Sermon for 7/10/22 "Are We Obedient?" 18 Minutes

Luke 10:25-37

This morning I'll be reading Luke chapter 10 verses 25 through 37. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Luke 10:25-37 This scripture,,, is one that is familiar to us all,,, and one that we think we know,,, but are we truly obeying the lessons that Jesus gives in this parable? We will answer that as we go through these verses. Luke 10:25–37 (HCSB) 25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 28 “You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.” God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------- Last Sunday we looked at all 12 verses in Psalm 30 and we seen that David was always trying to praise God for helping him.

David wasn’t perfect,,, but he is a role model that we need to remember as we continue with our life here on earth.

When we mess up,,, make mistakes,,, become sick,,, whatever our problem,,, we need to remember David’s example and call upon God to save us.

That’s the only way that we can have “True Independence” from the effects of sin in our daily life.

With it being the day before the 4th,,, where we celebrate our independence,,, we were reminded to remember the men and women that have fought and died fighting for a country that they believed in and loved.

And it’s because of their sacrifice that we have the freedoms that we have today.

And,,, it’s because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us that gives us,,, “True Independence”,,, and the freedom to live a life pleasing to God,,, along with the chance to go through life sin free,,, if we pay attention like we should.

This morning we will look at these verses in Luke and see how they will help us in our walk with God this week.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 25 says: 25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

This question is seen in other places in scripture,,, like,,, (Matt. 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23; John 3:1–15).

So it would appear to be a legitimate question.

But the question in this case was not sincere,,, as can be seen from two points in the text:

(1) The lawyer wanted to test Jesus.

(2) After Jesus answered the man’s question, Luke recorded that the man wished to justify himself,,, as we see in verse 29. (Luke 10:29).

So we see that Jesus answered his question,,, with two other questions as we see in the next verse.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 26 says: 26 “What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”

Jesus asks this question because He knows that this expert in the law,,, will revert back to the Old Testament law,,, as we read his answer in the next verses.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 27 and 28 say: 27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 28 “You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”

The expert answered correctly,,, by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

One must love,,, God,,, and all the people around us,,, in order to keep the Law properly.

Jesus affirmed that if the man did this,,, he would live.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 29 says: 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This expert,,, wanted to take the focus off of himself,,, so he asked Jesus,,, “And who is my neighbor?”

Maybe,,, he was feeling guilty since he would probably know that this is impossible,,, without God’s help.

My Believer’s Bible Commentary says,,, It is impossible for sinful man to love God with all his heart,,, and his neighbor as himself.

If he could do this from birth to death,,, he would not need salvation.

He would not be lost.

But even then,,, his reward would only be long life on earth,,, not eternal life in heaven.

As long as he lived without sin,,, he would go on living.

Eternal life is only for sinners who acknowledge their lost condition and who are saved by God’s grace.

Therefore,,, Jesus’ statement, “Do this and you will live,” ,,, was purely hypothetical.

If His reference to the law had had its desired effect on the lawyer,,, he would have said, “If that’s what God requires,,, then I’m lost,,, helpless,,, and hopeless.

I cast myself on Your love and mercy. Save me by Your grace!”

But as we have seen,,, he doesn’t do that,,, and that’s why that the scripture says,,, he was wanting to justify himself by asking this question.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 30 says: 30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead.

Jesus answered by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends approximately 3,000 feet in about 17 miles.

It was a dangerous road to travel for robbers hid along its steep, winding way,,, just waiting to rob people as they traveled.

And that’s what happened to this man,,, that we assume,,, is a Jew.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 31 and 32 say: 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

The priest and the Levite both,,, should have stopped and helped the man,,, but either they thought that he was already dead,,, and would defile themselves by touching a dead body,,, or,,, that the robbers were waiting to jump them as well,,, or,,, maybe they thought that he was faking just to get them to stop,,, either way,,, they went on their way.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 33 and 34 say: 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

I know that you’ve heard this many times,,, but it bears repeating again,,, the Samaritan’s were hated by the Jews,,, and went out of their way to avoid having anything to do with them.

And that’s what makes this parable so remarkable.

Jesus uses someone that is truly despised to show them how they should live,,, and not just live,,, but to go above and beyond what you would think would be expected,,, as we see in the next verse.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 35 says: 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

This man,,, a Samaritan,,, that this expert in the law would hate,,, not only takes care of the man that had been hurt,,, but makes sure that he pays extra for his care,,, and promises to come back and check to see if he needs to pay any more above that amount.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 36 and 37 say: 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

If a hated Samaritan can show mercy to a Jew,,, then the expert in the law should do likewise.

One of my commentaries say,,, “If a Samaritan could prove himself a true neighbor to a Jew by showing mercy to him,,, then all men are neighbors.”

That’s something that we should all remember as well.

----------------------------------------------------------- My Wesleyan Commentary says,,, that three different philosophies of life are represented in this story Jesus told.

The robbers said, “What’s yours is ours and we’ll take it.”

The priest and the Levite muttered, “What’s ours is our own and we’ll keep it.”

But the good Samaritan said, “What’s mine is yours and we’ll share it.”

These three philosophies can be put even more briefly.

That of the robbers was, “Beat him up!”

That of the priest and Levite was, “Pass him up!”

That of the Samaritan was, “Pick him up!”

It is a disturbing experience to ask ourselves the question: “Which of these three philosophies do I practice in my daily life?”

Of course any Christian would answer the first right away and plead,,, “Not guilty.”

But what about the choice of the other two.

Too often the church has followed the footsteps of the priest and Levite in this story.

If people want to come to church services,,, believers usually do their best to preach to them,,, teach them,,, and show them the way of salvation.

But what about the man beside the road,,, beaten,,, and robbed by life?

Do Christians pick him up,,, or do they pass him by?

That is a very hard question.

But this parable belongs to believers today just as much as it did to the people listening to Jesus that day.

----------------------------------------------------------- And that’s the purpose of studying this parable today.

Being sure that we answer the question of whether we are truly obedient to the commands of Jesus,,, or do we just go through the motions with those that attend church with us each Sunday!

Do we truly take care of the needs that we see,,, or do we turn aside and give excuses each time?

Do we even see any needs once we leave church and get in our communities,,, and if we do see a need,,, do we think that someone else will take care of it?

“Are we Obedient” as was the Samaritan?

Or,,, are we like the priest and Levite,,, as they made excuses?

We must remember that the expert in the law’s answer,,, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.,,, was correct,,, and that is possible only by paying attention to the Holy Spirit as He guides us each and every day.

We can’t do this by our power,,, God must help us,,, and that’s what Jesus tried to help them see,,, when He told this parable,,, so many years,,, ago!

----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- Hymn: 337 - Oakdale Hymn: 337 - Seminary Benediction -----------------------------------------------------------