Sum it up by Kevin Harvey

Sum it up! 

Matthew 22: 34-40
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 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.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”


Introduction
    Since the beginning of the time of the Scriptures and of the Commandments People have been trying to sum up the commandments into its essence..     It has been documented that there are 613 Commandments in the scriptures We are very well acquainted with the 10 Commandments, and if you notice the first half of the Commandments are addressing man’s relationship with God And the second half of the Commandments are addressing man’s relationship with man  Overtime, other commandments and laws were added to the 613, or 10 Commandments by teachers of the law… their intention was to control and to prevent people from transgressing the law altogether.

Jim Cantalon said 
“If you can imagine the law as a circle, and then a fence around that circle made up of extra laws to prevent the people from even approaching the circle.” It was virtually impossible to keep the 613 laws, or the10 Commandments, let alone these extra burdens. 

The main message
So what then are people to do?
Thanks be to God that a way has been provided! Thanks be to God for the “good news“. Thanks be to God for the saviour of the world not just the nation of Israel. Our Lord Jesus Christ , His finished work on the cross.  And for these words which we have from our saviour which are very precious, that is “To love the Lord your God…etc. And your neighbor…etc” 

Thank you for the cross
Picture the cross…. A vertical and horizontal plain… 

What do you learn from this passage and from the cross?
That you cannot have one without the other!
Why?... man’s relationship with God … to be right with our God
Why?... man’s relationship with man … to exercise justice with our Neighbor. 



We live in a time now where everything is coming to a head,, so to speak Everybody has an opinion of what is right and what is wrong. Some peoples idea of right, is other peoples idea of evil, and vice versa. How can I be? 

People spew out all kinds of things on the Internet that many of us get involved with. But I’m telling you it’s like a rabbit hole that just goes on and on.
So, How are Christians, those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,. How are we to think, and behave?
What is our source of truth? What is our guidebook? 

Well I submit to you today, and I will submit to you tomorrow and every day of my life. That the holy scripture in your Bible is the only source of truth. Do you wanna be right with God? Then you have to do it on His terms!
     We as a human race are prideful, we like to come up with our own ideas. With our own ways with our own systems. We like to take this and that from the Scriptures that we like. And throw the other things away. 
     I have a way of saying that when it comes to the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we throw the baby out with the bathwater.. we think Jesus is OK, we just don’t like his book… we like to picture Jesus born in a manger on Christmas morning, but we don’t like to picture him coming back in the clouds with glory to judge the nations! We love the idea of the Jesus who says. “Suffer not the little children to come onto me” but we cringe at the part where Jesus says. “Depart from me for I never knew you“.. 
    No we are the most blessed of people, when we except the whole counsel of God. We are truly saved from what we deserve when we give our lives to Christ. We are truly enlightened when we are doers of the law and not just hearers.

I admit to you that there are many parts in this book that sometimes make me cringe,, but it’s the parts that reveal the character of humanity,, and our incredible resourcefulness to invent wickedness..  but not the parts that reveal the character of God!

What must our mantra be?
Let’s sum it up!    Matthew chapter 22

    When we can wrap our minds around this concept.. I love the Lord our God with all our hearts., 
That it is a concept of love. A concept of thankfulness for what The Lord has done and is doing and, not so much a concept of don’t do this don’t do that make sure you do this make sure you do that.
    Then we will begin to realize that as we allow the sanctification process of the Holy Spirit to work in us that we just naturally become more Christlike , More loving, more patient, more obedient, more willing etc.
    And notice you can’t have one without the other, by that I mean it’s first relationship with God that is nurtured and cherished by us. Then the natural consequences and working out is our relationships with our neighbours.

If you love God and ate your neighbors. You’re a liar
If you love your neighbours but can’t stand the things of God. You’re lost

We all have to repent of such ways of thinking.
God first and foremost with its natural outflowing to your neighbours.

If I may suggest, because this is The problem that I face almost weekly when I argue and negotiate with the Holy Spirit…
     I say to my self and to the Lord, Of course in my daily devotions. Because I’m so good…. “But I can’t stand this person“ and you after all Lord are most understanding and can excuse me on this can’t you?     And then I read His book and come to my senses. NO 
So rather than trying to find something loveable in the unlovable. I pray this way… Lord love this person through me! Lord make me a vessel of your will. Not my will Lord but yours…
     Then and only then most times, not always. I can find the patients and the love to Direct to those who are not quite so lovable.

I wish I could do the same thing when it comes to the love for food. But unfortunately no matter how much I pray. Brussels sprouts still taste like brussels sprouts.

So may We all be encouraged today by this passage in Matthew chapter 22. And may we all go out and meditate on this mantra.
And may we implement it now in every day for the rest of our lives.
God bless you … AMEN