"And behold, a scholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"And he answered and said, "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 wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And a priest happened to be going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion. And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?" And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, we're so glad you're here. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please write or text to let us know so that we can pray for you. If you're not certain about whether or not you want to embrace Jesus Christ, I pray there will be something in our message today that will point you toward Christ, the One Who radically transforms lives and show you the importance of making the right commitment.
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, we're so glad you're here. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please write or text to let us know so that we can pray for you. If you're not certain about whether or not you want to embrace Jesus Christ, I pray there will be something in our message today that will point you toward Christ, the One Who radically transforms lives and show you the importance of making the right commitment.
Romans 6:15-23, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then having from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." If you have been born-again, you have been delivered from sin, unrighteousness, ungodliness, and death.
Look at Colossians 1:11-14, "Being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." The word rescued is the Greek verb "rhýomai" which properly means to deliver, to snatch out of danger. God the Father delivered us from Satan's domain, the kingdom of darkness, and transferred us to the glorious kingdom of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thinking biblically about homosexuality in our culture, particularly the confusion on this subject within the church, those who affirm themselves to be Christians, who either legitimize or tolerate this unbiblical deviant sexual behavior all under the guise of love and acceptance. So, I want you to understand what the God says about the sin of homosexuality from a biblical perspective. To be very clear, the Word of God condems all forms of sin equally, whether it be lying, stealing, or adultery, not explicitly limited to the perverse sin of homosexuality. There are passages in both the Old and New Testaments that explicitly condemn homosexual behavior, such as Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:10, which appear to be inconsistent with Christ's teachings of love, which often leaves the Christian community confused, uncertain how to address the topics of sin and repentance, especially those who insist that Jesus was more concerned about inclusiveness than a strict adherence to traditional interpretations of scripture, so they keep silent about homosexuality. To be clear, Jesus didn’t need to directly address the topic of homosexuality since His God-fearing Jewish audience knew the Torah’s teaching ruled out all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
However, Jesus actually did condemn all sexualy immoral acts, including homosexuality in Mark 7:18-23, when He said "Are you lacking understanding in this way as well? Do you not perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and goes to the sewer?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." The Greek word "porneía" which occurs 25 times in 24 verses in the New Testament and is most often translated as sexual immorality or fornication, includes every form of sexually immoral intercourse which is repugnant to God, including but not limited to: premarital sex, adultery, rape, incest, beastiality, pedophillia, homosexuality. He also condemns sexual immorality again in Revelation 2, verses 14 and 20. The bottomline is, if Jesus didn’t support ongoing unrepentant homosexual behavior, then neither can we. Make no mistake, we are engaged in a doctrinal war, a war against the Truth that seeks to destroy as many Christian lives as possible. The world today is sick and tired of make-believe Christians who no longer care to represent the Lord they profess to follow. What this world desperately needs are Christians who understand that God does not evaluate our conduct by comparing us to other Christians, He evaluates our conduct by comparing us to Himself. There have always been hypocrites, and I say to you without hesitation, there always will be until the Lord gathers His own to be with Him in glory. I really want to emphasize this to you, our hearts are being prepared for that day by sound doctrine, which teaches us humility to take away our false piousity and to hate sin and unrighteousness, sin drives us to God and compels us to long for heaven, our eternal home. I'm so glad this world is temporal, aren't you?
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so thankful for Your Word, we're certainly grateful for being delivered from our sin and the dominating influence of Satan. Lord, we're grateful for those in our past who loved us enough to tell us the hard truthand how you used their faithfulness to work in our hearts. Father, help us to be faithful so that we might be instruments through which Your Holy Spirit can move in the hearts of those who belong to You but have not yet been called, everywhere the sound doctrine is being proclaimed today, that there might be an extension of your kingdom within the realm of the influence that you've given to each one of us. Harden not their hearts Father, lest they live even one more day without Your protection and Your provision. We ask and pray these things in Jesus' name for Your glory. Amen.
Today's Message: The Good Samaritan Pt 1
This is a very familiar portion of Scripture, where a powerful story told by Jesus is used to illustrate the importance of compassion and action, and loving one's neighbor, regardless of their background or status. The principals found in the parable of the Good Samaritan have been adopted by hospitals and charitable organizations alike, to reflect their mission of helping others. If you love your neighbor, you're going to hate sin because sin and love are absolutely opposed to one another. That's why sin is disastrous to any a love relationship. So anyone who truly loves must hate evil. In fact, Psalm 97:10 says "Hate evil, you who love Yahweh, Who keeps the souls of His holy ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked." Anyone who wants to live the Christian life has a practical duty to abstain from evil, but to hate evil and to hate it in every form in which it presents itself, not just when it's full blown, but even when the first symptoms of evil appears. In view of all that God has done for us, there's no place for evil and wickedness in the Christian life. A righteous person is going allow God to continually deal with their sin and as a result, they will not readily take Satan's baith, getting caught up in his evil traps. In other words, the result of the new birth is to love one another fervently and to hate what is evil, because Christians are not citizens of this world. Do you understand that? It deeply saddens my heart to know that there are many in the church today that are entertained by evil and the things of this world. How can we present our bodies to God as a living, holy sacrifice pleasing to God while entertaining evil? It's absolutely foreign to everything Scripture teaches.
Many people today think that Satan is against religion. However, if you have been around the church for very long, obviously you that Satan love to use religion as a form of temptation; in fact, it is one of the primary tools in his dirty bag of tricks since the Garden of Eden. He loves to deceive people saying, "If you do this, you’ll be like God." Isn't what he said to Eve in back Genesis 3, "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
For centuries, Satan has tried to destroy the church from the outside, and that didn’t work, it just drove the church to her knees. So, Satan decided to destroy the church from the inside which is twice as dangerous. Since the very beginning, the church has always filled with counterfeit Christians, those who cling to outward expressions of godliness while sin still has made a home in their hearts. In fact, the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' day were quite good at it, whom He confronted in Matthew 23, calling the "white washed tombs," which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside were full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Let me tell you something, outward appearances does not equate to inward transformation. Outward appearances does not equate to inward transformation.
Not much has changed, there are many in the church who fake it, some of them are quite good at it, others are easier to spot. Chances are that you know some counterfeit Christians, who are religious prentenders that go through their entire life without any visible signs of sin, let just say people don’t always avoid sin because of righteousness, sometimes they're just afraid of the consequences. It doesn't matter whether you are an individual or a church, I believe a very accurate measure of the true spiritual condition. Where the Holy Spirit is present, there's going to be genuine spiritual growth and true biblical sanctification. Where the Holy Spirit is present, there's going to be genuine spiritual growth and true biblical sanctification. That cannot happen by mindlessly going through the motions, true santification is the work of the Holy Spirit in you. I want to lay something on your heart this morning, Satan is always headed in the same direction. If you are still wilfully making the same bad decisions you made six months ago, a year ago, I want to encourage you to very carefully examine yourself. This generation of professing Christians, desperately needs to hear of the dangers of counterfeit Christianity. If you truly love the Lord, you can’t be willing to lower the bar on sin and sanctification. And, if you live for God, you’re going to face opposition, especially from those within the church. A person can counterfeit Christianity, but they cannot counterfeit the Holy Spirit, Who is the agent of TRUE sanctification. To correctly to live a life worthy of the Gospel and that pleasing to the Lord, we must have a right understanding of sanctification. Nowadays, we tend to associate Christian fellowship with simply having a pleasant time with fellow believers, or the period after a worship service or Bible study, when the teaching concludes and we gather for snacks and conversation, whether biblical or not. But, I dare to confidently assert, that true Christian fellowship is a much more profound experience, where every believer, through our interactions with other believers, gradually being molded into the likeness of Christ, aiding in our sanctification process, contributing to our spiritual growth and development by oberserving the love of Christ being perfected in the life of our fellow brothers and sisters. Paul, in speaking to Timothy said: "If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud." Pride, inhibits the sanctification process, stunting one's spiritual growth. Is it any wonder why God hates pride?
Make no mistake, Satan't false religion, "counterfeit Christianity" is a powerful force in the church today. There are a number of believers who methodically go through the motions, that are dedicated to their daily Scripture reading, and other spiritual disciplines, such as regularly attending church and prayer meetings, as if the actions themselves will merit God’s favor and blessing. You may even see them faithfully praying before a meal. Do not be deceived by the superficial faith of counterfeit Christianity. There are a number of professing Christians, who believe in Jesus, that have not fully committed their life to Him. 1 John 2:3-4, And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." It truly breaks my heart to say, the Lord knows there are many today that profess Christ, who are not true believers, who are not genuinely saved. Oh. they may know the plan, but they don’t know the Son of Man, because there has never truly been a change of heart. It is the superficial faith, that never really bows to the Lord Jesus Christ, surrendered to His will. James, the half-brother of our Lord says in chapter 2:19,, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."
It’s crucial to recognize that what unites most of the people who call themselves "born-again Christians" today, is their claim to have had certain feelings, emotions or experiences, not because they believe and stand firm on doctrine. The younger a professing "born-again Christian" is, the more likely he or she is to say they made a decision for Christ. Over half of them affirm that the "worldly churches" are equally good and true, even if they fail to stand on the Truth. Beloved, we have today a generation of people in the church who are believers in Christ, but they are NOT followers of Christ, sacrificially walking as He walked. They do not believe the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Just imagine with me for a moment, that you are at the end of your life, standing before God, and He says to you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" And, you say, "Well, while I was in church, I heard this Christian song and I had an experience that made me feel close to Jesus." Is it any wonder why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3, "But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." Then, look at verses 14-15, "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds." It is absolutely astounding that the mere proclamation of the Name Jesus actually changes their nature of a person, it actually makes them more holy. Much like the Christian who has the heavy
burden of sin on his back and he just looks at the cross of Christ and the chains of bondage begins to break, setting him free.
I fear that there many in the church today, that are headed to eternal destruction because of counterfeit Christianity, the religion of "self-focus." You say, "Pastor is that possible?" Scripture teaches in Revelation 13:13, Satan is able to make fire fall from heaven to the earth in the presence of men. I've said it before but allow me to say it again because it bears repeating, never put your faith in a church, a demonination or a preacher; only put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Self" is the fuel that empowers counterfeit Christianity. That's why many churches are singing songs that are focused more on personal experiences and feelings rather than on the theological teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know what made Lucifer the devil? The sin of Self-Centeredness! "Not thy will, but mine be done!" Who's will are you serving: God's or your own? If anyone has an ear, let him hear!
Take your Bibles and open them with me to Luke chapter 10 and keep them open before you, following along with me as I read. "And behold, a scholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"And he answered and said, "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 wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And a priest happened to be going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion. And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?" And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."
Let's look at verse 25, "And behold, a scholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" I strongly believe there is no question more important, that holds more significance than the one before us in this passage, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Some of you might say, "Well, that's just because you're a pastor. Of course you are going to say that, you naturally think that way." And, while my role as a pastor certainly does shape my views, however, the importance of seeking eternal life transcends religious titles or positions, countless individuals across various cultures and religious backgrounds for centuries have pondered this imeless question, because it reasonates deeply with the human spirit, and attempts to unravel the mysteries of life after death. "What will happen to me when I die?," is a question that has not only touches the hearts of many regardless of the philosophical and theological concerns, sparking numerous debates, it has often prompted many individuals to reflect on their moral and ethical conduct, encouraging them to life of compassion, kindness, and altruism, the concern for the well-being of others, which can lead to a more meaningful and purposeful life.
Every human being that has ever been born was created to be immortal, our earthly bodies will die but our eternal souls will live forever. The only question is, where? Let me make something very clear, there is heaven, and there is hell and you will spend all of eternity in one of them, a thought beyond anything our finite minds can comprehend. In Mark 10:17-21, which by the way is a completely different encounter, where the rich young man posed the same question to Jesus, and He first highlighted the importance of observing commandments (e.g., do not murder, do not steal, honor your parents), but when the young man answered saying he had kept them all since he was a young boy, Jesus then presented him with a personal challenge: "Sell all you have, give to the poor, and follow me." Emphasizing that inheriting eternal life involves not just strict adherence to moral laws but a personal relationship with Him, and a commitment to obediently honor Him, requiring submission, sacrifice and a fundamental shift in one's priorities away from materialism toward devotion to Christ and compassion for others.
Friends, this isn't some radical isolated teaching, this is practical evangelism 101: a life of discipleship demands self-denial, cross-bearing and obedience. This is what every invitation to follow Jesus and receive the forgiveness of sin requires as revealed in the Word of God, is the recognition that eternal life exists and the personal desire to obtain it through sacrifice, submission and obedience. We can't afford to take for granted that people understand that the human soul will live forever, the only question is where. In God's glorious presence, where there would be fullness of joy or in darkness apart from His presence, where there would be eternal punishment. This is repeated throughout the pages of Scripture from the Old Testament to the New Testament. From the moment Jesus began preaching, what did He preach about? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Eternal life is what the Gospel is about. John 3:16 says, "For God so loves the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life." I have found nowhere in Scripture that indicates or even implies that salvation is not about living "Your Best Life Now," in fact, Jesus promised there'd be tribulation, it's about inheriting eternal life, living forever in God's glorious presence, where there will be eternal blessing and the fullness of joy. Roman 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." I could go on and on, but it suffices to say, it was and is all about eternal life.
I often been asked "How can I make my marriage better?" or "How can I find peace in my life?" But, rarely am I ever asked the question: "What must I do to get into heaven?" I'm saddened to say, even the church today is consumed with this life. I hold those standing in the pulpit responsible. You can't get people away from focusing on this world if you're not willing to talk about what comes next. Heaven and Hell.
Verse 26, "And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" Keep in mind, this man is an expert in the law, a scribe learned in the Old Testament. He doesn't have any authority or power, have any authority, he merely counsels those who hold the power. Whenever we see the scribes asking Jesus a question, it's usually because the Pharisees put them up to it in order to find Him in violation of some Judaistic law, but we can't say whether or not this particular scribe comes on his own or on behalf of the Pharisees, who were always looking for a way bring indictment against Jesus so they could kill Him. So, we'll just assume he can on his own because he appears to be genuinely interested. So, Jesus responds by asking him the question, "What is written in the Law?" This is not not a deflection, this man would have known that Jesus was referring to the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments. Why would He do that? Why didn't He just answer the question? Because He is forcing this man to answer his own question, Jesus is affirming this man is scholar of the Law, he's an expert, he should know what God has written. He's also prompt him to reflect on his own knowledge and understanding of the Law and affirming God as the Authority of the Law. The Jewish leaders had a way of embellishing the Law, going well beyond what God commanded. In fact, they created 613 separate laws to be kept. Interestingly enough, I don't know if you know this but there are 613 letters in the Ten Commandments. Some laws were so heavy, so binding they were virutally impossible to keep. Then, Jesus adds the question, "How do you read it?" Jesus is emphasizing that he should be well-versed in the instructions laid out by God. In other words, "You know what the Law says, what do you understand the law to mean?"
Verse 27, "And he answered and said, "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." Every Jew recited it twice every single day as part of the Shema prayer, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, written on a piece of kosher parchment inside the mezuzah, that little elongated rectangular box affixed to the doorposts outside the entrance of every Jewish home, which blesses and sanctifies their living space. You can also find them when you go to a synagogue. It is a very critical text, the summation of God's law, God must be loved and obeyed at all times, which is one of the first prayers taught to Jewish children. He knew the answer, so there wasn't any hesitation. If you want to go to God's kingdom, 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. It's not about the Law, it's about loving God perfectly. As I've stated many, many times, salvation is not about self-fulfillment, self-love, self-esteem, it's about self-denial and loving God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. You ask, "Who can possibly do that?" The answer is no one, and that's precisely the point. That's why it's crucial to confront the sinner with an unattainable challenge, to love God with absolute perfection. He's incapable of loving God perfectly, because his love is directed inward. His pride won't allow him to demonstrate the core values of selfless love, compassion, and forgiveness that Christianity espouses.
Then, in verse 28, "And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." Similarly to many today, this man knew what the law said, so he superficially convinced himself he was going to end up in heaven, but because he is painfully aware of the wretched condition of his hearts, he fears he might not have what it takes to acheive eternal life. You see, once a sinner understands exactly what God requires to obtain life and he realizes just how impossible it is for him to accomplish, he recognizes that he has no ability to remedy the situation himself, he needs a Savior. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." If you have ever broken even one law, you're damned. That's why you can't qualify on your own, regardless of how righteous you think you are. No one can ever be good enough, no one! Every other religion invloves a works based belief system, which means absolutely nothing. The issue of Christianity it is a faith based belief system, no amount of good works can get you there. Saving faith produces good works. But good works will not produce saving faith.
That brings us to verse 29, "But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" It sounds like an innocent enough question, right? Wrong. He knew he didn't love God perfectly, he also knew he didn't love his neighbor as he should. He knew he needed to repent. The word "justify" used here is the Greek verb "dikaioó" which means he literally wanted to publicly defend himself, declaring himself righteous, because Jesus just exposed the hypocrisy of religious observance without genuine compassion. Beloved, this isn't just another story in Scripture, this is a call to action. It challenges us to examine our own hearts and ask ourselves: Who is my neighbor? And what am I doing to make a difference? There are so many people in need in our world today, it doesn't matter whether they're near or far, they are all our neighbors, and we are called to respond, maybe it's by volunteering, or donating to a charity, visiting someone in the hospital, or simply offering someone who is struggling a kind word. Whatever it is, let us be moved by compassion and let us act with the love of Christ.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Come back next week and we'll see how the story ends.
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