Sermon
Spiritual Practice – Service Lk 10:25-37
25
On
one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked,
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26 “What is written in
the Law?”
he replied. “How
do you read it?”27 He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with
all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will
live.”29 But he wanted to
justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”30 In
reply Jesus said: “A
man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of
robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him
half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and
when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32
So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the
other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he
traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring
on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and
took care of him. 35 The next day he took out
two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after
him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense
you may have.’36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor
to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”37 The
expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told
him, “Go and do likewise.”
The
series is coming to an end
Let
us not forget:
Practices
are not about replacing one set of empty rituals with another
Practices
are not about checklists of “you should do this/that”
Practices
are about God becoming more and more a part of our lives
Practices
are about experiencing God more fully
Practices
are about growing in our relationship with God.
Not
we should, but we can
Not
we must, but we get to
God
wants to be known and we have the opportunity through the practices to know
Him.
Summary of the story
Jesus
is asking them to love God + love neighbor; story illustrates love
Characters
in story who demonstrate the point:
Priest
= God representative = expected to help
Levite
= Priest’s helper = expected to help
Helping
would have meant risk:
Risk
becoming unclean = man might have been dead
Risk
being attacked = might have been a trap
Risk
resources = might have to spend time/money to assist the man
Samaritan
= outsider = not expected to help
Helping
would mean accepting all the risks the others avoided.
Samaritans’
example/model:
Saw
the man
Took
pity on him
Went
to him
Cared
for him
Met physical needs
Shared resources
-donkey = transportation
-took to inn = time/money/reputation
-stayed with him overnight = time
- provided for future needs = money/reputation
-connected to innkeeper = network of care
This
is a salvation story
It
begins w a question – what must I do to inherit eternal life??
Where
would the church be if we had grown up with this story as the pivotal point in
our salvation discussion?
Faith
is measured not by what you think -believe -say, but by what you do.
The
question is simple. Do you walk by or do you stop and help
We
don’t know anything about the man who was injured
Maybe
that is the point. He could be tall or short, young or old
Democrat
or republican
Foreign
or domestic
He
was just someone in need.
Jesus
served people
He
invites us to follow him
When
he said come follow me, he was not asking for volunteers, he was looking for
servants.
Mark
10
35 Then James and John,
the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for
us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you
want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the
other at your left in your glory.”(AO) 38 “You
don’t know what you are asking,”(AP) Jesus
said. “Can you drink the cup(AQ) I drink or be baptized with the
baptism I am baptized with?”(AR) 39 “We
can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am
baptized with,(AS) 40 but
to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those
for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When
the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant,(AT) 44 and
whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,(AU) and to give his life as a ransom
for many.”(AV)
This
is important not of duty
It
is what we are created for
Expert
in the law wants to justify his lack of service. We should examine our
motives.
Serve
out of Duty = Jesus says to, so I will (even if I don’t like it)
Serve
out of Justice = because it’s the “right” thing to do (if I was in their
shoes…)
Serve
as a Means of Grace = because this is where I experience God and this is where
I give God away to others
All
are okay, but one is life giving.
Several
great writers tell u that service is the Most impt spiritual disc
Effectiveness
by the numbers. William Hoyt
Mission
involvement and the Christ life are inseparable.
The
role of study 2
Timothy 3:16-17.
16 All Scripture is
God-breathed(AD) and is useful for teaching,(AE) rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness,(AF) 17
so that the man of God(AG) may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.(AH)
The
Bible can be used to teach, rebuke, correct, and train. In that way it is
useful in our lives. But useful to what end, useful for what purpose
Page
88 –
“We don’t do our people any favors by letting them attend church every week,
living with the illusion that they are growing. They may be learning, but
they are not growing.”
learn
by study; grow by serving,
Wesley……no
one is saved by good works, but no one is saved without them
We
often resist service bcause it seems - an interruption to our lives
missions
as a life style, not an interruption to your routine.
The
blues brothers movie 1980
You
do not go on mission trips and then go back to your life
Your
entire life is a mission trip
Story
of Ryan McCall
Doctor
josh cox……….
Ordinary
folks doing ordinary things with kingdom intent
You
don’t have to add anything
Did
jesus go on mission trips?
Following
Jesus = doing what Jesus does
What
Jesus does = service
Discipleship/apprenticeship
= Mission
Opportunities
in Joplin and new Orleans- Cvv, hillcrest, Westport
There
is something for everyone to do
Betty
Perkins in new Orleans
What
kind of a church will we be? What kind of people will we be?
Knowing
and doing which comes first.
Healthy
growing churches infuse their members with the idea they are all on a mission
from God.
The
grainger church has combined their education and mission departments.
They go together. we educate so that people will go in mission.
If
being on a mission from God does not occupy them, people will find their our
preoccupations.
Some
think the church is a
Cruise
ship or aircraft carrier
Dinosaur
or mice
Christ
followers learn to serve
It
doesn’t come easy, but they practice serving.
There
are no instant experts.
They
start small. They feel funny. They keep after it even when they
feel awkward and clumsy. They work on it and they become comfortable over
time. They become servants
How
we grow in serving.
1.
We
start by doing someone a favor. I guess I should do this.
2.
Then
we see it as serving god
3.
Then
we see the people as children of god
4.
Then
we get excited
5.
Then
it ceases to be something that we do, and it becomes something that we are.
I
invite you to a world of Christian service
Not
simply because there is need in the world
But
because when we help others, we are healed
Prayer
of st francis
For it is in
giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
When
we serve as jesus served, we are most like him
And
we draw closer to him
Tip
a little extra. Hold open the doors. Let the young lady with the
squirmy kid go first. Mow a neighbor's yard. Pick up your room without
being asked. Buy someone a meal. Offer a smile. Listen to
someone's story.
Find
a way to show you care. In other words...go and do likewise.
No comments:
Post a Comment