You Just Can Not Do Enough

YOU JUST CAN’T DO ENOUGH

Pastor W. Max Alderman

Text: Luke 10: 25-37.

Introduction: I am sure that you have heard the expression, "You just can’t do enough". In regards to this study, we are shown that in regards to earning our own salvation, we just can not do enough.

This section of study having to do with the parable of the Good Samaritan could be one of the most misunderstood passages found in the Gospels. If one looks at this teaching and then walks away only desiring to be a good neighbor, in a purely social sense, he has truly missed the main teaching of our Lord and Savior.

The Lord is using two entities that are common to all, “love” and “law”. He uses these as requirements to expose the lawyer who is tempting Jesus with his questions.

Jesus is showing the impossibility of anyone, by his own efforts, of either loving as he should or of keeping the law as he should. This parable is given to smite the conscience of this very self-serving lawyer, while at the same time showing us that we “all come short”.

May we be convinced today that “You just can’t do enough”.

I. YOU CAN’T LOVE ENOUGH TO GET TO HEAVEN.

Loving God’s way is a by-product of His love. In the Greek language, from which the King James Bible is translated, are a number of words used to describe love. God’s love is agapa love, and can only come from God. It is this kind of love that marks the believer. It is a kind of love that can only be exercised by God and by the Spirit filled believer. A person cannot love enough in and of himself to obtain this degree of love. When Christ in his Word uses this kind of love and commands it, He is only doing so in respect to the Christian. For a non-believer striving to obtain this quality and kind of love by his philanthropic deeds will always come up short. For him to try and love God’s way, by his own merit, to obtain his own salvation, will always come up short.

A. The Quality of Your Love is Not Enough.

The Lord was exposing the lawyer’s inability to love, as the law requires. The law was given to show the standard that God absolutely requires. Men can only hope to keep portions of the law, and yet not keep it in its entirety. There is only one who lived up to the absolute standard of the law, and that Person was Christ Jesus.

Jesus used the rhetorical method in answering the question posed by the lawyer. The lawyer asked, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said unto him, “What is written in the law? How readest thou?” And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” (Vv. 26,27).

In verse 28, The Lord said, “Thou hast answered right: this do, and live.”

May we look at these requirements individually.

1. “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart”.

This is part of what Jesus referred to as the First Commandment in Mark 12: 28-30. True love begins in the heart. This is the seed plot of where your feelings spring forth. True love will be expressed with feeling. This part of the commandment says that in a legal sense, as demanded by the law, one must not leave room to have feelings of love for anyone but the Lord. Ones love should be so sterling that only God will constantly occupy your feelings. This means that you cannot write or call your wife telling her how much you miss and love her when you are away. All of your feelings involving love will have to be given with all your heart to the Lord.

2. “Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy soul”.

The soul involves the will, intellect, and the emotions of the person. Thus, the Lord is saying you absolutely must give your very being to Him in regards to the way that you love Him. You cannot make one decision that does not directly concern and refer to the love that you have for the Lord. Everything that you learn must be learned about him. You cannot gain any knowledge that does not pertain to Him, and the love that you have for Him. You must do this with all of your heart. When someone asks you to do something with him or her, you cannot, for all of your time will be given to them. Your love has to always be focused on Him.