Love That Brings Peace | The Great Commandment | Summer at DC
The Great Commandment
Love that Brings PEACE
Mark 12:28-34 (NKJV) 28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
“Living with Peace in Uncertain Times”
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.
PANIC: sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior.
Matthew 24:36-44 (ESV) 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Revelation 2:1-5 (ESV) 1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.
1.) Don’t panic — Jesus already told us this would happen.
Matthew 24:6–8 (ESV) 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Jesus doesn’t hide the reality of hard times — but He does tell us not to fear them.
John 14:27 (ESV) 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
The headlines don’t surprise Heaven.
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.
2.) Stay awake — spiritual readiness is our priority.
Matthew 24:42–44 (ESV) 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Jesus wasn’t calling us to calculate dates but to cultivate devotion.
Jesus didn’t tell us to predict the day — He told us to prepare our lives.
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.
3.) Shine bright — darkness is our opportunity to witness.
Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV) 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” u Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
The darker the world gets, the brighter your faith can shine.
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.
4.) Look up — our HOPE is anchored in His return.
Titus 2:11-14 (ESV) 11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
We don’t just survive the times — we live in hope, knowing how the story ends.
We’re not looking for a sign — we’re looking for a Savior.
PEACE Thoughts:
- Don’t be shaken by what you see.
- Be faithful with what you’ve been given.
- Keep your heart full of hope, not fear.
We don’t panic, we prepare; we shine, and we stand in hope — because Jesus told us, showed us and is coming for us.
John 14:1–3 (NKJV) 1“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
We may not know the hour — but we can know the Hope.
SOUL TATTOO: Don’t panic, prepare, shine, and hope because Jesus is still in control.