INTRODUCTION:

• Christian living parable
•  Storyteller: The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 (NLT) 25One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

1. THE PARABLE REVEALS THREE ATTITUDES:

• The bandits: “What is yours is mine, and I will take it.”
• The Priest and Levite: “What’s mine is mine, and you can’t have it.”
• The Samaritan: “What’s mine is God’s, and He wants me to use it for ministry.”

2. JESUS GOES AFTER THE HEART.

• Jesus uses the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” to tell the parable.
• Two points in this parable: Who are we supposed to love, and What does that love looks like?

Neighbor – The word “neighbor” in the Greek means “someone who is near”

• • Neighbor in Hebrew means “someone that you have an association with.” To a Jew, this meant a Jew.
  • Jesus takes the lawyer beyond the law and goes after the heart.

James 2:14-17 (NLT) 14What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Luke 10:33-35 (NLT) 33Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, “Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.”

• • He had compassion on the man.
  • The Samaritan gave sacrificial love and care to him in very practical ways.
  • He set aside his own interest for the sake of someone else.
  • He has no prejudices.

Matthew 5:4 (NLT) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

3. HOW DO WE DEVELOP A SAMARITAN’S HEART?

1. Spend regular time with Jesus—abide.

John 15:5 (NIV) I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

2. Surrender your heart to the Lord. Pray for compassion—a broken heart. (See Nehemiah 1:1-4)

3. Fight to not become desensitized to the needs around you.

Matthew 24:12 (NIV) Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

4. We need each other.

Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV) 12See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

5. Take the love test.

1 John 4:10-12 (NIV) 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

APPLICATION: GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE, AND HE WANTS US TO INFLUENCE!

Your family, work, school, this church:

• Maybe it’s a parent or sibling who has gotten into a mess—how will you respond? Sometimes our response is speaking the truth in love, sometimes it’s meeting a real need.
• Maybe it’s a kid in your class who doesn’t fit in—what will you do? Ignore them or come alongside them?
• Maybe it’s a coworker who is going through something hard—what will you do?
• Reality: we can’t meet every need we face, but when in doubt, err on being generous.

Who is in your sphere of influence?