INJ

Luke 10:1-14
'The Good Samaritan'
Divine Service
The 13^th Sunday after Trinity Sunday | September 2, 2007

SERMON OUTLINE

Dear Saints,

1. Faith and Love (the summary of our Christian teaching)

   1. We live in Faith toward God and Love toward one another.

      1. The post-communion collect (Luther)

      2. 1 John 3:23: And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us.

2. The Good Samaritan, a promise of faith

   1. Where do we find ourselves in this text? Are you the Levite, the priest or the Good Samaritan?

      1. Jesus puts us in the ditch.

         1. Who is my neighbor? :: Who was a neighbor to this man?

      2. The lawyer is ready to be about the business of keeping the law, of doing all that it requires,

         1. He even answers rightly Jesus question about what the law is, but it is one thing to know what the law says, and quite another to keep it.

         2. But Jesus knows that He comes up short, and He “casts down the prideful from their seat.”

         3. You are the one in need of help.

   2. So this is a description of our sinful state: “Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:30)

   3. And for sinners there is only One who can help, not the law, it simply walks by, but our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who, unless He takes us upon His back and carries us to safety and pays the price required, all would be lost.

      1. “The third segment in this Gospel is the parable about the wounded man and the example of the Samaritan, who came to the assistance of the poor, wounded man. From this we are to learn that all of mankind likewise lies wounded, smitten, and despoiled by the devil through sin. And if the Samaritan, that is, our dear Lord Jesus Christ, does not bind up our wounds and carry us on His back, we must all perish., The priest and Levite pass us by; the Law helps us nothing.” [Complete Sermons of Martin Luther 6.420-421]

   4. This is the promise that He has given us:

      1. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

      2. Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (32) I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

      3. Ezekiel 34:15-16 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. (16) I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

      4. Romans 5:6-9 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- (8) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

   5. So we live by faith, knowing that the Lord Jesus has loved us, died for us, and that He lifts us out of the pit of despair and hell, and takes care of us, providing all that we need, and for this we give Him thanks and praise.

3. The Good Samaritan, a command to love

   1. This is also a parable about love and mercy

      1. God's love sends us to love our neighbor

      2. God's mercy sets us free to have mercy on our neighbor

      3. With the Holy Spirit in us we live lives of love toward our neighbor

         1. 1 John 4:9-13 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (10) In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (13) By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

   2. So the text answers a number of questions about good works:

      1. First, who is my neighbor? Answer: Everyone.

         1. We do not get to pick and choose whom we love. We do not have the option of saying: I'll love this neighbor and hate this one.

            • We have a tendency to pick who we want to love. Repent.

         2. We begin at home: our spouse and children and parents, and those in our church, at work, in our communities, and in ever broader circles until we have crossed the world.

      2. What's more important: that I love God or my neighbor? Answer: 1 John 4:20-21 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (21) And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

         • The Pharisees loved this trick: “I'm loving God, so I don't need to love my neighbor.” and they would take the money that they should give to support their parents and give it to the temple. Jesus called them on it.

         • In Luther's day the say thing was going on with the monks: they would leave their families to pray.

         • The Buddha, according to the story, left his wife and children to go and pray.

         • And now Muslim suicide bombers show their love for Allah by killing their fellow man.

         • Perhaps we, too, are tempted in this way, thinking that because we are set free by the Gospel, we are free not to care for and love our neighbor. May it never be.

         1. God is not in trouble, but our neighbor is. God is not hungry or cold, but our neighbor is.

         2. So God has given us neighbors as a gift, that we might keep His command to love.

      3. Third, the text teaches us that good works are not easy, that they cost us something.

         1. If it was easy to love your neighbor as yourself, this world would be a marvelous place. It is easy to love ourselves, but loving our neighbor costs, money, time, effort, sweat and blood and tears until finally our life is spent.

         2. Luke 10:33-35 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. (34) He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. (35) And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'

         3. 1 John 3:16-18 By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (17) But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (18) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

4. Conclusion: faith and love.

   1. May our gracious Father continue to send the Spirit of His Son to us, that we would firmly believe that Jesus has done all that need be done to win for us life and salvation, and may we with joy begin to love our neighbor.

   2. And may this meal of grace which the Lord' now lays before His people strengthen us in faith toward God and fervent love toward one another. Amen.

And the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
Hope Lutheran Church | Aurora, CO

This is an archive from Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Please visit Hope's website at hopeaurora.org