Latest / HBCWestminster / 11.22.20 Luke 10:25-37 Pastor Danny Gardner

Transcript

11.22.20 Luke 10:25-37 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  If you have your Bibles, you can open to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10, we pick up in verse 25, the parable of the Good Samaritan this morning. If you're able to stand in honor of God's word, please do so. Allow me to read our text, verses 25 to 37, and then we'll pray and start. In verse 25, And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the law? How do you read it?
• 0:26
  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. And he said to him, You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 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.
• 0:54
  Now by chance a priest was going down that road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was and when he saw him he had compassion. 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 he took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii
• 1:23
  and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him. Whatever more you spend, I will repay when I come back. Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, Well, the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go and do likewise. And Lord, we ask that you bless the preaching of your word this morning, that you would give us the courage to live how it describes.
• 1:51
  And Lord, even as the world rises up more against it and more against us, we ask that Jesus' name would be proclaimed in our church and in our homes and in our lives. And it's in his name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, church. You can be seated.
• 2:10
  Today is an important Sunday. It is Thanksgiving Sunday. This Sunday, just a few days before Thanksgiving, and two things we are not supposed to talk about at Thanksgiving gatherings, at family gatherings. Two things, two topics to be avoided. Religion and politics. You know, church, I think religion is like a belly button. You can have one.
• 2:35
  You can even be proud of yours, but honestly, keep it to yourself, right? That's how we think about religion. It's like a belly button. I know you've got one, but that doesn't mean I want to see it. That's exactly how we treat religion at family gatherings. Can you imagine if you start this Thursday afternoon that way? Okay, everybody, thank you for coming. Belly button checks, right? Hey, everyone, thanks for coming.
• 3:01
  You know, I figured before we dig in, we'll just have a little discussion about heaven and hell. Let's talk about eternity, and especially for those who are new, if this is your first time, raise your hand. We laugh about it, but church, eternity is just plain not discussed enough in the world. It's certainly not discussed enough among believers. The more we talk about heaven, the better chance someone might have of actually being saved.
• 3:27
  And the more we, the people of God, talk about heaven, the better perspective we will have on what's going on in our world. The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known parables that Jesus ever told. Undoubtedly, you've heard it before. Most could probably quote it, and yet we just plain aren't very good at applying it. It seems to be common in the hearts and lives of Christians today that knowledge is not the problem. The application is where many of us fall short.
• 3:58
  The last time I heard the parable of the Good Samaritan was about a year ago, about a year ago, before COVID, before quarantines and lockdowns and all of that stuff. I, for some reason, on a Wednesday night, found myself as a helper in the preschool room here at the church.
• 4:14
  Thrive was happening. And Claudia, our children's director, came to me. She said, Danny, I need another adult in the preschool room. I have a teacher. And Miss Jane was our teacher that evening in the preschool room. And honestly, you guys, she is a superstar, superstar teacher. She's just incredible with kids. Claudia came to me. She said, I've got Jane. Jane's going to do the teaching. I need a helper. I need a second adult in the room. Will you please come out of your class and come into the preschool room? I said, yeah, I'd be happy to do that. So I found myself amidst.
• 4:42
  the preschoolers that Wednesday evening. And Jane was teaching about the parable of the Good Samaritan. She had brought with her little tiny stuffed animals for each kid. She told the parable. She gave them these stuffed animals. And then she said, now let's pretend like the stuffed animals are hurt and it's our job to take care of the stuffed animals. And so she gave them all little band-aids and they were fixing all the little teddy bears' owies, right? It was really cute. A great way to illustrate that and just helping them to see.
• 5:12
  that this world and our lives are not about us. They're really about caring for other people, a great application of the parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of the night, there was a little boy and a little girl there, both about three years old in the preschool room. We'd just gotten finished, and the dad of the little boy had come to pick up his son. And so the dad came up. He was at the door. He says, I'm here to pick up my son.
• 5:35
  And the little boy, realizing that was his dad at the door, looked down to grab his stuffed animal, saw that there were two teddy bears laying side by side, grabbed one and stood up to leave. At which point the little girl said, hey, that one was mine. He'd gotten them switched. He'd gotten them mixed up and he grabbed hers by accident. So she said, hey, that one was mine. You took mine. And he stood up. He was looking. He looked at her little teddy bear, looked at her.
• 6:02
  And then chucked her teddy bear across the room, ran over, grabbed his off the ground, and bolted out the door of the classroom. Right? The dad was standing there. He witnessed the whole thing. He saw what his son had done. And he just dropped his head and turned around and walked away and followed his son out. And church, it was so funny. What a great moment. I will remember that every time I read about the burial of the Good Samaritan.
• 6:29
  The knowledge was given. The knowledge was not the problem. But those applications, church, sometimes are pesky. Let's look at this parable this morning, which, if properly applied, will be life-altering. If we live the way that this good Samaritan lived, church, if we're honest, it's going to change the way we live our lives. As we study, let's keep in mind the truth of James 4, 17, that he who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it,
• 7:00
  sins. If we see somebody in need and we don't try to help to meet that need, if it's a need that we can meet, we don't try to help to meet that need. If we think about ourselves more than we think about others, James chapter 4 says, if you know the good you ought to do and you don't do it, that is sin. And so let's go through it just kind of a verse at a time. Verse 25, you're going to notice the priority which Christ places on eternity. The priority which Christ places on eternity. Look at verse 25.
• 7:27
  And behold, a lawyer, that is an expert in the law, a scribe. Okay, it's not just a lawyer like we think of lawyers. These lawyers were actually experts in the law. This guy knew the law of Moses backward and forward. A lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
• 7:48
  Now, we are at this point in Jesus' life. I'm here months from the crucifixion. Jesus and his apostles were saturating the Judean countryside with preaching of the good news. And yet, despite their effort, few believed, few trusted, few followed, few became disciples. Many, and I think due to...
• 8:08
  a denial of christ's high standard of discipleship right if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow that was not a very popular message because jesus set the discipleship bar so high i think many refuse to believe and follow and we see straight away in our text this morning
• 8:28
  that this man's motivation may have been impure. It says to put him to the test. This man stood up and he was not necessarily looking for an answer to his question per se. He was more seeing if he could stump Jesus. And yet Jesus engaged anyway. This is interesting. He allowed himself, even in the thronging crowds, to be interrupted by one that may have been a mocker.
• 8:52
  He allowed himself to be put to the test. He said, well, why would Jesus give time to this man? Isn't he just casting pearls before swine here? Why would he allow this? And it's because of the importance of the man's question. No greater question can be asked than this. Where will I spend eternity? Which is what this man was asking. How do I get to go to heaven? J.C. Ryle has said, put this question to yourself and never give up until you find an answer. What must I do to be saved?
• 9:23
  A.W. Tozer has said, what a person thinks when they think about God is the most important thing about them. There's no more important question than that. Who is God? Where will I spend eternity? Again, J.C. Ryle, want of thought is why thousands of souls are cast away forever. The simple fact that people don't think about eternity will cost their souls. Eternity, J.C. Ryle continues, is a question which unhappily few care to consider. People just plain don't think about eternity enough.
• 9:54
  Now, keep in mind, church, that as we study, any notion other than the eternality of every soul that has ever existed is heresy. Let me say that again. Keep in mind that any notion other than the eternality of every soul that has ever existed is heresy. In other words, every single human soul that has ever existed, every single one, believers or non,
• 10:20
  Every single one will last forever. Every single person has been born with eternal life. Every person's soul, church, will last forever. The question is, where will they last forever? There have been many modern attempts, even within the church, to deny the existence of or the eternality of hell. Even Christian pastors have begun preaching
• 10:49
  Either the denial of hell altogether, that hell does not exist, or that hell is somehow temporal. In an effort to make rebellion against God and his wrath poured out on unbelievers more palatable, some have sought to soften hell by making it temporary or to teach something like annihilationism, that our souls, if we die and we don't know the Lord, are just annihilated. They just cease to exist. But church, according to God's word, that is wrong.
• 11:17
  That is heretical teaching. Hell lasts forever. Listen to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 8. When Christ is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, he will inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
• 11:45
  I mean, it couldn't be clearer than that. And you say, well, Danny, that's kind of a downer. Is it important that we believe that hell lasts forever? And church, the answer is yes. Yes, it is important to believe the truth about the eternality.
• 11:59
  of hell because if we lessen the severity of the punishment and wrath of god being poured out on rebellious people if we lessen the severity it will actually cause our zeal to share the gospel to lessen as well the less we think about eternity we who believe going to heaven and those who do not believe going to hell the less we think about that the less severe that punishment is the less impetus there will be for us to go and share our faith
• 12:29
  Also important to note is that Scripture teaches only two options. When we die, not only will our souls last forever, but it's important to note that there are only two options, heaven and hell, and that there is a veritable, unpassable gulf in between. There are some religions which teach a lot of different afterlife options.
• 12:52
  famous one like purgatory for instance or nirvana or nothingness or the famous funeral theology which is That every person who ever dies somehow becomes a guardian angel, right? That's the theology here you hear at funerals And they teach these things as if there is some intermediary station Where sins can continue to be paid off
• 13:17
  It's like that. Well, they weren't believers, but they weren't really bad people. And so maybe there's just this in-between place It's kind of a holding tank until they can pay off all those sins and then they all end up in heaven It just may take some people longer than others. But in so doing Are they not diminishing again the severity of rejection of the truth? Church if we are to be God glorifying evangelists We must never act as though less
• 13:49
  is at stake we must never pretend as though there are second chances after death there are not we must never pretend as though the gospel conversations we have on this earth are meaningless because they are not we must always be prepared to give a defense for the reason for the hope that we have second peter 3 says but we must also remember christians that the bible never guarantees that a person's state will improve upon death
• 14:19
  outside of jesus christ let me say that again we must remember christians that the bible never guarantees that a person's state will improve upon death outside of jesus christ in other words for you who know christ if you are in christ then what you are experiencing right now is the worst you will ever experience this right now this earth is the closest to hell you will ever be
• 14:49
  Hell for you will always be theoretical. You will never see it. You will never experience it. You will never feel it. But on the flip side, outside of Christ, this right now, what you are experiencing right now is the best things will ever be. This is as close to heaven as you will ever be if you are outside of Christ.
• 15:15
  Now, I mentioned last Sunday Cyprian's comment about believers dying differently. And the reason that they can die differently is because of this truth. Salvation brings supernatural peace. It brings strength to endure suffering and trials. It provides comfort in our loss and courage for contentment. It turns our sorrow into joy. And one pastor has said that these crowds rejected the diagnosis.
• 15:43
  They rejected the diagnosis that they were apart from Christ going to hell. They rejected that diagnosis and therefore denied themselves the only cure. If you don't believe you're sick, you're not going to take the medicine. And that was the problem with these crowds with Jesus. And honestly, church, that is the problem with the crowds today.
• 16:03
  We don't talk about eternity enough. We are not confronted with eternity frequently enough. And some of that is because Christians have remained quiet about heaven and hell. Church, we just plain need to talk about eternity more. We do not think about or talk about our eternal destination as much as Jesus did. Jesus did not merely pay lip service to eternity. And I know, church, that for some of us, eternity still feels a long way off.
• 16:34
  pandemic or no eternity is right around the corner you should think about it you should allow it the way that jesus did you should allow it to interrupt your life you should talk about it with your family and friends this thanksgiving you should as you begin thursday on thursday dinner don't be afraid to have that awkward belly button check what do you think about heaven and hell
• 16:58
  Where will we spend eternity? What does it mean to be in Christ? That's first, the priority that Christ placed on eternity. But notice second, the primacy Christ places on the word of God. The primacy he places on the word of God. Look at verse 26. He said to him, what is written in the law? How do you read it?
• 17:18
  Christ refers the lawyer at once to the written word. He does not say, well, what does the church say? Or what does Pastor Danny say, right? I mean, Jesus is confronted with this guy, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And it's not like he says, go to the church, go to the synagogue and ask them, what do they think? What does your wife think? What do your teachers think? What do the rabbis think? He doesn't even say, what do you think?
• 17:39
  Because honestly, church, even his own opinion, even this lawyer's opinion of it, should be secondary to what God's opinion is revealed in his word. We live in an age of self-determination when it comes to theology, when it comes to our worldview, morality, society, how things should run. We live in a world of self-determination. Whatever is right to the individual is right, and no one has the right to tell someone else they're wrong.
• 18:08
  Our culture never, never, all caps, never asks what is written in the law of God and how do we read it. They never ask that. The increase of knowledge in the modern age is astounding. We have more information available to us today than we've ever had before. What would have taken libraries and archives and microfiche now can be discovered by simply saying, hey Siri.
• 18:37
  Hey Siri, that's how quick and easy information is at our fingertips. Hey Siri, you can ask her any question you want. Don't get me wrong, I rejoice in the increased flow of information. I think it's a good thing. I believe that an ignorant population is easily manipulated. People who are ignorant will believe anything. I also believe that an ignorant population will never be a blessing to the nation in which they live. So I believe in education.
• 19:05
  higher education i really do i support it i believe in it however this increase in knowledge has not seemed to enrich our souls in fact the more information we know the more we seem to turn away from the lord knowledge really does puff up and the puffed up individual has no hope of receiving eternal life
• 19:36
  One has said, we must never forget that all the education a man's head can receive will not save his soul from hell unless he knows the truths of the Bible. Knowledge of the Bible is the one knowledge that is needful, church. It's the only knowledge that is needful. It does not matter what you know until it matters to you who you know. Who you know is much more important.
• 20:05
  then what you know and you don't need money or education or friends as much as you need god's word and knowledge of it and beloved christians the bible has never been more readily available to god's people never before has it been so attainable so easy to find easy to read translations in every language multiple translations in english some which are even easier to read than others commentaries
• 20:33
  free resources online free apps on our phones never before has it been more readily available to god's people which means there is not a single reasonable excuse we can give for neglecting it if god's word is neglected in your life it's not god's fault it's yours there is no reasonable excuse and still the number one excuse number one excuse still given is i'm just too busy i'm so busy
• 21:04
  Life is hectic. I can barely keep my head above water. I just don't have time. There's not enough time. Nonsense, church. Nonsense. We have the same amount of time as every other person in the history of the world. A day is still a day. It's still 24 hours. There are still 60 minutes in every one of those hours. The truth is that we make a lot of other time for a host of other things. Eating and sleeping and reading and recreation are hobbies.
• 21:34
  if you're willing, and I forgot my phone. It's sitting in my office. I had intended to bring it in and to show you, but if you're willing to take out your phone, take out your phone for just a minute, turn it on, go to your kind of home screen, and then swipe one time to the right. Swipe to the right. You'll get a new screen. Some of you guys may not even know it's there, but if you swipe to the right, you'll get a new screen that will actually track the amount of time you spend on your phone. It's called your screen time. Your screen time. Look at how much you average.
• 22:03
  per day now i actually personally try to limit myself to two hours per day of phone screen time i i rarely meet that goal most of the time my daily average is between two and three hours because i listen to music and other things but i try to limit my screen time to two hours per day and honestly two hours per day church is probably way below the national average
• 22:29
  Way below. There are some people 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 hours a day they spend on their phone. Two hours is way below. And yet if you think about the impact that two hours a day will have. Two hours a day is 14 hours per week. 14 hours is about the amount of waking time that we normally spend.
• 22:51
  That's about how much one full day of awake time is about 14 hours Which means even at two hours per day, which I think is way below average two hours a day That still means that one full awake day one full period is spent staring at that phone one day in Seven a full day that your eyes are open. They're staring at that phone if you average two hours per day You say well not enough time. I don't have time honestly
• 23:21
  If we're honest, church, not only do we have enough time for God's word, but if you were to neglect your phone and just spent two hours a day doing other things, not only would you probably have enough time for God's word, you'd probably have enough time to learn a musical instrument, guitar, piano. You probably could. You probably also have enough time to learn a second language. That's how much two hours per day would give you. The truth is...
• 23:46
  that there is no more worthwhile endeavor than to understand god through the understanding of his word jesus gives primacy to the word of god when he when he answers the man's question what must i do to inherit eternal life with another question well what does the bible say notice third the posturing of this selfish man look at verse 27 and he answered
• 24:11
  Well, what does the Bible say? The man answers, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus replies with, you've answered correctly. Do this and you will live. But look at verse 29. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? This man correctly summarized the entirety of the law with two statements. Love God, love people.
• 24:42
  Another time in Mark chapter 12, Jesus was asked, what is the most important commandment? And Jesus replied the same way, love God, love people. And so we know that this lawyer's response is correct. In fact, Jesus even tells him, so do this and you'll live. But again, we read that the problem in this man's life was not the knowledge of the truth. He knew already what to do. The problem was the application of it.
• 25:06
  In verse 29, he's still desiring to justify himself. He does not want Jesus to justify him. He doesn't want his sin forgiven. He wants to do it himself. He fails to deny himself and so be saved. Instead of crying out for mercy, he's looking for a loophole in the law. Even his own response tipped his cards to show his inadequacy. Well, who is my neighbor? Who am I required to love like that?
• 25:36
  In an effort to maybe weasel out of his lack of love for others, he just asks, who do I have to love that way? And finally, you see the parable Jesus told. And with this, we conclude what a great parable. The parable is brilliant because it cuts straight through every anticipated social expectation of the people he was teaching.
• 26:00
  Never, church, not a million years should the Samaritan come out as the hero of the story. Never. The moral of this often quoted parable has been boiled down to, just be nice to other people. Car clubs, neighborhood watches, even many hospitals have adopted the name Good Samaritan in order to demonstrate their willingness to care for others, to show hospitality toward those in need. But is that what Christ meant?
• 26:30
  When he said, love people as you love yourself, is that what Christ meant? Or is there a greater lesson to be learned? Don't forget the context of the story. What must I do to be saved? Love God? Love neighbor? Who's my neighbor? In verse 30, he tells a parable. Jesus replied, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
• 26:54
  from Jerusalem down to Jericho was about 20 miles. It was downhill most of the way. It was a treacherous path, not only because of the distance, it was a long road, but because it was flanked by caves and rock formations, which made it a perfect hangout for thieves and ne'er-do-wells to strike unsuspecting victims. The path, in fact, still exists today. The same road that he would have taken still exists. It's paved now.
• 27:20
  But you can actually walk from Jerusalem down to Jericho using that same path. Very hilly. I mean, you are flanked by all kinds of places where bad guys can hide. And that is certainly what happened. In 2 Samuel chapter 16, King David was forced to flee Jerusalem. And the Bible says in 2 Samuel 16 that he fled from Jerusalem down to Jericho because his son Absalom was attempting to kill him. And so he left.
• 27:47
  with his servants and some of his soldiers and was taking this same road and in chapter 16 and verse 5 a man named shemai who was hiding up on one of these bluffs began to throw rocks down on king david and began cursing king david you may recall david's response when some of his men came to him and said let's go and kill that guy and david says basically you could only go kill him if he's saying anything that's wrong
• 28:15
  He wasn't saying anything that was wrong. He was saying the truth. David says, let God deal with him. Let God deal with him. Maybe God's the one who told him to come and curse me because I have not lived according to God's word. But you can imagine the type of road. The reason I bring that up is because you can imagine the type of road that David would have been on where David, think about this, the king and his secret service could not protect King David on this same road.
• 28:41
  Rocks are being hurled down. And so certainly this man traveling by himself from Jerusalem to Jericho is certainly exposed. And as expected, verse 30 continues, he fell among robbers, it says, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. The man was set upon, as expected, by nefarious individuals who pummeled him, stole his belongings, left him for dead.
• 29:10
  But now notice this ray of light in verse 31. Now by chance, a priest was going down that road. And you can hear like almost the cheers of the crowd. Yay, certainly this is good news. I mean, to say that a priest showed up. I mean, who better than a priest to come along and help? It'd be like saying, now by chance, the pastor of the church.
• 29:36
  Or one of the church elders came along. And you may think, well, certainly they would help him. But notice what God's word says. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. He actually, as he's walking down the road, saw the man, saw that the man was in his path and crossed over to the other side in order to avoid him at all costs. That doesn't make any sense. But it's okay, church. There's a second ray of light. Look at verse 32. So likewise, a Levite.
• 30:07
  A Levite, a servant in the temple. But when he came to the place and saw him, he did the same thing. He passed by on the other side. This would be like saying, I know the pastor blew it, but don't worry. One of the church's trustees came along. One of the deacons came along. But this man also crossed to the other side in order to avoid this victimized man. And then verse 33, but. But a Samaritan. And church, that word but is significant.
• 30:38
  Because what Jesus is going to do is make the Samaritan the hated, villainous Samaritan, the hero of the story. Unlike the priest, unlike the Levite, unlike the pastor or elder or deacon or trustee, unlike them, the Samaritan will be the ray of light.
• 31:01
  The Samaritan. And I want you to imagine this story like it's being told to a bunch of kids. And these kids would have been trained to believe that Samaritans were the villains of every story. It'd be like telling my sons. You guys know my family is Dodger fans. We are LA Dodger fans. It'd be like telling my sons, you know, one of the San Francisco Giants came along.
• 31:24
  You know, from a young age, we taught our sons, the giants are the bad guys, you know. They're the Philistines. I mean, the giants in the Old Testament, they're always bad guys. Goliath was one of the San Francisco giants, you know. And I mean, from the time that they're little, my boys have just grown up hating the giants. That's what the Samaritans would have been like. You say the word Samaritan, and you can hear the boos of the crowd.
• 31:49
  open booing at this man's name. But look what happened. Verse 33, but a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. His stomach turned. He went to him. He 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. And the next day he took out two denarii. This is two days wages. That's a lot of money. Gave him to the innkeeper. We're talking about hundreds of dollars in today's.
• 32:18
  money saying take care of him whatever more you spend i will repay when i come back so if this isn't even enough i'll repay it whatever the man incurs whatever debt he incurs i will pay it off i will repay when i come back you'll notice here that the samaritan didn't set out to help the man it wasn't like he was looking for someone to help he wasn't even anticipating helping this man he was not on a church missions trip that's not what he was doing he didn't get to choose
• 32:48
  who he helped. He also did not get to choose what the man's needs were, how I can help. He didn't get to choose any of those things. And yet, instead of going out of his way, the way that the priest and the Levite had done, the Samaritan went out of his way to help.
• 33:04
  Instead of avoiding, getting out of his way, going out of his way to avoid the man, he went out of his way to help. The only reason the Samaritan stopped and reached out and picked up and cared for the victimized man is because the Samaritan stopped caring about himself completely and started caring about this other man. You know, church, the last 10 months have been a cultural commentary on how to love yourself
• 33:36
  and cease thinking about the needs of others. 2020 has been enlightening to me. We live.
• 33:45
  In a self-loving and self-absorbed culture. I used to think that we lived in a country that was based on Christian morals and values. I no longer think so. And I don't want to overstate this. I don't want to become melodramatic or anything else. But man, I have noticed in 2020 that people are just plain selfish. They only think about themselves. They only care about themselves. But church, Christians must act.
• 34:15
  differently you read your bibles show me the time from this book when it's ever okay to think about yourself before you think about others continue in verse 36 jesus just asks which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers you tell me which one was the neighbor who is my neighbor which one of these three and the man and you can imagine him just ashamed embarrassingly
• 34:47
  hanging his head in verse 37, saying, well, the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, you go and do likewise. You can imagine the lawyer leaving disheartened, embarrassed. He knew who he was in the parable. He was not the good Samaritan. He was the ray of light that crossed to the other side of the street. He realized in that moment that everyone was his neighbor, and yet he had been a loving neighbor to none of them. And church, can I ask honestly,
• 35:18
  Are you a ray of light that is crossing to the other side of the road? Is the world in need? Yes. Yes. Is the world in need? Maybe more now than ever. Where are the rays of light? Church, you want to know where they are? They're crossing to the other side of the world. They're social distancing.
• 35:43
  Right? That's what they're doing. They're getting out of their way. They're going out of their way to avoid others rather than going out of their way to serve and love others. And church, there is no such thing as distance evangelism. There isn't. There's no such thing as loving and caring for people from afar. Loving our neighbors, genuinely loving them will be intimate. It will violate the six foot rule. It will.
• 36:14
  Loving our neighbors, genuinely loving them will be personal. It may involve looking into each other's faces. Loving genuinely our neighbors will cost us. Read the parable. It costs him a lot of money. It could cost us our finances. Honestly, church, loving people this way could cost us our health. You may say, well, Pastor Danny, could I get sick doing that? Couldn't I get sick doing that? Yes, you could. Yes. Yes.
• 36:43
  It could cost you your health. Someone asked me something unexpected this week. They asked, you know, Danny, if this pandemic had hit during the time of Christ, would Jesus have quarantined? Put another way, it could be asked this way. If Christ was alive right now, would he avoid other people?
• 37:09
  Would Jesus quarantine? I mean they literally ended with this question. What would Jesus do? What would Jesus do if Jesus were alive right now? What would Jesus do and you could argue well Danny Jesus wouldn't have to quarantine he could just heal himself and keep on going But did you know that in all of the scriptures Jesus is never recorded as healing himself never many times others
• 37:33
  He healed all kinds of other people. Never one time does the Bible say he healed himself. In fact, Jesus was mocked as he hung on the cross for that very thing. Laughingly, the crowds said he saved others. But he can't save himself? They mocked him for not saving himself. Don't get me wrong, church. Absolutely, there is a time for social distancing. Absolutely. Of course, if you're sick, stay home. Of course.
• 38:04
  That may be what some of your neighbors need. But, church, there is also a time for meeting. There is a time for face-to-face. There is a time, dare I say, even for giving hugs. And church, you know me. I don't even like hugs. I don't even like them. That's not my thing, right? I mean, shaking hands is even marginal in my opinion. But man, there are times when what your neighbor needs is a hug. About three months into the lockdowns.
• 38:35
  This would be early summer is where that would put that this last year. We invited one of the widows from our church to come to our house to watch the online service with us. As she came in, she received a hug. She said something that has stuck out to me. It's been five months since that day. But I still remember what she said when she said, did you know that is only the sixth hug I've had in the last three months.
• 39:03
  She'd been keeping track, church, and there had been six in three months. She'd only been hugged six times. And beloved church, that's not the only account like that one I've heard. People are lonely. They are. There were people in our church battling loneliness, depression, even battling suicide, suicidal thoughts before the pandemic. Can you imagine how they feel now? Can you imagine?
• 39:33
  Listen, church, what those people need, what those neighbors need is not distance. That's not what they need. They don't need to be avoided. They don't need a room. They need a hug. That's what they need. Makes me think as I hear reports like that, that the rays of light have been crossing to the other side. You know, there was a time in this nation when the welfare of the needy was taken on by the state and the church was only too willing to let them do it.
• 40:06
  I was challenged one time by Francis Chan, author, pastor, to read the Bible looking specifically for the poor. He said, Danny, it will change your life. Next time you read through the Bible, read through looking for provision for the poor, how to care for the poor. He said it will change your life. Church, I would tell you the same thing. Read God's Word, especially Old Testament. Whose job is it to care for the poor and needy? Whose job is it to care for the orphan, to care for the widow?
• 40:33
  Whose job is it to feed and to heal and to provide for those in need? We have let the state do it for decades, and honestly, they've never been good at it because they are attempting to care for people for whom they honestly don't care. They don't care about people. They are attempting to love people that only Christ would love. They cannot accomplish what we've asked them to do.
• 40:56
  we have asked the state to take care of people in need they can't do it because only the love of christ being poured out in our hearts will allow us to love genuinely other people in need and now the state has created a system which is so unwieldy and so expensive that they're the only ones who can do it and they continue to do it poorly and now they're telling we the church not only that they don't want our help
• 41:25
  Now they're telling us they don't even want us meeting anymore. There are many across our country, our state, our county, even some within our city, dare I say, many within our own local community who would just as soon disband the church if they could. Well, too bad. Can I say that? Too bad. Because there are no rays of light outside of the church.
• 41:49
  there are no rays of light in the government there are no rays of light in the world church we are the rays of light we are the ones who will stoop down and scoop up those who have been set upon and beaten we are the ones who will even incur the cost of caring for those who cannot care for themselves because that is what it means to love your neighbor as yourself are you afraid that loving people this way might cost you let me tell you church it will
• 42:19
  definitely cost you it will it will cost you financially it might even cost you relationally because at some point the way that you're going to love your neighbor is to call them out of sin and they will not like that it could even cost friendships it may cost you your health indeed it may even cost you your life but let me ask when did we become so obsessed with not dying
• 42:46
  When did that become a trait of Christians in the American church? When did we become so obsessed with this life? We have paid lip service for too long.
• 42:56
  for too long to eternal things. We have said things like, to die is better by far, to live is Christ, but to die is gain. We have quoted Paul that way. We have said, I can't wait to see Jesus. I can't wait to go to heaven. Well, now that we're being confronted with it during this pandemic, during everything else, now that we're being confronted with it, we're suddenly scared to go? Beloved church, let this be your belly button check. We don't talk about eternity enough. We don't.
• 43:25
  We don't sacrifice. We don't love. We don't think about others the way that the good Samaritan genuinely did. And so let's make this Thanksgiving week different. And God, I pray a blessing over your word. God, knowledge is not the problem. We know that application is hard. And so let us not be a people who hears and then does nothing. Let us be a people who hears your word and applies it to our lives. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.