First Things First
Matthew 22:34-40
1) The Greatest Command of God is to Love the Lord Completely! (Matthew 22:34-37, Psalm 2:2, Matthew 23:23, Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
Psalm 2:2, The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and his Anointed One…
Matthew 23:23, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
2) The Second Greatest Command of God is to Love Others.
(Matthew 22:39, Leviticus 19:18)
Leviticus 19:18, Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
3) The Commands of God Are Only Truly Obeyed Through Love. (Matthew 22:40; 1 John 4:20-21,
1 John 4:7-8)
1 John 4:20-21, If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
1 John 4:7-8, Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.