Bro Gary Sunday Evening 2/26/12

Bro Gary Sunday Evening 2/26/12

Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

This parable is like the Word of God.  It is as simple and as basic as our limited minds can make it.  It is also as deep and as full as God and His Son and His Holy Spirit have length and height and depth.  I believe that Jesus spoke a total of 40 parables recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  About twenty of them are recorded in Matthew. 

This is what may be considered a simple lesson tonight.  We don’t want to lose the simplicity of Christ but may God and His Son and His Holy Spirit help us to grasp the deep truths that they would not be incomprehensible but made as simple as the truths of the Gospel of Christ.

How the lawyer thought to tempt Jesus is beyond my mind.  Carnal men have thoughts that are from the vine of the World.  Jesus knew all about this man before he even began to talk.

Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Undoubtedly this lawyer knew that the Messiah was coming.  He should have known he was talking to the Messiah.  This guy had a question and Jesus answered it.   Jesus asked him a question and the lawyer answered.

Luk 10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

The Lawyer’s answer would have been excellent if he had been living it. 

Luk 10:28  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Many times people make a statement and ask a question but already want to give you an answer to what they ask the question about.  Behind it they want to justify themselves. 

This man knew more than what he was doing.  This is pretty simple truth tonight.  Most people know more than what they are doing.  They may not know the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but there is something about God: He is very faithful to witness to people about what they are doing and what is right.

Luk 10:29  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

On our behalf we are interested in what Jesus had to say in answer to this question.

Luk 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Jesus used a pretty common story of reality and life.  This road between Jerusalem and Jericho was well traveled and there were thieves and robbers on this road.

Luk 10:31  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

According to my study, at this time there were twelve priests and Levites living in Jericho and working in Jerusalem.  That is a lot.  There was a lot of travel on this road.  I’m confident that Jesus used a picture story of how things were in AD 33.  This priest should have known quite a bit about worshipping God but he passed by on the other side. 

As much as we want to fulfill the calling that God has given everyone of us, we don’t want to lose sight of the needs around us.  Sometimes people lose the reality that as an individual that is serving God our whole goal is to meet the need of the needy one that God has put in our pathway. 

This priest probably was really active and took care of the morning and the evening sacrifice but he didn’t reach to help the needy man. 

I don’t know who you are going to reach to this week.  We live among men and women that as this scripture says: much has been stolen from them.  They have fallen among thieves.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

This scripture was not given just for us in Paradise Montana this Sunday night.  God has good thoughts toward everyone that was requested prayer for.  You and I know a God that has lots of good thoughts toward each one that the saints are burdened for.

It is so sad but as God’s thoughts are coming they are intercepted by the enemy and the enemy’s thought patterns so that people miss the important things that God would have imparted to their lives.

Jn 10 teaches of Jesus going before us as the good shepherd:

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Jesus also taught us that the thief comes to steal:

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

We all can say “We failed to get God’s plan when we were whatever age.”  God has plans for you tomorrow.  You cannot turn back the clock even a day.  Don’t you be the victim of the thief today and tomorrow. 

This man was stripped of his raiment.  There are things that the enemy wants to take away from us today: The garment of praise, the robe of righteousness, humility.  I teach myself and you tonight.  The bible instructs us to put on humility and to be humble in our mind.  Don’t let the devil rob you of humility.  Humility is so beautiful and the opposite of it is so ugly.  God sends His Word and the songs, “Humble thyself to walk with God.” 

There are roads that present themselves for you to go down that would elevate your mind that, “I really have a grasp on something.”  I’m not telling you that you don’t have, but do you know how fast you can lose your grasp? 

I had a sad experience Monday, I thought that Bro Herb would enjoy the pictures of the saints in Miami, he knows some of those people.  His mind had slipped he couldn’t identify with them.  His mind was full of other things.

God help me to realize how much I need Him.  There are people younger than me that cannot keep it together mentally.  There is a thief.  This man fell among thieves and those that should have been able to help him were doing something else.  They thought they were doing something for God and they were missing God’s work. 

Whatever God gives you to put on, put it on.  We don’t always feel like praising God but praise God anyway.  You may not always feel like praising God but you have a lot to praise God for.

They wounded him, undoubtedly literally wounded.  There are people that are emotionally wounded today.  We live in the deepest dark time.  It is such a mean time.  A brother wounded in spirit…

There are a lot of people that have been wounded.  God help us to not be as this priest but to know the value of the oil and the wine.  Often they would mix them together and pour it into the wound.  Help us to have the Word and the Spirit in our lives so that we can be the one that is able to help the wounded.

If you run onto someone half dead, don’t kill them, get them to the inn.  Work to get them functioning and seeking after God.  Let them know that you love them.  Let us have more than this priest and Levite did. 

You cannot help a soul unless you love them.  If they don’t know that you love them you can have the answer but your words will be as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

Luk 10:32  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

The Levites had an important job.  They cleaned the temple and kept it supplied with the oil, the wine and the bread.  They were responsible for the music in David’s time.  These are very responsible and important things.  But the Levite looked on him and passed by on the other side.

Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

The priest and the Levite at this time looked down on the Samaritan.  If you think that you are special and there are others that are under you, find an altar to put that thing on.  You may say, “That young man really has potential.”  What young man doesn’t have potential?  We want people to realize that they have potential but they are not the only one in the world that has potential.

This Samaritan came where the wounded man was.  Most of us in this audience have fallen among thieves at some point in our life.  Most of us have had occasions where we’ve been pretty beat up.  By the time they got done with us we felt like we might be half dead ourselves.  This Samaritan may have experienced some things 

in this journey that made him feel compassion for the wounded man. 

He had compassion on him.  God help us as the church and me as an individual to have compassion from God for the needy.  It is better to error on the side of compassion than to error on the side of being hard and critical. 

The Samaritan went to him.  We all want to remember that when we see a need, let’s go to them.  I know God.   I’m not afraid of the situations that I may end up in.  I’m saved; I know the power of God.  I know what the word of God says. 

I have a message for a lady of illrepute.  I know a God that gives character to those that have none.  You can pour oil in the wounds and get them to the inn and not abuse the situation. 

Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

I believe there is a lesson here of checking on folks.  Let them know that you really care. 

Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

He helped meet his needs financially.  There are times when God wants us to take out two pennies and say, “I’m not loaning this to you, I’m giving this as from God to help you.”

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Luk 10:37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

We love these truths; I believe that we live these truths.  We want to keep them real in our experience.