MAKING AN INVESTMENT

Luke 10:25-37

The Lord uses this passage to teach and illustrate a very simple truth - What it is to love your neighbor and to point out who a neighbor is.

His purpose was to tempt the Lord Jesus and try to confuse his word or trip the Lord up. He was an expert in the Law of Moses but was a jurist of the law, not a theologian. We have a lot of the same sort in our day, we either have those that are try to twist the law of our nation to a point that no one is safe from a lawyers greed. In the confirmation hearings in congress in our day, if anyone is anything but a moderate or liberal they attack them. In politics you see the same thing happening from the media, and it is amazing how many lawyers are part of the media now, and the scour everything trying to find a place to trip up the candidate.

There are also other people who study the law to justify themselves, even in churches, even pastors of churches. People who manipulate God’s Word to prove themselves righteous. Jesus in this passage answers the lawyer’s question, love the Lord with all your hearts soul and strength and they neighbor as thyself, but the Bible goes on to show the Lawyer’s intentions:

So Christ gives this parable, but does not answer him the way the lawyer asked the question.

I. HE WAS ON A JOURNEY

33a But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed…

Life is not for the weak at heart, the journey that life takes you on is full of perils and pitfalls. The journey of life also shows many wonders and incredible sights. It brings us into contact with people we never imagined we would be in contact with.

The journey of life is exciting, but journey of the Christian life is even more so.

GOD USES PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

God didn’t use the people that were from that land to help that injured man. There were no EMS squads available.

He used a man that was on a journey, making a living, but also who had a greater purpose, but his purpose included helping others a long the way.

That is why everyone in this room today is very valuable to God, you are a great candidate for God’s service because you have opened yourself to take a step of faith to be here.

You are ready for the journey as well.

Notice how the Samaritan not only journeyed but as he journeyed “he came where THE INJURED MAN WAS.”

II. HE CAME TO HIM AND SAW HIM

v.33 says “as he journeyed, came where he was and saw him”

These are two simple but important thoughts in v.33.

A. GOD USES PEOPLE THAT WILL GO TO THE LOST

Often America we are tempted with the idea of having a nice sign, nice facilities, and people will come. Listen the Mall is like that, but church is not. You might get a Christian in like that but not a lost person.

Satan has been whispering in the lost person’s ear for years that the church is full of hypocrites, they won’t care about, they won’t accept you. They will judge you and ignore you. The majority of the time we need to go to them. We’ve got to find them where they are at and give them a message they don’t know they need. The priest and the Levite saw as well, but this man saw things in a different way. He perceived the need. He recognized the condition of this man.

B. GOD USES PEOPLE THAT HAVE SOME SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION

So many are consumed with their own affairs in this life that it is impossible for them to truly see and discern.

Even Jesus scolded his religious disciples for their ineptness to see things as they are, to notice them truly; to discern them: Notice in :

Mark 8:18 AV

Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

We need to see things as Christ sees them.

A Japanese proverb says, “Hearing 100 times is not as good as seeing once.”

To be blind is bad, but worse is it to have eyes and not to see. — Helen Keller

Not was he an example in journeying and that he saw, but also the Samaritan was an example in that

III. HE HAD COMPASSION ON HIM

v.33 also says: “…he had compassion on him.”

Lots of people journey and they see they discern the need, but the miss this important component of having compassion.

Remember that compassion does not mean that we have pity on someone, and you feel sorry for them, but that you realize that could be you, the fact is that is the condition you could be in and that you came from.

Where others only saw this man who was in need as an annoyance, a bump in the road that needed to be sidestepped, the Samaritan, on his journey, saw him, saw his need, came to the place where he was, and had compassion on him.

IV. HE CARED FOR HIM AND CLEANED HIM UP

Luke 10:34 AV

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The Samaritan took time and his resources to make sure that this man who had been attacked was taken care of. He cleaned up the blood, he washed out the dirt, he bound up the wounds. Sometimes that can be a scary sight. People don’t like to get there hands dirty.

Now we can’t cleanse anyone spiritually, but we know someone that can, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:7 AV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

It is Christ that can cleanse you from your sin, he is the one that can change your cold dark heart, and revive it, he is the one that bind up those hurts and injuries from life. He alone can do that for you.

But it is our job to carry the message as Christians.

But it doesn’t matter if you are on a journey, and you see a hurting soul, and you go to him and see the need, and you have compassion, and you realize something needs to be done, but you are not prepared because you don’t have the oil, the wine, the cloth to bind the wounds, the beast to carry him upon, the money to pay for the in, what does compassion matter, if you don’t prepare yourself Christian. We need to seek after God and know Him intimately and equip ourselves from his Word in order to reach the lost and bind their souls.

V. HE CARRIED HIM AND HE INVESTED IN HIM

Luke 10:34 goes on to say:

Luke 10:34 AV

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

I heard a wise preacher once say, “Anything that is done for God is going to take time and money.”

You might say even now, “Okay preacher, in other words it is going to cost something isn’t it, how much?

Friend, you have the wrong attitude completely and that is why so far your Christian life has been a waste, you haven’t the mind of Christ, you haven’t noticed the example of the Samaritan.

The question is, what are you willing to invest?

The stock market is not very trustworthy, but we invest in that. Why not invest in something that is far more valuable with eternal dividends.

The lost of this world need someone to invest themselves in their lives. They are on the road, beat up by this world, they need someone to care for them.

Psalm 142:4 states the frustration:

Psalm 142:4 AV

I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

He did not just carry him and invest in Him, but the Samaritan also:

VI. HE COMMITTED TO HIM

Luke 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

The Samaritan was willing to commit himself to this man for God’s glory and this man’s good. This world see’s a lot of what we call “fly by night”, or “fair weather friends” but there are very few people that are willing to invest.

We need to stay commited to Him. He is the one that said:

Hebrews 13:5b (AV)

...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

That is why I want to commit more, for Him.

Matthew 28:20 (AV)

...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We need some Christians that are going to be committed for the long haul. Because Christ committed all for us.

The question for us is not who is our neighbor, but who are we a neighbor to. God gave us His example and commitment. What will do this week with that knowledge.

Remember today, friend, Jesus committed His life, gave it as an offering to purchase your salvation. Will you submit to His love for you and humble yourself and put your faith in Him? Will you commit to share that message with someone who needs it?