2819 Church - ENTRY & END TIMES | The Great Commandment | Matthew 22:34-40 | Arik Hayes

Episode Date: April 28, 2025

In Week 10 of “ENTRY & END TIMES,” Elder Arik Hayes walked us through the foundation of our faith; to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind.Matthew 22:34–40 calls us higher and reveals that love is not a suggestion, it is the foundation of all we are called to be.

Welcome to 2019 church beloved. Where we honor and esteem and preach the one who made a way. My name is Eric Hayes I'm one of two elders here. Amen. Thank you. Amen. We are a church that is a house of prayer, presence, and proclamation. I want a special shout out to the Overflow. It's my first time preaching, excuse me, first Sunday preaching at the new venue, man. We actually got the Overflow a little, a little can I can I hear you overflow overflow in the building that's amazing that's amazing also want to shout out our online community the digital disciples those that tune in from different parts of Georgia

different parts of the country different parts of the country, different parts of the world. We really are local and abroad. We are blessed to be able to hear about the miracles that the Lord is doing in your lives. Because man can't make miracles happen. You need the Holy Spirit to do that. We hear about life change. People just made a straight 180 because we preached the man that I met from Galilee, and his name is Jesus. Can I tell you something?

And I want you to fight with me. I know we hear it. It's online. It's TikTok. And not everything online online is good but we'll talk about it another day, right? We gotta fight not to normalize miracles and just just kind of give a patty cake. You know what I'm saying? Like, oh yeah, God saved another soul. No! I'm gonna tell you something, I'm a fight tooth and nail for that. He saved another person, somebody else walking holy, someone, oh yeah yeah yeah

no. I know we see it almost every Sunday somebody flying in from all over the world of the country almost every Sunday and we got a fight in our hearts not to just act like that's normal. We are experiencing what many would call revival and true revival only comes by the source of the Holy Spirit. You know how many tens of thousands of preachers there are on the country, much more in the world? of thousands of preachers there are on the country much more in the world we need to touch from the Holy Spirit and we can't get selfish you're like now I

know the Lord and not be concerned about the unbeliever or the weary saint that tunes in here I love you God bless you we have to be concerned about the work of the ministry which is the gospel which is the Great Commission if we don't fam this needs to become another fancy looking church man with a big screen and a nice building now don't nobody want that nobody wants that we need to work on the holy spirit to regenerate the hearts of men to see them in eternity nobody wants religion

no we can't we can't settle for that we can't we can't settle for that. We got to fight that off in our hearts man and I know man and listen man if you come in here and you heard and to an extent man 2019 is trendy. Alright we got popularity man I'm saying if you hear because of that I'm glad you came. I'm just saying the ones that have tapped in here and understand the heart of division it can't just be about that yes let them trend let us trend on social media when they get here they need to see Jesus if that don't happen the trend don't matter that's the only trend that matters for eternity. That they meet a man from Galilee named Jesus.

Leadership is fighting for that. We share tears. We're fighting for that. They're pretty team. We fighting for that. It can't just turn into religion, man. We got to fight against that. I'm not saying we're in danger of that, but I want that to stay at the forefront of your

minds and your souls. What good is the lines of people standing in line for an hour and a half if they don't get something from the Holy Ghost or they don't hear about Jesus. We just turn into another organization. That's one of the elders man I want to keep beating that into the DNA of us man. That the Lord will use us however, however long he sees fit not a circumvent and short-circuited because of our hearts going cold. You hear me, beloved? I love you, that's why I'm talking to you like that. I love you.

This thing just turns into religion, let's shut it down. Welcome to the unbeliever. Right? This is a place where you absolutely can belong before you believe. Right? So if somebody invited you, man, you saw a tiktok or whatever man or maybe you just see want to see what the fuss is about we invite you come have a seat listen right after all the Great Commission is aimed at you A church gets in trouble when everybody knows when to jump and when to clap. It ain't nobody's new in the building. What is that?

A church of Jesus Christ should not feel good about that. Right, why am I talking to you like this? So you will orient your heart around the Great Commission. You will look at people not with just what they mean in the world. What does their eternity look like? If I know you fresh man that drip is dope. That's dope though man but do you know Jesus? Hey sis I know you're entrepreneur that's dope though man, but do you know Jesus? Hey sis, I know you're entrepreneur that's dope man. You made a million last year. That's amazing man. Do you know Jesus though? But some of us get intimidated by the world

Their drip and their wealth will die with them. It will die with them. We have to be concerned about the moving of the kingdom, beloved. Y'all with me beloved? All right, that's a long intro. God bless you. All right, all right. Last but not least man I also want to give honor to our pastor of this house, Philip Anthony Mitchell. And I've said it before and maybe I sound redundant and that's okay to me, right? Listen, listen, it is not easy leading a church.

That's a massive understatement, right? If you know anything about the kingdom of darkness, they come for the head first, right? The kingdom of darkness does not have unlimited resources, so they have to strike strategically. That's why they aim at pastors, they aim at husbands in the house, they aim at fathers. Cause if I can cut off the head, everybody under that umbrella is now vulnerable. Okay, so with that being said,

pray for our pastor, man. Not a perfect man, give him grace, his heart is headed in the right direction. Okay? So I just wanna give him honor for being able headed in the right direction okay so I just want to give him honor for being able to do that just keep his hand to the plow amen all right moving right along we're on week 10 of entry and end times and I have the honor and privilege of preaching to you what we have called a title sermon the great commandment let me pray for us real

quick and we'll get into the Word of God. Holy Father, I thank you for this time of worship, this time of honoring who you are, this time of blessing your name in spirit and in truth, God. Basking in your presence. God, we want to continue to bask in your presence just in a different way through the scriptures now. And I pray that the Holy Spirit would prick the heart of the unbeliever, that would prick the heart of the weary saint, prick the heart of the backslidden saint, God that you would draw everybody to you in a way that only you can. God I decrease that you would increase and use this vessel for your people and your glory in the name of

Jesus I pray amen amen. Frank you mind hanging out with me brother? all right. one of the things that that can be one of the most stressful times and hardest things to go through and hardest things to navigate is when you're in a relationship and somebody has a standard or they have a desire that the other person cares about but they just can't quite meet. Some of you probably been in situationships or long-term relationships and that's what it was right. It's not that you didn't have anything in common, it's not that you didn't have any

type of affection, there's love there, but there's like a standard right whether it was fair or not that the other person just could not overcome or maybe it's something like you know it's when people like they just start dating right right they got a little onslaught in somebody DMs they talk and they see some pictures right right and this you know they they get a date and that's kind of tough you know because people be dying in the DMs I hear the stories from the single people right right and and it's a chance that y'all meet up and it's tough to navigate right and sis right, you know, he's you know He like his pictures. He looks looks cute. You know what I'm saying?

You like you know like what he got going on, but he show up and the brother is five six Y'all hear that it's a rap already like the standard Don't care if you love God. There's nothing he'6". He is in trouble out here in these dating streets. Could have had something, you know what I'm saying? Could have been able to, nope, nope, nope, didn't meet that standard, right? We get it, right? Or situations where you got a brother that is, you know, maybe trying to do the right thing and you know, but he's trying to be a little handsy way before a wedding. Gotta cut that out, right? It's tough, man. We still got to preach holiness in the church. I'll do it because I love you, right? Because it's the enemy's plan to have all

these broken houses around here. It's the enemy's plan to have a broken family, right? And I'll start here. People say that God is against sex. That's a lie. He created the anatomy to go together to have that enjoyable experience didn't he? Couldn't he have made a way to multiply society another way? He chose sex. He's just saying I just need it in this particular context of marriage. God is pro-sex. Alright the brother getting a little handsy trying to enter into some type of relations before the standard has been met to marry to become physical.

It is quiet in here. I'm gonna sit here. Quiet don't scare me. I ain't gonna hold you. Because quiet can mean you listening. Quiet can mean it's hit home. And unfortunately you don't have a lot of places that's gonna encourage you for holiness. People that say love is love and you know it's my girlfriend. What does that even mean? That's what I'm gonna gonna teach my daughter what does a boyfriend even mean? what qualifications

got to be to be a boyfriend? I like you you like me now you get access to it okay I'm gonna move on. but you feel me though right? right standards though standards right? and it can be romantic also be like on a parental level right like like I got four children and one of these children right now they're a little bossy I'm about to turn three in May and I'm like how do you be bossy? I don't like it but I may have some at least three major tendencies coming up in my house he's like well I want the water. I'm like well did you ask for the water? Did you say please? Do you say thank you afterwards right? Because I

have a standard of respect. Not harsh, just respect. Say please, thank you. Can I have and have patience in between the time you ask and the time you get it any parents in the building know what i'm talking about i'm gonna plug this in god didn't necessarily say no he may have just said wait a little bit i'm preaching i'm preaching that's good that's good he may not said no, he may just said not right. So I just want to keep, you know, as we dive into the word, dive into, you can go ahead and pull up verse 34. We're gonna be in Matthew 22, 34 through 40, central text for the

sermon, right? I'm sure you keep that in mind as we look at relationships or a relationship or relationships that have tension because of standards. How are we gonna deal with them? Verse 34, it says, but when the Pharisees heard that he, Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Right, this is not for everyone, but I do wanna speak for some people. Sometimes as a believer, as a disciple, you're gonna be doing nothing but minding your own business.

Come on, sir. All right. I mean, just living your life, just forgiving, trying trying to love people trying to invite people to church Trying to say I don't really want to gossip trying to be holy trying to be chased trying to be abstinent Trying to read your Bible trying to pray over your food when everybody go to lunch You actually pray that is dig in and you know what man there can be a huddle behind your back about you Just living holy be a huddle behind your back about you. Just living holy

can cause a huddle. And this is our problem. The problem is not the huddle beloved. It's how we respond to the huddle. A lot of us see the huddle and get intimidated and then we switch up. We cave back into carnality because the huddle and get intimidated and then we switch up We came back in the coronality because the huddle is around No, you pray over your food You're acquainted with the one who made away they are not No, no, no you reject gossip because it says in our scriptures don't do it Because you are familiar and acquainted with the one grafted into belong to the kingdom of the one that made away. Don't cave in

beloved. Verse 35. After they had their huddle, it says, and one of them, a lawyer, talking about the Pharisees, asked him, me and Jesus, a question to test him. Verse 36, it says, teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Right? So, after that down. After the huddle, one of them was actually curious so in other times in the in the in Matthew or in the the Gospels when they said they went to tempt him or test him it's actually like more antagonistic right they disrespectful with Jesus right at another account in market actually says that that that test from the mosaic lawyer it was more of just to engage in a dialogue with him. Kind of see what he

had to say. Verse 37, that Christ answers, and Jesus said to him the lawyer, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Verse 38 it says this is the great and first commandment. So Jesus saw you know the conversation Jesus engaged with them sometimes you need to engage with people that don't believe. Can I tell you something? Even myself I'm convicted I had to spend more time with unbelievers. you need to engage with people that don't believe. Can I tell you something? Even myself I'm convicted. I had to spend more time with unbelievers. I like to spend a whole lot of time with believers, right? Because we

we're actually we're of the same faith. We're really in the same family. But you know what? We're not all... Everybody's engaging with you ain't trying to come up against you. Some people may have seen Christ in your life and they're curious. You know what that can do? Open up a window for you to share the gospel. Much like Jesus was seen many times with unbelievers. Not to cave into their carnality but to be salt and light amongst the world. Guess what family, we're the only salt and light. Stop, check me out. It's other people that are doing good in the world. Only the believers have salt and light.

It's a million non-profits doing amazing work for all types of people and people groups and all types of things. They're doing good works, but they are not salt and light. We're called to be salt and light in the world not just in here I don't know why I'm staying here not just in here beloved. If all the light just comes and gathers it's all darkness out there Verse 39 he said Christ continues to speak and a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And verse 40, on these two commandments

depend all the law and the prophets. I'm going to deal with them right now. When it says that, listen, if you look at your book, you got a handheld. Or even if you scroll and go to your app, the majority of the scriptures of the Bible are in the Old Testament. That's the majority of your book. Christ

says these two commandments, all of the law and the prophets hang on them. So think of like a rod, right? And all of the law, the prophets, the things, the hooks there, the rod are these commandments, commandments right so we was answering the question these are the weightiest matters of the law right he condensed it's like 613 commandments in the Old Testament Christ just could just consolidate and made it simple and just gave you two all right so check me out I was looking and I thought I would guess correct when I said the commandment of love the Lord, your God with all your heart, mind, and strength like nobody got up and ran and said hallelujah and start

speaking in tongues. Nobody. Can I guess some of you look at that like it's a chore? Can I keep it a buck? I have looked at it like it's a chore. Give everything, all your might, all your strength, all your soul, love him with everything in your being. That's tough to do. Can we be real on Sunday morning? That's tough to do. Right? And then it says love your neighbor as yourself. Can I keep it a buck? At our core? Can I talk family? Can I talk? Alright. We family right? So I can say what I gotta say in love right? At the core most of us are selfish. Aren't we? Selfish. Selfish. Thinking about yourself and yourself only. So Christ is saying give this other person the preferential treatment that you would give yourself.

Honestly fam, that can fix 50% of your relationship problems right now. No need to pay a counselor, just go do that and things will get better. Okay? Also look at this man, I hate the fact that the world is actually taking over the the conversation about self-love because if you look at it self-love is biblical right and some of you guys don't love yourself so you can't do that second one either when I say you don't love yourself you see you see a detrimental situation you see something that is dysfunctional you see something that is that is detrimental to your soul and you do not remove yourself you continue

to engage. You can have your girlfriend you have your squad partner hey I don't know I don't know does he even know the Bible? Nah girl but I'm saying he's gonna be alright I'm just gonna pray God change him. I mean he can but don't we need to see that before we start dating I'm not saying you're jealous you just mad I got a man and at least I got a man I don't know right that was a low-hanging fruit right but there are other situations where really man you need to remove yourself and for whatever reason the Right? That was a low-hanging fruit, right? But there are other situations where really,

man, you need to remove yourself. And for whatever reason, the dysfunction in your soul, either it's courage or pride, you will not remove yourself. And you lack self-love. So because you lack self-love, you really can't even love that person because you don't you're not even acquainted with what that really is. So problem, this is the problem though. We have a dilemma. The lawyer asked Christ, Christ answered two commandments. If we're going to extrapolate something from this particular text or set of Scriptures, if you go and try to live out those two commandments in perfection, imperfection you're gonna fail miserably can we just be honest that we sin I'm not even talking about people that just like don't care about I don't talk about well-meaning people you just sin can I tell you can I tell you just an

experience that men go through especially godly man right you can just be minding your own business, right? Loving the Lord in your heart. You know what I'm saying? You're worthy of it all. You're worthy of it all. Thank you, God. Trey was singing that song, right? And all of a sudden, somebody fine can walk your way. I'm talking about real fine.

Christian people do find people fine, right? Don't get quiet on me. You know the people fine. And they your type of fine too. So you know you saw them. And they come in and you try to look down and you know right now, and you got to let me know what I'm talking about, man, you can start sweating like you did a preacher rag just like I need right now and you like oh my lord they're even a real prayer you just oh my god oh man she is fun right and they get about right here similar to when you're in traffic and somebody do something crazy and you come up beside them and you got

a fight night to look it's the same type of look you like she get about right there you like oh man walking look and sometimes you win and sometimes she lose right but fellas they gonna leave you out there right I was um I'm not gonna name the name of the movie, but I saw somebody Post online they were they saw the new movie that this actor was out in it was like Michael B. Jordan I ain't seen I ain't never seen him this fine Or what's that other dude it's a Aaron Pierre it's Mufasa Yeah, it's Mufasa

Y'all don't watch Jennifer Hudson show You're not gonna go see the Lion King, but you played it on your Instagram reels for 630 times straight That brother with the plaid eyes had them in a choke hold for a minute. It's Mufasa You can be minding your business, I hope somebody finds you got some scissors to make. And not that beholden beauty is bad, but if you behold enough, if you behold enough and you let things start rumbling in your heart that are not godly now you've tripped over into sin and that's just one of like six billion scenarios I can put you in right somebody try to gossip and you try to move away but it's too juicy you want to hear the tea don't you don't you that's why you listen you want to hear the tea didn't you as if

gossip is not expressly forbidden in the body of Christ expressly I hate it by the way don't be telling me to tea I'm'm a grown man. I don't hear nothing Let me go talk to them right or murder or jealousy or envy or backbiting Unfortunately, man, we've normalized unforgiveness in some sects of the body of Christ. I Got a reason what a toxic and they may be I didn't say go back over there, but forgive them

So that's what we take away like who's gonna be able to do that Is anybody gonna be able to do that Without fail Is anybody gonna be able to do that without fail? Right? And this is the thing God has a standard it's the law and it's holy just and good. You're not gonna be able to negotiate your way out of that. The law is the law. God put it there. He has supreme authority. He said this is how you should govern your life. Now we got a strained relationship. We fail miserably. And it's a thing man, I was thinking man, I was uh, I was, was I was working I was trying to you know prep time and

Prepping for this this sermon and I was gonna go I was gonna jump into Romans someone says that the end of Romans 8 where it talks about You know who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger? or or the sword Right. I'm talking about why we don't love God like we should like a lot of times what we do is we see we see All those things when we encounter them We let them lie to us and we start believing that God doesn't love us We start believing that he has abandoned us we start believing that he has not favored us because we see those things in our lives. Isn't that true? Haven't you been minding

your business that you came off of a mountaintop and found yourself in a valley and then you start questioning the very the very scriptures that you read and believed? And I was gonna jump to the end of Athens like almost 31 verses right where it says no in all these things we are more than conquerors to him who loved us for I am persuaded in another version that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, which is true. But you should clap, because that's true. And I was prepared to run back and forth on this stage and we was gonna preach and

we was gonna holler, we was gonna jump, because that's the truth truth we are more than conquerors in all of those things and we should not believe the lie that the circumstances speak to us but guess what that still doesn't solve our problem even with a better position on what trials are you still have a problem loving the Lord your God with all your might all your strength all your soul leaving nothing on the table leaving your might all your strength all your soul leaving nothing on the table leaving your neck loving your neighbor as you love yourself you have trouble with that any married people in the building don't you struggle with that

So, so what are we gonna do? That's God's law. It's wholly just and true. What are we gonna do? We understand what it says and what it means. We already understand that we messed up even with some of the best intentions man we fail there's no downgrade that's you're not getting down to that that's not gonna erase that like some of your strength. He's not saying it. Christ was actually quoting

back in Deuteronomy 4. It was the Old Testament. When you think about that, anybody feeling like a level of like hopelessness? Thank you for being honest. If I sent you out to do that. Yeah, even when you surrendered them, we mess up. But then I remembered we were never meant to live by the law. Give me Romans 3 23 it says for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God all all ain't nobody safe all look to your left look to your right that includes them all all right and for those that don't know how to how the law actually works give me James 2 10 Says for whoever keeps the whole law

But fails in one point has become guilty of all of it say all For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder if you do not commit adultery but do murder you have become a transgressor of the law the whole law so we don't grade on the curve with the law no no you mess up one you messed up the whole thing well I'm good over here I don't tell lies okay but you covet you messed up all of them I don't kill I just backbite a little bit you messed up all of the law all of the law. All of it. But then I realized the law is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Give

me Galatians 3. 3.23. It says, now before faith came we were held captive under the law in prison until the coming faith would be revealed verse 24 so then the law was our guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith take that down listen listen so the law was actually given to reveal the sinfulness of your heart. So that weight that y'all were feeling, it was doing its job. A little bit preaching, man. I feel bad. I ain't comfy for that. No, no, no. You were. You were supposed to feel like ain't no in the world. I can really do that Why why it was a tutor and a guardian to lead you towards Christ? He was the only one that could fulfill the law

You see how we keep why we keep preaching his name and talking about it and yelling and jumping and talking about the blood and talking about the sun and Easter and we keep talking about Jesus. This is why you were supposed to feel that weight, right? That weight is going to make you do two things. You're going to, you're going to, or a couple of things of things you're gonna try to slide up from under it that's not really what the Word of God or you're gonna lie be in pride like I do do all of it or you're gonna stay humble and say you got me God you got me I can't do this I

can't do it how many have tried and failed miserably? God knew you would fail miserably It was never a permanent situation It was meant to show your need for a Savior Verse 25 but now that faith has come We are no longer under a guardian We are no longer under a guardian Verse 26 it says for in Christ Jesus. You are all sons of God through faith

All right, and do something for me, right? All right, so it's not gonna pop up on the board I love the way the amplified version says these same verses. Okay, can I read them to you real quick? All right verse 23 again. It says now before faith came we were kept in custody under the law, perpetually imprisoned in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed with the result that the law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ so that say so that so that we may be justified all right it amplifies in the amplified Version what is justified me it says that is declared free of the guilt of sin and It's penalty and Placed in right state. I love the Word of God placed in right standing with God

By faith verse 25, but now that faith has come has come but now that faith has come verse 25 we are no longer under the control and authority of a tutor and disciplinarian talking about the law. For you who are born again, any born again believers in the building? Well they're talking about you. It says for you who are born again have been reborn from above. It begins to amplify again spiritually transformed renewed sanctified and are all children of God set apart for his purpose with full rights and privileges through faith in Jesus Christ can I continue to grow as a gospel preacher? I used to really just preach the Savior part if I'm honest Because he did go to that cross and it was an excruciating situation, right

But I'm now beginning to mature in the gospel and preach the Lord part, right? If you look at it say for why why was all that done, right? Now we are children of God set apart for his purpose With full rights in privileges through who through faith in Jesus Christ, so you were purchased And reconciled back to him You see about that should be your default hallelujah right because irresponsible preaching whether consciously or unconsciously you preach the freedom but you say freedom to do your own thing no

that's not the full gospel you have been you have been purchased, you are walking in freedom, but it's to walk in the ways that he has designed. Now let me talk to somebody who thinks that they're missing out. If you're walking in ways that he has designed and he designs you for it, that's what your calling is because in my early part of my walk I thought that God all this fun stuff I can't do not knowing that all the fun stuff is really sin that tears down my soul so it's a good thing that a father saw you purchased you back and then we

reconnected him back to himself to have relationship in eternity in eternal life that starts now This is the gospel beloved It's him that we preach God didn't change the law. He just sent the only one that could fulfill it and His name is Jesus and now we have been grafted into him In him we move live live, have our being. Anybody that wants to say thank you for Jesus.

You just want to show your gratitude for Jesus. This is a good time. Not for me. I said for Jesus! He made a way! And I know I'm behind time I just want to get this in real quick beloved. Can I have just two minutes? Two minutes. All right, I'll pull up John 13 34 and 35 for me Now Jesus after he washed feet. He said this the one who fulfilled the law he says a New commandment I give to you That you love one another

Just as I have loved you You also are to love one another just as I have loved you you also are to love one another check me out fam we talking about discipleship aren't we are we serious about making disciples all right now I need you to listen to 35 it says by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. That's how we're supposed to be known. Not even just standing in lines and convening and having amazing worship. Right? I want to anchor you to the scriptures and to Christ. That love that he's shown us. We should be some of the most forgiving people on the planet. We should be some of the most forgiving people on the planet

We should be some of the most patient people on the planet I'm not talking about wheat that doesn't make you weak That doesn't make you weak It makes you strong in the Lord Even when they make a huddle and try to talk about it behind your back The great commandment Was carried out by Jesus Christ himself and the one like it

Now we are in him and he gave us a new commandment to love by you. Hey, let me pray for us. Holy Father, I just thank you for being good, being kind. I thank you for this gospel. I thank you for the scriptures. I thank you for this local body of believers that have gathered together to push forward your great commission to push toward making disciple making disciples to honor you and worship to honor you in the scriptures to honor you in word thought and deed not that we are perfect but we worship the perfect one that you sit the dial on the cross so Jesus then we pray amen love you guys God bless