Week 3 – “Action” (The Good Samaritan) Main Thought: Love moves with ACTION to the hurting and broken. The Word: Luke 10:25-37, Galatians 3:26-29, John 15:12
Source SM Recap: Volume #49
Series: Love IsWeek 3 – “Action”
The Word: Luke 10:25-37, Galatians 3:26-29, John 15:12
Main Thought: Love moves to the broken and hurting.
Message Explanation: Love is action. That is what this message of Jesus is built upon. To say that we care and do NOTHING reveals that we do not care. The closest that I get to Jesus the more I CARE about what matters to Him. The farther away I get from Jesus the LESS I care about what matters to Him.
1. Love is the only hope for the world
"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you." John 15:12
Luke 10:25-32: “One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits.31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side." “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.
People from church passed by the man who was beaten up. Both men, the priest and the Levite were Religious LEADERS. To not ACT is to not CARE at all.
2. Love sees beyond the exterior
Love is colorblind. The love of Jesus is shown in this Parable. Loving your “neighbor” as yourself means to show compassion to whomever, whenever, and however the opportunity is given.
Both had a DEAD faith that didn’t impact anyone outside of the church building.
Definition of Favoritism: A respecter of persons. Exalting someone strictly on a superficial, external basis, such as appearance, race, wealth, or social status. As a follower of Christ, we experience God’s love and we give that same love to people.
The Samaritan man had compassion. The Jewish man lying in agony beside the road and his heart churned within him so that he could not pass by without helping. Jews HATED Samaritans… A Jew would call him a, “Half-Breed” as a racial slur.
But the Good Samaritan looked beyond the outward and saw a person that God loves. That’s the way compassion affects us. Compassion INTERRUPTS. It stirs us; it troubles us, it keeps us awake at night until we do something.
"Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him."
3. Love moves to people who are broken and hurting.
Stop and Listen to those who are hurting: The Samaritan showed compassion.
Risk: For the Samaritan to STOP on this treacherous road would put himself into danger. What If the robbers return? Time: What if I have to get to my next destination and I’m late?
Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here." The Samaritan gave two days payment for his job. Compassion COSTS us sometimes. He gave more than enough for the man to stay at the Inn and recover.
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
We treat people differently as if some are more important than others. Jesus’ life changed other people’s lives!
Galatians 3:26-29:“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile,slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
1 John 3:18: “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
Jesus sees into the heart. He cares for our soul. We are of infinite worth and value to God.
The Good Samaritan story is a story from Jesus while He was on the way to the cross. In this story, we see the Samaritan has compassion upon the people group who hated him and persecuted him. He not only took care of Him but also paid for his whole stay at the lodge so he could receive health. If he didn’t pay for the man, once he was well, he could easily become a slave.
Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan. He HEALS our wounds and pays OUR debt so we could be changed.
We can’t build our faith upon what we are GOING to do but upon our ACTION. Who around you needs compassion? Who needs encouragement? Who needs Jesus?
Takeaway: Are you showing favorites in your life? Who is that person that you can show mercy to this week instead of showing favorites? Love moves to the hurting and broken. Will you be the one to show love in action?
Element of Fun: The students played the game, ”Make it or Break it." It was a fun game to watch at all campuses!
Music: We are the Free, God is Able, Give me faith, Jesus Paid it All.
Favorite Moment: Hearing stories of students sharing in their small group. I love knowing that students are discussing and applying God's word to their lives.
What’s Next: We are finishing the series, “Love Is” as we talk about the truth that God IS love.
To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page