“The Greatest Commandment: Love In Action”

 The Book of Mark

Encountering The Miracles and Mission of Jesus Christ

Good morning friends. Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Good morning visitors. Welcome. Our church exists to reach the neighborhood of Lake Forest. Through that neighborhood holding nearly 3,400 people, 3,500 families, our church desires to reach the nations of the world for Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the one and only way to heaven. Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived among men, died a sinner’s death on a cross. His body placed in a borrowed tomb. Rising as He promised and as the prophets foretold on the third day. Today, this Jesus, our Lord, is seated at the right hand of the Father, the first born from among the dead. Jesus, holding all things together by the sheer might of His will. Jesus the Creator of all things. All things made by Him, for Him, and through Him according to the Apostle Paul. 

I share these truths this morning because we at Eastern Shore Baptist Church love our neighbors, no matter where they have been, where they are, or where they are going. ESBC loves our neighbors, no matter their race, nationality, ethnicity, or lifestyle. This church, God’s church, loves our neighbors no matter their social status, their religious affiliation or lack there of. We love our neighbors. 

I share these truths this morning because we at Eastern Shore Baptist Church love God. We love God because of His greatness, His glory, and we love Him for His gifts to us…His children. We love God because He first loved us and because He loves us we desire to imitate Him as dearly loved children. We love God because He sent His Son Jesus Christ, His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but rather have eternal life. We love God because He sent Jesus not to condemn the world. No! He did not send Jesus for those among us who are well. He sent Jesus to seek and save the sick, the lost, the broken, the destitute, the hurt, the forgotten, the betrayed, and the abused. He came for me. He came for you. 

We love our neighbors. We love God. 

'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. [30] And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' [31] The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Today’s Message:

“The Greatest Commandment: Love In Action”

Friends, today’s message is entitled “The Greatest Commandment: Love In Action”. We are in week 13 of a 20 week series entitled The Book of Mark, Encountering the Miracles and Mission of Jesus Christ. If you wanted to put a finer point on today’s message, maybe a thesis statement for today’s sermon, you could fill in the blanks under today’s thought…

Today’s Thought:

Our Calling As Christians…Cherish God and Care For Our Neighbors!

Our calling as Christians is to cherish God and care for our neighbors. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Just love God and love people. What happens though when God doesn’t do what we want Him to do? How do we react when God seems silent? How do we react when our loved ones are sick, when they suffer, when they die? How do we react when we pray and pray and pray and God does the very opposite of what we pray for? Is loving God easy then?

What about loving people? Sounds easy. How hard can that be? What about loving people that do not belong to your political party? What about people who dress in drag? Is it easy to love people who believe differently than you, who wave the rainbow flag, that present as a different gender. What about loving people who thumb their nose at God’s Holy Word? What about people that burn flags, spit on crosses, vandalize churches, or persecute Christians?

What about people that want to do harm to you or your family? People that hurt you? People that want to kill you? 

Does God really expect us to love them, forgive them, and show them mercy?

Luke 23:33-38 NLT

When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified-one on his right and one on his left. [34] Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. [35] The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. "He saved others," they said, "let him save himself if he is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One." [36] The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. [37] They called out to him, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" [38] A sign was fastened above him with these words: "This is the King of the Jews."

Well friends, there is your answer. As Jesus was mocked, beaten, and nailed to the cross, He cried out with forgiveness, mercy and love. He loved the very people who stole from Him as He was dying. He loved the very people that were killing Him. 

Amazing grace indeed. 

One of my most favorite authors ever is Oswald Chambers. How many of you have ever read his book “My Utmost For His Highest”? A great many of you have. Wonderful. Listen to what he says about loving God in his book. 

“Love for God and neighbor is the heartbeat of the Christian faith, the driving force behind genuine spiritual transformation. True love is not merely a feeling but a deliberate choice to put others before ourselves, to act in kindness and selflessness. This love reflects the very nature of God and is the essence of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.”

Today’s Quote:

“Love for God and neighbor is the heartbeat of the Christian faith, the driving force behind genuine spiritual transformation. True love is not merely a feeling but a deliberate choice to put others before ourselves, to act in kindness and selflessness. This love reflects the very nature of God and is the essence of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.”

-Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost For His Highest”

The essence of what it means to be a disciple of Christ is to put others before ourselves, to act in kindness and selflessness. 

Is that our world today? No. It is the opposite. 

Illustration:

The other day I heard a really funny story about two brothers. Kevin was 5 and his brother Ryan was 3. Their mom was making her world famous pancakes for breakfast on Saturday morning. Kevin and Ryan always looked forward to Saturday’s because their mom would make them pancakes. The two boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. The first pancake always had the most butter, the most syrup, and sometimes their mom would put whip cream and chocolate chips on the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here right now, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake; I can wait.” Kevin, the 5 year old, turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

Be Jesus indeed. 

Background and Context:

Brothers and sisters, before we read God’s Word together, can we take a few moments and talk about the setting. What’s really happening here? 

Picture this: Jesus is in Jerusalem, and it’s a whirlwind of questions and challenges from religious leaders, trying to trap Him in His words. Right before this passage, Jesus answers a tricky question about paying taxes to Caesar, and then amazes the crowd by turning the Sadducees’ challenge about the resurrection into a teaching moment about the power and wisdom of God.

Now, as we step into Mark 12:28-34, a scribe, impressed by Jesus’ wisdom, asks Him which commandment is the greatest. And here, Jesus gives an answer that resonates through the ages. He doesn’t just pull from one part of the law but unites them: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Imagine the crowd’s reaction—this isn’t just about religious duty but about a holistic, deep devotion to God and selfless love for others.

Following this, Jesus continues to teach in the temple courts. He challenges the understanding of the Messiah, pointing out how David calls Him “Lord,” and warns the people about the hypocrisy of the scribes. In the middle of these teachings, He also highlights a poor widow who gives all she has, contrasting her genuine faith with the hollow piety of the wealthy. In fact, we will cover that next week.

Friends I want to remind you this morning that…

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Mark 12:28-34 NLT

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" [29] Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. [30] And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' [31] The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." [32] The teacher of religious law replied, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. [33] And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law." [34] Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Pastor:

“This Is The Word of The Lord.”

Congregation:

“Praise His Name. Praise His Holy Name!”

3 Ways That We Can Keep The Greatest Commandment…

I. Pursue God vs. 30

So, friends, I want to take the words of Christ and make them applicable for you this morning. So, let’s answer this question, what are three ways that we can keep the greatest commandment? 

Fill in this blank for me this morning. 

Pursue God. 

Most of you know that I grew up in Montgomery, AL. From the time I was 10 years old till I packed my bags and went to college, I called Montgomery home. I am going to tell each of you something that my parents don’t even know about today. In fact, I don’t believe that I have even told my wife what I am about to tell all of you. Ok, here we go. 

When I was 19 years old, I had come home for the summer. I was only in town for a few weeks. My wife and I were not dating at the time. I had come home to spend some time with some of my high school friends that I had not seen in a while. I had driven over to Michael’s house and my other friends met us there. We were trying to figure out what to do and someone said, “let’s go to the dog track”. 

I had never been to the dog track. 

Just outside of Montgomery in Shorter, AL. is Victoryland. Yes, it was a casino and attached to the casino is a dog track. Now I am not going to ask any of you if you have ever been to a dog track but in my youth I was persuaded to go. I will tell you, at 19 I had absolutely no money to bet so no bets were made by your pastor. 

So, off we went. Down I-85 to the dog track. When we arrived, we made our way to the grandstand seats. We sat down and we started watching the dogs run and race. 

Dog racing is a lot like horse racing. They put the dogs in a pen. These are greyhounds by the way. By the way, do you know how fast a greyhound run? They run nearly 50 miles per hour. That is stunningly fast. You hear a countdown, tic, tic, tic, and then pow. The gun goes off. The pens open simultaneously, and out explodes these insanely fast dogs. Around the track they go. 

I noticed something though about those dogs. They were chasing something. At the side of the track was mechanical arm. At the end of the arm was a fake rabbit. That rabbit zipped around the track and the dogs chased the rabbit with all they had. Those dog didn’t care about anything else in the world. They didn’t care about the crowd. They didn’t care about the noise. They didn’t care about the people screaming in the stands. The dogs didn’t even care about each other. 

Their entire attention, their entire devotion, their entire being was focused on pursing that rabbit. Why? I imagine that the owners of the dogs gave them a prize if they were able to catch the rabbit. If they caught the rabbit, they won. If they caught the rabbit, they gained victory. 

Understand, that illustration is not a validation of gambling or dog racing, but it a good illustration. 

If you want to keep the greatest commandment, we must pursue God with our whole heart, our entire being, giving Him all of our focus. Pursing God means that we don’t care about anything else in the world. It means that we don’t care about the crowd. We don’t care about the noise. We don’t care about the people shouting at us, the noise makers, the haters, the people that stand against God. We pursue God because at the end of our race there is a prize. There is a mighty victory to be won and a crown of achievement awaiting us. 

Jesus gives us the greatest commandment from His memory of Deuteronomy 6:5, 

Deuteronomy 6:5 AMP

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].

You know friends, some of you have been Christians for a long time. Other’s of you are new to the faith. Let me give you some advice to pursing God. If you truly want to chase after God, if you truly want to pursue Him, start small and work out from there. Do you know what I tell young immature Christians? If you want to pursue God, come to church. Start there. Don’t try to read the entire Bible in a day. You will probably walk away from that experienced confused. Don’t try to memorize the entire book of James. You will probably walk away from that experience frustrated. Don’t try to pray for 10 hours straight. You will probably walk away from that experience exhausted. Just come to church. Rub shoulders with other believers. Be encouraged through worship and learn from God through Bible study. Start there and work out. 

No matter what, if you want to keep the greatest commandment, pursue God. 

3 Ways That We Can Keep The Greatest Commandment…

I. Pursue God vs. 30

II. Practice Love vs. 31

Next, if you want to keep the greatest commandment, practice love. Let’s reread verse 31. 

The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Sure Preacher, loving my neighbor is easy. He lives right next door. Sure, loving my neighbor is easy. My neighbor is like my family right? Easy. 

There is just one small problem with that way of thinking. Your neighbor essentially just turns into a mirror image of yourself. By loving your next door neighbor or by loving your own kin, you really are just loving people that look like you, think like you, act like you, and have the same opinions as you. That is easy love. It is cheap love. It is love that does not require sacrifice. 

Jesus upends our idea of who are neighbor is when He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus reminds us that our neighbor is anyone in need, even if that person is someone that we might consider an outsider. This type of love is a dangerous love. It is a love that requires us to not just love our friends, our family, it is a love that requires us to love our enemies. 

That is not an easy love. That is a hard love. That is a love that requires selflessness, self sacrifice, and a servant’s heart. 

It is a love that treats others the way that we would want to be treated. 

This type of love is what I like to call “love in action”. It is easy to say the words “I love you” but it is a different thing to actually show up. 

1 John 3:17-18 GNT

If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? [18] My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

What does love in action look like? Love in action is when a friend loses their child and you show up to hold their hand and cry with them. Love in action is when your wife has just miscarried and you crawl into that hospital bed and just hold her. Love in action is when you’ve lost your job and you are on your way to the bar to drink away your problems and your buddy meets you there to take you to the gym instead. 

Several years ago I had surgery. I was at Mobile Infirmary, in one of those super small rooms. I was there for a few days. Half of the time I was sort of out of it. I’ll never forget waking up one morning, really probably around lunch time, to see James Counselman sitting at my bedside. I was having trouble eating. About the only thing that I could eat was soup. So James had literally gone to 5 different restaurants and bought me various types of soup for me to eat. There he was, taking off work, buying me soup. 

Love in action. 

Love in action is when the homeless man stumbles drunk into the church on Sunday morning. Love in action is when our greeters greet him with dignity. Love is action is when he is ushered into an adult Life Group class and the members of that class welcome him with open arms. Love in action is when Sue Joy asks him to sit with her in the worship service. Love in action is when Bryant takes him to a local hotel and pays for him to get off the streets for a few nights. 

Love in action. 

What good is it to say I love you without doing love in return. 

Matthew 25:35-40 NLT

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. [36] I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' [37] "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? [39] When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' [40] "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

3 Ways That We Can Keep The Greatest Commandment…

I. Pursue God vs. 30

II. Practice Love vs. 31

III. Persevere In Love vs. 33

So, pursue God, practice love, and lastly, persevere in love. If you want to keep the greatest commandment, persevere in love. Let’s read verse 33 together this morning. 

And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law."

What happens when love is broken? What happens when we fail? What happens when we drop the ball, when we step on each other’s toes? 

What then?

You see friends, the Pharisees had all the outer trappings of holiness and piety. They prayed for all to hear. They wore all the religious clothing. They went to all the great religious schools. They memorized, they studied, and they did it all publicly. They wanted everyone to see how special they were. From the outside looking in, it appeared that the Pharisees, the scribes, and the religious leaders had it all figured out. 

They only had one minor problem. They forgot about love. 

You see, they did all of these acts and actives not because they loved God. No. They loved themselves. It was a show. It was a sham. It was hypocrisy. It was fake. 

I Corinthians 13 tells us that you could have the gift of prophecy but if you lacked love, you were nothing but an annoying gong. 

Jesus called the Pharisees, with all their holiness and good behavior, white washed tombs. Beautiful on the outside but filled with rotting bodies on the inside. 

Trust me friends, no matter how much we care, no matter how hard we work to love everyone, eventually we are going to fall short. I will. You will. We all will. What do we do at that point?

And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law."

This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law."

Love is more important than all these outward acts of holiness. Let’s go back and read something else Jesus told His disciples. 

Matthew 5:21-24 NLT

"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' [22] But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. [23] "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, [24] leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Recognize the wrong, seek grace, ask for forgiveness. If you are the person wronged, give grace, grant forgiveness. 

If you cannot forgive, you have not the love of Christ in you. 

Did you hear me friends? 

Let me say it again, if you cannot forgive, you have not the love of Christ in you.

But preacher, you don’t know what that person did to me? You don’t know what they said, you don’t what how they hurt me, abused me, or betrayed me?

You’re right. However, if Jesus could forgive the people that murdered Him and the people that cast lots for His clothing, than we can forgive our wrongdoers. 

Friends, not only must we forgive other, we must forgive ourselves. I have found over the years that it is much easier to forgive someone else than it is to forgive ourselves for our own mistakes. 

Jesus did not come to condemn you. If He won’t condemn you, what gives you the right to condemn you. 

Sometimes the keeping the greatest commandment is difficult. It’s not easy. We must persevere in loving others, in forgiving others, in show mercy to others. 

Remember Paul’s words captured in Galatians 6…

Galatians 6:9-10 KJV

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. [10] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

I’ll close today message with a beautiful example of persevering in love. 

You have probably never heard of Immaculée Ilibagiza (E-mack-u-lay Ill-bag-gee-za). Immaculée Ilibagiza is a Rwandan genocide survivor who hid in a small bathroom with seven other women for 91 days during the 1994 genocide. She emerged to find that her family and most of her village had been brutally murdered.

After the genocide, Immaculée faced a profound personal challenge: forgiving those who had killed her family. She struggled with anger, bitterness, and a desire for revenge. One day, she visited the prison where one of the men responsible for her family’s death was being held.

Immaculée recounts that as she stood before the man who had taken so much from her, she was overwhelmed with the need to forgive. She prayed for strength and felt God’s presence and guidance. Instead of hatred, she felt compassion for the man who was now a broken figure, brutalized and now haunted by his actions.

Immaculée said to him, “I forgive you and I love you.” These seven words were powerful not only for the man but also for her own healing. By choosing forgiveness, she found peace and was able to move forward with her life, later sharing her story worldwide and becoming an advocate for peace and forgiveness.

Closing Statement

As we reflect on the greatest commandment given by Jesus in Mark 12, be reminded of the profound simplicity and depth of His teachings. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves are not just commands to follow but are the very essence of our faith. They challenge us to live out a love that is wholehearted and sacrificial, extending beyond our comfort zones and personal boundaries. This love transforms us and those around us, reflecting the heart of Christ to a world in desperate need of His grace. Let us commit to embodying this love in our daily lives, seeking to honor God in all we do and to be His hands and feet to our neighbors.

My Friends…Go The Jesus Way Today!

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with hearts filled with gratitude for Your love and grace. Thank You for reminding us through Your Word of the greatest commandments: to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us, Lord, to live out these commandments in our daily lives.

Empower us through Your Holy Spirit to love You more deeply, to seek You earnestly, and to walk in obedience to Your will. Grant us the compassion and courage to love our neighbors, especially those who are difficult to love, just as You have loved us.

We ask for Your strength to persevere in love, to serve others selflessly, and to reflect Your light in a world that often feels dark and broken. May our lives be a testament to Your transformative power and may we draw others to You through our love and actions.

In Jesus’ precious and powerful name, we pray.

Amen.