Guard Your Soul (Luke 10:38-42)

       

I have a love/hate relationship with my cell phone. It always amazed me how much this small device can do. This device is my navigation tool. I no longer need a map in my car because my phone is a GPS device. I can send an email, a text message, a tweet, or a Facebook post that can reach all the way to Africa from the comfort of my living room. I no longer have to wonder if the Krispy Kreme donuts are Hot and Ready because there is an app for that. I can get the score of every sporting event in the known world in a matter of minutes. And I even can make phone calls from my cell phone. I love my cell phone. But I also hate my cell phone. I hate my cell phone because I am addicting to my cell phone. Every time my phone buzzes or beeps, I am addicted to find out who or what is trying to contact me. Usually only to find that some company that I don’t really care about is having a sale that I don’t really care about, but it could have been something that I really should care about. I hate my cell phone because I distract from paying attention to my wife and my children. I find myself occasionally sitting in my living room or at the dinner table staring at the screen instead of staring at my family. Even if my phone is in another room, but I here that I have a text message, my mind is immediately distracted from my current conversation to wondering who is texting me and what do they want. There are even times when I imagine hearing my cell phone ring. My soul has become incredibly cluttered because of my lack of discipline and self-control with a cell phone. I love and hate my cell phone.

For all the blessings of technology, it has created a culture of anxious and stressed individuals. In an article in the Herald this week, regarding this over anxious culture, Psychologist Francine Toder refers to this anxiety to the “always on” syndrome. She has seen patients who are already “overwhelmed by life, and now their problems become much more complicated by all these new devices and nonstop data coming at them.”[1] Today we must protect our souls. There are obvious things we must guard our soul from, but today I want exhort to guard your soul from two things that I see in the text. Then we will look at what we are guarding our soul for. First we must guard our soul from Distractions

I. Guard Your Soul from Distractions

Verse 38, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.” Now remember back the context of this chapter. Jesus just sent out the 72 disciples and told them to enter a town and look for a person of peace. Luke 10:5, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him.” Verse 7, “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.” So Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. She was a person of peace who graciously opened her home to Jesus and his disciples. And in opening her home, she was now responsible to provide food for Jesus and 12 hungry men. It is easy to give Martha a hard time in this text, but we cannot lose sight of how gracious and hospitable she is to bring these men into her home.

I use to teach High School in D.C. I started teaching because I wanted to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with students. I developed a relationship with a group of students and started to have a bible study at my house. And as these hungry teenage boys came into my apartment I was responsible to feed them. Let’s say these guys were happy when I met and married Ellen. It was a definite upgrade. The group grew to about 10 teenagers. And it is no small task to feed 10 hungry teenagers. And it is no small task to clean up after feeding 10 hungry teenagers. So let’s give Martha some credit. She was a gracious and hospitable woman that welcomed in Jesus into her house. I believe that she was a person of peace and wanted to show love and grace towards Jesus.

We pick up the story in verse 39, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Luke says that Martha was distracted with much serving. As we just mentioned, Martha had a lot to do. Of course she is distracted with serving. She has to feed the entire household and had to entertain house guests. The word for serving used here by Luke is the Greek word diakonian which is where we get the word deacon which is the ministry of service. Serving is a good thing. The issue in this passage is not serving, but it is the heart in the serving. Mary was distracted from the reason for her serving. She was so focused on what needed to be done that she forgot who she was serving and why she was serving. She was distracted. She was preoccupied and troubled.

She was serving, but her heart was not focused on the Lord. She was more concerned with herself. Second half of verse 40, “And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” She forgot why she was serving and who she was serving. She lost sight of the privileged place in which she stood. Instead of realizing that she “got” to serve the Lord of lords, she changed to she “had” to serve. I think the attitude from “have to” to “get to” is a huge divide and yet can be crossed in a millisecond. Martha went from welcomed Jesus into her home to questioning his love for her. Have you ever been there? Have you ever started out with joy in serving only to have your joy turn to bitterness? Notice how Martha’s bitterness is directed. Her bitterness directed at Jesus. The very person she wanted to welcome and honor. So Martha’s bitterness affected her vertical relationship with God, but also her horizontal relationship with her sister. Martha was serving and Mary was sitting. Can you hear the disgust in her tone? How incensed she was at sister? “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

Do you see how dangerous serving the Lord with the wrong heart can be? It affects your relationship with God and your relationships with your closest family and friends. Beloved, we must be on guard because it is subtle and dangerous and for it shows itself in so many ways. Be on guard you who are a regular tither against your bitterness towards those who may not give. It is a privilege to give your money to God. Be on guard you who serve in a ministry in the church against your bitterness towards those who are less active. Be on guard you who serve God in any way against your bitterness towards those who do not serve God like you. Guard your Soul from Distractions.

II. Guard Your Soul from Demands

There are many demands in our age for there are many demands in every age. One of the reasons our souls can become distracted and then embittered is simply because you are too busy. Listen again to verse 40 and following, “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Many of our souls are distracted, anxious and troubled because we have too many things going on. Can you relate to Martha? Have you ever felt overwhelmed and anxious with all the things you have on your plate? Have you ever felt too busy? So we have to ask ourselves, why are we so busy?

Pastor Kevin DeYoung recently wrote a book, “Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. He writes in his book that he believes that one of the reasons people are crazy busy is because they demand more of themselves than God does. We expect more out of ourselves than God expects of us. The good news of Jesus Christ says the demands against us have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sin and under the wrath of God. We could not meet those demands so God sent His Jesus Christ to meet the demands for us.

Friend, if you are here and you are not a follower of Jesus, let me tell you that Christianity is not a list of demands we must meet to please God, but it is the opposite. It is a list demands that has already been met in Christ so we no longer have to work at a frantic pace to be accepted, but simply to trust and believe in Jesus Christ. The only way we are accepted by God is through His Son, through the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. Friend, consider this good news, consider how God has met the righteous demands of the law in Jesus Christ. He has done this for all who would turn from their sin and trust Him as Lord and Savior. God does not give us a list of demands, God gives us Himself. What a great God!!

And yet, we often revert back to our old ways of trying to win God’s approval. We think the more we do, the healthier we are spiritually. Pastor John Ortberg writes:

Not long after moving to Chicago, I called a wise friend to ask for some spiritual direction. I described the pace of life in my current ministry. The church where I serve tends to move at a fast clip. I also told him about our rhythms of family life: we are in the van-driving, soccer-league, piano-lesson, school-orientation-night years. I told him about the present condition of my heart, as best I could discern it. What did I need to do, I asked him, to be spiritually healthy?

Long pause.

"You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life," he said at last.

Another long pause.

"Okay, I've written that one down," I told him, a little impatiently. "That's a good one. Now, what else is there?" I had many things to do, and this was a long-distance call, so I was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least amount of time possible.

Another long pause.

"There is nothing else," he said. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

I've concluded that my life and the well-being of the people I serve depends on following prescription, for hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls.[2]

So what makes us so hurried and busy? Analyze your schedule with the killer P’s. How much of your schedule grow out of the root of Pride?

People Pleasing – do you say yes to certain activities in an effort to please others around you? How much does the opinion of others affect your life? Guard your Soul from Demands Pleasing People.

Proving Yourself- Do you keep a certain pace of life to prove yourself to friends or family? How much of your activity is driven to prove yourself to that one person who seems to constantly disapproving? Guard your Soul from the Demands of Proving Yourself

Possessions – How much of your life is driven in the accumulation of possessions? A bigger house, a nicer car, etc. Guard your Soul from the Demands of Possessions.

There are more P’s to consider: poor planning, perfectionism, etc., but those are a good place to start. We must guard our souls from Demands if we are going to keep our souls for ultimate joy.


III. Guard Your Soul for Delight

The reason we must guard our souls is that we want ultimate joy. God knows what is best for us. We try to fill out schedule and our lives with activities and things that will bring us joy, but the best thing for us is right in front of us. Verse 39, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” And verse 41, “But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” While Martha went from welcoming the Lord to questioning the Lord while Mary chose the good portion. There are many things that are good in this life, but one thing is necessary. Jesus Christ and His Word is the one thing that is necessary.

So if you want true delight that can never be taken from you, you must choose the good portion. This is what David says in Psalm 16, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Do not miss this. There is a reason God is called the good portion. V. 42, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” God is the only thing that can never be taken from you. Money won’t last. Reputations won’t last. Your body won’t last. This earth won’t last. But your soul will last. You soul will last forever. But the only way your soul will find true delight is if you have that which cannot be taken from you. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says that God dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing us that God will never leave. Listen to Romans 8:37-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Mary chose the good portion. She chose to sit at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. Women were not allowed to sit at a Rabbi’s feet for instruction. Mary was breaking social norms by taking the initiative to go and sit at Jesus’ feet. The word used to describe Mary’s action even implies her initiative. Mary chose to feed on the Word of the Lord than other food that will not satisfy. Mary understands Moses words in Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word1 that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

This story is a great object lesson of the importance of a Christian disciple to rightly order one’s life around the Word of God. The Word of God is the food that truly satisfies and that will never be taken away. Listen to Psalm 119:57-64:

“The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think of my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statues!”

Beloved, we must guard our soul for true delight in guarding our time for the Word of God. Let me make three applications before I close.

First, you must order your daily life to ensure that you have time to sit and meditate on the Word of the Lord. Feeding on the Word of God is more important than food. Even when I am crazy busy I always make time to eat. The same must be said of our desire to feed on God’s Word. So if you are not regularly spending time in the Word, you have to reorder your priorities. You must cut things out of your life to ensure you do not neglect God’s Word.

Secondly, you should not only feed on the Word alone, but also with others. In our frantic pace, relationships suffer. One of the things we have instilled in our home is eating our family meals together at the table. We want to slow down and sit enjoy fellowship with one another. As we feast around the table, we also should feast on the Word together. We try to have regular family devotions every night when we spend time in the Bible together. Our family devotions suffer when our schedule gets too busy. We are too tired at the end of the night that all we want to do is go to bed. If we are not careful, what we are teaching our kids is that those others things are more important than the Word of God!! Beloved, this should not be.

Lastly, you should feed on the Word with the church. One thing that is primary for the Christian is the regular hearing of God’s Word. God commands pastors to preach the Word of God to the people of God for the glory of God. My primary role as a pastor is the preaching of the Word of God. There are many other good things that I can spend my time on throughout the week, but my job is stand up three times a week and feed you with God’s Word. This is why as long as I am your pastor I will preach God’s Word to you. This is what you need. You need God’s Word!! There are a lot of good things we can do as a church, but one thing is necessary. We do not want to be distracted from the best thing. The best thing a church can do is to preach the Word of God. The best thing you can do for your church is to hear the Word of God. This is how God has designed for your soul to be nurtured and cherished. God knows what you need more than you know what you need. Guard your soul for Delight, by guarding your soul to hear and obey God’s Holy Word. (Side note: if you have family or friends that attend churches that do not teach the Bible, encourage them to find another church. There are many good churches in this city that preach the Bible. Help them find one for the sake of their own souls).

Beloved, Martha was a gracious and hospitable woman that became distracted and anxious with much serving. Mary chose the good portion in delighting on the words of our Lord. Are you distracted or have you chosen the good portion?


[1] http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/10/16/5303958/tech-stress-builds-with-proliferation.html accessed on 10.17.13


[2] http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/august/13764.html accessed on 10.19.2013

Love Can Change a Nation - Luke 10:25-37

Our Federal Government has been officially shutdown for 12 days. Regardless of what side of the political

aisle you fall, it is pretty clear that our country is extremely frustrated with the lack of cooperation and the lack of effectiveness of our government. We have fought in recent years to further democracy around the world. And now, we are showing the world a dysfunctional democracy. Or are we? I believe that the government shutdown is showing not the fruit of a dysfunctional democracy, but rather a dysfunctional society. Politicians will always bend to the will of the people. And what we see in Washington is the fruit of a country that has turned its back on God. If we want to change Washington, then we must change the people.

Noah Webster, who has been called the “Father of American Scholarship and Education,” was an avid political writer and became one of the prominent spokesman for American Democracy in our early years as a nation. Listen to how important he believed the Christian faith was to the success of American Democracy, “The Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government…and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exists and be durable in which the principles of that (Christian) religion have not a controlling influence.” He says in essence that an American Republic government will not last without the principles of the Christian faith. I would concur with Webster on the importance of the principles of the Christian faith for the longevity of the American Republic.

America has turned its back on God. The nation has changed a lot over the last few decades. A nation that was once founded on Christian principles has turned to a nation that ridicules Christian principles. Our nation has turned away from God. And when our nation started to turn, the church became silent. They removed themselves from the public square to preserve their heritage. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in Christians entering the public square (even in the face of persecution). Christians should enter the public square and should serve in public offices. The church is often derided and characterized as only speaking against things. People say the church should speak what they are for rather than what they are against. But in speaking for something, in many cases it is speaking against something else.

Christian should speak to the issues of the day, because we believe that the Christian faith is not only right, but will maximize human flourishing. This is what Noah Webster was saying. A civil government will flourish with Christian principles at its root, but if you remove Christian values, you damage society. So how can Christians help change this dysfunctional society? How can we change this nation? I pray this morning that I will give you 3 simple yet profound truths that if we get a hold of will make a dramatic impact on our city and eventually our nation. These first truths are connected so let’s give them both together:

I. Love God and Love Others.

Verse 25, “And Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test. His motivation was not to truly listen to Jesus, but to challenge him. He asks a great question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a great question to ask.

The Mayan Calendar has caused many to believe in the end of the world. So on December 21, 2012, the Mayan Calendar was reaching a 5, 126 year-long cycle, many believe that it was a sign of the end of the world. Now most people dismiss the thought that the world is going to end, but the conversation does press the question, “What is next? Is there anything after? What will happen when I die? Or…What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Have you ever asked that question?

Jesus responds with a question, which he often does in the Scriptures. “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” Jesus knows the heart of this lawyer that his intent was to test him, but to you see that Jesus is the one that puts him to the test. The same is true today. Many people test the claims of Jesus, when Jesus is the one who tests the hearts of men and women. So the lawyer, answers the question from the law in quoting one of the most well-known passages in all of Scriptures for the Jewish people. It is found in Deuteronomy 6. Please turn there with me.

Deut 6:4-6, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

This was known as the Shema. One of the most important teachings for the Israelites, but look at the context in which this is said. The Jews are about to enter into the promise land. They are about to establish a nation.

Deut 6:1-3, “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.



Notice this God’s way to establish a nation is to tell the people to fear Him and love Him. And whose responsibility is it to make this commandment known. Fathers. The strength of a country is never in the government, but always in the family and more particularly, fathers. A nation with strong and godly fathers is a nation that will be a nation after the Lord’s own heart. A church with godly fathers is a church full of love. Strong fathers makes a strong church and a strong nation. This is why it says down in verse 7, “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” Fathers must pass this to the next generation.

Now jump back to Luke 10. Jesus said that the lawyer answers well. He probably had been taught the Shema by this father and knew the principles of the law. But we know the purpose of the law is to expose sin. Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” And Romans 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.” The Law came to expose sin. Stay with me. You will see how this lawyer is the one being put to the test.

The lawyer said, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life? And the lawyer answered his own question, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says do this and you shall live. So one can inherit eternal life if one loves the Lord with all that they have and loves their neighbors as themselves. Have you done that? Have you loved the Lord with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength and with all your soul? NO. Therefore you are disqualified from eternal life. Your sin, in not loving God with everything, disqualifies you from inheriting eternal life. And if we do not have eternal life, we have eternal death. So has any human being ever done this? Has any human being perfectly loved God? Yes.

God knew that we were disqualified from our inheritance because of our sin. There was nothing we could do to inherit eternal life so God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to inherit eternal life for us. Jesus is the only one who has ever lived that has perfectly loved God with all his heart and all his soul and all his strength and all his mind. Therefore, Jesus is the only one who has inherited eternal life. But Jesus came to share that inheritance with us.

Listen to 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Paul pray for the church in Ephesus that, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” (Ephesians 1:17-18).

How different would our lives be if we realized that we cannot do anything to inherit eternal life, but eternal life has already been inherited for us?

Fred Craddock, while lecturing at Yale University told of going back one summer to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to take a short vacation with his wife. One night they found a quiet little restaurant where they looked forward to a private meal - just the two of them. While they were waiting for their meal they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting guests. Craddock whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn’t come over here." He didn’t want the man to intrude on their privacy. But the man did come by his table.

"Where you folks from?" he asked amicably. "Oklahoma." "Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there. What do you do for a living?” "I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University." "Oh, so you teach preachers, do you. Well, I’ve got a story I want to tell you." And with that he pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.

Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly: Oh no, here comes another preacher story. It seems everyone has one. The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply.

"What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was. "When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me.

"Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ I felt the old weight come on me. It was like a big black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. "Wait a minute," he said, "I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God."

With that he slapped me across the rump and said, "Boy you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it." The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, "That was the most important single sentence ever said to me." With that he smiled, shook the hands of Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends.

Suddenly, Fred Craddock remembered. On two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate son to be their governor. One of them was Ben Hooper...a man with a great inheritance. And so it is with you![1]


We have received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Ephesians 1:13-14, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”



II. Love Others and Love Mercy

The lawyer had the right answer, but he still doesn’t get it. He is staying right at the one who will inherit eternal life for all who believe in him, but he just doesn’t see it. Verse 29, “But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” It is curious why he would ask this question. One thing jump out at me. He wants to justify himself or prove himself right. First, he must assume that he has met the first commandment to love the Lord. In seeking to justify himself he immediately jumps to the second commandment. He also could have felt guilty of the second commandment in not loving his neighbors and was trying to change the meaning of the commandment.

I think we can see both of this in our own lives. First, we are blind to our lack of love against God and secondly, we often try to change the meaning of the Scriptures to ease our consciences.

Jesus has a wonderful way of speaking directly to the person’s heart. He tells this lawyer what he lacks. Verse 30, Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

It is a very straight forward story. A man was on a trip and fell among robbers. He was attacked and beaten and left almost dead. This man was in need. Then Jesus shows how three different men encounter this man. The first a priest saw him and passed by to the other side of the road. Next, a Levite saw him and passed by to the other side of the road. They saw a man in need, but did not bother help.

Why? Why didn’t they help?

1. They didn’t want to help. Sometimes it is just that simple. We see someone in need, but our hearts are unaffected.

2. They had more important things to do. Maybe there were on their way to an event or a meeting and they just could not change their schedule.

3. They felt he deserved what he got. They could have saw him there and assumed that he deserved that punishment.

4. They thought someone else was going to help. They just assumed that it was a busy road and that someone else was going to come by and help.

5. They were afraid it would have cost them.- They had money, but it was earmarked for something else and did not want to spend it on some man in the street.


When you see people in need, do you ever say similar things to yourself? If you say a man there, what would you do?

Verse 33, But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

It is important that Jesus references a Samaritan here. Samaritans were half-Jewish and half Gentiles. They were outside of the people of God. Yet, it was a Samaritan that showed compassion and mercy. The point would have been very clear. Jews rejoiced in their heritage, but God rejoices in mercy.

Verse 36, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Beloved, this story should have a dramatic influence on our society. Christians should always be about mercy and compassion. We can look back at this whole section and see it really is all about mercy. God has shown mercy to us in sending his son to fulfill the law that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but inherit eternal life. We don’t deserve, but God in his mercy and compassion, saved us. THEREFORE, as we have received mercy, we must go and do likewise. Listen to me, a life of mercy and compassion to those in need should be the norm for the Christian.

So how can we show mercy?

1. Be willing to help – the Samaritan saw a man in need and his heart was stirred with compassion. Before mercy shows itself externally, it has to be in the heart.

2. Realize the importance of mercy – The Samaritan was on a journey and probably had somewhere he needed to go and things he needed to do, but he realized that mercy should trump our schedules.

3. Treat others better than they deserve- We are all sinners and deserve wrath, but God did not give us what we deserve, he gave us life. Do not treat people the way their sins deserve, treat them as God has treated you in your sins, with mercy.

4. Assume the need is your responsibility- When God gives you eyes to see a need, assume it is God telling you meet it. Christians have the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth. It is a privilege to meet the needs of others. Open your eyes to the needs around you.

5. Be willing to lose to gain – Showing mercy will cost you. It costs the Samaritan time and money. The two most precious things in our society, yet they are not more precious than mercy.


A society that lives on Christian principles is a society that is governed by mercy. If we want to change this nation, then we must be a people of mercy. And the only way mercy will reign in America? Is if people turn to the one who has showed mercy, Jesus Christ. How do you fix our dysfunctional society? Love God, Love Others. Love Mercy.

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[1] www.christianembassy.com accessed on 10.12.13

It is More Blessed to Give...

“For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” Romans 15:27

Beloved,

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Jesus always speaks the truth so we know that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This has been one of the founding principles of Christianity since the foundation of the church in the 1st century. Paul makes the statement that as the Gentiles have come to share in spiritual blessings, they also should serve in material blessings. As this was true then, it is also true today.

As a church we are not currently meeting our budget. There are several factors that have contributed to us not meeting out weekly budget, but I believe it is important to inform the congregation of our need. As the church continues to care for you spiritually, will you prayerfully consider increasing your weekly giving to meet our financial needs? Can I also encourage those who are not currently tithing to experience the blessing of obedient giving?

Old Testament Prophet Malachi says, “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions…Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal 3:8,10).” The Lord will honor those who give for it is more blessed to give than to receive, but to those who do not give, they are equated with robbing God.

Although the New Testament never explicitly says that it is the Christian’s responsibility to give 10% of their income to the Lord, Jesus affirmed the importance of tithing when he said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23, “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

We should not only tithe, but also not neglect others. God wants you to give, but also cares about how and why you give. God does not want your money, but he wants your heart. And he will use your money to get to your heart. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive because as we give we show that our treasure is in Him and not in our wealth.

Listen to 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Jesus always deepens the demands of the OT law. This can be seen in the Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard that it was said, you shall not murder and whoever murders is liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Matt 5:21-22). Jesus wants more than external obedience, he wants your heart. He wants you to cheerfully and willingly give to the Lord’s work. 

The New Testament expects you to tithe and to tithe with a joyful heart. Tithing should not be the end goal for Christian giving, but rather tithing should be the starting point. Sometimes obedience follows emotion and sometimes emotion follows obedience. We cannot be satisfied with one or the other, God wants both. He wants our obedience and our hearts. Financial giving is one of the way we can show the Lord is our true treasure. So give and give from a cheerful heart.

In Him,

Pastor Dave

To God to be the Glory

Beloved,

We will be singing the great hymn of the faith, To God Be Glory, tomorrow. It would do our hearts good to reflect on these lyrics in preparation for our corporate gathering.


1. To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

and opened the lifegate that all may go in.


This verse highlights that all glory goes to God. When you read the New Testament letters, all of the writers give God all the glory for what he does for his people. The word for glory in the New Testament occasionally refers to human honor, but predominantly is a reference to the weightiness or the worthiness of God. Ultimately, God’s glory is revealed in the salvation that he offers the world in the giving his Son. As we sing, we can join thousands of other believers, who have sung this song to God’s glory.


“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”


Jesus also gave his life as an atonement for sin. In his mercy, he did not make us pay for our sin, but took it upon himself through his death. It is through this atoning sacrifice that he makes amends for us with God and allows the lifegate to be opened for all who believe.


Psalm 78:38, “Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

Refrain:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory, great things he hath done!


This is why we can sing, “Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord.” He is most definitely praiseworthy for this great gospel. So we sing not only to his praise, but to those who are with us. We plead with them through song to come to the Father thru Jesus the Son. We are singing a gospel call to sinners. We should give him glory for the great things he hath done. Teach your children the great things he hath done so they can join in the gospel call.

2. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

to every believer the promise of God;

the vilest offender who truly believes,

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.


The redemption of God is a perfect redemption. The perfect Son of God spilled his perfect blood to purchase his church (Acts 20:28). We are part of the redeemed because we were bought with a price, the price of the blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ. So every believer from every generation receives the promise of redemption through faith. “Therefore since we have been justified by his blood, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we have access by faith into the grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:1-2).


We are not saved because of our good works, but through the blood of Christ. The vilest offender who TRULY BELIEVES will receive pardon from their sin through Christ. What a great promise!!! Your vilest and most evil sin is not able to separate you from God through the blood of Christ.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-9)

3. Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,

and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son;

but purer, and higher, and greater will be

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.


Oh what joy does the gospel bring!!! There should be great rejoicing to God thru Jesus. But our current joy is only a glimpse of the joy we will have when we see Jesus face to face.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Cor. 2:9

So before worship tomorrow, take 15 minutes and meditate on the lyrics. Listen to the link below and rejoice in the salvation we have in Christ. Teach the song to your children. God has sovereignly revealed Himself to us which should cause our hearts to sing to His glory.

Don't Be a Fool....Learn to Listen

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12, ESV)


Beloved,

I need to grow in my listening. As the old adage says, “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you should

listen twice as much as you speak.” But listening is not easy. It is hard to listen, because we naturally think our opinion is the most important one. We do not want to apply our hearts to instruction and our ears to words of knowledge, because there is a part of us that believes that we do not need to be instructed and to hear words of knowledge. Our lack of good listening skills could be, at its core, an inflated view of ourselves. James writes that we should, “be quick to hear and slow to speak,” but too often we are quick to be heard and slow in allowing others to speak.

Before we are able to give our ear to words of knowledge, we must apply our hearts to instruction. We have to open our hearts so we will be able to hear from others. For if we close our hearts to instruction we will be like the fool:

· The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to run. (Prov. 10:8)
· The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. (Prov. 10:14)
· The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Prov. 12:15)
· Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge (Prov. 14:7)
· A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Prov. 18:6-7)
· Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. (Prov. 17:28)
· A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. (Prov. 29:11)
· Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him (Prov. 29:20)

Beloved, one of the best ways not to be a fool is to listen more and talk less. We have to open our hearts to instruction which will close our mouths to our own opinions. Let us be quick to listen and slow to speak. Listening is hard, but the benefits are tremendous.


In Christ,

Pastor Dave