This is too big to walk on by.

Title: This is too big to walk on by.

Theme: We love God with all we are and allow God to love others through us.

Text:

Goal: This is too big to walk on by.

We love God with all we are and allow God to love others through us.ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE

ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE

ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE

Give them an idea of the dynamics?

Two exercises :

everybody stand

everybody 70 and above may sit

65 and above 5 years from now if we do nothing.

60 and above 10 years from now if we do nothing

50 and above 20 years from now if we do nothing.

40 and above 30 years from now if we do nothing

We love God with all we are and allow God to love others through us.

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

2. Struggles is burn out

Children’s workers

3. Recover can be difficult, but not impossible

a. what are we willing to do?

4. Does God have a plan? yes!

We love God with all we are and allow God to love others through us.

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

I. Trick questions can have interesting answers.

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

26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 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. (ESV)

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

A. “What must I do to share in the resurrection of the righteous at the end?”

The test was to see if Jesus could correctly answer the fundamental question: “How can I be sure I’ll be saved in the final resurrection?

B.Jesus can handle himself with those who attempt to trick him.

b. Maybe this lawyer wanted to look good here?

c.What every each question leads us closer to a serious response.

Knowledge of what God requires is not enough. Such knowledge needs to be put into practice. Love that comes from the heart responds with the hands. In the NT, the Spirit enables the believer to respond

II. Who is my neighbor, is the wrong question & prospective.

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

A. We are not to ask who our neighbor is; we are to be a neighbor.

a. The real issue is not whom we should serve, but that we serve. 1

B. The implication is clear that he wished to soften the demand and not feel a sense of obligation to respond.

a.Jesus rejects all attempts to shrink the scope of responsibility. The lawyer is looking for the minimum obedience required, but Jesus requires total obedience.

C. How do we soften it?

a. Everybody that comes to VBS already goes to another church.

b. It is the parents job to ensure they have religious education.

c. clothing drive: We are open on Sunday you know?

d.This is happening in every church!

e. They live to far away I don’t want to go pick them up. We are open isn’t that enough.

III. Next victim

30 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. (ESV)

31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. (ESV)

A. Here is God’s servant who ministers in his temple and represents the height of piety (on priests, see the exegesis of 1:5). What will he do?

a. The priest passes by on the other side of the road.

He is traveling home not toward the temple.

The man is not dead! He fought the battle of his life.

Have you ever made excuses? I think we all have, but this may be about to change as we go on.

All of us have attempted to do the minimums ( the least and smallest amount required.) We have lost our first love.

B. Levite Sunday School Teacher worker

32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (ESV)

a. second Jewish religious leader also comes down the road. He too passes on the other side and offers no help. A Levite (Λευίτης, leuitēs) was a member of the tribe of Levi but not of Aaron’s family. He was responsible for the less important tasks at the temple and could be thought of as a priest’s assistant1

b. Who will love this dying man? Who will care for the lost souls in the church? There are times we all can get so comfortable. This loss of the first love really touches us all.

c. It touches others around us too. When others see the minimums that is what they want too. Because it is easy.

Who will love this dying man? Who will care for the lost souls in the church? There are times we all can get so comfortable. This loss of the first love really touches us all

d. indicates lack of first love

C. Samaritan

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. (ESV)

Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ (ESV)

a. Here is the essence of being a neighbor: having the sensitivity to see a need and act to meet it.

Compassion, response, and love make a neighbor, not locale or race (Manson 1949: 263). Jesus’ question shows what a neighbor is. One should not seek to narrowly define who is a neighbor so as to limit one’s responsibility. The obligation is not to see what can be avoided, but to render aid when it can be readily supplied

IV. What do I have to do or what can I do?

IV. What do I have to do or what can I do?

36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (ESV)

The parable leaves no doubt that the man is challenged by God’s demand. The question becomes whether he loves God enough to respond to his demand

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)

What can we do?

We live in God’s love.

We love God with all we are and allow God to love others through us.

This is too big to walk on by.

J-el our released time program will have an opportunity to come to Christ.

If we leave it there we have not loved these child as we could.

Disciple them

Help them grow into mature disciples

This is too big to walk on by.

Cards prayer for those who need Christ

Invite them to Easter.

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)