It’s not about what you do
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
As Jesus loved us? Jesus laid down his Life. What a commandment - How could we possible fulfil this?
Title: It’s not about what you do.
*Pray*
Sermon Series | Yearly Theme | went through last week.
In a world that is all about self and that has turned Love into an emotion, we will choose to show
“Selfless Love” - Why? because Jesus showed selfless love to us | Key Verse:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
What a call |
biblical love = The Decision to compassionately and Sacrificially meet the need of another.
This year - our call - to be sefless, to decide, to meet need of another.
Where we going? CLASSIC - watch re-run - see something new - 6th Sense - Hope this happens for you.
The Good Samaritan - Secular world uses it | “Oh aren’t you a good samaritan” - for any good deed.
In Luke 10
What’s happening - Jesus teaching | Lawyer stands up (explain lawyer) | This question frames everything.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Interesting - 2 times, Jesus asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life - 2 times, Jesus answers with Law and to do something.
Need to remember; Jesus Answer is in context of ETERNITY.
Jesus answers: What’s written in Law - How do you read it.
Luke 10:27-28
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Text says | Lawyer = justifying himself = “Who is my neighbour” | why? Jews neighbours = jews.
So Jesus comes with Story;
Man going jerusulem to jericho | Robbed, beaten half to dead | Priest comes along - Passed on otherside | Levite = Same
Priest = Charge of Helping
Levite = Religious leader, worship in temple.
2 ppl that would help = avoided.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Jews vs Samaritans = Hated each other.
Chapter before - Jesus sends disciples to look for a room - Samaritans said no - Disciples say;
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
This = Shocking =Jews where in hatred toward them - decided to help.
SO he fixed him up - Gave him Wine + Oil
Takes him to an inn;
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Jesus asks Lawyer = Which one proved to be his neighbour?
He said - The one who showed mercy (Couldn’t even say samaritan)
Jesus says; Go and DO likewise.
Beautiful = Look after someone when half dead.
Hang on - Problem here.
Back to Oriiginal Question; what must I DO to enherit eternal life.
BUT isn’t “Doing” for salvation go against the Gospel message? of Finished work of Christ.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
So what is going on here?
Football Game - Umpires, and the crowd - but that’s not the game, and there is something deeper going on here.
What we need to Understand | Jews trying to ‘earn’ their way to heaven | Fence around law.
Comes with question to test Jesus; How am I saved?
He recited the Law
Listen;
Law was never meant to save | Was meant to point to Jesus | Law is beautiful
bathroom scales
Jesus here is trying to point out our inability to save ourselves.
Jesus is saying; without Me, do you think you can love your neighbour as yourself?
picture example
Jew on side of road = Half Dead = Spiritually Dead , but physically alive | It’s how Jesus finds us
Good Samaritan had Wine and Oil = Representing Jesus Blood and Holy Spirit for US.
Gets off Animals and trades places - Puts the person where He was, takes the place of the man. Jesus took our Pain.
And he takes him where?
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
What is this Inn? It’s the Church | Jesus is saying;
Hey, There is no way you can do this mr lawyer Man - but I CAN.
Interesting - Very next Passage in Luke 10 - Jesus is demonstrating this very thing.
Goes to village - Martha welcomes him in home - Martha busy. Mary just sat (Completely counter-cultural)
But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Martha gets bad rap = but Jesus Never rebukes her. Word = Distracted.
Jesus is saying - mary - sitting at my feet - chose good portion.
What are we learning?
You need to RECIEVE from JESUS what you NEED to show Sefless love.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
If your desire is to serve me, you need to abide in ME.
Look at this - Early Church after Jesus
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
This is what our church is named after - Why?
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Devoted to Jesus = Showing Sefless Love
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Lord added to number day by day.
What is Jesus trying ot make obvious to lawyer.
Hey buddy - The Law + your Works CANNOT SAVE YOU
You are NOT the good Samaritan, but I AM. always HAVE BEEN.
We don’t have 3 points today - we have one;
To show sefless love you need to get to know the one that showed us sefless love.
I will do the Saving | I will bring them to the inn, to the Church — and give you everything you NEEED to look after them
Jesus doesn’t tell parable because he wants the Lawyer to work harder for salvation.
He tells it to say - You are not capable of your own Salvation - but I AM and I CAME TO SET THE CAPTIVES FREE.
So what do we do we need to know?
Your greatest need is not to give - It is to recieve
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Grace = Free Gift - Jesus picked you up - Half dead - Physically alive Spiritually dead and He gave you LIFE.
2. Jesus saves - We Serve
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
When motivated by rules = What is bare minimum I can get away with?
Motivated by Grace = How much can I accomplish
We are the inn - Jesus has given us gifts to serve - To care for those that are here.
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
What Jesus say? I will return - When I do - I want to find you, aiding and serving those that he came to save.
3. Abiding in Jesus, is the key to showing Selfless love.
remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Work, for kingdom - is produced by LOVE.
Please remember - Not saved BY Works but FOR Works.
Saved to show Biblical Love to those around us.
To make the decision to compassionately and sacrificially meet the need of another.
But you can not give what you have not recieved.
There was another time Jesus looking for an Inn - Mary Pregnant - remember.
Every Inn was Busy - Every Inn was Distracted - Like Martha - Not doing bad things - just distracted by what God wants to do.
Will you sit quietly, open your heart to Jesus today who knows exactly how to build his kingdom through you - and will you obey?
Let us be like Mary, let us sit and recieve what Jesus has for us, and then let us ACT. not out of an obligation, but out of LOVE.
*prayer*