Love Without Limits - The Parable of the Good Smaritian.
All I Needed I learned in Sunday School • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning we are in our sermon series entitled . All I really needed to know, I learned in Sunday School. The title is a knock off from Robert Fulguam’s book ..,All I ever needed to know ..I learned in Kindergarten
We have been looking at the Parables that Jesus taught..
The main reason Jesus taught in Parables was to encourage his disciple to dig deeper into His words.. ..The parables both Revealed and concealed truths about His Kingdom..
THERE is both a complexity and Simplicity in the parables.
They are simple enough to be taught in S.S and complex enough to be the foundational teachings of the early church and what it looks like to be a disciple today.
This morning we are going to be looking at a well know parable.. the parable of the Good Samaritan…
One of the lessons we learned in S.S. is the
Treat others the way that we want to be treated ourselves… .
from an early age we were taught..that the golden rule is to
… Do unto other as you would have them do unto you..
Jesus taught that We are to love our neighbors as ourselves..
This morning message is entitled - Love Without limits…
THE OXFORD DICTIONARY DEFINES A LIMIT AS
▶ a terminal point or boundary.
We live in a world that operates within limits .. We have speed limits … we have city limits there are weight limits….Countries have boarders.. properties have property lines …
If you ever wonder where your property line begins and ends- Just start mowing next to your property until you neighbor says something..… I promise you they will let you know...
We used to have a neighbor that would leave a small strip of Grass right next to Our drive way.. He would mow to that point and no further..
boundaries or terminal points… help us define .. where one thing starts and another thing ends..
The purposes of Boundaries and limits is to maintain order and safety.. (or laws)
And there is nothing wrong with limits and boundaries when they are used to promote freedom.. but there have crazy laws in history .. for example
In California ... it's illegal to whistle for a lost canary before 7 a.m. or In Indiana ... it's illegal to ride a horse above 10 MPH
THE problem with Laws.. is when they become a hinderance… for example..
Thomas Jefferson once said -
that If your want achieve something you have never done before….you have have to do something you have never done Before”
In other words Growth happens by pushing on the limits of boundaries..
one of Esther’s relatives..is quite famous..
A few years ago — Esthers brother David came and shared with the Young at Heart group.. about about - General Doolittle. Jimmy Doolittle became famous For training fighter pilots..during the 2nd WW…
HE pushed the Envelop when it came training pilots …HE TAUGHT THEM to do things they never done before..
He once said that…he sought a pilot who could learn his limitations. and then .. getting closer and closer to the edge, and then going beyond, and still surviving.
What we fine in the parable of the Good Samaritan -is Jesus pushes the envelop on what it means to be his disciple -
-Jesus teaches thatLove should be we without limits and it here we find true Freedom to love others...
T/S How do we love others without limits?
1. Allow God to Challenge Our Hearts.
1. Allow God to Challenge Our Hearts.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan beings with an encounter between Jesus and a Lawyer -
Jesus had just been teaching On how The Father had hidden the Spiritual things from those who considered themselves to be wise..
but has revealed himself to little Children…
Ironically that it is During this teaching.. that…a Lawyer stands up to test Jesus —to trip him up.. His question becomes a spring board for Jesus ..parable on the good Samaritan....
lets reads our text.
Luke 10:25–28 (NASB 95)
25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”
27 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.”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
Jesus is challenged by this lawyer and .. He asks Jesus.. What should he do to inherit eternal life?
Most Jews had been been taught by their Rabbis that circumcision and their traditions qualified them for eternal life.
He must have known that Jesus had claimed to be the way of Salvation..
He had claimed to be the Resurrection and the life..
— Jesus said to the Samaritan woman - if anyone drinks of the water that he gives he will never thirst again.. the water gives would become a water springing up into eternal life..
The Lawer is tying expose Jesus teaching as being against the law...
But..Jesus knows where he is headed and he asks a question
“He said to him, ‘What is written in the law?
What is your reading of it?’ ”
The lawyer responds with a textbook answer.... He quotes two scriptures one Deut 6.5 - - the Shema
“ love the Lord Your God with all your heart mind and strength.”
Lev 19. 18. where its says “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The Lawyer gives a a perfect Summary of all the demands of the Law…
Jesus agreed fully with this answer… In fact when asked what is the Greatest Commandment — He quoted exact same verses..
That whole law can be summed up in these two commandments.. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself....
Jesus gives the Lawyer an A+ for his answer… but then… adds another command…this one phrase changes everything..
Luke 10:28 (NASB 95)
28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
Jesus quotes Lev 18.5 …where Moses says that it is not enough to know God laws but one has to put them into practice..
Jesus uses the Law to Show that there was a disconnect between what the Lawyer professed and what he practiced...
… this was convicting.. we see this in his immediate response - ..
29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Picture the Scene - Jesus is speaking to a mixed crowd. In the crowd are the tax collectors.. and sinners. All the people that this lawyer would’ve considered to be unclean and have no association with these people.
To a Jewish person - Ones Neighbor would refer to those who were Jewish - part the nation of Israel..
you can just see him checking off all the boxes —.. Do I love God with my whole heart (Check)
love him with my soul (Check)
love him with my Strength (Check)
Love my neighbor — looking at the crowd - …well…it Depends …it depends who it is
Now in order to Justify his position He asks Jesus a question..
And who is my neighbor?
He asks Jesus according to law who is my neighbor...
When it comes to love he goes to legalism…
Legalism seems to be the default setting for human beings —
Legalism is the exact opposite of the gospel Grace: legalism puts limits and grace has no limits.. unlimited Favor..
Grace says that.... God loves us not because of what we do, but rather in spite of what we do—in spite of our good deeds and our bad deeds.
Application:
Jesus parable brings us to a cross roads…
One one road has a sign which says “law.”
The other has a sign reading “grace.” If we chooses to travel the law road, he further we falls away from the grace road… and the more we walk on the grace road the further we get from legalism!
When we confronted with the words of Jesus-- —We need learn from the Lawyer — that is that the purposes is not to try to justify ourselves...
but Rather we need ask God to change our heart.
Daniel Bush makes this comment.
Heart transformation comes from encountering Jesus. Hear him, meet him, be loved by him, and you’ll have your heart changed—
Daniel Bush; Noel Due
T/S How do we love others without limits?
1. Allow God to Challenge Our Hearts.
2. Develop Compassion for Others.
2. Develop Compassion for Others.
Some years ago CBS anchorman Hugh Rudd was mugged outside his New York City apartment complex.
He was conscious , but unable to move. All he could do was moan and mumble... Rudd lay on the side of the road 2:30 pm until dawn the the next day.. at the doorstep of his apartment , watching life pass by.
Returning theatergoers walked past him into the building. The milkman came and left.
No one even stopped to see what was wrong—in-spite of his attempts to ask for help.
Why would people ignore someone in such need? THE REASON IS nobody recognized him as their neighbor..
We might walk past a homeless person or someone in need… with out stopping but
What would happen if we recognized THAT person? or Someone in our community… we would stop..
This the issue that Jesus challenges us with..
Who is our Neighbor?
The lawyer asked Jesus this very question… Who is my neighbor?
SO HE telld THIS STORY..
30 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.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Jesus tells this parable of a man who falls into some unfortunate circumstances.-
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descended about 3,000 feet in about 17 miles.
It was a dangerous stretch of road because robbers hid along its steep, winding way -
It was by chance that he fell into the hand of these robbers…
This can happen to anyone!!
In fact there there have been a couple times that I have come into a really bad situations…Pam and we’re mugged once when we to watch Fire works at a national stadium..a mob pushed us into a fence and stole our stuff.l
We can be in wrong place at the wrong time..
This unsuspecting man.. became a victim of a crime… These robbers stripped of his clothes and and beat him up -
- They showed no mercy and left him lying in a ditch left for dead..
WE told that also by chance there came a Priest..
Many of the Priests lived in Jericho… It is quite probable that the Priest had been serving in the temple an heading home..
The point is that is that
Are he- observes what has happened - he makes a decision to walk to the other side of the road..he chooses not to get involved…
… Next comes a Levite..
The Levites were descendents of Levi -- they were responsible for the duties around the temple.. . You could say that he was ‘temple helper’ , ‘temple assistant’.
And the same thing happens… He is there in a timely manner to help…and -He passes by to the other side.
Think of all the excuses that they could have used:•
“This road is too dangerous for me to stop and help the man.”
• “He might be a decoy for an ambush.”
• “I’ve got to get home and see my family.”
•
• “I don’t know first aid.”•
“It’s a hopeless case.”
• “He never asked for help”
There are tons of excuses…
What is lacking in these two men is compassion…
The word compassion means to feel passion or empathy for someone. Compassion happens when we enter into ones sorrow or pain… Jesus is the best model for compassion…
when Jesus saw the crowed of people and their struggles he was moved with compassion..
Mat 9.36
Matthew 9:36 (ESV)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
. Jesus saw more than faceless crowds. He saw individuals who were weary and worn out, helpless and hurting...
Jesus saw people as they really were, not as they appeared to be or as they may have tried to be
Compassion is rooted in the ability to see people as they really are...
One of the challenges we have is that we often relate to people as we wish them to be, not as they really are…we want to change them..
but..
Loving on our terms is not Compassion.. Loving with without limits is asking how does God love...
The love of God has always been the Anthem of the Church..
in 3rd Century - Justin Martyr wrote a document of the defense of the Gospel called the Letter to Diognetus 9.1–2.
he writes
O the overflowing kindness and love of God toward man!
God did not hate us, or drive us away or bear us ill will. Rather, he was long-suffering and forbearing.
In his mercy, he took up the burden of our sins. He himself gave up his own Son as a ransom for us—the holy one for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, the righteous one for the unrighteous, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal.
WE have received his compassion and we are to be His instruments of compassion in the lives of others.
Application -
Loving without limits means find Freedom to love others...
Means we take time develop a heart of Compassion…
The Priest and Levite… saw the man and they crossed the other side of the street..
Part of the problem is that they had the wrong concept of who was their neighbor…was..
Change of thinking and a change of heart…
T/S How do I love without limits?
1. Allow God to Challenge Our Hearts.
2. Develop Compassion for Others.
3. Remove ALL Restrictions to Love
3. Remove ALL Restrictions to Love
In Germany they have the well know highway called the autobahn ---There is no speed limit… and there seems to be no restrictions..
but there are some rules
There are recommended speed limit of (80 mph) are posted ..in urban sections and a few dangerous stretches sometimes have posted as (62 mph).
True freedom is not the absence of limits… but rather from choosing the right limitations--
What we learn in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is that there is
No limits to Love…
This demonstrated in the Response — the good Samaritan..
Lets read
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 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 took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Have you ever made a pro and cons list? Make a decision based on the best outcome or logic..
The Truth is the Samaritan had no need to stop..
There was no advantages for the Samaritan to stop...
It didn’t make logical sense..
1. When it came to Timing..
The Samaritan --was on a long Journey. He was most likely a merchant or a business man..and if you look at the a map — he is still a long way from Samaria.. Stopping was changing his ETA..
2. It didn’t Make sense in regards to his ethnicity— People Group.. (kinds of people he would be associated with)
Being a Samaritan and Reaching out to Jew -
Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along.. They had set up their own temple and sacrificial system… Samaritans were considered half breeds --
to Jewish Audience there was no such thing as good Samaritan… And it would be unthinkable to have him as the hero of the story
But Jesus uses Hyprbole or exaggeration to make a point..
Jesus is emphasizing - That love is based on freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit - not by following Laws...
A Samaritan would be the last person the lawyer would expect to illustrate the actions of a neighbor -
On Paper there was no good reason — So what stopped Him..
One Word Compassion..
When the Priest and Levite saw the man beaten and bleeding on the side of the road… They moved to the opposite side of the Road.. They said let some one else take care of the Problem..
Francis Schaeffer said that..
Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.
Francis Schaeffer
But the Samaritan — Who had the least to gain from stopping… was moved with compassion. His heart went out to this man. ..
What learn from Good Samaritan
What love does -
a. Love acts in the Present.
Love does not wait until it is convenient.. but it acts in the present tense..
2. Love Heals.
Love Binds up Wounds - Brings about healing..
He comes along side this mans and with oil to sooth and clean his wounds.. He uses the alcoholic in the wine as a disinfectant . He finds a cloth to bandage up his wounds
3. Love Goes above and beyond.
The man was too injured to walk.
The Samaritan man lifted the wounded man on to his animal and took him to the Inn.-- , where he cared for him, and gave the innkeeper two denarii (the equivalent of two days’ salary) to continue caring for him.
Jesus underscores the Samaritan’s compassionate care, extending to whatever more cost and care may be needed.
The Samaritan is an example of loving with out limits..
Jesus asks this Lawyer
Who best describes a Neighbor?
The Priest - The Levite - or the Samaritan.
The Lawyer struggled to form his words.. and he finally concedes and says —
says “The One who showed Mercy”
D.A Carson
Mercy embraces both forgiveness for the guilty and compassion for the suffering and needy.
D. A. Carson
The Samaritan was a Good neighbor..
Conclusion
Jesus uses the words of the Lawyer
Who is my neighbor..to give a mandate -Being a good Neighbor is showing Mercy… Jesus says.
Go and do likewise…
Jesus puts the ball back into the Lawyers court…
We have been given a mandate to love God and to love our Neighbors as ourselves..
Loving without limits begins with us.. It is only through grace....
Grace starts with Gods compassion for us..
Often, the person you are the hardest on and for whom you have the least amount of pity and compassion is ourselves.
we need forgive and learn to truly love ourselves.. .
Think of the relationship you have with yourself, including all those conversations you have with yourself for which no one else is privy. There are things you hold against yourself, things you blame yourself for, things you hate yourself for. Just as God does not want you to live in hate of others, he does not want you to live in hate for yourself.
The commandment to love your neighbor is predicated on the love you have for yourself.
example plane.. put a mask before helping others..
The great command is to love your neighbor as yourself..
We begin with us in then we show compassion and love to others...
Who is that person that is in need of some healing… some binding up and some love and care?