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good morning everyone welcome to free grace baptist church just a couple announcements before we begin worship this morning the first is that reminder it is the lord's supper service this evening so tonight we will be observing the lord's supper at our 5 p.m. service secondly the the monthly him sing this month will be on april twenty fourth sunday we're moving it to before the service now so probably at 4 15 to 4 45 if you'd like to come early and sing some hymns prior to the evening worship that'll be this not this April 24 sunday april 24th prior to the worship service to sing some hymns up in the fellowship hall well let's begin our worship then if you'll turn in your bible with me in your Bibles with me to Psalm 29 that will be our call to worship this morning as we open our worship with the reading of the word of God Psalm 29 the psalm of David give unto the Lord oh you mighty ones give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto the Lord the glory due to his name worship the lord in the beauty of holiness the voice of the lord is over the waters the god of glory thunders the lord is over many waters the voice of the lord is powerful the voice of the lord is full of majesty the voice of the lord breaks the Cedars yes the Lord splinters the Cedars of Lebanon he makes them also skip like a calf Lebanon and Syria on like a young wild ox the voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh the voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bear and in his temple everyone says glory the Lord SAT enthroned at the flood and the Lord sits as king forever the Lord will give strength to his people the lord will bless his people with peace amen let's stand and sing our first tim is going to be 2 23 and your Trinity hymnal let's stand and sing two to three together please be seated let us pray our righteous and our Heavenly Father we thank you again that this church can gather together in this place on your lord's day Sabbath we rejoice in the freedom to come together as the Saints of Christ to worship our triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray that you would help us to do so yet again spirit and in truth you would cause us this morning to worship you as we ought in a right and in a biblical and in a joyful manner we do pray that you would be the recipient of all honor and and all praise here this morning we do pray that we would hallow your name we pray that around the world today your name would be hallowed we pray that Saints would sing the praises of their glorious God and of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray that you would cause your Saints around the world today to to dwell upon with great joy and with great and sincere thought dwell upon the saving riches and excellencies of Christ Jesus the Lord we rejoice in the gospel we rejoice in salvation the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life we do pray that you would cause us now to do so that we would reflect upon Christ Jesus our Lord he came into this world sinners to save that he lived a life of obedience unto your law in the place of all those who believe that in him we have a righteousness that avails with you that the Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary's tree died a death that was sacrificial that was substitution ery he upon that cross secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number that in him we have redemption in him we have the forgiveness the remission of sins and we do pray Lord God that you would cause us to rejoice in that truth we thank you that he did rise again the third day that he arose in great power and in great victory and we thank you Lord that he has ascended to your right hand where he does ever live to intercede for his people where he rules and reigns over his enemies and for the good of his church and we do pray that you would cause us to with great confidence and hope I lay hold of that truth and that we would rejoice in our Christ this day we do pray God that you would forgive us a fresh you wash us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you would cause us to for your glory sake to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ here in this lower world that you would daily give us the grace to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of our calling by grace we do pray God that you would be with those who we prayed for this morning in the prayer meeting all of those who are unwell all of those who are diseased and sick and those who are recovering from surgery we do pray that you would bless each and every one that you would cause them to be strengthened to be healed by you that they would grow and strengthen that they would grow in vigor of body and just return them to health help them Lord in the midst of affliction in the midst of all of their discomforts and pains that you would cause them to rejoice in you that they would be resting upon your will and upon their God in all things knowing that the God of heaven and earth does do right for his own Glorian by his Saints we do pray God that you would be with the persecuted Church as we read many things this morning and prayed for many people in many nations we do pray that you would be near to our brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle daily under the under oppressive regimes under the tyrannical hands of wicked people and are constantly opposed by the enemies of Christ we do just pray that you would be with them that you would protect them and watch over them that even in the midst of sufferings unto death you would cause them to lay hold of the hope of their calling without wavering that they would stay true unto the end and that they would daily have confidence in the king of kings and in the Lord of lords we thank you knowing that you have that the nations of the world are the nations of our God and of his Christ and we do just pray God that you would help your Saints and that you would oppose those who oppose you we do pray that you would come against those who wickedly oppose your people who bring violence who bring lies and all these things against the people of God we do just pray that you would oppose them that you would come to them with mercy the mercy of the gospel we do pray for those who would remain in opposition that you would remove them from out of the way do bring judgment upon those who are your enemies we do pray that in all of these lands your truth would be proclaimed Lord God that the gospel would be preached and that sinners would be saved we pray God that you would be with those who govern over us we are to pray for those who do rule over us and we pray for them now that you would cause them to do so in righteousness we long to see a government that upholds truth and that upholds proper law and order and we long to see those things that are now sanctioned by the government the evils that they propagate as good things we do pray that these would come to an end and that those who rule over us would do so properly in good order according to the equity as we find it in your Holy Word and we pray for those who would seek to perpetuate error and perpetuate violence and to perpetuate wicked laws in our land that you would remove them out of the way and put those in place who would seek to uphold good things we would ask God that you would be with us now as we worship we know that we require the aid of the Holy Spirit to arouse our souls unto a proper worship of our great god and we do pray for that now that you would help us to be attentive that you would help us not to dwell on other things save for those things that are that pertain to the worship of god help us to pray help us to sing help us to engage in the preaching of the word we do pray God that you would cause your Saints in this place to be equipped you would cause sinners to be saved and that this would be unto your glory and give the preacher much help in the pulpit as well help pastor Butler as he preaches this morning give him what he needs to proclaim with confidence the things of your revealed word and we do just pray again that everything that is done would be done and good and joyful order that Lord God you would be the recipient of all honor and praise in this place and it's in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray amen well let's stand and sing our next team is going to be 5 35 if you'll stand with me and sing 535 you I please be seated our new testament scripture reading is from Matthew 6 you can turn there with me Matthew chapter 6 in Matthew 6 will read from verse 12 verse 18 the Word of God take heed that you do not excuse me take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them otherwise you have no reward from your father in heaven therefore when you do a charitable deed do not sound a trumpet before you before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory for men assuredly I say to you they have their reward but when you do a charitable deed do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your charitable deed may be in secret and your father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly and when you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they will be heard for their many words therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask him in this manner therefore pray our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen for if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses moreover when you fast do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting but to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly amen well just a few things we steve lawson read this morning in our prayer meeting from royal book on practical religion the reality that Christianity is to be marked by a heart religion Christianity is not a religion of external things of external superficiality with empty hearts attached to those things here we have the Lord Jesus Christ a teaching some of those very things take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them if the if the Pharisees and the scribes and the religious of this of this day had facebook and twitter they would have been absolutely in their element you see facebook and twitter has facilitated this Pharisee achill approach to religion announcing everything that people do for the kingdom of christ and causing men to look at them we are receiving this wisdom from christ here it is to be the case that our religion is not to be an empty external superficial religion but rather we are to be true christians those who have christian and regenerate hearts who seek to do the things that God calls us to do not so that men may see us but so that God may receive all honor in all praise we have these instructions from Christ with regards to prayer with regards to fasting with regards to charitable deeds and these are to be done because God calls us to do these things they are to be done with cheerful and obedient hearts and they are to be done in essence in secret not openly so that men may praise us and not God we have this wonderful model prayer that is given here by the Lord Jesus Christ and you've heard it many times before hopefully our pattern you notice the pattern that we pray after and it's not a formulaic thing but it's a biblical thing that we pray and we we own and we we open up the reality that God is to be the first object the first element of the content of Prayer our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done we launch into prayer and we don't launch right into requests for ourselves but we acknowledge God His Holiness his perfection his glory and his honor and then we approach that sovereign that glorious one with requests for our daily bread we have these examples these things given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ and hopefully we find ourselves with our noses often in these pages so that we can put off what we might think is proper religion and rather put on those things that Christ discloses in his in the perfection of his words that properly reflect the true religion will let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for what we read in your Holy Word we pray that you would help us to follow after the words of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray that we would conduct ourselves in such a manner as we read here that we would not seek to show ourselves to men as those who are religious but rather would simply do those things that Christians ought to do and that we would nevertheless that we would in doing this shine as lights not seeking the favor and the praise of men but seeking your favor and your approbation your good pleasure we do just pray that you would cause us daily to do those things that we ought to do knowing that we are not saved by them but having been saved by grace through faith in Christ you would daily give us supplies of the spirit that we might conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel we pray that you would continue to now be with us as we worship you help us to cast off those things that would hinder a proper attention and proper worship help us to be focused as we worship the triune God again might we do so in spirit and truth we pray in Christ Jesus name Amen well let's stand and sing our last him then before the preaching that's going to be him 407 it's 407 to a familiar tune please be seated well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 22 Matthew chapter 22 our focus this morning will be verses 34 to 40 remember last time we saw that the fair Sadducees had come to Jesus and asked him a question concerning the resurrection prior to that Pharisees and herodians had come to Jesus asking concerning the payment of taxes to Caesar we can certainly say one thing about these religious leaders they were persistent men they had continually been shot down by our Lord Jesus but that does not stop them in their desire to try and set Jesus Christ against or rather set the people against the Lord Jesus Christ and rally the nation of Israel to oppose our Lord well I want to read verses 34 to 40 and we'll take up the lawyer in the Great Commandment but when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they gathered together then one of them a lawyer asked him a question asked him a question testing him and saying teacher which is the Great Commandment in the law jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and Great Commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself on these two Commandments hang all the law and the prophets amen we'll let us pray our blessed father and our holy God we thank you for this beautiful day we thank you for the works of creation and Providence and we thank you for that blessed work of redemption wherein you sent your son into this world sinners to save and now we thank you and praise you that you've included us in that number we know God we're not here redeemed because of anything good in us but because of your sovereign mercy and your sovereign grace we thank you for the life and the death and the rest action of our Lord Jesus Christ and we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit who has applied these things to us and we would pray this morning that the spirit would be at work in our minds and hearts and help us to understand the written word help us as believers to receive with Thanksgiving this word and may it affect us in a positive way for any and all who have come here this morning outside of Christ we pray that they would be faced with the very law of God most high that they would see themselves as guilty before a holy God and they would see the remedy in our Lord Jesus Christ that faith in him by grace alone will prove most blessed in their cases we ask that you would forgive us now for all of our sins and all of our unrighteousness again we pray that your spirit would guide us and lead us and direct us and we pray through Christ our Lord amen well remember we're in Tuesday are on Tuesday in the Passion Week our Lord Jesus in a series of confrontations with the religious leaders that had begun in chapter 21 verses 23 to 27 they specifically asked him concerning his authority then Jesus gives three parables to highlight the guilt of the religious leaders and thus of all Israel and then there is this series of confrontations three questions posed by his opponents and then I did not read but the last section is we hopefully will consider next week as a question directed by our Lord to his opponents concerning the identity of David's son the Messiah so we take up this morning the lawyer and the Great Commandment and verses 34 to 40 and I want to look at it under two considerations first the question posed by the lawyer in verses 34 to 36 and then secondly the answer provided by the law giver in verses 37 to 40 note first with reference to the question we ought to refresh ourselves concerning the setting verse 34 but when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees remember Pharisees and herodians had asked him about the payment of taxes then come the Sadducees and they asked him concerning the resurrection Jesus successfully shot both parties down he successfully and wisely answered both those questions and with reference to the Sadducees the Pharisees even marvel at his ability to do this and we see that underscored in verse 34 when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they were unable to respond they were unable to come back they were unable to give a report concerning well you just don't understand they are speaking to wisdom himself they are speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ and he is obviously able to confound them and so the Pharisees heard that and they gather together and it's interesting because we see this language use this gather together it mimics the language of the psalter in Psalm 2 and perhaps Matthew is bringing that to bear on this particular situation in Psalm 2 at verse 2 we read and the rulers take counsel together the fact that Christ is referred to specifically in the following section may me may make this an obvious statement that Matthew is reminding us that in us in the Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ the rulers not just political but as well the ecclesiastical the religious rulers take their counsel together they oppose your way they opposes Christ they want to rid this world of it they want to cast away his fetters they want to throw off that moral government of God Almighty as well when we consider this particular setting we ought to consider it in Mark's Gospel you'll notice if you read this passage along side of the parallel in mark there's a couple of differences not contradictions but differences that reflect the author's intent in mark there's no mention whatsoever of the the Pharisee testing Jesus and as well after Jesus responds the Pharisee or the lawyer specifically identified in mark as a scribe says you have answered well and then Jesus as you are not far from the kingdom so it's far more positive in mark I think the Carson wisely observes that what's going on in mark is that the author is focusing on the confrontation between Jesus in the scribe what Matthew is doing is showing us the larger context that it's the Pharisees who are over this it is the Pharisees who send this lawyer to task Jesus it is the Pharisees along with the Sadducees along with the elders along with all the other religious leaders there in Israel that are opposed against or opposed to our Lord Jesus now note the question he's identified as a lawyer doesn't mean he's Judge Judy does not mean that he occupies the People's Court lawyer here has to do with being skilled in the Mosaic law as I said he's identified as a scribe in the parallel and Mark Matthew highlights the fact that he is in a skilled interpreter of the Mosaic law as one lexicon defines he is a lawyer and expert in the law a man learned in the law of Moses that is a scribe belonging to the Pharisaic party so in the first dispute Pharisees and herodians concerning an issue that is political in nature certainly has theological ramifications in the second dispute the Sadducees asked a question about eschatology or the resurrection the study of last things here a pharaoh say 'ok lawyer comes to ask him concerning neurology the study of the law it has to do very specifically with Christ's interpretation of the Old Testament law as a rabbi in Israel and note his motivation he is testing him again he's not trying to find the truth he is not trying to have a dispute or debate that is healthy in nature that seeks truth as its end game no the Pharisees along with the Sadducees along with the other religious leaders are opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ in fact the Pharisees here would have sided with Christ on his answer to the Sadducees but a side with the Sadducees in their opposition to the Living God to the Lord Jesus Christ they hate him they despise him they've been plotting against him they want to seek his ruin Christ identifies this in chapter 22 at verse 18 why do you test me this testing has been presented in in Matthew chapter 16 this testing first arises in Matthew's Gospel in the wilderness in Matthew for the devil himself tests Jesus when he's out in the wilderness this is wicked man trying to disrupt the savior of sinners who has come on his particular mission now note his question he says teacher which is the Great Commandment in the law might wonder why he would ask that particular question according to the literature this was a hot topic in rabbinic debate in fact outside of the Bible there is a written document concerning rabbis and their discussions and they summarized 11 principles concerning the law from psalm 15 six principles concerning the law in Isaiah 33 15 and 16 three principles concerning the law and Micah 682 principles in Isaiah 56 one and one in Amos five and one in Habakkuk two they wanted a summary they wanted a succinct statement there's an account of a particular rabbi who was asked to stand on one leg and explain the law while he was standing on that one leg in other words summarized it which is the greatest which is the heaviest which is the most significant and this was a rabbinic discussion things concerning weightiness and and light things concerning a small and great in fact in 23 23 when Jesus condemns the religious leaders he say you says you tie the mint in the annison the cumin but you have neglected what the weightier matters of the law which are justice mercy and faith if you take the Old Testament there are 613 commands 240 of eight of them are positive in nature do this 365 are negative that means they are prohibitions so it is on the one hand a legitimate question how do we summarize how do we boil this down how do we bring this to bear but the intention of this particular lawyer is to try to expose Jesus as a fraud you see Jesus has put in another difficult position you can't make everyone happy can you Jesus affirms this law he's going to make those who think that law is more important upset if Jesus affirms that law then he's going to make this group more upset fact France says any answer must risk pleasing some at the expense of alienating others like when your wife says does this dress look good it is this one look good well don't ask me honey because I don't think it's going to go well these are difficult questions these are hard things I don't want you to smack me if I answer poorly France says any answer must risk pleasing some at the expense of alienating others and therein perhaps is the element of task from an unsympathetic dialogue partner particularly in view of the suspicion already noted in 517 that Jesus had gone to abolish the law it's not the context of the Sermon on the Mount before Jesus gets into the nuts and bolts as pastor kim read this morning Jesus deals with hermeneutics in Matthew 5 17 to 20 do not even begin to think that I've come to abolish the law I didn't come to abolish yet but rather I've come to a firm at or fulfill it the Lord Jesus Christ was looked at with suspicion he's a new rabbi in Israel in the first century certainly we have to test his mettle certainly we have to know that he's in line with Moses certainly he has to pass muster or we will condemn him France goes on to say if Jesus differed radically from mainstream Jewish orthodoxy this question ought to reveal it see you see on the one hand which is the Great Commandment in the law the other hand it opens up Jesus again to this charge that he isn't the sort of man that we want as a rabbi let alone save your now know the answer provided by the lawgiver we'll look at it under two considerations first the answer itself and then the implication note the answer again Jesus doesn't need my affirmation of his brilliance and of his wisdom but he is brilliant than he is wise we see continually between these car in these confrontations the wretchedness of these religious leaders and we see the wisdom of Christ remember back when he told them to take out that coin from their pocket and say whose inscription is on it well then give it to him it's a beautiful statement isn't it render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render under go under God what are gods I mean just amazing right the Sadducees you do err not knowing the scripture is nor the power of God and he explains the power of God in the resurrection he explains the scriptures from the burning bush in Exodus 3 I mean just brilliant isn't he and here's the same thing the sublime answer a two-fold answer if you will our Lord Jesus underscores which is the Great Commandment in the law our Lord quotes from Deuteronomy 6 5 he says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind if you read Deuteronomy 65 you'll see there's a bit of difference at the end where Jesus says mine Deuteronomy 6 5 says strength and if we ask the question why I can point you to several pages of answers that would really be unprofitable to bring to you right now but perhaps Jesus is underscoring the whole idea of intellect you see with reference to the Hebrews with reference to the the Hebrew language the word heart contain the notion of mine you hear that in Christianity often you say well there's this disconnect between the heart and the mind the mind and the heart had in the heart that's not in the Bible it's not the case that we affirm stuff up here and then we do good things from here though in the Bible we see that internal part of man is oftentimes lumped together there is the flesh and there is that which is spirit soul heart mind whatever you want to call it or identify but the Lord Jesus Christ points him to the Shema and shema simply means listen or here it's the first word in Deuteronomy 64 hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind is what Jesus says mark's gospel records the inclusion of verse for this was the fundamental confession of faith among the Jews it was recited morning and evening and touching on that whole subject of heart religion the Old Testament the Bible as a whole everywhere has always held forth heart religion the Shema hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one how do you respond to this one God you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind it's not the case that that the Old Covenant religion was simply external or simply formal no that's what it had been reduced to in the hands of ungodly men but they were always called the love him from the heart just like in the New Covenant we're called to love him from the heart you are simply going through religious motions if you are simply an external lyst if you are simply a formalist you are not what God calls you to be notice very specifically with reference to the recitation here you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind Jesus underscores this is the first and Great Commandment you want to know what's most important in your life love to God right well I wouldn't have thought of that yes you better have loved to God is everything because he is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 he is infinitely worthy of praise and worship and adoration so when our Lord is pressed which is the Great Commandment in the law he goes right to the Shema hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is wanting you shall respond to this Lord God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind don't give him your leftovers don't show up at church falling asleep don't show up at his sacrifices with the lame and the blind and the maimed don't say well I'm going to give the leftovers to god I'm going to include God at the end of the month no he is infinitely worthy of all that you are of all that you have you shall love in with your heart you shall love him with your inner man you shall love him completely and totally she'll love him with your soul you shall love him with your intellect well if ever a word needed to be preached to an anti-intellectual age where Christianity is seen in this this light that we almost have to be idiots to be worshippers of the Living God the best worshippers are those who know their God those who understand those who engage the intellect those who love him with their minds those who present themselves on to him as living sacrifices body and soul everything given unto the service of our great God so Jesus here highlights this first and Great Commandment and there are several things we ought to consider with reference to Deuteronomy 6 4 and 5 in the first place it is a theological confession Yahweh is the true and the Living God he is unique and incomparable hear o Israel the Lord our God is one he's not a competitor with these pagan gods he's not just a little bit better than bail he's not just a little bit better than Moloch he's not just a little bit better than you or angels the Lord our God is one he is unique and incomparable he is in a class and a category all by himself listen to Gil's comments and ask the question do I think of God like this he says the doctrine of which is that the Lord who was the covenant God and father of his people Israel is but one Jehovah it's another name for God we might say Yahweh we might say Jehovah those two words depict the four-letter description of God given to us in the Old Testament Yahweh or Jehovah simply a name that is given to describe God as he reveals himself at the burning bush so Gil goes on to say he is Jehovah the being of beings a self existent being you understand that you are always derivative you always depend apart from God you perish there's nothing outside of God by which if it ceases he perishes he is self-existent it's nothing outside of God that he depends upon to supply God air or God food or God blood or God life or oh god is self-existent he says eternal and immutable that means he's unchangeable and he is but one in nature and essence this appears from the perfection of his nature his eternity omnipotence omnipresence infinity goodness self-sufficiency and perfection for there can be but one eternal one omnipotent one omnipresent one infinite one that is originally and of himself good oneself and all sufficient and perfect beating and which also may be concluded from as being the first cause of all things which can be bought one and from his relief relations to his creatures as their King ruler governor and lawgiver you see our Lord Jesus points us to a statement that concerns theology second the statement is practical hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God is that beautiful you love that word your chill of Thomas's confession and John 2028 when he lays hi eyes on the resurrected Christ what does he say he says my Lord and my god he doesn't say the Lord and the God that others have talked to me about he doesn't say the Lord in the god that others have written about but he sees Christ and he says my Lord and my god what is the Apostle Paul say concerning our beloved Jesus and in Galatians dudes wanted he talks about the fact that Jesus loved me Paul says and gave himself for me and back in the Shema this personal element is underscored you shall love the Lord your God he is your God Israel he has brought you out of bondage Israel he has brought you to the plains of Moab Israel he is going to bring you into the Promised Land Israel he is going to protect you he is going to govern you he is going to guide you he's going to watch over you he is going to direct you he is your God as well it is a practical confession it describes our response to this God hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one okay what do we do with that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind in some with every fiber of your being isn't it intriguing that were to love our neighbors as ourselves we're not to love God as ourselves we're not to love God as our neighbor we're to love God as it were that he's in a different class a different category we love him with every fiber of our being if you love yourself with all your heart soul and mind you're a wretch and an idolatry suddenly you should have a bit of self love you don't put your hand in the fire you don't put your head under a guillotines blade you don't ingest poison you don't do those sorts of things because you love yourself but you don't worship yourself you're to worship God but living in the true God this is a practical confession a personal confession and one yields obedience from his children unto him in terms of love and as well I would submit is it is a logical confession by the time we get to Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 and 5 what is Yahweh done for Israel what has your way done for Israel he has brought them out of the house of Egypt out of bondage he brought them through the Red Sea he brought them through the wilderness he brought them to the plains of Moab he defeated all of their enemies he set them poised on those planes just about to enter into the Promised Land Moses would die God raises up Joshua to bring them into the promises he had done all this isn't it logical isn't it rational isn't it reasonable that to a God who has done everything for us we respond by loving him with all of our heart soul and mine isn't this Paul's emphasis in Romans chapter 12 he says therefore by the mercies of God beloved brethren I beseech you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice unto God which is your reasonable or your logical or your rational or spiritual service based on Romans 12 11 based on the fact that you are liable justly to God's punishment wrath and curse God sent forth his son to die to rise again and God gave you grace to to believe on him and God gives you the spirit to keep you and preserve you God has promised to bring bring you to glorification based on Romans 12 11 does Romans 12 1 and 2 surprise us should it make us go wow that's just unwarranted why would God want me to dress up and to be happy and and to be well-adjusted and and to worship him as he is as he is do why would he do that it's rational it's reasonable it is fit it is just at his right based on the fact that he's pulled you out of the slave market of sin he's given you a righteousness that is not your own he has given you the forgiveness of sins brethren we ought to be here with bells on we ought to be here with crane joy and happiness why is it a struggle to to mumble through three hems on a Sunday morning but it's not a struggle to give our energies and our attention and our our whole heart and our soul in our mind to a hobby to another person to a particular pursuit that in and of itself isn't sinful but if you asked ever ask yourself the question why can I poor heart and soul and mind and an energy and strength and vitality into this why is it that when I come on a Sunday morning and if I dare come back on a Sunday night I can scarcely stay awake you haven't caught the connection you haven't reckoned with the reality hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and by virtue of the fact that he is your Lord your covenant God that brought you out of the house of bondage therefore respond to him this way love him with all of your heart love him with all of your soul love him with all of your mind this is your rational service to the living and true God Jesus underscores that this is indeed the first and Great Commandment he doesn't stop there look at what else Jesus does he says in the second is like it by saying in the second is like it he highlights that it's important it's a value it's of worth you need to ponder this you need to consider this you need to hold on to this this isn't the first time that Jesus has cited this particular commandment he cites it in Matthew chapter 5 verse 43 he cites it in Matthew chapter 19 verse 9 Paul the Apostle sites in Romans in Romans chapter 13 Galatians 5 James calls it the royal law in James chapter 2 it is Leviticus 19 18 and 19 34 notes specifically what Jesus says and the second is lie you shall love your neighbor as your self now these two Commandments go together practically don't they don't they he's going to tell us they do upon these hang all the law and the prophets but consider them practically love to God love to man love to God is the spring from which love to man flows if we don't have loved to God we won't have love to man that's why when you go back into the prophetic literature when you look at the writing prophets in Israel's history you will see that when they rejected God society was bankrupt morally when they resisted Yahweh when they're two when they turned their hearts to bail and to ashra and the Molech when they turn their hearts away from the living and the true God what happened in their society bloodshed sexual perversion all manner of wickedness and lawlessness Paul tells us the same thing is true in this new covenant setting in Romans chapter 1 before Paul gets to this catalogue of vices concerning the evils of man he saw it starts off with theology he says because that which was known about God was manifest to that but they did not honor God as God nor where their hearts thankful they reject God so what happens when they reject God they engage in all manner of lawlessness when it comes to society when you look at our society and you see abortion you see euthanasia coming down the pipe and you see sodomy and you see all manner of wickedness and self-righteousness and the things that people do under the guise of respectability understand that we have a theology problem understand that men are given over to perverted forms of sex because they have rejected the true in the Living God understand that connection you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself the two go together hand in hand without the former you don't have the ladder and if you don't have the ladder it indicates you don't have the former if you hate men if you despise men if you reject men if you do not love your neighbor as yourself then it evidences to us that you know nothing of the love of God because the two go hand-in-hand brethren in interpretation in summary this is what our beloved Lord Jesus Christ has taught us and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as your self again I hope you don't walk around kissing yourself and patting yourself on the back and parading yourself as a champion of morality and virtue and excellence and everybody ought to be more like me I mean I think that's our default setting I think that's probably how we all are but we managed to put a governor and a muzzle over our mouths so that we don't we don't you know let it flow out brethren self-love biblically defined isn't that it's not to fawn over oneself not to stand in the mirror and just gaze longingly and lovingly I mean if you do that you've got big problems there is a legitimate self-love Paul tells husband's they love their wives as themselves why because there is this one flesh union that has developed how do we love each other Matthew 7 treat people the way you want them to treat you isn't that an expression of self love I'm going to treat you the way that I want you to treat me I'm not going to cut in line at the border because I wouldn't want you to do that to me I'm not gonna you know leave the bathroom a mass because I wouldn't want you to do that to me that's the self-love that's in view here that's the standard by which we love creatures you see again with reference to God at far excels that with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind with every fiber of your creaturely be a give it to God when it comes to men treat them the way that you want them to treat you now note our Lord's implication the verse 40 he says on these two Commandments hang all the law and the prophets I submit that these two words summarize the Ten Commandments these two laws Deuteronomy 65 Leviticus 19 18 are a summary statement of the decalogue dekha means 10 log means word if you ever hear me say or pastor can say decalogue it is a reference to the Ten Commandments you see what Christ is doing here we all know this from our catechisms I hope we all know this from preaching I hope what is the first table of the law about our duty toward God we can summarize that by saying our love to God what does the second table of the law indicate it is our duty toward men or our love for men you see how that works Jesus takes these two Deuteronomy 65 Leviticus 19 18 and he summarizes the Ten Commandments he summarizes the Decalogue what would this do to his opponents what would this do to the Pharisaic lawyer that asks him the question it would shut his mouth Jesus is answered masterfully he is not anti Moses he's not an antinomian he is not an EO nome ian he has not come to radicalize or to individualize or to do awake now Jesus has come to fulfill to confirm to affirm Christ silences enemies in fact in Mark's Gospel it says that after this they went away and dare not question him anymore you see it's a brilliant answer he upholds the abiding validity of the moral law of God the Ten Commandments given at Sinai repeated on the plains of Moab and in play in the New Covenant our beloved Lord Jesus Christ does in this statement affirm the blessedness and the reality of God's holy law it affirms or confirms what he does in Matthew 5 remember I did not come to abolish but I came to fulfill and then he gives that whole lists of practical concrete applications pastor Porter read last week in the week before you've heard that it was sad to those of all but I say to you pastor Porter properly pastor Porter properly pointed out that there was no problem between Jesus and Moses there it's between the Pharisees and the corruption that had come to the word when Jesus says you have heard that it was said to those of all he's not saying by Moses he's saying by Moses perverted interpreters such that when he says but I say to you he's not correcting Moses he's correcting the perverted interpreters the Lord Jesus Christ has no problem with the moral law the Lord Jesus Christ is the giver of the moral law according to his deity according to the form of God our beloved Jesus is law Giver I mean talk about an unfair fight this lawyer this Pharisaic lawyer comes to the lawgiver himself and asks for help or tries to test him on interpretation be like me coming into your workplace and seeing something that you've orchestrated beautifully and me saying trying to test you well you know you built that this way why well let me just tell you he's talking to the lawgiver himself and the Lord Jesus gives him this beautiful answer and underscores reality God's abiding law our confession says concerning the morning law of God in chapter 19 paragraph seven as it talks about the uses of the law it says neither are the aforementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel but do sweetly comply with it so the Lord Jesus in conclusion in summary effectively answers the question posed to him by this Pharaoh saying lawyer he shuts his mouth as I said after that no one dared question him mark 1234 be well as we draw out a few concluding thoughts in the first place let us not forget the context of confrontation this is the Tuesday of the Passion Week the disputations begin in Matthew 21 they will end at the end of chapter 25 what Jesus will do after these confrontations after these disputes with these religious leaders the Lord Jesus will return to Bethany on the Tuesday evening the Lord Jesus will sit upon a hill and the disciples will ask Jesus about that temple that is standing and then Jesus will by way of prophecy say the very same things that he says by way of parable in Matthew 21 and 22 our lord jesus meets the wretchedness of these religious leaders with great wisdom with a prophetic word and with the ability to shut their mouths and silence them by answering effectively concerning the payment of taxes concerning the resurrection the age to come concerning this whole issue of which is the Great Commandment the first of the commandments and our Lord Jesus will in turn put them on the horns of a dilemma God willing we'll see that next week when he asks them concerning the identity of mice Messiah the second place we ought to make an observation concerning the law you will notice that we hold to the law this is why we are reformed Baptists we're not dispensational Baptist we're not some sort of Baptist that reject a major portion of God's Holy Word visa vie the Old Testament we see the fighting validity of God's law that includes all Ten Commandments brethren typically were pretty good hopefully with the third verse 3 and the last seven that fourth one though we we could all use a shot in the arm with reference to the Sabbath you attend and some of you are members of a reformed baptist church our confessional standards haven't changed they reflect accurately what the Bible teaches if you need a rehearsal or you need a refresher take a confession home log on to our website find chapter 22 and read reformed Baptists hold to the law of God as taught by the Lord Jesus as taught obviously by Moses as affirmed and confirmed throughout the entirety of the Bible we see that our Lord here confirms the validity of the moral law the Lord Jesus is not an antinomian aunty means against know me and means the law he has not anti law now certainly we don't teach law for salvation we'll deal with that in a moment but after we've been justified freely by His grace what does Jesus then do he points us to the law as a pattern of sanctification as a rule of life how do I know what it is to love my brethren Paul tells me in Romans 8 Romans 13 he cites from the Old Testament law don't murder your brethren that's a proof that I don't love you that I love you I haven't brought a gun in and murdered all of you that's a proof that you love me see love in our minds gets all fuzzy and feeling and emotive now I'm not saying fuzzy feeling in a motive or wrong fact husband's make sure you got to get a bit good bit of dose of fuzzy feeling a motive in your love for your your beloved sometimes we get that as our definition Hollywood or the latest romance novels or or society dictates what love is look at Paul in Romans 13 let's listen to Paul when he tells us how it is the church is to love one another Romans a 13-8 oh no one any thing except to love one another for he who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments you shall not commit adultery you shall not murder you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness you shall not covet and if there is any other commandment we're all summed up in this saying namely you shall love your neighbor as yourself that may lack the feeling and the the motive and the the vibrancy of you know a stack of flowers or a cup of coffee or or some other tangible expression those things aren't wrong those things have their place to be sure but brethren do you see that that obedience to God's law is what love is conversely how do we love God with all our heart with all our soul and with all our mind don't put other gods before him try that don't put yourself before him don't put your pursuits before him don't put your comfort of your ease before him you know another way that you can love God with all your heart soul and mind don't make idols don't be an idolaters don't try to picture the true in the Living God because you will always fail and you've been strictly forbidden to do so you know another way that you are to love the Lord your God with your heart and soul and mind don't blaspheme his name you say well I'm pretty good with my tongue I don't ever say those bad words we can blasphemes got a blaspheme God's name by our actions remember that statement from Nathan when he reboots David concerning his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah what does Nathan say by this you have given claws to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme Sabbath I got to say when my kids were young and even now as their older you know how I know that I'm valued by them when they spend time with me it's great just like to be with you dad what's the fourth commandment God says spend time me what a gracious command spend time with me he's not saying you know go stand in the corner ingest strychnine he's saying spend time with the one who's altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand I'm surprised that all churches aren't sabbatarian and their confession and practice I mean what a blessing command if you ever teased out some of the commands of Scripture and paralleled them with the pagans God commands us to be happy oh what a harsh taskmaster huh rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice Paul says God takes your joy seriously he takes your rest your sanctification and your blessing seriously so he's given you the fourth commandment he truly is blessed to be sure the Lord of Christ summarizes the Decalogue in these two words and therefore we conclude that what he summarizes abides as well in other words if he summarizes the Decalogue and says that this summary statement is binding upon persons then we conclude that that which it summarizes is binding upon persons and it's in a most sublime in a most beautiful and most excellent way love to God love to men listen to rile how simple are these two rules and yet how comprehensive how soon the words are repeated and yet how much they contain how humbling and condemning they are how much they prove our daily need of mercy and the precious blood of atonement happy would it be for the world if these rules were more known and more practiced now that we've established the abiding validity of God's law let's look at it with reference to believers you know what you're supposed to do as a brother or sister in Christ under a sovereign god you're to love God and love man it's just summarized in a neat little package and again teased out for you in the entirety of the decalogue you know not left with guesswork you're not left scratching your head trying to develop ways to love God to love man God's told you what you're supposed to do the Brethren hear the demand of the tax you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind we ought to examine ourselves in light of such text we ought to consider our state before a living God with reference to such tax ask the question of ourselves am i loving God with all my heart or have I fall into this rut of an external form if I fallen into this rut where my religion is simply showing up or going through motions if I lost the heart not restore to me the joy of thy salvation lord give me a fresh understanding of what it is to love you with my heart my soul I think that defines the entirety of our being goddamn I a divided man am I a divided woman have I put other things on on par with you or on a level with you is my heart my soul my affections my will my desires my my very being is it being being spread thin or or am i focusing upon this that's true and living God with my mind why aren't we in our Bibles why aren't we growing in knowledge why aren't we understanding more why aren't we committing the Word of God to our minds and hearts why aren't we hiding it there so that we might not sin against him why aren't we using on texts why aren't we rolling them about why aren't we be holding our God as he's revealed to us in this book certainly take a walk out of nature and beauty and see the glory of God displayed in the creation but brethren don't miss the glory of God displayed it in revelation listen to Spurgeon he says who can render to God this perfect love none of our fallen race salvation by the works of the law is clearly an impossibility for we cannot obey even the fur commandment there is one who has obeyed it and the obedience of Christ is reckoned as the obedience of all who trust him being free from legal condemnation they seek ever after to obey this great and first commandment by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within them seeing the final analysis that's what you've been saved for is to love God with all your heart all your soul with all your mind and you need to love your neighbor as yourself if neighbor then certainly brother in turn to first John I said these two Commandments go hand in hand I think John teases this out beautifully vividly and shows us how important it is that as those who profess love to God there must be love two men men in general Jesus teaches that even enemies are considered neighbor in Matthew 5 men in general to be sure you ought not to treat unbelievers in a godless way the Brethren certainly in the household of God certainly in families there that are lovers of God certainly husbands two wives and wives two husbands and parents to children and children to parents look at what John says concerning the supreme value of love in terms of our relationships notice in 1st John to at verse 9 he who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now he who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him but he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness is blinded his eyes notice in 3 13 to 15 do not marvel my brethren if the world hates you we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren what John says we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren this is a sign a marker and evidence remember I said the absence of the ladder love to man shows the absence of the former John validates that John highlights that we know we have passed from the darkness we love brethren you don't love them like i should I don't love them the way I I hope to one day but I I love them and i'm seeking by the grace of God not to violate the second table of the law with reference to that I love this brother I'm not going to murder him whether it physically or in my heart i love this brother i'm not going to commit adultery with his spouse whether physically or in my heart i love this brother i'm not going to steal from him i'm not going to bear false witness against him i'm not going to covetous i love this brother i know that i've passed from death to life because I i love brethren i'm not saying just I me all of us and notice as well in for 20 and 21 if someone says I love God and hates his brother he is what he's a little inconsistent he's lost his way a bit no he's a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen how can he love God whom he has not seen and this commandment we have from him that he who loves God must love his brother also again Royal makes this observation we cannot have fruits and flowers without roots we cannot have loved to God and man without faith in Christ and without regeneration and I love what he says here the way to spread true love in the world the way to spread true love in the world is to hold signs that say hashtag love each other and take a picture and put it on Instagram Facebook and Twitter all right it's the way bite by gathering neighbors and joining down there and in center square the five five corners they're holding hands and engaged in a nice rousing bit of kumbaya de that will promote the love of man damn man in society listen to royal we cannot have fruits and flowers without roots we cannot have loved to God and man without faith in Christ and without regeneration the way to spread true love in the world is to teach the atonement of Christ I wish every church in the world would read Royal here I would only object to one thing I'd say teach and preach we need to preach the atoning work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit what produces love not rousing tunes of kumbaya not hashtag love one another but a crucified and a risen Savior blood atonement washed purified justified sanctified with the promise of glorified the power of the Holy Spirit spread abroad in our hearts so that we love one another that's what's desperately needed and for the final observation before we leave this text or this law or this summary or statement concerning the law and the unbeliever you are supposed to love God with all your whole heart with all your soul and with all your mind and you're supposed to love your neighbor as yourself it's not just a Christian word but God commands this of all creatures and beloved that you're supposed to render or the obedience that you're supposed to show is supposed to be perfect it's supposed to be exact it's supposed to be entire and it's supposed to be personal that's scary isn't it I hope you're thinking with me right now I hope you if you are not a believer in Christ this morning are starting to think wait a minute if I'm supposed to love God twenty-four-seven with heart soul and mind and I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself I don't do those things i love the Heidelberg catechism 325 how do you come to know your misery the law of God tells me what does God's law require of us Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22 love God love man can you live up to this too this perfectly no I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor now that may be offensive to you that may rub against your delicate sensitivities you may be sitting here at the free grace baptist church on april third 2016 two women I don't love God I don't hate God and I don't hate my my neighbor I may not love him as i ought and i may not love my neighbors as I odd but but I don't hate them let's just look back at that law that these to summarize is there something between you or something before God in your life yes are you an idolatrous mean you bow to sticks and stones and boulders it means you bout anything that isn't God yes are you a blasphemer well I try to tame my tongue try isn't good enough it must be perpetual it must be exact it must be entire it must be personal obedience and if in your tongue you don't curse the name of Christ in your actions you most certainly do so check what about sunday well I get church over and I go do whatever I want check what about insubordination to lawful authority how are you toward your parents check what about a murder well I've never actually cut someone's throat or gun someone down from the clock tower but you've hated them in your heart without cause check what about adultery young men young women shall we even begin to accept examine this commandment not just young and all everybody what about it seventh commandment oh yeah I'm upright I'm holy it's perfect its exact it's in tires but how about we just go ahead and say check what about theft well I don't go into walmart and steal things do you steal from your employer I wonder how many minutes how many hours how many week how many months how many years have been stolen from hapless employers who trust their employees what about lying well I try to tell the chin with the try right you try try hard do you do it apart from the power of the Holy Spirit the atoning blood of Jesus but let's go ahead and throw a check up there for lying what about coveting remember that rich young ruler teacher what good thing should I do to inherit eternal life Jesus says you know the commandments Jesus rattles off the second table of the law except for the tenth what does a young man say all these things I'd kept from my youth what one thing do I lack Jesus brings the tenth go sell all of your possessions give the money to the poor and follow me what happened he went away sorrowful because he was a covetous wretch he broke God's law the point of this exercise is to show you something you are a sinner and you stand in need of the Savior the one of whom Spurgeon says there is one who has obeyed it love to God love to man and the obedience of Christ is reckoned as the obedience of all who trust him sometimes in the Christian Church we use language that's not always easily deciphered by those outside the Christian Church reckoned simply means given to you the beauty of Jesus Christ is that he did what God commands perfectly exactly entirely personally and for others that he did that always that he went to the cross and died as a sacrifice and a substitute that heroes the third day such that any and all who look to him in faith will receive the forgiveness of sins and that righteousness that avails with God it is reckoned to their account any believer you see here this morning isn't going to heaven because of their perpetual exact entire and personal obedience they're going to heaven because of Jesus per pet exact entire and personal obedience it's because of what Christ has done by grace through faith in him believe in him and you receive the benefits that he secured for all those whom the father had given him so listen to me and listen closely these to show you your sent these to show you your misery these to show you your brokenness before a holy and an awesome God but look to the one who is able to save you to the uttermost look to the one even Jesus Christ our Lord who saves broken bruised and battered sinners when they by grace look they live will let us pray our Father we thank you for your Holy Word and we thank you for our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ and what a glorious gospel we have what good news this is for sinners we ask that this word would be proclaimed throughout the earth that the atonement of Christ the power of the Holy Spirit these things would take root and the hearts of men women boys and girls and we pray that for our meeting here this morning that you would save sinners and for us as your people those who by grace have believed help us to love you as we ought God and help us to love our neighbor help us to love our brothers help us to love our family members in a way that truly is glorifying to you our God go with us now we pray and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen meditation you