Today I want to talk to you about our life mission. If you were born again and love Jesus, you have two life missions to fulfil.
The first one is to love God with all your heart and the second is to serve and love your neighbour as you love yourself. Jesus said that these are the most important of all the commandments.
The Bible clearly estates that one day, when we reach eternity, we will have to give an account of these two missions.
Today we are going to learn in a very practical way, who is our neighbour and about the Culture of Serving and Loving
Let’s read Luke 10:25-37
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 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’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”
32 Likewise, 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 had compassion 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, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii 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 have36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who showed mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”” Luke 10:25-37 NIV
Jesus was talking to a law expert! He was an interpreter of the law, he was the one who people would go to when they needed help to understand the word of God.
He asked Jesus a question: How do I go to Heaven? What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?
He already knew the answer and he himself answered it.
Jesus said to him: you’re right, so go and put this into practice.
In other words, Jesus is saying: You are an expert in knowledge but an illiterate in practice.
Wanting him to justify himself about his lack of practice, he asks Jesus: who is my neighbour?
Jesus said that Loving and Serving is something that will influence our eternity!
If you love God and serve your neighbour, you will enter the Kingdom of God.
In order to clarify who our neighbour is and how we should love them Jesus tells a story about 3 kinds of people. You and I are one of these three kind of people:
A Priest, a Levite or a Samaritan!
Jesus tells this story to teach who and how we should love and serve.
“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”
Luke 10:31 NKJV
1- A priest casually walks down the path!
Who is this priest? God’s representative! People went to the priest to find God. He connected people to God. So a representative of God is walking along the path…
What does he do? He sees an injured man and says: Stopping to help this man is not part of a priest’s job. A priest represents God and does God’s work but taking care of sick people is not part of the job description!
Maybe we’re doing this too!
I am a pastor, I am a cell leader, I am a worship leader, I am a leader in the children’s ministry, I sing to God , I’m not a leader to help and serve this man. Maybe you are putting your position and your function in the ministry before people.
The priest saw him and left, because he had more important things to do.
Many Christians are involved with so much activism, doing so many things for God while there are many people hurt around them, people in need of love and care.
Your attention for people is much more important than your function within the ministry.
I have a function in this church, I am the pastor of this church, but what I value most is caring individually for people around me. It’s not having events, even though I know events have their importance too. I believe that 80% of my time is spent on people.
People will visit church because of an event but they will only become part of it if they are cared for , served and loved at an individual level !
You always hear me talking about discipleship! What is discipleship?
It’s about visiting people, listening to injured people, putting oil and wine on wounds… It saves people!
You have to stop, to sit down, to really listen, to tend open wounds so people can be saved, so that they may have eternal life.
When we stop for that one person on the side of the road, we save a soul, we will make a disciple and the Kingdom of God will grow!
Having church events is a good thing, we must also pray, read the Bible, help in worship, serve in church. But serving and loving people is as important as loving God.
How many of you want to be a “priest” who pleases God?
What kind of priest pleases God?
It’s the priest who kneels down to touch sick people, who changes his plans in order to help others, it’s the priest who cares about people!
After the priest comes a Levite, and he also sees the half dead man.
2- A Levite casually walks down the path.
“Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.”
Luke 10:32 NKJV
The Levites were people of the tribe of Levi. They were the chosen ones to take care of the things in the temple and were also responsible for worship in the temple.
This Levite also passes by, and maybe he thinks to himself: I wish I could help, but I have so many other things to do, I have to go sing and I have to play. But I will ask for the church to pray for this poor soul!
Weeks ago I was passing by Hope Café and I planned on staying for very little because I had many other things to do, and then this person comes to me crying and asking for help. I thought to myself, this is not a good time, I have so many things to do! But I knew what was most important.
We spent hours talking, and then we left together so I could help her with a few things. In the end I spent at least 5 hours of my day with that person. I didn’t do any of the other things in my schedule, but I was so happy!
3- A “foreigner” casually walks down the road.
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.”
Luke 10:33 NKJV
The Samaritans were a people from the Samaria’ region and they were not Jews. They were actually considered enemies of the Jews.
What can we learn from this Samaritan?
1- If we love God, we have to love people in a practical way!
The jobs of a priest and a Levite are important, but Jesus showed us that doing things for the church, being active in the kingdom of God without caring for people has no value in eternity.
To love God’s house is to care for people, it is to love people.
But even at the end of his story, Jesus didn’t say the Samaritan was a good person!
If Jesus called the Samaritan a good person he would be calling the Priest and Levite bad people, and Jesus doesn’t do that! Jesus never spoke badly of authority.
Jesus begins by saying that coincidentally a Samaritan was passing by and he stopped to serve.
God will test you and me! In traffic, in the supermarket, in the bank, at work, in your neighbourhood… God will place people around to you who need salvation.
If we love God, we have to love people in practice!
There are people who say they love God, but they don’t like people, they don’t like being together with people.
Our love for God can’t only be intellectual but it must come out in practice, in everyday life!
Second thing we learned with the Samaritan:
2 – The Samaritan had compassion
The priest and Levite both saw this man on the road and walked on! The Samaritan saw, sympathised and served!
We need to see, sympathise and act so people can be saved!
Third thing we learned from the Samaritan:
3- Serving God is anywhere at any time!
The culture of serving has to be something natural to us!
Jesus taught us that serving people brings eternal life.
My function is not preaching sermons, my function is to serve people. Your function is not to sing, it is to serve people, your function is not to help with the sound system, it is to serve people, your function is not to lead a cell group in interesting discussions, it is to serve people, your function is not to help at child ministry, it is to serve people, your function is not to be a member of the church, it is serving people.
If I don’t serve people, my function in the kingdom of God is worthless!
It’s not what I do, it’s who I serve!
Another point we can learn from the Samaritan:
4- The Samaritan didn’t know the man he helped on the side of the road.
Helping family members is easy, spending time with family members is easy, loving and investing your time in those you love is easy!
The Samaritan didn’t care who that man was, or what he had done, whether he was impure, or if he was a stranger.
No matter who the person is, or who they used to be, we must serve!
Serving people is the best way to say: GOD LOVES YOU
If you want someone to listen to you talk about Jesus, first LOVE AND SERVE them and then they will listen to whatever you have to say.
Next point:
5 – The Samaritan poured Oil and Wine on the man’s wounds!
The Samaritan stopped and poured oil and wine. Oil and wine in the Bible mean Grace and Truth.
People will accept Jesus when we treat them first with GRACE and then with TRUTH. Don’t try to use the Truth first, you need first Grace!
This is the right way to act!
GRACE will always say: IT’S POSSIBLE.
TRUTH will say: IT’S NECESSARY.
Can I go to heaven? Can I be saved? Grace will always say, yes, of course, you can be saved, you can go to Heaven!
But truth will say: But there is only one way, Jesus Christ!
In John 8:10,11 – A woman was caught in adultery, Jesus asks her:
Where are your accusers, woman? “Neither do I condemn you” – this is Grace!
But go and sin no more! This is the truth!
Another point I learn from Samaritan:
6- Loving and serving has a price! (It will cost you something)
He paid a price for having compassion on that man.
Loving and serving people has a price! It costs your time and money! You invest in the ones you love! Loving the lost, saving the lost will cost your time and money!
Question: Are you going to take anything from this earth with you to eternity?
The only thing from this earth that will enter Heaven is people!
This is an investment that will be worth it when you get in eternity.
Because when you die, everything you have will stay here on this earth, but the people you have invested on, you will take them to eternity with you!
I pay to see people out of hell and get to heaven! I pay to see restored families! We have to pay to see people free from their addictions!
I’ll pay for whatever the cost may be!
One person matters! (Luke 15:5) Jesus said that he leaves 99 to go after the one and He chooses to pay the price to rescue that one person.
What matters is not the title you hold. What matters is not the structure we have, what matters is whether or not we stop for the one person.
God will put people your way, people that you don’t know. Maybe God will ask you to go after the one sheep that got lost.
This is your neighbour you must help. Make disciple, form disciples!
Loving and serving people has to be your lifestyle.
Our biggest responsibility is with people!
Those who are by your side are your responsibility and we have to pay the price for them!
Volunteers in the kingdom of God must pay, volunteers at Shalom must pay!
Serving is not a method, serving is a culture of the kingdom, serving is normal, and serving is obeying Jesus. Those who don’t live to serve have no reason to live.
7- JESUS IS OUR SAMARITAN
We were all like that man, wounded, hurt and going to hell.
Jesus cared, He saw me, He hugged me as I was, took care of my wounds, He paid the price for my salvation. He loved me with all my sins, all my flaws.
Now I’m forgiven, I’m saved because of the Samaritan Jesus.
Beloved ones, we need to live this love in a practical way.
Your most important function is to invest in lives!
Who have you invested in lately? Are you investing your time and resources in anyone?
How can we have more disciples, how will we save people, how will we see the church grow?
It’s by kneeling down to help the one by the side of the road. Stopping for someone and really listening to him. We must use Grace first and then Truth.
How can will we see people being saved? How will there be new members and new people if we don’t first serve them, just doing our duties we will not make disciples.
This was Jesus’ teaching that man who was an interpreter of the law.
He knew a lot about the law, but he didn’t understand what it meant to serve his own neighbour.
We need to evaluate our lives, where are you investing your time and your money?
We need to repent from our selfish ways before it’s too late.
May the Lord bless and keep you and help you to invest on eternity, loving and serving people.