Life: Biblical Actions

Luke 10:25-37 “Life: Biblical Actions”

As parents of a two-year old, we find ourselves saying “No” very frequently. For example, there was a shoe box I wanted to keep laying on the floor. Zachariah decided to step on it. I said, “No. Please do not step on the box.” He obeyed. Then he proceeded to sit on it. “No,” I said, “please do not sit on the box.” He obeyed. Then he began to kick the box across the floor. I gave up. The best thing to do, is to give him something else to do!

As the church relates to the surrounding culture, we often have to say “No.” No to same-sex marriage. No to abortion. No to sex outside of marriage. No to racism. No to euthanasia. This is absolutely what the church must do. We must take a stand on God’s truth and his holiness. But this is not all that we must do. We don’t want to be known as the church of no-no. As we say “no,” we also need to say “but, yes.” As we stand on God’s Word and say “no,” we also proclaim the right way and live it out.

That is one reason for these sermons on the sanctity of life and marriage. We’ve said “no” to our culture, but what is the way forward for us as Christians? What’s our “yes”? What is the truth we proclaim and live? What is the right view of life, marriage, and sexuality?

Last week, we flow over Genesis 1-3 and saw that the value of human life is rooted in God’s creation of humans in his image. Each one of us, from conception to death, has value because we are God’s special creation. That is the biblical foundation. What, then, is the biblical action we should take? For that, we look to a familiar parable of Jesus: the parable of the Good Samaritan.

What I would like do this morning, is look at the lawyer’s 2 questions, and see how Jesus answers them. Then, I want to apply his teaching to standing for life.

1. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? (25-28)
A lawyer stood up and challenged Jesus. Don’t think of the stereotype of a lawyer today, with slick hair smiling at you from a billboard. No, this lawyer was an expert in religious law. He knew all the ins and outs of the OT law, along with all the traditions that had sprung up around it. He didn’t say to Jesus, “Let’s chat over figs and humus about how someone gets to heaven.” No, he challenged him to a theological duel. Unfortunately, he didn’t know he was challenging God in flesh.

This lawyer wanted to know how he could reach the coming kingdom and live forever. Jesus, gives the question back to him, and he answers the question correctly. Love God with all you got and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says- well, go do it!

The question, then, is if you obey these commands, will you have eternal life?
Yes! Absolutely! If you obey God’s law, you will have eternal life. That’s how God has set it up. But, of course, we don’t keep these laws as we should. We don’t give everything we are to God and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. This law shows that we are sinners, and shows us our need of a Savior. Part of the reason of giving this parable is so this lawyer would understand that he was NOT loving his neighbor as himself. He had failed.

We will fail at this law, but the law still stands for us to obey as Christians. First, we come to Jesus for forgiveness from our sins and failure to obey the law. Then, the law guides us in how we live for Christ. We don’t throw out the law, because we fail at keeping it. No, from a heart of love, we strive to obey Christ. This Scripture should not only convict us of our sin, but guide us in the paths of righteousness.

2. Who is my neighbor? (29-37)
Not to be outdone, the lawyer asks “and who is my neighbor?” Jesus gives this lawyer an answer that he cannot question. Many of you are familiar with this story, but so we can fully appreciate it, we’ve got to know a few details.

A. Jews hated Samaritans
The Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried with foreigners before the time of Christ. They lived north of Jerusalem and Judea within the land of Palestine. To say things were a bit tense would be an understatement. Jews would take pains to avoid contact with the Samaritans.

B. Some Jewish writings restricted love of neighbor
There are Jewish writings from around this time that restricted loving your neighbor to merely other Jews, and excluded foreigners and Samaritans. The lawyer’s question, then, is not without warrant, once we understand his context.

C. The Priest and Levite were the top of the religious establishment
When Jesus mentions a priest and a Levite, he was talking about the most religious of the religious. The top dogs in religion.

This certain man (any guy) traveled the steep, rocky road from Jerusalem. He started up in the hills of Judea, 2,600 feet above sea level and wound his way down toward the Jericho, more than 800 feet below sea level. If he thought the roads were bad, his day was going to get a whole lot worse. He gets walloped by robbers and left half-dead.

The two religious guys stay far away. It doesn’t say why. It just says that they did. But the most unlikely guy to help this half-dead guy is the despised Samaritan. Notice what the Samaritan does: he has compassion. He shows mercy. He dressed his wounds. He puts him on his own donkey and walks. He takes him to inn, and arranges for his care…with his own money. The going rate for a stay at an inn those days was a 1/12 of a denarius. A denarius was a day’s wage. The guy dropped a few hundreds on the counter and made sure the inn keeper cared for him. He would take up the bill if it ran more than that.

Whatcha gonna say to that, lawyer? Go and do likewise.

Let’s not lose the effect of this story.

One day a man was driving down the Five Mile and he has a stroke. His vehicle goes in the ditch right by the road. He lays slumped over the steering wheel. A Baptist pastor, on his way back from a hospital visit, slows down to see what happened, but steers clear, lest he nick his new car. He drives on, knowing someone else will help. A few minutes later, a deacon from a Baptist church drives by on his way home from work. He sees the same sight, but wants to get home for supper. Right after he drives away, an illegal immigrant driving to his second job, sees the man in trouble. He stops his truck. He calls an ambulance. He gets the man’s address, and pays for his car to be towed back to his house. He calls into work, and goes to the hospital to make sure the man is OK.

2 Responses to this parable

1. Love those who love me
It is easy as sinners, to love only those who we know or only love those who love us. You love the people who are nice to you? Big deal. We must avoid the snare the lawyer was trapped in. He wanted to know the lowest passing grade he could get and still make it into heaven! Jesus says: Stop asking who your neighbor is and start being a neighbor.

2. Love everyone in the world
I have heard other people say: everyone is your neighbor. In one sense that is true. Everyone of this earth is bound together because of their common human nature. But, what can happen, when we think everyone on earth is equally my neighbor, we can try to meet every need we hear of and burn out. Or, we see so many needs, and it overwhelms our brain, and we just shut down. We end up meeting no one’s needs. Especially in our time, with TV and internet, we can see millions of Syrian refugees fleeing for their lives, hungry orphans in war-torn African countries, or thousands of needy street kids in Brazil.

Being a neighbor may include helping Syrian refugees. But, more often, it involves meeting the needs of those right around us. How can you be a neighbor?
-Where do you live?
-What resources do you have (time, money, skills)?
-What needs are around you?

Keep your eyes open to people you know, the people you meet, and the needs you hear of. Yes, there are hungry kids in Africa, there are hungry kids in Chicago, but there are also hungry kids in Olean. I fear that we risk being a neighbor generally for being a neighbor specifically today where we live. The Samaritan saw a need right in front of his eyes, and he met the need as he was able.

How, then, do we love the unborn, their mothers, and those affected by abortion?
1. Walking past the unborn
I will confess that standing for the rights of unborn babies is relatively new to me. After living in South America for my high school years, I went to Bible college and then to seminary for the next 7 years…which is kind of like living in a bubble. Really, it has only been 4 years since I graduated from seminary. For me, abortion was a political battle that could not be won. But, as I came to realize, abortion is not merely a political issue. It is a gospel issue.

Christ came to die for all humanity, including the babies whose lives are snuffed out. The gospel has freed me to love my neighbors, especially those who are helpless. Like the man on the road to Jericho left for dead, infants in the womb are destroyed without even a fight. They are preyed upon by organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Abortion–often the ripping apart of a baby in the womb—is a hard and unpopular topic. But we got to face the facts. We have got to open our eyes to the truth. It is murder…by the millions. 1.2 million babies a year or more murdered. It would be like someone coming in here and shooting all of us. And repeating that 15,000 times.

We cannot be personally pro-life, while functionally pro-abortion. “I won’t abort my child or support it politically, but other people can make their own choices.” That’s like saying, “I won’t kill my two-year old, but I won’t say anything when another parent kills their two-year old.”

Brothers and sisters, let’s not cross the road and walk past the unborn whose lives will be snuffed out. As we journey on this road from Jerusalem to Jericho, I want us to walk together and grow in loving our innocent neighbors in the womb.

2. Walking past mothers

A. Those who have chosen life
As we love the innocent in the womb, we must not forget their mothers. Not all, but many women seeking an abortion, are driven to it by very hard circumstances in life. Those who say no to abortion and instead seek to raise their child, should have our support. Even those who are pregnant and not married. Even those who in the church who have a child apart from marriage. Yes, sex outside marriage is sin. Unwed pregnancy is not. Every child is a gift from God, and should be celebrated.

In the world, the pro-life position is called anti-choice or anti-woman. It’s easy for us to say “keep your child.” But will we be there when there is no money for diapers? Many Christians have said: we do care about the child and the mother. And they have started pregnancy centers to counsel and support women who would have otherwise aborted their child.

B. Those who have chosen death
Many in the pro-abortion camp want to paint abortion as an easy procedure. You go to the clinic, then you can move on with your life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Abortion leaves mothers—and fathers—carrying a sometimes unimaginable burden of grief and guilt. The murder of an unborn child will leave a deep, festering wound on a mother. Christians have the only news that will provide comfort, hope, and forgiveness.

The good news is that abortion is not merely a bad choice. It is murder. It is sin. And Christ died for sin. All sin. All sinners. The guilt can be washed away. The blood can be scrubbed off your soul. Freedom from shame and guilt is found at the cross of Christ. Where a woman once said to her child- you are unwanted, Christ came and was unwanted for us. Now, by believing in Jesus, we can become a child of God.

The gospel offers hope and an incredibly bright future for all sinners, whether they murdered babies in the womb or people in their thoughts. This is the gospel that all people must hear.

Conclusion: what’s in your hand?

When we look at the scope of abortion in America, we can easily get overwhelmed. Over one million innocent lives a year are snuffed out. How can I talk to all those mothers about choosing life? There are hundreds of Planned Parenthood clinics. I can’t protest at all of them. I can write a letter to my representative, but he won’t listen. Stop. What’s in your hand?

That’s what God asked Moses when he called him to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt. What’s in your hand? It was a simple shepherd’s staff. God used that staff to perform miracles. That is not the point of that passage in Exodus, but I still want to use the question. What do you have in your hand?

There is Christian pregnancy center in Bradford called Bright Alternatives. They offer counsel and support so that women chose life over death. I have put out some information about them in the foyer. This is one way among many that Christians can get involved in standing for life.

Do you have money? Bright Alternatives always needs diapers. They need financial support. And there are many more organizations that do just that.

Do you have time? Perhaps one of your neighbors is a single mom. Take her dinner and offer to babysit. Bright Alternatives has many ways you can volunteer.

Do you have Facebook or Twitter? With a winsome spirit, share the latest videos exposing the horrors of what Planned Parenthood does to babies.

Do you have friends at work or neighbors? Ask them what they think about the latest news about Planned Parenthood, and point to the truth that all humans deserve protection.

Do you want to be better prepared to talk about abortion and the sanctity of all human life? I have books! I have 4 copies of this book, and would be happy to give you one.

Don’t focus on the scope of the problem. Don’t focus on what you cannot do. Figure out what you can do, with the resources God has given you in the location where he has placed you. Be a neighbor with a heart on fire for God. Be a neighbor and protect innocent lives around you.

William Wilberforce was an ardent voice against slavery in the British Empire. After presenting the horrors of the slave trade for over 3 hours to the British parliament, he said this:

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

Let’s not walk past the unborn babies who are murdered in the womb without a voice. We have the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ that brings spiritual life and hope where it is believed. And if you have believed the gospel, Jesus has freed you from sin and from the love of self…for a passionate love of others.