Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  — Matthew 22:37–39 (KJV)

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved in the Lord, few words are spoken as often as the word “love,” and yet our world remains full of hatred, bitterness and division. What, then, is love? Love is an unselfish, loyal and benevolent intention and commitment towards another person. It is not mere feeling; it is a settled commitment that seeks the good of another.

Today, in our text, the Lord Jesus tells us what love is, to whom it is first owed, and where it leads. Our theme is therefore, “A Love That Leads”: a love that leads us to God, leads us to our neighbour, and leads us to Christ Himself.

I. WHAT IS BIBLICAL LOVE?

The concept of the love of God is deeply rooted in the Bible. In the days of the New Testament, the Greek-speaking world used three main words for love.

The first is eros, erotic or sexual love. It was common in Greek literature, but it is not used in the New Testament.

The second is phileo, which speaks of tender affection, such as we have towards a friend or a family member. It is used of the Father’s love for the Son (John 5:20), of God’s love for the believer (John 16:27), and of Jesus’ love for a disciple (John 20:2).

The third is agapao, with its noun agape, the word Jesus uses in Matthew 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.” It describes the unconditional, self-giving love of God. It is used of the Father’s love for the Son (John 3:35), of God’s love for the individual believer (John 14:21), and of Christ’s love for His disciple (John 13:23).

Beloved, biblical love has God as its object, its true motivator and its source. Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is not directed towards the world and its passing things: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15–16). The ultimate example of this love is the Lord Jesus Christ, who said:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  — John 13:34

II. THE SETTING: A QUESTION TO TEST THE MASTER

Look at the scene in verses 34 to 36. The Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, and they gathered together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Verse 35 tells us plainly that he asked it, “tempting him,” that is, testing Him. The question was not friendly. It was meant to entangle Jesus in a dispute, as the leaders sought a charge against Him.

But observe, beloved, how our Lord turns a hostile question into a gospel lesson. What men meant for a trap, Jesus made into a teaching for all generations. Even the schemes of the enemy cannot defeat the wisdom of Christ.

III. THE ANSWER: TWO COMMANDMENTS, ONE LOVE

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4–5 and Leviticus 19:18. First, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” God asks for the whole person: the heart, the soul and the mind. Half-hearted love is not the love that God asks. Second, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Then He declared: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (v. 40).

These two commandments sum up all our duties in the world. Love for God and love for our neighbour cannot be separated. The apostle John asks, “He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20). There would be true peace and happiness in the world if we knew and practised these two rules. Love is the grand secret of true obedience to God.

IV. THE MARKS OF TRUE LOVE

The definitive statement on love in Paul is 1 Corinthians 13:1–8. There he lists the characteristics of this love:

1.      Love is long-suffering. It does not seek revenge, but suffers wrong in order to act redemptively.

2.     Love is kind. It does good even to those who do not deserve it.

3.     Love does not envy. It does not jealously desire what it does not possess.

4.     Love does not promote itself; it is not puffed up. “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).

5.     Love does not behave itself unseemly. We are to avoid even the appearance of evil.

6.     Love seeks not its own. It puts the good of others before personal gain.

7.      Love is not easily provoked. It is not quickly made angry or irritated.

8.     Love thinks no evil. It believes the best about people, keeps no record of wrongs, and overlooks insults.

9.     Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It finds no joy in wrongdoing or injustice.

“Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.” And Solomon says of it, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song of Solomon 8:7). Beloved, let each of us examine ourselves against these marks. Where do we fall short?

V. THE SOURCE: LOVE BEGINS WITH GOD

Now, if we are honest, we confess that we cannot produce this love by our own effort. The Scripture gives us the secret: “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We can never love God enough until we are at peace with Him through Jesus Christ. Such love is possible only when we are truly born again.

The fruit of the Spirit is love. You need the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Where the Spirit dwells, hatred gives way to forgiveness, selfishness gives way to service, and pride gives way to humility.

VI. THE QUESTION THAT LEADS TO CHRIST

Do not stop at verse 40, beloved. In verses 41 to 46, Jesus Himself asks the Pharisees a question: “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” They answered, “The son of David.” He replied, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord?” quoting Psalm 110:1, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” We are told that no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day ask Him any more questions.

Here is the meaning: the greatest commandment leads us to the greatest Person. Love for God is not an abstract idea. It is love for the God who has come to us in Jesus Christ, who is David’s Son, near to us in our humanity, and David’s Lord, reigning at the right hand of God. It is not enough to know the commandment. We must know the Lord who gave it, and He has told us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The love that leads us to God leads us to Christ, and it keeps us in obedience to Him.

VII. EXHORTATION: LIVING THE LOVE

Beloved, let us put this word into practice.

Let us do everything from a pure heart. Let us train our children aright and teach them to love God, for a home that loves God is the first school of love. Let us learn to do good to our friends and neighbours, and promote their comfort and happiness in every way. Let us forgive, let us bear with one another, and let us not keep a record of wrongs. Then the world will know that we are His disciples, if we have love one to another.

CONCLUSION AND PRAYER

The lawyer asked, “Which is the great commandment?” The answer is love: love for God with the whole being, and love for our neighbour as ourselves. This love leads us to the cross, where God loved us first, and it leads us to the throne, where Christ reigns as Lord. May the Lord Jesus Christ help and empower us to abide by His words. Amen.

Mawu nayra mi. Akpe na Mawu. (May God bless you. Thanks be to God.)

Amen.

Preacher: Rev. Sylvanus Yao Kpodonu