SERVE: "Loving My Neighbor!"
Church on Purpose: INVITE | GROW | SERVE • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 39:43
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On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
INTRODUCTION: BEST-KNOWN STORY in Luke! (10:25) – “…an expert in the law” (of Moses—the entire Jewish community was BUILT on the Law)!
This guy was a LAWYER, THEOLOGIAN, ETHECIST, and LEADER, both morally and religiously!
“…stood up to test Jesus” – a strong word used only four times in Scripture:
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.
All three times a warning not to “…test God!”
Here that is precisely what they are doing! Why? Because many Jewish leaders opposed Jesus!
· There were LOSING AUTHORITY as Jesus GAINED CREDIBILITY!
· Jesus was CHALLENGING many of the RULES and REGULATIONS there were teaching and NOT INFREQUENTLY showing that they were in fact, first-class HYPOCTIES!
This is no friendly exchange. This was a full-frontal assault on Jesus’ credibility!
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On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered: “ ‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
We will look at three things from our passage this morning: The QUESTION, the ILLUSTRATION, and the APPLICATION.
I. THE QUESTION: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” – (10:25-29)
I. THE QUESTION: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” – (10:25-29)
A. Assumptions – (v.25b)
A. Assumptions – (v.25b)
Everybody operates with pre-suppositions!
There is such a thing as eternal life (lit., ‘life of the ages’).
S. Briscoe – “There are two kinds of people: those who believe in eternal life and those who don’t. Which are you?” BOTH are a matter of FAITH!
It is something to be INHERITED.
God made a promise of land to Abraham and 400 years later, his descendants each received their “lot.” Their understanding of eternal life was the same.
It is necessary to DO SOMETHING. “But what exactly?”
MOST PEOPLE would probably answer: “Live a good life!”
Q: “How good, and by whose standards?”
B. Answers – (v.26)
B. Answers – (v.26)
Jesus answers with two questions to the expert:
“What is written in the Law?” – You’re a lawyer…“…How do you read it?” – Lit., “How would you recite it?”
C. Affirmation – (vv.27-29)
C. Affirmation – (vv.27-29)
(v.27a) – “Love the LORD your God…” (Deuteronomy 6:5)(v.27b) – “…Love your neighbor as yourself.” – (Leviticus 19:18)(v.28) – GREAT ANSWER! Now practice what you TEACH!
The expert who tried to put Jesus on the spot, now finds he is exposed before the crowd!
D. Avoidance – (v.29)
D. Avoidance – (v.29)
Notice his MOTIVE – “But he wanted to justify himself…”
Notice also he completely IGNORES the issue of loving God and becomes DEFENSIVE on the issue of loving his neighbor! – “…And who is my neighbor?”
KEY POINT: The problem with this man is the problem with mankind! He was treating the Law with selective indifference! Instead of ADMITTING that he had NOT kept God’s Law, PRIDE stepped in and he attempted an ‘end-run’ around the Law!
He was not alone! ISRAEL had looked at the nations surrounding them and decided NONE of them qualified as “neighbors!” They interpreted the law to fit their own desires! To them, “neighbor” meant ‘fellow-Jew’ and NOT a Gentile, and especially not a Samaritan (‘keeper of the faith)! Now to be fair, the RACISM was on BOTH SIDES!
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
MODERN AVOIDANCE: 1) “I need to learn to love myself first…” 2) “You don’t have to LIKE someone to love them…”
II. THE ILLUSTRATION: “A man was going down from Jerusalem…” – (10:30-35)
II. THE ILLUSTRATION: “A man was going down from Jerusalem…” – (10:30-35)
A. A man in NEED – (v.30)
A. A man in NEED – (v.30)
B. A man of RELIGION – the priest – (v.31)
B. A man of RELIGION – the priest – (v.31)
C. A man on a MISSION – the Levite (v.32)
C. A man on a MISSION – the Levite (v.32)
D. A man of COMPASSION – the Samaritan – (vv.33-35)
D. A man of COMPASSION – the Samaritan – (vv.33-35)
Imagine the SHOCK of the crowd! The Samaritan CARED; he DARED; he SHARED!
III. THE APPLICATION: “Which of these three…was a neighbor?” – (10:36-37)
III. THE APPLICATION: “Which of these three…was a neighbor?” – (10:36-37)
S. Briscoe – “There is not a more guilt-revealing story!”
A. Through the Law we become conscious of sin – (Romans 3:20)
A. Through the Law we become conscious of sin – (Romans 3:20)
If I am ever NOT NEIGHBORLY, then I am a sinner! There’s no excuses or rationalizations about whether or not a person is truly my neighbor (no end-runs around the law)!
B. Through GRACE we receive eternal life!
B. Through GRACE we receive eternal life!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
C. The question is NOT “Who is my neighbor?”
C. The question is NOT “Who is my neighbor?”
D. But the question IS “Am I neighborly?”
D. But the question IS “Am I neighborly?”
CONCLUSION:
He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.