This broadcaster has 1119 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
September 30, 2021 6:00 am
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart also which you find important that you will be and I have been chasing fulfillment of this loving the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Since I was say since the very moment I've been saved I been trying to refill this love having gotten there yet, but it's been worthwhile. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio.
Specifically, you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue his study. Call that first commandment is he teaches through Mark chapter 12 it is impressive that this man described that he got it and what that did as it took away the excuses of all the others who did not. If he could appreciate if he could value the answers of Christ from Scripture what was the problem with every body else question and is matter that we should be mindful when we find ourselves critics we find ourselves troublemakers or unhappy, we should ask ourselves, what about others. One of that you know how come that they are handling this well why can I handle it well. So again, his reaction demonstrated not only his sincerity but his integrity, and the Holy Spirit captures what he has to say instead of just ignoring his response when he said the law well done, well said is that of God single who cares what you think of what Christ said no God says I want you to see what this man's reaction was, I showed you the -ones is a positive one. You only need to give us one he says here in verse 28, perceiving that he had answered them well and that of course that is him respecting the Lord's handling of attackers.
Attackers was the issue with unbelievers today when they come across the words of Christ. How can you refute them there. To me there irrefutable. You can't beat them, the wisdom, logic, the truth, the conviction behind them. That's one thing that God's word brings that I don't think any other religious writing brings all as it is a conviction and that conviction is you are guilty you have been tried. You have been weighed and found wanting. When the handwriting appeared in Dan Newsday. Many many tech were you Farson. It was you are busted and you know that's what it was all about is whether the king's knees knocked against one against the other is terrified they sent for Daniel. There was no conviction was ever cares. That's impressive.
Okay, let's go over the party and it says here that he asked him which is the first commandment of all first in value again. What is, where is the one with the weight. Where is the one that you cannot do without better understand God. You have to understand Scripture that's the point.
That's what you know we want to understand. I want this question asked Rabbi because I want to understand God better and it is. Anyway, I'm going to understand him if I have any chance that that is going to come through his word. Oh, I can get the beginnings of it. There are other ways to begin to see God to begin to see God. But I want to develop that and enter into this relationship got to hear what he says and I got understand enough of it.
Decades later, Luke will write about scholastic Gentiles.
All they did was spend their time arguing points wanted. They love to hear themselves talk, and they would judge others and posture themselves. Some just like these Jewish scholars didn't want point is, not only did the Jews do these kind of things you pretend to be religious and tend to be intelligent before God without vital ingredients of love and submission and sincerity and integrity.
Acts chapter 17 Luke just makes us could process, and then when Paul had to deal with these these guys he says for all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time and nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing so they could never really enter into the depths of what God had for man the knowledge the relationship they stay with us on the surface what they thought they were deep. Verse 29 Jesus answered the first of all the commandments is here oh Israel Yahweh our God Yahweh is one, just incidentally, with D's quoting Deuteronomy 6 and there the word in Deuteronomy 6. In the Hebrew for one is a compound one not an absolute one, which is lends to the Trinity and its Elohim portal for God. And so even in Deuteronomy 6. For you have this coming attraction, we could say of the Trinity in the Old Testament or other places but that's one, but this is known as the Jewish aim of the Jewish lesson up this well listen up here oh Israel. They call that the Shema, the devout Jew would recite it three times a day twice a day for me three sections of Scripture twice a day here. Deuteronomy 64 numbers 1513 through 41 and again. Deuteronomy 1113 through 21 they would take these verses and they would write portions of them and put them in little boxes and wrap them around and all McKay them around the up on the four head call phylacteries because they believe this was the weight of their Scripture and they were not entirely wrong but what did they do with it.
After a while, it just became a showpiece. True faith in God, the God of the Bible is centered in man's resolve not man's feelings, your faith is not about your falcon have feelings.
I'm a little nervous, like around people who are mostly driven because they just don't think they stop thinking, and they just feel and that means they block out others. Others may not feel what they feel, but yet they demand they be put under the same guidelines or whatever is going on and I don't want to be that guy. But at the same time I'm not a stick. I want to be able to feel things to but I want them to be right and when I've got hello the lights are all of with a need to be in all the dials and knobs are on the settings they need to be, then I can have my my brains in my feelings.
I can have all of me begin to work in unison. I got that rhythm now with truth and with who I am in Christ. So the Old Testament as well as New Testament centers on man's will not his desire to you know not what man wants with the resolve of man when faced with the will of God is that individual going to submit Christian love Christian devotion is the pursuit of obedience whether it gets there or not it pursues.
Nonetheless, regardless of how I feel.
I know what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed up or to pursue obedience. This word means a lot to me. What would Christ to think this is the first word. If the feelings were central to my walk with Christ and Christ could never command me to love.
Love agape love Christian love Divine love is not an act of the emotions. It is an act of the will my soul who I am. Me. My decision to follow, and love. This type of love is. It's not only emotional but in fact it doesn't have to be emotional.
All I know what I'm supposed to do with. I like it or not. I love a person ready to preach the gospel to that person, whether I like them or not, whether they have hurt me or not. If I have an opportunity to share the truth of God. Hatred would would withhold it love would disperse it as painful as it might be in others have gone down this road and they have pulled it off. They've done it so God's word is centered in the will to comply to surrender God has no plan of salvation for the un-surrendered life. It belongs to those who say he must increase, I must decrease. God must get larger in me and I must get smaller and that is a good plan because the results is nothing like when you look at a man like Daniel.
And you say how do you get to be like Daniel well then you have to decrease Yahweh has to increase. This is the story Yahweh of the Old Testament Jesus Christ in the New Testament same person verse 30 of Mark 12 and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind with all your strength. This is the first commandment within this great exhortation and commandment within this profound answer. That is just easy enough for all of us to repeat and to understand there is the great invitation of God to love us and for us to love him back. God can be loved by centers for because God is love. And so, again, he says, you shall love Yahweh was the most important Jesus that you should love Yahweh who is Yahweh, Jesus Christ. We know that the New Testament develops it. They had not yet gotten their effect today.
Two of the reasons the Jews will say Jesus could not be the Messiah will one is that he made himself equal with God, all you following the Old Testament should be called wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father impeached your own Scripture.
Your Old Testament has it, then the other one. They says he did not destroy the Romans. We covered that so much already going through Mark how they refuse this man's authority because they wanted to dictate terms.
They cannot be Messiah if he doesn't do what we say and they lost as a result they hold us to this day.
To this day. Judaism stands by these two points.
In rejecting Jesus as Messiah. It is rather thoughtless. It is rather my I don't mean that to be insulting.
If it is if it is taken as nothing I could do. Truth doesn't care about how you feel. Truth is the truth. It makes a demand on the will of every single listener. Every person that he is a truth instantly. A demand is made when you see that, like turning yellow.
Truth is speed up when it turns red. Don't go through it. She left because your your innocent to I just pulled off this morning is about but anyway I that is not an admission of guilt. Anyhow, I asked when deputies went at what point at the yellow light do you do you bless them and he swung the bat if I understood him correctly when the back tires have a trust that the line he and I went together so I just make sure my back tires get over that line and MS going to be my defense when they pull me over license and registration. Note my tires were over the line.
Sorry okay anyway, with all your heart, what is that me with all my heart was everything you've got. That's the bottom line is to love God with everything you got the spring of that money that would be at what was so complicated was so ready to pull things back to not understand to get confused by other things in our attempt rightful attempt to balance the checks and balances of of understanding of knowledge we have to explore and open up a little more in ancient Hebrew thought the heart was not just that organ in the chest that pumps blood heart was the seat of human intelligence of the will.
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also which you find important.
That's were you going to be and I have been chasing the fulfillment of this loving the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Since I was say since the very moment I've been saved I've been trying to refill this love having gotten there yet, but it's been worthwhile. Imagine if I did not.
It is a worthwhile duty to pour everything into loving God with balance but loving God must must continue to love self not and not an imbalanced love of self. We we love ourselves naturally need no effort for that. Jesus said, listen, love your neighbor as Giselle because I know you love you so much without effort.
I don't have the tell you to love you, I gotta tell you to take some of that love and give it to your neighbor and you will not lose any of it. You know the some would say you know a candle doesn't lose any of its own light when it lights another candle.
Well, there is this a good illustration but I've been chasing this love, but I'm not the only one. Paul said it this way because he chased it to use is not that I've already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.
Not that I've already attained, or am already perfected, but this one thing I do, and then he goes on to tell of the Philippians rewrites is in Philippians 3. I'm spending myself loving Christ and then he told the Corinthians.
I am spent. It will gladly be spent for you. Sometimes I get tired of being spent to okay I'm done and God just as because he knows I am By the power of God, not only for my salvation before my service ticket because I can keep myself God is big and he is awesome and we love them for it. And Satan is not going to sit down idly and stand for that is going to come at no matter what you bring to God with your heart, he's going to attack it at some point if you're in it. If you're in the fight like he did. Job Job was attacked because he was a good man. He was a great man.
God was bragging about Job you check out Joe nobody like Joe loves good hates evil. I have asked God to not boast about me and he has said don't worry about it.
Cannot given me much so God put blood in the game when he came and died for us and he has demanded no less from us in return with all your heart, again, that that is my mind. That is my my ability to reason to make a decision. The way I feel it is all of me that's what Christ is saying is tell giving us the definition of the heart when he says, mind, soul and with all your heart, mind, soul's you got it you have recorded it like five times without looking you sold your mind, your strength, that's your soul. It is that part of me who is me and if I'm not born again.
I only have a soul. I do not my spirit is dead, is not until I'm born again is my spirit come alive. And now I can interact with God that dead spirit can interact with hell cannot interact with God way that pleases God says with all your soul and again the already pretty much covered that if you are unsaved. Your soul is empowered with human energy and influenced by Satan and from the spiritual realm and not God.
Unless, of course, God is appealing you to get safe.
If you are saved. Your soul is empowered and influenced by the Holy Spirit, but it still has to fend off the flesh. So it is that touch of holiness upon the soul that brings us life in Christ centers our attention upon God is a picture of what happens inside of us, from experience of Moses and remember I love the tell this I know Moses did not want to be cooked called in the ministry.
He had tried to help his people. He realize you know what people are a pain in the neck and he left. And God said, yeah you too bad your pain in the neck the pain and you know you will still have to work save them. Eventually they would be a pain in his hands and his feet and the side and on his brow.
People did all that to him, Christ was crucified for us anyway.
So when Yahweh saw that he had turned aside to look as God. I guess I don't know much about hunting or trapping of things like that but I have heard that there's two things that really work when it comes to hunting and trapping and that is bait and weight 52 bade him and you wait for you going to get him and so God, did that with Moses in the bush that burned. He wanted to grab his attention and Moses that I got to go and see this thing.
He took the bait. God was waiting. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm trivializing a magnifying so when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look God called to him from the midst of the bush and said Moses. Moses and when God says your name twice. Something's going on not necessarily bad, but is serious and he said here. My look at the look on Moses face is nobody on the mountain and someone's talking to him and he's talking to someone he can see just like us anyway. Then he said do not draw near this place. Take your samples off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground horse annexing Moses that took the samples off see a soul was the spirit came to life using presence of God.
God does this to us, that sense of holiness comes from this type of experience with God. And so Jesus says with all your mind. Sin always drives us from God.
Would God desires. Sin is always opposite of what God wants and it is always harmful. Spent some point it is very harmful and we are better off when we feel better about Jesus Christ. A lot of Christians I just don't feel good about life.
Roy Sauer have life. They don't have joy and I I fear that in many of these cases it's because there really not centered on Christ are centered on self and I don't say this as an as an outsider as a bystander when I'm cast down. I know the steps and I take them. I don't suffer with depression too much anymore. Every now and then I feel feel it on the seat on the horizon.
I beat that thing back now. What I learned early on and on. To live this way and so again as I've said before, when I feel depression coming on the next sound you hear is the sound of the sword, leaving it she I'm going to fight it. I am not going to let it fight me without resistance when my mind is on him. Then I feel how I feel about myself falls into place now. Isaiah says it this way and I have had problems with this verse but I've never given up on and it is paid off. Isaiah 26 you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you. You either believe that or you do not.
If you are in the places that I believe it but I don't feel it and you gotta work it out, that's okay, you're in a good space you are saints. You are separated by the blood of Christ, we have no right to take the easy way out. When the hard way leads to victory. We have no right to say it's too hard and then quit more is expected of us.
How else do you get stronger. How else do we develop I'm telling you, I'm getting afraid to preach these things, you know, I because it seems like I preach and in God's is looking to see if you can do it, so no knowledge is a work that way. I preach it. They do it then you tell me more to preach. I preach it they do, it's a good system God. He just hasn't agreed with that with all your strength. That's the resources of your resolve of my resolve the resources that we have and we have them just sometimes have to mind them dig for them, feeling a thrill. In Jesus name does not make me a believer by itself, there must be the confession of the faith with energy to grab hold of life in that strength and that faith in that belief, confession of faith is to lead to an answerable life to the confession taking this from John Bunyan and his Pilgrim's progress confession of faith is to lead to a life answerable to that confession. You said your crew a Christian Ocala say God help us to believe the things we confess God help us to believe and carry out things we say we can do and when you fail to get up. Satan hates that part. Satan hates that you can get up and that you do get up how many times have you filling on a file going to church and probably none here. I know that that's just for a moment, put ourselves in the place of other churches where were sometimes people who no physical grouping whether I don't feel like going to church and they go anyway who just won that skirmish was in hell unless they get the church to cause problems for 50 of another problem. This is the first commandment, Jesus said, so he lays it out.
This you to love God with everything you have these four things are the beginning of the first commandment is going to say but it doesn't stop there. The man asked for one commandment Christ is giving him one answer with two parts of commandments involved. What would Christianity look like if Christ never said such things if he never said you shall love the Lord your God with everything you've got. What if he said you know just whatever you can get even less than what we are able to give him and so balanced Christianity is critical.
It involves duty and sacrifice which is what Christ meant was to cross and follow me. It is your duty and it is sacrificial and it is worth it to take that away we get nothing done for Christ. So the will that is the duty and the harm strength. Feelings are involved in the mind move. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.
Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast.
When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast that that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark right here on cross reference radio