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MARK 12:28-34

"THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS"

Intro: We are now in the final week before His crucifixion. The Sanhedren
       have determined He must die. Some charge must be created against
       Him to bring before the Roman court. Pharisees - tribute.

I. "WHICH IS THE FIRST OR PRIMARY COMMANDMENT OF ALL?"
        A. Why should he be interested?
                1. They were always enlarging on the commandments, seeking
                   to interpret them.
                2. On the other hand, they were seeking to make them more
                   concise.
                a. Psalm 15.
                b. Micah 6:8  Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with thy
                   God.
        3. Recognizing that God exists, and creation shows design and
           purpose.
                        a. How can I answer God's purpose for me?
                        b. What did God have in mind for me?
                                1. This should be the primary question of
                                   every thinking man.
                                2. If I seek to save my life, I will lose
                                   it. i.e. If I live for my  pleasure.
                                3. Many wasted lives today. They have
                                   accomplished  great feats, built vast
                                   empires, fulfilled ambitions, died
                                   unfulfilled and bitter for they lost
                                   their own souls.
                                4. Their mistake was their failure to
                                   concern themselves with this question.
        B. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is..."
        1. The most important thing for any man is the recognizing of the
           true God.
                        a. With so many religions, how can you be sure?
                        b. Religions are man s quest for God.
                                1. Man creates his own idea of God based
                                   upon himself, "If I were God..."
                                2. Some fools seeking to make a religion
                                   out of Christianity.
                                3. Who by searching can find God?
                                4. If man by searching cannot find God,
                                   then religion is destined for failure
                                   and can only become an opiate for the
                                   people.
                                5. Does this mean our quest for God is
                                   hopeless? Only if we start with an
                                   earth base.
        C. God has revealed Himself to man.
        1. The Bible is not man's speculation about God.
        2. It is God's revelation of Himself.
                a. How can I be sure?
                b. If you were God, how could you vouchsafe?
        3. Having recognized the true and living eternal God, you must now
           establish a relationship.
                a. God desires a loving relationship with you. "Thou shalt
                   love the Lord thy God with every-thing. Heart, soul,
                   mind, strength."
                        1. The only way you can love Him is to know Him.
                                a. Should some stranger walk up to you in
                                   the mall and ask, "Do you love me?"
                                b. Love develops by knowing someone
                                        intimately.
                                        1. Many make the sad mistake of
                                           marrying someone before they
                                           really know them.
                b. Your relationship with God is primary, it is the
                   vertical axis upon which your whole life revolves.

II. THE SECOND IS LIKE THE FIRST, "THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS
    THYSELF."
        A. The first is a primary prerequisite to the second.
                1. The fatal flaw of the social gospel is the seeking to
                   impose the second above the first.
                2. You cannot have a completely right relationship with
                   God and a wrong relationship with your brother.
                3. You cannot have a completely right relationship with
                   your brother until your vertical axis is right.