Touré Roberts - Getting Back to Love - Week 5

Today, we’re going to continue our series on love, and this will literally be our fifth week in the series. I think that today love takes a turn because my prayer is that, after four weeks of teaching on God’s love and self-love, we can ultimately step into what God’s plan is for us as it relates to love. That plan is for us to be proof of God’s love to those around us. I want to talk to you about that a little bit and bring you into a moment I had with God very early this morning. It was about 3 a.m. when I got up, and there’s a place in my home where I meet with God. I can look out and see some things, and everyone ought to have an altar somewhere to meet with God. Yes, you can meet Him anywhere—don’t get all super religious on me; I understand that. But you ought to have a place set aside, a spot where you and God have worked it out, and there’s consistency in your meetings. I don’t know what that looks like for you—it could be in your home or somewhere else. I have another spot in Malibu on some rocks where I meet with God every time I go there, but just have that place for your meetings with Him.

Anyway, early this morning, I had a meeting with God, and I’ll be honest with you: I was juggling a lot of things. I’m very inquisitive, and I believe many people in this room or watching are inquisitive as well. Sometimes, I just ask God straight up, «God, what’s up?» I mean, He knows everything, and when you look at life, it has so much going on—there are so many moving parts. You know what I’m saying? You’ve got this happening and that happening, something in the past, something happening now, and you’re believing for something in the future. It’s overwhelming sometimes. I get to a point where I’m like, «Well, God, at the end of the day, what does it all mean?» Have you ever been there? Just think about life: it has ups and downs, joys and pains, confusion, and awesome moments. It has things that are kind of awesome and kind of confusing, all happening at the same time. For me, I’m like, «Lord, what is all this about?» I’m not asking for perfection, but I need to know that I’m on the right track. Has anyone ever been there? You just want to know that you’re on the right path. How can I be sure, given all these dynamics? I need to know that in the middle of the chaos, I can still be right where You want me to be. So, I need you to let me know in simple terms. Hello, somebody! Please don’t send me over to First Luke and then back over. I mean, don’t send me to Luke and then First John; just break it down for me. That’s where I was, right?

It’s interesting—I think I found myself in a situation similar to a man who approached Jesus in Matthew, the 22nd chapter. He basically asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, and there were reportedly 613 laws at the time. But how many of you know that sometimes you don’t have time for 613 laws? I don’t have the energy for that! You’re God enough to simplify this thing for me, so break it down. I don’t want to study 613 things; I need to know, in simple terms, what this is all about. You know, God is real like that because He could download into your spirit, in a second, everything you need to know about your life at that moment. This guy, I believe, was in a similar situation. He was testing Jesus, but I think he was doing it because he himself felt tested. Here’s what he said: «Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?»

Jesus replied, «You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.» Jesus simplifies it. He says, «This is the first and great commandment.» Then He adds, «And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.» He concludes, «On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.» So basically, what Jesus is saying is that He is simplifying what this thing called life is all about. At the end of the day, it’s about love. There is a sequence: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and then love your neighbor as you love yourself. Notice the sequence: loving God, loving yourself, and then loving your neighbor, because you need that reference point.