When No-One Is Looking

Point 1: Jesus’ example of the Samaritan is testament to his whole life and ministry.

Luke 10:37 NRSV

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Romans 5:8 NRSV

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Jesus’ example of the Samaritan is testamentto His whole life and ministry. (, )

Jesus often prioritized private practice over public confession.

It’s sometimes tempting for us to think that Jesus came down to hang with us for a while.

Jesus’ example of the Samaritan is testamentto His whole life and ministry. (, )

That he liked what he saw for the most part, and just wanted to let us know how much he loved us.

M

Matthew 6:5–6 NRSV

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

That’s not the case.

2. Jesus often prioritized private practice over public confession. ()

Luke 10:37 NRSV

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Ephesians 2:4–5 NRSV

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians 2:5 NRSV

even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Epehsians 2:4-5

The neighbor was less concerned with the opinions of his _____________, and was more concerned about the need of his ______________. ()

3. The neighbor was less concerned with the opinions of his _____________, and was more concerned about the need of his ______________. ()

Romans 5:8 NRSV

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Jesus entire ministry was to dead people.

And the people who are dying often don’t want his help. They are enemies of God.

The good news is that God didn’t just leave it that way.

Romans 5:10 NRSV

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

4. You can have all of the _____________ appearances of religion and very little of the ___________ of Jesus Christ. ()

Point 2: Jesus often prioritized private action over public confession.

Point 2: Jesus often prioritized private action over public confession.

5. Challenge: “This week I will show love to my neighbor by….” 

Matthew 6:5–6 NRSV

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

My favorite philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard had a short book titled, The Crowd is Untruth.

Points was, crowds tend to make us feel like we are better than we really are.

Also pointed out, salvation is personal, not corporate. In other words, you won’t spend eternity with God because of the crowd you hang with. It will be based on YOUR relationships to and with God.

For "the crowd" is untruth. Eternally, godly, Christianly what Paul says is valid: "only one receives the prize," [] ...everyone can be that one, with God's help - but only one [at a time] receives the prize;

FACT! Jesus died alone

FACT! A large part of our lives we live out alone.

It is what we do when we are ALONE that speaks most to our character.

The truth always comes out when you’re alone.

Point 3: The neighbor was less concerned with the opinions of his friends, and was more concerned about the need of his neighbor.

Psalm 119:21 NRSV

You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments;

Psalm 119:21 NRSV

You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments;

Luke 16:19–25 NRSV

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Luke 16:19-

Psalm 110:21

This doesn’t say that Lazarus was mean.

It doesn’t say that he was actively hurting people.

He was inattentive to the needs of the world around him.

He wasn’t evil

But he was inattentive to the needs of the world around him.

Lazarus cared about himself. Nobody else.

A friend of mine was once pastoring a church in which the congregants said they weren’t worried about others. “We just want to stay the same.”

Individually and as a church we always have to ask, whose voice are we listening to? God’s or Satan’s?

Jesus doesn’t seem to have anything good to say about such a perspective.

Point 4: You can have all the outer appearances of religion and very little of the love of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NRSV

You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!

What is the power of God? It is the love of God.

1 Corinthians 1:13 NRSV

Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Luke 10:27 NRSV

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.”

Galatians 5:22–23 NRSV

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NRSV

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Is faith greater than love?

Is hope greater than love?

If you don’t have love in your heart, you are not a Christian.

Is love greater than faith?

Is love greater than hope?

Why? Because God IS love ()

Sermons, on Several Occasions Sermon 2: The Almost Christian

2. The Second thing implied in the being altogether a Christian is, the love of our neighbour. For thus said our Lord in the following words, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” If any man ask, “Who is my neighbour?” we reply, Every man in the world; every child of his who is the Father of the spirits of all flesh.

It has been said that the Roman Empire was transformed by Christ not because of depth of faith. Not because of the hope of Heaven. But because their love for God and neighbor was so profoundly transformative that others wanted it.

Challenge: “This week, when no-one is looking, I will show love to my neighbor in these three ways...”

Reality: We often don’t want to do the things we should do.

VM Story about the inner city ministry.