Motivated by Love

INTRODUCTION

Re-intro series

We know evangelism is a command — we’re looking at the how/why.

Last Week: “Made with a Purpose”

TONIGHT: We’re going to look at our why. Yes, God commands us to share the gospel with those who don’t know him. But as followers of Jesus, we are also motivated by a love for others.

READ: MARK 12:28-31

PRAY

Summarize text

Jesus doesn’t just give one command, he give two.

Tells us that these two commands are closely tied together.

If we love God, we’re going to love people.

The two are inherently tied together.

Some things are just inseparable.

PB&J

Guns/Ammo

Salt/Pepper

Dogs/Fleas

Loving God and loving others is an inseparable combination. If we love God, we have to love people.

Doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Some people are just hard to love!

However, it’s what we’re called to.

We’re to love people because God loves them.

1. Everyone is your neighbor.

READ: LUKE 10:25-37

One of the teachers is trying to catch Jesus on a technicality.

“Who’s my neighbor?”

Jesus responds with a parable.

Understanding the parable: Samaritans were HATED by the Jews, and vice versa.

This is the one guy that the teacher DOES NOT want to include as a neighbor, and yet Jesus says he’s the one that acts the most neighborly.

Everyone is your neighbor because everyone is an image-bearer of a holy God.

Every person ever born is made in the image of God. Because of that fact alone, they are worthy of love and respect.

Just like last week we talked about how God knew you in your mother’s womb — knit you together — he’s done the same for every person you will ever encounter.

Even the most unlovable person you can think of — God still has a purpose for that person, and their life has value simply because of who made them.

2. Loving your neighbor is messy.

The traveller in the parable is having the worst day of his life.

He’s beaten, bloody, literally dying.

The Samaritan doesn’t hesitate — he cleans the man up.

Ever cleaned wounds — Bailey’s teeth falling off chair.

If you’ve ever tried to clean up someone who’s been injured and is bloody, you’re going to get to get dirty.

You’ll have blood on you, stained clothes, etc.

People are broken, and brokenness is messy.

They might not be physically bloody, but brokenness can be messy in a lot of ways.

Loving others means meeting them in their mess — their brokenness.

It doesn’t mean joining in their sin, but rather joining in their pain.

Might be physical, might be emotional.

3. The most loving the we can do is share Jesus’s love.

The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus stepped into our brokenness to save us.

The best way we can love our neighbor is to share the good news of Jesus with them.

In fact, if we love them, we’ll care enough about them to do just that.

CONCLUSION/3-CIRCLES

There’s a particular way of sharing the gospel, that’s one of my favorites.

It’s one of my favorites because it let’s you meet people in their brokenness.