The Relationship Principles of Jesus Mount Olivet Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Adolphus C. Lacey, Senior Pastor 1

Relationship Principle #1 Place the Highest Value on Relationships Memory Verse Mark 12: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." 2

I. Nothing Is More Important Than Relationship Relationships are painful. Relationships are wonderful. Jesus demonstrated that He understands both the wonder and the pain of your and my relationships. He experienced them both. He came to begin a new relationship with you – a relationship that will strengthen all your relationships. 3

Read Mark 12:28-34 “Of all the commandments, which is the most important? Jesus’ answer is simple and clear. He values our relationships with God, and He values our relationships with each other. In the beginning God created us for relationships. A life without relationships may well be a simpler life, but it is also an empty life. 4

II. Attraction of Lesser Things Place the highest value on relationships.  Not on money, but on relationships.  Not on time, but on relationships.  Not on things, but on relationships.  Not on your work, but on relationships. First with God and then with others. The problem we have with valuing relationships is not in the knowing but in the doing. 5

Jesus teaches us how to make different choices. First we renew our priorities, and then we act on those renewed priorities. The love for God and love for our neighbor are to come first. Then He described how to live out the priority of loving God in the words “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and the priority of loving others in the words “as yourself.” 6

Where are your priorities? What’s the first thing you think about in the morning? What does your schedule tell you about your priorities? What do you find yourself talking about most? What is the last thing you think about when your head hits the pillow at night? Avoid pursuing the lesser Values 7

Relationships – More Important Than Money – Matthew 6:24-33 Three relational truths from the passage are vital: 1.Competing values cannot coexist. 2.The striking thing about the lesser values is that the more of them you achieve, the more you realize how little power they have to bring fulfillment. 3.When you boil it all down, questions about priority are questions about faith. 8

Relationships – More Important Than Tasks – Mark 5:21-43; Mark 10:14; Mark 6:37 Jesus’ life is filled with encounters that show how He balanced the needs of people and the tasks before Him. Jesus chose meeting a person’s need above following His schedule of tasks for that day. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do great things for God – and accomplishing great things for Him. Just make sure it is for Him and not for you. 9

III. Love God with All Your Heart How do we do relationships? God’s principles do not change lives. It is your faith in God’s principles that changes your life! Knowing more facts and ideas and principles does not have the power to change your relationships. The power to change stands with faith - trusting God – and then acting on that faith. 10

Here is a practical place to get started when it comes to loving God with all your heart: Talk to God out loud and with emotion. Most of our private prayers are silent; we “speak” them in our minds. King David is an example. When he faced a huge problem, he begins to pour out his heart. 11

How do you pray more emotionally? 1. Talk to God about your feelings – Psalm 6:6 2. Talk to God about your weaknesses – Psalm 25:16 3. Talk to God about His strengths – Psalm 24:8 4. Tell God your fears – Psalm 55:5 12

How do you pray more emotionally? 5. Pour out to God the desires of your heart – Psalm 38:9 6. Openly and emotionally admit your sins to God – Psalm 38: Say out loud what you know to be true – Psalm 18:1-2 13

IV. Love God with All Your Soul What is your soul? The old Testament uses the Hebrew word nephesh, which means “to breathe.” The New Testament uses the Greek word psyche, which lies at the root of our word psychology. It has to do with your will, your drive, the passion of your life, the power by which you live. 14

IV. Love God with All Your Soul To Love God with All Your Soul, Seek Him Passionately To Love God with All Your Soul, Love Him Personally To Love God with All Your Soul, Decide to Do What He Wants You to Do 15

IV. Love God with All Your Soul How do you set your soul to make such a radical decision? Jesus shows the way. You set the direction of your soul by talking to God. It can easily become a habit to try to love God with part but not all of your soul. This week, stamp, all of your life with the prayer, “Not my will, Lord, but yours be done.” 16

V. Love God with All Your Mind and Strength At its most basic, to love God with all your mind is to know that God’s thoughts are thoughts of love toward you and to decide that your thoughts will be thoughts of love toward God. To love God with all your mind, you must put God’s words into your mind. God holds us responsible for what we think. 17

V. Love God with All Your Mind and Strength “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 18

Blueprint from Philippians 4:8 1. “Whatever is true”: Meditate on God’s truth 2. “Whatever is noble”: Appreciate God’s worth 3. “Whatever is right”: Cooperate with God’s plan 4. “Whatever is pure”: Appropriate God’s cleansing 19

Blueprint from Philippians 4:8 5. “Whatever is lovely”: Anticipate God’s abundance 6. “Whatever is admirable”: Communicate God’s encouragement 7. “If anything is excellent”: Be motivated by God’s greatness 8. “If anything is praiseworthy”: Celebrate God’s goodness 20

…With All Your Strength To love God with all your strength, there are three truths you must embrace: You must have complete confidence that God can do absolutely anything – John 14:12 You must be completely convinced that you can do absolutely nothing of ultimate and eternal significance without the power of Jesus Christ – John 15:5 You must trust God to turn your weakness into His strength – 2 Corinthians 12:

VI. Love Everyone as Your Neighbor Read Luke 10:25-37 – The Story of the Good Samaritan This is a parable that (1) pictures the value of loving everyone and (2) speaks to the value of loving someone. This story teaches us that we cannot limit the extent of our love. But why do we limit our love? 22

VI. Love Everyone as Your Neighbor Because of Our Differences ◦We are to love those who are different from us; even our enemies. Because of Our Fears ◦It is always a risk to love. ◦But Jesus is telling us to take the risk to love! Keep this in mind: the one relationship you can truly count on is your relationship with Jesus Christ! 23