INTRO.- ILL.- An angry lady went into a grocery store and told a clerk that she wanted a half-head of lettuce and she wanted it right now. "Get going!" she screamed at the clerk.
"But lady," said the clerk, "we don’t have half heads of lettuce." "Young man," she shrieked, "get a knife and cut a head in two." "Yes ma’am," he said, "Let me go back and talk to the manager."
He found the manager and said, "There’s a crabby woman out there who wants one-half head of lettuce." He suddenly glanced over his shoulder and there stood the woman. He quickly said, "AND HERE IS THE NICE LADY WHO WANTS THE OTHER HALF."
Brothers and sisters, what’s your attitude? Most people have "an attitude." They have an attitude about life. Some have a good attitude. While others have a very different attitude about life.
ILL.- Remember the popular TV series called "The A Team"? One of the stars was B.A. Baracus. What did the BA stand for? BAD ATTITUDE. Mr. T (Laurence Turead) played the part of B.A. Baracus.
ILL.- Simeon Ford, the proprietor of the Old Grand Union Hotel in New York, said, "You don’t need to know anything about a hotel to run one," he said. "You just open up and the customers tell you how to run it." WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THIS?
I think he meant that most people are quick to gripe and complain about something if they don’t like it. Most of us are this way. If we see something we don’t like, we are quick to say something about it. But if we see something we like, we tend to keep our mouths shut.
Gripers and complainers have a bad attitude about life. It seems they are always looking at things in a negative way. On the other hand, people who have a good attitude about life try to focus on the good things of life and the good in people. They are generally quick to give thanks and to praise others.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? What’s your attitude about life?
ILL.- Here is a better way to view life. Because of the housing shortage near the military base where he was stationed, a young doctor and his wife and three children had to live in cramped quarters in a hotel. A friend said to the doctor’s six-year-old daughter, "Isn’t it too bad that you don’t have a home?" To which the philosophic young one replied, "Oh, we have a home; we just don’t have a house to put it in."
ILL.- Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.
Which are you? Vulture type or hummingbird type?
PROP.- In the parable/story of the good Samaritan we have three basic attitudes that people have toward others. We need to think about them during this holiday season.
1- Attitude of the robbers - stealing
2- Attitude of the priest and Levite - hoarding
3- Attitude of the Samaritan - giving
I. ATTITUDE OF THE ROBBERS - STEALING
What’s yours is mine and I’ll get it!
Luke 10:30 "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."
Brothers and sisters, there are many ways of stripping people, robbing people and leaving them half dead.
ILL.- A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated." "And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?" The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service and write on the envelope, ‘NOW YOU HAVE EVERYTHING!’"
I know that many people feel like the federal government is ripping them off in regard to their taxes. Any theft is not good.
ILL.- One executive was telling another about the trouble he had keeping a secretary. He said, "I lost the last one, because she had so many coffee breaks that she couldn’t sleep nights."
Too many coffee breaks spell theft. It says that somebody is stealing time from their employer. We’ve all seen it done.
ILL.- Elaine was the office coordinator for the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, IL. She retired after 28 years. One reason that she retired was that she got tired of seeing people steal from the state of Illinois. She saw them steal time and many other things. She was the time-keeper at Choate Mental Health. Many people were habitually late or else they left as early as they could get away with it. THEFT COMES IN MANY FORMS.
ILL.- Here’s some sports news for you ball fans. Dec. 6th "Mets, Glavine Said to Reach 3-Year Deal." NEW YORK (AP) - For more than a decade, Tom Glavine helped put the Atlanta Braves on top. Now, he’ll try to topple them.
Glavine, the most sought-after pitcher on the open market, reached agreement with the New York Mets on a three-year contract, his agent said Thursday night. Glavine was believed to have gotten a $35 million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year that could make the deal worth $42.5 million.
Glavine, 36, had spent his whole career with the Braves, winning two Cy Young Awards and posting five 20-win seasons.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t care how good the guy is, I personally don’t think he’s worth $42 million! I don’t think any ball player is worth $42 million. Of course, I also don’t think most Hollywood movie actors and actresses are worth the money they get. I ALMOST CONSIDER IT A FORM OF STEALING!
I wish that just once...just one time a ball player, actor, actress, sports figure, etc. would say, "They want to pay me $42 million dollars, but I know that I’m not worth it. I’m declining the offer. This would be stealing from people."
Brothers and sisters, I worked in the retail business for a number of years. I know about stealing. But you don’t have to work in the retail business to learn about stealing. It’s everywhere and it comes in various forms: theft of money, theft of material items, theft of food, theft of time, etc.
Eph. 4:28 "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."
II. ATTITUDE OF THE PRIEST AND LEVITE - HOARDING
What’s mine is mine and I’ll keep it!
Luke 10:31-32 "A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite...passed by..."
Most of us think have several thoughts about the priest and Levite. They were busy. Didn’t have time. Too much church business. Had to get to church. Perhaps they were thinking, "There is always someone who is wanting something. Moochers. Pretenders. They are no good, anyway."
Brothers and sisters, I want us to think in terms of not sharing with others. What’s mine is mine and I’m going to keep it.
Even though the Christmas makes some people think more generously, some people could care less about this time of the year. Some think only of themselves. They may think, "I’ve worked hard for what I have. It’s mine and I’m going to keep it."
The hoarding attitude is horrible. What does John 3:16 say? How does it read? FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE... If we love, we too will want to give. Hoarding is horrible. Not sharing is selfish. But giving is godly.
ILL.- John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves.
John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years. The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers.
ILL.- But here is a "one-upper." Here is a better one, a wilder one. A more unbelievable one. Ragged clothes....never enough food to eat....virtually no medical attention....poor sleeping quarters....little or no time for recreation or rest....no time for family....SOUND LIKE A POOR PERSON IN TERRIBLE SHAPE? Not so. Her name is Hetty Green who at one time was the richest and most detested woman in America!
At one time Hetty Green had $100,000,000 in the bank and yet she ate crackers and cold oatmeal because she was too cheap to buy good food. She lived the last 20 years of her life with a painful hernia because she would not spend the money, which was $150 at that time, for an operation. She tried to relieve the pain by placing a stick over the hernia and binding it to her body with rags.
You will be angered to find out that her own son’s leg had to be amputated because she was too cheap to take him to a doctor. She tried for several days to get free medical attention but each doctor she went to for help recognized her as a millionaire and refused to treat the boy for free. When she was at last reconciled to paying a doctor she went to her neighborhood doctor and was told the boy’s leg would have to be amputated above the knee.
With millions of dollars in the bank, Hetty Green spent half the night searching for a lost $.2 cent postage stamp. Another time, she attempted to forge the signature of her deceased Aunt in a vain attempt to get another million dollars!
Hetty Green’s father was Edward "Blackhawk" Robinson who sat her on his knee and read to her the business news and stock market reports when she was only 5 years old. Hetty Green claimed to have read them by herself when she was six years old. She was brainwashed as a baby with the mercenary philosophy of her father. She grew into a ruthless financial tyrant who found it easier to make a million dollars than to take a bath. When she died the fortune that enslaved her continued to plague her playboy son and screwball daughter.
The story of Hetty Green is the story of a slave, a slave to money. She was something of a thief and definitely, a hoarder.
Matt. 16:26 "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Brothers and sisters, this time of the year more people are interested in giving, but not everyone! Some people still have the attitude, "What’s mine is mine and I’m going to keep it." They can walk right on by any hurting or helpless person without giving them the time of day. They can walk in the door at Wal-Mart and not blink an eye at the bell ringers of the Salvation Army. Some people can have the church offering plate passed by them, drop in a $10 bill but think nothing about spending $50 to $70 a week to eat out. Some people can sing "Count your blessings" and not give a thought to sharing those blessings with others. Some think only of how they can keep what they have, save, get more, make more money, etc.
Prov. 11:26 "People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell."
I Timothy 6:17-19 "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
III. ATTITUDE OF THE SAMARITAN - GIVING
What’s mine is yours and I’ll give it!
Luke 10:33ff "But a Samaritan came where the man was; when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds...." Blessed be the Samaritan! Blessed be all Samaritans!
Prov. 11:25 "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
Prov. 14:31 "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
WHEN HE SAW HIM. The Good Samaritan saw the helpless and hurting through the eyes of Jesus. He looked with compassion.
Matthew 9:36 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without shepherd."
When our Lord looked at people He saw the deep hurt of life. If anybody knows the pain that we experience in life, He does. And Jesus doesn’t just look and wonder and say, "Well, what’s wrong with them?!" He looks with compassion and desires to bring peace where there has been pain, comfort where there has been cruelty, healing where they has been hurt.
The Good Samaritan had that same look, that same heart, that same compassion, that same love. For God so loved the world that He gave. The Samaritan so loved that he gave. He gave of himself, his time, his energy, and his resources.
ARE YOU MOVED? Are you moved when you see hurting people? Are you moved to want to remove hurt and bring healing?
ILL.- I was getting ready to leave for home last week one evening when Elaine called my cell phone and said that Wilma Gammill had called. She said that her sister, Marie Jackson, who is 93 years old and is living in the Mattoon Health Care, thought she was dying. I immediately drove over there to see Marie.
Marie lost her husband, Lafe of over 70 years, this last year. Marie seems lost without him. She had to sell her possessions and her house and move into the nursing home. Marie only weighs about 78 lbs., I believe. She doesn’t feel well. She is not happy with life. She is down, depressed, and somewhat doubtful about certain things.
I cannot go see her without feeling for her. Of course, my feelings may run a lot stronger since I just lost my own mother. But I cannot look at Marie and hear her voice without feeling sorry for her. I generally hold her hands, pat her head and cheek and pray with her. I AM MOVED. We all should be moved when it comes to hurting and seemingly helpless people.
Instead of wondering about them, we should woo them with love. We should minister to them. We should give ourselves to them. We should give whatever we can to them in order to help them.
Our ministry, however, should not be limited to the aged, the infirm, the dying, etc. Our ministry of compassion, giving and love should reach out to all people: single parents (and there are more of them than ever), separated people (separated from their mates, separated from their children, separated from their loved ones), struggling people (struggling from not having jobs or not having enough money to live on, struggling from bad relationships, etc.).
Our Good Samaritan ministry should reach out to all people. All people who are hurting.
Gal. 6:9-10 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
ILL.- A while back, Mike Carter shared with us about the young man named Todd Gray who was dying of cancer. Todd was only in his 30’s, married and had two small children. Mike said that Todd experienced a lot of pain before passing from this life. WHAT SOME OF YOU DON’T KNOW IS THIS: Mike spent at least one whole night with Todd near the end to help out. And Mike has spent countless hours listening to his wife talk and express her pain and grief. And I don’t know what else Mike has done, but I know it’s good.
I don’t say these things to praise Mike (although he is to be commended). I say these things to praise the Lord for working in his heart and life. TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR ALL THE GOOD WE DO FOR OTHERS!
Brothers and sisters, we are here to be Good Samaritans in any form. God put us here to demonstrate mercy, compassion and minister to others, any time, any place, etc.
This time of the year should cause us to think more of others. To think more of others, and less of us. To think more of what we can do for others.
CONCLUSION---------------------------------------
What’s your attitude toward people? Stealing? Hoarding? Or Giving?
ILL.- An elderly widow, restricted in her activities, was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized that she could bless others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent--the service is free." The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask, "What hymn would you like to hear?"
Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them.
Brothers and sisters, our attitude should be that of the Good Samaritan. It should be that of giving to others, any time, any place, any method. The giving attitude is the God-attitude.
