Choose Your Adventure
“Be in Human Services!” – Luke 10
Last week we concluded a series titled, “Your Mission”…
As a pastoral staff, we felt it was important to begin the year by remembering and refocusing ourselves as a church body to the Mission that God has placed before us.
Today, we want to begin a new series that focuses on the “Lifestyle Statements” that we believe is not just a calling to our specific fellowship, but to all believers!
In life we have choices. Everyday we are faced with decisions. Some are smaller in that they only affect us:
- What to eat?
- What to wear?
- What will I do with my free time?
Some are bigger, and affect others as well:
- Where will I work?
- Where will I live?
- Who will I marry?
We are constantly being faced with choices.
Life is a lot like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Book…
These were children’s books designed to give you the choice of where the story would go at different points. With each choice, there was a consequence, good or bad. I used to read with my finger in place where the choice was, and read ahead to see what which choice was better, and this was successful until I ran out of fingers to hold the places!
Rarely does life present a “wait and see do-over” in our choices. In this series we’re not going to give you all the right answers, because God has a different adventure for each one of us.
However, we will give you the core principals of living that God lays out before us so that you can make the best choice for the plan that God has for you!
Today we want look at the choice of working in Human Services. If you are walking through life, you will inevitably run into a human. It’s unavoidable. Unless you live in the wilderness, which doesn’t apply to any of you because you are here now.
1. The Circle of Love
We all have what we’ll call a “Circle of Love”. We each reside in the middle of this circle, and the size is determined by the ways we will show and give love to others. But the edge of this circle is our limit. We won’t go any further than…
Luke 10:25-29 (NLT)
25 One 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?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The 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!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Our religious lawyer in this passage has limits on his circle of love. And there’s a real danger in limiting our love for others:
- Testing Jesus instead of learning from Him
- Form a Legalistic view of salvation (We know it, but can’t apply it)
- Walk doesn’t match up with the Talk
- Life will be a constant attempt to justify our actions
Jesus is calling us to love without limits…
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem 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. 32 A 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. 34 Going 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. 35 The 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.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Let’s highlight some of the ways Jesus instructs us to EXPAND OUR CIRCLE OF LOVE:
2. Love the Careless
The man who is attacked in this parable is clearly a victim here, but I can’t help but wonder if his situation is a result of poor decision-making? He’s traveling alone, on a long stretch of empty road—either oblivious to bandits, or indignant of them—regardless, he’s careless, and it bites him!
There are people like this today aren’t there? I see it all the time:
Wanna stay outta jail? Then stop breaking the law!
Eventually my heart gets hardened to these folks, because I feel like I’m wasting my time.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 (NIV)
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
That’s especially convicting to me. Show the unending love to others like Christ does to me daily…
3. Love the Unloved
Vs. 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. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
The two men that come across our victim are not evil men. In fact, these were the guys we should be looking to emulate in our own actions. But apparently they lead more by the “Do as I say, not as I do” model, because they completely miss a golden opportunity to show God’s Love!
Last week our guest speaker Scott Linklater spoke on Evangelism. And he made a point that if we claim to love God, but don’t do whatever we can share God’s Gospel with others–we don’t really love God!
A heart that is overflowing of love for God wants everyone else to know that love. Evangelism is more than just telling people what they need to do to be saved. That sounds an awful lot like the “Religious Lawyer”, and no one responds to that.
There is a world of people who do not know God’s Love, and you may be the only one here on earth that can show them what looks like. Think about that in your chance encounters, or daily dealings with others. It changes everything!
4. Love Our Enemies
The Samaritans were despised by the Jews, and Jesus deliberately used a Samaritan showing compassion for a Jew as a symbol of love without limits.
Love your enemy; that is easier to read than do.
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. “What are you most proud of?” he asked. “Well, ” said the man, “I don’t have an enemy in the world.” “What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!” said the reporter. “Yep,” added the centenarian, “outlived every last one of them.”
-Source Unknown sermonillustrations.com
We can take this approach to our enemies, or we can see start seeing them as Jesus commands us to see them.
Luke 6:32-35 (NASB)
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
I know all the excuses, I’ve said them just as recently as you might have! But we have a choice today. Remember it’s easy to love those who love you…
My Friendship with Dennis Story…
5. Love Outside the Comfort Zone
Our Samaritan overlooked
- location
- race
- skills
- conditions
There was simply a need and he needed to act!
When we limit our Circles of Love, we hold back on our worship of God. It’s true, when we are showing God’s Love to others, we are showing God How Much We Love Him.
Matthew 25:34-40 (NLT)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Loving outside your comfort zone might mean:
- Going Places You Wouldn’t Normally Go
- Reaching out to those you don’t associate with
- Sacrificing something dear to you
- Stepping in even if you don’t have the skills to help
- Seizing an opportunity instead of passing it
Luke 10:36-37
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
We have a choice today: love as I’ve always known it, or as Jesus Calls Us to show it. It’s time to expand!
-Prayer
Personal Study Questions
1. Read Galatians 6:2-3. In an honest assessment of your life, can you say you are living up to call in this verses? Why or why not?
2. We can all add more effort to caring for others. What are some ways you can “Expand Your Circle of Love”? Create a list and place it some where you can be reminded daily of God’s Call to all of us.
