Loving God And Loving Your Neighbor

This summer, I'm going to do a couple little mini-series. The first one is about loving God and loving others. I'm not sure what the second one is going to be quite yet. I have an idea. This fall, I hope to take us through the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians together. So we'll begin that in the fall.

But the next couple of weeks, I want us to think about the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor. So we'll spend some time in that area, praying that the Lord will use that to make us more faithful followers of Christ. And so if you would, would you bow with me in prayer and again express our dependence on God and his spirit to accomplish his word in our lives.

Let's pray. Father, we now come to you with open hands, asking you to work in our lives. For many of us, we've gotten used to this whole, this very common activity of listening to sermons. But we pray that even though it's common to us and we're used to it, that you would yet use the text of your word to bring conviction, this living word of God, to open our hearts, to reveal them to ourselves, and to give us hope in seeking to obey you by the power of the Spirit.

So help us now to gain understanding and help us to gain desire. To obey you. Help us, we pray, for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. What's the greatest good in the universe? What is so supremely valuable that you must pursue it?

Ask anyone and you get a whole variety of answers to that question. What is supremely valuable? Ask Rush Limbaugh. And you will hear that what is supremely valuable is personal liberty and individual freedom Ask the president and you might hear that the greatest good is safe borders and guaranteed jobs Ask your Amish neighbor and he might say that pursuing purity by remaining uncontaminated by the world is the most valuable thing. ask your neighbor and he might reply that what's the supreme value to him is a good easy prosperous life we live in a world that has competing values about what is supremely valuable now let's ask a disciple of Jesus let's ask you the answer to that question what would you say what would you say as a disciple of Jesus is the answer to the question what is of supreme value Well, Jesus doesn't leave us in the dark.

He tells us that. He tells us all about it. He tells his disciples what they should spend their life pursuing. And you find that in Matthew chapter 22, verses 37 through 40. So let's turn there together. You follow as I read these verses.

Matthew 22, well let's begin in verse 34 and read through verse 40. Matthew 22, verse 34. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, what is the great commandment in the law? 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.

This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. Now in the middle of a great controversy, Jesus reveals to his disciples what they should pursue with every ounce of their energy. Now remember that this is the middle of a controversial part.

That Jesus has made some extraordinary claims concerning the law and himself. And people are starting to ask the question, what kind of Messiah is this? What kind of Messiah is this Jesus? Had He not declared already that He was the final word from God? He was the final word in what God had expected. You remember in the Sermon on the Mount He goes through and He says You have heard that it was said but I say to you you have heard that it was said but I say to you You talk about wow about shaking up rattling people cages Here he's talking about, you've heard that it was said either in the law or other persons interpreting that law, but I'll tell you what God really means.

That's what he was claiming at that point. He had made some extreme statements, like, he was the Lord of the Sabbath. Well, the Sabbath was the most important commandment to the Jewish people. This is what set them apart from everyone else. And he's telling them, by the way, I'm the Lord of the Sabbath. I'll tell you what you can and cannot do on the Sabbath.

Wasn't he the one who said to the Pharisees that one greater than the temple was standing in their midst? How is that possible? The very heart of their worship, he's claiming to be greater than that. And so the question naturally comes to the top. Was this Messiah going to raise a band of followers who cared nothing for God and his commandments? Is that what kind of followers he's going to have?

They care nothing for what God has said? Well, the question is, do we care? We're disciples, right? Do we care what God has said? you know sadly many Christians are as clueless as their unbelieving neighbors because in this world of competing values they've not bothered to ask the question what is the greatest commandment they've not bothered to even reflect on what is of supreme value in this world and instead have imbibed what the world believes is of great value what is of greatest value what must we pursue what does Jesus demand of his disciples?

The first thing that he says here in verses 37 and 38 is you must love what is supremely valuable. You must love what is supremely valuable. Look at 37 and 38. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. God himself is supremely valuable.

In answer to the expert's question, what's the great command, Jesus quotes to him what they called the great Shema. The great Shema. Where is that found? It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 6. If you take a moment let turn back to Deuteronomy chapter 6 Deuteronomy 6 beginning in verse 4 Hear, O Israel. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. The great Shema it's called. It's called that because the very first word is the Hebrew word Shema, which is hear. Hear. Here, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.

This prayer was recited by every Jew twice a day. And so from the very start, God reveals that He is supremely valuable, that He is the one to be loved above all else. Now Jesus comes along and says that it is God and nothing else or anyone else that must claim our allegiance, that must claim our love. God above all must be supremely valuable to us. Now, can you see why loving God is of supreme importance?

Can you see that? Now, I know we've talked about this in the past, but it always bears repeating, and that is this. Is God being selfish here? Some of you are saying, yeah, I always wondered that, but you've never had the courage to actually say it out loud. Doesn't that make God selfish? if he says that you ought to love me above all else? Well, if I told you to love me above all else, then what would happen?

If I told you you have to serve me above everything else, you have to serve me and do everything for me, you would think I was selfish. You would probably get angry. No doubt you would be absolutely disgusted. Why? I mean, I don't understand why you'd have a problem with that. Why would you have a problem with that?

Well, here's why. Because you're... else is more important than me. Because your country is more important than me. Because your community is more important than me. And we could go on and on. There's tons of things a whole lot more important than me.

But the question is, if God is supremely valuable, then what? If he is more important than anything else, if he is the highest good in the universe. Now, if God Himself is the highest good in the universe, then there is nothing more valuable than Him, and He must command you to love Him. See, I'm not the most important thing in the universe, but God is.

He is. What would happen if God would say, you know, I'm not that important? Go after that. What would be true then? He'd be promoting idolatry, because He is the highest good. And so he has to command that of you.

He gives meaning to all other things. Everything finds its meaning in God. You ever thought that thought? When you go out and look at a tree, that tree is meaningless apart from God. Why? It's a creation of God.

It can't be understood in any other way than creation of God. Right? Everything gains its meaning from the person of God. And so we have to love Him above all else. We were created to love God because He is supremely valuable. So that is my greatest duty.

In fact, that's my greatest pleasure in life, is to love God. But sin entered the picture and destroyed that perfect relationship with its hostility and alienation and hatred. All of that entered the picture and so we turned away from God. Sin and Satan introduced the delusion that joy could be found not in God, but in something in creation. Something less than God.

Whatever it is. Satan's not choosy. Whatever he can get you to value supremely, other than God, he's won. Right? He's given us the delusion that our joy, our happiness, our meaning, whatever you want to say can be found in something else other than God What happens now Jesus came to destroy that illusion Jesus came to reconcile us to God Jesus came so that we would see God still as the greatest, most valuable person in the universe.

That's part of His mission. That He would dispel the delusion that our joy and our pleasure can be found ultimately in anything other than God to reconcile us to Him so that we would see how God really is. Right? To destroy the delusion. And having restored that relationship, then what has to happen? He comes to us and says what?

Love the Lord your God. Love Him. You see? You've been reconciled to Him. I've died so that you can listen and hear and obey that commandment to love the Lord your God and so he makes that demand love God with all that you are for all that he is well then the question comes what does it mean to love God I hope that sprung into your head what then does it mean to love God it means to seek your joy to seek your pleasure in God it means that God's glory becomes your supreme pleasure.

It becomes your supreme goal. God's glory is there. Your greatest joy is found. Let me put it this way. Your greatest joy is found when God's name becomes famous. Your greatest joy is found when God's name becomes famous.

Now again, I know I've told you this. Whenever I'm counseling with someone, I always want to get this point across what is our purpose in sitting down and talking what is the purpose of this what are we trying to accomplish if you think it's to change your circumstances there's nothing I can do about that if it's to change your spouse well only God can do that I can be a minister but what happens if he doesn't change what happens if she doesn't change are you doomed to a life of unhappiness? What is our goal?

Our goal is this. Matthew 5.16 That our goal And what is that What does that verse say Let your light so shine before men that they see what They see what Your. They see your good works and do what? And say, what a great guy you are. Isn't that what it says? No, it says this.

So therefore, let your light so shine before men that they see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. And I want to communicate this. Here's going to be our goal. That you become a follower of Jesus to such a degree that people are going to notice you, but they won't talk about you. They'll talk about your God. Now, does that resonate with you?

It resonates with me. It's like, God, that's what I want. I want people to look at me, and at the end of my life, I don't want them to say, you know, that Tim Pasmo was a really nice guy. We're going to miss him. I don't want them to say that. I want them to say, look at that guy.

If there was anybody like Jesus, it was him. That's what I want them to say. I want them to talk about God. I want them to talk about my Savior. And that's how you love God, do you see? Your joy is found when God's glory is magnified.

That's loving God. That's loving God. It's to seek your joy and your pleasure in God. What brings you the greatest delight in your marriage? What brings you the greatest delight in your marriage? Do you not find that your greatest delight is your spouse's joy?

In her reputation, in his reputation. I find great joy when Becca is happy. Now, don't take that wrong. But I find great pleasure when she has joy. And if I've had something to do with it, I'm very glad about that. You've all heard the story, but I can't help but tell you, I love this story.

I was in the bank one day. You remember my bank story? Right? Maybe some of you haven't heard it. Jan said to me one day, Dad, would you, you're going to town, you're going to Marion, right? I said, yeah.

Will you take my stuff to the bank? And I said, sure, sure. Well, he goes to a different bank than I do. I don know anybody in the bank that he banks in So I went in I handed over his stuff and the woman looking at his name looks up at me and looks down and says she knows I not yeah She says are you Tim Pasma I said, yeah. She says, are you the pastor of LaRue Baptist Church?

And I went, yeah, that's me. Yeah, got the right guy. And she says, your wife makes the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had. All right? Now, that should bring joy to my heart, right? Because her reputation has been enhanced.

That's what it means to love God. It means to so be caught with His glory that when people notice Him, that just gives you great pleasure. That's what it means to love God. So then love involves emotion. certainly, but it goes beyond emotion. It goes beyond emotion. Turn over to John 12 real quickly.

I want you to catch this. John chapter 12. Verses 27 and 28. Here's Jesus talking. He says this. now is my soul troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this hour but for this purpose I have come to this hour Father glorify your name then a voice came from heaven I have glorified it and I will glorify it again now do you see what's happening here does Jesus love God supremely yes he does but he is troubled He's looking forward and he sees that he's going to die.

And he's going to die under the curse of God himself. His emotions are in an uproar. Can you see it? I am troubled. I am troubled. But he treasures God's glory far more than the treasure of his own comfort.

Jesus loves God supremely how do I know that? because he didn't go with his feelings Our love for God certainly involves our emotion, but it goes beyond emotion. Do you ever watch Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as He agonizes, if you will, as He writhes there? And He is in such agony that He sweats blood. Why is He in agony? Because He's looking forward to the cross.

How do I know that Jesus loves God supremely and how do I know that he loves me? Because he didn't give in to his emotions at that moment. Love surpasses emotions. Oftentimes I tell couples who come to me for help, you know what your problem is? You don't love one another because you're letting your emotions get in the way. You don't love each other supremely.

You say, oh, you've done wrong to me. I'm not going to love you. Is that love? No, that's not love. Love says my emotions are in an uproar right now, yet I supremely value you, and I will still serve you. And so, to supremely love God, I'm going to find joy in the glory of God, even when it seems difficult, even when my emotions are in an uproar, I'm supremely going to pursue His glory more than the passing comfort that seems to offer itself to me.

Well then, how do you develop that kind of love? How do you develop that kind of love? And next week I'm going to spend the whole time talking about developing the love of God. But let's just get a sample today. Alright? Let's get a sample.

First of all, you have to know God. does that seem like is that a difficult concept? it's not is it? if you're going to love God you've got to know God if you don't know God there's nothing in your mind to awaken love many may have a vague attraction or some kind of unfocused gratitude it's just yeah I love God but if they don't know God it's not love for God Now I fell in love with my wife in the summer of 1975 which when I say that out loud seems like a long time ago Wait it was a long time ago And you know how I fell in love with her Through the social media of our day Letter writing. I would write her about every other day and she would write back, which was, to me, incredible. But she would write back.

And through that exchange of letters, we got to know one another. And that's when I began to love Becca. because I got to know her better. She opened her heart. She talked to me about what was going on in her life. And that awakened my love for her. And so it is with God.

You love Him when you know Him. But again, who took the initiative? God did. He reveals Himself in His Son. Do you remember what Jesus says to Philip? Remember, in John chapter 14, Philip says to him, Teacher, show us God!

And you can see Jesus going, Philip, Philip, have you been so long with me and you still don't get it? If you know me, you know God. Jesus is the perfect absolute pristine revelation of God and if you want to know God you have to know Jesus Jesus makes God more clearly and fully known than any other revelation so if you don't know Jesus you won't know God so if you're going to love God get to know God second, if you're going to love God you must be changed you have to be changed Now in Deuteronomy, where we read in our confession today, and in our scripture reading, and I just read Jesus quoting the Old Testament, and we looked at it, where God commands, you must love me with all your heart, soul, and mind.

I command you to love me. You know, in the very same book, in chapter 30, in chapter 30, verse 6, Moses says this, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live Do you see what he says there When you read the book of Deuteronomy which is like a sermon the book of Deuteronomy is Moses last address to the people of Israel. And basically he says to them, Love God!

That's the summation of Deuteronomy. Love God! But then every once in a while he says, and you're not going to. You can't. He says to do it. you won't do it. You know why?

You have stubborn hearts. That's why. And God says if you don't love him he'll take you in exile. It'll happen. It's amazing when you read these things. And he says to them you know what?

The Lord your God will someday circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love him. So what has to happen? God has to change you God has to change you loving God is not a mere decision you cannot leave here today saying well I guess I better love God more if you have an uncircumcised heart if you have a heart that still rebels against what God says if you have a heart that says I want my way not God's way God has to change your heart and Jesus by the way fulfills that prophecy of Deuteronomy chapter 30 He changes your heart so that God looks attractive to you.

He changes your heart so God looks attractive to you. His glory, His beauty compels your admiration. It compels your admiration. Again, God takes the initiative in Jesus to change your heart so that you will love Him. You have the ability to love Him. You're given the capacity to love Him. but he has to work.

That's so important to see. Our love for God can only be an answering love to his first love. Right? 1 John 4, verse 10. And this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And he says this love must be total.

When he says love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, he's not saying, okay, what does it mean to love God with your soul? Okay, what does it mean to love God with your heart? Okay, what does it mean to love God with your mind? No He trying to come at us from every angle right Soul heart and mind are all the same thing but they different aspects of the same thing In other words what he saying is there isn't one part of your humanity that ought not to be devoted to the love of God.

Every part of your humanity has to be devoted to the love of God. In some places it says, love Him with all your might. There he's talking about, love Him with everything that you have. All your possessions, love Him with those too. Total love for God. But notice that Jesus doesn't stop there.

He goes beyond what the expert had asked. He raises the stakes. They're going to trip Him up. They're going to fool Him. Jesus gives them the right answer. And then He raises the stakes with them.

He says, oh yeah, by the way, there's another one that's like that commandment. And it says this, verse 39. and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself you shall love your neighbor as yourself that's the second thing he says now Jesus takes as a given that you already love yourself Jesus does not command your love for yourself here he does not say I command you to love yourself he doesn't say that He assumes that you love yourself already. You know, there are some people who have imbibed the self-esteem, let's call it what it is, the self-esteem heresy, and they have said, you know, Jesus commands you to love yourself here.

And I look at it and say, no, He doesn't say three commands, does He? How many commands are there? Two. What are they? Love God, love your neighbor. as you love yourself. Listen, if you think you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else, you are stepping into a black hole because you will never, ever be satisfied with the love you pour on yourself.

You think there's got to be more. The problem, the Scripture makes clear, the problem is not that we don't love ourselves enough. The Scripture makes it clear that we love ourselves too much. And the problem, what does Jesus say? take up your cross. Crucify yourself. Crucify yourself.

Right? Take up your cross means kill yourself. And do what? Follow Jesus. Deny yourself, kill yourself, and follow Jesus. Stop thinking about you.

And follow Jesus. So, Jesus is not commanding here. He assumes that you love yourself already. And here is the measure of love for others. Alright? You all want to be happy.

You all want to live and to live with satisfaction. You want food for yourself. You want clothes for yourself. You want a place to live for yourself. You want protection from violence for yourself. You want meaningful or pleasant activity to fill your days.

You want some friends to like you and to spend time with you. You want your life to count for something. You have a deep longing to diminish pain and increase happiness. All of those things you want. I mean, I wasn't inaccurate there, was I? You want those things.

Well, as you long for nice clothes for yourself, Do you long for nice clothes for your... Do you long for your neighbor to have nice clothes? You say, well, actually, I haven't given it much thought. Exactly. Do you... As you work for a comfortable place to live, do you desire a comfortable place for your neighbor to live in?

Well, I don't know. That's a good question. Exactly. You see what Jesus is driving at? Do you seek comfort and security from calamity and violence? for your neighbor? Are you concerned about him in that way?

Do you seek, as you seek friends for yourself, do you seek friends for your neighbor? Do you even seek to be a friend to your neighbor? Do you want your life to count for something? Do you have the same desire for your neighbor to have that kind of significance? Do you love your neighbor like you love yourself? Do you see what Jesus is driving at?

When we say, actually, I haven't thought about that, Jesus is saying, exactly, that's the point I'm trying to make. But you see, it's not just the word as means more than just seeking for your neighbor the same things you have, but doing it in the same way. Doing it in the same way. If you're energetic in pursuing what you want, are you just as energetic for your neighbor?

Right when you see that he got a problem with his roof he got a hole in his roof and you think he probably uncomfortable in that house are you like saying, we've got to get that done. Are you? If you're creative in pursuing your own happiness, are you just as creative for your neighbor? Right? if you're persevering and pursuing your own happiness are do you persevere do you stay with it until your neighbor's happy do you see what jesus is driving at that's the kind of love we have to have for one another that's the kind of love we have to have for our neighbor love your neighbor as much as you love yourself and with the same intensity that you love yourself that's what he's saying.

That's what the Bible means. It's like, whoa, oh my, oh God. How can I possibly love in that fashion? How can I possibly love in that fashion? Again, I would say the love of God must first work in us, for this kind of love is supernatural. It's impossible, isn't it?

It's impossible without the grace of God. Remember what 1 John chapter 4 verse 19. Just note it. 1 John chapter 4 verse 19. We love. Why?

Because He first loved us. We love because He first loved us. Here's another way you develop this kind of love. You've got to see your neighbors the same way that God sees them. The same way that Jesus sees them. Until it happens, it's not going to be possible.

In Matthew chapter 9, you see Jesus standing there, and there's this huge crowd of people around him. And why are they there? Why is he standing in front of this huge crowd? Because they've come to get food. They've come to get healing. They've come to get what they want, right?

And when I read that passage, I think Jesus is standing before a bunch of users. They're just there to use him. Does he say, you bunch of users and losers? Don't you understand what I'm all about? All you want is food and health. Don't you get it?

What does it say? He says, he stands there and he looks at all these users and he says, they look like sheep without a shepherd Is that the way you look at everybody Right Is that the way you look at folks Do you see that person who a drunk who just making your life miserable who lives next door? Do you look at him and say, oh my goodness, oh, he is enslaved to that drink, he's enslaved to these things.

How awful. What a horrible life it must be. And your heart breaks with compassion? Is that what you... No. But you see, God's heart breaks.

Right? He breaks in compassion. He has mercy on those kinds of people. He opens wide His arms and He says, come to Me. Right? I'm going to give you rest.

Unless we have that. Unless we see people as harassed and scattered and without a shepherd, we're not going to love them. We're not going to love them. And by the way, we can love in this way if we seek to obey the first commandment. How so? What do we say?

You love God when you find pleasure in making His name famous. You love God when it resonates with you. I want to do something so people will talk about God. That's loving God. So here's the question. You see your neighbor needing help, and you're torn between going to the game and helping your neighbor.

Now here's the question. which one is going to make God's name famous. That's how you love your neighbor. That's how you love your neighbor. By the way, obeying this command is the greatest bridge for the Gospel. Loving your neighbor as yourself provides a great bridge for the Gospel. I grew up in a tradition, and some of you did too, some of you old folks, grew up in a tradition that said this, you know those liberals, those people who don't believe the Bible, They're out there.

They're doing good for people. But we're not like that. Oh no. We don't want to do good for people just so nice healthy people go to hell. No sir. We have the Gospel.

Let them do all the good works. We have the Gospel. We're out to save souls. Well the problem with that is right away, you're violating the second commandment in the Gospel. Which is to love your neighbor. But that's the tradition we grew up in. right? let those liberals take care of all that stuff we have the gospel well when you start loving your neighbor like that what happens they ask you why are you doing this Wide open door Because Jesus changed my heart and I love him and I want to love you.

So when you obey that commandment, you open the door wide for the gospel. Matt Carter wrote a book. He's a pastor down in Austin, Texas. He wrote a book called For the City, in which he tries to outline what he wants to do to reach Austin, Texas. And so being part of the Southern Baptist Convention, he goes to them, so I'd like you to support this ministry.

And they say, okay, tell us what model you're going to use. He's going, what? What's the model you're going to use? You're going to use church growth model? You're going to use this kind of model? And he goes, I never thought about that.

And so I started thinking about that. And he said, I'm going to follow Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle model. What was that? This was a guy who built orphanages, who helped widows, who did all kinds of things in a city that was dying. And that's how he reached the city. He says, that's my model.

That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to love my neighbor. So, love God, love your neighbor, last point Jesus makes, you have to understand that everything hinges on those two commands. What does he say? In verse 40. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.

Now in our hallway, going down to our little laundry room, we have all these hooks where we hang up everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. Sometimes I wonder how those hooks stay on the wall. But okay, so, you know, like I'm looking for something. Here's one hook. Sweatshirt, sweatshirt, apron, sweatshirt.

You right? Now, if that hook falls, everything on it falls to the ground. And that's exactly what Jesus is saying here. That's exactly what he's saying here. When he says the law and the prophets, that's their way of saying the whole Bible hangs on these two commandments. that is to say that all of scripture is supported by these two commandments love god love your neighbor drop your finger and i know you've heard me say this i'll say it again drop your finger anywhere in the bible just flip a page drop your finger there and read it And you will find something that addresses the issue of loving God, loving your neighbor, or both.

Anywhere. Drop your finger anywhere and it will deal with that. And what Jesus is saying here, unless you obey these commandments, everything else falls. Unless you love your neighbor, you know what it becomes? It becomes nothing but legalistic duty. I've got to do it.

I don't want to do it. That's not love. it all becomes nothing more than this dry withered kind of life but if you love God and love your neighbor if you have wholehearted loyalty to God and unquestioned care for your neighbor then you will be obedient to the commands of God therefore everything in life is related to these two commandments everything everything is related to those when you have that as the context then living under the commandments of God does not become a burden this is the way I love God this is the way I love my neighbor so are you ready and willing are you ready to ask God God help me to love you are you ready to ask God Lord would you please help me love my neighbor help me love my neighbor God your glory is so important to me that I want to love you with all my heart and my soul and my mind and Lord your glory is so important I want to love my neighbor in the way that you said if we belong to Jesus if we disciples of Jesus we know what is supremely valuable. And we ought to show the world what that is by our lives.

We know what it means to love our neighbor. We have to show the world that whatever they got to offer doesn't compare to the love that we have for people. God help us to be obedient to these two commands let's pray Father once more we come to you at the end of a sermon something that we're used to asking you to work what your word has said Lord I pray that we would leave here willing to think about this this whole week how am I loving God where can I grow and crying out to you Father oh help my love help me to love you and Lord as we lower our eyes and look around we see those who are around us we beg you to work in our hearts so that we will love them help us to think help us to reflect how can I grow how can I show love thank you for your word thank you for the hope that we have in Jesus for he loved you and loved us supremely and if we want to know how to do it we know where we can look help us then we pray so that we will be followers of Jesus showing the world what Jesus means we ask this in his name Amen