A Better Way
Proverbs 21:21 (King James Version) Pastor Ken Crow
21He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
To follow after righteousness and mercy is to follow after Jesus.
Let’s just lay it down square this morning. Sometimes life can be tough.
In this world we live in most of us are performing a mental juggling act.
There is the mortgage or rent, our work, the kids, the spouse. We have pressures physical, emotionally and financially. Often times if we are not careful it just can get to be too much.
Jesus said: Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)
28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Peter said in : 1 Peter 5:6-7 (King James Version)
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
The Psalmist David, a man after God’s own heart and a king wrote:
Psalm 55:22 (King James Version)
22Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
I feel in my spirit this morning that someone hearing this word or reading it on printed text is heavy burdened. Life has become a struggle. Life is no longer the joy that it once was.
Turn with me today to Luke chapter 10 starting in verse 30.
Luke 10:30-36 (King James Version)
30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
We have a tendency when we preachers preach this to focus mostly on the Good Samaritan and that is good. But this morning I want to focus on the certain man as Jesus identifies him. The one who got beat up and robbed.
This certain man was assaulted and ambushed by thieves. He was minding his own business. Doing what he was supposed to do in life.
Sometimes on our journey in life we get unexpectedly ambushed.
Sickness may jump out of the bushes. An unexpected bill may jump out and assault us. Even in our relationships we may get unexpectedly thumped.
It was not the certain man’s fault.
Just because we sometimes get hammered in life does not mean we have done something wrong.
There is a scripture that I hope and pray that everyone here will get into their heart. Write this down somewhere and every time that trouble comes your way get it out and read it.
I think this morning we should all claim the following scripture.
Psalm 103:10-13 (King James Version)
10He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
The certain man was not getting rewarded or punished for something he had done.
If we have done something wrong and confessed it before God and ask him to forgive us we are in good standing with God.
1 John 1:9 (King James Version)
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
The better way this morning is that Jesus can take the self guilt away from us.
Let go of that self imposed guilt. Be set free from that this morning!
You are not hurting because God is mad at you!
Someone needs to say I am ready to come out of the ditch! Jesus is picking me up! He is binding up my wounds. Yes I have been wounded but I am going to come back stronger than ever because now Jesus has done got a hold on me!
The certain man lay in the ditch along time with people passing him by.
It is bad enough to be wounded and hurting and robbed and now the church people, even the preacher is passing him by.
That kind of pain is hard to bear. The physical pain may have became light to the certain man compared to the heartbreak of those passing him by.
But as they passed him up the Samaritan man was leaving his house!
The Samaritan man was coming toward the ditch!
This morning Jesus is passing by! Jesus not only is coming your way but he is here. It don’t matter who has passed you up in the ditch! They could not help you anyway! If they pass you up they did not have Jesus and Jesus is the only way out of the ditch! A better way is coming! A better way is here!
This better way called Jesus is not only going to lift you out of the ditch but this better way called Jesus is going to take you to the healing place called the Holy Ghost . Your wounds will be bound up. Love is going to envelope you once again.
Life will be found again! Righteousness in Jesus Christ will be found again!
Honor will be found again! This morning there is a better way called Jesus!
Amen
