July 19 | The Parable of the Good Samaritan | Darren Whitehead

[00:00:49][music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Oh, heat.

[00:12:28]>> [music] >> Well, good morning, Church of the City.

[00:12:30]Let's all stand.

[00:12:33]How's everybody doing [music] this morning?

[00:12:39][music] It is good to be in the house of the Lord together.

[00:12:45]We're going to [music] worship. We're going to sing.

[00:12:51]Come on, let's sing this together.

[00:12:54]I don't hope without your [music] goodness.

[00:13:00]I would be desperate.

[00:13:03]Without [music] your [singing] love, slave to the darkness if it wasn't [music and singing] for the cross.

[00:13:16]Thank you Lord.

[00:13:19]Oh thank you [music] Jesus.

[00:13:24]See you have won.

[00:13:26]I [music and singing] won with your kindness.

[00:13:32]Chase [music] me down when I was [singing] lost.

[00:13:39]Where [music] would I be if it wasn't [music] for the cross? Let's sing it out. Come on. Hallelu.

[00:13:51][music] Thank you, Jesus. [singing] I was a prisoner, now I'm not.

[00:14:01]And with your [music and singing] blood, you you bought my freom.

[00:14:08]>> [music and singing] >> Hallelu for the Christ.

[00:14:15][music] >> Well, good morning. Today, across our three services, we are baptizing more than 50 people.

[00:14:25]These individuals have made a personal decision to surrender their lives to Jesus. And today through baptism, they're making that decision known to their friends, family, and our faith community. So, in just a second, they're going to make their way up. They're going to have a moment at the cross, and then they're going to head back. And then, [music] while we are worshiping, they're going to be coming in and out of the water. And every time someone emerges from the water, [music] we're going to join our shouts and our praise with the celebration of heaven. that one more person has moved from death to life [music] in Jesus. Are we ready? Are ready? All right. Here we go.

[00:15:08]All my shame was [music] with mercy and now your mercy will be my song. [music] Oh, the glory.

[00:15:24][music] Oh, the power of the cross. Oh, hallelu.

[00:15:34]Thank [music] you, Jesus.

[00:15:37]I was a prisoner, now I'm not.

[00:15:43]And with your [music] blood, you are my freedom. [singing] Hallelujah. [music] For by your stripes, [music] by your stripes, by your death, the power is [music] overcome.

[00:16:08]It is finished.

[00:16:11]by your [music] stripes on by your death.

[00:16:17]The power of sin is over. [music] Oh, by your stripes, by [music] your stripes, by your death, the power is [music] over.

[00:16:34]Oh, it is finished. is done by your stripes.

[00:16:40]By [music] your death, the power of sin is overcome. [music] Hallelu.

[00:16:51][music] Thank you, Jesus. [singing] I was a prisoner.

[00:16:57]Oh, but now I'm not. [music] Thank you, Lord. With your blood you bought my [music] freom.

[00:17:07]Halleluah.

[00:17:10]Halleluah. [music] Hallelu.

[00:17:16]Thank you [music] Jesus.

[00:17:19]I was a prison now.

[00:17:24][music] For your freom [music] for [music] Thank you for the cross, Lord. [music] Thank you for the cross.

[00:17:50]Oh, [music] hey.

[00:17:58][music] [music] All right, it's a celebration. Let's go.

[00:18:20]Come on, sing it out. [music] I got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul and I can't hide it no more. I got [music] to praise it. I got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul. And I cannot praise the one [music] who broke my chains and bought my freedom. [music] What else can [singing] I say but thank you Jesus?

[00:18:50][music] Cuz you're just not good, just faithful, and you're just that [singing and music] kind. I'm so grateful that you saved my life like you said [music] you would.

[00:19:04]Throwing my [music] hands aartended in a pain cuz you save my life [music] like you said you would. Cuz you just you just could [music] you put a song in my heart. I'll sing with all that I got. It's everywhere you are. [music] I'm going crazy. You put a song in my heart. I'll sing with all that I got. Tell me where you are. I'm going to praise [music] you. You go by [music] freedom.

[00:19:46]What else can I say? Thank you, Jesus.

[00:19:53]Cuz you just go, [music] just fine.

[00:19:58]I'm so grateful that you save my [music] life. like you said you would.

[00:20:06]Throw my hands aart [music] fing [music] like you said you would just [music] [music] praise the one You broke [music] my chains and bought my freom.

[00:20:42]What else can [music] I say? But thank you, Jesus. Praise the one who [music] broke my What else [music] can I say? Thank you, Jesus. Cuz [music] you're just that good, just not faithful in you.

[00:21:08]I'm so grateful that you save my life [music] like you said you were.

[00:21:16]So with my hands up high [music] [music] you just w [music] you just that good.

[00:21:40]I [music] believe it.

[00:21:43]Oh, you're just that good. [music] I've been washed in the water. Washed [music] in the blood. I'm as good as new. [singing] Oh, hallelujah. I've been washed [music] in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh, hallelujah.

[00:22:05][music] Hey, and I'm clean. [music] Sin was Hey, [music] was running deep.

[00:22:19]The love was [music] spilled on Calvary.

[00:22:23]Oh, hallelujah. I'm clean.

[00:22:26]God, [music] how can it be that I'm ransomed and redeemed? [music] I'm standing in your victory.

[00:22:36]Oh hallelujah. I've been washed [music] in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm as good as new. Oh hallelujah. [music] I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm because [singing] of you.

[00:22:50]Oh, I'm clean. It's [music] not what I have done, but what you've done for me.

[00:23:00][music] You paid it all upon that tree.

[00:23:04]Oh, hallelujah. [music] I'm clean. Your mercy overcome and your mercy [music and singing] is so free and I'm dancing in your victory.

[00:23:18]Oh hallelujah. I've been washed in [music] the water. Washed in the blood.

[00:23:23]I'm as good as new. Oh hallelujah. I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because [music] of you. Oh hallelujah. I've been washed in the water. [music] Washed in the blood.

[00:23:39]Oh hallelujah. I'll be [music] washed in the water. Washed in the blood.

[00:23:46][music] Cuz you took [music] away my shame and you nailed it to the cross.

[00:23:57]You got me running out the grave.

[00:24:00]Hallelujah. Here I come.

[00:24:04]Cuz you took away my shame and you nailed it to the cross.

[00:24:10][music] You got me running out the grave.

[00:24:14]Hallelujah. Here I come. Cuz you took away cuz you took away my shame.

[00:24:21][music] And you nailed it to the cross.

[00:24:25]You got me running out the [music] grave.

[00:24:28]Hallelujah. Here I [music] took away my sh and you never [music] do.

[00:24:44]Oh [music] yes. You took away my shame and you nailed [music] me too.

[00:24:52]You got me running out.

[00:24:56]Oh, hallelujah. [music] Here I come. Hallelujah. Here I come.

[00:25:00]Hallelujah. Here I come.

[00:25:03]Hallelujah. [music] Here I come.

[00:25:06]Oh, hallelujah. Here I come.

[00:25:11][music] Yeah.

[00:25:20][music] Heat.

[00:25:28][music] >> [music] >> All because of you. Oh, I've been washed in the water. [music] Washed in the blood. I'm as good as new. Oh, hallelujah. I've been washed [music] in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh hallelujah.

[00:25:57][music] [music] Who [singing] am I that the highest king would welcome [music] me?

[00:26:11]I was lost but he brought me in. Oh his love for me.

[00:26:19]Oh his love for me. Hey, who the sun [music] sets free or is free indeed.

[00:26:31]I'm [music] a child of God. Yes, I am.

[00:26:38][music] He has ransomed me. His grace [music] runs me.

[00:26:49]While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died.

[00:26:53][music] Oh yes, he died for me [music] who the sun sets free.

[00:27:07][music] I'm a child of God. Yes, [music] I am.

[00:27:17]In my father's [music] house, there's a place for me.

[00:27:26]I'm a [music] child of God. Yes, I [music] am chosen, not forsaken. [music] I [singing] am who you say I am.

[00:27:42]You [music] are for me, not against me.

[00:27:47]I am you say, "Oh, I'm chosen."

[00:27:51]I am chosen, not [music] forsen.

[00:27:55]I [singing] am who you say I am.

[00:27:59]You are [music] for me, not against me.

[00:28:04]I [music] was chosen.

[00:28:07]I am chosen, [music] not forsaken.

[00:28:14]>> [music] >> You are for me not against me. [music] I am who you say I am.

[00:28:24]Yes, I am who you say I am.

[00:28:31]The [music] sun set is free. [music] I'm a child of God. [music] Yes, I [music] [music] a child of God. Yes, I am.

[00:29:04]I'm a [music] child of God. Yes, I am [music] alone [music] in my sorrow and dead in my sin.

[00:29:24]Lost without hope, no [music] place to begin.

[00:29:33]Wait to let mercy come in. [music] When death was arrested, my life began.

[00:29:45][music] Oh, ash was redeemed. Only beauty remain.

[00:29:54][music] My orphan heart is given.

[00:30:03]My morning [music] grew quiet. my heroes to dance [music] when death was arrested.

[00:30:15][music] Oh, your grace so free washes [music] over [singing] me.

[00:30:28]You [music] have made me new. Now life begins [singing] with you. [music] It's your endless love.

[00:30:37]It's your endless love [music] pouring [singing] down on us.

[00:30:46]You have [singing] made us new now. Life [music] begins with you. Hey, let's sing that again. [music] Oh, your grace so free. Washes washes over. [music] Oh, you have made me new. Now life begins with you. [music] It's your endless [music] love pouring [singing] down us. [music] You have made us new. Now life begins with you.

[00:31:30][music] Our savior displayed on a criminal's cross.

[00:31:38][music] Darkness rejoiced as though heaven.

[00:31:46][music] But then Jesus alone without freedom in it.

[00:31:54]That's when [music] death was arrested in my life.

[00:31:59]All your grace, all your [music] grace. So free washes over.

[00:32:09][music] Baby [music] down [music] [music] to your grace so free.

[00:32:38]All your graes [music] over me. [music] You are amazing.

[00:32:50]Now I [music] fall down.

[00:33:04][music] You are in our life begins with you.

[00:33:13][music] Oh, we're free. Free forever. We're free. Come join us all. [music] Yes, we're free. Free forever. [music] We're free. [music] free will [music] join us all the free [music] forever when death was in my life. That's [music] when death was in my life.

[00:33:55][music] >> [music] >> Well, man. Oh, man. What a Sunday.

[00:34:08][applause] [music] >> Hey, so we're going to bring everyone that was just baptized. We're going to have them come line up at the front of the stage. And if you have been invited to come and join them for a time of prayer. Now's the time to do that. So, you can go ahead and start making your way up. You can come down the aisles and up these stairs. Love people that'll help you. But if they've talked to you about that, now's the time. Come on up.

[00:34:26]We'll keep singing for a minute.

[00:34:30]Oh, your grace so free washes over me. [music] You have made me new. Now life begins [music] with [singing] you. Oh, it's your endless love. It's your endless love pouring [music and singing] down on us.

[00:34:58]You have made us new now. Life begins with you. [music] Oh, your grace free. Oh, [singing] your grace so free washes [music] over me.

[00:35:16]You have made [music and singing] me new. Now life begins with you. Oh, your endless [music] love is your end. Les love [music] pouring [singing] down on us.

[00:35:34]You have made us new. Now life begins with [music and singing] you. You have made us new. You have [music and singing] made us new. Now life begins with you. Oh, you've made us new. Lord, you have [music and singing] made us new. Our life begins with you.

[00:36:00][music] Oh, we're free. Free forever. We're [singing] free. Come join the song [music] of all the Yes, we're free.

[00:36:13]We're free forever. [singing] Amen. When death was [music] a rest and my life began.

[00:36:21]>> What about this site up here, folks?

[00:36:22]Isn't this beautiful?

[00:36:24]>> [applause] [music] [applause] >> If if you've been a Christian for a while, this probably does something in your heart because younger people and older people are still encountering Jesus for the very first time.

[00:36:47]And it's a beautiful thing to witness.

[00:36:49][applause] Oh, you know the reason people are emotional is they've been praying for this moment.

[00:36:56]The people that are surrounding you are the ones that have prayed for this moment and and now they've seen it.

[00:37:02]They've got to experience it. They got to witness it. So now we want to take a moment to pray for you. So every person who got baptized, those surrounding, would you lay hands on them? And the rest of us, would you reach out a hand toward them? Let's pray. God, thank you.

[00:37:17]Thank you. [music] Thank you that you are still saving, redeeming, and washing people clean, bringing them into the kingdom.

[00:37:28]God, thank you that we get to witness the work of the spirit flowing through these lives.

[00:37:35]We think about the moment Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven saying, "This is my son whom I love. In him I'm well pleased." I pray that every son and daughter who got baptized today would hear your voice. Affirmation from the father. You are my child.

[00:37:54]I love you. I'm so pleased with you today. God, I pray that this would be a before and after moment in their lives.

[00:38:02]I pray that you would launch them into a new season of their lives with your hand upon them, your favor upon them, God, your spirit in them.

[00:38:11]Lord, I pray that you would use them in this next season. We thank you that we get to witness this. We give you all the glory and we offer it to you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen.

[00:38:26]Amen. Amen. [applause] All right, you can remain standing and you guys can make your way back to your seats. We're going to continue to worship. [music] Hallelu.

[00:38:45]Hallelu. [singing and music] I know it was the blood. Could have only been [singing] the blood.

[00:38:55]Hallelu.

[00:38:58]Hallelu.

[00:39:01]I know it was the blood. Could [music and singing] have only been the blood. Hallelu.

[00:39:11]Hallelu. [singing] I know it [music] was the blood. Could have only [singing] been the blood.

[00:39:21]Hallelu.

[00:39:24]Hallelu. [singing] I know it was the blood. Could have [music] only been the blood.

[00:39:39]>> [music] [music] >> Well, let's sing again. Hallelu. [music] Hallelu.

[00:40:03]Hallelu.

[00:40:06]I know it [music] was the blood.

[00:40:08][singing] Could have only been the blood.

[00:40:13]Hallelu.

[00:40:15][music] Hallelu.

[00:40:19]I know it was the blood. Let's just sing it one [music] more time.

[00:40:26]Hallelu.

[00:40:29]Hallelu.

[00:40:30][music] I know it was the [singing] blood. Could have only been the blood. [music] Hallelu.

[00:40:42]Hallelu.

[00:40:44][music] I know it was the blood. Could have only been the blood.

[00:40:58][music] Oh.

[00:41:01]Oh. It could have only been your life.

[00:41:06]Oh, come [music] on. Let's see. It's never been about performance. It's never been about performing perfection [music] or striving for acceptance. Let [music] me tell you, it's only by the blood.

[00:41:27]It's never been about deserving or earning. [music] It's a gift that's freely gi. Let me tell you.

[00:41:39][music] Oh, does anybody want to be holy and rightous, purified [music] and spotless? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood.

[00:41:53][music] Does anybody want to be worthy for justified [music] really living it? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood.

[00:42:08][music] Hallelu Hallelu. [music] I know he was the only [music] hallelujah.

[00:42:26]Hallelujah.

[00:42:29]I know it was [music] only Thank you, [music] Lord.

[00:42:41]Thank you, Jesus.

[00:42:44]Oh, [music] [music] and [music] what can wash away [singing] my sin?

[00:43:07]Nothing [music] but Yeah. Come on.

[00:43:13]And what can make [music] me whole?

[00:43:23][music] >> Oh, we sing, oh preious [singing] and oh preious [music] is a flow that makes me [music] white as snow.

[00:43:46]found [music] [singing] nothing but the blood of [music and singing] Jesus.

[00:43:58]Oh, [music] Father God, we thank you for sending your son, your only son to shed his blood for us. It is not by our efforts or our worthiness or our righteousness that salvation comes. It is only through the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah.

[00:44:25]God, we thank you and praise you for sending your son. Lord Jesus, we thank you for coming, offering your [music] life. We lift you up as the only one worthy of honor and glory, power, and praise. And we do it in the name of Jesus. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen.

[00:44:44]Let's thank the team for leading us. And then as you grab a seat, why don't you turn and say good morning to those around you.

[00:44:59]>> Well, good morning and welcome. Welcome to Church of the City. If we haven't met, my name is Brad Harris. I am one of the pastors here. Uh, if you want to find out everything going on in the life of our church, the best way to do that is to scan the QR code that can be found on the card between your seats, that's going to have every registration next step or more information that you could find. Just scan that QR code. That QR code is also how you can give. If you would like to do that today, you can scan the QR code. You can visit our website. You can text the number on the screen. And then we'll also have a team standing by on the way out to receive offerings. Uh, one way that your gifts have made an impact is that this week we were able to host a back- to-school carnival for foster and adoptive families. This was hosted at our Spring Hill church and through this event, which was actually a partnership with several other churches and community organizations in our area, we were able to serve 119 foster and adoptive families. Yeah.

[00:46:05]and more than 400 kids were given brand new shoes, backpacks, and school supplies as the fall approaches. So whether you served, whether you give, whether you gave, or whether you prayed, we want to say thank you. Because of you, these kids were able to enter the fall, into the new school year feeling a sense of being known, loved, and cared for. So thank you. Well, ladies, our registration for the fall season of the table opens tomorrow. If you're new around here, the table is a seasonal gathering for women where ladies of all ages and stages of life come together and share worship, a teaching, and some great connection and community around God's word. This fall, the theme is going to be choosing God's joy. and our ladies are going to be exploring what does it look like to have lasting joy in Jesus beyond the circumstances of your life. So registration opens tomorrow.

[00:47:04]We'd love to see you bring a friend if you like. Visit cootc.com/women tomorrow to register. Today we are continuing in our parables season for the summer and we're exploring, we're looking into these stories of Jesus that give us a glimpse as to what life is like in his kingdom. And to guide us today, would you please welcome Pastor Darren.

[00:47:29][applause] Well, hey folks, if it uh feels a little bit warm in here, that is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

[00:47:45]And um the HVAC is not working. It turns out uh we didn't pay a utility bill last month. And no, uh we we've actually had a team working on it. It stopped working last night. I'm like, I only need it to work for like four hours a week, right?

[00:48:04]So, um, one of the one of the, uh, ideas of what may happen is is that they're saying it may have got struck by lightning last night. It's almost like God said, "These people are too comfortable." And I need to remind them that the Christian life is about conviction, not comfort. So, I I I just want to say to you as I get ready to preach uh what I say to my children. You can do hard things. Okay? We can do this together.

[00:48:34]Yes. Thank you. [applause] Maybe you're clapping just to cool yourself. I don't know what it is. But hey, it's great to be back. I have not preached for a couple of weeks. I've been traveling with my family and had a bit of a time of of rest and uh a time of vacation. And uh I am delighted to be jumping into this series. We've been in a series going through the parables of Jesus. Some of my favorite kinds of texts in the entire Bible are these simple stories that have such profound meaning. And these stories, they kind of creep up on you a little bit. Onethird of the content that was recorded in Jesus' words are parables. The English word parable comes from the Greek word parabol. It literally means to throw alongside. You see, a parable isn't just an illustration. It's an invitation. And Jesus places two realities side by side.

[00:49:31]An ordinary story and then the kingdom of God. And then he asks you, can you see yourself in this? Every parable forces a decision.

[00:49:42]Jesus, of course, was not the first to use parables. There are parables in the Old Testament, too. In fact, one really powerful one in the Old Testament is in 2 Samuel 12. You know the scene. King David is sitting on the throne. He's just got done doing the worst thing he's ever done. He slept with another man's wife. He got her pregnant. And then he had her husband murdered to cover it all up. And nobody in the palace is saying a word about it. Then a prophet named Nathan asks for an audience with the king. Now, he doesn't just walk in and say, "David, you're a murderer." He tells a story.

[00:50:16]He says, "There were two men in a city, one rich and one poor. The rich man had huge flocks and herds, more than he could count. The poor man had nothing except for one little lamb. He bought it, raised it, it ate from his table, it drank from his cup, slept in his arms.

[00:50:33]It was like a child to him and he cherished it. One day, a traveler comes to visit the rich man. And the rich man, who has thousands of his own sheep, doesn't touch his own flock. He instead takes the poor man's lamb, the only thing that he had. He kills it and he serves it for dinner.

[00:50:51]David hears this story. He jumps to his feet furious. HE SAYS, "AS SURELY AS the Lord lives, this man who did this deserves to die."

[00:51:01]And Nathan looks at the king of Israel and says four words. You are that man.

[00:51:11]It's the power of a parable.

[00:51:15]Which parable do you think is the most famous parable of all time? What do you think? Turn to the person next to you and tell them which one you think is the most famous parable of all time.

[00:51:33]>> All right. I didn't say tell the story of the parable. Okay. Just stand to your feet. We're going to read God's word together.

[00:51:43]How many said the prodical son was the most famous of all time? How many said the parable of the swer was the most famous? How many of you said the good Samaritan?

[00:51:53]Every single source that I found said the overwhelming uh finding was that the good Samaritan was the undisputed, absolute most famous, widely understood parable of all time. So, if you got that, you're Bible scholar for today. Okay.

[00:52:10]I'm going to be reading from Luke 10.

[00:52:13]Very, very well-known passage of scripture. And there is all of this detail that is hiding in plain sight.

[00:52:18]Let's read this. Luke 10:25. On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it? He answered, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. You've answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself. So he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply to that question, 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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So to a Levite, when he came by to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, took pity on him. He went to him, bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and 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 dinary and gave them to the inkeeper. Look after him, he said.

[00:53:24]And when I return, I'll reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.

[00:53:29]Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." This is the word of the Lord.

[00:53:45]Thanks be to God. You may be seated.

[00:53:48]Uh this is um some of my most favorite passages to teach on. Something that's really wellnown, something that is really familiar and is seldom understood.

[00:54:03]People know this story. Most people don't understand the teaching behind this story. What is actually happening?

[00:54:11]And I want to get into all of that. Now, as famous as it is, it's only in one of the four gospels. It's in Luke's gospel, which makes sense. This is a a story that a doctor is telling about uh a first responder or about first aid, about someone who is physically injured and then the story of their healing and medical care through the eyes of a physician. So let's jump in. Verse 25.

[00:54:36]On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Let me set the scene for you a little bit here. An expert in the law is an expert in the religious law, expert in the Torah. Uh that he would have had the first five books of the Torah memorized. He's a PhD. He would taught other people. He would have been known in the community as an intellectual, as a scholar. and he was standing up to talk to Jesus. It says he stood up. This was a sign of respect.

[00:55:10]But the word test Jesus is the same word test is the same word that is used when Jesus went to the wilderness and Satan came to test him. Same word. Uh interestingly the word teacher is used 10 times in the gospel of Luke and all 10 times are negative.

[00:55:28]What must I do to inherit eternal life?

[00:55:30]This was a famous question uh in the first century. In fact, the Hebrew phrase is alam habah. It means age to come or world to come. What must I do to inherit the alumhabah?

[00:55:44]And there was debates that were going on about it. And so he was bringing that debate to a rabbi in public. Jesus response to a question with a question as he often does. What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it?

[00:55:59]Now, debates about what scripture means has been taking place for centuries, even before the time of Jesus. I have two seminary degrees, and I think that I felt like I understood the Bible better before I went to seminary than after.

[00:56:20]When you really engage in God's word, you discover how vast it really is. And what seminary does is it challenges you to have conclusions of interpretation about morality and theology about context.

[00:56:39]And you you have these moments. Every seminary student has it. But you have this moment where you're like, "Oh, I don't know what I don't know."

[00:56:47]The Bible is vast. It's extraordinary.

[00:56:52]What is written in the law? Jesus said, "How do you read it?" Here at the church, church of the city, we try to maintain a posture of learning, respect for the art and science of biblical interpretation, theology, history, context. Sometimes we ask the question, what did it mean to the original audience? And then what does it mean to us? And I want to get into a little bit of that. Verse 27, he answered this.

[00:57:17]Love the Lord your God with your heart, with your soul, with all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Love God and love other people. He's quoting uh Deuteronomy 6. Jesus responds. Imagine this scene. You have answered correctly, grasshopper.

[00:57:34]Do this and you will live. Now, did you catch what happened here? He stands up to test Jesus. Jesus then throws a question back to him and Jesus is like, "Correct."

[00:57:47]Except that there's a bit of a twist on it here. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus says, "Do this and you will live."

[00:57:56]This man is concerned with his death and Jesus is concerned with his life. This man is like, "How do I get into heaven?"

[00:58:03]Then Jesus responds with, "Here's how to live." Now, isn't that interesting? I grew up in a tradition of going to youth camps. Um, some of the most significant spiritual milestones in my life happened on Christian youth camps. They were very, very important in my story.

[00:58:21]But almost every youth camp that I ever went to, the last night of camp was the same thing. And it would culminate with a question.

[00:58:29]If you died tonight, do you know where you would go? If you died tonight, sometimes they tell a story about a, you know, a bus crashing full of kids and are they prepared to die and and and all that. No youth pastor in history ever stood up on the last night of camp and said, "What if you don't die tonight?

[00:58:49]How are you going to live?

[00:58:52]It seems like sometimes the Christian tradition that we come from is preparing people to die more than it's preparing people to live.

[00:59:04]And this is what Jesus is getting at here.

[00:59:08]Do this and you will live. Dallas Willard once said, "The Christian life is not about getting into heaven when you die. It's getting into heaven before you die."

[00:59:17]Do this and you will live. Jesus said the expert stood stood up to test Jesus and Jesus is essentially saying correct you may sit down and the religious leader felt embarrassed in front of his mates because it says in verse 29 but he wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus another question and who is my neighbor another hotly contested debate in the first century this debate was going on between rabbis and teachers of the law many believed and They wanted to build a case that their neighbor was just a fellow Jew, someone who looked like them, believed like them, thought like them. Certainly not Gentiles and tax collectors and immoral people.

[01:00:01]I guess the other thing to point out is if you are asking who is my neighbor, you're also asking who is not my neighbor?

[01:00:09]And this question requires a story.

[01:00:13]In reply to this question, Jesus said, "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."

[01:00:27]This is, it would seem a fictitious story, a parable. And yet, he set the scene in a very literal place, a place that they all would have known. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is about 15 miles. It's full of hills and turns.

[01:00:41]Some historians believe there was a stretch called the pass of blood because travelers were frequently jumped there and attacked so often in this particular section. A few years ago, I was in Jerusalem. I'll show you the exact place where this is. Uh throughout the land of Israel, there are these big cracks [snorts] in the in the ground and they're called wadis. And this one is a very famous one. It's called Wadi Kelt.

[01:01:07]Let me put the I I'll put the uh descriptions up here. This you see Jerusalem is at the top there and then Jericho is at the base there. Wadi Kelt was also known as the valley of the shadow of death.

[01:01:22]It was a treacherous place. I went uh on a donkey and traveled all the way down to the bottom of it. A mate of mine had a drone while we were there and I went right down. There's a monastery that looks straight out of Lord of the Rings down the bottom there. It's it's really an extraordinary place. But this is Wii Kelt. This is the scene. This is the place that Jesus was describing that the good Samaritan's story took place. When he said this particular road, everyone knew this road. This is a photograph that I took that really depicts the the the road and uh just you know the the the the access. You kind of get your head around all of this. It says they stripped him of his clothes. They beat him and went away leaving him half dead.

[01:02:13]Now, there are two key pieces of information in this one sentence.

[01:02:17]Stripped and half dead. Here's why this is important.

[01:02:21]Ethnic elitism was typical within the social order of the first century. So, the first thing that the audience wanted to know is what race or religion was this man? They wanted to know is he one of us or one of them.

[01:02:37]Now there were two ways to perceive one's ethnicity or religion or group in the first century. The first was their clothing and the second was their accent.

[01:02:46]They wanted to know if he would park the car or he would park the car.

[01:02:54]It's the only thing you're going to remember from my sermon.

[01:02:58]So Jesus is telling this story and the crowd is waiting TO HEAR WHAT GROUP DID THIS MAN BELONG TO.

[01:03:06]But you see he was stripped and he was unconscious and there was no way to determine his race or religion whether he was in or out. Jesus removes these factors. All we know is that he was a human being.

[01:03:20]Jesus cuts through the discriminary issues and simply shows the value of a human life.

[01:03:28]Something happened in the heart of our church several years ago.

[01:03:33]There was a point where we learned that there were kids that were placed in the foster care system and they had no homes to go to. And so they were just a few miles from here. They were sleeping in a government office. You remember this?

[01:03:49]my wife who was a social worker when we first got married. I mean this this this evoked an emotional response in her. She ended up going down Department of Children's Services office just to try to provide some comfort for these kids.

[01:04:07]One day she went down and she found an 8-year-old little girl. She'd been removed from her home. All of the adults in her life had failed her and she was now surrounded by adults that she did not know. and she was waking up every morning in a sterile government building cuz there was no family for her.

[01:04:25]And Brandy told me that she asked her if she could brush her hair and this little girl nodded and Brandy just brushed her hair and prayed for this little girl.

[01:04:40]something happened in our heart as a church.

[01:04:45]That this was not okay for the kids that are in our very community.

[01:04:50]And that became the seed that is ultimately becoming the work of the village where we're going to be able to organize and mobilize at scale helping some of the most vulnerable people in our community and beyond. And uh I need to tell you as of last week, the city of Franklin has officially given us our preliminary certificate of occupancy for this building.

[01:05:16]So [applause] it's on.

[01:05:21]It's almost like we're serious about this.

[01:05:25]So we are planning a grand opening that is going to be coming up a little bit later in the fall. We'll tell you a lot more about that, but we are going to be getting this up and running. It's like we've had sign off from from the city.

[01:05:39]Jesus begins by highlighting the dignity and the beauty of a human life made in the image of God.

[01:05:50]This 15-mi stretch between Jerusalem and Jericho was significant because the temple was in Jerusalem and the priests lived in Jericho. So, it was no surprise when Jesus said in verse 31, "A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man pass by on the other side." Let me put this photograph back up.

[01:06:09]This is first century rabbitic humor.

[01:06:12]This is a joke because what would you say to someone who's passing by on the other side of this road? This is a very, very narrow road. These guys are stepping over this body. This is not passing by on the other side. Second character is introduced. So to a Levite when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side. Now in the Jewish community, there were three categories of people that would use this road. Priests who had high temple duties, Levites who assisted in the temple, and then Jewish layman, ordinary Jews that perform basic tasks in the temple. People would serve for two weeks and then they would return home. So, it was obvious where this story was going, right? It follows a natural order.

[01:06:58]There's a priest first, there's a Levi second, and then the hero of the story is very obvious. It's going to be a regular Jew. And the lesson is you don't need to be a church leader. You don't need to be a religious leader to really help people.

[01:07:14]So, the priest and the Levite don't stop. Contrary to a lot of modern application, this story is not really illustrating busyiness like someone's got a flat tire or a blown radiator and people just keep going by. You see, was the crowd surprised that they didn't stop? Probably not. According to Leviticus 22, if a priest or Levite touched a dead body or blood, they would be considered ceremonially unclean. It would take a full week of rituals to be cleansed again and restored back to priestly duties. It was also embarrassing to be ceremonially unclean.

[01:07:53]So the crowd kind of knew how this story was going to unfold. First it was going to be a priest going by. Then it was going to be a Levite going by. The next person in the progression was a Jewish layman. But then there comes a shock, a twist.

[01:08:09]Verse 33. But a Samaritan as he traveled came where the man was and when he saw him took pity on him. A Samaritan.

[01:08:17]Today there is about 900 Samaritans that are still living. Um these are not Israeli or Palestinian. These are the the their own race, the Samaritans.

[01:08:29]There were centuries of animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans.

[01:08:33]I've done some in-depth teaching on the origins of the Samaritans in the past, but just to catch you up in short, this dates back to the Assyrian Empire. This dates back to 7:21 BC. The Assyrians who invented terrorism invaded the northern kingdom of Israel and then they took the Jews captive. Now, instead of killing them, they wanted to do something far more sinister. They wanted to do something that was far more destructive.

[01:09:01]They forced the Jews to intermar with these barbarians, with these Assyrians.

[01:09:08]The Jews had such ethnic pride in their bloodline that diluting their bloodline was just like the ultimate insult to this race of people. And the very existence of a Samaritan, the very existence of a half Jew, half Assyrian was representative of someone who betrayed their own race. They hated them.

[01:09:35]They didn't even want to mention their name.

[01:09:38]In fact, some Jews prayed a prayer that included that Samaritans would never inherit eternal life. Kind of reverse evangelism.

[01:09:50]So, this story begins with a man asking, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" And then Jesus makes the hero of the story a Samaritan.

[01:10:02]Just to help you understand how offensive this really is, what if I told a story that I was on Highway 96 and I ran out of gas, pulled over to the side of the road, I get out and I don't know what I'm going to do, but all of a sudden I see provision. I see John Reic driving toward me and I'm like waving at him. He glances over then pretends not to see me and then accelerates away.

[01:10:31]I'm like maybe maybe he didn't see me. I I don't know. But then, wouldn't you know it, a few moments later, Shawn Groves is driving by and I start shouting his name. Sean, can you help me? Can you help me? And he too just drives away.

[01:10:47]What happens next? The leader of a drug cartel who runs a human trafficking ring stops to help me. And with great compassion, he helps me get through this. You would be thinking, what kind of bizarre story is this?

[01:11:08]That is how this story is landing on this audience. And what happens? Verse 34. He went to him, bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took out two diner and gave them to the inkeeper. "Look after him," he said.

[01:11:25]"And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expenses that you may have." A diner is a day's wage. The Samaritan was diligent to make sure the man in need would not be in debt.

[01:11:39]Now, here comes the big moment of confrontation in this text. Jesus is famous for doing this. Watch verse 36.

[01:11:47]Now, which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

[01:11:56]The expert in the law couldn't even utter the word Samaritan.

[01:12:04]He replies, [sighs] "The one who had mercy on him."

[01:12:13]By the way, pay attention when you don't even want to mention someone's name.

[01:12:21]My ex, my kid's father, my former business partner.

[01:12:31]When you don't even want to mention someone's name, this is often a sign of something that is going on in your heart.

[01:12:39]Now, did you see what Jesus did here? He reverses the initial question. The initial question was, "Who is my neighbor?" He flips IT TO, "WHO WAS a neighbor?" The expert in the law was like, "Who do I have to give to?" Jesus responds with, "Who would you receive from if you were in need?" Who is my neighbor? Who do you want to be a neighbor to you if you are in need? What if you were the man that was beaten, stripped, and left half dead? What if it was your son or your daughter or your spouse? Would you receive mercy even from your enemy?

[01:13:14]Martin Luther King once said, "I imagine that the first question the priest and Levite asked was, if I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?"

[01:13:24]But the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question. If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?

[01:13:35]What will happen to me?

[01:13:37]What will happen to him?

[01:13:40]As I was studying this text this week, it just occurred to me, where did the Samaritan meet this person in need?

[01:13:51]It was along a road. We all use roads every single day. He was going about his regular normal life.

[01:14:00]Could it be that we are supposed to pay attention to the people that come into our lives?

[01:14:06]It could be that God sees one of his precious children who are hurting or in need and he purposely sends them into your life to help bring healing.

[01:14:24]I want to close your eyes for a second.

[01:14:26]I want you to close your eyes for a second and and I want to see if we can really land this. I want you to think for a second. Who are the people that God has recently brought into your life who are in need?

[01:14:39]Who are the people that you have encountered? They are in pain or they are in need and they have recently come into your life.

[01:14:50]Is there a person that comes to mind?

[01:14:55]I I simply want to invite you now to ask the Holy Spirit, what should I do?

[01:15:07]What should I do?

[01:15:48]I want to invite you to grab the communion elements that are between each of the seats.

[01:15:53]If you're not a Christian, feel free to not participate in this, but if you're a follower of Jesus, we are going to gather around the Lord's table.

[01:16:07]You know, when we read a parable, we need to ask the question, where am I in this story? Maybe you think, well, I'm the priest or the Levite and I shouldn't be so busy. I should be more like the Samaritan.

[01:16:22]I want to suggest that the place that we find ourselves in this story is that we are the man lying on the road.

[01:16:32]You see, when no one was expecting it, this simple story is ruptured by the gospel.

[01:16:38]Romans 2 says, "The kindness of God leads you to repentance."

[01:16:44]To say it another way, it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance, not our repentance that leads to God's kindness.

[01:16:54]The reality is that we are all vulnerable and helpless in our state of sin. And through an extravagant act of compassion and at great cost, Jesus saved us from death.

[01:17:08]You see, we are not guilting people into helping people.

[01:17:13]We have been helped and healed and loved. And out of joy and gratitude, we get to extend that help to other people.

[01:17:29]I want to invite you to stand.

[01:17:36]Thanks. A few chapters later in Luke's gospel, it's recorded in Luke 22 that Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and he broke it and he gave it to his disciples saying, "This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's eat together.

[01:18:03]The next verse says, "In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.

[01:18:11]Let's drink together."

[01:18:19]This whole story closes with these words, very actionable, these words. go and do likewise.

[01:18:33]Now, last week, Alex was talking about putting into practice like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

[01:18:41]The fool is the one who hears the words and doesn't put it into practice. So, here here's my charge to you. If a few moments ago you sensed the spirit of God bring a person to mind and then you asked the Holy Spirit, "What should I do?" And he gave you an idea.

[01:19:04]Would you do something?

[01:19:08]Would would you do it? Here's how here's how you can do it. Send him a text and say, "I was sitting in church today and I thought of you."

[01:19:17]And this is how it can begin. You can do something for someone who is hurting or someone who is in pain. What if what if the outcome of this teaching today is thousands of people being dispatched finding people that the spirit is leading you to to care for them. That my friends is the kingdom of God.

[01:19:40]Let's pray. God, would we be would you find us as doers of the word, not just hearers of the word? Would you find us as action people? Would you find us as people that follow the prompings of your spirit?

[01:19:55]We want to participate in life in the kingdom. We want to practice the way of Jesus, not just hear the way of Jesus.

[01:20:04]So I pray that our conviction would turn into action and that we would find the joy of participating in kingdom life this week.

[01:20:16]This is our prayer and we offer this in Jesus' name. And everyone said, "Amen."

[01:20:22]Amen. The prayer team is going to be down the front here if you want to pray with someone. What a Sunday, folks. What a great Sunday. Great to have you here.

[01:20:29]God bless you.