Building Dynamic Faith: Trusting in God Even When You “Mess Up”
Isaiah 43: 1-7
There’s an old saying that there are three sexes- men, women, and preachers. Preachres ought to be able to walk on water, or that they are perfect. We’re not. My purpose for relating this story is to help you grow in your faith, especially if you think that you have lost it, or done something so bad that you cannot get it back again. Friends, the devil would like nothing more than to see you defeated, permanently side-lined on the shelf of effectiveness. Some preachers you hear about get sidelined because of adultery. Some because of wrong financial dealings. Some because of lying and lack of integrity. Mine was because of fear. If you feel after hearing this message you no longer have confidence in me, well- I leave that for you to decide and I’ll just trust God to do what He will. I want to tell you this morning how I went through deep waters, and how Jesus jumped in and rescued me.
I wish that in 1994 I had a church family that was as loving and as understanding as the one I am in now, or I probably never would have done what I did- not that I blame the church, I blame myself, for what had happened. Romans 12:21 says: do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. The church was growing- not phenomenally, but it was reaching out to the professional and international community that God had called us to serve in this Washington D.C. suburb. Blacks, Asians, Africans and others were fellowshipping with us every week. We baptized more people in one year than we had the previous ten. You would have thought the deacons on the board, and many of the other church leaders would have been excited- they weren’t. Instead, they felt threatened. They didn’t like all these. I was also a lot younger than I am now, and I couldn’t understand that. I was getting restless and impatient- probably not waiting on God the way I should have, and that, dear friends, was my undoing. I’ve given it all over to the Lord now, and all of that is under His blood of forgiveness. Our life at church was not very happy in those days. Every action we did was met with malice and suspicion. There was also sin in the church, and no matter how much I protested its existence, I was told to mind my own business- especially about the unusual affection that two of our deacons and their wives seemed to have for one another, and for others in the church. I knew my ministry was on its way out when I stumbled upon a liaison between one of the deacons and another woman in the church. These people were in their early sixties- certainly old enough to know better. When I stopped at a traffic light and looked over and saw this woman getting into our deacon chairman’s van, I slumped down so they would not see me. It was too late. They had seen me before I saw them.
Things began to deteriorate rapidly after that. I felt the pressure to leave the congregation, and my feelings of fear and insecurity began to grow more noticeable. But I was convinced that they had not hired me, but that God had called me there. In spite of the friction that ensued, the church continued to grow. But Satan was also at work, waiting for the right moment to trip me up. That winter, our boys who were five and three and a half at that time, needed a large warm place to play and run off some energy for a while. Their baby sister was laying down for a nap and needed some quiet. I told Robin I’ll take the boys over to the church, since we lived next door. It was in the 20s and icy- I brought over their matchbox cars and they could play in the fellowship hall while I engaged in a short counseling appointment. The boys would not be far away, and they should be alright, I reasoned. They were content to play down there on the waxed tile floor, zooming their cars on the floor. I planned to check on them occasionally to make sure they were alright. A few moments later, my appointment arrived- an unchurched couple that I had been witnessing to, showed up for premarital counseling. I escorted them into my office and left the door open- listening to the sound of my boys playing downstairs. I was scarcely into the opening remarks of our visit when I heard a crash of metal downstairs in the church fellowship hall, followed by a blood-curdling scream. I rushed to the stairway, almost with one bound, when Jared met me at the top of the steps, still sucking on his thumb, trying to tell me that his brother had been hurt. When I saw the sight of what had happened, I nearly passed out. Apparently a match box car toy had become lodged beneath a rolling rack made for portable metal chairs. But the custodian had placed the heavy metal banquet tables on the rack so he could wax the floor a week or so prior to that. When John went to retrieve his car, the tables dislodged, and fell on top of him, and on his little hand, severing one of his fingers and nearly severing two others. The blood from the site was horrendous. The couple who had come in for counseling were horrified, I shot back and said, “this is one of the things you might run into when you have children. Are you sure you want to do this?” They looked at one another and left the building. I never saw them again.
I wrapped John’s bloody hand in a towel, along with the appendage, and carried him up the stairs. My heart was racing so badly I could hardly breath the prayers I was uttering, O God please stop the bleeding. Please don’t let my son bleed to death!” I was so frightened I didn’t know what to do. In what seemed like an hour, but actually it was just a few minutes, the paramedics arrived- not just for him, but also for me. I tried not to look at Robin, for fear she would see the fear in my eyes and get upset. We got to the Suburban Hospital just down the street. A neurosurgeon by the name of Dr. Goldblatt, who just happened to be on call in the emergency room that day, took care of the entire matter. “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’ll have that finger sewed back on and you’ll never know he had been hurt.” Those reassurances were a sign from God that everything was going to be okay. “He might loose some agility in his fingers at first, but he’s only five years old. Give it time. I’ve seen kids go through a lot worse and they’ve grown up to be dentists and concert pianists. He spoke to John and said, “Do you play any instruments?” he asked, “No, not yet. But I think I would like to play the drums!” With thanksgiving to God, those fingers were set and reattached. Just a small scar appears now from the ordeal. But it was nothing to compare with the scar Satan would leave in the weeks following that accident.
The next thing I knew, I learned that the deacon I had witnessed with the extramarital affair, and been talking with others about having social services called in “to take my kids away” as he was quoted, because of child-endangerment. Actually he feared I would sue the church for the custodian’s negligence, but I never had any thoughts to do that. But he feared a confrontation from me about that and his personal indiscretions. All this discussion went on while I was preaching, when he and a couple of others in the church would count the morning offerings and then slip out of the service up to the nursery to count it while I was preaching. One or two others reported the conversation to me. My blood ran cold when I heard what they said. I cannot let such a thing happen. I will make sure that word of this gets established and then the whole church will know what is going on. Surely God would vindicate me, I said. And then I did one of the stupidest, dumbest things I have ever done in my life. I purchased a voice activated cassette recorder, hoping to record more conversation and other goings-on in that church nursery, where my own children were being cared for at that time. I must confess to you I did that out of a fierce combination of fear and stupidity. Fear causes us to do stupid things. A nursery worker- in fact the grown daughter of the man who was conspiring against me, dislodged the cassette recorder from behind a drawer in the diaper cabinet. She discovered it and reported it to her father, who then threatened to have me arrested for wiretapping without a court order, a felony in the state of Maryland. My troubles went from bad to worse in a fleeting moment of fear and anxiety. In just one moment of faithless, lack of trust and dependence upon God, our home, my ministry, our future- was nearly in ashes. I had messed up big time. The legal entanglements that faced me were insurmountable. I thought about hiring a lawyer, not knowing that I needed about $5000 to retain one and that the District Attorney was the deacon’s brother in law I didn’t think I had a defense anyway. I had never felt so alone, so helpless, and so isolated in my entire life at that point.
II. Now I told you this long story to get to the sermon. I read my Bible and probably prayed more during that long winter of 1995 more than I ever had in my entire life. I had several dark nights when I wondered if I would make it to the next day. I had forgotten that I was God’s child. Instead I was orphaned. I was so despondent and my heart was so heavy that, without me even knowing it, my father who worked near by drove down during lunch and took away all my hunting rifles. During those days I read about Job whose story we just read about this morning. No one ever suffered as much as he did- so much more than I did. He didn’t have his children taken away by social services- he lost every one of them through death. He lost his wealth, and his health all in a matter of days. There is much we can learn from him about victory in life after we have suffered some of our most difficult hours. His story is one of the most incredible accounts in Scripture, and it reveals the cosmic spiritual battle that goes on in heaven behind the scenes in this life.
God told Satan, “Behold, all that he has in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person,” Job 1:12. This text emphasizes a great spiritual truth: Satan has no power over our lives except by the permission of God. So Satan took away all of Job’s possession. Wealth could easily be lost in the ancient, and bandits stole all his sheep and cattle in one day. His herds were devastated and his servants were murdered. Then, before the day was over, all of his children were killed by a desert storm when they house they were in collapsed. Devastated by these personal tragedies, Job simply responded, “Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). The Scripture further explains that in all that had happened to Job, he did not sin against God. Later Satan struck Job with a terrible disease. Boils and blisters covered Job’s entire body. He had not only lost what he loved the most- his children- but now he lost his health as well. In the next scene, Job is seen sitting in a pile of ashes, pathetically scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery. He had been reduced to the trash pile of life. Can you even imagine his suffering and pain? Broken and rejected, Job sat there all alone. Job’s friends came to console him, but eventually they ended up accusing him of committing some secret sin. Their consolation turned to condemnation and criticism. Just when Job though things could not be worse, they did…his wife gave up on him. I’m so glad Robin did not give up on me. She was angry at me for what I did- and angrier for not telling her the threat we were under but I wanted to protect her and spare her the grief of hearing all of that. Robin stood right by me in spite of every thing. I don’t know what I would have done had she not done so.
But in all this, Job did not let his faith in God waver. In spite of his personal pain, he learned to keep on living by the grace of God. And because of that faith, God eventually vindicated him and blessed him with ten more children and twice as many possessions as he had originally. Job knew that he could depend on God no matter what went wrong. That is what I had to learn as well.
We too can learn how to handle life’s toughest problems as we come to the realization that when all goes wrong, even when we have messed up so badly, God’s way is always right. He is still moving on our behalf wanting our greatest good to come together for His glory. We must trust God even as we walk in the darkness. The real problem each of us has to ask ourselves is, “How am I doing with my problems?” Has Satan ever bombarded you and gotten you down? Has he ever threatened you like I described, or tried to pull the rug out from under your life and leave you with a pile of ashes? If that is where he has you now, this is no time to throw in the towel. When you do get down, you probably get lonely and start to wallow in self-pity. You feel like no one understands your pains and your problems. You may even think you are the only one suffering in the entire world. That’s when Satan comes along to say, “See you blew it! You are all washed up. No one really cares about you anyway so why not just end it all?” When the devil tries to beat you down, remember Job. In spite of all his troubles, and even the rejection of his wife and friends, Job hung on to his faith. He put his confidence in God and trusted Him with his very existence. Friends I want you to understand, God is always there for us, even when we cannot see Him, He is there.
Job’s greatest source of strength was the promises of God. He knew God could bring him through his troubles. Absolutely nothing can happen in our lives that God has not promised to see us through, who has said in His word in Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
III. When you pass through the fire, how do you rise up out of the ashes? Take a look first of all in your rearview mirror. In my side mirror of my car there is an etching in it a sentence that says, “caution, objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” That is also true of our lives. Many times we might look in that mirror, but all we see is ourselves so we think its okay. We don’t see the devil on our shoulder shouting out the plans to fall into sin or make a wrong decision. You cannot live in the past, so why should you let past failures control your future? But sometimes you need a review mirror to get a total view of the journey ahead. So today get out a piece of pare and list two or three past problems that could have destroyed you. Mine was faithlessness and fear. The real mirror we should be looking at instead is God’s Holy Word that tells us that we have a loving God who wants us to come to Him for cleansing and forgiveness. I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just.. It doesn’t matter if others were wrong, its important to confess the wrong that you did because two wrongs don’t make it right.
Secondly, take your spiritual temperature. Look at your life today to determine what you’ve learned from your past problems. How are you stronger now than you were before all these storms in life hit you. What did God teach you through your troubles. God showed me in the book of Isaiah these words that got me through those tough times: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2. What did you learn about God as you passed through the waters. Maybe you also walked through fire, like I did in those difficult days after I hid the cassette recorder.
Thirdly, look beyond your present troubles. Building dynamic faith is not just about when we succeed, but especially when we mess up. Since God has used past troubles to make you a better person, don’t you think He can do the same thing again? God may have more than one lesson to teach you. Identify what you expect to learn may give you present hope in that dark night. Consider all your issues a faith issue. Why is it that you react the way you do? We ask, “Why is this happening to me? When our whole focus is on ourselves, and on our problems, we lose God’s perspective. But when our focus is on God, He shows up as so magnificently larger than any troubles we may now face.
Friends, since God brings troubles into our lives to make us stronger and better, when you refuse to learn from them, we turn our backs on God. Accept these trials by faith, learn from what God wants you to know, and work through today’s difficulties by following the principles of His word: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony by faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:39-40
Monday, June 2, 2008
What Jesus Does For Losers John 21:15-19
What Jesus Does For Losers John 21:15-19
Reality programs have been all the rage on TV the past few years. It started with Big Brother, then American Chopper, the Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and my personal favorite- Little People, Big World. I think if I had an opportunity to write a script for a reality show it would be American Preacher. And then its spinoff, American Deacon. Or how about- American choir member? There’s a new reality show on television- have you seen it? Its called “The Biggest Loser.” The premise of the show is a parade of severely overweight people and their daily struggle to lose weight. Every time they step on the scale you take a deep breath for them- will their weight go down- or will it go in the other direction? For someone like that, being a loser is a good thing. But we all know that loser has a more common meaning.
The teenagers call a failure by another name- loser. To be called a loser means to be inept, a disgrace, someone who can’t get it together, whose not quite right, who doesn’t fit, someone who has messed up. Let me give you the politically correct term-Someone who is success challenged. What do we do with losers? How do we deal with them? We sideline them, avoid them, and if they do come into our presence, we tolerate them just long enough until somebody we want to be with comes along and we say, Gee- look at time! Gotta run, see ya! We have a hard time dealing with losers in our world. But it was just as hard dealing with them in the first century. Peter, and the rest of the disciples, were expecting something different. They were expecting an overthrow of Rome and a new kind of kingdom. But…the movement failed. He did not conquer Rome. You know, Jesus’ death looked like anything but a success. And when Jesus needed them the most, the disciples scattered. They failed miserably. But what we learn out of this is that…
Jesus Makes Successes out of Losers.. He can take our most miserable failure and make something great out of it. What we need to realize is we are all losers- is what the Bible tells us. For all have sinned. Sin means to lose out on our relationship with God. Today we are going to look into the life of Peter, and how he almost lost out because of his own self-confidence, and how he received forgiveness and most of all restored to a greater place of ministry and service.
I. We often have a self-confidence that is not well-founded. (John 13:36-38; 18:17, 25-27). In a conversation that occurs before Judas’ betrayal, we find this: Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Simply, Peter overestimates his own ability. He is arrogant. He has a certain belief in his own strength.
So much so, even if the rest of the disciples were to fall away, he would not.
He would surpass them all. He was going to stay with Jesus no matter what. And then…the betrayal comes. Judas kisses Jesus and the soldiers move in. Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord’s enemies. All of sudden, it became real hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. And you know what they all did…they ran. They proved…
The thing we do not want to do is the very thing that we do. And the man who said that he would not fall away, did follow Jesus…from a distance. Now listen what happens to him… “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and to drive home his denial, he punctuated the denial with curses, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. Can you imagine what it was like for Peter at this point? He felt like a complete failure- the ultimate loser. Here, he had been a member of Jesus’ inner core group. He had even seen Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, with Moses and Elijah. He had had all the advantages.Yet, when push came to shove, when Jesus needed him most, he denied the Lord.
Peter was devastated by his own inability. And the text tells us that he wept bitterly. It was probably his worst moment ever. It broke his heart, for he had violated the trust of the One he loved the most. He had just promised that when all the others fell away, he would be there. And he was not.
Peter teaches us that most of us don’t know how sinful we are. We think more highly of our abilities than we ought. Romans 12:3 tells teaches us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We love to be identified with success, don’t we? We love to impress people with what we have done- or what we would do in a certain situation. O, I would never do what Peter did- not me..
So…we are shocked when we fall. We prefer to be shocked when someone else falls. Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, “Lord, if I should fail, let me fall into the hands of the lowlifes and the drunkards and the sinners, but Please don’t let me fall into the hands of church people.” Instead of nurturing and restoring the fallen comrades in God’s army, you know what we do with them? We shoot them! Why do we do that? Because we’re afraid? We’re afraid that people know the loser we truly are, so we become judgmental, harsh, critical, mean- which is, in my humble opinion, worse than messing up in the first place. Do you know what you would do if you were in that same situation Peter was in? Truth is, most of us don’t really know what we would do if we were faced with a situation like that. We would like to think what we might do, but what if you were confronted with having to deny your faith? We live in such a materialistic world today I submit to you that I despair to think about what it might take for a so-called Christian to deny his or her faith in Jesus. But the point is does failure have to be permanent?
II. The good news, is that our failing does not have to make us a failure. (Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-17). Jesus has provided for our failings. Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail.For Jesus said…Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” What is wonderful here is that Jesus saw beyond the problem to Peter’s heart. He knew the man behind the loser. And it was because of that loss, Jesus had went to the cross. It was for his sin. It was for his denial.
The great thing about this is that God doesn’t wait until we are cleaned up and acceptable to love us and care for us. There’s a phrase people use around here that describes this, when I talk to them about their need for Christ, and you know what they tell me? “I’ve got to get things righted around!” Got to get things righted around? How are you going to do that? That’s like a lot of women around I have observed around here who hire the cleaning lady to come in to clean their house, but you know what they do the day before? They work like crazy to get their housecleaning done before the cleaning lady comes. Why? They will say, “What will the cleaning lady think of us- she’ll think we’re a bunch of slobs!” That doesn’t make any sense, anymore than to think we can clean up our lives before asking Christ to come in, because we can’t do it. No, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus knew that Peter was going to mess up!. And now he was bringing him back. Jesus wants us to know that there is nothing that can separate us from His love So now it is time for the question, “Peter, do you love me?”
Notice, Jesus is not asking, “Did you distinguish yourself in My service?” Did you get a PHD? Did you go to church?” It is, “Do you love Me?” And Jesus asks it three times. He asks it three times to go along with every denial Peter rendered. . Now, how Jesus asks these questions and Peter’s reply are significant, because they use different words for love.
The two words we see here are agape, which is the most powerful type of love, characterized by self-sacrifice. The other word for love is phileo, which is a deep affection as a love between family and siblings. It is intense, but it is not as powerful as agape. So Jesus’ first question is, “Do you agape me more than these?”
Jesus asks this question, because Peter had said that he would outlast the rest.
But he did not. Rightfully, Peter does not boast anymore. His response to Jesus was, “You know that I phileo you.” “I have a deep affection for You. I like you!” He cannot say anything more or higher within himself. And he was not going to lie. He was not going to say that he had the agape kind of love after he had denied Jesus. He obviously did not have that kind of love for Jesus. He is careful not to promise more than he can deliver.
Peter is right to say that Jesus knows. For Jesus knows the worst about us and still loves us. But what’s more, He knows the best about us when others do not. He knows what we can be. Jesus again asks the question, “Do you agape me?” The reply is the same, “You know that I phileo you.”Peter had to take responsibility for this.. You see, you cannot grow from failures until you acknowledge them, own them and learn from them- not blame other people for it. If you have messed up, you’ve got to take responsibility for it, and repent of it. And Peter is beginning that process. But Jesus isn’t done yet. He has to ask one more time. But the question this time is different. He says, “Peter, do you phileo me?” This is such a wonderful question even though Peter grieves at its asking. For on this third time, Jesus comes down to Peter’s level. You see…
Jesus meets us where we are. Though this question a third time distressed Peter, and probably hurt his feelings, he had to recognize that it was grace. Peter confirms his love for Jesus and now Jesus owns him. There will be no more denial or betrayal. Now is the time for service-its time to get to work. Galatians 6:1- if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
III. We discover this wonderful truth here, that…Jesus frees us from our past and provides new opportunities for us. (John 21:18-19). There is hope for you. We are not beyond recovery! Its true, Peter messed up, and he messed up badly. But Jesus came to call Peter back into the fight. With each question, Peter gets an assignment. He is to be a shepherd in the church. He is to “feed my lambs,” that is, he is to feed the young, immature believers. He is to “take care of my sheep,” that is, he is to shepherd and lead the mature believers. Jesus said, “Keep on following me!” Its not the convenience oriented faith that we see so much of today. He too would someday be led to die, but this time he would make it And the hope of the resurrection would be a true hope for him. He forgave Peter and offered him something even greater than before.
Are you a loser? We all are! Jesus can take your failure and make you a success. He can turn it around for you. If you have failed Him, you do not need to stay in that pattern. You can know His grace. For Jesus can take your old life and give you a new one. Jesus offered Peter Perhaps, you have fallen behind. Jesus is here today to make you a new creation, old things will pass away, all things become new.
You see Jesus is offering you the opportunity to change. He is offering you the opportunity today. He is pursuing you. He is out to rescue you, not to put you down. You do not have to be a loser anymore. No matter how you may have messed up, come to Jesus. He stands ready to turn your failures into successes.
Reality programs have been all the rage on TV the past few years. It started with Big Brother, then American Chopper, the Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and my personal favorite- Little People, Big World. I think if I had an opportunity to write a script for a reality show it would be American Preacher. And then its spinoff, American Deacon. Or how about- American choir member? There’s a new reality show on television- have you seen it? Its called “The Biggest Loser.” The premise of the show is a parade of severely overweight people and their daily struggle to lose weight. Every time they step on the scale you take a deep breath for them- will their weight go down- or will it go in the other direction? For someone like that, being a loser is a good thing. But we all know that loser has a more common meaning.
The teenagers call a failure by another name- loser. To be called a loser means to be inept, a disgrace, someone who can’t get it together, whose not quite right, who doesn’t fit, someone who has messed up. Let me give you the politically correct term-Someone who is success challenged. What do we do with losers? How do we deal with them? We sideline them, avoid them, and if they do come into our presence, we tolerate them just long enough until somebody we want to be with comes along and we say, Gee- look at time! Gotta run, see ya! We have a hard time dealing with losers in our world. But it was just as hard dealing with them in the first century. Peter, and the rest of the disciples, were expecting something different. They were expecting an overthrow of Rome and a new kind of kingdom. But…the movement failed. He did not conquer Rome. You know, Jesus’ death looked like anything but a success. And when Jesus needed them the most, the disciples scattered. They failed miserably. But what we learn out of this is that…
Jesus Makes Successes out of Losers.. He can take our most miserable failure and make something great out of it. What we need to realize is we are all losers- is what the Bible tells us. For all have sinned. Sin means to lose out on our relationship with God. Today we are going to look into the life of Peter, and how he almost lost out because of his own self-confidence, and how he received forgiveness and most of all restored to a greater place of ministry and service.
I. We often have a self-confidence that is not well-founded. (John 13:36-38; 18:17, 25-27). In a conversation that occurs before Judas’ betrayal, we find this: Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Simply, Peter overestimates his own ability. He is arrogant. He has a certain belief in his own strength.
So much so, even if the rest of the disciples were to fall away, he would not.
He would surpass them all. He was going to stay with Jesus no matter what. And then…the betrayal comes. Judas kisses Jesus and the soldiers move in. Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord’s enemies. All of sudden, it became real hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. And you know what they all did…they ran. They proved…
The thing we do not want to do is the very thing that we do. And the man who said that he would not fall away, did follow Jesus…from a distance. Now listen what happens to him… “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and to drive home his denial, he punctuated the denial with curses, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. Can you imagine what it was like for Peter at this point? He felt like a complete failure- the ultimate loser. Here, he had been a member of Jesus’ inner core group. He had even seen Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, with Moses and Elijah. He had had all the advantages.Yet, when push came to shove, when Jesus needed him most, he denied the Lord.
Peter was devastated by his own inability. And the text tells us that he wept bitterly. It was probably his worst moment ever. It broke his heart, for he had violated the trust of the One he loved the most. He had just promised that when all the others fell away, he would be there. And he was not.
Peter teaches us that most of us don’t know how sinful we are. We think more highly of our abilities than we ought. Romans 12:3 tells teaches us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We love to be identified with success, don’t we? We love to impress people with what we have done- or what we would do in a certain situation. O, I would never do what Peter did- not me..
So…we are shocked when we fall. We prefer to be shocked when someone else falls. Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, “Lord, if I should fail, let me fall into the hands of the lowlifes and the drunkards and the sinners, but Please don’t let me fall into the hands of church people.” Instead of nurturing and restoring the fallen comrades in God’s army, you know what we do with them? We shoot them! Why do we do that? Because we’re afraid? We’re afraid that people know the loser we truly are, so we become judgmental, harsh, critical, mean- which is, in my humble opinion, worse than messing up in the first place. Do you know what you would do if you were in that same situation Peter was in? Truth is, most of us don’t really know what we would do if we were faced with a situation like that. We would like to think what we might do, but what if you were confronted with having to deny your faith? We live in such a materialistic world today I submit to you that I despair to think about what it might take for a so-called Christian to deny his or her faith in Jesus. But the point is does failure have to be permanent?
II. The good news, is that our failing does not have to make us a failure. (Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-17). Jesus has provided for our failings. Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail.For Jesus said…Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” What is wonderful here is that Jesus saw beyond the problem to Peter’s heart. He knew the man behind the loser. And it was because of that loss, Jesus had went to the cross. It was for his sin. It was for his denial.
The great thing about this is that God doesn’t wait until we are cleaned up and acceptable to love us and care for us. There’s a phrase people use around here that describes this, when I talk to them about their need for Christ, and you know what they tell me? “I’ve got to get things righted around!” Got to get things righted around? How are you going to do that? That’s like a lot of women around I have observed around here who hire the cleaning lady to come in to clean their house, but you know what they do the day before? They work like crazy to get their housecleaning done before the cleaning lady comes. Why? They will say, “What will the cleaning lady think of us- she’ll think we’re a bunch of slobs!” That doesn’t make any sense, anymore than to think we can clean up our lives before asking Christ to come in, because we can’t do it. No, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus knew that Peter was going to mess up!. And now he was bringing him back. Jesus wants us to know that there is nothing that can separate us from His love So now it is time for the question, “Peter, do you love me?”
Notice, Jesus is not asking, “Did you distinguish yourself in My service?” Did you get a PHD? Did you go to church?” It is, “Do you love Me?” And Jesus asks it three times. He asks it three times to go along with every denial Peter rendered. . Now, how Jesus asks these questions and Peter’s reply are significant, because they use different words for love.
The two words we see here are agape, which is the most powerful type of love, characterized by self-sacrifice. The other word for love is phileo, which is a deep affection as a love between family and siblings. It is intense, but it is not as powerful as agape. So Jesus’ first question is, “Do you agape me more than these?”
Jesus asks this question, because Peter had said that he would outlast the rest.
But he did not. Rightfully, Peter does not boast anymore. His response to Jesus was, “You know that I phileo you.” “I have a deep affection for You. I like you!” He cannot say anything more or higher within himself. And he was not going to lie. He was not going to say that he had the agape kind of love after he had denied Jesus. He obviously did not have that kind of love for Jesus. He is careful not to promise more than he can deliver.
Peter is right to say that Jesus knows. For Jesus knows the worst about us and still loves us. But what’s more, He knows the best about us when others do not. He knows what we can be. Jesus again asks the question, “Do you agape me?” The reply is the same, “You know that I phileo you.”Peter had to take responsibility for this.. You see, you cannot grow from failures until you acknowledge them, own them and learn from them- not blame other people for it. If you have messed up, you’ve got to take responsibility for it, and repent of it. And Peter is beginning that process. But Jesus isn’t done yet. He has to ask one more time. But the question this time is different. He says, “Peter, do you phileo me?” This is such a wonderful question even though Peter grieves at its asking. For on this third time, Jesus comes down to Peter’s level. You see…
Jesus meets us where we are. Though this question a third time distressed Peter, and probably hurt his feelings, he had to recognize that it was grace. Peter confirms his love for Jesus and now Jesus owns him. There will be no more denial or betrayal. Now is the time for service-its time to get to work. Galatians 6:1- if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
III. We discover this wonderful truth here, that…Jesus frees us from our past and provides new opportunities for us. (John 21:18-19). There is hope for you. We are not beyond recovery! Its true, Peter messed up, and he messed up badly. But Jesus came to call Peter back into the fight. With each question, Peter gets an assignment. He is to be a shepherd in the church. He is to “feed my lambs,” that is, he is to feed the young, immature believers. He is to “take care of my sheep,” that is, he is to shepherd and lead the mature believers. Jesus said, “Keep on following me!” Its not the convenience oriented faith that we see so much of today. He too would someday be led to die, but this time he would make it And the hope of the resurrection would be a true hope for him. He forgave Peter and offered him something even greater than before.
Are you a loser? We all are! Jesus can take your failure and make you a success. He can turn it around for you. If you have failed Him, you do not need to stay in that pattern. You can know His grace. For Jesus can take your old life and give you a new one. Jesus offered Peter Perhaps, you have fallen behind. Jesus is here today to make you a new creation, old things will pass away, all things become new.
You see Jesus is offering you the opportunity to change. He is offering you the opportunity today. He is pursuing you. He is out to rescue you, not to put you down. You do not have to be a loser anymore. No matter how you may have messed up, come to Jesus. He stands ready to turn your failures into successes.
What Kind of Neighbor Are You? Luke 10:29-35 04/13/08
What Kind of Neighbor are You? Luke 10:29-35 SBC 04/13/08
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
What Kind of Neighbor Are You? Luke 10:29-35 04/13/08
What Kind of Neighbor are You? Luke 10:29-35 SBC 04/13/08
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
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