Tonight, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 10. Luke 10, as we read verses 25 through 37. The text being the parable of what we call the Good Samaritan, verses 30 through 37. Luke 10, beginning at verse 25, as we give our attention to the Word of God. On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it? He answered, 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 love your neighbor as yourself. You have answered correctly, Jesus replied, do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? In reply, Jesus said, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So to a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, go and do likewise. Shall we bow in prayer asking for God's blessing upon his word tonight? Indeed, O Lord, as we come before you again in this evening hour, we thank you and praise you for your word which we have read, which we have been prepared by Your Spirit to hear preached. We pray, Father, that indeed You would work Your Word in our hearts and lives in the most powerful way, as only You can. We thank You for Your blessing. We thank You for Your promises to strengthen us and help us in all things. We pray that even so, O Lord, You would prepare us to live lives of service and glory and honor to You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. well dear people of god the title good samaritan is a title that's familiar to us it's not just spoken though in the church in connection with this parable although no doubt it comes from this parable yet this title has somehow migrated into the social use of society once in a while for example as you listen to the news or read the newspaper you may see or hear a read or hear that someone is described as being a good Samaritan. Or maybe even in casual conversation, someone might be described as well as a good Samaritan. And of course, that means that this is one who comes alongside to help another. A good Samaritan, we know, sacrifices himself in some way to help someone in need. But as Jesus teaches here in this parable, in answer to this lawyer's question, a true good Samaritan, there are a lot of social good Samaritans out there, we know, but a true good Samaritan operates according to a certain standard. He lives and acts according to a certain kingdom principle, and that principle is the law of love. And you know what that is. This lawyer, this expert in the law, quotes it in verse 27. You 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 love your neighbor as yourself. With this parable, beloved, Jesus unfolds the character of kingdom kindness. This character is indiscriminate. It's unselfish and it's unending. As we consider this parable, we need to notice the occasion for it is a mistaken belief in works righteousness. That I can achieve righteousness and perfection by my works, that I can earn my salvation by the good that I do. This lawyer, this one who was trained in the law and whose job it was to continue to study the law because he was also a teacher of the law, we read, in order to test Jesus, Jesus asks, Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? You see, these lawyers, also known as scribes, along with the Pharisees, Together, they were among the religious leaders of that day. And they believed, of course, that Jesus was teaching a doctrine different than the law that they taught. But notice, Jesus answers the lawyer's question with a question, as if to say, well, you claim to be an expert in the law. What does it say? What do you think? How do you interpret it? And when the lawyer gives that beautiful summary of the law, Taken from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19, Jesus says, that's it. That's it. Do this and you will live. You see, congregation, it's interesting to me, but Jesus here speaks this lawyer's language as if to say, if you want to speak in terms of works righteousness, if that's the category you want to speak in, then this law of love, well, that is the work that you must perform. But, don't forget, you'd better be righteous. You must perform it perfectly. You must have always performed it perfectly. And it's clear that this lawyer himself becomes uneasy as he realized that now he was the one being tested. His assurance of having performed the law of love perfectly was weak. Even though, no doubt, along with many others, he may have boasted of perfection, He knew, he knew that he fit Paul's description in Romans 7, verse 14. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. The truth is, beloved, that good works never give true assurance. A lot of false assurance. But they never give true assurance of earning salvation. Never. Because even if one has fooled himself into thinking that he doesn't fit what Isaiah says, that even his best works are as filthy rags, yet that one never knows if he has done enough and at the same time always has to worry that the bad works cancel out the good. Well, as we read, the lawyer tries to justify himself by changing the focus of the conversation to a specific detail. And who is my neighbor? Because surely this lawyer would pass this test. Because the law, as it had been expanded by the religious leaders, remember we said that last week it had been expanded to hundreds upon hundreds of external requirements, this law, as it had been expanded, specified whom they considered to be their neighbors. It gave a very narrow view of who was their neighbor. But by asking this question, this lawyer, in effect, sets himself up to be shown just how loveless he was. He was not filled with kingdom kindness. Indeed, Jesus could have said that neighbor refers indiscriminately to everyone. But his question to the lawyer at the end in verse 36, which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? that question is meant to draw a reply from the lawyer himself, a reply that would condemn himself. With this very question, Who is my neighbor? The discrimination that does not fit the kingdom citizen is revealed. Again, the religious leaders already had a corrupt concept of who was their neighbor. In fact, even among the religious leaders of the day, they didn't totally agree. Some said that only fellow Israelites or Jews were their neighbor. Others narrowed it even more and believed that only those within their own little specific religious group, for example, like the Pharisees, that they were their neighbors. But the point is, beloved, is that they chose their neighbors by a standard of worth and value that they themselves established. They loved only those they chose to love. Anyone not fitting their definition was considered to be an enemy whom they were justified, they said, in hating. Jesus addressed that attitude in Matthew 5 when He says, You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbors and hate your enemies. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. And brothers and sisters, those words are still for us, for you and me today. We must confess that at times, whether we express it with our mouths or just demonstrate it with our actions, that our definition of neighbor is often very narrow, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day. How often don't we, in effect, pull up our nose or purposely avoid or ignore those who make us feel uncomfortable? or who don't fit our standards of cleanliness, or who look like all they will try to do is take and take and take a little more. Well, with this parable, Jesus exposes the discrimination of this lawyer and his kind. And we know the story. Boys and girls, I trust many of you know this story. But we must understand how real, how true to life this story would have seemed to those listening. The situation of falling among robbers on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho was far from uncommon. Going down from Jerusalem to Jericho was literally true. Jericho was about 4,000 feet in elevation below Jerusalem and about 17 miles away, and this drop, at some points at least, had to be maneuvered through mountain terrain that was somewhat rugged and rocky and lonesome and dangerous. In some spots, no doubt, one could see only a matter of a few feet ahead because of the sharp twists and the winding curves. In other spots, the jagged rocks and the rugged mountain walls right next to the traveling path made for excellent hiding spots for robbers. You see, everybody knew that it was risky business to travel this way alone. This man, one translation says it a lot stronger, this certain man. And Jesus does not say that he's a Jew, but it is believed that he is, he's thought to be a Jew in the parable in contrast to the Samaritan. This man is attacked and these robbers not only take everything that he had, including his clothes, but they mercilessly beat him, leaving him half dead. He was in bad shape. And without help, he would surely die. He could not save himself. He could not pull himself up by his own bootstraps. Now, Jericho was the home of a number of priests and Levites who traveled back and forth to Jerusalem. Therefore, it would have been no surprise that they would be included in the parable. But what ought to have been a surprise was their reaction to this beaten and this dying man. These guys, the priest and the Levite, they represented the law of God. And they also represented what Israel was supposed to be. They were not only to teach the law of love to the people, but to uphold it and demonstrate how it was to be carried out. You see, one of the most basic commands of the law was to show mercy to those in need. Micah 6 verse 8 says, And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly? To love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. In Leviticus 19, verse 34, the Lord requires the stranger to be taken care of. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you. And you shall love him as yourself. And in Acts 23, verses 4 and 5, listen to this, if you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, not even your enemy, but his ox or his donkey, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. If mercy was to be shown to a stranger and the enemy, then how much more should it be shown to this fellow Israelite, this countryman? You see, beloved, there was absolutely no justification in the sinful neglect of the priest or the Levite. They had changed the letter of the law so that my neighbor must meet certain qualifications, and by doing so, they had completely wiped out the spirit of the law. They exposed this lawyer's faulty heart attitude. And Jesus was demonstrating to this lawyer that his question, who is my neighbor, showed that he didn't have a clue what the law of love was truly about. But then of all the people Jesus could have used to be the good guy, like someone of good reputation, someone of high position, someone like this lawyer himself, of all the people Jesus could have used, Jesus uses a Samaritan to demonstrate the character of kingdom kindness. Of course, in large part, we automatically lose the force of this illustration because we cannot enter into the hostile feelings that existed at that time between the Jews and the Samaritans. They were worst of enemies. In a sense, boys and girls to the Jews, the Samaritans were like the meanest bully in the class. The Jews hated the Samaritans intensely. They were considered to be pagans by the Jews. In John 4, when Jesus asked for a cup of cold water from the Samaritan woman for a drink, Everybody knew that it would be better to die than to receive help from a Samaritan. We might even say that a Jewish pet was worth more to the Jews than a Samaritan. And it was so bad that if a Samaritan died, the Jews rejoiced. Because that would be a favor to the world. The world was a better place without them. Much of the difference and struggle between the Jews and the Samaritans we know had to do with religion And the truth, as many of us know, is that religious hatreds are always the deepest and the worst. We see that with what's going on with Islam and terrorism and that kind of thing today. But even among the Christian faith, so many unkind acts and words have taken place in the name of religion and the Christian faith. But it's ironic that this lawyer asks Jesus who his neighbor is. Remember, he's got his little definition. And Jesus confronts him with the likes of a Samaritan. You can only imagine that this lawyer is cringing. That he's just boiling with anger on the inside. But notice in the parable, when he, the Samaritan, saw him, the man, he took pity on him. Or it's also translated, he felt compassion. Jesus Himself is described this way in Matthew 9. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them. Because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Well, what does it mean to have compassion? It is to be filled with intense pity and sorrow for another. It means to enter into as much as possible, to enter into the suffering of another, to feel their pain, as we say. Compassion removes any thought of self and it removes any idea but that of helping the one in need. Kind of like one who rushes into a burning house to save another, not even giving consideration to the danger that is surrounding himself. This Samaritan demonstrates kingdom kindness and what it means to follow the spirit of the law. First of all, as I trust you have been able to see already, kingdom kindness is indiscriminate. It does not discriminate like this lawyer. It's indiscriminate. It didn't matter who or what this hurt man was. It didn't matter what his ethnic background was, whether he was red or yellow or black or white. It didn't matter whether he was rich or poor, able to repay or even to reward the Samaritan for his efforts. It didn't matter what this guy believed. Just like, I trust, not one of us here would ask someone who was badly hurt to recite the Apostles' Creed before we gave them help. Unlike the priest and Levite, as well as the other religious leaders of the day, the Samaritan does not base his kindness on the worth of this victim. Did he or did he not deserve to be helped? The Samaritan's kindness was based on the need of this man. he demonstrated love for his neighbor and whatever this wounded Jew may have felt toward the Samaritan, that didn't matter. This Samaritan proved to be his neighbor. There was no room in the Samaritan's compassion for discrimination. His attitude was such that here lies another human being fighting for his life, unable to save himself. Quite a picture, isn't it? Does it remind you of anything? A little bit of the picture of us. Unable to save ourselves. In need, in desperate need, of being saved and taken care of by our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Samaritan's indiscriminate attitude of compassion then moved into action, demonstrating the unselfishness of kingdom kindness. You see, in his love for his neighbor as himself, the Samaritan seeks to care for this man's wounds and to give him whatever physical relief he could. Not worrying about the fact that the robbers may very well have been still in the area. Now, oil and wine were the best first aid treatment known at that time. The alcohol content of the wine served as a disinfectant and antiseptic for the wounds. And the oil served as a soothing balm or salve. And his unselfishness is also seen in that he gives up his own donkey. And he walks on the rugged path all the time trying to keep this man as comfortable as possible until he could get him to the inn. And notice, even then, the Samaritan himself, forgetting about himself, forgetting about his own interests, forgetting about his schedule, maybe even forgetting about his family for the evening, takes care of this man throughout the night. He doesn't just drop the man off at the inn and say, well, I've done my part, Now it's up to someone else. Now it's someone else's turn. Even in the morning, the Samaritan takes full responsibility for the expenses, both current and future. Two silver coins, also said to be two denarii, was not stingy. It's reported that based on the cost of a night of lodging, this was equal to two months of in-rent in advance. The man was in bad shape. A couple of days of bed rest would not be enough. This Samaritan, beloved, goes above and beyond the call of duty, as we say, while the priest and the Levite simply didn't want to get involved. Those are familiar words, too, in our day, aren't they? I just didn't want to get involved. This Samaritan revealed love for his neighbor as himself by giving of himself to this man in time of need. And, beloved, this is the highest revelation of love. Again, a picture of the love of God poured out upon us. John says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Think about that for a moment. The one and only Holy God, infinitely Holy God, far above us, transcendent in glory, loved a sinful, a completely unholy people. And He gave the Son of His infinite love. All of His love poured out upon His Son. He gave that Son for sinners. As well in another place, John says, In this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, this love that we are called to have for our neighbor, which must be and can only be rooted in God's love, gives of oneself, of one's comfort, and of one's ease and time and patience. It gives whatever is needed. But notice, beloved, it begins with God's love and love for God. You see, the lawyer gave the right answer. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. But by asking, who is my neighbor? He made it clear that he didn't know what it meant to love God above all. He didn't truly understand the law that he claimed to be an expert in. Because love for your neighbor as yourself can only flow from love for God above all, which itself flows from God's love first received. But Jesus unfolds for this lawyer the character of kingdom kindness. Again, that it is indiscriminate, that it's unselfish, but also that it is unending. Verses 36 and 37. Which of these three do you think was the neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, go and do likewise. In his wisdom, Jesus has the lawyer answer his own question, again, by asking him who was the real neighbor in the parable. And what a beautiful answer. He who had mercy on him. Mercy always deals with misery. The real neighbor was the one who worked to relieve this man's misery. And Jesus then commands the lawyer, go and do likewise. You see, in essence, Jesus changes the question from who is my neighbor, which is a very narrow focus, if you think about it, To whose neighbor am I? A very broad focus. That's the question of kingdom kindness. If you want to know who your neighbor is, then become a neighbor to others in need. Be neighborly. And it's clear from the original language that this is to be unending. Our Lord's command could be read, go and do the same and keep going and keep doing the same. Never stop. This is to be our lifestyle. And this too, beloved, gives glory to God. God's love poured out upon us, you see, is never-ending. It's an endless supply. And as that beautiful song says, O love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong, it shall forevermore endure, the saints' and angels' song. I think that song might be about the best that man can do. Other than quoting God's Word, Psalm 103, which we also sing, it's about the best that man can do in expressing the greatness and the bountifulness of God's love. And as His undeserving children who live from the endless storehouse of God's love, we are called to strive to endlessly reflect His love to others. Oh, we know that our love cannot perfectly mirror God's love. Not perfectly, it does not accomplish what God's love accomplished for us, yet we are called to strive to reflect the love of God in as much as we are able by God's grace. The character of kingdom kindness is that this love for your neighbor as yourself is to be a principle of life for the child of God. This lawyer is taught by Christ to be a neighbor to anyone who needs him. To love your neighbor as yourself is to treat those in need as if I am treating me. Beloved as Christians, we are called to kingdom kindness, to live and act from the principle of the law of love, not because we can perform it perfectly and thereby inherit eternal life. Jesus was not telling this man that it was possible for him to inherit eternal life. But we are called to live and act from that principle out of gratitude for that eternal life, which has already been earned. We are called to give a cup of cold water. How? In Jesus' name alone. The one who has demonstrated perfect obedience and kindness and whose righteousness is freely imputed to the believer's account. And we can only live by that principle of kingdom kindness because of that perfect kindness shown to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. There was nothing worthy in or about you and me that we deserved to enjoy the perfect kindness of that perfect neighbor, Jesus Christ. As we said this morning a number of times, but God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners. That alone proves that there was absolutely nothing worthy of us. But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And throughout His ministry and in His suffering and death, Jesus Christ was completely unselfish as He relieved His people from their eternal misery. And His kindness is unending. As the psalmist confesses, Praise the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever. Beloved Jesus Christ has perfectly demonstrated the law of love. And as those who are recipients of that grace, we are called to have the same mind of Christ as in His love. We too live according to that law of love as Romans 13, verses 8-10 tell us. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another. For he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be are summed up in this one rule, love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Beloved, how many lost opportunities has God given to us? Opportunities that we have lost and we have wasted. You see, that alone proves that we cannot merit eternal life. And of course, this parable does not tell us if we have to help absolutely every person stalled on the freeway with a flat tire or car trouble? Or give money to every beggar on the street? God will indeed place each one of us in different situations in which we must seek His wisdom in applying this law of neighbor love. But it does teach us that to ask, who is my neighbor, is the wrong question. The believer's question here must only be, to whom am I a neighbor? When God's love fills our hearts and floods our souls, it is a love that is revealed to all who cross our path and need our help. You see, your neighbor is not necessarily the starving one across the ocean to whom you can easily write a check and send that so someone can buy them some food and clothing. Nor is He necessarily your best friend with whom you walk side by side in life. Your neighbor is not necessarily the one who lives in the house beside you. He is the one who lies in your path ahead, your path of life, today, tomorrow, next year maybe. One whom you must purposely, as it were, go around, step around to avoid. Your neighbor, beloved, may even be those who hate God, who hate His cause, and who hate His people. I must confess, beloved, that I'm not very neighborly. Instead, I often, I often go out of my way to avoid some people, especially those who are needy, because I don't dare to be confronted by them, because I don't want to, because I might be afraid of what they might ask of me. But you see, beloved, when we do that, then we also cannot and do not address their true need for forgiveness and salvation. We then fail to introduce them to that great love of God. See, that's what I came to realize the young people have the opportunity to do as they go to Mexico every other year to build houses. It's a different kind of work. It's not necessarily preaching the Gospel. Yet it's an opportunity for each one to demonstrate the love of God and to say, as we have the opportunity to do, we're here because we love the Lord. We love you even though we don't know you, but we love you because we love the Lord and we want to help you. And in that way, God gives to His people the opportunity to open the conversation. And from there, we pray that it will spread to their need for forgiveness and salvation. If you go through life having to ask who your neighbor is, you will never find him. And that is evidence that you do not know the love of God through Jesus Christ. But what greater love can we show to our neighbor than by sharing with him the love of God in Christ Jesus and His saving sacrifice? What greater love can we show than to confess before our neighbor the living water unto eternal life? Those who enjoy the love of Christ by grace through faith, that love demonstrated through His saving sacrifice, they themselves, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and with gratitude for God's goodness to them, demonstrate kingdom kindness without thinking twice about it. It flows naturally. The same kindness shown to them by our God, indiscriminate. We didn't deserve it. unselfish, God gave His only begotten Son an unending, an eternity's worth of glory. Who is truly a good Samaritan? The one who is neighborly. Who from the love of God and by the grace of God loves God above all and His neighbor as Himself. To this one Christ gives that beautiful promise, blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Beloved Kingdom, kindness expresses love for God above all by loving your neighbor as yourself. The law of love is indeed the way to eternal life because Jesus Christ fulfilled it perfectly for you and for me. And as He said, He alone is the way to eternal life. If you're here tonight and you have not yet looked to Jesus, as the only Savior of your soul, don't delay. don't delay. Because God's promise is that whoever believes on Him, whoever repents of their sins and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. No joke. No joke. The greatest message again. And for them, God's love is indeed unending. And for those of you, God's people, who by His grace live with the assurance of God's forgiveness and unending love, then rejoice in His eternal kindness. And, beloved, be pleased to be used of Him to pass on His kindness to your neighbor. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we consider the greatness of Your love and what You have done, that which has poured forth from Your love, even our salvation for worthless, undeserving sinners. Indeed, as we have said over and over again, Father, we stand amazed. We cannot comprehend it. But we pray, O Lord, that Your love, as it fills our hearts and lives, would pour forth from us. And that indeed, if it is Your will, You would be pleased to use us in some way to plant the seed, that others may water it, so that You might give the increase, O Lord, and continue to bring many into Your church, into the fold of the Good Shepherd. Father, use us. Take away our fear. Give us encouragement. Give us confidence. Give us courage, O Lord, that we might not shrink back from speaking and acting on Your behalf, but that we might freely express the love of our God to those who have need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.