Who Is My Neighbor?

Sunday, morning from Caleb. So, we're glad for that and glad that he was here and he was able to share God's word with you. Well, you know, on Wednesday night, of course, we're talking about our outreach program, and we have our 90 Day, prayer challenge, Lord, give me your heart, and my church, your heart for the lost. And here, for the last couple of weeks we've been talkin about specifically last week about how the Lord sees the world. And not only do, we need his heart for the Lost. But we also need his eyes for the lost to see people the way that he sees people. And remember last week we talked about how he sees people as like a lost sheep. That's defenseless allows coin. That's just kind of worthless. It's out of circulation and the lost, son rebellious son, who run away and got into the pigpen. Well, this is how the Lord sees lost people will today the title of this message. Is who is my neighbor? Now if I was asked most of you that you would think of the people that live beside you or the people right across the street from you and that is the way that we look at it. That is our neighbor. But the reason I titled the sermon this and ask this question is because this question was asked in the word of God. It's a question that are very smart. Religious man asked Jesus. He asked him who is my neighbor? and Jesus took that as an opportunity to tell him a story about, Who our neighbors are? And what love looks like. so, I want you to turn today to Luke chapter 10, Luke chapter 10. And we're going to look at today at a parable a story that you're probably very familiar with. It's called the Good Samaritan.

And we're going to learn some things today. So here here's the way that we're going to do this. I'm going to read this, it's verses 25 to 37. I'm going to read it and then we're going to go back through this story and we're going to look

at love from each player in the story. There's about four players in this story for different folks. If you will, and we're going to look at love from their perspective and try to see exactly what is Jesus trying to teach us. So let's begin in Luke 10:25. Says, and behold a certain lawyer. Now he's a smart man, he's a lawyer. But this lawyer here doesn't mean the same thing as the word lawyer means today. Today you think of a prosecuting attorney or defense attorney this right here. Lawyer means I scribe In other words, they're the ones who looked at the word of God, the Old Testament, specifically, the first five books of the law and they interpreted the law for people. They didn't necessarily carry people to court and declare I'm guilty. They looked at the law and said, this is what it means, so they had a farty just think of them. Like today would be some someone who makes laws maybe Congress or something like that. They have to look at laws and say, okay we going to put this into effect. This man is a lawyer, he described he's very smart and behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested him. Now remember describes didn't like Jesus cuz he wouldn't follow all their little rules and regulations. And he says this to Jesus teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? I wonder how many people said that the Jesus during his 33 years of life been specifically his last three years of ministry. You know, there was one, Rich Young fool who said, well, how do you know what I do to inherit eternal life now here, we have a lawyer who stands up and says teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Well, if someone asked me that today, I would say, Well, believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's what I would say. Look what Jesus says. he said to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? Notice that Jesus is always asking answering a question with a question. He says, what is written in the law? Now, you look at that, you say in the English, you know, well, that's normal or he just ask a lawyer. What is written in the law, really? It's more. It's more confident ATIV than that. What he saying here is? He said to him like this you allow your what does the law say? That's, that's how he saying it was your lawyer, you tell me, what does the law say? Remember what you say to Nicodemus? When he said, I don't understand is how a man, can be born again. What did Jesus say? You were a teacher of a, you a teacher of Israel? And you don't know. This will just think of it like this. He's looking at the lawyer and he says, will you allow your? You tell me, you tell me what it means. Watch what the lawyer says in verse 27.

With all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 bison, the law. That's one of the first five books of the Bible. He said you need to love God and you need to love your fellow man. That's what we just saying. What is so simple? Love God. Love people watch what Jesus says to him. He said to him, you have answered rightly do this, and you will live. Not notice what he says. Jesus didn't say anything about you, trusting me, you you ask for forgiveness of your sins, you ask me into your heart and you'll be safe. You know what he told him. He says, you love me with all your heart and you love others as yourself. And you'll have eternal, I sound like a work salvation to me. All I got to do is love. Here's the problem. No one love. God, the way we out to none of us love God perfectly with all of our heart, mind and soul. And if we surely, don't love God with all of our heart mind. So do you think we love others as ourselves? Of course, not Jesus is saying help. You can't keep the law. You need something else, but he tells him by saying, yeah. You said right? Do it and live. If you do this, you will have eternal life but he can't do it. No one can do it. And then look what the lawyer said, but he wanting to justify himself said to Jesus. And who is my neighbor?

Who is my neighbor? You see the lawyer wanted Jesus to say your neighbor or the people you work with and your family and the people you go to church with that's your neighbor. He wanted to put neighbor. He wanted to put it in a nice little neat package and say these are the people I need to love. You trying to just fine. So I thought he didn't love everyone else. He just loves certain people. So he says, well, just tell me Jesus, who is my neighbor anyway? Well, we want to know the same thing today. Who is our neighbor. Then Jesus answered verse 30 and said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among Thieves who stripped him of his closing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half-dead, right there, beside the road. Now, by chance a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a levite when he arrived at the place came and looked and passed by on the other site. So let's just think about this right now, we seen a lawyer escribe, we seen a priest we say, Levi, here's the way I want you to think of it. A lawyer would be a seminary professor. I mean, you know they know all this theological stuff just think of the lawyer as a professor at Southeastern Seminary think of the priest. As me a preacher, that's what priests we preach. So we got a seminar faster and a preacher and think of the levite, what they did is, they lead worship and I'll think of them kind of like date, he'll it? He's a worship leader. So we have a seminary Professor, a preacher, and a worship leader. And they all look at this, or the last to look at this man and it says, they pass by on the other side, then verse 33, but a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed came here, he was, and when he saw him, He had compassion, underlined Samaritan. And underlined that word compassion. So he went to him and bandage, his wounds pouring on oil and wine, and he said him on his way or set him on his own animal, brought him to an end and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out to dinner. I which is today's wages, gave them to The Innkeeper and said, to him, take care of him and whatever more you spend. When I come again, I will repay you So Jesus said, so which of these three do you think that was neighbor to him? Who fell among the thieves? and he said, he who showed Mercy on him and Jesus said to him go and do likewise, well, let's break this down into each person. So first of all we're going to look at the lawyer that's verses 25 through 29. And what I want to say about the lawyer, 96.1 the lawyer Love was just a name to study. So, he debated Jesus, to him, when Jesus said to him, what, what's the, what is the great commandment or, how is it, then, how you going to inherit eternal life? He gave him the exact right answer. He said, you love the Lord thy God and you love others as your self. You see his, his definition of Love is just like what I would call a word study every week that I study and come in here to preach. There's certain words I look up in the English text and in the group text and I break it down and I do a word study just like I did on compassion. That's why I told you underline it. And I do a word study. Well for this man here love was nothing more than a word study, he was interested and trapping Jesus. In this theological word games been trying to discover God's perspective on love. I remember he was a scribe, he studied scripture in order to understand its meaning in our own day we would call him a theologian or we call him a seminary Professor but the scribes didn't like Jesus because he didn't go buy all their little teaching and things like that. This man didn't answer sincere question. He just wanted to argue with Jesus who is my neighbor? Anyway, just tell me who my neighbor is. I gave you the right answer. Love, God love people. Now, you tell me the people that I ought to love. You tell me the people who are, like, me that I have to love the same colors. I am the same ethnicity in my family, that go to my church. Tell me that those are the ones that I should love. Because those are the ones that I love. Well, the scribes were famous for discussing. Significant social issues of today. But they never want to do anything about the problem. Don't that sound like Washington. D.c., do you, do they want to study gun crime in Chicago, but for 50 years, they keep pumping money in there and they do nothing about the problem. It just gets worse and worse with this, you know, this is the scribes. They would have a meeting at church and they had formed a committee at church and they would sit there and talk about the problem and say this and this and that that but nothing would ever get done. Nothing would get done. They merely wanted to argue about something in the abstract. Well, this man had sufficient knowledge of God's word because he told gee Jesus, exactly what was important. You see. He knew the truth but he didn't know how to apply the truth. In other words, he had information about The Bible and we can all sit here and listen to preaching. And all this information goes in her head. We know a lot about the Bible, we have information, but sometimes we don't have application. How do you apply this, to my life? In other words, his theology had never taken hold of his heart. He knew that he was to love his neighbor, but this man didn't even know who his neighbor was. There was nothing practical about this man. So when he asked Jesus to Define what? Tell me who my neighbor is, he just wanted Jesus to say, well certain people that, you know, and that you like and things like that. So Jesus says, where you tell me what's written in the law, you see rather than offering a dictionary definition. The Lord tells a story about how to illustrate this boat, we see. When he said, who is my neighbor? He's assuming that some people are not his neighbor. He's assuming that some people are his enemy. And he would be right. But Jesus says to love your neighbor to Jesus love is not just a word to be studied. It is a character quality in our life to be developed. That's what Jesus spoke to the lawyer. It was just a name to stay. So he debated and number 2, next in verse 30. We come to the thieves and for the fees this man laying by, or walking on the road. He was just a nobody to slaughter so they attacked him just a nobody to slaughter. So they rob the traveler and surely the hears of this Parable knew that the thieves often attack people on this road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Now, let me tell you about this road so you can kind of understand what's going on. Jerusalem was 3600 feet in elevation above Jericho. It was a 17 Mile trip from the temple in Jerusalem down to Jericho and notice what Jesus says in verse 30. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. That's what you do when we talked about going to Florida, what we say, I'm going. What we don't say. I'm going up to Florida, we say, I'm going down because it's South. We say I'm going up to New York, I'm going up to Washington DC, but we go down to South Carolina, and Georgia, and Florida, and Alabama, and all the rest up. So, Jesus says, there are certain and went down from Jerusalem, so he's returning from the temple, probably too, when he offered his offerings and worship and he's going back to Jericho where he live. Well, there's a 3600 FT elevation and it was just a steep hill, e, winding road. Just like, if you was on Grandfather Mountain and you start coming down just a winding road like that. Well, also Herod had dismissed 40,000 Temple, Builders during that time because the temple had been completed. And so, a lot of these people couldn't find job. So they turned to a life of crime sounds like USA right now. People turn into a life of crime and matter fact, that road was referred to as the road of blood, because people were attacked on that road all the time, robbed and beat, jesus takes this lawyer out of the synagogue, and he puts them in real life, and a dangerous bloody area. He's verbally showing this while you're here a battered body, that's laying helpless by the side of the road. And then, he asked, Jesus Will, who is my neighbor, Jesus is painting in the picture here, who his neighbor is. Well, that's the lawyer, just the name to study. So he debated Jesus, the thieves that person was just a nobody to slaughter. So they attacked and number three. And I'm going to group these two together. The priests and Levites. The man was just a nuisance to Sean. So, they avoided him. And I want you to look at it and verses 31 and 32 again. Remember we're talkin about a seminary Professor, a preacher, and a worship leader, when we read this. Now, by chance a certain priest. Now, look what it says he came down or, as he's going down. He's going from where to, where he's going from Jerusalem to Jericho. He's going down, and it says here,

But he came down that road and when he saw him, the one on the side of the road that was beaten half to death, he passed by on the other side. So the priest. Pass by on the other side, the preacher wouldn't help. It ain't that something. The one who stands in the pulpit and preaches and leads people. What happened wouldn't happen? First 32, likewise a levite when he arrived at the place came and looked passed by on the other side. So this priest traveling the same road. He was one of twelve thousand priests who lived around Jericho at the time because they had the new Temple and the Jews had developed 24, teams of priests. Who would eat serve two weeks out of the year. So this priest is coming down, which means that for two weeks, he had been up in the temple, serving people like this guy laying on the side of the road who came to worship and to give his offerings. He is probably one of his members of his Temple. And he comes down to in the same direction because he's probably headed home after two weeks of service and he just walks by and does nothing. Now he didn't know if the man was dead.

But see this this priest, he couldn't take the chance to go over there and touch him and see now, you know why? He couldn't touch it because there was a law a Jewish law that says, if you touch anything dead or unclean, you can't go in the temple for seven days until your cleansed. Now, wonder if that frees, the Bible doesn't say, but wonder if that priest was thinking. That, well, if he was coming down, he probably had already served his two weeks anyway, but he didn't want to touch anything unclean. He was going home to be with his family, so he did nothing. He didn't want to take the wrist cuz that way next time. Maybe somebody would tell someone at the temple that got cut the dead, he a man are the best and you can't be a priest in this. Definitely, the more you doing that. So he didn't touch him. So he put the temple ritual above the suffering of this man and he just decided that he would pass by on the other side. Did you know how easy it is for preachers? to put aside people who are homeless and dirty and in need So that they can go to the temple and do their job, not easy. That is to do you study all week and you going to go to your church and pray and then something comes up. You don't want to be bothered with that. I've got my work for the Lord to do. I've got to go preach to my congregation. Let someone else handle that. This is the pad. This is a picture that Jesus is painting and then a levite pass by again, he was a worship leader. He should have been eager to help this man. He had the opportunity had the knowledge, but he probably noticed that the free Smoke by. He said, well, you know, we're on the same team, so I'm going to walk by is well, both of these men were involved in religious work and in God's service and they were probably very good men. But neither man had come to grips.

With, who is my neighbor and how do I love people? And yet they worked in the ministry, a seminary Professor, a preacher and a worship leader. Did not know anything about the love of God or who is my neighbor.

Isn't it. Wonderful how? When Jesus speaks to us through his word? That he come straight to us, he don't try to hide anything, you know, where is told me last week that Jesus called us to be Fishers of Men, and who did he go to, and ask to be Fishers of Men fisherman. You know, if you do construction work, or he would call you to be constructive workers for men, did you know that? That's how he would come to you? He's not trying to hide anything. Here we have two teachers in here. I think. If Jesus came to let me know what he would say. I'm going to teach you how to be. Teachers are learners. They would know, they would know exactly what Jesus was talking about. We have a scientist in the back, in Vicky, he going to come here. You know what he's going to say. I want you going to be an observer of men, that's what scientists do that. They observe they analyzed. They look at they study, he would come to her and say Craig's, a trainer, he's a bodybuilder, you know what? Jesus would say if he came to him. I want you to help me into exercise themselves unto godliness. I want you to show me any women, have to work out their own salvation. You see what I'm saying? He would come to him and he would say that he comes to us like that. And then we see these religious people here didn't even know who their neighbor was or how to show the love of God lawyer. Just a name to study. So he debated him. The thieves Just a Nobody to slaughter. So they attacked him and then the preacher and the worship leader, just a nuisance to Sean, so they avoided him. and now we come to the last one number for and that is the Samaritan. Is the Samaritan said, he's just a neighbor to serve so he loved him. Now I told you I think the underlined that word Samaritan when Jesus would tell his Parables, he would always use priests a lot of times Jews and Levi and he did here but he twisted this story here and he offered a solution that the people would have hated. If you would have tell this story to the Jews and you said, you got a scribe over here, you got a priest and a preacher over here. You got a levite and a worship leader over here and they wouldn't do nothing. Well, who's going to help this man? You know what they would have said. They would have said the laity a a Godly Jew would come and rescue him. Who knew the law and who followed the law and look what Jesus said, beginning and verse 33. But I certainly didn't say Jew. He said a certain Samaritan. as he journeyed cambrie, was it when you saw him, he had compassion. What's wrong with the Samaritan anybody ever seen a Samaritan Hospital? They're everywhere because of the story.

What's wrong with the Samaritan? Why would that make the Jews angry? Well, because in 722 BC, the ten Northern tribes were carried off into captivity by the hated of syrians and they stayed in captivity there for years and years and years. And guess what? The Jewish men did, who will carry it off? In captivity? They got up with this. Syrian women and married and had families. And the Jews refer to Samaritans as half-breeds.

They even had to have their own Temple, their own culture and their own laws because the Jews wouldn't recognize them every time. Then pass them. They say, you're nothing but a half-breed. We're not having anything to do with you. You are a hat. They hated one another, and the Samaritan hated them. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, where were she? But would she be a Samaritan woman? And she said, and you're talkin to meet a woman? Well, number one, women were low in degree in that day, but number to the biggest surprise was what are you doing here in Samaria anyway? Because didn't shoot who's, if they had to go to the other side of Samaria, instead of walking through some, are they would Circle go around the city. They hated it so bad, they wouldn't even walk through there. They would take a 50-mile Hiatus, just so they wouldn't have to walk through Samaria. And so Jesus says, well the priest and the Seminary professor and the worship leader, wouldn't help here, who help the Samaritan, and the Jews would have hated this. And Jesus says that this Samaritan was willing to be compassionate. He bandaged his wounds. He healed him with ointment. He paid for the man to stay at the end. He demonstrated to love that God's people out to demonstrate whether you approach her or just a late person. It doesn't matter. We're not called to love as the lawyer did. We're call to love as the Samaritan did not as the preacher, not as the worship leader, but as the Samaritan. So what was it about his love? That was that Jesus taught here? What number one? He showed love. And I mention this word by his compassion, all three men pass by and looked at this wounded person. But only one had the eyes of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus. You say, well, how do you know that that was the same compassion that Jesus had? Well, because in the word behind that compassion, the Greek word, it means a deal. Moving within your spirit. You ever had a saw someone in trouble or saw a child crying or something. You just wanted to go and hug. That's how you just wanted. You have this deep compassion within this word compassion, the Greek word behind it is used 12 and 12 times in the New Testament and I printed them off here and listen every time it's used, is used of Jesus. Now, listen to these verses. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and Scatter like a sheep. Having no Shepherd speaking of Jesus. And when Jesus went out, he saw a great multitude and he was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. He saw people wondering like sheep, he had compassion, he saw people who need, it was physically hurting, he had compassion now Jesus called his disciples to himself, and said, I have compassion on the multitude because they have continued with me, three days and have nothing to eat. And what did he do? He fed 5000. He had compassion on them. They were hungry. They had a physical need. So Jesus had compassion and touch their eyes and immediately their eyes receive sight. Same word compassion is right here. People who are blind. He was compassion, they had a physical need. They were laying. They had a spiritual need listen to this. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, do not weep And I Rose and he arose. The son came to his father when he was a great way off. His father, saw it and had white compassion and ran and kissed him on the neck. The same compassion that Jesus has this Samaritan Inn in. Jesus is saying to the Jews. He showed his love by my compassion. Why can't you do that? Why can't you do that? Each time Jesus compassion was triggered by the observation of a physical need and when Samaritan saw this bleeding and broken man, he couldn't help, but to go to him. So his love was showing my compassion. Verse 33 number to his love was shown by contact. Look at first, the first part of verse 34 So you went to him and vanished or when he went to him and bandaged his wounds. So he touched him he didn't worry about uncleanness. I mean he would have touched him. He would have been he wouldn't worry about that friends list. Hear this clearly. God is more concerned with your inward heart than he is your outward appearance. Did you know that? That's what he's concerned with. Yes, we want to come to church and we want to be reverent and we want to do two things that we supposed to do. But if you're sat here and your heart is not right with God, he doesn't care. How many times you come to church on Sunday and Wednesday night. And how you look in front of other people, he's more concerned with your heart, he's more concerned, not with what you do. But with why you do what you do your motives. That's what Jesus is considered this man. Wouldn't worry about being unclean, everybody. That way you can't come in here. You are unclean. You touched a dead, man. No, he's more concerned with the n-word heart. And surely, the Lord would prefer a priest and a seminary, professor, and a worship leader to help one in need more. So than just, the go through their daily, ritual of being clean, Certainly he would the Samaritan revealed his love. By making contact with him, he went and held him, but just think about that. Remember that was a dangerous place. Those things could have been hiding out there behind the tree somewhere to jump him as well. You know, he was in the dangerous part of town. If you see somebody and you're in the dangerous part of Durham, say in your riding down the road one night, you see someone laying on the road, which I guess you could and you got, would you get out and help that person? Or would you roll up the windows and Speedway and call 911 real quick? Which one would you do? That's right. Number to you see. Love means taking a risk. You have to take a risk many folks want to hide themselves but the Samaritan took the rest and touch this man bandage. His wound and helped him, get on his way. So shown by compassion shown my contact number. Three showing bike are looking the last part of her 34 Pouring on oil and wine and he said him on his own animal and brought him to the end. It was shown by Cher. Jesus asked, which one of these three men were justified in the sight of God. What the lawyer? Say the one who showed him. Mercy. Well, he was right again, he was right. The one who showed Mercy, the love of God, he cleans his room, he poured alcohol on them. That would be used as kind of like a antiseptic or whatever or it would soothe the pain. Then he bound up the wounds of course. So he could heal. He just submitted God's love by gently and carefully. Taking care of this man in the number for. He shown it by The cost. Look at verse 35. When he departed, he took out to dinner. I to day's wages gave to The Innkeeper and said, him, take care of and whatever more. You spend, when I come back, I'll repay you. You even thinking you this man's name, you didn't know his name. He didn't know this. Man from Adam probably never spoke to him cuz you half day at the Bible. Says anyway, he was probably unconscious. Didn't do anything but he paid him and said, whatever you spend. I will come back and pay you friends list. You cannot love another person. Without it costing, you something, can I get a amen with that? You know, that is true. Love always cost. This Samaritan gave away quite a bit to a man. He had never met. He put him on his donkey I guess and he walked the other man had the layup there on it. He gave up his alcohol in his oil to his wounds. It took it cost him time. I mean he probably wasted 2 or 3 days here. He even gave his money to the innkeep. You see, when you love someone, you give yourself to them. You sacrificed time and money and your own desires because you love the parent understand that when you're talking about your own children you love them. It's a sacrificial love. And Jesus said, if you want to be a neighbor you have to love like this. Samaritan, love sacrificially because love is going to cost you something in Jesus says, now lawyer you go and do likewise that's what he told him. You see love is not something just to be discussed. It ought to be demonstrated love is not merely a word to study is something that should be shown. Amen. It should be shown Well, let's wrap it up. What's the secret to loving someone? What's the secret to knowing? Well, who is my neighbor? You see. Cuz Christ expects us to love. Just like this. And not the preacher, not the seminar for faster and not the worship leader. He expects us to do the same thing. Number one, the secret to loving is not found in religion. Best bass. The lawyer think about, everybody in this story. Scribe, preacher priest, all of them worship leader. All them were religious Whelping box won't help anybody. Be a religious person but no, those were the very ones who didn't it. Was the half-breed that helped? That's the one that helped the lawyer. It's been his whole life, studying the law and the priest was a man who led the people in worship. The levite, he was singing and he would leave the people in worship as well. All these religious people, they had no concept, not only a who is my neighbor but how to love anyone. It's so easy to go about church and be busy. And lose sight that there's people out there this lost and hurting and they're just waiting for the love of God to touch their lives. SMS possible to be on your way to church. And Miss what God is telling you to do for a person who needs your help. Now, the reason I say that is because about 5 or 6 years ago, I was on my way to church.

And I was teaching. A Sunday school class. I remember, I can see it right now. I was teaching Sunday, school class, and I was teaching finding Christ in the Old Testament. I remember what I was thinking and I was going to church and there was a car that had broken down and pulled on off the side of the road. And there was a man sitting in there with the windows rolled up and there was a little smoke coming out from under hood.

Well, I could have stopped and said, you know, can I help you or do you need or want me to call someone? But I didn't stop now. Why didn't I stop? I was only about 22 MI.

Well, I mean, I'm a Sunday school teacher. I had to get to my class and I had to teach my lesson. I couldn't be worried with that. I couldn't stop and then he said, yeah, could you take me here? And then I said, what? Wait a minute. I heard tell Martha to go in there and tell him. I can't be here today, but he wasn't here over here or what you do that for you do just on and on and on. And so I just drove by and I thought myself, I'm sure you got a phone. Everybody has a phone and just call somebody. Somebody will come and help him. I just went because I had work to do I had to teach my son to school class every time I read the story, I think about that every single time. Well it's not found in religion, secret to love me. Number two is not found in responsibility, that's the priest. And Levi, I can't touch him in the temple for 7 Days. My job here is to teach these people who are coming. Well, this guy walk out. He was coming back from the temple. Probably the very one who paying your salary. You wouldn't help. You see? Love is not found in responsibility. People don't love because they ought to they love, because God Lives within them, and he's changed our hearts. That's why that we love. It's not a case of defining your neighbor, and who cannot perform the proper actions in cuz I like him, and he lives near me. And I know him and he's same colors. I am so that's my neighbor, right? No, Jesus said that is not your neighbor, so love is not found in responsibility. Lastly, love is not found or love is found. In relationship. This is what this Samaritan. Did the secret to loving is found in a relationship. God came down and saved to send his son to die on the cross for us. Not because we were wonderful people, but because the Bible says, God is love. That's why. We were his Enemy by the Bible, says, while we were yet, sinners Christ died for us. He died for his enemies. In this Samaritan was an enemy to the Jews and he's the one that helped a fellow Jew. And since we've been the object of God's love, he says, now I want you to reach out to others and that's why you love me. We love God because he first loved us. We need God's heart. Concerning the Lost. And we need his eyes. To see what he sees. Because when he sees lost people, he sees sheep wondering. A coin under a bed. A prodigal son in the pig pen. And someone whose life that counts laying on the roadside and no one would help. That's why we have our 90 Day prayer challenge. We won't God's heart for the Lost. And father, we thank you, and praise. You and love you today. Lord for your word. Lord help us to understand today, that the question is really not. Who is my neighbor? The question is, who can I be a neighbor 2? Who in my life? That I come across, whether I know them intimately or not. Has a need that I can meet. if I do not meet that need

Then I'm not loving people. The way you called me to love. Lord help us to never put our church attendance. I religiosity. Our responsibility to other people. In front. Of loving, all the people that you have created. Or thank you for this Parable. Thank you. Lord, that you loved all of us that you loved all of us enough to die on the cross for us that your love has permeated our hearts and now Lord. You asked us to go out and love others as you have loved us. Forcing Christ name, I pray, amen.