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October 23, 2020 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ amassed ever since I got. She's an easy walk see a guy hefted prison really is you don't have.
Thank you for joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word. Our world that his whole life is a mission of compassion. Think about it. Everything Jesus taught. Out of compassion he preached that a compassion healed out of compassion.
He died out of compassion.
Everything that Jesus did was out of this idea of compassion that's really is chapter 15.
Just one more person for Jesus chapter 15 of Matthew in verse 32. It's everything he's got compassion about everything.
Things little things. Yes, compassion verse 32 Jesus called his disciples and said to him I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat and I do not want to send them away hungry for they might faint on the way while you mean he has compassion because people were hungry. Yes. Not just because the lepers are not just because they're blind or not. Just because they're dead yes compassion because they have a need. It always sparks them to action question again. Do you give compassion to biblical compassion. You see, that's the question and the most important one without a doubt many of you do this past Friday I had the privilege of with that person from our body going up to Angola prison and able to be introduced to a ministry up there an incredible service being done on behalf of some of the inmates up there and saw how organized this was, not only to serve these inmates in a very specific and wonderful way. But even serve their families back here in all of this is because there are individuals in our state that have compassion for their need is he did not all you know that's a good idea that would that's a sad situation. These are people that say, let me roll up my sleeves. What can I do what can actually be done. See compassion requires action. It doesn't have to be something very large. Some of you have enormous amounts of compassion. Some of you have great compassion for the unborn and you are very much involved in things like that. I think that's a wonderful idea, but it's not always something big. It can be something small I can remember not that long ago was an evening and I was coming into my office and I met on the up the corner over there people from my church, and it turned out that there was a neighborhood woman who was suffering from Alzheimer's and that she wanted somehow to get the East Jefferson Hospital and she was very disoriented and to be Belmar church stayed with her for a very very long time until the police came. What was that that's compassion. You see, compassion isn't all that's a sad situation. Compassion is that's a sad situation. What can I do you see one of my going to do here in this particular situation, you might be thinking that that okay so it requires an action but that was Jesus so I want to use another example for the second point I want to go with me to Luke chapter 10, a very famous section of Scripture. Luke 10 verse 25. This is the parable of the good Samaritan and Jesus wants to make a very important point here. The interpretation of the parable. By the way has to deal with how a person gets saved but the application will not be mistaken for many applications.
This parable it says in verse 25 that a lawyer stood up and put them to the test. Now when you see lawyer I know what you're thinking. It's not that kind of lawyer when he means is a lawyer. This is an expert in the Old Testament, very likely, as a lawyer he would memorize most of it. He knows the Old Testament inside and out and noticed his questions. He is going to ask two of them are not honest questions, he doesn't really he's not looking to convert. He's looking to try to trick Jesus up. That's what he's looking to do. That's why says he wants to test Jesus so he gives his first question he said Rabbi what shall I do to inherit eternal life. She's heard about Jesus. He's heard what Jesus talked about. He doesn't believe that all these are very, very religious man. He's extremely self-righteous and he believes that God is going to definitely give him eternal life because of his religiosity.
You see, because he he does the law.
He's going to have eternal life, but he's heard that Jesus talks about something else, so he does this, the Jesus you gotta love the Lord's response.
He said to him what is written in the law, how does it review. Now he knows that the lawyer knows you see he goes look what's written in the law, how does it read to you know it's a right answer by Jesus but the lawyer gives an even better answer in a sense, another right answer.
What's with the lawyer says the lawyer says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself is amazing that he could say that because that's how Jesus summarized the whole law, and that lawyer summarize that the same way and notice these words, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul. Now he doesn't realize it, but is condemning himself while he's given the answer. You see, does anybody love that way all always in everything so I just keeping a lot. Does anyone keep the law perfectly.
You see, that's the delusion of the religiosity so G. He says that the Jesus and then Jesus, I love his response. He said you have answered correctly do this and you will live.
Now some people said Jesus is his way off. That's not even the gospel. How does he believe someone can work your way to that's not what Jesus you'll notice in the new American Standard. The NIV is not very good here, but the words of Jesus are do this and you shall live are all in capital letters is a quote what's happening right here is Jesus is quoting the book of Leviticus, Leviticus 18 in verse five that if you do all the law you can live. Paul picked up Annette in Galatians 310.
He said person is everyone who does not abide by the all the things written in the book of the law to perform. He said you said all everything love God with all your God love your neighbor as yourself. Do it. You live if you can keep the law perfectly. You could have life. Now Jesus is trying to get out of self-righteousness because we know nobody keeps the law perfectly except Christ himself. So that leaves him his and his mind now is going fast is a smart man so he thinks about it and he says the Jesus I got to justify myself, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. See the embers would be. I think Jesus won't let me get I got it. I don't want them to do, who is my neighbor is a why we say that for good reason.
He's been taught by the rabbis to love the Jews and they hate everyone else you hate everybody. You see I hate Gentiles.
I hates Americans. I hate anyone who is not Jewish. That's what I've been taught not by the way, that's not what the Old Testament teaches in Leviticus 24, it says you are to have the same law for the alien as for the native I am the Lord your God. In Leviticus 19 treat. He says the alien. He said as your nativeborn love them as yourself. That's Old Testament but they ignored, they hated their enemies.
That's why Jesus said love your enemies and pray for your enemies. They hated Jesus for that. That's why he once forgot who is my neighbor. If you're talking about me just lobbing my two best friends.
I think I can do this but who you talk about. See, that's the other question we have to be careful in who is my neighbor effect. This is dilemma holder place here with me and just go to first John chapter 4 and up near the back your Bible first John chapter 4 in verse 20. John picks up on this and I think it's important verses for you to see these two verses bother a lot of Christians and I can understand why because these two verses are really convicting verse 20 says.
John writes this. If someone says I love God, as if I were asked to show hand how many of you love God is.
I love God, yeah, I love God I love God. Okay, wait, if someone says I love God, and hates his brother, he's a liar for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom is Nazi was easy to say I love God, but it's harder to do though the love brother in this commandment we have from him that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
You see, I can't say I love God, but I really don't hate people with the Scripture says is you don't love God's yes I said who is my neighbor. If you're talking about a select few of people. I can love them just like I love God.
When we talk about that allows Jesus to give a parable and is the parable of the good Samaritan and is a very important parable in that sense Jesus replied and said this back to back to the Luke passage. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho means typography.
He's up high in Jerusalem is going down near sea level in the Jericho.
It's a treacherous route is as bad as it could be. It winds through the mountains.
It's still a dangerous Robert back at this time it was just loaded with all kinds of crime. It was a place you never walk alone and be like a back alley in an inner-city you still spend a lot of time there by yourself. And so that's what he's doing. He said that a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers noticed a script and they beat them in a one away, leaving him half dead as a mugging and by the way, he's really mug he's in real difficulty. Jesus use the term is half dead is the guy just lying there.
Now remember, this is all the answer a simple question who is my neighbor see who is my neighbor.
He said there's a guy laying there.
There was half dead.
Then he says this and by chance a priest was going down that road and when he saw me pass to the other side. Let me explain something from a Jewish point of view. Who were the most spiritual people kind of the lease spiritual. The Jews had categories for everyone. Right at the top of their hierarchy that most spiritual people priest, a Levitical priest. He is by far the most spiritual number to a Levite is not one of Aaron somebody's a Levite he serves in the temple but is not a priest that's number two, number three, a Pharisee, he keeps the law Pharisee would be number three number four all the rest of the Jews they would be number four number five would be tax gatherers and sinners who are Jewish like Matthew and people like that. Number six would be Gentiles and number seven Samaritans, the lowest group of people on earth. The Jews hate them. They won't speak to them, they will not walk through Samaria.
So Jesus loves that thought in his mind so the priest it says one to the other side.
The question is when you read commentators is why what was he thinking average stuff. It said well he realized by the condition. The many could be dead. And so if he went over and got near him or touch them to be ceremonially unclean and then you have to go through a lot of rituals in time to get okay. The question is what is the priest thinking in the answer is this nothing because he doesn't exist. It's a story okay. It's a story that's the point Jesus is just telling you a parable that wasn't really a priest. This is a story of a parable. He went to the other side you can see in a moment why he did. Then the next one. He said likewise a Levite also. When he came to the place and saw me pass to the other side of Damascus.
Have you ever seen a situation in front of you. I know I have and you just walk by run by drive-by and try to stay as uninvolved as you can possibly stay. See how this works. If you ever seen some I got but just get by to see is it easy to walk to the other side you see a guy half dead along the road you isn't it really is why we do that Jesus said it's really easy you have no compassion if you don't have compassion. Now I know what you have. You have but I have a whole bunch of good excuses. Right in Everest be set up and there'd be other guys behind that walk over there and we go. They can hit me on the right. That way, that keeps you from doing anything. We have all these answers so they both go on walk to the other side. Now watch but a Samaritan, that would be the one word that that lawyer didn't want want to hear not a Samaritan. The half breeds. The lowest of the laws they hate Samaritans they don't speak to when they go north to Galilee, then walk through Samaria. They crossed the Jordan what the east bank and back in the galley. Everyone I haven't Samaritan dust on their shoes. And Jesus says, but a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him. What's the difference between a Levite, the priest and the Samaritan it's right there, he felt compassion, he felt compassion look at this poor man and it wasn't just how he felt. Remember the first point is compassion always goes into action. The second point is this, and compassion. Always cost you something. Compassion always cost you something.
If you have compassion and you're going to see it right here it says and it came to him and he bandaged up his wounds.
Any portal oil and wine on them. Why would be the disinfectant oil would be to sue them. This guy is beat up really bad. It says, and he put he said he put them on his own beast puppy, a donkey and he brought him to an inn and he took care of he didn't bring them doing in and then go on his journey didn't take him to see just someone save somebody else can handle the snow.
He stayed and took care of. Notice the next verse is on the next day so spend the night with this guy Miss American is still there. He still taking care of on the next day he took out to do nary and he gave them to the innkeeper and he said take care of him not to do nary.
With the typical this morning a house in the room when, but that would've probably giving up to a month or two of care for this guy. He could've been house for the next month or two. That's a lot of money. He said take care of him.
He's in bad shape the watch and whatever more you spend, when I return I will pay you and to what the cost.
Ha ha you do that you have compassion. You see there's no sacrifice to greater it cost them a lot of money it cost them a lot of time. He didn't care, there's a man in great need and he was there to meet the need to see compassion is a deep feeling that becomes a sacrificial action to meet a need. Compassion is a deep feeling that becomes a sacrificial action to meet the need. That's a biblical compassion is now when he finishes telling a story. Jesus is this which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor catalog. This now you want to say wait wait wait wait the victims the neighbor who is my neighbor is no you the neighbor who who is the real neighbor here, a priest, a Levite or Samaritan he says who was a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers hands and the lawyer said the one who showed mercy to I imagine he hated saying. Notice what Jesus said to him: do the same. You need to imitate a Samaritan. My story, he doesn't just say that to them by the way, says it to you and me going to the same compassion is a deep feeling. The becomes a sacrificial action to meet a need to let me ask you the same question again you compassion a person feel your compassion a person from a biblical point of view. Greg Gore shall writes this when was the last time you missed out on doing something that you really wanted to do because you chose instead to invest that time and someone else. If you've done any of these things recently that I praise God with you and for you.
He said do not miss divine opportunities. I cannot tell you how many times I have missed them. Because of my own selfishness I want to do what I want to do instead of being there is an for the open interruption of the Holy Spirit of God. I don't know what this looks like for you.
Maybe God wants you to pick up the phone call someone. Maybe you're driving somewhere you see a person with a flat tire in your spring into action whenever you see a need, what will your response be. How do you respond. This was mine. I'll take care of it or do you say really I don't have time for this is that if you're a person.
If there's a person in your work. That is obviously burden maybe you should stop and listen. Or you can pretend that you don't see them or their need.
Whatever you choose to do and this is the most important part.
It's completely up to you, he said, but to say that you care about people and not actors and not care about people at all. Compassion requires action and compassion always cost you something. Compassion is a deep feeling that becomes a sacrificial action to meet a need. Are you compassionate person spring father. I'm afraid for most of these people, as with myself I could say sometimes I'm not even sure I could say most of the time. I know I can never say all the time.
Father I pray that that we see how important this is.
Compassion is waning in the culture in which we live. The needs are escalating there everywhere father whenever you put someone in our path, our daily path.
Our life and they need compassion. Use us, may we see it, feel it deep in our inner being, and then act upon it. Father. Whenever we do that the need is met, you are glorified and it is for our own good father, thank you so much for having deep compassion for us. You love this so much when we were your enemies, you sent your son to die for us. He loved us so much that he lived the perfect life and died in our stead. Father I pray that we use Jesus Christ as our model, that of all the different things we can be as a people. I would pray that we are known as are people. I pray that for your glory and for Christ pastoral gift card on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like a listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.
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