Dear Christian friends:

When a man asks a woman to marry him he expects the woman to love him with all her heart, to love him only and not any other man, and to love him until death separates them. The woman also expects the same love from the man.

This beautiful love of a husband for his wife and the wife for her husband is a picture of God's love for us and of our love for God. This is the perfect love.

In our text Jesus reminds us of this perfect love. So this morning I intend to preach to you about

In our text Jesus reminds us that we should love God with a perfect heart; "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." (v. 37) Does Jesus expect too much from us? Many people think so. They say, “Nobody is perfect." That is true; we are not perfect. And we sinners can't really love God with all our heart. Should this frighten us? Yes, if we are not Christians. “But we Christians know and believe that in Jesus God has already forgiven all our sins and failures to love Him with a perfect heart. In Jesus we are God's dear children. Jesus has freed us from the need of trying to win God's smile by our own obedience and suffering. By faith in Jesus we now live in God's grace and forgiveness. We are free from God's anger and curse, even hell. Because of Jesus we are now free to live with love for God with joy and thanksgiving. Because God has shown perfect love to us in Jesus we now want to serve Him and obey Him with all our heart. We don't feel we have to and we don't do it because we fear His punishment. We love God now with all our heart and try to obey His Commandments. Serving God is our greatest pleasure and joy. We agree with St. John who writes, "We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) So Jesus is not asking too much of us when He here in our text reminds us, "You must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This we want to do.

Jesus says that "this is the first and most important command.” (v. 40) Why? Why is this the most important command? Because if we really love God, we will try to obey the Ten Commandments. When we fail, we are disappointed and try harder to keep His Commandments. In his Small Catechism Martin Luther begins his explanation of each one of the Commandments with these words: "We should fear and love God." Let me give you his explanations as they are very clear and beautiful.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
You shall have no other gods before Me.

Luther explains: We must fear, love and trust in God above all things.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may
not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name;
but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
You shall honor your father and your mother.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not despise our parents and masters, nor provoke them to anger, but serve and obey them and hold them in love and esteem.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not kill.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and be a friend to him in every bodily need.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not commit adultery.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed and each love and honor his spouse.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not steal.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not bring false witness against your neighbor.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not lie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him and explain his wrong actions in the kindest way.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbors' inheritance or house, but be of help and service to him in keeping it.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

Luther explains: We should fear and love God, that we may not entice away from our neighbor his wife, servants or cattle, but urge them to stay with him and do their duty.

If we carefully study these Commandments and Luther's explanation we will confess with shame that we have not kept them and obeyed them, but have often broken them. Why? Because we have not loved God with all our heart. We have often loved ourselves only.

Although we often fail to love God with all our heart and break these Commandments, God still loves us and forgives us in Jesus. His great love and mercy in Jesus can strengthen our love and help us to keep and obey these Commandments. True our love for God will never be perfect as His love is perfect as long as we live here on earth because we Christians still have our sinful hearts. But if we continue to receive His perfect love in Jesus through Word and Sacraments, our love for God and our neighbor will grow more and more, and we will improve in obeying these Commandments for His dear name. Then when we join with Him in heaven, we shall be free of our sinful hearts and shall love Him as He has always loved us. This will be the perfect love!

Amen

PRAYER Lord, you have always loved me with a perfect love. Show mercy to me in Jesus; forgive me and help me to love You with all my heart and to love my neighbor also. Amen