1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,440 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:23,060 To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 3 00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:27,360 If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,840 change me to 970-00. 5 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,680 Thank you and enjoy the message. 6 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:33,680 So welcome to HCV. 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:34,680 We're so glad you're here. 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,400 If you're joining us from home, thank you for welcoming us into your space. 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:43,640 All of you know when football kicks off so does HCV with our annual Jersey Sunday. 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,480 It's great to see so many Jerseys out there. 11 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:48,200 You representing your different teams. 12 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,760 Remember, like Rudy said, our growth groups, tailgate, so why not feed yourself a little 13 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,640 food is right after this in our parking lot. 14 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Go to check it out. 15 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:03,080 If you're watching online, simply go to hcv.church forward slash groups and you can find all the 16 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,440 groups that are meeting this fall. 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,180 Many of you know that last week we kicked off a new series for the month of September 18 00:01:10,180 --> 00:01:13,500 entitled Get Real With God. 19 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:19,640 So for the month, we're going to be discussing what God is looking for in the lives of those 20 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:21,760 who have a relationship with him. 21 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:30,120 I discussed what we do, what we love and how we walk or carry ourselves matters when it 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:31,440 comes to Jesus. 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:36,960 Based off the words written in Micah 6, 8, which read, no, O people, the Lord has told 24 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:44,180 you what is good and this is what he requires of you and me to do what is right, to love 25 00:01:44,180 --> 00:01:47,760 mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:53,600 And over the next few weeks, I'm going to break down these verses one by one so that 27 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,360 we get a better understanding of what God requires for us. 28 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:04,260 Today we will be discussing two words that have become something different in our day 29 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:08,500 than what Jesus originally intended them to mean. 30 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:12,560 They are the words good Samaritan. 31 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,440 Can we all say that together? 32 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:15,440 Good Samaritan. 33 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:22,460 Now, if you were to look that up in the dictionary or even better yet, their urban dictionary, 34 00:02:22,460 --> 00:02:30,040 we learn that a good Samaritan is usually someone who goes out on a limb to help others 35 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:34,240 even if they are complete strangers. 36 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:41,080 Now obviously there are people living in our world today that do incredibly heroic things 37 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,760 for strangers on a daily basis. 38 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:49,280 People they don't know, people that they will never be rewarded for helping. 39 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:54,720 We can think of lifeguards or firefighters or first responders, paramedics, our police 40 00:02:54,720 --> 00:03:03,580 force and nurses, people who daily do incredibly kind things and service for strangers. 41 00:03:03,580 --> 00:03:10,380 But it has also become a term for someone who does something kind for a stranger in 42 00:03:10,380 --> 00:03:11,800 a small way. 43 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,840 Like for example, you find a wallet in the parking lot and rather than keeping it or 44 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:21,960 looking through it, you return it so that someone can find it. 45 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:27,480 You see someone loading a bulky item into their car and instead of just walking by and 46 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:36,440 ignoring them and continuing on social media, you stop, you pause and you help that person. 47 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:42,920 We may hear someone remark, oh that was a good Samaritan or wow there is still goodness 48 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,520 in the world today. 49 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:51,060 As I share these different examples, many of you sitting in here as you reflect on your 50 00:03:51,060 --> 00:03:56,840 life you think yeah I have performed actions like those and have been referred to or even 51 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:58,400 felt like a good Samaritan. 52 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,960 It feels good when we do things like that. 53 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,720 A term which of course comes right from the mouth of Jesus when he shared a parable with 54 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,680 a religious leader to answer a question. 55 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:19,720 Now we must realize when Jesus talks about a good Samaritan, this is not at all what 56 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:21,480 he means. 57 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:26,820 It's not just a nice thing done for a stranger out of the kindness of your heart. 58 00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:34,200 In fact, the purpose of the story originally wasn't to inspire this religious leader, it 59 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:41,520 was to enlighten him, to literally put a mirror in front of his face to show him that he was 60 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,300 a no good Samaritan. 61 00:04:45,300 --> 00:04:51,840 That he wasn't as good as he thought he was and we must remember this man was a lawyer 62 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:54,320 or an expert in religious law. 63 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:59,880 This is not like a defense attorney that is in our world today, right, who helps you in 64 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:01,360 a trial for a judge. 65 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:07,760 This is a religious figure, a seminary teacher, an expert who knew better than anyone else 66 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,660 what someone had to do to inherit eternal life. 67 00:05:11,660 --> 00:05:16,600 This man would very literally spend his entire day and night every day thinking about and 68 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:22,280 trying to live out what God requires for us, trying to live out Micah 6, 8. 69 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:24,860 What does someone have to do to achieve wholeness? 70 00:05:24,860 --> 00:05:28,060 What does someone have to do for God to be pleased with them? 71 00:05:28,060 --> 00:05:31,040 What does someone have to do to be part of the resurrection? 72 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,560 How do we get to heaven? 73 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:37,940 You know, questions like this, this man would ponder, reflect on, teach others and share 74 00:05:37,940 --> 00:05:40,880 with others how to do it. 75 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:46,680 This is what this man literally spent his entire life doing which leads us to our first 76 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:47,680 thought. 77 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,880 See, God requires his followers to love their neighbors. 78 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,360 God requires his followers to love their neighbors. 79 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,280 Again, back to Micah 6, 8, no, oh Lord, oh people, the Lord has told you what is good 80 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:06,640 and this is what he requires of you to do what is right. 81 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,580 Micah 6, 8 in the message paraphrased from Eugene Peterson says it this way but he's 82 00:06:10,580 --> 00:06:16,000 already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. 83 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,880 It's quite simple, do what is fair and just, here it is, to your neighbor. 84 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:29,240 Right, now as Jesus expands on it, the story of the parable of the good Samaritan begins 85 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,120 in Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 27 when we read these words. 86 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:41,080 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question, 87 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,320 teacher, what should I do in an inherent internal life? 88 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,700 Jesus replied, what does the law of Moses say? 89 00:06:47,700 --> 00:06:48,960 How do you read it? 90 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:53,920 The man answered, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all 91 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:59,840 your strength and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. 92 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:04,680 Now when we break this down into context, remember we want to break the Bible down into 93 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:06,520 what is happening. 94 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:12,000 This man came to trap or test Jesus with a question, right? 95 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:17,440 He and the rest of his colleagues heard Jesus preaching the message of the kingdom. 96 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:23,960 This easy believism, this message, it says grace is available for everyone. 97 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,400 It doesn't matter if you're a prostitute, a tax collector, it doesn't matter what you 98 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,400 do. 99 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:33,920 If you just believe in Jesus, eat his flesh, drink his blood, whatever that means, look 100 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:38,600 at the sun being lifted up on the cross like Moses lifted up the serpent, right? 101 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,200 You don't have to follow or keep all the laws. 102 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:47,320 You don't have to fast or pray twice a day like the religious leaders did. 103 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,480 You didn't have to look and play the part of being religious. 104 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:55,320 All one has to do is believe in Jesus and you can be forgiven. 105 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:01,300 See these men, these religious leaders, they were frustrated and nauseous over this message 106 00:08:01,300 --> 00:08:04,360 of grace that Jesus preached. 107 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:12,800 They were nauseated because the gospel doesn't allow them or us to be the hero of the story. 108 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,960 See the gospel, the good news always points to Jesus being the way. 109 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:23,040 He is Superman, if you will, and we are always the ones in needs of being rescued, being 110 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,360 saved while Jesus does the rescuing. 111 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,680 He, Jesus does everything that is required. 112 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,640 Now the religious elite, the leaders, they didn't like this message of grace, this good 113 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:36,200 news. 114 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,580 They wanted to earn it their own themselves. 115 00:08:39,580 --> 00:08:42,880 They wanted to be able to do something and be proud of it. 116 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:47,600 They wanted to live such a holy life that God has to look down from heaven and say, 117 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,920 well done, I choose you. 118 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:50,920 You are so good. 119 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,760 I am so proud to have you on my team, right? 120 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,840 They wanted a religious experience that allowed them to puff out their chest and shine their 121 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:01,380 merit badges. 122 00:09:01,380 --> 00:09:04,680 They did not like this message of the good news. 123 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:08,160 They did not like this message of grace. 124 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:15,480 And this is why this religious expert thought he was going to teach Jesus a lesson to show 125 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,820 him exactly what it means to follow God. 126 00:09:18,820 --> 00:09:24,160 And it's funny as you fast forward to today, when you put this whole story into context, 127 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:31,080 suddenly all of us realize that's just a bad idea to even challenge the son of God. 128 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,960 You are biting off much more than you can chew. 129 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,120 It's not going to end well for this religious expert. 130 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,280 So he begins by simply asking Jesus a question. 131 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,460 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 132 00:09:44,460 --> 00:09:51,680 Now in his mind, in this religious experts mind, he was thinking, well, if Jesus says, 133 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:56,400 all you have to do is believe in me and that is how you inherit eternal life. 134 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:57,720 He's got him. 135 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,040 He was going to catch him in his trap. 136 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,880 He was going to spring loose the trap and counter with the 10 commandments and point 137 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:09,400 out 25 different ways how the law and Moses validated what the experts are saying and 138 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:16,320 not what Jesus spoke, which of course was not going to work because Jesus, he answers 139 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:21,400 the experts question with a question. 140 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,440 What does the law of Moses say? 141 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:27,640 He says, and suddenly see, we find this religious expert. 142 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:29,200 He's on his heels. 143 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:30,680 He's caught off guard. 144 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:35,280 He thought he was, was going to catch Jesus in a trap with the law of Moses. 145 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:40,760 And suddenly he's not prepared to answer a question about the law of Moses. 146 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:42,120 So these are his words. 147 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,760 Well, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, your strength 148 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,920 and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. 149 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:58,800 Which leads us to our next thought scene because of our sin nature, humanity is self consumed 150 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,080 because of our sin nature, humanity is self consumed. 151 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:03,680 Now notice Jesus's response. 152 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:06,360 Luke 10, 20 to 29. 153 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:07,360 Right. 154 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:14,440 Jesus told him, do this and you will live. 155 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,280 And we must realize when Jesus says, right, he means, yes, yes, yes. 156 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:19,600 Yes, that is correct. 157 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:26,360 If you can do that, then you would inherit eternal life, love God perfectly and love 158 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:27,360 your neighbor as yourself. 159 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,800 You know, Jesus says, do it and you will live in verse 28. 160 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,280 If you can do that, then you will live, which of course, if you really step and put it into 161 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,700 context, it's a backhanded compliment. 162 00:11:39,700 --> 00:11:44,920 It's a jab to the ribs because within that statement, do this and you will live. 163 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,880 Jesus has insinuated the man is not doing it. 164 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,840 He's not living it like he says he is. 165 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:56,520 If you could love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor 166 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,940 as you love yourself, then yes, you would be justified before God. 167 00:12:00,940 --> 00:12:06,880 But of course you have not done that and no one is capable of doing that. 168 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,560 So see, it gets real awkward. 169 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:14,640 And then suddenly the expert, he pivots again now asking, well, what is a neighbor or who 170 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:15,640 is my neighbor? 171 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,760 Know what it's how he's trying to draw out this conversation. 172 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:24,600 When you say neighbor, Jesus, you certainly don't mean everyone, right? 173 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:28,120 Who do I have to love like I love me? 174 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:29,120 Right? 175 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:33,200 Because there's no one that we love as much as we love ourselves. 176 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,720 Jesus responds to the question, who is my neighbor with a story? 177 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,280 And then we'll ask another question for clarification at the very end. 178 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,760 So what Jesus does in this famous story, one of the greatest stories ever recorded. 179 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:51,560 In fact, many people, not just in the church, but outside the church know it, right? 180 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:59,560 He's going to use this story to show the man, hey, you're a no good Samaritan. 181 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:04,540 But rather than calling him out and saying it to his face, he allows this religious expert 182 00:13:04,540 --> 00:13:10,240 to find himself in the story, which let us continue Luke 10, 30 to 33, Jesus replied 183 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,240 to the story. 184 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:17,520 A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho and he was attacked by bandits. 185 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:19,800 Now I'm going to explain and tease out the whole story. 186 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:26,000 Now most likely this man lived in the Jericho region, picture a nice palm tree area, lush 187 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,320 and thriving. 188 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:32,160 He had gone to Jerusalem to worship or on a business trip and coming back home, he was 189 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,560 attacked by robbers. 190 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:39,440 Now this particular stretch of road, the people in the audience that would have heard this 191 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:45,520 story, they would have related and understood the danger to walking that road. 192 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,320 In fact, many of them would have been thinking, I hope he's not alone. 193 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,480 I hope he does not go unarmed. 194 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:55,560 Hopefully it wasn't too late of night because that place was so dangerous, okay, that it 195 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:59,960 was known as to be the place where people got mugged and taken advantage of. 196 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:03,320 It was 17 miles long and it was so notorious. 197 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,920 It was nicknamed the way of blood. 198 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,600 So let's continue. 199 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:15,780 They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up and left him half dead beside the road. 200 00:14:15,780 --> 00:14:23,380 By chance, now other translations use, but fortunately a priest came along. 201 00:14:23,380 --> 00:14:27,760 Now please understand a priest would be the number one most likely person to help out 202 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:28,760 in this situation. 203 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:33,960 There's a Jewish man lying on the ground, struggling to breathe, dying. 204 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,640 He's in danger, a priest, a man who represents God, a man that is supposed to be known for 205 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:40,980 compassion. 206 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:46,240 He's walking along the same road, no doubt just finished serving in the temple, was just 207 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:50,180 in church full of heavenly thoughts, full of the spirit. 208 00:14:50,180 --> 00:14:52,120 He was reflecting on the goodness of God. 209 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:58,480 Surely this man would have sprung to help out this man that was dying. 210 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,900 But notice, the story continues. 211 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:04,800 When he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him 212 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:05,800 by. 213 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:12,640 Now please understand, when we think of road in our day, the roads back then were nothing 214 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:14,160 like our roads. 215 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,800 This road described in this story was simply a path. 216 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:19,920 It was no more than five or six feet wide. 217 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,220 It was very narrow, had lots of twists and turns. 218 00:15:23,220 --> 00:15:28,300 So when we read that the priest avoided the man that was dying, he would have had to gone 219 00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:35,680 out of his way, literally stepped over this dying man to get to the other side of the 220 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,520 road and get out of there as quickly as he could. 221 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:39,520 But it doesn't end there. 222 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:40,520 Let's continue. 223 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:41,520 It gets even better. 224 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:48,240 A temple assistant, also known as a Levite, the worship leader, if you will. 225 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:59,240 So think Carl Orette walked over to the man, looked at him lying there, but he also passed 226 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,400 by on the other side. 227 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:03,720 Hmm. 228 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:09,880 Now both the Levite and the priest literally were God's hands and feet for benevolence. 229 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:14,340 As people brought their tithes and offerings to the temple, these men would discuss and 230 00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:17,880 manage the funds that would help out people. 231 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,200 So these two were the best shot at helping this man. 232 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:27,360 There is no one more likely to help than these two men who both by nationality and profession 233 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,480 were obligated to help, but they did what? 234 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:32,480 Nothing. 235 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:37,600 Now I'm sure they had lots of excuses just like you and I do as to why. 236 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,820 Oh, I've been serving God all day. 237 00:16:39,820 --> 00:16:42,160 Now they had to get home to their families. 238 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:46,440 Or hey, if we stay around here too long, this might be a trap. 239 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:51,920 These robbers may come after us and if they catch us and kill us, who's going to take 240 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:53,840 care of the temple? 241 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,960 We are serving the greater good by not helping this guy. 242 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,120 Let's get out of here. 243 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:01,720 So Jesus continues. 244 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,600 Then a despised Samaritan came along. 245 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:12,880 And I just want to pause right there because we have to realize the Jews hated the Samaritans 246 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:18,160 and it's not often taught, but the Samaritans hated the Jews. 247 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:23,000 And there was a very tense rivalry that one felt that they were always better than the 248 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:24,000 other. 249 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:30,160 See long before these two groups of people were from the same family, but there was a 250 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,080 split and a feud. 251 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:33,960 Sound familiar? 252 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:38,320 Within the Samaritans because they would say, no, this is how our person worships. 253 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,200 And then Jews would say, no, this is how you do it. 254 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,920 And there was this intense hatred between these two groups of people. 255 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,680 But suddenly this man, this Samaritan, he's in the what? 256 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,560 He's in the spotlight. 257 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:58,240 And when listening to the story, the Jews would have immediately responded with anger 258 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,640 and disgust. 259 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,760 For example, listen to this. 260 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:08,740 In the daily Jewish prayers, prayers recorded for the Jewish believers to pray every single 261 00:18:08,740 --> 00:18:12,960 day that became a part of their tradition, a normal Jewish man in this time during this 262 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,640 time would have included a prayer like this. 263 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:17,920 God, I thank you. 264 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:23,200 There will be no Samaritans in the resurrection. 265 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,320 That would have been a normal statement in their prayer life. 266 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,800 And see for you and I, it's difficult to understand and communicate the intense hatred between 267 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:33,600 the Jews and the Samaritans. 268 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,040 Heck even Jesus's own disciples, right? 269 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,280 The ones that were following Jesus, they hated the Samaritans and they were always confused 270 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,560 as to why Jesus, why would you go to Samaria? 271 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:46,600 Why would you minister to these people? 272 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:47,600 Right? 273 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,320 They were so confused in John chapter four, right? 274 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,920 When Jesus is hanging out with the woman at the well, he's breaking and defying cultural 275 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:56,920 bigotry, gender stereotypes. 276 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,960 He's destroying sexism. 277 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,000 Why Jesus, why are you doing this? 278 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,880 Because Jesus ministered to everyone. 279 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:09,200 He didn't care where they were from because he wants to build a church from every tribe, 280 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,240 tongue and nation. 281 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,760 And see this always confused the disciples. 282 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:19,800 I mean just the chapter before in Luke chapter nine, Jesus sent his disciples to go to Samaria 283 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,480 and to find a place for him to stay on his way to Jerusalem. 284 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:28,680 He wanted to stay a night, rest, eat, get refueled on his journey to Jerusalem. 285 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:34,880 So the disciple went out to try to rent a house to try to find food for Jesus to stay 286 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,280 and no one would help him. 287 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:38,960 No one would rent a room to them. 288 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:40,320 So they returned to Jesus. 289 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:41,560 Listen to these words. 290 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,120 Okay, this is James and John. 291 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:47,400 This is two of the three inner circle, right? 292 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,280 These are the disciples of the disciples. 293 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:57,440 They said to Jesus, Lord, should we call down fire from heaven and burn them up? 294 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,480 Two of the top three. 295 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:08,360 Like should we just burn them up? 296 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:15,240 But Jesus turned and rebuked him and he said, you don't realize what your hearts are like. 297 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,920 For the Son of Man has not come to destroy those lives but to save them. 298 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:20,880 Just imagine friends. 299 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,640 Like you have to really get into the story. 300 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,640 Imagine this interaction. 301 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,760 Jesus, they won't rent us a room. 302 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:31,600 They won't sell us food. 303 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,560 Should we blow them up? 304 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:41,200 Like Jesus, can we replay Sodom and Gomorrah on Samaria and just watch them all burn? 305 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:42,680 Just destroy the whole city? 306 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:45,440 It's like, what are they thinking? 307 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,120 Of course, Jesus rebukes them. 308 00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:56,360 But do we understand now the gravity of the tension between the Jews and the Samaritans? 309 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:58,680 Two groups of people that just hated each other. 310 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:04,200 So after the priest passes by and after the worship leader passes by, the Samaritan comes 311 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:10,640 along and the Samaritan friends did three things that can change the world. 312 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:15,600 Three things that we can learn from the Samaritan that literally can change the world. 313 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,760 First, the Samaritan took notice. 314 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,960 Luke 10 33, then a despised Samaritan came along and when he saw the man, everyone say 315 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:24,200 saw. 316 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,440 Friends, we have to see the problem. 317 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:32,840 We have to open our eyes and make time in our schedules to see people in need. 318 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,000 We have to open our eyes to see crisis. 319 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,980 We have to open our eyes to see pain. 320 00:21:36,980 --> 00:21:41,840 We have to be willing to listen to people's brokenness and allow the Holy Spirit to lead 321 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:46,520 us to people and into inconvenience that are an inconvenience. 322 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:47,520 Right? 323 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,000 As we walk through life, it's not always about following your schedules. 324 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,920 It's about Holy Spirit. 325 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,360 What do you want to do in me today? 326 00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:59,240 And we learn that from Paul's words in Philippians chapter two. 327 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:00,240 Don't be selfish. 328 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:01,240 Don't try to impress others. 329 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:02,240 Be humble. 330 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,360 Thinking of others is better than yourselves. 331 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:09,040 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. 332 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:10,040 Right? 333 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:11,040 Friends, we have to take notice. 334 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,620 Number two, we have to have compassion. 335 00:22:13,620 --> 00:22:19,840 Then a despised Samaritan came along and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 336 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:24,340 Now some translations use the word pity rather than compassion. 337 00:22:24,340 --> 00:22:25,980 So the Samaritan, think about it. 338 00:22:25,980 --> 00:22:30,040 He saw the man and he took pity or had compassion on the man. 339 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:35,340 And remember the voices inside the Samaritan's head would have been saying, this guy won't 340 00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:36,920 help you. 341 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:38,760 This guy's not worth it. 342 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:40,200 This guy doesn't care about you. 343 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,140 Just walk away. 344 00:22:42,140 --> 00:22:46,100 But this man, this Samaritan chose to feel. 345 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:49,140 He saw that Jewish man as a human. 346 00:22:49,140 --> 00:22:55,640 He saw that broken, destroyed, beaten man as a person that had worth. 347 00:22:55,640 --> 00:23:02,040 And if it were me, that Samaritan man was thinking, I would want someone to help me. 348 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,160 He was empathizing with others. 349 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:10,640 It's putting your feet into someone else's shoes and asking those difficult questions. 350 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:15,560 What would life be like for me if I was raised in poverty? 351 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,640 What would life be like for me if I grew up abused? 352 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:24,840 What would life be like for me if I lived in that part of the town or under in those 353 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:25,840 conditions? 354 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:33,720 When this Samaritan man saw the need, he felt the need and he had compassion. 355 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:40,040 He was on his way to becoming like Jesus because that's how Jesus lived. 356 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:46,320 Isaiah 53, three tells us that Jesus was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted 357 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,160 with the deepest grief. 358 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,320 We turned our backs on him and he looked the other way. 359 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:54,080 He was despised and he did not care. 360 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:59,920 One of the most used words to describe Jesus's emotional state was compassion. 361 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:02,600 Matthew 14, 14, Jesus saw the huge crowds. 362 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:07,480 He stepped from the boat and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 363 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,960 The word in the Greek for compassion is the word nizomai. 364 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:17,720 And it describes when your stomach is literally tied in knots, when you feel sick on the inside 365 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:24,320 as you listen to or watch the stories of people that are abused and struggling in this life. 366 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:25,800 You literally feel their pain. 367 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,020 You feel their burden. 368 00:24:27,020 --> 00:24:28,680 You feel their sorrow. 369 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:34,560 And that is how Jesus felt because he had compassion on people. 370 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:39,920 See the Samaritan man, when he saw his enemy lying there, he was willing to feel the pain 371 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,320 of that man, what he was going through. 372 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:43,400 He had been beaten. 373 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:44,400 He had been robbed. 374 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,000 He had been left for dead. 375 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:52,560 And when you do that, when you see, when you have compassion, then you can move to the 376 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,460 next most crucial step. 377 00:24:54,460 --> 00:24:55,460 You take action. 378 00:24:55,460 --> 00:25:01,080 Luke 10, 34 to 35, going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil 379 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,120 and wine and bandaged them. 380 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,600 And he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. 381 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:13,960 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, take care of this man. 382 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,600 If this bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here. 383 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,560 The Samaritan was willing to take action. 384 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,520 And friends, I love our community of faith. 385 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:30,600 I absolutely love pastoring HCV because you know something? 386 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:31,980 We get it done. 387 00:25:31,980 --> 00:25:35,200 We buy backpacks for the backpack giveaway. 388 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:40,880 We give away thousands of pieces of candy for the upcoming trunk or treat. 389 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:44,700 We supply families with Thanksgiving meals because they don't have them. 390 00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:49,880 We give Christmas gifts to children of incarcerated parents. 391 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,640 You just heard from Jess and Rudy. 392 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,500 We can purchase tickets to a spaghetti dinner, a delicious spaghetti dinner, bringing family 393 00:25:56,500 --> 00:26:00,000 and friends to raise money to end human trafficking in modern day slavery. 394 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:06,500 We can spend a weekend running a race or walking for those of you that are slightly injured. 395 00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:11,880 Or you could sponsor a child to end child exploitation in the U.S. and around the world. 396 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,400 You're going to learn today there's going to be people opening their house to host a 397 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:16,620 growth group. 398 00:26:16,620 --> 00:26:20,640 Some of you are serving cups of coffee every Sunday morning or teaching our kids. 399 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:22,480 We're all busy. 400 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:23,480 We have obligations. 401 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:24,880 We have family commitments. 402 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,600 We all need time to relax. 403 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:36,040 But if we're willing to serve, if we're willing to take notice, if we have compassion and 404 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:42,000 take action, God will use us to change the world. 405 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:43,000 Amen. 406 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,120 But everyone say but. 407 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,520 This is not the point of the story. 408 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:57,960 Listen, this isn't a rah rah session about getting out in the community and being a good 409 00:26:57,960 --> 00:26:59,000 Samaritan. 410 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,880 This is not a guilt trip to make you feel like, oh gosh, I need to change. 411 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,460 I shouldn't be so selfish. 412 00:27:05,460 --> 00:27:06,880 I need to serve once a month. 413 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,040 I need to get in the group. 414 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,640 I know being around people helped me to grow and become more like Jesus. 415 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:16,040 I know that when I give financially, it changes people's lives. 416 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:20,520 I know people get baptized and they spend eternity with God. 417 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:28,680 No, this talk is not about you going out and being a good Samaritan. 418 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:38,960 This story, remember, was told to help this man see that he was a no good Samaritan and 419 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:43,440 neither am I and neither are you. 420 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,080 That's the point. 421 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,560 This is not a motivational message. 422 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,320 Hey, try a little harder. 423 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:54,880 I'll lend you the could. 424 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:55,880 Yeah, I should serve. 425 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:56,880 Yeah, I should give. 426 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:01,720 I gotta, I gotta share the good news. 427 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:10,160 This man was being told the only way for him to inherit eternal life was to be so good 428 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:18,360 and to love God so much and to love your neighbor so selflessly that you love him more than 429 00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:20,800 you love yourself. 430 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:30,760 And who the neighbor is, is every person you have ever hated. 431 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,200 Think about that. 432 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:42,160 Listen, we don't love the people that love us as well as this man loved the one who hated 433 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,040 him. 434 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:51,880 The point of this story was to make the desperate man realize it's impossible. 435 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,940 Who then can be saved? 436 00:28:55,940 --> 00:29:03,640 We need to get to a place of realizing what Paul wrote in Romans 320 for no one can ever 437 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,040 be made right with God but doing what the law commands. 438 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:11,640 The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 439 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:19,040 The point of this story was to make this religious expert and to make you and I realize that 440 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:26,520 it's impossible to live out in his own strength than he needed someone else to help him, which 441 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,280 leads us to our truth of the day. 442 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,780 Jesus is the good Samaritan. 443 00:29:32,780 --> 00:29:36,040 He is the one who came down from heaven. 444 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,920 He is the one who came down off the donkey. 445 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:45,000 He is the one who carries oil in one hand and wine in the other. 446 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:51,000 Wine, speaking of his blood shed for the sins, oil speaking to the anointing of the Holy 447 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:52,080 Spirit. 448 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:57,960 Not only the cause for the forgiveness of sin, but the Holy Spirit that empowers us, 449 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:02,720 comes upon us and energizes us, bringing our dead bodies to life. 450 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:07,600 This story is not about being a bad guy, love like a good guy. 451 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:14,360 It's actually you and I are dead guys and a God guy came down from heaven and do what 452 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,400 we could never do. 453 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:21,400 He found us half dead. 454 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,480 Dead spiritually, but alive physically. 455 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:32,800 Hanging on in the gutter, unable to help ourselves and Jesus, he's willing to bandage us, to 456 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:36,680 put us on his horse where he should be riding. 457 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,520 Instead, he puts us on his horse. 458 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:44,080 He was willing to go into earth and bring you up out of death into life. 459 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:46,720 Jesus is the good Samaritan. 460 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,880 He's the only one that can help us. 461 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:56,320 See this talk is not meant to challenge us to go out with force. 462 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,080 We're an army church. 463 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:04,160 Let's go take over the streets of the tri-state area and let's be good neighbors. 464 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:05,960 No. 465 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:13,720 This is about all of us realizing that we need a good neighbor and Jesus is willing 466 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:20,160 to be that for us and that is why he came to earth. 467 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,760 Loop 10, 36 to 37. 468 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,720 Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by 469 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:27,720 the bandits? 470 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:29,720 Jesus asked. 471 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,640 The man replied, the one who showed him mercy. 472 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:38,240 Then Jesus said, yes, go and do the same. 473 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:46,080 See once we have this revelation that you and I, we're the man beaten in the street, 474 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:50,900 that we're the ones lying dead, left for dead. 475 00:31:50,900 --> 00:31:56,280 The only logical next step is to find ourselves in the story. 476 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:01,060 Remember I talked about this last week when reading through the Bible for many of us, 477 00:32:01,060 --> 00:32:03,020 we have to immerse ourselves. 478 00:32:03,020 --> 00:32:08,400 We have to relate to a person in the story and if you're anything like me, who do we 479 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:09,400 want to be? 480 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:10,400 We want to be the hero. 481 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:11,400 Right? 482 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,800 In David versus Galat, who do we want to be? 483 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:14,800 Do you want to be Galat? 484 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:16,800 No, you want to be David. 485 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:17,800 Right? 486 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,560 When Peter walks on the water, who do you want to be? 487 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:21,560 You want to be Peter. 488 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:23,560 Oh, I got out of the boat. 489 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,360 I love it. 490 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,780 Right? 491 00:32:27,780 --> 00:32:31,080 We will always want to be the hero. 492 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:38,680 But in this story, it gets real complicated because when I read this story, I want to 493 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,400 be the good Samaritan. 494 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:48,560 And I'm sure all you do as well, but more times than not, in fact, every single day, 495 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,600 I fail. 496 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:54,440 And if we're honest with ourselves and we look in the mirror, we are a lot more like 497 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:58,620 the priest and the temple assistant or the worship leaders. 498 00:32:58,620 --> 00:33:03,840 And I want to challenge you with this church, these words written by the prophet Amos. 499 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:07,320 See, so often within the church, we gather on Sundays. 500 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,760 I mean, it's an incredible times of worship. 501 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,640 You know, we sense and feel the presence of God. 502 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:18,640 We were singing greater, you Lord, and just all your voices singing to God and raised 503 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:19,640 arms. 504 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:20,640 Right? 505 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:21,640 I was encountering God. 506 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:22,920 I was sensing his Holy Spirit. 507 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:30,600 I was ready to change the world and be in his presence and then it ends. 508 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,520 And we have to walk outside of these walls. 509 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:39,480 And why is it when we walk outside of these walls, everything changes? 510 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:44,480 Notice what we read in Amos 5, 21 to 24, from the message paraphrase, I can't stand your 511 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:46,360 religious meetings. 512 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:48,920 I'm fed up with your conferences and your conventions. 513 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,240 I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. 514 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:57,360 I'm sick of your fundraising schemes, your public relations and image making. 515 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:01,520 I've had all I can take of your noisy ego music. 516 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,840 When was the last time you sang to me? 517 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:06,800 Do you know what I want? 518 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:08,840 I want justice, oceans of it. 519 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,480 I want fairness, rivers of it. 520 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,220 That's what I want. 521 00:34:13,220 --> 00:34:15,120 That's all I want. 522 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:22,320 See church, God wants our worship in here and out there. 523 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:29,560 It's not very complicated, but for us to live it out there, we have to realize we're never 524 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,720 going to be the good Samaritan Jesus is. 525 00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:40,240 And we are the men and women that are lying in the corner, in the ditch, beaten, dying 526 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:45,320 with no purpose or no meaning and we're saved by grace. 527 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:49,520 And God then fills us with his Holy Spirit. 528 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,640 I often compare by encounter with God to Paul's. 529 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:56,200 If you've ever been to start with why I kind of share my testimony a little bit about how 530 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:02,400 I met Jesus and how he just knocked me off my horse and said, no, it's not about you 531 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,120 anymore. 532 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:09,840 And that's why I believe God is challenging you and me to see ourselves in the role of 533 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:12,120 the innkeeper. 534 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:13,120 That's right. 535 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:16,040 The innkeeper think Motel six. 536 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:20,720 We will leave the light on. 537 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:30,680 See this is where God wants us to be serving every day where Jesus brings people to us. 538 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,160 See this talk does not put any pressure on us. 539 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:35,880 I'm not raising an army. 540 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,920 I'm not rallying the troops now, right? 541 00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:42,560 I don't have to go out and be the good Samaritan. 542 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,720 No, it takes all the pressure off. 543 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:48,080 God is not calling you and me to save the world. 544 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,920 Jesus has already come to do that. 545 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:58,280 But anyone that Jesus chooses to bring into the end, into the church brings across our 546 00:35:58,280 --> 00:35:59,280 path. 547 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:00,280 Remember we are the church. 548 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:05,120 We are to be the innkeeper springing into action and to continue doing what Jesus has 549 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:06,680 already started. 550 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,880 Performing first aid, serving people, sharing the good news. 551 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:10,880 Think about it. 552 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,640 The good Samaritan told the innkeeper that he will return. 553 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:19,600 And when I do, I want to find you aiding and serving this man back to health because I 554 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,840 saved this man. 555 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:28,920 So we are to take anyone that Jesus brings to us and do everything we can to help them 556 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:32,440 to serve them back to wholeness. 557 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:34,520 Because only God can forgive sin. 558 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:35,520 Right? 559 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,920 We experience the forgiveness of our sins when we come to God in prayer. 560 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:43,120 But the Bible says that through each other's prayers, when we pray for one another, we 561 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:44,760 become whole and healed. 562 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:45,760 Right? 563 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,080 We ask God to forgive us, but we confess our sins to one another that you may be healed. 564 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:57,200 See, we are meant to be working as innkeepers as we gather here at HCV doing what? 565 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:58,760 Pointing people to Jesus. 566 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:05,440 Did you realize that one invite can change someone's eternity? 567 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,560 One invite can change someone's eternity. 568 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:12,600 And my wife, Jess, was on a trip and she visited a church while she was away. 569 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:16,920 And she found this idea of these new cards that we created. 570 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:18,720 And I want to empower you with this. 571 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:24,160 Listen, for those of you that are timid, you feel pressure when you're out talking with 572 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:27,360 people about God or trying to share the good news. 573 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:29,320 Here's what these cards say. 574 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:32,560 Come sit with me Sundays at HCV. 575 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,400 That's all it says. 576 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,600 Come sit with me Sundays at HCV. 577 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:46,800 A simple invite that could change someone's eternity forever. 578 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:49,680 And all you have to do is say, hey, I'll meet you at the East entrance. 579 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:51,280 I'll meet you at the West entrance. 580 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:55,120 I'll meet you up at the pavilion and we'll walk in together. 581 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,880 All you have to do is put it into someone's hands. 582 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:03,600 They may scan that QR code that's on the back and watch this crazy tattooed pastor on a 583 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,160 Sunday morning and they might kneel down in their living room and give their life to Jesus 584 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:10,120 and their lives are changed for eternity. 585 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:15,360 So I want to challenge you. 586 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:19,080 We had 5,000 of these cards made. 587 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:21,320 Go give them all away. 588 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:22,320 Go give them all away. 589 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,040 They're all out there on the poster. 590 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,880 There's a poster out there right by the praying hands. 591 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:32,120 Grab a bunch of them and invite people to come, which leads us to our two simple challenge 592 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:36,400 points becoming innkeepers of God. 593 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:38,760 And these aren't action steps. 594 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:40,140 Okay. 595 00:38:40,140 --> 00:38:41,520 These are challenge points. 596 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:46,080 Number one, what we have, we have been given. 597 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:47,360 What we have, we've been given. 598 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:53,480 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, take care of this man. 599 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,880 Now two silver coins in our mind, we think, oh, that's a small amount. 600 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:01,560 This, this, uh, this Samaritan, he gave this innkeeper a little bit of money. 601 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:03,360 He must not have been that hurt. 602 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:05,780 Couple of days he would have been healed and left. 603 00:39:05,780 --> 00:39:07,040 Not true. 604 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:14,240 He gave this man two silver coins or two denarii, which equaled 60 days stay in the inn. 605 00:39:14,240 --> 00:39:18,880 Archaeologists have discovered signs with the rates for saying in an inn in that day. 606 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,500 It costs one 32nd of a denarii. 607 00:39:21,500 --> 00:39:28,560 So he gave the innkeeper a whole lot of money, which tells us this beaten man was really 608 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:33,200 sick and this Samaritan said, here's enough money for two months. 609 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:35,680 And the innkeeper was given the money for a purpose. 610 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:37,000 What was the purpose? 611 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:41,440 The innkeeper was to use that money to help this man. 612 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,440 Everything that God has given us comes from him. 613 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,080 He owns it all. 614 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:52,040 The breath in our lungs, the talents we've been given, the money in our pockets, the 615 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:57,320 jobs we are working, the opportunities we had growing up, the schooling we received. 616 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:01,120 There is no such thing as a self-made man. 617 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,120 No such thing. 618 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:09,800 If so, if you, if you look at yourself that way, which part of yourself did you make? 619 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,540 I don't think you made anything. 620 00:40:12,540 --> 00:40:16,880 Everything we have as a gift and God wants to use our gifts, everything he puts on us 621 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:17,880 for others. 622 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:18,880 Look at Matthew 25. 623 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:23,560 Then the king will say to those on his right, come, you are blessed by my father, inherit 624 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:25,880 the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 625 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:26,880 I was hungry. 626 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:27,880 You fed me. 627 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:28,880 I was thirsty. 628 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:29,880 You gave me a drink. 629 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:30,880 I was a stranger. 630 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:31,880 You invited me into your home. 631 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:32,880 I was naked. 632 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:33,880 You gave me clothing. 633 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:35,080 I was sick and you cared for me. 634 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:37,480 I was in prison and you visited me. 635 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:39,880 And the king will say, I tell you the truth. 636 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:46,200 When you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it 637 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:47,640 to me. 638 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:49,880 God wants us to point people back to him. 639 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,800 God wants us to serve and bandage people and heal people. 640 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:58,960 So they realize they're not alone and they're loved by God, which leads us to our final 641 00:40:58,960 --> 00:40:59,960 takeaway. 642 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:04,280 Whatever we give will be rewarded. 643 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,480 Whatever we give will be rewarded. 644 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:07,480 Luke 10 35. 645 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:12,000 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, take care of this man. 646 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:18,640 Now notice if his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here. 647 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:25,040 See Jesus promised that when he returns, he's bringing his rewards with him. 648 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:26,700 What is his reward? 649 00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:32,800 His reward is whatever we do above and beyond the things he's called us to, right? 650 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:38,000 When we say yes to the vision of the church that says, no, we want to reach people that 651 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:39,680 don't go to church. 652 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:41,120 If people are in a church, God bless them. 653 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:42,120 High five them. 654 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:44,720 But if people don't go to church, reach out and invite them. 655 00:41:44,720 --> 00:41:49,080 When we say yes to reach the forgotten in our communities, those people that are in 656 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:56,640 nursing homes that are stowed away and locked away and never visited, Jesus desires that 657 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:01,360 we extend his grace to others and invite them to receive new life through what? 658 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:02,840 Through the power of the Holy Spirit. 659 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:06,920 And we're not doing this to receive a simple reward. 660 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:09,400 We're not doing this to earn God's love. 661 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:10,400 No. 662 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:16,380 We do these things because we've experienced God's love and we just want to give it away. 663 00:42:16,380 --> 00:42:19,160 We just want to give it away. 664 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:23,000 Listen to the words of Charles Spurgeon. 665 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:27,640 What the law demands of us, the gospel produces in us. 666 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,680 It's not about the law. 667 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:34,120 It's about the good news being produced in us. 668 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:35,120 And it's just powerful. 669 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:39,320 See, this religious lawyer thought he was going to earn God's favor by loving him and 670 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:40,680 loving his neighbor. 671 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:42,960 But if we think that way, you know something? 672 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,200 It's all about the minimum requirements. 673 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:49,160 Okay, God, what's the minimum work that I have to do? 674 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,300 And we do this all the time in our everyday life. 675 00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:52,720 How long does the paper have to be? 676 00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:54,280 How many words? 677 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:57,080 How many times do I need to show up at church? 678 00:42:57,080 --> 00:42:58,080 How many? 679 00:42:58,080 --> 00:42:59,080 How many? 680 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:02,520 See, we do it to earn our response. 681 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:03,600 Right? 682 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:06,420 And we always want to get away with just a little. 683 00:43:06,420 --> 00:43:11,080 But when we're motivated by grace and love, our response should be, know God, how much 684 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,280 can I accomplish? 685 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:15,240 I don't have to do any of this. 686 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:16,240 Right? 687 00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:18,840 We don't have to do anything. 688 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:22,400 And it's never going to change God's opinion of you if you're in a relationship with him. 689 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:23,880 He's going to look at you as a masterpiece. 690 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,720 It's not going to make us look better or worse in his height, in his sight. 691 00:43:27,720 --> 00:43:30,120 Therefore, I want to give more. 692 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:31,960 I want to serve more. 693 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,800 I want to reach more in the hope city with this good news. 694 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:42,960 Because listen, by the time I die, by the time I'm being carried away and there's a 695 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:50,000 celebration of life for Chris, all I want is that people say, that man pointed me towards 696 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:51,480 Jesus. 697 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:56,480 I want people to say that I encourage them to receive and experience God's love. 698 00:43:56,480 --> 00:44:01,880 I want people to say, no, that man raised up the next generation and empowered people 699 00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:04,920 to be better people. 700 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:07,600 That's it. 701 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:10,160 What are we going to get out of it? 702 00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:17,560 We're going to be rewarded with the simple words, well done, my good and faithful servant. 703 00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:20,360 Well done, my good and faithful servant. 704 00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:22,320 Our lives will be saved for eternity. 705 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:24,320 Not saved from the penalty of sin. 706 00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:33,160 That was taken care of at the cross, but talking about saved from a wasted life. 707 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:37,320 Saved from a life that's a wasted story. 708 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:42,360 A story where you live for yourself and not for the bigness of God's kingdom. 709 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,240 For his work on earth. 710 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:50,000 And being at this Jersey Sunday, I want to tell you about a man named Jim Becker. 711 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:52,360 He was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan. 712 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:55,240 There's an image of him that's going to pop up on the screen. 713 00:44:55,240 --> 00:45:00,760 This is actually a picture taken when he was inaugurated into the Green Bay Packers Hall 714 00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:02,180 of Fame. 715 00:45:02,180 --> 00:45:08,220 The problem was Jim and his wife had 11 children and he could not afford to go to the games. 716 00:45:08,220 --> 00:45:14,320 But there was a blood bank that he discovered would pay him $15 every time he gave a half 717 00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:15,840 plane of blood. 718 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:20,600 So Jim went faithfully every single time there was a home game. 719 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:24,800 He gave blood and he sold it cheering the Packers on along the way. 720 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:30,320 And he did it for 56 years. 721 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:33,080 He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. 722 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:38,400 But what he did not know in all those years, that entire time that he gave his blood just 723 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:46,120 to sit in those seats, was that he had an often fatal disease called hemochromatosis. 724 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:50,640 This is essentially where the blood, where there's too much iron that builds up in your 725 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:51,640 body. 726 00:45:51,640 --> 00:45:55,120 And they estimate this man would have been dead at age 45. 727 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:57,200 He did not even know he had the disease. 728 00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:05,800 And did you know the only treatment and the only cure for hemochromatosis is giving blood 729 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:14,120 at least once a month, which he did for 56 years. 730 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:18,880 Now, now here's the crazy thing. 731 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:22,420 Jim did it because he thought it was putting him into a seat. 732 00:46:22,420 --> 00:46:25,200 He did not know it was saving his life. 733 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:30,080 And for many of us, we have to realize this mission to be innkeepers, it's about God just 734 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:32,880 saving our life and us giving him the glory. 735 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:36,560 Because Jesus promises in Luke 6, give and you will receive. 736 00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:40,080 Your gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, 737 00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:44,400 running over and poured into your lap, the amount that you give will determine the amount 738 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:45,860 you get back. 739 00:46:45,860 --> 00:46:53,920 Are you church willing to give your life away, becoming innkeepers so that others will experience 740 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:54,920 eternal life? 741 00:46:54,920 --> 00:47:10,480 There's no impossible, I believe that you are working now, so pour it out, oh pour it 742 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:11,480 out. 743 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:25,980 Thank you.