the new Jerusalem

The Great Commandment

• Subir Joshua Gorey • Season 2 • Episode 46

Share episode

Do you know the greatest commandment Jesus gave us? A single commandment that has the power to transform our lives.

Love is everything.
Join us this week as we explore the true meaning of love—what it is, how we can practice it daily, and the profound impact it can have on our lives. Let's grow together in love!

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

- ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Send us a text

Speaker 1:

This beautiful morning. I want to get straight into the word of God and I want to tell you that Jesus went around from city to city and most of you know this, but maybe some of you don't and I want to tell you that he went from city to city healing people. Give me a minute, give me a minute. So Jesus went around from city to city healing people, spreading the good news of the kingdom of God, spreading the good news of the kingdom of heaven, and working miracles, signs and wonders. I want to tell you that, with his growing popularity, the crowd started gathering around him. The crowd started seeking for him, running to where he was running, to where he would show up following his disciples. You should just those of you who have a vivid imagination let it take over and you should understand that there's this person who's on the planet and he's moving from city to city and he's healing people of diseases that were unheard of and had no solution and no therapy whatsoever, no medicines for it, and the oppressed were being freed, demons were leaving people, the paralyzed were walking, the blind were seeing, the dead were coming to life. Oh, hallelujah. And you can only imagine the pandemonium, hallelujah, the pandemonium, hallelujah.

Speaker 1:

And with this growing popularity, the Bible talks about the Pharisees and the Sadducees who start also following Jesus around to keep an eye on what he is doing, to try to trick him somewhere, ask him difficult questions, trap him in something that he says and try to loop it into the law and catch him. But of course they couldn't, of course they couldn't, and Jesus took them all on. And I want to tell you that there is this one time where Jesus has already silenced. The Sadducees and the Pharisees come together and they decide that they will ask him something to test him. And one of them, who's a lawyer, asks him a question, asks him a question, sorry, and he says teacher, which is the great commandment in the law. So just to give you a background, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were the ones who used to follow the laws written of the old and ensure that they were enforced within the synagogues, within the city and within, you know, the society in general. And they were these religious people. And now the Messiah is on the planet and, well, he's doing things and they are challenging him against the law that they had of old. So here they say teacher. This one person from within the Pharisees says teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? What a question.

Speaker 1:

And today I want to show you what was Jesus' response to this question. You need to know, and all of us, maybe some of us, most of us, know that the commandments that were given to Moses and that was the law of old. But now Jesus is on the planet and he's, as I said, speaking about the kingdom of God. And so somebody comes up, the one who withholds the law of old, the Old Testament laws, and he's asking this question which is the most important commandment, the great commandment. And Jesus said to him from the book of Matthew, the 22nd chapter, the 37th verse onwards, mark it in your Bibles. Matthew, the 22nd chapter, the 37th verse onwards. Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment, hallelujah. And then he goes on to say and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets hallelujah, hallelujah.

Speaker 1:

Before I get into this in depth, I want to tell you that Jesus has just redefined everything with his reply to that question. And Jesus starts with the love that you need to have for your father, for God, and it's love that you need to have with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. Basically, hallelujah, love God with everything that you have. You cannot have anything else that you love that can compare to God. That's it. And I don't know what can that relate to. But I can tell you an example that Jesus spoke of. He said you can have only one God, and he only refers to God and he refers to wealth. That's it. And again he's talking to the crowds and he says you can only have one. You can either serve wealth or you can serve God. So I can't give you any other examples of what you might be able to love more than God.

Speaker 1:

I'm not sure, and I'm not even getting there this morning, but Jesus's words you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. He is the first, right up there. It can be nothing more that you love than God, hallelujah. And then he goes on to say and the second is like it, which means it's as important as the first or just as the first, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Oh, that's a difficult one, isn't it? You shall love your neighbor as yourself oh, that's a difficult one. Which means you need to love the people around you and treat them the way you would treat yourself, or like the way you like, or the way you want to be treated. Oh, that's a lot. That's a tough one. Oh yeah, some of you can picture that person's face in your mind, who you dislike. It's Jesus' words. You need to love God. And the second is like it you need to love your neighbor. Oh, which means you need to love everyone around you. And I want to tell you that also means forgiveness. I'm going back into that scripture again you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. Which means, first, nothing above God. And Second is just like the first, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I, oh hallelujah.

Speaker 1:

But I want to bring something to your attention this morning. The word that's common in both these sentences that Jesus releases and redefines everything is the word love. And this is for somebody. This morning, I need to tell you this, because I think maybe you've lost that foundation. I need to tell you this, because I think maybe you've lost that foundation. I need to tell you that God loves you and I want to tell you that his love for you is unconditional. It's unconditional. There are no conditions to it. The love that we share for each other on this planet could be conditional. Maybe you've experienced something where you realize that somebody's love for you was conditional, but I'm here to tell you this morning that god's love for you is unconditional. He loves you unconditionally. There's no condition, hallelujah, and I want to tell you that's why he sent his son to die, his only son. He sent him son to die, his only son. He sent him down on this planet to die on a cross for you and me. And I want to tell you don't take any of my words on this. I will share to you from the word of God.

Speaker 1:

First John. The fourth chapter. The ninth verse says in this the love of God. 1 John 4 9 says In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Oh hallelujah, oh hallelujah. What a beautiful scripture. 1 John 4 9, mark it down In this, the love of God was manifest toward us, that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we may live through him. Oh hallelujah, thank you Jesus, thank you God. So you see, god loves you unconditionally. Shake that off. Whatever you've gone through, shake it off. I told you through the word of God. Today, jesus defined, redefined everything the laws of Moses, the laws that so many years I don't even know the years that Moses released, that God released those commandments to Moses and when Jesus came on the planet. I don't even know the years between that. But all I want to tell you is Years and years of that law. And Jesus just shatters it all and says this is the great commandment. And this morning he is redefining everything for you and for you to tell you and understand and know that God loves you. Hallelujah.

Speaker 1:

And coming back to it, some of you are thinking it's too difficult for me to forgive and love that person. It's too difficult for me. Oh, you don't know what that family has done to me, my family. You don't know what that family has done to me. You don't know what that man has done to me. You don't know what that family has done to me. You don't know what that man has done to me. You don't know what that woman has done to me. You don't know what that couple has done against me or my family. No, I want to tell you, it doesn't mean that you need to go to that person or that family, or maybe that couple or maybe a group of people, and go and hug them and buy things for them and take them out for a holiday. No, that's not what I'm saying. It means you just need to release them from your heart. Don't hold a grudge against them. Release them in the name of Jesus.

Speaker 1:

And some of you might still or still thinking that no, you don't understand, it's too difficult for me. You don't know what that person put me through, you don't know what that situation put me through and they were responsible for it. No, no, no. I told you it's, it's not me, it's the word of god that's asking you to do it. It's jesus who is telling you that this is the great commandment. 1 John 4 8. 1 John 4 8 says he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Oh hallelujah, oh, no, no, no. You need to redefine this. You know God, which means you know love, which means you are supposed to love your neighbor, because this scripture says for he who does not love does not know God. Oh, I don't think you want to give yourself that definition in the spiritual world Somebody who doesn't know God Because you know Jesus, which means you have got to change. You have love in you, for God is love. Jesus is love. Everywhere.

Speaker 1:

In the Bible, jesus says he had compassion on them. He had compassion on him, he had compassion on her, he had compassion on the group, he had compassion on the three friends. All he had was compassion and love. So, live your life in love. Just as jesus has said, is the great commandment. And I want to tell you today what is this love, what is the love that you need to have towards your neighbor? Oh, jesus loves you, I told you, and he came down on this earth just to just to die an excruciatingly painful death on a cross. For you and me and this is what he's telling you and me today is the great commandment is to love each other. Love the father, of course, first, and love each other. And I will define it for you and you should mark it down and read it in your own time. And as the Word of God says meditate on it.

Speaker 1:

1st Corinthians 13 chapter, the fourth verse onwards, says love suffers long and is kind. This is the love you're expected to have towards the world around you. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself and is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, it's not provoked. It thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. Oh, love bears all things, love believes all things, it hopes all things and endures all things.

Speaker 1:

Jesus is love and you can read the scripture, as I said 1 Corinthians 13, chapter 4, verse 1, verse 1. And you will picture what he did on that cross for you and me, because it's defined in this passage and that's the love he's expecting you to have towards the people around you. And the same passage goes on to say and now abide, faith, hope and love these three, but the greatest of these is love. Oh, hallelujah, I hope you get it this morning. Read this chapter, mark it down, and you will find out that the power that love has is unfathomable. And I want to tell you what it says, and I'm not. As I said, read it, mark it down and read it. But I want to tell you this morning and I'm going to redefine this for you through the word of God, and don't believe any of the words that are coming out of my mouth, because it's not me, it's the word of God I said.

Speaker 1:

The first of Corinthians, 13 chapter, says If you have no love and you speak in tongues, oh, you'll think you're very highly achieved if you can speak in the language of god, of men and of angels and different tongues. If you speak in tongues and you have no love, the bible says you are a clanging symbol, a noisy brass object. Oh, if you have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and knowledge, which means if you have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and knowledge, which means if you have the wisdom of the Most High and you can prophesy things to life, because when you know Jesus you can. The Bible says if you have faith, to move mountains, but if you have no love, you are nothing. If you give your body up to be burned and you have no love, it profits you nothing. And then the bible says prophecies will fail, tongues will seize, knowledge will vanish away if you have no love. Oh, get it this morning, people of the most high. These are strong words in the bible.

Speaker 1:

Read it from the book of corinthians, the 13th chapter, and I hope you understand this morning the importance of what jesus said, and I'm going back to it. Jesus said to him you shall love the lord, your god, with all your heart, all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And wait, wait, the mystery released by Jesus when he was on this planet. And on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Hallelujah. On love lie all the law and the prophets. Oh, hallelujah. I'm saying it to you again on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Oh, the law is the word, oh, hallelujah, the prophets are the prophecies that have been released through the Prophets of God, the Word of God. Yet again, everything hangs on love, oh, hallelujah, oh Hallelujah.

Speaker 1:

This beautiful morning, take some time, get into a room, room, close that door and think about the people that you're holding a grudge against and release them. Picture them in your head and release them in the name of Jesus, because this is important for you. It's important for me that everything you have in life will depend on the love that you have for your neighbor, and I want to tell you there is a link to this and the 30, 60 and the hundredfold blessing. So today, just take some time and think of those names, think of those faces and release them in the name of Jesus. That's all you need to do. As I said, you don't need to go out and take them out for a meal. I'll go and shower them with gifts or transfer money into their bank. That's not what you need to do. You just need to let them go, release them and operate in love. Oh, because if you know God, god is love and you have his love in you. Jesus is love. He died on a cross for you and me.

Speaker 1:

Hallelujah, dear lord, I thank you for this beautiful word. I thank you for your double-edged sword. It does not go back until it has achieved what it has been set out for, lord. I thank you, lord, for your word that says change our heart, o Lord. Change our heart this beautiful morning, lord, help us to release the people. That we might have any grudges against Lord or that we have any ill feelings towards Lord. We take all those names, we leave them at your feet, lord, that we may operate in love. Thank you for your beautiful word that cuts through bone and marrow, lord, and does not go back until it has achieved what it has been set out for, lord. I thank you, lord, that you already opening doors for people. I thank you, lord, that people are changing their hearts right now. Lord, oh hallelujah, oh hallelujah, beautiful things are happening. Thank you, jesus, for this beautiful time. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your love that you shower upon us Every day. Your mercies are new Every morning, lord. Thank you, lord. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.