1 00:00:00,288 --> 00:00:01,057 Well, good morning. 2 00:00:02,420 --> 00:00:03,830 It's great to be with you all today. 3 00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:04,700 I'm not gonna lie. 4 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:05,239 I am. 5 00:00:05,470 --> 00:00:08,819 I was nervous because I had this thing on the entire time and I figured if 6 00:00:08,819 --> 00:00:13,035 I turn it on, you guys would hear my voice and It's not a pleasant sound, but 7 00:00:13,035 --> 00:00:14,405 I saw Emily just play the tambourine. 8 00:00:14,405 --> 00:00:17,605 I figure I can do that as well for the North, uh, worship. 9 00:00:17,905 --> 00:00:20,315 But anyways, for those who don't know, my name is Daniel Samogie. 10 00:00:20,395 --> 00:00:24,735 I'm part of the North Orange County Church, but it's so, yes. 11 00:00:25,595 --> 00:00:29,005 But I'm so grateful that we all are meeting together 12 00:00:29,025 --> 00:00:31,345 as a region, as one family. 13 00:00:31,634 --> 00:00:34,455 You know, uh, if I can just be honest, uh, like, honest with you straight 14 00:00:34,455 --> 00:00:37,885 forward, like, this weekend has just been a lot for me, just emotionally. 15 00:00:38,190 --> 00:00:41,990 Uh, for those who don't know, yesterday, you know, Max Aguirre, he passed 16 00:00:41,990 --> 00:00:46,140 away, and it was his, uh, funeral yesterday, we got to celebrate his life. 17 00:00:46,390 --> 00:00:50,899 And it was definitely a time where I was sad, but I was also just so glad 18 00:00:50,900 --> 00:00:54,479 because seeing the room being filled, people were outside, just seeing 19 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,214 how Max meant so much to people. 20 00:00:56,455 --> 00:00:58,644 You know, for those who don't know, Max is part of our church here in 21 00:00:58,644 --> 00:01:03,004 Orange County, and he was definitely a light to, to those around us. 22 00:01:03,055 --> 00:01:06,864 Um, so with that being said, you know, when I was asked to speak this morning, 23 00:01:06,865 --> 00:01:09,805 I was just kind of like, I knew that I would be feeling a lot because 24 00:01:09,805 --> 00:01:11,145 it'll be a day after his funeral. 25 00:01:11,155 --> 00:01:14,305 So what I'm going to talk about really has been something I've been, you know, 26 00:01:14,485 --> 00:01:16,075 setting out for the past few weeks. 27 00:01:16,075 --> 00:01:17,414 It's kind of been like my devotional. 28 00:01:17,795 --> 00:01:21,305 It was also a way for me to kind of just remember how Max lived his life, but 29 00:01:21,555 --> 00:01:24,815 more importantly though It serves as a reminder for me that we need to make the 30 00:01:24,815 --> 00:01:28,664 most of the time we have here on this earth You know tomorrow is not always 31 00:01:28,664 --> 00:01:33,914 guaranteed And there's no better way than reading about Jesus's life and see how 32 00:01:33,925 --> 00:01:38,045 he made the most of his time on earth You know throughout the past few weeks. 33 00:01:38,045 --> 00:01:42,585 I've been asking God You know what what's a way that I can make the most of this 34 00:01:42,585 --> 00:01:47,384 life and that brings you to the title my lesson today Which is eternal investment 35 00:01:47,854 --> 00:01:50,275 Investing in God and investing in people. 36 00:01:50,705 --> 00:01:52,384 So you can bow your heads with me and pray. 37 00:01:53,995 --> 00:01:57,085 Uh, Father God, just, uh, thank you so much that we get to just 38 00:01:57,104 --> 00:02:01,404 come here together as one family just to honor and worship you. 39 00:02:02,085 --> 00:02:06,385 God, today, I just pray that you speak through me, that you remove me, and that 40 00:02:06,575 --> 00:02:08,755 your words are spoken through me, God. 41 00:02:09,103 --> 00:02:11,995 And God, I just want to have a special prayer for the Aguirre 42 00:02:11,995 --> 00:02:16,175 family, as they are mourning the loss of a son and a brother, God. 43 00:02:16,325 --> 00:02:19,674 I just pray that you can just comfort them, uh, during this time, God. 44 00:02:19,994 --> 00:02:22,025 God, we love you so much, in Jesus name, amen. 45 00:02:22,985 --> 00:02:23,315 Amen. 46 00:02:23,315 --> 00:02:24,735 So the title is Eternal Investment. 47 00:02:24,735 --> 00:02:27,145 I said investing in God and investing in people. 48 00:02:27,524 --> 00:02:29,814 Now, by a show of hands, raise your hand if you ever made 49 00:02:29,825 --> 00:02:31,035 an investment in something. 50 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:32,180 All of us. 51 00:02:32,310 --> 00:02:32,829 Yeah, right. 52 00:02:32,850 --> 00:02:37,150 Whether it's stocks or even if it's maybe in relationship, we all made 53 00:02:37,150 --> 00:02:38,800 investments in some sort of way. 54 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,940 It could even be in school for those who are in college or high school. 55 00:02:42,370 --> 00:02:44,720 But I looked up on the Merriam Webster Dictionary. 56 00:02:44,740 --> 00:02:47,079 There's three different types of investments, right? 57 00:02:47,079 --> 00:02:52,269 The first investment is to commit money in order to have a financial return. 58 00:02:52,700 --> 00:02:55,100 So with that, just think about, you know, stocks. 59 00:02:55,130 --> 00:02:58,790 I don't really know much about stocks, but I know the idea is to buy low and 60 00:02:58,790 --> 00:03:00,749 sell high, get a profit in return. 61 00:03:00,749 --> 00:03:02,659 So there's that type of investment. 62 00:03:03,410 --> 00:03:07,510 The other investment is to make use for future benefits or advantages. 63 00:03:08,329 --> 00:03:10,190 Now, I feel like all of us are guilty of it some way. 64 00:03:10,190 --> 00:03:13,010 Like if you have the Starbucks app or the Chick fil A app, you 65 00:03:13,010 --> 00:03:15,960 know, you guys buy things, you use your points, you get points, and 66 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:17,290 that way you get money in return. 67 00:03:17,590 --> 00:03:18,840 But for me, I'm guilty of it. 68 00:03:18,860 --> 00:03:20,500 Not only with those apps, but really. 69 00:03:20,515 --> 00:03:23,305 Who, who heard of AMC Stubless, the A list one. 70 00:03:23,315 --> 00:03:24,235 You guys heard of that? 71 00:03:24,235 --> 00:03:26,515 Yes, it is a great thing. 72 00:03:26,515 --> 00:03:32,415 So you pay 25 a month, alright, and you get to go to the movie 3 times per week. 73 00:03:32,785 --> 00:03:34,255 So basically 12 times a month. 74 00:03:34,645 --> 00:03:36,945 And if you know the prices of movie theaters now, it's 75 00:03:36,945 --> 00:03:38,804 like 20 to see one movie. 76 00:03:39,065 --> 00:03:42,625 So if you just go twice a month, you get your money's worth. 77 00:03:43,445 --> 00:03:47,405 However, I'm guilty because I got it during the summer, or I got it 78 00:03:47,445 --> 00:03:50,204 earlier this year, and during the summer I was going a lot, but since 79 00:03:50,204 --> 00:03:52,755 the Hollywood act is on strike, the movies haven't been good. 80 00:03:52,945 --> 00:03:55,704 Literally, the last movie I checked this morning, the last movie 81 00:03:55,704 --> 00:03:56,974 I saw in theaters was Barbie. 82 00:03:57,335 --> 00:04:00,265 And that was a few months ago, so as you see, I'm not getting 83 00:04:00,265 --> 00:04:02,175 my money back in return. 84 00:04:02,225 --> 00:04:05,125 I'm just, you know, at this point, I'm just giving to AMC. 85 00:04:05,125 --> 00:04:06,425 I gotta, I gotta figure that out. 86 00:04:06,435 --> 00:04:07,955 So, there's that. 87 00:04:08,620 --> 00:04:11,950 But then, the other type of investment, though, is what I want 88 00:04:11,950 --> 00:04:12,870 to talk to you guys about today. 89 00:04:12,870 --> 00:04:17,339 And that's to be involved or engaged with the other emotionally and spiritually. 90 00:04:17,540 --> 00:04:20,260 You know, that's why I want to talk about this eternal investment. 91 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:25,089 If you turn your Bibles to the first John, chapter 2, verse 17, and if 92 00:04:25,090 --> 00:04:27,540 you don't have your Bible, it's okay, because I have it right here for you. 93 00:04:28,090 --> 00:04:32,990 It says that the world and its desires pass away, but whoever 94 00:04:32,990 --> 00:04:35,590 does the will of God lives forever. 95 00:04:37,260 --> 00:04:40,210 You know, I talked about what are some investments we made, but when you 96 00:04:40,220 --> 00:04:43,970 think about some of the investments we made, how many of that will pass 97 00:04:43,970 --> 00:04:45,720 away when we're no longer here? 98 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,000 Like for me, for example, if I were to die right now, that 99 00:04:49,010 --> 00:04:51,449 AMCA list, it's gonna be gone. 100 00:04:51,750 --> 00:04:52,730 It's not gonna come with me. 101 00:04:53,209 --> 00:04:55,820 That Starbucks, my thousand stars, it's not coming with me. 102 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:57,090 None of that is. 103 00:04:57,890 --> 00:05:00,310 But some of the investments we're making, you know, I'm thinking 104 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,940 about what are, what are some investments we make that pass away? 105 00:05:03,170 --> 00:05:06,810 And there was like three that really just screamed at me loud this week. 106 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:08,470 You know, the first one is money. 107 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,810 And I want to say that money is not a bad thing, okay? 108 00:05:11,860 --> 00:05:15,970 Obviously, we need to work, we need to pay bills, you know, we need money obviously. 109 00:05:16,530 --> 00:05:20,460 But when money starts to become your lord, that's when it's bad. 110 00:05:20,930 --> 00:05:22,960 Because money, at the end of the day, it's man made. 111 00:05:23,500 --> 00:05:24,390 Money is man made. 112 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,470 It is not divine at all. 113 00:05:27,575 --> 00:05:30,665 Another one, another investment that we make that will pass 114 00:05:30,665 --> 00:05:32,485 away, perhaps, is with sex. 115 00:05:33,065 --> 00:05:36,635 I mean, if you think about it, I mean, sex is from God, and it could 116 00:05:36,775 --> 00:05:38,514 be great in its proper context. 117 00:05:38,985 --> 00:05:42,104 However, we live in this generation now where it's spiraled 118 00:05:42,215 --> 00:05:44,505 into all about body counts. 119 00:05:45,065 --> 00:05:48,305 All about rizzing people up and trying to see if you can get this person. 120 00:05:50,025 --> 00:05:51,655 And then another one is possessions. 121 00:05:52,245 --> 00:05:54,064 And, once again, man made things. 122 00:05:54,084 --> 00:05:54,815 It's okay. 123 00:05:55,659 --> 00:05:57,120 We need cars to get to places. 124 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:58,640 We live in a big area. 125 00:05:58,740 --> 00:05:59,919 You know, we need a home to live in. 126 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:00,469 It's great. 127 00:06:00,479 --> 00:06:01,270 That's fine. 128 00:06:01,700 --> 00:06:05,000 But when we start trying to serve that, when that is our life's goal is to get 129 00:06:05,010 --> 00:06:09,719 that Tesla or to get that house, then that's where it becomes a problem. 130 00:06:09,719 --> 00:06:11,219 And another one, I mean, it just came to my head. 131 00:06:11,219 --> 00:06:13,769 I didn't think about it, but it was just titles and achievements, you know, 132 00:06:13,770 --> 00:06:15,890 getting that title in life right there. 133 00:06:15,890 --> 00:06:17,729 Is that really the goal? 134 00:06:17,930 --> 00:06:20,859 Because in the end, that's gonna die off as well. 135 00:06:21,385 --> 00:06:24,795 And we see here that many things will die in this earth, but what I love in 136 00:06:24,795 --> 00:06:32,495 17 It says but whoever does the will of God lives forever and The word will 137 00:06:32,514 --> 00:06:34,915 restaurants refers to a strong desire. 138 00:06:35,224 --> 00:06:38,485 So pretty much those who have a strong desire for God will live 139 00:06:38,494 --> 00:06:43,865 forever But we also know that having a strong desire for things that's 140 00:06:43,865 --> 00:06:45,245 not gonna really get you somewhere. 141 00:06:45,245 --> 00:06:49,470 Yeah, it's a great motor I mean, if you think about it, for my college students, 142 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,540 anyone in the room here, high school students, I'm pretty sure you guys have 143 00:06:52,540 --> 00:06:54,750 strong desires to get good grades, right? 144 00:06:54,850 --> 00:06:56,659 To graduate, walk the stage. 145 00:06:57,210 --> 00:07:00,570 But that won't happen unless, you know, you do your homework, study 146 00:07:00,570 --> 00:07:05,519 for tests, uh, ask teacher questions, how about even going to class? 147 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,670 I know some of you campus students, man, you guys gotta go to class. 148 00:07:08,780 --> 00:07:11,020 Uh, it's a little call out there. 149 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,330 But what about those who are working or in the job force right now? 150 00:07:14,910 --> 00:07:15,360 You know. 151 00:07:16,034 --> 00:07:17,575 What if we want to get that promotion? 152 00:07:18,335 --> 00:07:20,534 Once again, no problem getting a promotion. 153 00:07:20,895 --> 00:07:23,775 But are you really gonna get that promotion if you're 154 00:07:23,784 --> 00:07:25,075 doing the bare minimum? 155 00:07:25,675 --> 00:07:28,624 If you're showing up work barely on time or even late. 156 00:07:29,054 --> 00:07:32,454 If you're not really helping out your co workers as much, not 157 00:07:32,454 --> 00:07:34,104 really putting yourself out there. 158 00:07:35,494 --> 00:07:40,054 You know, as you see here, like I said, these investments, they die off. 159 00:07:41,140 --> 00:07:44,539 But I want to look at a passage here that talks about an investment that 160 00:07:44,539 --> 00:07:46,330 will be eternal, that will live on. 161 00:07:46,659 --> 00:07:53,819 So if you turn your Bibles to Mark chapter 12, In Mark 12, verse 29 through 162 00:07:53,819 --> 00:08:00,659 31, it reads, The most important one, answered Jesus, is this, Hear, O Israel, 163 00:08:00,659 --> 00:08:02,580 the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 164 00:08:02,700 --> 00:08:06,340 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with 165 00:08:06,370 --> 00:08:07,899 all your mind and with all your strength. 166 00:08:08,479 --> 00:08:11,820 The second is this, Love your neighbor as yourself. 167 00:08:12,290 --> 00:08:15,020 There is no commandment greater than these. 168 00:08:16,490 --> 00:08:19,280 You know, we see here, a little context here, that people are 169 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:20,900 debating amongst themselves. 170 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,100 You know, there's over 600 laws in the Old Testament, alright? 171 00:08:24,460 --> 00:08:27,510 39 books, there's over 600 laws, and people are asking, which 172 00:08:27,519 --> 00:08:28,840 is the greatest commandment? 173 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,480 And Jesus here, he answered it by combining scriptures from the Old 174 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:33,850 Testament back in Deuteronomy. 175 00:08:34,500 --> 00:08:35,820 And it's simple for us. 176 00:08:36,058 --> 00:08:37,679 Love God, and love people. 177 00:08:39,323 --> 00:08:41,604 Like I said, it sounds simple, but it's not easy. 178 00:08:42,615 --> 00:08:45,765 If you have been a disciple like me for quite some time, you might have realized 179 00:08:45,765 --> 00:08:50,155 that stirring our love for God and keeping our love for God can be hard, and loving 180 00:08:50,155 --> 00:08:52,064 people wholeheartedly can be messy. 181 00:08:52,995 --> 00:08:56,344 And with that, I have two things to talk about with us this morning. 182 00:08:57,305 --> 00:08:59,935 It's that we are called to love God supremely. 183 00:09:01,224 --> 00:09:03,525 You know, the most important relationship in your life is 184 00:09:03,525 --> 00:09:04,625 your relationship with God. 185 00:09:04,905 --> 00:09:08,045 It is single handedly the most important relationship because it's 186 00:09:08,045 --> 00:09:12,175 going to impact every other area of your relationship in your life. 187 00:09:12,694 --> 00:09:15,584 You know, here's a little diagram I kind of made for you guys. 188 00:09:15,775 --> 00:09:17,574 As you see, it's a two way street here. 189 00:09:18,835 --> 00:09:21,015 You know, God loves us, and we love him. 190 00:09:21,024 --> 00:09:23,164 We love him because he loved us first. 191 00:09:23,745 --> 00:09:27,145 And your love for God will impact every area of your life. 192 00:09:28,395 --> 00:09:32,805 You have to know that you have been created by God to know 193 00:09:32,805 --> 00:09:34,534 God and to be known by God. 194 00:09:34,895 --> 00:09:39,625 And we get to worship God, and walk with God, and have a relationship with God. 195 00:09:40,815 --> 00:09:44,754 And just for a little bit more context, in Mark chapter 12, you 196 00:09:44,755 --> 00:09:48,104 know, this is a conversation between Jesus and a lawyer, or a scribe. 197 00:09:48,104 --> 00:09:49,944 And when you think of lawyer, I want you to think of someone who 198 00:09:49,944 --> 00:09:51,894 just knows their word greatly. 199 00:09:51,895 --> 00:09:53,024 They were in their word. 200 00:09:53,655 --> 00:09:57,815 And Jesus in Jerusalem at this time, and the religious leaders there, they 201 00:09:57,815 --> 00:09:59,925 were, you know, trying to crucify Jesus. 202 00:09:59,925 --> 00:10:02,335 They were trying to trick him by asking all these questions. 203 00:10:02,715 --> 00:10:04,585 So they're asking questions, if you read prior to Mark 12, 204 00:10:04,585 --> 00:10:06,535 verse 20, about the resurrection. 205 00:10:06,775 --> 00:10:09,204 They're asking questions about, should we pay our taxes to Caesars? 206 00:10:09,215 --> 00:10:11,694 They're asking about marriage, and are we to be married in heaven? 207 00:10:11,975 --> 00:10:14,254 But Jesus answers all of them flawlessly. 208 00:10:15,295 --> 00:10:18,874 So then, there's this lawyer who notices the brilliance and wisdom of Jesus, 209 00:10:19,145 --> 00:10:20,725 and comes and asks him a question. 210 00:10:21,165 --> 00:10:24,704 Not out of trying to trick him, but out of trying to learn from him. 211 00:10:25,645 --> 00:10:28,984 And so the scribe asks, you know, which is the greatest commandment, Jesus? 212 00:10:29,615 --> 00:10:34,545 And, once again, Jesus says, The most important one is this. 213 00:10:34,645 --> 00:10:37,505 Oh, hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 214 00:10:37,515 --> 00:10:40,374 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with 215 00:10:40,384 --> 00:10:42,925 all your mind, and with all your strength. 216 00:10:44,044 --> 00:10:46,515 You know, Jesus here, if you don't know, he's reciting Deuteronomy chapter 217 00:10:46,515 --> 00:10:50,284 6 here, which is the most quoted verse ever in the Jewish culture. 218 00:10:50,415 --> 00:10:53,875 It will be recited in the Jewish temples, it will be recited at their own homes. 219 00:10:54,295 --> 00:10:58,355 And I love here that this scripture reminds us that we need to love before it 220 00:10:58,355 --> 00:11:00,624 calls us into how we need to love Jesus. 221 00:11:01,705 --> 00:11:05,655 He says, we'll be people that will love the one true God. 222 00:11:06,175 --> 00:11:10,875 And something that stuck out to me in this verse here, when it says, the Lord is one. 223 00:11:12,215 --> 00:11:15,134 You have to understand how significant that is to the Jewish people. 224 00:11:15,425 --> 00:11:17,395 Because during that time, they were surrounded by nations 225 00:11:17,404 --> 00:11:18,714 that worshipped other gods. 226 00:11:19,015 --> 00:11:22,395 They worshipped gods that, gods of rain, gods of fire, gods of fertility. 227 00:11:22,565 --> 00:11:25,095 There were so many gods for them during that time. 228 00:11:25,505 --> 00:11:27,955 But the God in the Bible is not many. 229 00:11:28,704 --> 00:11:30,915 He is the one true God. 230 00:11:31,655 --> 00:11:34,805 And you need to understand that there is not a crowded buffet of 231 00:11:34,805 --> 00:11:39,545 gods, but the one true creator, our God, who we get to worship. 232 00:11:41,724 --> 00:11:45,904 Another one that sticks out here is just saying, The Lord, our God. 233 00:11:46,730 --> 00:11:51,470 You know, He is not just a powerful creator, church, but He is our God. 234 00:11:51,980 --> 00:11:55,149 And the Jewish people would have heard this and it would have reminded them 235 00:11:55,149 --> 00:12:00,010 about the massive faithfulness and love that God had been poured out onto them. 236 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:04,290 In Deuteronomy 7, you know, it says that God loved His people and chose 237 00:12:04,290 --> 00:12:07,570 the people that were not yet of His people and made it a nation. 238 00:12:08,110 --> 00:12:08,690 Why? 239 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,220 Because He loved them. 240 00:12:12,370 --> 00:12:14,980 When I think about it, you know, when they were enslaved, 241 00:12:15,465 --> 00:12:16,685 Who came and delivered them? 242 00:12:16,775 --> 00:12:17,355 God. 243 00:12:17,495 --> 00:12:20,895 He broke them out of the bondage, and they experienced freedom. 244 00:12:21,255 --> 00:12:24,585 And when they were wandering the desert, you know, who, what did God do? 245 00:12:24,635 --> 00:12:27,925 He provided water from a rock, manna and bread from heaven, and 246 00:12:27,925 --> 00:12:29,305 led them into the promised land. 247 00:12:29,505 --> 00:12:33,954 And all of this God accomplished through Moses was just a preview of what God 248 00:12:33,954 --> 00:12:38,485 would do with the greater Moses, Jesus, who would become and save to deliver us. 249 00:12:39,035 --> 00:12:43,025 And so in light of that, in light of who God is, the one true God, in light of the 250 00:12:43,025 --> 00:12:47,354 way He loved you, will you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? 251 00:12:49,005 --> 00:12:49,885 And what does that mean? 252 00:12:50,894 --> 00:12:56,184 It means the love of God would permeate not only your affection for the Lord, but 253 00:12:56,184 --> 00:13:00,235 your intellect for the Lord, your will for the Lord, your strength in the Lord. 254 00:13:00,375 --> 00:13:03,425 It will be all encompassing in all areas of your life. 255 00:13:04,085 --> 00:13:08,845 And I will respond to who God is with God centered worship in my life. 256 00:13:10,095 --> 00:13:15,114 And I love how God is not just after a small portion of just us. 257 00:13:15,625 --> 00:13:19,194 You know, I just love how in the scripture, you know, for simple people 258 00:13:19,194 --> 00:13:23,785 like me here, I don't know if you realize, but he says the word all four times here. 259 00:13:24,955 --> 00:13:29,595 You know, it means God is not coming to rescue you, to save you, and love you, so 260 00:13:29,595 --> 00:13:31,685 he can just have a slice of who you are. 261 00:13:32,345 --> 00:13:33,935 He wants all of your life. 262 00:13:34,095 --> 00:13:34,905 He wants all of it. 263 00:13:34,905 --> 00:13:36,135 He wants to invest in you. 264 00:13:36,945 --> 00:13:39,005 Before I move on, I want to ask this question. 265 00:13:39,715 --> 00:13:43,804 What does it look like to live a, to have a relationship with God that is 266 00:13:43,804 --> 00:13:46,575 marked by love and affection for God? 267 00:13:47,044 --> 00:13:49,054 You know, to love God for the long haul. 268 00:13:49,834 --> 00:13:52,705 When I think about loving God for the long haul, I look at people in this room. 269 00:13:52,705 --> 00:13:56,095 There's a, there's many of us who were in the faith for over 20 years. 270 00:13:56,265 --> 00:13:58,825 And I can tell you one thing that is clear to me. 271 00:13:59,270 --> 00:14:03,120 That you love God for the long haul is by remaining faithful to Him. 272 00:14:04,230 --> 00:14:06,690 Your relationship with Jesus is not designed to be a 273 00:14:06,690 --> 00:14:09,090 seasonal or a temporary thing. 274 00:14:09,689 --> 00:14:11,870 It's meant to be an eternal relationship. 275 00:14:12,860 --> 00:14:17,390 But I also want to state here, I want to state the obvious, that there is 276 00:14:17,390 --> 00:14:21,800 a battle for your heart, your mind, and your attention here in this world. 277 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:27,355 You know, the thing that eroded God's people Back in the Old Testament was 278 00:14:27,375 --> 00:14:29,505 not with the external persecution. 279 00:14:30,125 --> 00:14:33,714 It was just with this internal idol worship. 280 00:14:34,775 --> 00:14:36,594 You know, they took their eyes off of God. 281 00:14:36,815 --> 00:14:38,745 They started to worship false gods around them. 282 00:14:38,945 --> 00:14:42,264 And before you knew it, God's people had drifted away from their 283 00:14:42,264 --> 00:14:45,504 relationship with God and started to worship other gods around them. 284 00:14:47,145 --> 00:14:50,385 Deuteronomy chapter 6, which is the same chapter where, you know, 285 00:14:50,385 --> 00:14:52,115 Jesus is quoting here in Mark 12. 286 00:14:52,765 --> 00:14:56,205 You know, it, it says here that, uh, you know, he says to love God with all 287 00:14:56,205 --> 00:14:57,155 your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 288 00:14:57,155 --> 00:15:02,895 But he also says this, Do not follow other gods, the gods of the people around you. 289 00:15:03,734 --> 00:15:07,404 And what God is saying here is, I want all your life. 290 00:15:07,455 --> 00:15:09,494 I want to invest in this relationship. 291 00:15:09,955 --> 00:15:13,485 This is an exclusive relationship between you and me. 292 00:15:13,995 --> 00:15:16,385 And if you're going to make it, if you're going to be making God, 293 00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:19,435 you're constantly going to have to knock down small idols in your life. 294 00:15:20,310 --> 00:15:21,600 To set up shop in your heart. 295 00:15:21,730 --> 00:15:24,970 You know, you have to understand that there are other things competing with 296 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,850 God for your love and allegiance. 297 00:15:28,620 --> 00:15:29,590 And here's what I mean. 298 00:15:30,330 --> 00:15:33,060 You know, yesterday, obviously there was a funeral for Max, but 299 00:15:33,259 --> 00:15:37,070 also it was my, uh, ninth year of celebrating my life with Jesus. 300 00:15:37,430 --> 00:15:39,789 And, uh, yeah, so it's, it's crazy. 301 00:15:39,789 --> 00:15:40,739 It's nine years. 302 00:15:40,979 --> 00:15:41,559 I was a teen. 303 00:15:42,079 --> 00:15:44,510 But in those nine years, I realized... 304 00:15:44,810 --> 00:15:47,449 There have been many competing idols that I wrestle with, and 305 00:15:47,449 --> 00:15:51,329 I still wrestle with today, even wrestling with it for this past week. 306 00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:54,929 I don't know if you guys can relate with this here, but, for example, with my 307 00:15:54,930 --> 00:15:59,050 career, you know, my career is coming along and it's said to me, Worship 308 00:15:59,050 --> 00:16:01,089 me and I will make you a somebody. 309 00:16:01,989 --> 00:16:05,629 When money comes along, it says to me, serve me and I will secure you. 310 00:16:06,649 --> 00:16:09,779 Vanity comes to me and says, if you come to me, I will make sure you 311 00:16:09,779 --> 00:16:11,239 are always loved and always liked. 312 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,580 Materialism comes to me and says, serve me and I will validate you 313 00:16:15,580 --> 00:16:17,069 and make you feel like somebody. 314 00:16:18,310 --> 00:16:21,969 And the next thing you know, if you hear these lies and say, yeah, 315 00:16:21,970 --> 00:16:25,840 you know, I'll sing to Jesus, I'll worship Jesus, I'll go to midweeks, 316 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,239 I'll go to those Friday devotionals. 317 00:16:27,450 --> 00:16:30,830 But we can pivot our soul and strength onto these lesser gods. 318 00:16:31,630 --> 00:16:34,939 And before you know it, we drifted from worshipping Jesus 319 00:16:35,270 --> 00:16:37,000 to these secondary idols. 320 00:16:38,125 --> 00:16:40,715 You know, we say things like, this is where I'm going to find joy. 321 00:16:40,814 --> 00:16:43,745 This is the place where I'm going to find security, and not 322 00:16:43,745 --> 00:16:45,165 in my relationship with God. 323 00:16:46,335 --> 00:16:48,785 You know, Jesus wants all of you. 324 00:16:49,415 --> 00:16:51,354 He wants you for the long haul. 325 00:16:51,805 --> 00:16:56,205 And church, I know we love God, but I also want to acknowledge that we 326 00:16:56,205 --> 00:16:59,694 are not immune to the temptation to slowly drift our focus from Jesus. 327 00:17:01,010 --> 00:17:04,329 So let's continue to be the first love kind of people and reject anything 328 00:17:04,470 --> 00:17:07,969 that will compete for our attention, affection, and love for Jesus. 329 00:17:08,878 --> 00:17:12,909 So transitioning now, obviously, uh, we see this is a vertical 330 00:17:12,909 --> 00:17:15,219 relationship here with God and us. 331 00:17:15,239 --> 00:17:18,128 But now we want to look at the horizontal relationship. 332 00:17:18,388 --> 00:17:22,079 You know, Mark, uh, 12, 31, my second point is, we were called 333 00:17:22,118 --> 00:17:23,790 to love people sacrificially. 334 00:17:24,479 --> 00:17:27,878 And in Mark 12, verse 31, it says, The second is this, love 335 00:17:27,878 --> 00:17:29,179 your neighbor as yourself. 336 00:17:29,709 --> 00:17:32,219 There is no commandment greater than these. 337 00:17:33,279 --> 00:17:36,919 You know, Jesus is saying in essence of the law, here are the two 338 00:17:36,919 --> 00:17:39,849 things, love God and love people. 339 00:17:40,850 --> 00:17:43,759 You know, a loving relationship with God should naturally 340 00:17:43,799 --> 00:17:45,849 overflow into our love for others. 341 00:17:46,759 --> 00:17:50,179 I love that Jesus made this connection because You know, 342 00:17:50,180 --> 00:17:51,700 you may, you may be this person. 343 00:17:51,780 --> 00:17:52,350 I don't know. 344 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,520 I know I was this person at times, but we may know of someone 345 00:17:55,730 --> 00:17:57,840 where we say, hey, I love Jesus. 346 00:17:58,110 --> 00:17:59,330 I just don't like people. 347 00:18:00,139 --> 00:18:01,599 It's, it's hard to love people. 348 00:18:03,530 --> 00:18:07,399 But here's what it says here in 1st John 4 verse 20. 349 00:18:07,580 --> 00:18:08,870 This is a powerful scripture. 350 00:18:08,870 --> 00:18:14,550 It says whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or a sister is a liar. 351 00:18:15,330 --> 00:18:18,169 For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have 352 00:18:18,169 --> 00:18:24,419 been, for whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 353 00:18:25,639 --> 00:18:27,050 This is pretty strong language here. 354 00:18:27,610 --> 00:18:30,909 He's saying you cannot disconnect love for God and love for people 355 00:18:31,229 --> 00:18:32,629 because they are connected. 356 00:18:33,399 --> 00:18:36,699 You know, to love God is realizing that God's love is not moving towards 357 00:18:36,699 --> 00:18:41,280 you, but moving through you so it can get around to get on those around you. 358 00:18:42,405 --> 00:18:45,465 And what Jesus is saying next is simple, but also challenging. 359 00:18:46,235 --> 00:18:49,885 And remember Jesus calling us to, to love our neighbor as ourself. 360 00:18:50,185 --> 00:18:52,975 And, you know, he answers that, the question happens when 361 00:18:52,975 --> 00:18:54,415 people hear this in Luke 10. 362 00:18:54,415 --> 00:18:57,504 I mean, we won't turn there, but in Luke 10, there's the 363 00:18:57,504 --> 00:18:59,315 parable of the good Samaritan. 364 00:19:00,234 --> 00:19:03,335 And, you know, with it, there's this, the Lord goes up to him and 365 00:19:03,345 --> 00:19:07,085 asks, like, God, like, how, like, what do I do to inherit the kingdom? 366 00:19:07,690 --> 00:19:12,389 And you know, God tells this story of this man who was beaten. 367 00:19:12,940 --> 00:19:15,139 And there was three guys who had interactions with 368 00:19:15,139 --> 00:19:16,590 this man beaten on the road. 369 00:19:16,949 --> 00:19:19,010 The first two were a priest and a Levite. 370 00:19:19,590 --> 00:19:21,819 You know, spiritual people, religious people. 371 00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:24,909 And they see this beaten man and they walk on the other side of the road. 372 00:19:24,930 --> 00:19:26,650 They don't even offer help. 373 00:19:27,660 --> 00:19:29,300 But then there was this Samaritan. 374 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,680 And for those who don't know, a Samaritan is a mixture of a Jew and a Gentile. 375 00:19:32,810 --> 00:19:35,420 And they're looked down upon in the Jewish community because they 376 00:19:35,420 --> 00:19:37,150 are not, you know, fully Jewish. 377 00:19:37,804 --> 00:19:40,165 And this Samaritan offered help. 378 00:19:40,195 --> 00:19:43,014 It said, it said that he showed compassion on this man. 379 00:19:43,375 --> 00:19:45,865 Not only did he show compassion, but he even took him to the hospital, and 380 00:19:45,865 --> 00:19:47,014 even told the doctors, guess what? 381 00:19:47,195 --> 00:19:47,825 It's on me. 382 00:19:48,385 --> 00:19:51,834 His, his food, his medicine, everything is on me. 383 00:19:52,715 --> 00:19:56,685 And I tell this story because it's a lot easier to love people who, 384 00:19:56,725 --> 00:20:00,165 who look like us, who, who talk like us, who, who vote like us. 385 00:20:01,415 --> 00:20:03,264 But God is telling us no. 386 00:20:03,739 --> 00:20:07,129 We have to love everyone, and not just everyone, especially 387 00:20:07,149 --> 00:20:08,549 people who are in need. 388 00:20:09,649 --> 00:20:12,620 This means loving people who disagree with you politically, who 389 00:20:12,620 --> 00:20:14,870 look different from us and live in different parts of the city. 390 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,340 And yes, we agree and disagree on many numerous things, but I can 391 00:20:19,340 --> 00:20:23,979 guarantee the disagreement we have, such as politics, sports team, 392 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,830 anything, you name it, I guarantee those things have an expiration date. 393 00:20:30,105 --> 00:20:33,935 And yet, Jesus does not put boundaries on who is eligible to 394 00:20:33,935 --> 00:20:38,095 love them, and I love that Jesus models what true love looks like. 395 00:20:39,404 --> 00:20:44,305 Love is not trying to take something from someone, but Jesus modeled perfect 396 00:20:44,305 --> 00:20:47,215 love as he sacrificially gave himself. 397 00:20:48,415 --> 00:20:51,985 And that is what a good, that's what a good Samaritan did in the story. 398 00:20:52,004 --> 00:20:55,805 He said, this is not gonna, this is gonna cost me some things, and yet I'm going. 399 00:20:56,129 --> 00:20:59,870 To show the radical nature of God's love and sacrifice for 400 00:20:59,870 --> 00:21:01,409 your good God and not mine. 401 00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:06,810 And church, let me just tell you that I know that you all love Jesus here. 402 00:21:07,070 --> 00:21:09,690 Not just because you guys sing loud during worship, not because you 403 00:21:09,690 --> 00:21:12,579 guys are marking up your Bibles now, but I can tell you love Jesus 404 00:21:12,790 --> 00:21:14,310 by the way you love other people. 405 00:21:14,399 --> 00:21:16,700 The way you love people here in this church, the way you love 406 00:21:16,710 --> 00:21:18,790 people outside in your communities. 407 00:21:18,989 --> 00:21:23,170 And I have seen stories that has been far driven showing the love 408 00:21:23,170 --> 00:21:26,920 that we have for Jesus, such as providing meals, meal trains for 409 00:21:26,940 --> 00:21:28,710 people who have lost a loved one. 410 00:21:29,100 --> 00:21:33,240 Doing baby showers for upcoming parents, you know, giving a little bit extra 411 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:37,439 financially for special missions and hope worldwide You know, you cared for 412 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:38,940 each other like a spiritual family. 413 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:41,149 You guys prayed with each other You guys mourned with each other. 414 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,119 You guys visited each other in hospitals You have taken and carried other 415 00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:48,559 people's burdens and you've gotten busy loving people in your ministries and 416 00:21:48,579 --> 00:21:51,319 outside your ministries And I love that. 417 00:21:51,419 --> 00:21:55,735 I love seeing the God being spilled and poured out here in this church And I, 418 00:21:55,735 --> 00:21:59,184 for one, I have personally experienced the love as a young man three years 419 00:21:59,184 --> 00:22:03,864 ago who first came into this ministry broken, not knowing what to do with 420 00:22:03,874 --> 00:22:09,564 life, really just, like, just sad and not knowing what to do, and yet you guys 421 00:22:09,574 --> 00:22:14,054 poured into me, you guys invested in me, and for that I am just so grateful. 422 00:22:14,144 --> 00:22:17,204 I am eternally grateful, as those aliens from Toy Story will say, we are, 423 00:22:17,254 --> 00:22:19,014 I am eternally grateful for you guys. 424 00:22:20,874 --> 00:22:22,725 And it's investments like that, church. 425 00:22:23,034 --> 00:22:25,814 That make our relationship with God and each other eternal. 426 00:22:25,884 --> 00:22:27,975 That's the internal investment right there. 427 00:22:29,004 --> 00:22:32,544 I just want to close here, you know, how does the story in Mark end? 428 00:22:33,434 --> 00:22:36,664 You know, Jesus responds to the scribe and he tells him this, 429 00:22:37,215 --> 00:22:39,854 You are not far from the kingdom. 430 00:22:40,844 --> 00:22:45,794 You know, Jesus here acknowledging that this man has been on a spiritual journey. 431 00:22:46,435 --> 00:22:48,664 He's not like other religious leaders who are trying to trick 432 00:22:48,664 --> 00:22:50,154 him and trying to kill him. 433 00:22:50,750 --> 00:22:55,750 But there's an eagerness to learn from Jesus, you know, this guy is not far 434 00:22:55,750 --> 00:22:59,520 off from the kingdom of God And we have to acknowledge that this is an 435 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:04,189 encouragement, but also a warning This means that this man, you know stands 436 00:23:04,190 --> 00:23:06,600 apart putting his faith in Jesus. 437 00:23:06,770 --> 00:23:11,399 He agrees with Jesus intellectually But this man has not yet personally 438 00:23:11,930 --> 00:23:16,310 Repented for his sins and put his faith fully in Jesus, you know, we've heard 439 00:23:16,310 --> 00:23:20,725 about Jesus He learned from him, but he never put his faith in him fully And the 440 00:23:20,725 --> 00:23:25,235 humbling part about this text is that it calls us to love God and love others. 441 00:23:26,084 --> 00:23:29,165 And as simple as it is, like I said, it's so hard to live out. 442 00:23:30,044 --> 00:23:32,945 You know, I love my mom, but I've sinned against her. 443 00:23:34,224 --> 00:23:36,645 I love my girlfriend, but I've sinned against her. 444 00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:40,595 I loved my roommates, but I've sinned against them. 445 00:23:41,564 --> 00:23:46,895 I love all of you in this room, but I have, or I will, sin against you. 446 00:23:48,229 --> 00:23:53,759 And I love God, and yet, I let my affection and season grow cold. 447 00:23:55,219 --> 00:23:57,370 This is such a humbling passage. 448 00:23:58,159 --> 00:23:59,919 God makes it simple for us. 449 00:24:00,799 --> 00:24:03,999 Invest in God, and invest in others. 450 00:24:05,559 --> 00:24:10,199 You know, when we invest in God, and invest in others, we get this. 451 00:24:12,330 --> 00:24:13,280 We get the cross. 452 00:24:15,785 --> 00:24:19,165 Jesus died on the cross, not only so we can have eternal life with him, 453 00:24:20,004 --> 00:24:25,514 but also bring others along with us, show them the cross and have them also 454 00:24:25,645 --> 00:24:28,004 have that eternal life and investment. 455 00:24:28,725 --> 00:24:30,785 Church, let's do that. 456 00:24:31,784 --> 00:24:34,434 Let's continue to invest in God. 457 00:24:34,434 --> 00:24:36,802 Let's continue to invest in others. 458 00:24:36,802 --> 00:24:40,772 So as we pray and take communion, I just want to mention that, 459 00:24:40,772 --> 00:24:42,909 uh, I don't have the cup, but... 460 00:24:43,179 --> 00:24:46,590 Uh, if you don't have your, your cup, please raise your hand and the usher 461 00:24:46,590 --> 00:24:48,469 will come along and, uh, give you one. 462 00:24:48,979 --> 00:24:50,139 So let's go to God in prayer. 463 00:24:53,959 --> 00:24:58,709 Father in heaven, just thank you so much just for your words, God, 464 00:24:58,709 --> 00:25:00,500 and how they never come back empty. 465 00:25:01,220 --> 00:25:05,760 Thank you for, for making the two greatest commandments just so simple, 466 00:25:05,890 --> 00:25:08,110 just loving you and loving others. 467 00:25:08,780 --> 00:25:14,130 And I pray this week that as we reflect and meditate, God, That we get to put 468 00:25:14,130 --> 00:25:18,910 into practice, loving you first, and then from the outpour, love others. 469 00:25:19,780 --> 00:25:25,109 As we take the cup, God, as we take the juice that represents your blood, and 470 00:25:25,110 --> 00:25:28,999 the bread that represents your body on the cross, God, help us remember the 471 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,020 investment you made in your son, God. 472 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,350 Dying on the cross so we, too, can have that investment, Father. 473 00:25:36,650 --> 00:25:40,130 That we, too, can have that relationship. 474 00:25:40,785 --> 00:25:42,585 That does not have an expiration date. 475 00:25:43,675 --> 00:25:47,305 An investment that will last, God, an investment that will last 476 00:25:47,305 --> 00:25:48,815 in loving you and loving others. 477 00:25:50,015 --> 00:25:53,315 Thank you, Lord, for being the one true Lord. 478 00:25:54,435 --> 00:25:56,324 Father, we love you so much. 479 00:25:56,725 --> 00:25:57,445 In Jesus name. 480 00:25:57,784 --> 00:25:58,135 Amen.