Podcasts about samaritan jesus

We're continuing our series that looks at Jesus as a person. This week, we talk about the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10. "It's remarkable that the Samaritan man pays for an extended time of care. Not a small amount of money. He hands over $300 to this innkeeper and says he's going to come back and pay any additional costs. This is a 9.9 of love!" "The point of the parable is not just to be like the good Samaritan – Jesus is driving at our tribalism." "Paganism is just how do you do life well without Jesus. You need a tribe. You need safety, you need community, you need to maintain justice. If someone gets you, you get them back. It's the world of hate. The sermon on the mount is a slam into paganism. At the heart of it is Jesus' command to love your enemy."

Subscribe for more Videos: http://www.youtube.com/c/PlantationSDAChurchTV In Episode 44 of the Bible Unmasked, Pastor Kevin McKoy and Olivia Smith discuss Luke 7 to 24. The book of Luke reveals that God kept His promise through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Date: October 31, 2021 Questions in this episode: Why did Jesus call the 12 disciples apostles? Is there a difference between the two? The stories of the Prodigal Son and of the Good Samaritan are only told by Luke. What  should we make of that? In what ways can we love our enemies and do good to those who hate us? What role did the women who traveled with Jesus play in his ministry? Does this verse  support women's ordination?  Was the boy described in this passage epileptic or demon possessed?  Could some  similar diseases be a manifestation of demon possession in today's world?  Why are  scientists reluctant to label diseases as such? Jesus often speaks of judgment. Has it already taken place? Tags: #psdatv #BibleUnmasked #disciples #apostles #Samaritan #Jesus #demon possessed #diseases #forgiven #Holy Spirit #judgment #Mark #scientists #Prodigal #Luke #enemies #epileptic For more life lessons and inspirational content, please visit us at http://www.plantationsda.tv. For more information on the Bible Unmasked, please visit us at  https://bibleunmasked.plantationsda.tv For more information on the Bible Unmasked Audio Podcast, please visit us at https://www.plantationsda.tv/bible-unmasked-podcast Church Copyright License (CCLI) License Number: 1659090 CCLI Stream License License Number: CSPL079645 Support the show: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANTBMV/envelope/start See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe for more Videos: http://www.youtube.com/c/PlantationSDAChurchTV In Episode 44 of the Bible Unmasked, Pastor Kevin McKoy and Olivia Smith discuss Luke 7 to 24. The book of Luke reveals that God kept His promise through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Date: October 31, 2021 Questions in this episode:Why did Jesus call the 12 disciples apostles? Is there a difference between the two?The stories of the Prodigal Son and of the Good Samaritan are only told by Luke. What should we make of that?In what ways can we love our enemies and do good to those who hate us?What role did the women who traveled with Jesus play in his ministry? Does this verse support women’s ordination? Was the boy described in this passage epileptic or demon possessed? Could some similar diseases be a manifestation of demon possession in today’s world? Why are scientists reluctant to label diseases as such?Jesus often speaks of judgment. Has it already taken place? Tags: #psdatv #BibleUnmasked #disciples #apostles #Samaritan #Jesus #demon possessed #diseases #forgiven #Holy Spirit #judgment #Mark #scientists #Prodigal #Luke #enemies #epileptic For more life lessons and inspirational content, please visit us at http://www.plantationsda.tv. For more information on the Bible Unmasked, please visit us at https://bibleunmasked.plantationsda.tv For more information on the Bible Unmasked Audio Podcast, please visit us at https://www.plantationsda.tv/bible-unmasked-podcast Church Copyright License (CCLI)License Number: 1659090 CCLI Stream LicenseLicense Number: CSPL079645Support the show: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANTBMV/envelope/startSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The post What Do You See | Part 2 | The World Saw a Samaritan, Jesus Saw a Way to Bring Unity appeared first on Hikes Point Christian Church.

We were joined for a debate on reincarnation by two heavy-hitters in Gnostic circles who represent what is best in Gnosis: Scott Smith, author of God Reconsidered, and John Munter, author of The Samaritan Jesus. Two went into a cage and a thousand lifetimes came out. Seriously, it was a spirited and friendly debate on the doctrine of reincarnation. Scott argued for its shortcomings while John supported its strengths. Our discussion evolved into other cool topics like whether creation is benign or malevolent, karma, aliens, and much more. With audience questions, it was an evening full of mirth and Gnosis.

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT FOR THE GREATEST VALUE Luke 10:25… One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.“By chance a Levite came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple Priest walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins (denarii), telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” That man is us as humanity and The Samaritan is Jesus as God and the bandits are the devil and the Levite and the priest are all the people hearing the story – the world of indifference (that includes us). The world is indifferent to the plight of a stranger. It is full of its own needs and greeds, and very choosy as to what it gives its time and attention to outside of that, and it justifies that indifference. If the man were dressed in royal robes there might have been a different response – but stripped of his robes and naked? Move along, there’s nothing for you to see here. The Samaritan was heading somewhere with purpose just like the others but for the Samaritan this inner gracious impulse came first. What got into him? Heaven was in him (Jerusalem down to Jericho). Look what he does; He stops on his journey. Has compassion on his naked beaten up state. Binds up his wounds. Supplies oil and wine. Puts him on his own donkey and walks beside him. Takes him to a safe and caring place. Pays two day’s wages for his care. Says he will pay for any extras when he returns. What would have been the man’s thoughts and his response when he was greeted by the man after he had finished his journey and came back to see him? – Only gratitude. When I said that the Samaritan (Jesus as God) was heading somewhere with a purpose for two days I believe that the purpose of the journey was to be continually repeating that salvation and restoration act. That is what the Samaritan (as Jesus), lives for. That gives his journey its meaning. It was his highest value because we are of greater value to him than anything, the same value that the Father has for his Son is that which he has for us. John 17:23… You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.      

In the telling of the parable of the Samaritan Jesus teaches us how to be a good neighbour in a world that seeks to limit who our neighbour is. Listen in as Pastor Stu challenges us to live like Jesus by not being exclusive in our compassion toward others. Scripture: Luke 10:25-37 NRSV Speaker: Stuart Williams

(00:00-09:32): In an article by The Happy Givers, there is an important distinction between guiding and leading, and controlling. Control can be categorized as an addiction and Brian and Ian touch on how convicting it is as a leader. (09:32-19:15): In the wake of the Eric Warren trials in Arizona, Brian McLaren writes an opinion piece questioning whether or not it is Christian to aid migrants. Brian and Ian compare the situation to the parable of the good Samaritan Jesus told. How are we to interact with the growing issue of immigration? (19:15-28:59): Suicide rates for young Americans are at their highest since 2000. In a new study, the rates seem to spike in the last 5 years. Brian and Ian look at the stats and try and understand why this is. What are the possible preventative measures? (28:59-38:09) We all remember our parents reading us stories and experiencing the wonder of imagination. What is actually going on in children’s brain while parents read to them? Brian and Ian touch on an NPR article that took a deeper dive into the physiology of the brain when being read to. (38:09-49:05): It is a tough climate currently in American society as the battle for religious freedom continues to ring. Brian and Ian touch on this article from Christian Headlines, covering an opposition to a WWI memorial with a cross on it. Is it ok for crosses to be on public monuments? (49:05-58:29): Why do you need low-stakes casual friendships? Brian and Ian discuss their experiences in these kind of relationships, and how a shift in attitude can help engage in low-risk interactions. (58:29-1:09:02): Is the ordinary church necessary for the gospel to be spread? Brian Zahnd writes this piece on his website that differentiates between the Kingdom of God and the Church. (1:09:02-1:15:09): Brian and Ian’s “Weird Stuff We Found on the Internet”: Tide now introducing cat-friendly detergent while socialism takes over the lottery industry. THE BLOB IS TAKING OVER JAPAN RAILWAYS and there are bears in Montana. Meanwhile, Buffalo Wild Wings are serving up rats.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scholars generally argue that the Gospel of Thomas is a loose collection of saying, a kinda “great hits” of early Christianity. Instead, what if this text was a coherent and a graduate mystery school course on attaining the higher self. We explore this argument, including other Gnostic Gospels that tie into a parallel stream of ancient secrets, including Dialogue with Savior, the First Apocalypse of James, and the Gospel of Philip. All these ideas point to the possibility Jesus survived the crucifixion and headed to the East. And that his real identity was that of a notorious Samaritan magician. Astral guest —  John Munter, author of The Samaritan Jesus and The Integral Gospel of Thomas Made Easy. This is a partial show for nonmembers. For the second half of the interview, please become a member: http://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/ More information on John: http://www.themirroredbridalchamber.com/Bridal_Chamber/about-the-author.html Get John’s book (and support him and Abraxas): https://amzn.to/2wfP1JM or https://amzn.to/2PddN4v Download these and all other shows: http://thegodabovegod.com/ Become a patron and keep this Red Pill Cafeteria open: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyte

Ed Welch shares his heart for fathers and shows how the high demands of the law actually leads us to greater dependency on Jesus. To be needy and depend on the ultimate good Samaritan (Jesus) is the only way a Father can fulfil their high calling.

Ed Welch shares his heart for fathers and shows how the high demands of the law actually leads us to greater dependency on Jesus. To be needy and depend on the ultimate good Samaritan (Jesus) is the only way a Father can fulfil their high calling.

A MP3 sermon from Berean Sovereign Grace Church is now available on SalvationinChristAlone.com with the following details: Title:BSGCHW # 2 Sister Samaritan, Jesus and the gospel Speaker: James Guyo Broadcaster: Berean Sovereign Grace Church Event: Hawaii Service Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT Bible:John 4 Length: 1:21:41 min. (96kbps) Overview: Add later

Lets open our Bibles up to Luke 10. We are in a series on love. Were talking about what love looks like and the different attributes of love. The highest form of love is the word agape. Weve learned together that agape is not a feeling or an emotion. Its not what Hollywood would like us to believe. It is a decision, an act of the will. Its not self-serving; it is giving. It seeks the highest and best for another. It is given unconditionally. Therefore, agape love can be extended to strangers and even enemies, and thats what Christ has called us to-His highest form of love. This morning, were talking about the fact that love is sacrificial. There were a couple of news stories this weekend that were heroic. Both of the heroes in this story were women. One of them was in Florida. A man walked into a school board meeting. He was disgruntled that his wife had been fired. He painted a V on the wall, circled the V for vendetta, and he explained that he was going to take his revenge. Did you see that on the news? Yeah. One of the school board members did something very brave. He said, Listen, I signed the paper, so let these others go. Let them go. Dont keep them. Im the one you want. Im the guy. The gunman didnt listen to him. He waved that and said no. A woman came back in and snuck up behind him with only her purse. Maybe you saw that. She raised her purse to try to strike the gun out of his hand. He held on to the gun; she fell down and was a sitting duck. Fortunately, he didnt shoot her, but he told her to leave again; so she got another chance to leave. The point is even though she failed, that was heroic. She could have died. He could have easily shot her, but she thought, Those are my friends, and I cant stand the thought of them being killed; so Im going to do what I can with what I have to try to save their lives. Just to finish the story out in case you missed that, he then started firing at point blank range at every single one of the board members. He killed nobody. He pretty much missed all of them. By this time, because of the struggle with the woman, the security guard was able to get there. He (the security guard) shot him, and then the gunman turned his last bullet on himself and ended up killing himself; but no school board members were harmed. What a heroic thing that she did! The second story happened Ohio. This received a little bit less publicity. There was a patrolman who was on a routine stop. He had cause to frisk a man, and in the process of frisking him, the man turned violent. He attacked the officer. It wasnt an attack where he was trying to get away; the officer said the man was trying to kill him. You could see in the video where he was continually reaching for the officers gun. The officer was literally in a struggle for his life. A woman saw the chaos, pulled the car over, and thought to herself, What if that were my father? What if that were my brother? She got out of her car and went over to the man who was attacking the police officer. She began pounding him in the back of his head. She was hitting him with everything she had, and that caused enough of a distraction that by then another officer had arrived there, tackled him, and subdued him. She helped save that officers life. Friends, we dont think of those two heroic acts as love, but they were. Those were examples of agape love-seeking the highest and best for another, laying down your life if necessary. Jesus says, No one has greater agape than this that he would lay down his life for his friends. He said the highest example of agape is someone who is willing to lay down his or her life for a fellowman. Those two people literally were willing to lay down their lives for their fellowman-one for friends and colleagues and another for a total stranger. Were going to talk about that this morning, and were going to look at the example of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. Were going to see three different groups of people, three philosophies of life, and were going to see where you are in this Parable. Jesus is asked a question by a lawyer in Verse 25 (page 1028 of pew Bibles). It says, On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Thats a very important question, and its a very important answer [that follows]. Jesus says, What is written in the Law? He replied. How do you read it? The Law-meaning the first five books of the Bible. He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself. This word, again, is the word agape, Agape the Lord with everything you have and your fellowman as yourself. You recall that Jesus gave this answer as to what was the greatest Command. A couple weeks ago we talked about love. You have 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? He was either trying to save face because he answered his own question and wanted to say, Well, this was where I was going to go. Heres my real question. Or, he could be trying to see if he is in fact keeping that Command, if he is showing love to his neighbor and asking Christ to define who a neighbor is. Now, Jesus response is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Understand-this is very important-the story is a direct response to the question, Who is my neighbor? not, How do I inherit eternal life? Jesus is not saying, Go out and be a good neighbor, and youll have eternal life. He is answering the question in the story of who is my neighbor? He says, 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. Now this, even though its a Parable, really happened all the time in this stretch of road. For hundreds of years, this road from Jerusalem to Jericho had a stretch of it called the Way of Blood. It was named that because so many people were robbed there or lost their lives. There were all kinds of twists, turns, caves, cliffs, and places for robbers to hide. They would hide and then they would jump out and attack. They would take the money and sometimes beat and kill their victims. Thus, it was called the Way of Blood. To this day, you can ride down this road, and you can see all those twists and turns and all those places to hide; so the lawyer would know full well what Jesus was talking about in this story. It says in Verse 31, A priest happened to be going down the same road. Lucky day-a man of God is coming your way, a servant of God; so if you were dead by the side of the road, I guess maybe a doctor or nurse would be your first choice, but to have a priest coming down, at least he could pray for you, right? Thats not bad. …and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite… A Levite assisted the priest. Their job was to help in preparation for worship and to clean up after worship; so, again, this is good-another man of God, another servant of God, coming down the road. But he too… passed by on the other side. Hes 0/2. Time is of the essence; life is ebbing away. Were quick to judge these two and think, Well, I would have helped. I would have done something, but dont be so sure. I was coming to our staff meeting this week; and I was not late, but I was not early. I dont think its good when the boss shows up late for staff meetings, so I really try to be there on time. Im in a task mode, and I really want to get to the church to be there on time. I kinda want to get organized, review minutes from last weeks meeting, look at the agenda for this weeks meeting, and make sure my ducks are in a row. I see a van, and hes stuck in the snow. There is a woman behind the wheel giving it gas, and he is behind the van pushing. Its one of those things where it looks like theres a high probability hes going to get out. He wouldnt need a tow truck or anything, and I thought, Should I help him? Should I stop? I thought, You know, Im running late. If I stop to help him, Im going to be late for the staff meeting for sure. Besides that, I dont have my gloves. Its a really cold day. Ive had frostbite, and my hands get cold really easy. You dont want to run the risk of catching it again the second time. Its really easy after the first time. I dont have my gloves. I have on my dress shoes. I have no traction in my dress shoes. I really need boots to get some grip. I would just slip and slide in the snow in these shoes. Besides that, theres a lot of traffic in this intersection. Im sure somebody will stop. Somebodys going to stop, so I drove by. Now, I knew exactly what I was going to preach on this weekend too. Dont think that didnt run through my head. The Saturday night crowd literally gasped when I said I drove by. They were like, Well, were not sure we want to hear the rest of the sermon from you! You hypocrite! I said, Now, listen to me, you Saturday night crowd, some of you have done the same thing! Dont tell me you havent! There have been plenty of times when Ive stopped or assisted somebody who was in need of help, but there have been times when you-for whatever reason-were running late, not feeling good-whatever the reason is, youve not stopped. Sometimes youve stopped; sometimes youve helped when you seen a need. Other times, youve passed by, so dont point fingers. Three pointing back at you. Anyway, so they stayed, and I continued to have service that night in spite of my lack of being a Good Samaritan in that scenario. Thats an excuse. Im thinking, Well, Im late. What do I know about medical treatment? Im not a doctor. It looks like hes already gone. Hes beyond help. Im just busy. Whatever the excuse is, they pass by. Then one who is a Samaritan stops. The Samaritans and the Jews were enemies. They were enemies on the basis of religion and on race. The Samaritans were half Gentile, half Jew and were looked down upon by distain. Historically, we can read about the tension between the two. In light of that, Jesus picks on the Samaritan. He says, This is our hero in the story. He does that on purpose. He is saying, Listen, the neighbor isnt the person who looks like you, acts like you, thinks like you, and lives by you. The Samaritan is somebody who is very different from you. Your neighbor could be somebody of a different race, of a different religion, of a different country. Its very important we understand that. So the Samaritan, he stops. It says, …as he traveled, he came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. This word is the word compassion, and it means a gut feeling. It literally means the word bowels, gut. He had a feeling in his gut that he had to help this guy. What if this were my son? What if this were my father or my friend? Or what if it were me? Id want somebody to help me, so he had compassion and [made the decision to] stop. Then look at what he did. He bandaged his wounds. Hes going to take his time; hes going to take his resources. He probably ripped up clothing strips, warmed tourniquets, and stopped the bleeding. He bandaged the wounds. Then he poured in the oil and wine. The Greek used the word pouring in the lavish sense. He wasnt sparing this resource. Oil would have been for medicinal purposes of southing the wound. The wine would have been an antiseptic. Then he put the man on his donkey… In other words, Ill walk while he rides. He took him to an inn and took care of him. He continued to use his time and resources to care for the man. The next day he gave him two silver coins. Each coin was the equivalent of one days wage, so he gave him two days wages. He gave it to the innkeeper and said, Look after him, and when I return, Ill reimburse you for an extra expense that you might have. So this man certainly went above and beyond the call of duty. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? Jesus asked. The expert in the law replied… Not being able to bring himself to say the Samaritan, he simply says, The one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, Go and do likewise. Go and do likewise-what does that mean? Does Jesus mean we go to the most dangerous part of town, wait until somebody is mugged and then help them afterwards? No. Hes saying, When you see a need, and its in your power to do so, help your neighbor-even if theyre a stranger, even if theyre of a different race, religion, or country, help your neighbor. Your fellow man is your neighbor. Go and do likewise. Now, I said wed see three groups in this Parable, and I want to talk about those three groups. You can identify where you are in these three. The first group is represented in the robbers. The robbers were the takers. Their motto is whats yours is mine. What is yours is mine, and Im going to take it. This could be something overt such as a criminal act where somebody outright steals or embezzles like a Bernie Madoff, a white-collar crime, that kind of thing, or a robbery. There is another kind of robbing people of their time, talents, and resources. Youve heard of co-dependent relationships where one is helping out another one too much, and that person becomes dependent on them. Theyre going beyond the normal to the point where its hurting the recipient. There are these dependent ones who think the world owes him or her something. He thinks their country owes him something. She thinks somebody else owes her something, and she becomes dependent. The key word here, with the yours is mine, is entitlement. I feel I am owed this. It could happen in a parent/child relationship where a parent goes beyond the role of being a parent and starts crippling that child. It could even go into adulthood. The parent is continuing to provide for the child, and the child thinks, Well, I deserve it. Im entitled to it because youre my mom or youre my dad. No, youre not entitled to it. You need to get off your butt and do something for yourself. But that entitlement mentality says, Well, Im owed this. Whats yours is mine. It could be in a co-worker relationship. Maybe you have a person in the office that is not carrying their weight. There are other workers who are doing the work [of this person], and this person is allowing them to. They are in a co-dependent relationship, I deserve this. Ive been here a long time, so he lets others do his work. It could be in a spousal relationship. Now, no elbows-I dont want to see any elbows. If you have to elbow, elbow outside. Take it outside, not in the church. One spouse is doing everything for the other spouse, and the other spouse does nothing in return. He or she doesnt reciprocate. He says, Well, you know, Im married to you. Im your responsibility. It could be in a friendship relationship where its just a one-way street. One in the relationship just takes, takes, takes, and the other is give, give, give; and its never reciprocated. It could be in all of these different relationships that we have in life where there are takers. How many of you know some takers today? Sure, we can identify with takers, right? Their mentality is whats yours is mine, and the key word is entitlement. There is a second group in this story. It is the keepers. Sadly, the majority of people fall into this category-the keepers. The keeper says, Whats mine is mine. Thats the Levite and the priest. Its my time and my resources, and I dont have time to deal with you. Youre not a priority in my life. I have things I have to do. I have places I have to be. Im sorry that happened to you, but everybody has to look out for him or herself. The key word in this mindset is survival. Its a survival mentality. It says, Look, I work hard for what I get. Whats mine is mine. The number one goal and objective is to hold on to what is yours. Ive worked for it. Its mine! Im going to keep it. Your number one objective in life is to keep what youve earned. My little nephews were two and three years old when one of them was dragging the other through the house. He was holding onto the ball while the other was trying to take it away and screaming, MINE!!! Thats one thing when youre two and three, but sometimes we do that into adulthood. We can take that into our senior years-that mentality that says, Mine!! The problem with the keeper mentality is we form blinders, and we only see ourselves. Its that scrooge mindset. They show up to get money for charities, and he says, I wish to be left alone. In other words, Ive made my money. Im taking care of myself. They can take care of themselves. We have a cold heart, an insensitive heart to the needs that are around us. Im listening to a recording of a woman on the radio who is kind of an extreme example of this. She was very upset, and she called into the television station to complain. She said (in Pastors best Southern female accent), Im watching television, and you interrupt my show for your stupid tornado warning! Youre telling me about a tornado thats touching down in a city where I dont even live! And do you know what was on my TV? Criminal Minds. You interrupted Criminal Minds. Ive been waiting all week to watch that show, and you interrupt my show to tell me about a stupid tornado thats not even where I live! I dont know those people! I dont care about those people! I care about Criminal Minds. Itd be different if it were a tornado where I live! Then Id pay attention to it, but it wasnt where I live. I dont care about your tornado! Dont interrupt Criminal Minds! She went on and on again, sometimes saying words in French. Somebodys house could blow away. Somebody could die in a tornado, and I dont care as long as I get to see the next episode of Criminal Minds! The problem with this keeper mindset is youre only concerned with yourself. Youre narrow-minded, and you turn a blind eye to the needs around you. You pass by those needs all the time. What did Jesus say about keepers? Remember, He addresses keepers directly. He said, Whoever wants to keep his life will… what? Lose it. Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it into eternal life. The irony is you want to keep life? You want to hoard everything like the man in the Parable who says, I have so much. What will I do? Give it away? No. Ill build bigger barns. There Ill store all my grain, and Ill say, Eat, drink and be merry. Take life easy. God says (Luke 12:20), You fool, this very night, your soul will be required of you. Then who will get what you have saved for yourself? That keeper mentality is where the majority of the world is-in this survivor mold. There is this pride that says, This is mine, and you cant take it. Ive earned this! This belongs to me! I have a pretty easy-going puppy at home. Shes pretty mild-mannered and most of the time is afraid of the cat; but if the cat comes around her bone, Rrrrrr. Shell give a growl, and that's what people do. Youre pretty nice and mild-mannered, but if you try to take whats mine, Rrrrrr. The claws come out and the teeth snarl and growl. Its the keeper mentality. Some of you today are keepers. Then, today, there is a third group were going to talk about. This is represented by the Samaritan. They are the givers. The giver mentality says, What is mine is yours. The key word for the giver is responsibility. The giver says, I have a responsibility to my fellow man. I am a steward of what Ive been entrusted of. My resources, my time, my talent, my treasures are not my own. I am a steward of them. Ive been given them by God, and God expects me to use them wisely. One of the things God expects me to do is not only have enough for my needs, but to be able to help the needs of people that are around me. Invest my time, invest my talents, invest my resources and treasures to help people who have needs-to be a good neighbor. So he says, Whats mine is yours. I will share. I will give what I have. I recognize my responsibility to my fellow man, and Im going to do something about that. Have you followed in the news this new development? Its an excellent development that was started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates called The Giving Pledge. What theyre doing is theyre contacting billionaires around the world. I dont know if youve received a call yet; I have not yet been called. Im waiting. Maybe youve already been called (congregation laughing). Theyre contacting these billionaires, and they had this billionaire summit. Oprah was there, and T Boone Pickens, Mayor Bloomberg from New York, Ted Turner, Warren Buffett, and Jimmy Buffett. I dont know if he was there or not, but he probably should have been. People we dont know were there too-David Rockefeller-and all these big wigs. Theyre saying, Look, we have more money than we can ever spend in a thousand lifetimes. In the past, the strategy for a billionaire has been to get all we can, can all we get, amass this fortune, die, and leave it to your heirs so they can squander it. That has pretty much been how things have worked. But, they said, Lets change that. Were asking you to make a pledge that says in your lifetime or upon your death, you are going to give at least 50 percent of your fortune away to needs around the world. Youre going to help with disease; youre going to help with poverty, things like that. Youre going to leave your inheritance to make the world a better place. They are signing the pledge. The latest one was Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook. He is a young man, so he still has a lot of years to earn money. He signed the pledge saying, Im going to give it away. They are taking response, and they are just projecting all the billions and billions of dollars these guys have. Theyre probably worth trillions if you add all their income together. Theyre saying, Weve projected it out over the course of a lifetime of how many hundreds of billions of dollars will be given away to charities, non-profits, and causes around the world. Theyre going to make our world a better place for generations to come. I personally think thats great. I think thats wonderful. Theyre getting it. Theyre saying, Look, we have a responsibility. We have been trusted with a lot. Were not billionaires here today. Im not aware of any billionaires in our congregation. If you are one, please let me know. I want to talk to you about phase four (congregation laughing), okay? Lets just end the misery for all of us right now. Help us out. This responsibility-theyre saying, Well sign this pledge. Friends, we may not be millionaires or billionaires, but we have something we can give. We have talents; we have resources; we have treasures we can share. So you have to ask yourself this question: Which one am I in this story? Am I a taker? Do I operate with a sense of Whats yours is mine? Do you have that entitlement mentality? Or are we keepers? Whats mine is mine, and Im going to hold on to it. Are we in that survival mentality? Or, are we where Christ wants us to be? Are we givers-even if we dont have a lot? We understand responsibility, and we say, Whats mine is yours. Ill share what I have. Ill give what I have. Only you can decide. Im not going to ask for a raise of hands. Only you can decide where you are. By the grace of God, we can all move towards that last quality of being givers. Now in this Passage, there is something I want to go back to before we close. There is a question he asks. He says, What must I do? Ive always taught you salvation is not something you do. Its something you receive by faith. It is by grace; it is not through works, so you might read this and say, Well, is Jesus contradicting that? Is He saying, You can earn… because He says, Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, your neighbor as yourself, and youll live. Youre correct. You will live. Well, that is what Jesus is saying. He is saying, Do this. You love the Lord, your God, all the time, with everything you have, every moment, every decision, and your neighbor as yourself. Guess what? You will live a sinless life, and you will merit eternal life; so thats eternal life. The good news is if you are perfect and you always seek God… The bad news is all of you have been disqualified a long, long time ago and continue to be disqualified all the time. None of us always seek God. None of us always love God. None of us always love our fellowman. There have been times you and I have passed by on the other side. There have been times our neglect has contributed to the pain and loss of another-sins not just of commission but of omission, things we dont do that we should. All of us in this room-when you start, you have a clean slate; but at some point in your life, usually pretty early on, youre going to sin. Youre going to break the Law of God. What he is saying to this guy, this is really one of the premises of the story, is this man knows truthfully that he does not measure up to the Samaritan Jesus talked about. He can truthfully say, Ive not been that kind of guy. Ive not been the person Jesus talks about; therefore, I dont measure up. So what do you do when you dont measure up? Thats why we need a Savior. Because Jesus did come and get it right. From the moment He was born until the time He died, He always sought the will of the Father. He always loved with agape love. He always served His fellowman. He took His perfect and sinless life and offered it on the cross in exchange for our sin. That's why Paul writes this Passage in the Book of Philippians 2:1-11 (page 1162 of pew Bibles). In this short Passage is the entirety of the Gospel. Paul takes us from the preincarnate Christ, the Jesus before He comes to earth and takes on flesh, to the manger and all the way to the cross and the resurrection-this panorama view. He says, If theres any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love… the same agape, …being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should not only look to his own interests but also to the interests of others. He addresses in those two verses both takers and keepers. He says, This is not what youre to be. Youre to be like Christ. Youre to be givers. Your attitudes should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped… or taken advantage of. …but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man… Thats Christmas right there. Those two verses are Christmas verses. We dont associate that with Baby Jesus in the manger, but it is. Its talking about His incarnation. He went from Heaven, being equal with God, to the very nature of His servant, …being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The ultimate in agape, the ultimate in sacrificial love as Jesus laid down His life for you and me who fell so short, who fall so far short, of the glory of God that we could know grace and forgiveness. Were going to conclude this message with a meditation. Its a little different than what wed normally watch. This is our way of responding to Gods invitation. After we watch this meditation, I will lead us in prayer. Then well take care of some other business before we go home today, but lets reflect on this right now.