The Greatest Thing in the World

The Greatest Thing in the World

May 21, 2006

Introduction

Well-known scientist and writer Henry Drummond (1857–1897) conducted a geological survey of South Africa and wrote what was then the definitive work on tropical Africa. But he is best remembered for his book about love, The Greatest Thing In The World.

Is love, The Greatest Thing In The World? How am I to love? And Who am I to love?

Body

I. Is love the greatest thing in the world?

A. Notice what Jesus said:

(Mat 22:35-40 NKJV) "Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, {36} "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" {37} Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' {38} "This is the first and great commandment. {39} "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' {40} "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.""

1. And so to say this is the greatest thing in the world doesn’t seem wrong.

2. Jesus said He was the example of the greatest love there is:

(John 15:12-13 NKJV) ""This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. {13} "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

Notice what Paul said:

(1 Cor 13:1-3 NKJV) "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. {2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. {3} And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."

1. Notice Paul’s final conclusion to this chapter:

(1 Cor 13:13 NKJV) "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

II. First of all, I am to love God.

First of all, love God.

(Matt 22:37) Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' {38} "This is the first and great commandment.

How am I to love God?

(Mat 22:37 NKJV) "Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"

1. with all your heart, with all you “want to.”

Where is your heart? What are you really interested in? Is God in your thoughts and in your heart.

(Psa 10:4 NKJV) "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."

2. with all your soul that which animates and move you.

What do you do that moves you, that animates you in your service for God? Years ago, there was a commercial for Camels cigarettes. All I remember is this phrase, “I’d walk a mile for a Camel.” Would you walk a mile for your God? How much do you love God?

3. and with all your mind to actually involve you thinking and reasoning.

The mind involves our thinking and reasoning. Do we study the Bible, so that we know what the Bible says, not what somebody else tells us it says.

(Mat 7:7-8 NKJV) ""Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. {8} "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

How can we seek without using our mind?

I am to love God with all of my being.

(Mat 22:37 NKJV) "Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"

III. But I am to love my fellowman.

(Mat 22:39 NKJV) ""And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

A. Let’s start with a tough one: our enemies.

(Mat 5:43-44 NKJV) ""You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' {44} "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,"

1. In case you missed what He said, He had just said it in an other way:

(Mat 5:40-41 NKJV) ""If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. {41} "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two."

2. But what about those who disagree with us religiously? Do we regard them as our enemies?

(Rom 14:10 NKJV) "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

a. How do we respond to members of the church who have different ideas than we do? De we honestly love them?

b. What about those who are members of other churches? Do we love them?

c. We all know the teaching of the Muslims that they should “kill the atheists.”

d. We don’t kill those who disagree with us, but do we love them?

B. But what about my family? -- Easy, right?

1. Why did Paul have to tell us to love our wives?

(Eph 5:25 NKJV) "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,"

2. Why did Paul tell women to love their husbands and their children?

(Titus 2:3-5 NKJV) "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; {4} that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, {5} to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

Conclusion

I conclude with this thought:

(Mat 9:10-13 NKJV) "Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. {11} And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" {12} When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {13} "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.""

We’ve hardly scratched the surface. There is so much more that needs to be said, but there isn’t time right now.

Do you love God enough to obey Him?

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