Luke 10, 25. And behold, a certain
lawyer stood up. Now, a lawyer was not like an
attorney in our day. But an expert in and a student
of the Mosaic law. And I guess he didn't like what
he had been hearing from our Lord, so he stood up to tempt
him. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying,
Master, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He did what every religious person
does. He mixed law and grace. What shall I do? That's law. To inherit, that's grace. He mixed law and grace. Verse 26, and he, the Lord Jesus,
said unto him, what's written in the law? How readest thou? I love the way the Lord dealt
with this man. He didn't say you're wrong. He just said, what
do you see in the scriptures? What do you see in the law? How
readest thou? Verse 27, and he answering said,
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with
all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind
and thy neighbor as thyself. Now I can almost see his chest
puffing out a little bit with that answer. He felt, I gave
a good answer. I gave the right answer. And
I'm sure he felt good about himself in giving this answer. He proved
he was indeed a good lawyer, someone who knew the message
of scripture. So he thought. Verse 28, and he said unto him, thou hast
answered right. This do, and thou shalt live. Do it. You know, the Lord is going to
meet us on the ground we come to him. He always does. If you
want to come on the ground of law, he'll meet you on the ground
of law. This do. and thou shalt live. If you want to come to him on
the ground of sheer free mercy, he'll meet you on that ground
too. But he'll meet you upon the ground that you come. This man came on the ground of
law. What shall I do? Well, he gave
the right answer, and the Lord said, this do, and thou shalt
live. Verse 29, but he willing to justify
himself. Now that is as natural to me
and you as breathing. He willing to justify himself. This began right after the fall
of our first father, Adam. Adam, where art thou? Have you
ate of the fruit? The woman that you gave me, she
gave me of the fruit and I did eat. The obvious implication,
if you'd not given me this woman, this would have never taken place.
Adam was justifying himself, vindicating himself, even at
this time. Now men are loath to come before
God as guilty, bankrupt sinners, suing for mercy. loathe to take
responsibility for their actions before God, quick to justify
themselves, quick to vindicate themselves like the Pharisees
in Luke 16. Turn a few pages over to Luke chapter 16. No man, verse 13, no man can
serve two masters For either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he'll hold to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God in mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were
covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. And he
said unto them, you are they which justify yourselves before
men. But God knows your hearts. for
that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God. Now that's the MO of every son
of Adam, justifying and vindicating themselves. Well, when this man
heard this, back to our text in Luke chapter 10, verse 30
or verse 29, but he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus,
And who is my neighbor? I guess he kind of thought he
must have done okay on the first commandment. I love God with
all my heart and all my soul and all my strength and all my
mind. At least no one can prove I don't. I do that, but I might
be a little bit iffy on this neighbor thing. Maybe I've been
selfish here and there. Maybe I've not done right all
the time. So let's, let's find out what he's talking about.
Just who is my neighbor? Now through the malintent of
this religious expert trying to tempt our Lord, we're given
the story of the Good Samaritan. And in this passage of scripture
that our Lord told, perhaps it's something even that actually
happened, we're given a beautiful portrait of the gospel and a
beautiful illustration of what you and I are called upon by
the Lord Jesus Christ to do. Verse 30, the Lord gives this
parable, maybe something literally that took place. Verse 30, this
is in response to the man asking, who is my neighbor? And Jesus
answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho
and fell among thieves which stripped him of his raiment,
and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. The language is unmistakable. This speaks of the fall of our
first father, Adam. He fell. This man fell among
thieves, He left Jerusalem, the place of God's blessing, and
went down to Jericho, the place that God had cursed. And he fell
among thieves. Now, the scripture teaches that
Adam fell. And this is so very important.
Somebody once said, if you're wrong on the fall, you're wrong
on it all. And indeed, that's true. Adam fell. By one man, Romans 5.12, by one
man, sin. entered the world, and death
by sin, so that death passed upon all men, in that all have
sinned. Adam fell, and oh how he fell,
and you and I fell in him." Now the scriptures that remember
this, it doesn't say simply that his sin was charged to our account,
although it was. It says, by one man sin entered
the world and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men
in that all sinned. When Adam sinned, you sinned
and I sinned. Now, I realize that people have
had a hard time with this. How can I be charged with something
I didn't do? How can God hold me responsible
for what Adam did? And my obvious answer to that
is, well, just forget Adam. What have you done on your own?
Would it help you any if you weren't charged with Adam's sin?
The fact of the matter is you'd be just as guilty without it.
But beloved, there is hope in us falling in a representative. Because if I can fall in a representative,
I can be saved in a representative. Thank God for the gospel that's
found even in the fall. Isn't it glorious the way God
brings good out of evil? You know, if it weren't for the
fall of Adam, We wouldn't know anything about grace. That beautiful song we just heard
where we're singing to our king of grace. We wouldn't know anything
about it. We wouldn't know anything about
looking upon our bridegroom's face without the fall of Adam. It's good. Now it's evil. What
he did was reprehensible. What you and I've done is reprehensible,
but the Lord God brings good. out of evil. He's the only one
who can do it and he does in fact do it. Thank God for that. While Adam fell, the stripping
of his clothing represents what was taken from us in the fall,
original righteousness. We were stripped of it. It was
taken from us when Adam fell. And the wounding of him speaks
of the effects of our sin. It wounds us. You look at the
problems brought on in your life by your own personal sin. Sin is destructive. It mars. It hurts. We're hurt from our sin. Oh, the wounds. And it speaks
of living, leaving him half dead. There he lay bleeding and dying. Now, you know, that doesn't mean
that sinners are halfway dead. It's just talking about him for
all practical purposes. He was dead. And what happened
as a result of Adam's transgression, we became dead in trespasses
and sins. And it's very simple. What can
a dead man do to save himself? Nothing. He's dead. He's dead.
He's totally dependent upon somebody to do something for him. Now, there he lies in the ditch
after the thieves have stripped him and wounded him and departed,
leaving him half dead. There he lies, verse 31. And
by chance, there came down a certain priest that way. And when he saw him, he passed
by on the other side. Did he feel any pity? I don't
know. Maybe he saw him as dead and
didn't want to get defiled. If I get close to him, I'll contract
some kind of contamination from him. I'll be ceremonially defiled.
You weren't allowed to touch a dead person. He wanted to stay
away. Maybe he had to get to church.
Maybe he had something religious to do and he didn't have time
to do it. But here he passes him by on the other side. Verse
32, and likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and
looked on him. and pass by on the other side. And the priest
represents the moral law of God. And the Levite represents the
ceremonial law of God. Now, what can the law of God
do for you? What can the 10 commandments
do for you? Can they help you? Can they help
you to live a better life? Do they act as a guide as to
how you should respond to certain situations? Now, I love God's
law. I like what Paul said, I delight
in the law of God after the inward man. It's a reflection of his
holy character. But what can the commandments
do for you? All they can do is condemn you. That's it. You've not kept, I've
not kept one single commandment, not even one time. So the law can't help me. It
looks at me. You see, there's no mercy in
the law. It looks at me and it passes on. It can't do anything
for me. The Levite represents the ceremonial
law. Now, the ceremonial law is just
as much part of the law as the moral law is. What about the
feast days, and the sacrifices, and the holy days, and the festivals,
and the Sabbath days, and the different things you were supposed
to eat and not eat, and the blood sacrifices? What could these
do for you? What could all the sacrifices to ever be? What could
these sacrifices by themselves do for you? Nothing. They couldn't
do one thing for you, they'd look at you and pass on by. This man was dead, no moral ability,
no power of free will, dead in sins, and the law could do nothing
for a man dead in sins. And the ceremonial law could
do nothing for a man dead in sins. So these men passed this
man by with no mercy, looked him over, and went by on the
other side. Now, the law cannot do anything
for me or you. All it can do is condemn us.
Condemn us. That's it. Looked him over and
passed him by. Verse 33. but a certain Samaritan. Now, the Samaritans, you remember
how that woman at the well that was a Samaritan said, why are
you talking to me? The Jews have no dealings with
the Samaritans. Y'all don't have anything to do with us. And indeed,
they thought they were the social pariahs, the outcasts. They wouldn't
have anything to do with them. But this Samaritan saw this Jew But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion
on him. He came to him where he was. Now what if he would have said,
if you get up and get on my beast, I'll get you to the end. and
I'll even take care of the cost. Would that have done him any
good at all? No. He came to him where he was. You know, most people have a
very cruel and heartless gospel. It's a gospel that won't come
to somebody where they are. It comes to him and says, if
you fill in the blank, then I'll do this. Now that is a cruel,
evil message because it won't do anything but mock the sinner.
If you do this, then God will do that. That is a cruel gospel. God will save you if you turn
from your sin and get your life straightened out, and as an act
of your will, you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior,
then you will be saved. What about a man who's dead and
sins? That won't do him any good at
all, will it? Not someone who is dead. Now Christ comes to
the sinner where he is when there's no conditions that he can meet And he saves it. Now that's the
gospel, isn't it? That's what I need. I need to
come to him, to me, where I am. I know there's a lot of, I know
where I ought to be, but I know where I am. I know there's a
lot of things I ought to be that I'm not, but I know where I am. I know what I am. And the only
hope I have is for him to come to me where I am. Half dead, fully dead, stripped
of any righteousness, wounded, broken up, destroyed by my sin. I need him to come to me where
I am. helpless, dead in sins, can't even call on his name,
can't even ask for mercy, don't even know I need mercy, dead
in sins. He comes to me where I am. Turn with me to Ezekiel chapter
16. You know, there's, when we talk
about the grace of Christ, His grace is so God-like, isn't it? It's so godlike. Grace. The king of grace. Ezekiel chapter 16. Verse one, again, the word of
the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to
know her abominations. What a blessing it is when I'm
made to know my abominations. What a blessing that is. Would
to God that every one of us would know our abominations. And say,
thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, thy birth And thy
nativity is of the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy
mother was a Hittite. As for thy nativity in the day
when you were born, your navel was not cut, neither were you
washed in water to supple thee. Thou was not salted at all, nor
swaddled at all. None I pitied thee to do any
of these unto thee, to have compassion on thee. But thou was cast out
in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that
thou was born." You know what they do with a deformed baby
or a baby with something wrong with it? You know what they do
with it? They'd throw it out in the field and let it die. There it lays. Verse six. And when I passed
by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto
thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee,
when thou wast in thy blood, live. Now the gospel of Christ
utterly forbids the supposition that God requires anything from
or in any man to save him. Do you know that? Let me ask you a question about
that. Is that good news to you? Are you happy it's that way? If salvation is offered upon
the condition that you or I fulfill some condition, all that is is
salvation by works. But beloved, the gospel's for
sinners, isn't it? When he saw him, back to our
text in Luke chapter 10. Verse 33, but a certain Samaritan
As he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he
had compassion on him. I couldn't help but think of
that leper that was full of leprosy, and he knew it. The man was miserable.
The man was covered with leprosy. It says he was full of leprosy.
There wasn't a square inch of healthy flesh on him. He was
all over covered with wounds. And scripture says he came to
the Lord. And you know what he said he
did? He worshiped him. Now that's where we gotta begin. Let's just forget everything
else. Forget everything else about you, about somebody else.
Is the Lord worthy of worship? Do you believe he is to be worshipped
as God? Now this leper, he didn't know
whether the Lord was going to heal him, but he knew this, he's
the Lord. He was to be worshipped. there came a leper and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. You know, I don't know how many
times I personally pray that prayer. Lord, if you will, You can make
me clean. Now, let me tell you something
about this leper. He had no doubt about the Lord's ability, but
he wasn't all that sure about his willingness. You ever been
there? You know the Lord can make you
clean. He's the Lord. If he wills your cleansing, you'll
be clean. You'll be pure. You'll be, you
know that. He's the Lord. He's able. but
you're not so sure about his willingness. You take another
look at yourself and you think, why would he? Why would he? Why would he do anything for
me? I can see why he wouldn't. That's
your response. Lord, I'm not sure about your
willingness, but if you will, you can make me clean. Whenever
we think that way, we demonstrate way too low views of our Lord. You know what the scripture says
the Lord did at that time? And Jesus moved, moved with compassion. He was moved by this. And you
know, anytime a sinner comes to him like that, He is moved
with compassion. You see, he doesn't have to find
a reason, me or you, to be compassionate. This is his nature. He's gracious. He delights in saving sinners. He delights in bringing them
to himself. And Jesus moved with compassion,
reached forth his hand, and he touched that man. How long do
you reckon it had been since that man had been touched? I dare say he'd not had any physical
contact from any human being in a real long time. He didn't
have any hugs or embraces. He didn't have anybody touching
him on the shoulder. He'd been alone a long time. And Jesus
reached forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will be thou clean. Isn't that wonderful? What a
blessed Lord we have. Verse 34. The Samaritan, who if anyone had
a reason to not have anything to do with this Jew, he did.
But no, he came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion
on him and went to him. Don't you love that? He went
to him. I'm so glad the Lord came to
me. If he didn't come to me, there I'd still be. But he went
to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Those were used for medicinal
purposes, oil and wine, but I feel quite sure that wine represents
his blood. The oil represents, as it always
does in the scriptures, the grace of the Holy Spirit. I've got these wounds. brought
on by my sin. I've been stripped of righteousness.
All I have is wounds brought on by my sin. I think of that
scripture, where the Lord says, you've destroyed yourself. Don't
you know that you're your worst problem? You're your only problem,
really. But the good Samaritan came with
It's precious blood that puts away sin, the grace of God, the
Holy Spirit, the work of God, the Holy Spirit, when he gives
me a new heart and gives me grace to believe, gives me grace to
repent, gives me grace to love. I can now do what I couldn't
do when I was dead. Oil and wine. And he set him
on his own beast. Don't you love to think about
this? He picks up this man and puts him on his own beast and
walks it along and brought him to an inn and took care of him. I read where one person said
that inn represents the church. It may, I don't know, but he
brought him to this inn to take care of him. Verse 35, and on
the morrow, when he departed, He took out two pence. Now, according
to Gil, this two pence is the exact amount of the silver atonement
money. And I believe that. Every Israelite, whether he was
rich or poor, they all had to give the silver atonement money.
The reason that David was judged so harshly 2 Samuel 24 when he
numbered the people. It wasn't because he numbered
the people. It's because he numbered the people without the atonement
money. What is it that makes a child of God the atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ? And it covers everything. He
took out this atonement money, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And this is our security. This is why we're going to make
it all the way to the end. This is why we're going to persevere. Because
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ covers it all. Every blessing
we have, we get because of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There's nothing God is going to withhold from me or you. He
that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all,
hastily not with him also freely give us all things. He said, whatever it takes, here
it is. You take care of him. And when
I return, anything you spent, I will repay thee. Isn't that
a beautiful picture of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? He
is that good Samaritan. Verse 36. Which now of these three thinkest
thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? Well,
there wasn't one answer, was there? He said, He that showed mercy. And I love what the Lord said.
Go and do thou likewise. Don't you want to be this man?
Don't you want to be this good Samaritan? Now, Mercy is our doctrine, isn't
it? Salvation by the mercy of God. I'll tell you, when someone is
interested in mercy, when they're guilty, when their sin is all
their fault and they're guilty, what they need is mercy. Mercy
is our doctrine. Salvation by the mercy of God. But mercy is our practice as
well. Blessed are the merciful for
they shall obtain mercy. Now, if you're a believer, you
want to be that good Samaritan, a merciful person who shows mercy
like he did. Now he had mercy on one who could
not reciprocate him in any way. And one who would have probably
considered himself to be an enemy of this Samaritan. I mean, he
was a Jew. If you're a Jew, you dislike
the Samaritans. Now, look at this as what you and
I are called on to do. Verse 33, but a certain Samaritan,
as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he
had compassion on him. He was moved by this sight. He wanted to do something for
him and not to be paid back. The reason was found in his own
heart. And that's what, when the Lord does something for somebody,
it makes them like this. They want to be merciful. They
want to be gracious. What I would want to be more
than anything else is a merciful person. Don't you want to be that? The
good Samaritan? And he went to him, and bound
up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his
own beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him.
And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave
them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever
thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three thinkest
thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he
gave the obvious answer, he that showed mercy on him and listened
to the words of our Lord. Then said Jesus unto him, go
and do thou likewise. Everybody, without exception,
that has experienced mercy. Have you experienced mercy? You're guilty and God had mercy
on you for Christ's sake. Everyone who has experienced
the mercy of God should be, wants to be, and is a merciful person. Has Christ had mercy on you? Go thou and do likewise. In imitation of our master, our
aim is to go out in this world. Yes, we want people to come in
here to hear the gospel. We really do. But we also want
to go out into this world as the good Samaritan. May God give
me and you the grace to do that. Let's pray.