Pastor Mike Simmons | August 7, 2016 | Matthew 22:34-40

Hillcrest Baptist Church | Cedar Hill, Texas | hillcrestbc.com

The greatest commandment of all, found in Matthew 22:34-40 and Mark 12:28-34, and also in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, is at the very “heart” of what it means to be fully devoted to God. This commandment is known as the Greatest Commandment of All because it calls for an unwavering loyalty to God. It is only when a follower of Christ has this type of passion and commitment to Christ that he/she will see others and things with the heart and mind of Christ.

Today I am excited to welcome Dr. Elijah Soritau to the Hillcrest pulpit this morning. Elijah, and his wife, Raelene, along with their children, Elisha, Karis, Victoriana, and Isaia, are no strangers to Hillcrest. While their daughter, Tori, was being treated for neuroblastoma, a cancer that attacks the nervous system, the family attended Hillcrest and now return every summer. Elijah currently serves as a professor of theology at the Emanuel University and Seminary in Oradea, Romania.

Once again, Jesus is confronted, this time by another group--the Sadducees--in an attempt to entrap Him, so that they could have Him arrested and put to death. The Sadducees come to Jesus with a subject in which they held no belief, the resurrection. It has been well said that the Sadducees were “sad u see” because of their disbelief in the resurrection!

How can our identity as the people of God help guide us through the social, political, and cultural filth of our day? What’s at stake when we live compromised lifestyles? This two–part series entitled “Identity Crisis: Rediscovering Who We Are and Why We Exist?” from 1 Peter chapter 2 is addressed to Christian believers, and will attempt to answer these questions while examining Peter’s words to “sojourners and exiles.” (I Peter 2:11).