In this sermon, we explore the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. This is the foundation of a deep, abiding relationship with Him. We’ll discuss the importance of staying connected to Christ, as emphasized in John 15, through prayer and daily devotion. By prioritizing our personal relationship with God, we begin to experience His presence more fully in our lives. This message encourages setting aside dedicated time each day for prayer and scripture, helping us to assess and strengthen our connection with God.
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Notes for The Foundation of Relationship
Deepening your relationship
True Christianity is not a religion
The way to be right with God in every religion is by earning your way.
It is based on works, not grace.
Christianity is different from every religion in this aspect: all other religions (including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism)
state that you must earn the right to be reconciled with God.
It is by what you do in this life (good deeds or bad deeds) that determines your eternal destiny.
Christianity is completely different from this.
It is not religion.
It can be described it this way:
“The difference between Christianity and every other faith in the world is that all other religions are about man trying to reach up to God. Christianity is about God reaching down to man.”
This is a very important distinction, and it is core to what we believe, so I would like to try to clarify what I mean.
Here is the way I am defining religion:
Religion is a system of beliefs or a code of moral conduct that judges (qualifies or disqualifies) a person based on their adherence and obedience to certain codes, rules, laws, traditions, or the performance of required acts.
Religion (almost universally) is enforced by those in power in an attempt to maintain, increase, or abuse their power over others.
Religion is the creation of man and is not the intention or design of God.
A modern day example (taken from the movie “Footloose”, starring Kevin Bacon) is a preacher who believes that dancing leads to promiscuity and destructive behavior (the Bible does not speak against dancing). He uses (abuses) his influence and his position of authority to convince his congregation that dancing is evil and forbids it. He sets up rules that are not in the Bible and adds additional beliefs that Jesus never endorsed. He is trying to control the people, using their trust of his authority to force them to believe his version of the truth. He adds rules that don’t exist in the Bible. In this example, he even has good motives, but he is still being religious and this “religion” is not from God. This is so very common.
let’s be honest….Some people have turned christianity into a religion.
making it a list of do’s and don’t
this is something God hates…
Amos 5:21–23 NIV
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
God built us for a relationship with Him and religion gets in the way of that
Whenever the rules become more important than the rule giver you are practising a religion
But God designed us for a relationship with Him
Now I’m not promoting can do anything you want and grace has you covered.
The Apostle Pauls deals with this very specifically
Romans 6:1–3 NASB95
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Christianity is not a license to sin and get away with it
A relationship does not allow you to sin all you want
instead a Godly relationship empowers you to do the right thing and not sin.
allow me to explain.
If you try to stop sinning apart from a relationship, using your own will power, and determination….you are acting religiously
If you try your hardest to do the things you should
and not do the things you shouldn’t
You are acting religiously
but if you focus on deepening your relationship with your creator.
The power of sin will have less and less influence over you!
It means doing the right thing with the right motivation
Did you know You can do the right thing with the wrong motivation and that is sin
Romans 14:23 NASB95
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
motivation matters to God!
When Jesus was on the earth, religion was very rampant, as it is today.
There was a group of corrupt religious leaders called the Pharisees who had taken the word of God, passed down from Moses and the prophets (the Torah)
written a commentary on it interpreting what the scriptures said (called the Talmud).
Then they wrote another commentary on that commentary called the “Mishnah”.
The Mishnah was a list of hundreds rules to meet in order to insure that you were obeying the word of God.
These were created by man and had little basis in the actual scripture.
For example, one of the 10 Commandments (from the Torah) was, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”.
The Pharisees had made literally hundreds of rules in the Mishnah that detailed to the n-th degree what you had to do in order to keep that commandment.
There was a rule that you couldn’t walk through a field on the Sabbath because your sandal might clip a grain of wheat, and if it did you would be harvesting grain.
If you were harvesting, you had worked on the Sabbath and sinned.
Another example is that you could not spit on the ground on the Sabbath because your spit would create mud and this was making mortar.
If you created mortar you were working on the Sabbath and therefore sinning.
Jesus hated this!
He hated the way the Pharisees used the people’s love for God (or fear of God) to control them,
limit their freedom, and empty them of the relationship with God that was intended.
When you practice religion, your relationship with God is degraded to a mathematical formula.
Do this, then do this, don’t do that, and presto. . . you are right in the eyes of God.
We call this legalism today
and legalism is the cancer of the Church
This is TOTALLY missing the point!
God wants so much more.
He wants to have a real relationship with you.
He wants to show his love to you and He wants you to love Him.
That was the point of the original commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”.
The Sabbath day was supposed to be a day for us to take a little break from working,
refocus on what’s important, spend time with our family, and spend time with God.
You can’t build a deep relationship without spending quality time together.
If you read the 10 Commandments you will notice that they are all about relationships.
They are either about improving our relationship with God or with other people. As Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 22:37–40 NASB95
37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
And Paul said:Romans 13:9–10 NASB95
9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
So the law can be summed up in love;
love for God and love for others.
The Kingdom Way is to Love God and Love People so they can Love God and Love People
The law is about relationships; vertical and horizontal.
It is about our vertical relationship with our creator and our horizontal relationships with the rest of mankind.
It was never intended to be a list of rules that can be relegated to a checklist or mathematical formula. We are talking about love.
So the Pharisees took the commandment to remember the Sabbath and added religion to it by making that ridiculous rule about spitting on the ground.
Jesus showed his complete disregard for their rules when he repeatedly healed people on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees considered this “work”.
On one particular occasion, He healed a blind man on the Sabbath by spitting on the ground, making some mud, and rubbing it on the man’s eyes.
Jesus was God.
He didn’t have to spit on the ground to heal the man.
He was making a point to the Pharisees and everyone watching him that religion was wrong.John 9:6–7 NASB95
6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
John 9:13–14 NASB95
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.John 9:16 NASB95
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.
Religion is man trying to reach up to God.
The message of Christianity is God reaching down to man.
Religion is about what man has to DO to be right with God.
Christianity is about what God has already DONE to provide us the opportunity to be right with Him.
Religion says you must EARN your salvation by doing good deeds or certain acts and not doing evil.
Christianity says all we need to do is BELIEVE that Christ has already paid the price for the evil we have done.
Christianity says we are all evil (filled with sin) and there is nothing we can do to earn the right to be saved.
Christianity says that God (in the form of Jesus Christ) stepped into our place and paid the awful price that had to be paid for us.
He gave us the free gift of salvation if we choose to believe in Jesus.
Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind as the foundation of a deep relationship with Him.
The Greatest Commandment
Matthew 22:37–40 NASB95
37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Abiding in Christ
John 15:4–5 NASB95
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
I. The Greatest Commandment: Love God Wholeheartedly
Explanation of the Commandment:
Jesus’ emphasis on loving God as the most important commandment.
What it means to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind means devoting every aspect of your being to Him. Here’s a breakdown of what it entails:
1. With All Your Heart
Emotional Devotion:
Your heart represents your emotions, desires, and affections.
To love God with all your heart means that your deepest desires and feelings are centered on Him.
It involves a heartfelt commitment to God that surpasses all other loves.
Sincerity and Passion:
Loving God with your heart means being passionate about your relationship with Him,
not just going through the motions.
It’s about having an authentic, vibrant love for God that motivates your actions.
Why do you do the things you do?
Is it done out of fear….
Or is it done out of Love?
2. With All Your Soul
Spiritual Commitment:
The soul is often seen as the seat of your spiritual life, representing your innermost being.
Loving God with all your soul means:
that your very identity and existence are rooted in Him.
It involves a deep spiritual connection and commitment to God that permeates every aspect of who you are.
Worship and Reverence:
Loving God with your soul includes worshiping Him in spirit and truth.
It’s about living a life that honors and glorifies God, recognizing that your purpose is to be in relationship with Him.
When you sing song of praise…Do you mean it?
or are you just fulfilling expectations
have you taken time to reflect and meditate on the awesomeness of God?
3. With All Your Mind
Intellectual Love:
Loving God with your mind involves dedicating your thoughts, reasoning, and understanding to Him.
It means engaging with God’s Word,
seeking to know Him more deeply,
and allowing His truth to shape your worldview.
Focused Attention:
This aspect of love calls for discipline in your thought life.
It means consciously choosing to focus your mind on things that please God and align with His will,
rather than being swayed by worldly distractions.
When you read your Bible, do you do it out of obligation
as if it was a spiritual discipline
or do you read it as a Love letter from your creator.
do you read it to learn more about God
or do you read it to know God
Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind is about complete devotion,
where every part of your being—your emotions, spiritual life, and intellect—is fully dedicated to God.
It’s a holistic love that influences how you live, think, and relate to others,
leading you to prioritize God above all else.
Application:
Assessing our priorities:
Is God truly first in our lives?
I beleive Many of the things we do/ don’t do as Christians is motivated by fear.
I have to go to work so I have money to live on.
Instead it should be…. I go to work because God told me to.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 NASB95
10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
John 14:15 NASB95
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
I pray we all do the right thing out of obedience rather than the fear of consequence
Take some time and think about how you can show God Love this week
I’ll give you a hint
Matthew 25:40–45 NASB95
40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
II. Abiding in Christ: The Key to a Strong Relationship
Understanding Abiding:
John 15:4–5 NASB95
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus is using The vine and branches as a metaphor
The necessity of staying connected to Jesus for spiritual vitality.
Just like a grape branch withers and dies if its cutoff from the vine
we to wither and die if we cut ourselves off from Jesus
He is the source of all our lives
Acts 17:28 NIV
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
Now if you do these things because I told you to…you totally missed the point of this message today!
rather if you do these things because you want a deeper relationship with God.
then you’re on to something
Application:
Daily practices for abiding in Christ:
III. The Role of Prayer and Daily Devotion
pray
1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB95
17 pray without ceasing;
Read your Bible
Matthew 4:4 NASB95
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
worship
John 4:24 NASB95
24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The impact of abiding on our spiritual growth and daily living.
Importance of Communication in Relationships:
How prayer serves as our communication with God.
The importance of regular, heartfelt conversations with God.
Establishing a Devotional Routine:
Setting aside time daily to connect with God.
Practical tips for creating a sustainable devotional habit.
IV. Personal Reflection and Assessment
Encouraging Self-Reflection:
Invite the congregation to evaluate their current relationship with God.
How much time do I spend with God daily?
Is my love for God evident in my actions?
Challenge to make adjustments where needed to deepen one’s relationship with God.
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