In this sermon, we are going to answer the question; does God tell us to love ourselves?

Once upon a time, the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with the question about what is the greatest commandment in the law.

But little did they know they were going to make our Lord Jesus help us to answer the question which forms our seermon for today: does God tell us to love ourselves?

Well, without much ado, let’s see the scriptural text where we derive this sermon:

Scriptural text.

Jesus said to him, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.’

Mathew 22:37-39.

How God tells us to love ourselves.

As we can see from our scriptural text about loving yourself above, God tells us to love our nrighbour as we love ourselves.

Which means, we must first begin the act of love with ourselves before we extend it to our fellow human beings.

But it’s sad to discover that, most people do not even love themselves, talk less of loving God and someone else.

For how can someone who does not love himself know how to love God and his neighbor? In other words, you must first of all love yourself in order to know how to love God and your neighbor.

Things people do that proves they do not love themselves?

Anybody that sins against his body i.e. engaging in activities that is harmful to his health and or well-being; (both internally and externally), does not and can never prove that he loves himself.

Some of those activities are:

1. Fornication and adultery.

Engaging in fornication and adultery will expose you to so many dangers like: jealousy and heartbreaks which can lead to suicide or murder, sexually transmitted diseases.

And if this diseases doesn’t kill, it can render a man impotent and a woman unable to conceive.

Others are unwanted pregnancy and abortion which if it doesn’t kill can cause a woman the loose of her womb. Plus several other dangers you can possibly think of.

And so in 1 Corinthians 6:18 the scripture advices us to Flee from sexual immorality; because every sin that a man does is outside the body; but any man who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

2. Drunkenness.

Other activities that make one to sin against his body may also include: smoking, alcoholic and drug abuse.

Because these things are capable of destroying ones internal organs; they can destroy your lungs, liver, kidney etc. and at such cause you to die before your time.

I see the foolishness of human beings in the fact that, smokers will see written on the packet of cigarettes ‘the federal ministry of health warns that, smokers are liable to die young’ but ignore the warning and go ahead to smoke.

Let’s see how the scripture advices us concerning this issue:

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

(Proverbs 20:1)

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the spirit.

(Ephesians 5:18)

Consequencies of too much wine.

A very important point to note in this sermon is that; engaging in these harmful activities will cause you to spend your money in the wrong way as the scripture reveals in Isaiah 55:2.

Therefore, that money you spend every time on clubbing’s; picking and dropping different kinds of girls, could have been used in marrying a wife.

Or if you already did; investing in her and training your children in the fear of God, so they could carry on your legacy after you are gone.

For you will never hear Abraham, his cars and houses; all you will hear is Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, showing you that it is only your children that will carry your name down to the next generations.

And for those who spend their money on buying alcoholics, drugs, Indian hemps and cigarettes; they would have used that money to eat good food that will nourish their bodies and enable them to live a healthy long life.

Instead of dying young due to dangers involved in this lifestyle: cancer, cardiac arrest, kidney failure etc.

Love is fulfilling the law.

So if one must fulfill the laws and prophets i.e. to love God and neighbors; such a one must first of all learn how to love himself by disengaging in the above activities, and thus will fulfill the greatest commandment above for it is written:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.

(John 14:15)

Afterwards, that person must seek and find the Spirit of God Who will enable him obey all other God’s commandments and laws according to the promise in Ezekiel 36:27.

And this Spirit can only be obtained if one believes in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

‘He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will Flow Rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him will receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

(John 7:38-39)

And to believe in Jesus means: repentance and baptism, which are guarantees to receiving the Spirit.

Please share this sermon to help someone out there answer the question, does God tell us to love ourselves?