TD Jakes Sermons: Love Has No Loopholes Part 1

God said if you'd stop approaching me as if I'm a police officer about to arrest you when you go over the speed limit and we could move beyond the negativity to the positivity if you get positive but get this right you won't break the law not because I'm gonna arrest you but because she so loved me he said I want you to stop focusing on what you got wrong and getting lost in what you did right I want you to love me with all your heart all your mind all your soul [Music] greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I must explain to you what I'm about to share with you I started teaching on something that you hardly hear anybody teaching about in the church - that I don't know why I started teaching on love and I'm gonna share with you because it really transformed our church I believe in a transform your life perhaps your marriage your relationships your walk with God the series is called the love letter as we go into the Word of God today I believe this word this series is absolutely going to be life-changing are you ready let's talk about love at least 50% of the wars that have been fought in the world have been fought by religious people over religion and how they perceive God Jesus received more persecution through religious people than he did anybody else in our text he is up under this kind of scrutiny as as he is trying to teach and minister that comes in the crowd a lawyer somebody rose and and the lawyer begins to drill him about his philosophy about theology I'm gonna I'm gonna teach something hopefully this morning that if I can get it in you it's gonna give you a whole different perspective not only on this scripture but on the scriptures that come after it which are much more common so the lawyer says to him you know what are the laws what are the greatest loves jesus said read it for yourself though it takes of the tour and he starts reading it and he says you know that you love the Lord thy God with all our heart that man that sold all our spirit and that you love your neighbor as yourself he's absolutely right later in the scriptures you will see where Jesus said these two are the greatest Commandments say embody everything everything everything are comprised in two Commandments let's let's stop right there can I have your head this morning get your head okay let's stop right there Jesus says that these two Commandments in caps all of the others so if we get these two right we get credit for the whole test now that's a pretty good deal now you know you're getting ready for for end-of-the-year exam and the teacher says I got a hundred and seventy-five questions but if you get these two right you get the credit for the 175 is that a pretty good deal you backed up 12 payments on your house and oh they're getting ready to possess the car take the house from you they say but if you make two payments you don't have to make the other ten is that a pretty good deal that's what is being said here if you get these two things right everything else is pretty cool not because I overlooked the others but these in capsule the premise through which all the others are talking about you with me so what are they we got to give these to write test them I said we got to get these to write he says number one that you loved the Lord thy God wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute you mean I for all these ceremonial washings and cleansing and feast of weeks if these are unleavened bread what I can wear and what I can't wear what I can go how far I can travel on the Sabbath day who I didn't what I can bill what I can buy what I can't cover it up my neighbor all of the descriptions of criteria says bring about righteousness in the scripture and the first most important thing to God is that you love him whether you washed your hands or not or whether you bow prostrate or not or whether you mix fabrics or not or whether you did everything right or not God says above everything else the most important thing to me is that you love the Lord thy God with all thy heart not part of it with all that mind with all the souls with all that I said that's cool that son I did not know that love was that important nor are we often taught that love can be legislated God commands us to love him he doesn't beat around the bush I wish I could do that I command you to love me wouldn't be cool look at somebody I command you love me God says I could man you wouldn't that fix some marriages Evelyn fix some marriages right now wouldn't that solve some problems in the house right now wouldn't that change parents and children's relationship right now wouldn't that fix you and your sister right now if you could this command wouldn't wouldn't you go to work Monday morning and walking out of a slam down there beside from man you to love me wouldn't that be wonderful that's what God does he commands us to the lovely Lee he's but he's specific he says with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind with all your understanding I want you to love me okay that's he said that's the most important thing when Lauren I I worked over and I ran into the sabbahi say love me that's the most important thing Lord I haven't always done right I've made some mistakes I've had some sin I've had some weakness in my life he said look don't focus on what's wrong with you in a world of - out nots the priority is on a thou shalt oh y'all don't hear what I'm saying y'all not ready for me today let me just go churchy and get out of here in a world full of doubt she'll nods the priorities is on a vow shell because God says if you give the shell right I don't have to worry about the shell knobs I'm slippin a Mickey in on you right now I'm feeding you intravenously you know you don't even understand it but it's coming to you God said if you stop approaching me as if I'm a police officer about to arrest you when you go over the speed and we could move beyond the negativity to the positivity if you get positive and get this right you won't break the law not because I'm gonna arrest you but because you so loved me he said I want you to stop focusing on what you got wrong and getting lost in what you get right I want you to love me with all your heart or your mind or your soul in other words if God were a woman he would be saying to me I don't want you to focus on my cheating cheating on me I want you to focus on loving me I want you to focus on loving me with all your heart mind and soul when it sounds like she's just a weak woman but no she's a really smart woman because the woman knows that if you master loving me with all your heart mind and soul I don't have to tell you not to cheat because you're going to get lost in I will fail to see the leaders metaphors similes comparisons to make you understand it [Applause] so the love becomes the epitomizes what the commandments hand out to talk about he says I want the priority to be loving me with everything oh I wish I had time to really work this who look at what a big command that is have you ever loved anything anyone including God with you or all all your heart all your mind all your soul all you understand you know how you be loving people but you got like I love you but you know I love you to a point but if you push me to you right now lately you know you got breaks you know you get in a car you got breaks and then you got the emergency brakes and I fall in love but I got brakes and then I got the emergency brakes where you really that got crazy and I had to pull up I'm the only one y'all pray for me I'm the only one in the whole church they got emergency brake it may take me all night to pull it up but if you leave me alone in a room by myself for 24 hours by morning I will pull the emergency brake you will know it because you will smell burning rubber that means you are taking me somewhere that I don't want to go and I've decided that the return is not as great as the investment I'm out that's me pray for me God says I challenge you to discover a hundred percent love before you die to know what it is to give all of yourself that right there is a service can you imagine what we might discover through all I give up everything to follow you wouldn't give up our ham sandwich and 11 o'clock at night but God says I love the Lord thy God with all her heart and all our mind and all our soul and then he says the second commandment is that you love your neighbor as yourself still to come on the Potters touch he legislates love he commands you to love oh I could spend all day if you command me to do something that means I can do it because it wouldn't be fair for you to command me to do something I can do I command you to be a white man with blond hair blue eyes come on Lord [Music] you you know the love of God constrains us if you don't have the love of God you'll go anywhere do anything you can just be anybody but when you have love for God and the love of God it constrains us it's no way you can get out of it ultimately no matter what your moves or feelings or attitudes may be love will always ground you and pull you back in the fold so many people show their Christianity about how they dance or shout or speak in tongues the layout of the floor but if you do all of that and have not love Paul said you're nothing I think he's right love the Lord that God was all so hard and all our mind and all that soul and then he says the second commandment is that you love your neighbor as yourself so I don't have to say that's about steal because if you love me like you love you you wouldn't steal for me because you love me too much to treat me like you treat me imagine how your personal relationships would change if you love the people in your life like you love yourself wouldn't it be amazing if you were as forgiving of them as you are view it funny how people who need forgiveness don't give it any funny how people can need you to understand their quirks but they are unwilling to understand yours they want you to end it funny how people who want tolerance don't tolerate you if you're gonna ask me to tolerate you then it's demonstrated by tolerating me I can accept you being different but you can't seem like this the reality is we always want to get more than we're willing to give so this second scripture obliterates selfishness you you can't be selfish if you love your neighbor as you love yourself you can't do a lady said to to was something about my daughter's 20-some years old and she said oh you're old enough now to find out that your parents aren't stupid that hits you like in your 20s some people doesn't hit him till 40s but if you're lucky it'll lay in about 20 you know daddy didn't go to work because he hated me he was trying to pay the rent you know her mama wasn't wrong about that boy he is crazy you started finding out that experience does give you some sense it takes a while in your teen years you're almost supposed to be selfish you have to understand there cuz the teen is trying to separate from the womb of parenthood and find out who they are and in the process of identifying who they are and what they want to do they inadvertently become selfish because they're trying to find them say I got to be me I got a baby hippo my baby right there all I can say I'm glad I'm done with that some maturity is supposed to make you less selfish but some people got stuck and they never loved anybody no weren't close like you love yourself I've said this before and I'll say it again it seems to have impact it's based on my perspectives in life for 35 years of ministering and counseling people I have never met a man who beat his wife and liked himself never in 30-some years the Bible says love her as your own body but if you don't love you then it's easier to beat her because you're really angry and guilty about you and so if you're gonna break through the bondage you have to learn how to love yourself because people who love themselves are much easier to love and easier to be around than people who don't like them I don't have time to get lost in that that's not my point it's just you understand what I'm saying when you feel good about you whatever chick coming from in here now whatever is going on with me whatever cologne I got along whether I'm sweaty whether whatever is happening with me when you came into my circle you got drawn into it if I'm swinging you got drawn into a punch if I'm loving you got drawn into love whatever is up with me when you come into my circle you become connected to it so if I was crazy before you walked up here you understand what I'm saying now if I and the self hater guilty complex insecurity and you come up and get connected in that and now you are my body the fight that I was having with me I now get to have on you [Applause] so the healthiest people to love are people who love themselves so the second commandment Jesus says these are the two priorities loving God and loving your neighbor as you love yourself Wow now let's look at this hey this is kind of let me be honest with you I probably shouldn't be preaching this morning because I'm really presenting an unfinished chair before you because he's still talking to me about this but I'm gonna let you eavesdrop on the conversation because how this relates to the elephant room and everything else it's what what are your priorities what are the core values through which you let people in or guardian or anybody in is that if you if you make us friend amount of money oh you can't fool with you if you're a Democrat if you're a republican did you vote for what do you believe about the Godhead how are you baptized do you wear pants I think we can examine people today what are your priorities God says that you love the Lord thy God with all our heart and mind and that you love that neighbor as you love yourself I want to go deeper he legislates love he commands you to love oh I could spend all day if you command me to do something that means I can do it because it wouldn't be fair for you to command me to do something I can't do I command you to be a white man with blond hair blue eyes come on Lord I can scrub and scrub and scrub if I had time back to you Joe but they might have to edit it a little kid up in Hilversum didn't saw me he hadn't seen the vein in my color at his life and he looked at me say mr. miss hi mister I finally turn around he said are you like that all over I said everywhere I could see it everywhere I could get the mirror to point it seems to be a 100% total job ok I'm back I'll dress okay you take that home with you that don't cost you that is one of my little crazy little stories happen to me when I was going along if he commands me to do it it must be within my power to accomplish it because it wouldn't be just to command me to do something that I cannot do so that means that love is controllable Wow that opens up a whole nother village over there cuz he command he legislated love love me he said this is how you love me what I like about God God tells you how to love him no guessing most people want you to guess how to love God comes wrath love me with everything all your hard want all your mind all your soul and core body just I want you to love me he tells you straight up and he says I want you to love your neighbor as you love yourself now if God now legislates love then love now has indicted the lawyer love has brought an indictment against a lawyer predicated on the concept that he's guilty probably of never loving the Lord that got with all that heart their mind and soul but at a very minimum he is guilty of not loving his neighbor as himself and this is how I know he's looking for a loophole and anytime you look for a loophole it's because you are guilty watch this watch this watch it y'all don't okay y'all good y'all good okay watch this he says the the the Lord the Lord who is loved made flesh says love the Lord thy God with all the heart mind soul love that neighbor as thyself and then the lawyer says to the Lord who is my neighbor that's the loophole he says you know what do you believe what are you wear what is your theology I don't know what I'm gonna love you or not till I find out who is my neighbor so this is supposed to be smart what are you saying is do I determine about who lives next door to me do I determine about my ethnicity do I determine about my politics do I determine by my once about singular who who is my neighbor okay you're with me if you don't understand that then you have never understood the story of the Good Samaritan because the story of the Good Samaritan is Jesus answer to the lawyers loophole Jesus looks at him watch this y'all watch as I'm doing this I'll be gone he says he says who is my neighbor and Jesus Jesus doesn't even answer him he says a certain man Jesus felt cold he's so cool he's so cool Jesus says a certain man went down from Jerusalem the very fact that he said he went down from Jerusalem says he's a Jew to Jericho and he says he fell amongst thieves who stripped him and wounded him and left him half dead he says a Levite passed by and saw him Levite Levitical priesthood yo passed us your religious orthodoxy your your your those that epitomize the sacraments of your faith that tenets of one who handled the the theology for you passed by looked at him and turn and went away you mean this guy who the lawyer would perceive to be an okay neighbor didn't help him let me break this down where it becomes relevant to you have you ever been shocked when you were in trouble and who didn't help you the person that you thought for sure that you knew would be your rather die ratted eyes an african-american colloquially killer that means like total commitment it just means to be totally committed now that's enough about there so okay so and you find out that when the heat is on the brother who said he would always be there for you act like he don't even know you looks at your predicament and crosses by on the other side hey stay right where you are we'll be right back after this you there are so many pastors who feel left behind they feel frustrated they feel like I know God called me I know I'm anointed why am i stuff my thing this year is no Church left behind God didn't start you for you to get stuck in a quagmire of heaven religion I want to show you how to break free wanna teach practical pragmatic stuff the things that people do not tell you I'm ready to pass the torch will you catch it come now to the pastor's in leadership conference it's coming your way get ready get ready get ready I am so excited to be able to offer something for your entire family yes women are news and manpower want to converge in the city of Dallas at the same time but not only that we are planning all kinds of activities for your children for your grandchildren activities for your family come to Dallas Texas megafest it's going to be absolutely awesome gotta be bigger than this I gotta get out of this cage I got to stop looking for loopholes to justify my old foolishness I gotta stop looking for loopholes to justify my own selfishness I gotta stop looking for loopholes to get me out of what God commanded me to do my soul says yes my mind says yes I know I'm a better woman than this I know I'm a better man than this created me a clean heart renew a right spirit listen we're coming to a close we're gonna continue this we're gonna go deeper into it it's really a huge subject love has no loopholes I pray that it blesses you and challenges you maybe even change a little bit it's okay to change you know it's okay to change may God bless you may haven't smile upon you we're here to serve you right here at the potter's house [Music]

Channel: T.D. Jakes

Views: 313,954

Rating: 4.8623443 out of 5

Keywords: td jakes sermons, TD Jakes, T.D. Jakes, TD jakes ministries, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Bishop td jakes, Bishop Jakes, The Potter's House, the Potter's Touch, Love Has No Loopholes, sermons, heart and soul connection, finding the greatest commandment

Id: o2AWjk3tClE

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 22 2013