CATLETTSBURG SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014
LOVE TAKES A DETOUR
LUKE 10:25-37
OPENING COMMENTS
• We just finished a series in January of “Making Friends for Jesus”
• Hopefully we came away from that series with 2 goals in mind.
o Turn in a list today of names of family members, work associates, friends, school associates, neighbors or some other contact you have with un-churched people within driving distance of this church.
o During the year you are going to pray for those people at least once a week
o You will try to invite them to some church function during the year
• Today we are starting a new series.
o I jokingly titled it since it is February, “Being a Good Lover”
o Quickly redeemed the message “Loving People into the Kingdom.”
o “Don’t Just Come to Church, Be the Church.”
TODAY’S TEXT
Be preaching today from one of my favorite stories in the Bible only told by Luke and recorded for us in Luke 10: 25-37.
TITLE OF TODAY’S SERMON
“Love takes a Detour”
DON’T YOU HAVE STRESS WHEN YOU SEE THIS SIGN?
With the water situation we have had a lot of these signs lately.
Or at least signs that let you know a lane is closed ahead.
Detours cause delays
Frustration
Change of Plans
BUT IF YOU SAW TWO SIGNS UP AHEAD
Most of us would probably take our usual route especially if the detour was going to cost us time, money and personal frustration.
Today we are going to talk about detours, not the ones you have while you are driving but the ones you might face while traveling down the highway of life.
We are looking today at a person in the Bible who decided to take a detour on his road of life in order to help someone else. He is known as the “Good Samaritan.”
OPEN YOUR BIBLES
Hopefully you have your Bibles open to Luke chapter 10.
BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
A lawyers ask Jesus a question to test Jesus, “Teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus did something that he was so classic at doing; He answered this man’s question with a question.
“What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
This man knew the law because part of his job was to: Interpret the first five books of the Law. What we have now as the first 5 books of our Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and to teach the Law to others.
The man knew the Law and replied with a great answer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
I would imagine this guy pulled his cloak together and proudly gave this answer.
Jesus commended the lawyer, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
Jesus tells this man it is more than knowing the law it is doing the law that brings life.
This man was an expert in knowing but not doing.
But the man wanting to justify (he in lawyer fashion was trying to find a loop hold in God’s Law that would excuse himself from doing.) himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor.”
Jesus then goes into a parable about helping others.
Luke 10:30-37 (NKJV)
30 Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, 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 arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'
36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"
37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Under the Law the Jews defined their neighbor as someone of their own race and religion. If a person was not of their race or religion in the eyes of the Jews the law didn’t apply.
When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan He was extending the Law beyond their race and religion.
NOTICE THE CHARACTERS IN JESUS STORY
• We have a group of robbers
• We have a man who gets robbed and beaten so badly he is half dead
• We have a priest – Highly respected individual
• A Levite – Highly respected and responsible for the work in the temple
• A Samaritan - The Jews hated the Samaritans. Remember the story of the woman at the well in John 4; The Jews had no dealing with the Samaritans.
IN THIS STORY YOU HAVE THREE PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE.
ALL OF US HERE THIS MORNING LIVE OUR LIVES BY ONE OF THESE PHILOSOPHIES.
ROBBERS-
Robbers have a philosophy and their philosophy is this, “What is yours is mine and I am going to do everything in my power to take it.”
NEWS FLASH: Robbers are not givers they are takers.
They don’t add to the situation they take away from the situation.
The question we all need to ask ourselves is this, “Are we givers or are we takers.”
Do we bring more to the table than we take away?
PRIEST AND THE LEVITE
They had a philosophy and their philosophy was this, “What’s mine is mine and I am going to do everything in my power to keep it.”
I am going to keep what is mine.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN
He had the philosophy, the only philosophy that counts, “What’s mind is yours and I am going to do everything in my power to give it to you.”
THE GOOD SAMARITAN TOOK A DETOUR AND HELPED THIS MAN
1. Even though it took a risk – The road this man was on was dangerous. People often got robbed, even if they didn’t have anything they would rob them for their clothes. It was actually known as the “Way of Blood”
2. Even though it took personal involvement – He bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine, he place him on his own animal, brought him to the end and spent the night with him.
3. Even though it took extra time- We often don’t help people because of our busy schedules.
4. Even though it took his personal money- He actually left an open tab. He took 2 coins and gave them to the innkeeper but then he said, you take care of him and when I come this way again I will pay the bill.
CONCLUSION
Who will you help this week? What detour will you take this week to help others?
1. Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home
2. Prepare a meal for someone
3. Take someone out to eat who normally has to eat alone
4. Go visit someone who is alone
5. Take someone some water
6. Some act of kindness that takes a risk, personal involvement, time and maybe even money.
PERSONAL CONFESSION
Sermons like this make me feel real uncomfortable because I know that I fall way short of fulfilling what I need to be doing.
