all our sins and the more we love Him.
Let’s embrace the highest command of all and love God the way that He loves us: with all our heart and without hesitation. May we love one another the same way. Do we already have God’s love in our heart allowing it to control us? (1 PPT)
2. By Abiding in His Love (Deut. 6:5)
Deuteronomio 6:5, “5 Ibigin mo si Yahweh na iyong Diyos nang buong puso, buong kaluluwa at buong lakas.”
(1 PPT) Jesus said in Juan 15:9-10, “9 Kung paanong inibig ako ng Ama, gayundin naman, iniibig ko kayo; manatili kayo sa aking pag-ibig. 10 Kung tinutupad ninyo ang aking mga utos, mananatili kayo sa aking pag-ibig, kung paanong tinupad ko ang mga utos ng aking Ama at ako'y nananatili sa kanyang pag-ibig.” (1 PPT) It is only as we abide in Him and continue to be filled with the Spirit of love that the very love of God is poured into our heart from His Father-heart of love. Only as we filled with His supernatural love from above, are we able to reciprocate that love. Only as we walk in Spirit and truth, can we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength – and thus, become a channel of His love to those who are hurting. To love the Lord our God with a Christ-like love, is only possible as His love is continuously poured into our heart. The more we imbibe (drink) Him, the deeper our love for Him will become. Indeed, as we witness the faithfulness of God in the difficult struggles of life and experience His tender mercies in the painful circumstances through which we must inevitably pass, our love for God can only deepen and strengthen – as we grow in grace and in knowledge of Him (1 PPT).1 Juan 4:16, “16 Nalalaman nating tayo'y iniibig ng Diyos at lubos tayong nananalig sa katotohanang ito. Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig. Ang nagpapatuloy sa pag-ibig ay nananatili sa Diyos, at ang Diyos ay nananatili naman sa kanya.” Do we continuously abiding in Him and in His Love? (1 PPT)
3. By Abounding (overflowing, prosper) in His Love (to one another & for others) (Deut. 6:5)
Deuteronomio 6:5, “5 Ibigin mo si Yahweh na iyong Diyos nang buong puso, buong kaluluwa at buong lakas.”
(1 PPT) Jesus said in Marcos 12:31, “31 ‘Ibigin mo ang iyong kapwa gaya ng pag-ibig mo sa iyong sarili.’ Wala nang ibang utos na hihigit pa sa mga ito.” And Jesus also gave us a new commandment – Juan 13:34, “34 “Isang bagong utos ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo ngayon: magmahalan kayo! Kung paano ko kayo minahal, gayundin naman, magmahalan kayo.” And when we abound in His love for others then the world will know that we are His disciples – Juan 13:35, “35 Kung kayo'y may pagmamahal sa isa't isa, makikilala ng lahat na kayo'y mga alagad ko.” The more we abide in Him and in His love the more also that we abound in His love to others and to one another (1 PPT). Paul said in 1 Tesalonica 3:12, “12 Nawa'y palaguin at pasaganain ng Panginoon ang inyong pag-ibig sa isa't isa at sa lahat ng tao, tulad ng pag-ibig namin sa inyo.” Abounding in God’s love is just a result when we ALLOW His love to controls us and when we continue to ABIDE in Him and in His love only then that we ABOUND in His love to one another and to others. Loving God and others, Serving & Sharing God’s love to others will only be possible when we abound in His love. It will be impossible for someone who are controlled and abiding in His love to keep silent and not doing anything for God through others. That is why Jesus asked Peter 3 times after His resurrection, “Peter do you love me more than this?”( then “Feed my sheep!” “Abound my love for them.” Are we abounding in His love? (1 PPT)
Conclusion:
How is your love for God? Did you already ALLOW His love in your life? Are you continuously ABIDING in His love? Are you ABOUNDING in His love for others? Jesus said in Ephesians church in Pahayag 2:4, “ 4 Subalit may isang bagay na ayaw ko sa iyo: INIWAN mo na ang pag-ibig mo noong una.” “BUT I have this against you, that you have ABANDONED the love you had at first.” Jesus instructed them what they need to do in Pahayag 2:5, “ 5 Alalahanin mo ang dati mong kalagayan; pagsisihan mo at talikuran ang iyong masasamang gawa, at gawin mong muli ang mga ginagawa mo noong una.” “Remember therefore from which you have fallen; repent and do te works you did at first.” There are THREE ACTIONS we need to do: REMEMBER, REPENT and RENEW our Love for God!
May our heart-cry become; “That I may love the Lord my God, with every fiber of my being, as I die to my own self-interest and live for Him alone.” (1 PPT)
By ALLOWING His Love to Control us. By ABIDING in His Love everyday of our life. And by ABOUNDING in His Love for others and to one another and not ABANDONING our Love for Him again! (1 PPT)
