THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT– Adult Sunday School Lesson for 5/25/2014

“Show 'Em Some Love!”

This review is brought to you by the Hope Temple Church of God in Christ Sunday School Department.  

BIBLE TRUTH: God is love.

LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, you will; explore the roots of the ancient Hebrew tradition of loving our neighbors; understand how to express genuine kindness to everyone even when it isn’t easy; and pray for forgiveness for when we haven't universally applied God's love to those around us.

Leviticus 19:18; King James Version (KJV)

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 | King James Version (KJV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.

Mark 12:28-34| King James Version (KJV)

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

The Sunday School Lesson is action packed! It will certainly encourage those who have had time to understand and live out the true meaning of loving God with our entire being, as well as our neighbor. And, for those who are yet “on the wheel” and being transformed into the children God is requiring us to be, this will definitely continue to point you in the right direction.

The 3 sections of scripture bind together the main thought of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength AND to love our neighbor as ourselves. Let’s take a look into each part.

Leviticus 19:18 declares that we shouldn’t hold grudges. Wow! This is very difficult to master, for some people. Sometimes, when you’re hurt, although time can heal all wounds, our minds can hold us captive of the memory of the hurt and, because the mind is so powerful, it can cause us to relive the hurtful situation over and over again. It is horrible to be held as a prisoner in your own body! Many times, the offender is walking around, carefree, and has moved on from the situation. Anne Lamott said, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” But, why are we seeing this in today’s lesson about love? In order for the people of God to have a healthy prayer life and a successful walk with Christ, we can’t focus on revenge and grudges like a bunch of spiritual pirates (Arrrghh!) Instead, God declares that we must love our neighbors as ourselves and move on!

Side Note: Have you ever laid before the Lord in prayer, only to find that “something” is hindering them to be answered? Check yourself for unforgiveness and grudge-holding! Jesus says "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14,15).

Consider this excerpt from WebMD:

In the study, about 70 undergraduates -- roughly half males and half females -- repeatedly imagined actual situations in which they either forgave a wrongdoer or nursed a grudge. The researchers measured the students' facial muscle tension, amount of sweating, heart rate, and blood pressure through electrodes placed onto their skin. The students were told to imagine four responses: remembering the hurt, holding a grudge and/or plotting revenge, empathy with the offender, and granting forgiveness.

The measurements showed researchers how agitated the volunteers were. Witvliet says participants rated the imagined situations in which they did not forgive as more depressing. "They reported that they felt less dominant than when focusing on forgiving responses," she said.

So, not only can hold a grudge be naturally dangerous, but not letting go can stop your prayers from being answered with your God! “Let it go!”

Now, we move into the section of scripture which is the first that every Jewish child must commit to memory. It’s called the “Shema”. It’s the declaration that God is one. Remember, the Israelites we in a strange land where the Egyptians worshipped many gods. It was important for God’s people to remember that He is jealous and that idolatry is a sin. God requires His people to love Him with their:

·        minds (by thinking on Him, praying, and most of all, keeping His commandments),

·        heart (God’s love should overtake every believer’s heart, thus making them an extension of God to others. Showing compassion, unusual long-suffering, kindness, and exhibiting selflessness),

·        soul (worshipping God, the author and finisher of our faith, honoring the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and living a life full of purpose and holiness), and

·        strength (Energetically living as a witness for God! Drawing others into the faith, by being a sanctified witness, and willing to go forth into the uttermost parts of the world, as Christ leads)

The law was passed down from one generation to the next. Jesus is here in the temple and the Pharisees are battling over which of the 616 laws were most important. In their attempt to trick Him, they asked Jesus to tell them which was most important.

Jesus shed a new light on their old way of thinking. He combined all of what they learned in the Old Testament into this, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Many have said that the entire 10 commandments are covered by the way that Jesus shares this passage of scripture. After that, the scribe agreed with Jesus. Because what Jesus said was so simple and the ultimate truth, no one dared to ask anymore question.

Visit our International COGIC Sunday School Site