All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.
Where's that come from?
Vander?
Prodigal son?
Mary?
Prodigal son?
Luke 15?
All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.
The story of the prodigal son, he's the brother that we often neglect, the one at the end of the story, the firstborn, who measures his relationship with his dad by how well he carries out his orders.
Relationship based on performance.
He knows all about duty and obligation and shoulds and oughts and outwardly he is the obedient son, he is the submissive man, he obeys his dad, he does his jobs, he does all the externals.
And life for him has become slavery, not sonship.
He relates to his dad like a slave, he treats his father like a grudging master and so he measures himself.
And he's got this checklist of what a loving son looks like.
And he doesn't even need to ask his dad what he thinks of him, he can self-assess because he knows that he's not a complete failure of a son like his brother.
It's actually not that different from what we do in our church families when we measure our children's worth by their performance.
Relationship based on performance.
Relationship based on rule keeping.
How we measure up.
His dad offers him freedom and privilege and intimacy.
But the son chooses to live with rules and obligations.
He chooses to live like a slave.
He's the opposite of his brother the prodigal.
The younger brother has lost, he turns around, he comes to his senses,
He turns back and he pursues his dad with absolutely nothing to offer.
He's wasted wealth, he's wasted privilege, he's wasted opportunity.
He is brought low and he returns to his father absolutely empty handed,
prepared to face the music, prepared to live as a slave.
He throws himself on his father's mercy and amazingly his father runs to meet him and welcomes him as a son.
What is relationship with God like for you this morning?
Distant.
Dutiful.
Uncertain.
A set of obligations.
You live what you think is a Christian life because you think that's what God wants you to do.
A master that you fear, one that you dutifully obey.
You go to church, you attend your community group, you give your cash,
you serve in kids' church or music ministry or you visit people in need,
you get Bible training, you get ordained, you do all the externals and you still feel barren inside.
And on the outside, everybody's applauding.
And encouraging.
And on the inside you feel empty and a fraud.
All the right actions.
Jesus speaks to our inner emptiness in the Bible passage that I'm preaching this morning.
Have your Bibles open.
Mark chapter 12.
We've preached this short series of messages over the last three weeks from Mark chapter 11 and Mark chapter 12.
We've seen that the religious leadership have determined that the easiest way to deal with Jesus,
the Jesus problem, is to kill him.
And so the religious elite have begun to confront Jesus in public,
something they haven't had the guts to do before.
Some ridicule his ministry.
They try to discredit him in the eyes of the people.
Others use all their evil intent to trap him in his words.
They are trying to justify his execution.
And Jesus confounds them with his answers.
And in 1234 their questions dry up and it says,
From then on no one dared to ask him any more questions.
But in Mark chapter 12 verse 28,
a teacher in the law of the law questions Jesus.
This is a man that doesn't seem to be part of the posse that's looking to trap him.
He's overheard the debate.
He has heard Jesus give an amazing answer to the Sadducees
and now he steps forward and he asks his own question.
Teacher, of all the commandments, which is the most important?
Now that was a current issue.
The teachers of the law had discerned that 613 laws in the scriptures,
they'd taken the Bible apart, they'd found 613 commandments, laws,
and it was pretty common for them to debate which were the light ones,
which were the heavy ones, what were the big ones,
what were the ones that took precedence over others.
Sort them out for us, Jesus.
Which is the most important?
And I think it's an honest question.
We looked at this in our small group the other night,
the community group the other night,
and I think some of us thought he was a bit condescending of Jesus,
but I actually think it's an honest question.
I think he is one teacher who is checking out another teacher.
And he asks a really important question to figure out
whether Jesus is a teacher who is worth paying any attention to.
And it's like he addresses him as a peer.
And Jesus answers his question with scripture.
Verse 29.
The most important one answered Jesus is this.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.
And the second is this.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
There is no commandment greater than these.
The first part is a direct quote of Moses' words
to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy, chapter 6.
And he adds a command.
The second command is one from Leviticus, chapter 19.
It's God's command from Leviticus, chapter 19, verse 18.
And Jesus pulls the two scriptures together
and he calls them the greatest command.
There is no command greater than these.
And he ties the love of God to the love of neighbour.
He does not let us separate the two.
You cannot say you love God
and hate your brother or sister in Christ.
Absolutely incompatible.
The Deuteronomy quote was never a command of God's.
It's not a command.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.
It's the climax of Moses' sermon.
He's just reminded them of the Ten Commandments in particular
and he preaches with all the passion of a Billy Graham
and he says to the Israelites,
Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one.
Love him with your entire being,
your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength.
Now the Ten Commandments were given by God
to his people whom he had already redeemed.
They have a history with God.
He saved them out of slavery in Egypt.
God revealed himself to them with his personal name, Yahweh.
He's constantly provided for them
and he's protected them in the desert
and he's continued to involve himself in their lives
despite many moments when they have failed to trust him,
disobeyed him.
And so Moses calls, he exhorts people to walk in the relationship
that they already have with God.
Love him.
Love your neighbours like yourselves.
Now I think love is a really tricky thing to define.
It's not just a feeling
but it will involve feeling and emotion.
It needs to have content.
It will be seen in action.
It's a great little play that's been acted out for us
with Kids Church a minute ago.
No good having words without delivery
doesn't work in a marriage, does it?
We try.
But I want to be very careful this morning
not to reduce love to commandment keeping
because as soon as we do that
it all becomes about measurable performance.
The New Testament does not hold up the commandments
as the attainable goal
or the performance chart.
Romans chapter 10
Romans chapter 7 verse 10
says to us that the commandment
which was intended to bring life
brought death
and the commandments themselves
show the depth of sin and evil
which was within us
when they are properly understood.
Sin seized the commandment
and brought death.
So when you start measuring performance
it all becomes about externals
and not about the heart.
I want to define love this morning
by saying that it pursues
and values a person.
Love pursues
and values a person.
It chases after relationship.
So in a family
God says
husbands love your wives
and the husband says
I do love you.
I do.
I love you.
I bring home the bacon.
I provide for you.
I've set you up in this great house.
I provide a wonderful standard of living.
And I'm thinking from personal experience
it does not work.
That's not enough.
It's not good enough.
See I can tell you
all the boxes
that I have ticked
from my point of view
in our marriage.
But you ask Kerry
and you're not permitted to
but you ask Kerry
you get a different story.
And my wonderful wife
said to me once
not that far back
a small number of years
you do all these things for me
but I do not feel loved
by you.
And that led to a process
of learning to listen
to her again.
Learning what mattered for her.
Learning what she thinks
and feels.
And I think I'm standing here
this morning
I've got L plates on still.
She was telling me something
the other day
and I stopped listening
in the middle of what she was saying
and I showed that I'd stopped listening
about what she was talking about
because I talked about something
completely different.
And I didn't even notice.
And a few minutes later
she said to me
what had happened
and said that she was hurt
and rightly so.
And I've been arrogant enough
sometimes to presume
that I know
what goes on inside her
and even not to even care
about what goes on inside her.
To care about her hurt.
Or to feel too threatened
to be criticised
for how I've treated her.
So to not want to even
open up the conversation
and talk about it.
And so her love of me
and mine of her
has meant listening
to the hurt
and owning
how I cause it.
I hope that there's not
one wife
sitting here in church
this morning
who goes home
and says to hubby
I hope you were listening.
But I hope husbands
will go home
and ask their wives
if they feel loved.
And listen
without defending.
And maybe doing things
that help to reinvigorate
relationships.
I went to a 60th wedding
anniversary yesterday
and a wonderful couple
who had a
what you have to say
an absolutely steadfast
walk and love of Christ
for 50 of their 60 years
of marriage.
And somebody said
they've had
a perfect marriage.
And the husband
who's in his late 80s now
mid to late 80s
corrected them
and said
they haven't had
a perfect marriage
they've had
a good marriage.
They have pursued
Christ together
since he first
laid his hands
on them.
They have pursued
relationship
with Christ
and they have pursued
relationship
with one another.
They have walked
through some
excruciating moments
in their marriage
bankrupted
by a close relative
late in life
huge health issues
pain with children
and their own
imperfections
a very good marriage
which began
with a blind date
and the blind date
grew to further
time together
and now they have
a rich history
together
which is
longer
than 60 years.
love of God
will be seen
in pursuing
and valuing
God
over all things.
So even the other day
there was something
I thought
God wanted me
to do
and I said
no
what did I say
in that moment?
I'm going to do
what I want to do.
I don't care
what you want me
to do in that moment.
I'm pursuing
my own self
my own objectives
and Moses here
is practically
screaming at the
people of Israel
when he gives this
in Deuteronomy
chapter 6
look at who God is.
Look at how
he has saved you.
He is the only God
there is no other
love him with all
your heart
and soul
and mind
and strength.
And the teacher
of the law
gets it
and he says
well said teacher
you are right
in saying
that God
is one
there is no other
to love him
with all your heart
and all your
understanding
and all your strength
and to love your
neighbour as yourself
it's more important
than all burnt
offerings
and sacrifices.
He doesn't
actually quote
the commandment
back
he quotes
the intent
of it.
He understands
that God
offers real
relationship
with himself
and he prizes
it above all
the religious
ritual
that they do
at the temple
there is something
greater than
temple sacrifices
and he says
to obey
is better
than sacrifices
he remembers
what Samuel
says to Saul
the whole
temple ritual
pointed to
what a holy
God looked like
but the teacher
of the law
knew that
to know
and love
God
was far
better
than all
the stuff
that pointed
to him.
how absurd
some of the
things that we
argue about
at church
when we argue
about styles
of worship
and types
of music
and looks
of building
and we argue
about those
things as if
those things
in themselves
were ultimate
reality
and don't
think I'm
picking oldies
on this one
I'm picking
young ones
as well
the whole
lot of us
wherever we
sit
they are not
ultimate reality
the Lord
Jesus is
and we
fall out
over these
things at
peril
because Christ
calls us
to love
God
and to
love one
another
above all
those things
it's a
call to
pursue
relationship
with God
and to
pursue
relationship
with one
another
and Jesus
says something
which is
absolutely
wonderful
he says
you are
not far
from the
kingdom
of God
what a
wonderful
thing to
hear from
the mouth
of the
Lord
Jesus
and I
think the
understanding
that he
still requires
is explained
in the next
verses that
Jesus is
the Christ
see verse
35 while
Jesus was
teaching in
the temple
courts he
asked his
own question
how is it
that the
teachers of
the law
say that
the Christ
is the
son of
David
and the
teachers in
Jesus day
they're teaching
about the
coming king
the messiah
who will be
David's son
David is the
great hero
of the past
he beat all
the enemies
of God
he brought
about peace
and they
look back to
him as this
great one
in the past
and they're
viewing the
king as
somebody who
will be like
him maybe
not as great
as him but
he will defeat
their enemies
he will kick
the Romans
out he will
restore their
glory
it's a little
bit like
Australians
with the
great
it's not
just
Australians
it's the
world cricket
community
when they
look at
the Australian
batsman
Donald
Bradman
every
cricketer in
the world
gets measured
against
Bradman's
achievements
it's
inconceivable
that anybody
could ever be
as good as
him
and so
Jesus quotes
this is how
people thought
about David
it's almost
inconceivable
that anybody
could be as
good as
David
but Jesus
quotes Psalm
110 and he
asks a riddle
which is designed
to turn their
traditional
understandings on
their head
he says
David himself
speaking by the
Holy Spirit
declared the
Lord said to
my Lord
sit at my
right hand
until I put
your enemies
under your
feet
David himself
calls him
Lord
how then can
he be his
son
and the
crowd
listened to
him
with delight
they loved
him
ripping
into
them
he quotes
David
the great
one
himself
David
recognized
the son
who would
be greater
than him
Bradman
will have
a descendant
who smashes
his records
and will be
greater than
him
a king
is coming
who is much
bigger than
David
he is
David's
Lord
he will
sit at
the right
hand of
God
in heaven
and all
of God's
enemies
will be
subject
to him
and so
Jesus is
not just
a peer
to this
teacher of
the law
he is
God's
king
who will
achieve
God's
end time
purposes
and then
Jesus rounds
off this
body of
teaching
by showing
what love
of God
doesn't
look like
and then
what it
does
look like
watch out
for the
teachers
of the
law
they like
to walk
around in
flowing robes
and be
greeted in
the market
places
they have
the most
important
seats in
the synagogue
and the
places of
honour at
banquets
they devour
widows
houses
and for a
show they
make lengthy
prayers
such men
will be
punished
most severely
I've been
in Christian
ministry long
enough to
know what it
feels like to be
put on a
pedestal and
sometimes it
feels great
because of the
perks that come
with it and
sometimes it
feels absolutely
lousy because
you've been put
in a place you
should never be
the religious
elite have
lost their
heart for
God
they enjoy
the perks
of office
they are
great and
important men
and women
in their
community
they are
prominent
they are
privileged
they stand
head and
shoulders
over everybody
else and
they delight
in it
and Jesus
says watch
out for them
literally turn
your backs
on them
their destiny
is God's
severe punishment
and the
contrast there
they've got
all this stuff
for themselves
but they
devour
widows houses
and then he
turns and
tells us a
story about
a widow
he's watching
people outside
the treasury
putting in
their donations
clang clang
clang go the
big donors
lots of
money
and the
poor widow
comes along
and she
puts two
small copper
coins into
the treasury
chest
unnoticed
probably by
everybody
except Jesus
and he
draws attention
to her
and he
draws it
out and he
says I
tell you the
truth that
this poor
widow
has put
more into
the treasury
than all
the others
they all
gave out of
their wealth
but she
out of
her poverty
put in
everything
all that
she had
to live
on
I've only
ever preached
these words
before in
isolation
and not in
context
we can say
lots of
things about
them with
regard to
giving and
money
and attitude
of heart
that goes
with it
we can
even say
things like
there could
have been
another
widow
there
who put
in two
small copper
coins that
was right
beside the
first one
and as she
put them in
her heart
just grumbled
and complained
about what
she was
doing
that's not
true
but what I'm
trying to draw
out is the
notion that
Jesus noticed
her and
Jesus as
distinct from
everybody else
knew something
that was going
on in her
heart
her heart
in giving
was a
heartfelt
response
to God
and she
gave
everything
love the
Lord your
God with
all your
heart and
soul and
mind and
strength
everything
not noticed
but everything
she gives
all to
Jesus
and she's
such a
contrast to
the religious
leaders whose
love is all
about themselves
and self
indulgence
and self
love
and self
satisfaction
God knows
our heart
even we
can't judge
one another's
hearts
we see a
brother or
sister do
something and
we may well
be really
encouraged by
it and it's
great that we
are and it's
great that we
act in such a
way that people
might be
encouraged
but we really
do not know
one another's
hearts and when
we judge one
another's hearts
we may be
making a
grave mistake
there are
certain things
that we see
and judge that
we ought to
be warned
about but in
terms of
motive God
is the one
who knows
the motives
of our
hearts
I love the
core values
that have
been that
are the core
values of our
church family
I don't know
if you know
them all yet
we talk about
them reasonably
often but we
talk about
things like
devotion to
prayer we
talk about
Christ-centered
bible saturation
we talk about
humble authenticity
treasuring Jesus
together servant
leadership radical
generosity and
local and global
impact I love
them because
they're relational
and they are
driven by a
heart which
loves God
through his
son the
Lord Jesus
Christ
they're about
pursuing God
with all our
heart and soul
and mind and
strength
there's a
wrong way of
holding them
the wrong way
of holding
them is to
turn them
into another
set of
laws
you prayed
today you
read your
bible today
you've been
honest in your
dealings with
people you've
been to church
on Sunday
were at your
community group
have you done
your duty with
kids church or
music or whatever
it is how much
money have you
given lately
that's the wrong
way
but these are
very good
principles because
they can be
held the right
way they can be
held by a heart
that treasures
Jesus and is
hungry for Jesus
that loves to
speak to Jesus
in prayer that
earnestly desires
to be in the
word of God so
that they might
know more about
what Jesus and
God is like that
they might know
him
a heart that
is not proud
and prepared
to humble
themselves and
acknowledge their
own failures and
their mistakes with
their brothers and
sisters a heart
that treasures being
together in a
gathering like this
when we gather on
Sunday when we
meet in our small
groups our community
groups through the
week a heart that
bleeds for those who
aren't amongst us
and wonders where
they are and
expresses love and
concern doesn't just
say I notice they're
missing but who
goes to them and
says how are you
brother or sister
how can I
encourage you in
Christ a heart
that leads as a
servant not about
who I am but how
can I honour the
Lord Jesus in the
way that I relate to
you and serve this
church family a
heart that gives
generously who sees
what we that the
earthly possessions
that we have our
money our possessions
whatever it is as
given to us as
entrusted by to us by
God in the first
place a heart that
cries out to see
the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ
transform men and
women and boys and
girls in this
community in this
church family and in
the world beyond
there is a really
good way to hold
the core values of
St Paul's
brothers and
sisters the Lord
our God the Lord
is one he has
revealed himself to
us in the person
of the Lord Jesus
Christ love the
Lord your God with
all your heart and
all your soul with
all your mind with
all your strength
pursue him and love
your neighbour as
yourself pursue one
another in Christ
Amen