September 7, 2008
Morning Worship
Text: Luke 10:25-35
Subject: The Fruit of the Spirit
Title: The Limit of Love
Turn to Luke 10. What kind of love do you have in you? As I shared with you last week from Galatians 5:22-23, if you are born again you have certain attributes that now are alive inside of you – in your spirit man. Love is one of those attributes. So let me ask you again, what kind of love do you have inside of you? For most of us love is something we show to our families and closet friends, and maybe even once and a while to a stranger in need. Luke 10:25, 25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27He 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 neighbor as yourself.’”
28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
The “expert” in the law wasn’t satisfied with what he heard from Jesus so he asked further.
In verse 27 the word love is used two times – Love the Lord your God… and Love your neighbor. The word that is translated “Love” is the Greek word that refers to the same kind of love God has for us – unconditional love; Love without reason. He asks us to love Him the same way He loves us and then to love our neighbors the same way. That’s not something that is easy to do sometimes for some of our neighbors seem to be unlovable.
It was the 1930’s in northern Canadian prairie. The height of the Great Depression. Jansen family was share-cropping but then lost their farm. A friend told them of a farm across from Jud Brewster. Few lasted there because Jud was so mean. Mr. Jansen said, "I’ll just kill him."
They moved to the new farm. One week later, Brewster appeared at their door in a rage. Their chickens were bothering him, and he threatened to kill them. The family locked them up in the henhouse.
Peace for a time, then he showed up again. "Jansen, your pigs have been in my garden. They’ll never get in my garden again!" There, in Brewster’s wagon, was their herd of young pigs, all dead. He had shot each of them. Without saying a word, Mr. Jansen buried the pigs.
A few weeks later one of the Jansen boys came rushing into the house. "Daddy, go get a gun quick. Jud Brewster’s pigs are in our garden!" The kids could already taste revenge. The father replied, "We won’t need a gun. Round up the pigs."
After a lot of trouble getting them in the wagon, they headed over to Brewster’s farm. "Good evening, Mr. Brewster. Your pigs have been in my garden. I’ve brought them back." The color drained from Brewster’s face. "My pigs, my pigs in your garden?" "That’s right. Where do you want us to put them?" Brewster’s body sagged against the door and he said, "Just dump them over behind the barn."
Jansen replied with a slight grin, "OK, but they’ll just get out again." When it had sunk in the Jansen had not killed the pigs, Brewster clutched his hand like a dying man. They talked for a long time. Brewster gave him half the pigs to keep, and on Sunday he came to church. From that point on, he was a changed man.
Later one of his boys asked him what he meant when he said he would kill Brewster when they moved by him. He replied,
"Not with a gun. I planned to do it another way - by heaping coals on his head. "That old neighbor is as dead as a doornail, just like I’d said he’d be. "And we’re glad to be alive to see it."
I want to look with you today at the rest of the passage that I began in Luke 10. Let’s look at love to see if we can find out what kind of love God wants us to have in us.
Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church today.
I. IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF. (30-32) “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. The same way that He often did, Jesus tells a story to get a point across. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous. It was often traveled by robbers and thieves just waiting for some unexpecting soul that they could prey upon. They didn’t just rob this man, they took his clothes, his dignity, his belongings and then beat him. Now, along comes a priest and a Levite. Some have suggested that these two were traveling to the temple in order to perform their temple duties, which would kind of give them and excuse According to the Law. If the man appeared to be dead they wouldn’t be able to touch him and still perform their duties – they would be unclean. That really doesn’t justify their actions but you can kind of see where they were coming from. However, that appears to not be the case. Verse 31 says the priest was also going down the same road, which would indicate that he too was going away from Jerusalem and headed for Jericho. How would you have responded to the situation? I can think of a lot of different responses. “I don’t know first aid. What can I do? I’m just one person. How can I make a difference? I’ll pray for him. He probably got what was coming to him. You remember about three weeks ago that a man was killed in Hannibal when he stopped to help a woman who was being beaten by two men. Jesus said, 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. The man in Hannibal laid down his life for someone he didn’t even know. The Priest and the Levite, who were supposed to be the religious leaders of Israel, were not even willing to go and check on the man. I can hear the attitudes of the Priest and Levite screaming out from their self-righteous selves. “I’m a priest. There are plenty of others who should be able to help the man. I love the people of Israel and I show it by being willing to serve in the temple when it is my time. I don’t even know this man. He may not even be a Jew. The Levite wouldn’t have been much better. The point is, they each saw a great need and chose to move to the other side of the road to avoid it. Paul alluded to this kind of a lifestyle in 1 Corinthians 13. 1If I speak in the tongues£ of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Paul wasn’t talking about the priesthood or the Levites but about “religious” Christians. You can have all the gifts of the spirit in operation in your church but if you don’t have love what good does it do? Paul uses that word for unconditional love again – the kind of love God has for all mankind. That takes us back to what I talked about last week. If the love we have remains on the inside of us is it really love? For spiritual attributes must be manifest on the outside for them to become real.
II. IN LOVE WITH JESUS (33-35) 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins£ and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” As I read this I immediately begin to hear common responses to the problem. Well Pastor Mike, it’s a different world now than it was then. You can’t just stop and help everybody. You never know what trouble is waiting for you. I can’t afford to take someone in like that. I can just barely take care of my own family. Listen to what Jesus said in response to that type of thinking. Matthew 5:46, 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Well Pastor, I’ve never seen anyone in a situation like that so I guess I’m not guilty. Are you? Really, none of us are guiltless. Which of us have seen needs and ignore them? How many of us know people that are as good as dead spiritually and fail to come to their rescue? Who among us has seen someone struggling in their faith but hasn’t gone out of their way to encourage them? I want to share this with you. I’m not perfect, but I love this church and I love this town. This has been a difficult week for me in ministry. It seems that the devil is piling up situation after situation, struggle upon struggle on me this week – almost to the point where I feel beat down by the attacks that are taking place against our church. I take those attacks from the enemy very personally because I love this church. But I also see what is going on in our community with young people casting aside their relationship with Jesus to fit in to a godless society. And it hurts because I love our schools and our young people. I see every kind of abuse taking place on our city streets and in our homes – drugs, witchcraft, immorality, sexual abuse, and it kills me because I love this town and have claimed it for Jesus. In all honesty sometimes I get so overwhelmed by this passion I have for you and for the lost that I become physically sick from it. Thank God I get over it because He heals me from it. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. That is the kind of love that this Samaritan had in him and that Jesus wants you to have in you. But remember that He doesn’t want it to stay inside of you but for you to manifest it in the flesh. Spiritual truths only become real when they are manifest in the flesh. Which of the three was a neighbor to the wounded man? The one who had mercy!
Last Sunday’s sermon led us to the place where we could be free to move in the Spirit. It felt good didn’t it to see so many people step out in faith and allow what was happening in the spirit realm to be seen in the natural? How many of you were refreshed last Sunday?
Now we have another opportunity to be refreshed in the spirit. We have the fruit of the Spirit in us. Love is just one of them. You can now see that the spiritual promise in you is about to be released into the world through your physical man. Love is about to explode out of you and into the town of Palmyra. Why did we pass out tracts and fliers yesterday? Why did Jim and Larry and Amy and Jack seek donations for our outreach next week. Why are we even having our outreach? Because we want to let our love begin to flow into every street and house in town.
During the bombing of London, it was found that people suffering from nervous disorders found unexpected health by forgetting their own troubles and ministering to the terrible needs of victims of the air raids. The reason many of us have no energy, no vitality, no joy, is that we are living only for ourselves.
But you are ready to unleash the power of Christ’s love living in you to become a reality in the lives of everyone around you.
Who was a neighbor to the man who was wounded? The one who had mercy! Go and do likewise! Love has no limits.
