Bible Study – Connecting (4) – Intentional Love – September 23, 2018

This is lesson four (4) in our series entitled “Welcome Home.”

Our focus scripture is Luke 10:25-37.

Go out of your way to love others.

This series of study began by revealing that JESUS did for those who place their faith in HIM, what they could NOT do for themselves. (Titus 3:5) No person can earn his or her way to heaven by his or her effort. JESUS conquered the consequence of sin, which is eternal death, by HIS shed blood. The resurrection of JESUS by GOD from the physically death is proof that HE defeated both sin and eternal death. This was followed by our lesson on religious people showing favoritism to those who are wealthy and possibly those who have influence. Our next lesson focused on the fact that every person is either bound for Heaven or Hell. We who know the truth are to reach out to those who do not know the truth regarding salvation through faith in JESUS.

Showing hospitality is a Spiritual Gift. Hospitality is an outward expression of a Christian’s love for others. JESUS can return to earth at any instant. 

This is referring to the Second Coming of JESUS or the rapture. Whether JESUS returns or, just as urgent, is the fact that all people are just one heartbeat away from eternity. All of us must be ready to enter eternity at any instant.

Christians are to live with this sense of urgency and anticipation that JESUS could return at an instant or any person could enter into eternity at any second.

Life offers us many opportunities to reach out to others in need. This has never been as evident as the hurricane/tropical storm that has passed through the Carolina’s, Virginia, etc. in the last week or so.

Our study this week focuses on our attitude toward helping others in need. Let’s explore!      

Let’s read Luke 10:25-28:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

26 "What is written in the law?" He asked him. "How do you read it?" 

27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

28 "You've answered correctly," He told him. "Do this and you will live."

An expert in the Law or a scribe asked JESUS a question designed to test HIM. This scribe knew the Law and he addressed JESUS as “Teacher” which equated to “Rabbi.” The scribe asked from the position of knowing the Law and what he was supposed to do according to the Law. JESUS knew this, so HE turned the question back to the scribe, “How do you read it?” The scribe responded and gave the correct answer.

Often, we know the truth of what we are to do but fail to apply the truth we know. When a person accepts JESUS as his or her Savior Spiritual rebirth takes place instantly. In the twinkling of the eye or faster, GOD sends the Holy Spirit to indwell the new born Christian the instant he or she places his or her faith in JESUS. In an instant, the new Christian is born into GOD’S Family through the miracle of rebirth. At that same instant, GOD endows the new Christian with the indwelling Holy Spirit as a “down payment” or “guarantee” or “assurance” that he or she has been born-again into the family of GOD as a Son or Daughter. The indwelling Holy Spirit is a Christian’s assurance or guarantee of salvation. At the instant of salvation, GOD equips each Christian with a Spiritual gift or Spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. HE gives Christians gifts of the Holy Spirit as needed as they journey through life and obediently serve HIM.

What is the missing ingredient before JESUS gave HIS life upon the cross to pay in full the penalty for our sins versus after the passion of JESUS? It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within each person who has placed his or her faith in JESUS. It is recorded in 1 Corinthians 3:16 - 16 Don't you know that you are God's sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 

As Christians, we have the desire to know GOD personally, intimately and to obediently serve HIM. This was the goal of those who desired to obediently serve GOD before JESUS gave HIS life to pay the sin debt in full. Before JESUS’ passion a relationship with GOD was more physical than Spiritual. Since the passion of JESUS, the indwelling Holy Spirit helps Christians to build the right relationship with GOD. GOD’S Grace is the missing ingredient between before JESUS and after JESUS’ passion and resurrection.  

Most Christians, including me, have thought of being filled with the Holy Spirit as displaying some form of emotional behavior. JESUS was filled with the Holy Spirit and HE is our example. HE spoke truth that came from HIS Father. When a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit there is balance in his or her life as the result of his or her natural relationship with GOD. Just as a new born baby grows naturally so does a new born Christian. Within every baby is all that he or she needs to grow naturally. The same is true within the born-again believer. The key is, “LORD here I am, help me to grow and develop Spiritually into Your Son or Daughter that YOU desire for me.” Just as babies need food, nourishment, exercise, training so do new born Christians.

What did JESUS reveal to us? As recorded in John 16:13 - 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 

How does this scripture compare to the relationship JESUS had with HIS Father, GOD? Let’s consider John 5:19-20:

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

This comes from having the right relationship with the Father. It is vital that every Christian have the right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS. What does that mean? JESUS said it best when HE was teaching HIS disciples as in Matthew 17:20:

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Many of us say, but we have faith! But is it the faith enough to trust GOD and take our hands off a situation or to do what the Holy Spirit has laid upon our hearts to do or not do?

The “Spirit of Truth” came at Pentecost to indwell all who placed their faith in JESUS and the Spirit of Truth indwells every Christian today and reveals truth.  

The scribe in our focus scripture wanted to test JESUS and embarrass HIM before those gathered listening to this exchange.        

Let’s read Luke 10:29-32:

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 

30 Jesus took up [the question] and said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 

31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 

32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

The scribe asked JESUS “And who is my neighbor?” The Jews considered fellow Jews their neighbor. But how would JESUS answer this question? Some believe the scribe wanted JESUS to define “neighbor” in a manner that did not require much from the Jews.  JESUS told the scribe a story or a parable, which is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning.

JESUS told of a man going down from Jerusalem. I understand that there were stretches of this road that were ideal for robbers to hide and take advantage of those traveling on the road. Often, those traveling this road would travel in groups to avoid such a possibility. Robbers lurked along this stretch of the road waiting to rob an unexpecting traveler(s). The robbers took this poor man’s clothes, beat him to an inch of his life and left him to die. All we know is that this was a man who fell upon robbers. This wounded man could have been a fellow Jew or a “foreigner.” The point is that it was a fellow human being who could not help himself and was in dire need of help or he would likely die.

Possible help came along. It was a priest also going down the same stretch of the road. This likely meant that the priest had served his time at the temple and was headed home. The priest saw the poor wounded man and moved to the other side of the road. If the priest had gone over to minister to this poor soul and the wounded man died this would have defiled the priest. The priest would be defiled for a period of time after contacting a dead body as recorded in Numbers 19:11-13:

11 “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the LORD’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them. 

I understand that often these robbers would use a victim to lure more potential victims over so they could rob them. So the priest needed to be cautious.

Then a Levite was also going down the same road. He too had likely served his time in the temple and was going home. The Levite helped the priest. He saw this poor soul and likewise passed on the opposite side of the road. JESUS did not give the reason why these two icons of the Jews did not render assistance. The point is they did not. Passing on the opposite side of the road was a safety move because the robbers could still be lurking and waiting for another victim or was it? JESUS had not revealed the identity of the poor half dead man. It could have been a fellow Jew or a foreigner. The point is that the injured man was a fellow human being.

As this story unfolded the scribe was likely hanging onto every word, so he could find a flaw in what JESUS was saying.

Now for the great reveal as we read on ----

Let’s read Luke 10:33-37:

33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw [the man], he had compassion. 

34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him. When I come back I'll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.' 

36"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 

37 "The one who showed mercy to him," he said. Then Jesus told him, "Go and do the same."

JESUS continued the parable. HE identified the man who traveling on this same notorious road. He was a Samaritan. Why a Samaritan? The Jews disliked the Samaritans with a passion. The Jews considered the Samaritans as “half-breeds” because they intermarried with the Babylonians during their exile in Babylon. They did not maintain the pure Jewish bloodline. Samaria was physically located between Galilee and Judea and it was closer to travel through Samaria if you were traveling from Galilee to Judea or vice versa.  In fact, Jews would take the long way around Samaria to avoid encountering a Samaritan or placing their foot on Samaritan soil.

Does this paint a picture of our hearts toward others? If so, we have a Spiritual heart problem and it is not with our ticker, it is with our relationship with GOD through our faith in JESUS. Discrimination and prejudice is a barrier that must be dealt with in the lives of Christians.

This despised by the Jews Samaritan ministered to this person who fell among robbers, whereas the icons of the Jews, the priest and the Levite, passed by without helping the wounded man. The Samaritan was the local EMS and he tended to the victim’s immediate needs by pouring wine, alcohol, to kill any germs and oil to promote healing of his wounds. He used the ambulance of his day, his own animal, to transport this man to a place where the Samaritan would be safe and he could better take care of the injured man.

The Samaritan ministered to the injured man through the night. The next day, the Samaritan prepaid the innkeeper to take care of the injured man and if it took more money than he had given him that he would give it to him when he returned.

Then JESUS asked the scribe the question, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” The scribe responded but notice he did not refer to the man as the Samaritan but “The one who showed mercy to him.” JESUS then made HIS point to the scribe and to all Christians “Go and do the same.”         

What impact did this parable have on the scribe and others who were listening? What impact does it have on us today? It drills down deep into our hearts and reveals our true attitude and relationship toward others. If there is something within our hearts the refiner’s fire brings up the dross in our lives that needs to be confessed as sin and dealt with. It is the refiner’s fire that purifies the gold or our true relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS. How do we measure up? Blessings!!!