3/8/2026 Midtown Church – Sacramento Campus

“The Practice of Loving Our Neighbor”

Dr. Efrem Smith

Main Text: Mark 12:28-34 (NIV)

Other Texts: 1 John 3:16-18, 1 John 4:19-21, Leviticus 19:9-18, Matthew 5:43-48, 1 John 3:1-3

Biblical Foundation:

The Gospel of Mark Chapter 12 —

Love God, Love Your Neighbor
In Mark chapter 12, several religious groups—the chief priests, teachers of the law, elders, Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees—are all trying to challenge and discredit Jesus. One of them asks Jesus which commandment is the most important of all.
Jesus responds by giving two that summarize everything: Love God and love your neighbor.

Big Question of The Sermon:

Can God Change Your Understanding of Neighbor?

1. Loving God With All of Our Being

Mark 12:28-30, 1 John 3:16-18, 1 John 4:19-21
Loving God begins with understanding that God loves us first. There is a connection between loving God with all of who we are and loving others.

2. Loving All of Our Neighbors

Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:9-18, Matthew 5:43-48
Our loving relationship with God is meant to cause us to reimagine the neighbors we are called to love.
Love for the Poor, Foreigner, Marginalized, and Oppressed.
This love even calls us to reimagine how we relate to enemies.

3. Loving Ourselves as God Loves Us

Matthew 12:31, 1 John 3:1-3
How do we love others as we love ourselves?
We should begin by knowing how much God loves us. How can we love our neighbor if we don’t know that God deeply loves us?

Final Thought: The Beloved Neighborhood of God