What Would You Do?

Welcome to Celebration Church. We are so glad that you are with us. If there is anything we can do to serve you and your family, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We are so glad you are here. This is truly an exciting time here at Celebration as we enter our Heart for the House season and series. We have a Heart for the House because the house had a heart for us. That simply means, we have all benefited from the grace of God. Many of us have come to faith in a place like this. This season, where we discuss stewardship, allows us to remember how we have benefited from the sacrificial stewardship of others and how God invites us to be a part so that it can benefit others and ourselves.

We just concluded our Exodus series. If you missed any part of it, please go back and listen to it because I believe it tells the story of where we are as a church and it is all connected. A few weeks back we shared...

Exodus 25:1–2 NIV

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.

Exodus 25:1 ESV

1 The Lord said to Moses,

The context of this passage was meant to show that everyone plays a critical part in contributing from what God has blessed them with so that others can benefit from the presence of God. This theme is expressed throughout the entire Bible. Later, Paul when looking to encourage and help the churches, let’s the other churches know the needs and vision of the ministry because needs determine vision because otherwise our ambition can cause us to create altars to ourselves that God didn’t authorize.

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Cor 9:7

We see this theme that we aren’t to be pressured or convinced. We simply use this season to share the burden God has given us as a church and invite you to partner with us so that God can dwell in these designated areas with your willing contribution.

The Heart for the House language comes from...

Matthew 6:21 ESV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:

If you want to know what is really important to someone, look at how they steward their resources. Meaning, time, talent and treasure. It’s really a matter of stewardship versus rulership. So many of the teachings of Jesus strategically addressed this very concept. We have to ask the question am I a ruler the owns everything or am I stewarding what God has given more and will live a life being sensitive and mindful of how I manage what He has given me?

Our text for today is one of the more popular passages within the narrative of Christ. In fact there are phrases that in it that seem to transcend our beliefs all together.

Luke 10:30–37 ESV

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. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 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. 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 and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 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.”

Luke 10:25–37 ESV

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 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.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 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. 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 and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 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.”

Today I want to take a unique perspective on the topic of stewardship and I have entitled this message: What Would You Do?

Luke 10:

Prayer

Lord, we are thankful for all that you have blessed us with. We recognize that you have given each of us something that can make a difference for someone. Today we invite your grace as we examine your Word and ask for your wisdom and the strength to obey what it is you will say to us. Give us open eyes, open ears, and open hearts. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Illustration

I have a bit of a confession for you. I have a very unnatural fear of becoming famous for the wrong reasons. Mainly an embarrassing moment that is somehow captured and immortalized with a meme. It’s actually an exhausting way to live when you think about it. It’s like every moment you have to be camera ready. I’ve watched shows like Punk’d and Ridiculousness and some of these other shows and though I laugh, it terrifies me. That said, there is this one called What Would You Do? And there is nothing funny about this show. It typically places a hidden camera in a public setting to record how you would respond to SERIOUS matters. It’s not like watching someone fall off of a skateboard, it’s like hearing someone use a racial slur, when a child predator tries to lore a child to come with them, someone being harassed by their employer…it runs the gamut. I literally say to myself, what would I do? I’d like to think I would get involved. I’d like to think I would speak up. I am very passionate about injustice. However, we live in Florida with stand your ground laws and things can escalate quick. The last thing I want is for them to place a camera in my face and ask, “sir why did you help and it resulted in you getting into a fist fight in the middle of Target…oh and your a pastor of Celebration Church”. Or, sir, why didn’t you get involved, don’t you care about people, oh…you’re a pastor at Celebration Church. I literally can’t win.

Transition

It’s a provocative thought, what would you do? What would you do with these situations. What do you do when you see a homeless person on the street corner? What do you do see the person with their car broken down? Simple question with not so simple answers.

With that understanding, I enter this text and ask myself, what would I do? What would you do? From our seat and with the answers we know the answer. However, in real time…what would you do?

With that understanding, I enter this text and ask myself, what would I do? What would you do? From our seat and with the answers we know the answer. However, in real time…what would you do? A homeless person on the street, what would you do?

Background/Context

Let’s evaluate the facts. Jesus is having a conversational teaching. His disciples have just returned from an evangelistic outing and our Lord was giving them some insight on ensuring their focus is on relationship and not get distracted by how God used them. Because, we can often get so lost in what God does through us that we stop paying attention to who God is to us and we confuse what God permits with God’s permission. The conversation of Love comes up. Ultimately, it was a desire to trap Jesus into drawing boundaries around what God really expects from us. Whenever you find yourself at a place of asking where do I draw the line, just ask yourself, where did God draw the line with me? You have your answer.

Jesus then expounds on this truth by illustrating His thought through this parable. Let me set the scene.

A Man

A great deal of detail isn’t provided about the man, who was victimized in this text. All we know is he was journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho. This was a downward journey geographically and spiritually, considering Jerusalem was the center of worship and Jericho had become over run with idol worship and self exaltation. This journey was dangerous as people could be ambushed.

A group of people were all traveling from Jerusalem and going to Jericho. This was a downhill trip and the road can be dangerous. So dangerous that the only difference of the survival of such a journey was really a matter of the timing.

Observations/Points

In looking at this passage, I believe there are 3 things that God is showing us in regards to perspective when it comes to stewardship.

Robbers: What’s Yours is Mine and I am Going to Take It

Robber: What’s Yours is Mine and I am Going to Take It

The robber is waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of the first and most vulnerable person that he comes across. He looks at what the man has and decides I want to take it. He strips him and beats him. Have you ever felt like someone took advantage of you? They saw what you had and took advantage of it. Took your promotion. Took your hope. Took your idea. Took your dream. The robber says, what’s your is mine and I am going to take it. It can leave us exposed, deflated, exhausted, half dead. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy and those moments we are half dead.

I am here to encourage the part of you that is still alive. Help is on the way. God is sending reinforcements. You are still here for a reason.

Religion: What’s Mine is Mine, and I am Going to Keep It

As the man lay gasping to breathe, he says a man in the distance. He can tell by the way he is dressed through his bloody blurred vision that the man is a man of faith. He is wearing the uniform after all. There could have been a collective sigh of relief, sensing that his help has arrived. Now, from the religious man’s perspective, he is an upright man. There are rules that govern such situations. Rules like, you can’t come in contact with the dead because it will defile you. Plus, maybe it was self inflicted. Perhaps the man brought it on himself and if he just pulled himself up by the bootstraps the same way he did, he wouldn’t be in this situation. So even though seeing a need, he didn’t want to take the risk so he crosses the street to avoid helping him. He distances himself from the pain. He turns the channel. He sits at the red light but doesn’t give eye contact. From the man’s perspective, he just wants help. However, religion has communicated to him, you are too far gone to help so what’s mine is mine and I am going to keep it…but I will offer my thoughts and prayers. It makes one say, why are you wearing the uniform if you aren’t going to perform the duty. Don’t dress like a church and not help. Otherwise your faith is likened to Halloween wear we play dress up but that’s not who we really are.

Sometimes it isn’t mean spirited. We are just trying to determine where the line is, right? Where does personal responsibility come into the equation? It is a tension to manage. Let’s remember, anyone could be a victim. The determining factor was often just a matter of timing. Notice, several people were all on the same road: the man, the priest, the levite, and the Samaritan; but the only thing that set them apart in the context of this passage was timing. It’s a humble reminder that none of us are perfect and all of us are on a journey and the only thing that may set your success apart from someone else’s misfortune is timing.

Anyone could be a victim. The determining factor was often just a matter of timing. Notice, several people were all on the same road: the man, the priest, the levite, and the Samaritan; but the only thing that set them apart in the context of this passage was timing. It’s a humble reminder that none of us are perfect and all of us are on a journey and the only thing that may set your success apart from someone else’s misfortune is timing.

Timing determines a lot, doesn’t it. Timing determines if something is wasted. This is a point of contention in my house. Let me explain. There are moments when my wife asks me to make her a cup of coffee. Done. There are moments after we eat dinner and retreat to our various rooms in the house that I will notice half drank bottles of water. Half drank coffee. Trash day, I’ll see food that I paid for gets thrown out. So recently, using history as a metric, when I see a can of soda, I drink it, no questions asked. When I see a sparkling water sitting on the counter, it’s mine. My family then yells at me and says how could you drink my drink? I am thinking, as your father I see all the waste and I am just trying to be a good steward and reallocate the resources. Here is the key, there is nothing that I take, that I also haven’t provided an abundance of. If I drink your water because I don’t want this one to go to waste, I still have more water for you. As the father, I see the waste and I just want to reallocate it. Sometimes when it comes to stewardship and generosity, we want to draw lines; when God is saying, I have an abundance for you. I see the waste and I am just asking you to be willing to let me use what I have already given you to be a benefit for someone else. I have a cupboard full of blessings for you, but it is hard to see the abundance of what God has provided when we aren’t willing to share what He has given us.

Moral of the story, my family has a religious spirit when it comes to sharing food.

Relationship: What’s Mine is Yours, and I am Going to Give It

The man has been ignored by religion and now there is a different man approaching. A man that probably would never stop to help him. A Samaritan man. Allow me to explain. Jews and Samaritans have a very rough history. It is racial tension at the highest level. Imagine post civil war America, the era of Jim Crow…even now to a degree and you begin to see the picture of the racial dynamics at play here. The man is treated with dignity by someone you would never expect it from. The Samaritan related to him. Maybe he could see himself in his situation. The man’s outward situation may have been a reflection of the Samaritans own struggle and he was moved with compassion. That is such a powerful image. A man who was oppressed seeing himself in the pain of this man. The Samaritan has a response that I think we can learn from: What’s mine is yours, and I am going to give it.

Summary

The robber sees the man

Takes from him

The priest and levite see the man

Avoids him

Samaritan sees the man

Has compassion on him:

Went to him

Addressed his pain using what he had

Oil: anointing

Wine: Holy Spirit, Joy

Animal

Helped him take his next step

Closing/Bystander Effect

When I look at this text through a modern lens, it’s a classic case of the bystander effect or bystander apathy. Bystander effect happens when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is for any one of them to provide help to a person in distress. With social media, we love to capture, but hate to get involved. I saw footage of a young lady in high school get lured into the bathroom and was ambushed and beat to death in front of people and their were cameras all around and even though I knew the outcome, I found myself shouting at the computer, PUT DOWN THE PHONE AND HELP HER. We all would like to think we would help but everyday, we are watching the their take peoples dignity. We watch suicide rates with students continue to climb. We observe churches grow in numbers but not in disciples so marriages and other pertinent issues remain the same. We do our part. We extend our thoughts and prayers but do nothing. We hashtag. But I think it is time as a church we come together and PUT DOWN THE PHONE AND HELP.

We are not going to standby and watch the poor and disadvantage and do mental gymnastics to justify apathy when we have NEVER seen Jesus do that.

We are not going to standby and watch church grow but our people stay the same, when we know that God has given us a vision and burden to equip you with resources on more than just Sunday.

We are not going to standby and watch our next generation be robbed of dignity and identity. We are going to resource and equip our students with content so that they are so rooted in their faith and identity in Christ, a cultural Tsunami couldn’t uproot them.

We are not going to standby and watch our church in Zim struggle to reach people when we know God has given us the resources that can literally change a country.

We are not going to standby and be content with not having a permanent location when God has given us a vision to serve as a hub in this region where we can reach the lost and equip the found.

This Heart for the House is for you, it’s for your family, it’s for your neighbor…but it’s also not for you, it’s not for your family. There are people all over this city, region and world that are beaten and left half dead and the question is, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?