Luke 10:25-37
Sunday Morning – 2 Sep 2018 11:22:45 am – Pastor James Yang
You may have questions in your mind when you read the bible. Jesus spoke about the parable about the Samaritan man. He asked:
“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.””
Luke 10:36-37 NKJV
A lot of people find this very confusing. These people look for people to help. If you do this, then you are in the position of the saviour.
But what about the man who fell among thieves (MFT)? He was in the position where he could not do anything, but he was just lying down on the floor. What polarity!
A lot of people do not know exactly where they are and they cannot manage their spiritual life.
Within spiritual life, there are two kinds of people: one rests, one works. The latter finds spiritual life very difficult.
For me, from childhood, I went to church. I was in Sunday school and in the youth meetings and I even became a teacher. The more I learnt about the bible, the more difficult my life became. I was even in the choir. I was a bass singer. I used to think that I was pretty good at singing. I used to sit at the back.
After the choir was over, the pastor would come out and share the Word. It would last 20 minutes. During that time, everyone falls asleep except for the 3-4 new people. I was also sleeping. I didn’t know why it was so tiring for me to go to church. I even wondered why I went to church.
Later on in my life, I went to the army and I received salvation. There was one thing I could discover. I was always in the position to do something. This really exhausted me. I learnt to do good from my childhood and so I thought that this was what I had to do.
But now, I can see that I am someone who is wrong to begin with.
Many people get confused at the end because of the Word: “Go and do likewise”.
Jesus also said to the woman caught in the very act of adultery (WCA) “Go and sin no more” and many are confused about this thinking they are the ones who should not sin anymore. They have no idea why Jesus said this.
It is because they do not understand the world of the heart. Jesus did one thing for the WCA – He made her live and defeated the law of Moses. However, many think that they are the ones who should not sin and they themselves try not to sin. They suddenly turn into a good person.
In this world, there is no one good except God.
Folks, if one’s stomach is completely empty, then you would eat food, right? But if it is filled, then you would not eat further, right? Like this, after WCA met Jesus, she was filled with the love of Jesus because Jesus had said “Neither do I condemn you”. According to this, there was no more condemnation. Jesus also said “Go and sin no more”.
Folks, when the heart of WCA was filled with so much heart of Christ, then how can she commit sin? She had no more space for sin. This is because her heart is overflowing with the heart of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “If your brother is hungry, do not just say ‘Be warm and be filled’ but one has to actually action it”. Likewise, Jesus – if He says so, then He does it as well. So if He says “Go and sin no more” it means that Jesus does this for her too.
If you have not received this heart of God, then it becomes very difficult for you to come to the church. Once your heart is filled with thankfulness, you will still seek the church and even thought it is not service time, you will still come by God and be filled with thankfulness. One need not be told to give offerings or go witnessing, etc. But the heart of God will motivate you to do so. This is the work of the Holy Spirit of the Lord. We do not have hard set rules in the church. The Holy Spirit leads you.
“Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.”
John 5:5-9 NKJV
When Jesus said to take up the bed and walk, then the man with infirmity for 38 years (M38) already had the power.
As long as you stand before the automatic door, it will automatically open. When Jesus spoke to M38, he had the power to walk immediately.
If you have tasted the flavour of the Word, then you will stand up and walk. But if not, then you are someone who says this – “Only if the door opens, then only will I go forward.”
For M38, he had lost all hope. So he was able to accept the Word of Jesus Christ. For M38, initially his thought was greater. But when he gave it all up, then he was able to walk forward.
Folks, you need to change your heart. It is time to accept the Word and walk forward.
“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.””
Judges 11:29-31 NKJV
Here, the Spirit of the Lord had already come upon Jephthah. But Jephthah still made a deal with God.
“When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.””
Judges 11:34-35 NKJV
God was already working in Jephthah but he was so insecure and had no faith in God. Why did Jephthah say such a thing in his heart? He had no faith in the promise of God and in the power of the Spirit of God. As people lived spiritual life, they always have such conditions and vows. But God does not want such conditions and vows from us. In 1 Samuel, it says that the battle belongs to the Lord. Our performance does not matter. In our spiritual life, it is not about what we do or what we have done. We must have the heart to see what God does for us — this is spiritual life. But Satan confuses us to make us do things for ourselves.
““Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When a man consecrates by a vow certain persons to the LORD, according to your valuation, if your valuation is of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. If it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels; and if from five years old up to twenty years old, then your valuation for a male shall be twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels; and if from a month old up to five years old, then your valuation for a male shall be five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver; and if from sixty years old and above, if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.”
Leviticus 27:2-7 NKJV
Let’s say Jephthah’s daughter was 20 years old – then all Jephthah had to do was pay 20 shekels only.
Jesus Christ has washed away all our sins for good. All our sins are washed away. But what do people think? People still think that they have to ask forgiveness of their sins. This is like Jephthah and this is not peaceful before the Lord. Jesus has washed away our sins eternally. Satan deceives us and makes us believe that we still have sins inside of us. This is like living like Jephthah. God has already prepared victory for us and for Jephthah. How sad it is that Jephthah has to kill his own daughter unnecessarily?
Corruption in spiritual life is going back to our works. On the other hand, spiritual life is believing in Jesus Christ. In many religion, they teach you to add your works on top of the grace of Jesus. This is why people end up being so exhausted.
Satan tells us to do things by ourselves. There are a lot of us who embrace this and so we end up doing things by ourselves. The peculiar characteristics of such people is that they say that they have received salvation and that they know. Such people actually have to change their heart. Receiving salvation is not something you should boast about. Knowing the bible is not something you should boast about.
You may be in church, or you may read the bible, but you have nothing to do with spiritual life. This is because you live like Jephthah.
The lawyer asked Jesus what he should do to inherit spiritual life. The question was wrong to begin with.
I heard what the founder of Samsung once said. The profit that the company of Samsung makes is now more than all the profit of the electronic companies in Japan combined. It is just not comparable now. There is only one reason for this. This is the result of listening. Samsung has this culture of learning from others.
The people who can learn are those who know that they are in the position where they cannot do well, and that they can learn from others.
In spiritual life, this is the same thing. If you do not hear the Word, then you cannot expect any change in your heart. Basically, the lawyer in the bible had his own heart. He could not hear nor listen and tried to do things by himself.
Broadly, you can divide people into two categories. If you are in the position to listen, then there will be immediate change. Once you are in the position where you cannot do anything by yourself, you will be in the position to receive grace.
The one way to obtain eternal life is by keeping all the laws. The second way to obtain eternal life is by grace.
A lot of people want to do well in their spiritual life. Why do they try? Because they do not know that they are limited. This is why they still attempt. In the end, they says that it does not work out. And so for them, they say that their spiritual life does not work.
Jesus expounded further by telling the tale of the man who travelled from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves and therefore became half-dead. The priest, and later the Levite passed by and ignored him. But the Samaritan man helped him. So who was the true neighbour to the half dead man? It was the Samaritan. Then Jesus said to go and do likewise. Jesus is saying to the lawyer that his position was that of the Half dead men. Samaritan was Jesus the saviour. The half dead man represents us.
No wonder people mistake themselves for the Samaritan man. Then their spiritual life is so miserable and difficult.
Once sister Yury had panic attack. She came to me asking me to pray for her. So I showed her the verse:
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
As this verse was established in her heart, she was eventually healed.
Spiritual life is about establishing the Word of God in your heart. When you see yourself, yes, you are dirty and evil and filthy but what does the Word of God say?
“nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
I Corinthians 6:10-11 NKJV
If you return to this Word, then are you washed? Are you made sanctified? Are you justified? If yes, then this means that you have established the Word within your heart. Then the sanctification, redemption and justification are in your heart. This means that you are saved.
Salvation is simple. God has sanctified you, then you are. You need accept this Word into your heart. This is the justification of God.
“who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
Romans 4:25 NKJV
Based on this Word, we are now justified. This is the first condition for us to live spiritual life. As we live spiritual life, we will encounter problems both big and small. We may have no way to solve the problem and this is why we need the Word to walk first in front of us. As the light was established in sister Yury’s heart, then the panic attack was nothing. Likewise, sin is not a problem at all before the Word. Likewise, my wife’s cancer was nothing as the Word of God was standing before her disease. If you have the Word before you, then nothing can make you troubled.
Problem is that we despise the Word many times. This is a sign of arrogance in the heart.
As long as we rely on the Word of Jesus that makes us sanctified and justified, then nothing is a problem at all before God.
We are already bound in the bundle of the living. Just as a baby is bound in amniotic fluid, then all the shocks from the outer world is not a problem at all.
After salvation, we have the Holy Spirit upon us and this is the gift of salvation. The Holy Spirit protects us now. God is with us now.