What To Do When You Are Exhausted

Luke 10:29-37 KJV But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? [30] And 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. [31] And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, 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 on him, [34] And 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. [35] And 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. [36] Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? [37] And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE GOOD SAMARITAN

-The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells us of a man who had fallen among thieves and had been greatly hurt. The misery inflicted by these wicked men exactly mirrors the chaos inflicted by the devil, sin, and the other enemies of the soul.

-The Parable of the Good Samaritan has various characters that we can identify:

• The Samaritan—Jesus Christ.

• The Man—The Sinner.

• The Thieves—The devil and the enemies of the soul.

• The Priest—The religious order of the day.

• The Levite—The law of Moses and order of Aaron.

• The Innkeeper—A saint or minister.

• The Inn—The Church.

-The Inn is a place of care, comfort, and fellowship to a host of people. It was always well stored with provisions for the travelers who came by. Not only was it a place of fellowship but it was a safe place of protection from the wandering bands of thieves and robbers.

-While this parable is one of the more familiar that the Lord used there are some deep truths even beyond just a cursory glance at this story. Of particular importance is what is found in Luke 10:35.

Luke 10:35 KJV And 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.

-What we have just read in this passage is the great test of our walk with God. . . . what will you do when you have exhausted the resources of the Samaritan? There is something of commitment that pours forth from the actions of the innkeeper.

Thomas Carlyle—A man with half a commitment goes backwards and forwards, and makes no way on the smoothest road; a man with a whole commitment advances on the roughest, and will reach his purpose, if there be even a little wisdom in it.

Thomas Carlyle—The man without a commitment is like a ship without a rudder—a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have commitment in life, and having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.

Anonymous—Self-preservation is the first law of nature; self-sacrifice is the highest rule of grace.

II. FOUR CLEAR LAWS FROM THIS PARABLE

-There are four clear points that can be brought out of this parable in reference to the innkeeper.

A. We always start with something.

-Whatever we do for the Lord, we always start with something.

-Think back for a moment about some of the past experiences of your life.

• Think of the student who starts the classes with some great dream in mind. Think of the line in the bookstore. Think of the applications to college. Think of the efforts of pursuing a scholarship. There is a lot of excitement with all of it. A lot of hope is felt.

• Consider the man who launches out and starts that new business. He walks away from security and the stability of a job to follow a dream.

• What of those who are getting married? They all begin marriage with a lot of feeling and fire.

• Think of that first real job, the one that you worked long and hard in preparation to finally get. Remember the first day that you went in and thought to yourself, “I feel guilty getting paid to do something that I enjoy doing so much!”