LOVE MATTERS MOST to Jesus – he says so. We want to take the next 3 weeks to lean into what Jesus said is – THE MOST IMPORTANT THING… all centered upon God’s real love growing within us, into this love movement that’s Upward, Inward and Outward simultaneously.
Love God most, Love ourselves rightly, Love others really well.

Our English language has only have one word for love. So we can end up describing our love for hamburgers, our house and our spouse with only one word and that seems to lack something, doesn’t it? The Greeks had a few words: storge, eros, phileo and agape. AGAPE love is way more than feeling. When the Greeks used the word they talked especially about action, doing something that is for the benefit of another individual.

Agape love is the most used and best descriptor of God’s kind of love for us. 1 Corinthians ch. 13 – describes this agape love

Matthew 22:34-40

The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Upward love (my love back for God) is always grounded in the downward journey Christ made to show US, WE ARE LOVED. My love back to God is always grounded and anchored in understanding His love to me first & foremost.

1 John 4:19
19 We love because he first loved us.

John 13:34
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

series bottom line:
It’s God’s love that empowers us too love!
(to love him back / love ourselves rightly / and love others well)

The Apostle Paul hits at this type of love being the way forward for us as he writes to the church in Ephesus and says:

Ephesians 5:1-2
"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

here are 4 key practices that help us stay connected = grow that connection with God & our upward love for God:

-Worship

Jesus is challenging us in the Great Commandment to give our hearts’ affection, attention and allegiance to God first and foremost! LOVE HIM most – with all your heart, mind, strength and soul.

Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

*Worship isn’t just singing songs, friends == your worship is a signaling of what your heart desires the most. Seek God first and foremost!

-Prayer

Cultivate communication with God. We call this prayer. It’s bringing your requests before him, your worries to him, your praise for him, it’s listening to him. And much more!

Luke 11:9-13
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

*God will meet us - He will respond and He is good with us as we seek to connect with him.

-Solitude

in stillness and solitude we are able to hear the whispers of God more readily and it is in solitude where we can quiet the voices within us and around us -- to dial in and hear from the ONE VOICE that matters most!

QUOTE:
"Solitude is the place of purification and transformation, the place of the great struggle and the great encounter." -Henri Nouwen

Mark 1:35
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
=(Jesus practiced solitude)

*patterns of solitude & sabbath helps in establishing a “recharge rhythm”

divert daily
withdraw weekly
abandon annually

-DEEPENING
Is to more deeply come to KNOW JESUS.

Ephesians 1:17 – (a prayer of Apostle Paul)
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

-the practice of deepening matters!
("rooting" into His Word to KNOW HIM BETTER)

Deepening ourselves in the Scriptures - shapes and changes our hearts and minds and helps us become people of God who are conformed more and more into the image of Christ

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

ways of reading God’s Word: == *(think ways of travel: plane, car, walk)

-plane - get the 35,000 view of Scripture (read thru bible in a year)
-car - read a chapter or chunk of a book for a month
-walk - read a small set of verses or a verse and ask God to nudge you as you meditate on it (ex: Psalm 1:1-3) pray through the passage; where does the Holy Spirit stop you, why? what does that word/phrase mean, what does that verse say about God how he wants to relate with you, love you or grow your love for him?

Q) So, what’s LOVE got to do with it? EVERYTHING, Jesus would say.

grow your connection and UPWARD love for God as you live in his love for you.

NEED PRAYER?
Some of our prayer team and pastors are available following service to pray with you. You can also submit your prayer request via our app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.

IF YOU'RE NEW:
We throw a 10-minute party immediately following the service in the back corner of the room If you're new, we'd love to meet you and welcome you! We'd love to also invite you back with us next Sunday at 5pm.