First Things First | Dave Sloop

Introduction

Good morning! So wonderful to see all of you here. As many of you know, and has already been mentioned this morning, next week I will be installed as our church's next lead pastor, which is only the second time that has happened in 36 and a half years, I think it is.

Church was a little different 36 and a half years ago. But at that time, a young man named Raymond Quig Lawrence Jr. was installed over the Church of the Holy Spirit, a church of about 30 or 40 people. They didn't have a building back then. They were kind of hopping from place to place. Quig has given me a brief history, which I don't have time to go into this morning, but suffice it to say no one could have guessed what God would do over the next three and a half decades. I mean, look around.

But when you look around at all the people in the building, in the beauty, and even knowing some of the stories of people's lives have been transformed, you know you're only looking at the tip of the iceberg. Over the last 36 years, over $16 million given to missions, dozens and dozens of churches not only planted but physically built, not just in the United States but all over the world.

How many of you have been here since, let's just say the 90s? How many? Just a handful. Do you know what that means? It means that there are literally thousands upon thousands of people who have passed through these pews and who have sat under the faithful proclamation of God's authoritative, unchanging word and have been forever transformed by it.

And they have carried their love for Him from this body to different cities and counties and states and even countries as the kingdom of God expands. Some people, dear saints, have carried their love for Christ from this life to the next. They're not just absent from this body, they're absent from their own body and, as Paul promises, they're present with the Lord worshiping more freely and more fully than we could possibly imagine because of the ministry of this church.

A number of people have passed through this congregation having experienced and discovered a genuine love for Christ and have gone on to missions work or to plant churches. Too many to possibly mention in one service, but I'd like to tell the story of one in particular.

The Story of Faithful Service

There was a guy in the mid-90s named Scott McLucus who would take his first steps of faith earlier than that here in this congregation but then later responded to an invitation to come and be one of this church's pastors. He served here for a number of years, and then in 2002 he sent to call to go plant a church in Botatot County, one that was affirmed by Quig, his boss. Quig sent him out not only with hundreds of thousands of dollars to get started but with about 40 or 50 people.

Some of you are in this room right now. In 2002, Scott and a small team went north to Botatot County. Scott wanted to take a page from Quig's playbook because he knew that much of the success experienced here had to do with a strong partnership with the ministry of Young Life. So he thought, I'll do the same thing. The only problem was they didn't have Young Life.

So in summer 2002, they called a young guy about 25 years old—good looking guy, 25 at the time—who was working in sales in Northern Virginia, not really seeking a full-time ministry job. Actually, Scott McLucus put my friend Jason Fountain up to making this call, and I couldn't shake it because I sensed that this was what God was calling me to do. My acceptance of that invitation changed my life forever.

I would learn how to follow Christ in new ways. I would learn how to show up on other people's turf with the love of Christ, people that weren't really interested in knowing me or God, but you see, it's what Jesus did. He became flesh and moved into the neighborhood, so I went because I sensed that call.

I learned how to teach the scriptures, how to make them come alive—especially to a really skeptical, disinterested population of teenage kids. I learned how to form small communities—little bands of high school kids who would learn to take their first steps of faith, teaching them to do everything He commanded them to do.

I learned to say yes to opportunities that felt way too big for me, which caused me to depend on Christ in ways I hadn't before. Next week represents another one of those opportunities to trust Him in new ways.

I don't just stand up here this morning as this church's next lead pastor but as someone whose first call into ministry is inextricably linked to this church and its pastor Raymond Quig Lawrence Jr. So thank you, my friend, grateful for you.

Reflection on Leadership and Priorities

Now, as many of you have heard that I'm stepping into this role, I've gotten a question over and over again: Sloop, what is your vision for CHS moving forward? Who are we going to become? One of the things we're going to keep doing, stop doing, are you still going to do the camouflage stole? Big questions to consider.

You know, the truth is that's a really fair question to ask a new incoming leader. It's exciting to dream about the answers to those questions. I'll be honest with you, it's also a little daunting because there's a pressure as a new leader to want to say something that no one has ever really considered before—that maybe, in my leadership, I would lead us into something we never could have imagined because there's just a pressure to want to be innovative and cutting edge and different.

Maybe you've heard of the book written by Marshall Goldsmith called What Got You Here Won't Get You There. The concept of that book is that the skills, traits, and habits that got you to where you are at this new level of leadership are not the same skills, traits, and habits that will make you successful at this new place.

There's this idea that you have to be constantly reinventing and reimagining yourself, endless growth, innovation. This is true of leaders. It's also true of businesses. If a business doesn't pay attention to changing trends, they risk becoming obsolete.

Look at Blockbuster—actually, no, you don't see them anywhere. I was talking to someone after church, Roger, and he told me there's actually still one store in Bend, Oregon, down from 9,000. Why? Because they didn't pay attention to a changing trend—they thought VHS was going to last forever. They didn't realize everything was going digital, and so they got Netflixed and became obsolete.

What about us? Do we live in a world that is constantly changing? Do we run the risk as the church of becoming obsolete? What's the answer to that? Do we need to constantly be reinventing, innovating, staying on the cutting edge in order to stay relevant? That's the question.

I wonder if underneath that question when we ask, what's your vision? is the desire to be relevant, to stay current, to keep pace? I wonder how Jesus would answer that question.

And as I considered that, it led me to Matthew chapter 22, where He is essentially asked, what matters most? What should we focus on?

Jesus' Response

Let me read to you starting at verse 34:

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him.
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
Other translations say, which is the greatest? What's the most important thing?

Before we get to Jesus' answer, I want to take a second and think about that question. We know from the context of this passage that they asked it to test Him, trying to trap Him, trying to get Him to say the wrong thing. But setting that aside for a second, this is an important question. It was asked of Jesus over and over again.

Think of the rich young ruler in Mark chapter 10: what must I do to inherit eternal life? Think about the crowd in John chapter 6 after Jesus fed the five thousand. They met Him on the other side of the lake and asked: what are the works that God requires that we do? What's underneath that question?

Do you know that the Jewish religious guard had taken those ten commandments and turned them into—how many? 613.

You might hear that statistic and think, well, there are a bunch of religious people trying to make God's law more difficult. But it's the opposite. They had taken God's law—which is perfect and unattainable—and tried to make it something attainable. They stretched it out, trying to make it more something I could do.

What's behind that? That's called legalism, by the way. Let me tell you what’s behind that. It is a desire to keep God at arm's length—a desire to figure out how I can live my life to appease Him, but not need Him.

That's legalism. And listen, before you feel like that's not you, there's another kind—lawlessness. And I bet if you look at your life, you'll find your answer to that question: what matters most?

See, what many of us do is develop our own hierarchy of values. We know God said this, but we think, eh, not that important. He's not too concerned with my purity, but I care about being generous. We rewrite the law or decide what matters most. We become the arbiter of truth.

Whether it's lawlessness or legalism, here's the reality: both are about wanting to figure out life without God. Neither of them want Him, really, deep down. Both want life on their own terms.

Listen to how Jesus cuts through that question, which exists in the heart of every man and woman:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.

Four Observations

Let me make four observations about Jesus' answer, then we'll go home.

First, Jesus doesn't give them something new. He gives them something old. They might have suspected He would give something new because they had said things like that about Jesus before—Who is this teacher? He doesn't like the other teachers. He speaks as one with authority.

Jesus was a revolutionary. He was constantly shaking things up, saying things they'd never heard before. Surely they expected Him to offer some new insight. But Jesus doesn't do that. He gives them something old. If you’re anything like me, I am constantly looking for something new.

Do you know how many books I’ve started and not finished? I'm going to find something new to excite me, be the thing that causes me to live the way I wish I would. Podcasts, sermons, books—anything. There's something new. We want new, but Jesus gives them something old. In fact, He doesn't even give His interpretation; He just quotes it. How old is what He quotes? It's as old as you can get: from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses. He quotes Deuteronomy and Leviticus. He gives them something old.

Second, Jesus does not give them something ambiguous but something very familiar. As a teacher, I tell you it’s far easier to teach something obscure. Tim and I have talked about this before. It’s easier to take some passage from Zechariah that not many people have deeply engaged with and bring it to life. It’s harder to take John 3:16 and make it truly impactful.

Jesus doesn’t give them something obscure. He gives them something familiar. I wonder: is it possible for things to become so familiar that we stop hearing them? Like living in the city and getting used to street noise—becomes white noise. Someone from the country visits, and they can't even think because of the noise.

Same with truth—sometimes they become so familiar that they fade into the background of our Christian life. They've lost impact. How familiar was this passage Jesus quotes? Literally the most familiar thing He could have said. Do you know what this is? Deuteronomy 6, verses 4-5, the Shema:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

They would have heard it twice a day, every day. Who would have said it? They themselves. It's embedded in their daily prayers.

Is it possible that Jesus is emphasizing the truth that you need something so familiar that you've forgotten it? It has become background noise, and you no longer hear it.

Third, Jesus doesn't give one thing but two, and those two things are everything. All-encompassing. He says to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind—four times He emphasizes “all.” I don't think it's about exploring the nuance between loving God with your heart versus your mind or strength. I think it’s three different ways of saying the same thing.

The love God seeks is a love that involves your whole self: all of me or none of me. I've shared this before, but there was a season when I was so focused on work that Melissa said, "Even when you're here, you're not here." After some dinner guests left, she could tell I was present physically but not mentally.

God also says that kind of love isn't lip service or superficial obedience—it's real love, real adoration. Not just one part but all of it. God wants all, all, all of us.

I struggled with this idea of commitment as a college student. I was terrified—terrified of romantic commitment, partly because I worked at Ruby Tuesdays. I saw couples, 60, 70, 80 years old, sitting across from each other, not talking, not looking, just eating. This was before smartphones. No distractions. I thought, I don't want a marriage like that, where I am there but not really present.

God says: I don’t want a relationship like that either. When Melissa and I were engaged, I brought my fear of commitment into our relationship. It caused problems. It’s hard to bring your whole self when you're afraid of commitment.

On our 12-month anniversary, while she was in Paris with her mom, I decided to buy her gifts for every month we'd been dating—thoughtful, meaningful. It wasn't just money; it was things we liked, gifts from her favorite store, restaurant, outfit. I put effort into it.

And do you know what? When she returned, at dinner, she said, "I feel like you're not excited that I’m home." Even though I pulled out all the stops, she saw through it. She knew I was there physically but not emotionally present. I was showing up with my wallet but not my whole self.

God isn't interested in surface-level devotion either. In Hosea 6, He says:

Steadfast love is what I desire, not sacrifice; the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

He repeats it more forcefully in Malachi 1:10:

Oh, that there were even one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not waste your sacrifices in vain. I have no pleasure in you.

Why? Because they were just going through the motions, hollow religion. It wasn’t real. It was worthless.

You see, God wants your whole self. Bring your whole self—or don't come at all. That might sound harsh, but that’s love. A real relationship requires authenticity.

The Reality of Loving God

Fourth, what Jesus says is not confusing but complicated. The concepts aren't hard to grasp—they're hard to carry out. Loving God with your whole self is difficult. It’s possible to bring your mind but not your heart. It’s hard to truly love Him with your whole being.

Good news and bad news. The bad: this life of authentic love with God won't happen by accident. The word Jesus uses for love is agapeo—not a romantic noun but a verb. It’s about effort. It requires cultivating intimacy intentionally.

You won't get there on accident. That’s the bad news. The good news? You can start today. You don’t have to wait. You can do something about it.

Here’s one practical step: make space for Him. Make space in your calendar. When you zoom out, is He anywhere? As Melissa and I find our schedules busier, we realize we aren’t going on dates anymore. Our new date night is Friday morning.

We drink coffee, go for walks, hang out until lunchtime. Our marriage is closer. Why? Because we decided to make space.

Another question: have you made space for Him in your heart? That's tougher. You can't bring your heart to Him unless you know where your heart is. William Temple said:

Worship is what we do with our solitude.

When you're alone, what do you want to do? What does your heart desire? That reveals where your heart is.

And second, be honest with Him about where your heart has been. You don't wait to change your heart. You come to Him where you are—sometimes even during sermon prep, I tell God, I’m about to teach this text, but honestly, my heart isn’t in it. I’m tempted to love other things more than You. I confess that.

That's how you move your heart closer. Be honest with God about where it’s been.

Invitation and Conclusion

There might be some here who haven't trusted Christ. For you, this kind of love isn’t automatic. You need to see Him loving you first—the way He wants you to love Him. When Jesus answered that question about what matters most, He knew nobody could perfectly fulfill it—love Him with everything, love your neighbor as yourself.

He did it. He fulfilled it. He lived a perfect life and laid it down for you, taking your place. That's why He came—not just to show the way, but to be the way.

He’s the one who provides the righteousness you can't earn and credits His righteousness to you. His perfect life, His sacrifice—He makes it possible for your heart to be stirred to love Him.

The Bible says He puts His law in your heart—His Spirit moves in and gives you affections for Him. An affection that must be cultivated, just like any relationship.

All the law and the prophets depend on this. This is what the whole Bible is about. Jesus isn’t saying we can discard everything else in Scripture, but until we understand that everything is about loving God, we misunderstand everything.

God’s purpose, His law, His actions—all of it is in pursuit of getting a people to love Him.

If you don’t understand that foundation, you'll misunderstand your circumstances. You'll misunderstand His law.

God wants you to love Him—that’s always been His desire. That’s what this church has always been about.

It’s a privilege to serve a church for whom this has always been true—to say with integrity: what got you here will get you there, provided we cling to that old, perhaps too familiar truth, spoken by an unchanging God and His Son Jesus Christ who gave everything so that we might know and love Him.

What our ever-changing world needs from us is the application of this unchanging truth.

Let's pray.

Father, thank You for Your love, Your goodness, and Your kindness. Thank You for loving us so that we might love others. I pray that today, some would begin to cultivate something new with You. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.