Keys To Sharing Your Faith 2 Love

Luke 10: 29-30 “But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho had a nick name – ‘The Bloody Way’

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, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side”

The Old Testament organized the priests into 24 divisions:

Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

There are some possible reasons the priest avoided the man:

• Trap
• Punctuality
• Lack of medical skills
• Purity

What happens to a priest that touches or even comes close to a dead body?

Numbers 31:19-20 “Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives. Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.”

There are five levels of uncleanness in the Jewish law.

The worst level is touching a dead person and is called “The Father of the Father of impurity”

Luke 10:33-35 “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 John 3:16-18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Missionaries:

• There are 29 countries that limit people from proselytizing
• There are 36 countries that say no, none, can’t do at all.

How do the Christians reach people in these countries? Through God’s Love

The message of Jesus is counter cultural/ Against the grain of society:

• Luke 5 – Jesus asks a tax collector to come and be his disciple and then attends a party with him and many other tax collectors and “sinners”
• Luke 6 – Healed the withered hand of a man on the Sabbath in the Synagogue.
• Luke 7 Healed the servant of a Roman Centurion (Unclean when dealing with Gentiles)
• Luke 7 – Dining with a prominent Pharisee and allows woman to wash his feet with her hair and tears who then puts perfume on his feet.

Luke 9:51-56 “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set his face for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said, You know not what manner of Spirit you are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.”

Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

It can be said about love:

• Love will take you farther than you ever wanted to go
• Love will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay
• Love will cost you more than you ever intended to pay

There is a difference between Sympathy and Compassion:

• Sympathy – Feels bad for someone and what they are experiencing
• Compassion – Compassion involves taking action to help.