Great Commandment

Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test 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 first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“Disciple Nations exists to equip the church to obey the Greatest Commandment and fulfill the Great Commission unto the savoring, serving and spreading of the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all nations.”

We have a new resolve to not only the Great Commission but first to the Great Commandment.

At the end of the ministry of Jesus the question was asked - which is the greatest commandment of all 613 commandments in the Torah?

Jesus answers with Deuteronomy 6:5-6.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 (ESV)
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Mark 12:28-34 (ESV)
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.
33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Jesus, the divine/human and the greatest rabbi of all time distills all of the law and prophets into two commands.

Matthew 22:40 (ESV)
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus reveals the most important issue in all of the Kingdom of God.
Paul will call it the most “excellent way” in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 12:31 (ESV)
31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Jesus reveals that above all ceremonies, rituals, or special days is the issue of what a human being loves the most.

The Ten Commandments are all fulfilled in the first and Great Commandment and the second like it.

So, as a disciple of Jesus, the primary focus and vision of life should be growing in “All” love for God and “as yourself” love of neighbor.

Let’s breakdown the four spheres of the Great Commandment that are called upon for “All Love”:
1. Heart (affections & emotions)
2. Soul (self-consciousness)
3. Mind (thoughts and imaginations)
4. Strength (body and action)

Jesus desires and is most glorified by:
- Love driven worship
- Love driven obedience
- Love driven holiness
- Love driven relationships
- Love driven mission

He is most glorified and we are most satisfied when we love the Lord with All of our being.

The power of the Holy Spirit is available for this miracle in our lives and is awaiting our prayer-filled dedication to the end.