Inherit the Land: Love your Neighbor

What does Jesus want us to know? To love your neighbor as you love yourself

Why? It shows God love and helps them be loved

What does God want us to do? Love our neighbor

Why? People need love, we need love

ME/WE

One of the questions people wonder and those outside of the faith wonder is what are the rules, laws, ways of the faith of Jesus.

What does Jesus teach you to do?

Then we look at Bible

OT Testament has 613 instructions…10 words. Love God, Honor your parents, Do murder

Other ones such as parents are to teach their children about God, do not hold a grudged

That’s a lot to remember! And on top of that, over time, religious leaders added thousands of additional laws—some rooted in Scripture, others more about tradition:

Then they added a couple thousand more laws, that added to God’s law.

Do not divorce except for abuse, affair or neglect..

Divorce if your wife burns your food

Sabbath

Do not turn off or on electricy for tv, computer…some get around this by turning it on the night before.

WE HAVE ADDED THINGS TO THE INSTRUCTIONS

YOU have to sing hymns at church or dress a certain way for church or not dress a certain way. PASTOR HAS TO WERE A SUIT AND TIE

In the NT there are over 1000 instructions

Forgive

Do not eat food sacrified to idols

Do not drink blood

The list goes on

The list keeps growing. Over 1,500 instructions—how can anyone possibly keep track of them all, let alone follow them perfectly?

That feeling of overwhelm—of wondering, "How can I ever live up to this?"—is real. Maybe you’ve felt it. Maybe you’ve even thought, "I might as well give up now."

ANYBODY BEEN THERE??

What do we do?

First, we pause. We remember: the ways of Jesus are not the way into a right relationship with Jesus.

Jesus never said, "Obey a good portion of my commands, and then you’re in. But if you fail, you’re out."

No, we are brought into a relationship with Jesus not by our works, but by His love and grace.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The ways of Jesus are ways that lead to life

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We don’t follow Jesus to be saved. We follow Jesus because we are saved AND to have life in this life.

BACK TO QUESTION AT HAND

What are the ways of Jesus?

I have some GOOD NEWS….Jesus sums up the 1500 instructions into 2 instructions

Luke 10:25 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

A LAWYER WAS A LAWYER OF THE 613 instructions and Talmud, oral law.

Test

Are we test God?

Malachi 3:10 ESV

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

What does scritpure say

Deuteronomy 6:16 ESV

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

Only ONE THING GOD SAYS TO TEST HIM WITH…

ANYBODY KNOW? GIVING

Test, that word alone shows us what the lawyer thinks of Jesus, he doesn’t think Jesus is God.

And also to test someone in that day, when someone tested someone you are saying “you are guilty until proven innocent” that is opposite of how are court systems work.

- The lawyer is doing two egregious acts

that’s why it such a big deal for us to test the Lord…it shows that we do not trust or believe God and it says God we believe you are guilty.

What does Jesus say to the lawyer?

Luke 10:25–28 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.”

you know the law

The lawyer answered Jesus with the Shema, (hear, listen) this is a prayer Jewish prayed twice a day.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Leviticus 19:18 ESV

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

THE WAYS OF JESUS ARE SUMMED UP TWO COMMANDS

LOVE GOD, HEART, SOUL, MIND STREGTEHN

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF

LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS

DO NOT MAKE IT COMPLICATED

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK OF AN ASPECT OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE VINE AND BRANCHES TO LOVE GOD IS TO REMAIN IN HIM

THE LAWYER ANSWER ON PAPER CORRECTLY A+

Luke 10:28 ESV

And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

BUT THE LAWYER WANTED TO JUSTIFY HIMSELF…HE WANTED EVEYRONE TO KNOW HOW GOOD HE WAS

Luke 10:29 ESV

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

In that day and this carries over today on many levels is OUR NEIGHBOR IS SOMEONE WE LIKE

People who do not like you you would call your enemy

Luke 10:30–32 ESV

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

PICTURES

About a ten mile walk and robbers stripped and beat him.

This man is in need of help

Good news help is coming

PRIEST

We do not know why

Was he too busy?

Did he not want to get invovled?

That’s ok another person is going to show up another person of God. A levite

What does the Levite do? HELP

THE PEOPLE WHO WERE TO SHOW COMPASSION

WE DON’T KNOW WHY?

TO BUSY

GOT TO WORSHIP

Luke 10:33–34 ESV

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.

A Samaritan…a Samaritan is a half-Jew and people who were 100 Jewishish hated Samaritans because they were not fully Jewish and they worrship not in Jerusalem but on Mount Gerizim.

Wait!!

Mouth drop

Offensive

See it is not enough to know the law but to do the law

A Samaritan, not the priest or levite????

Not only that look what else the Samaitan did

Luke 10:35 ESV

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.’

Took

WHY DID HE GIVE HIM MONEY??

TO TAKE CARE OF THE WOUNDS, YES

WHAT HAPPENS IF HE TOOK CARE OF THE MAN AND HE DIDN’T HAVE THE MONEY? THEY WOULD BECOME A SLAVED UNTIL THEY COULD PAY IT OFF

Is this not what Jesus does to us

3. Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan. We were the person on the side of the road, broken and helpless in our sin, but Jesus rescued us, paid for our healing with His blood, and restored us.

Then Jesus says

Luke 10:36–37 ESV

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

He wouldn’t even say the Samaritans name

This parable teaches us:

1. Love is more than words—it’s action. Compassion isn’t just a feeling; it moves us to help others.

We can say love your neighbor, but ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

2. Sometimes Loving our neighbor means loving people we don’t like or don’t like them right now. The Samaritan helped someone who normally would have despised him. Love has no limits.

The question is: Who is the neighbor(s) in need that God is calling you to love?

Pray that God would open your eyes

They might be a family member

A co-worker

A classmate

A literal neighbor

How do you love them?

1. Show Compassion and Mercy

help, even when it was inconvenient.

2. Treat Others How You Want to Be Treated

Jesus summed it up in the Golden Rule:

Matthew 7:12 (ESV) "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

3. Be Generous with What You Have

Loving others means sharing our time, resources, and kindness.

1 John 3:17 (ESV) "But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?"

Give freely—money, food, or time.

Help the poor and struggling—volunteer, donate, or simply check on them.

Support and uplift—be the friend who gives instead of always expecting.

Who in your life needs compassion today? Who is hurting and needs you to stop, care, and help? Let’s not just know the story—let’s live it.

3. Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan. We were broken and helpless in our sin, but Jesus rescued us, paid for our healing with His blood, and restored us.