I'd like to share an excellent sermon that one of my pastors preached. This really great sermon was on standing out in society by loving others. This was a great sermon based on the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. The pastor gave three practical ways for us to love our neighbors.
Luke 10: 30-35 says, "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. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33 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.'"
Out of this Bible story, we can find three practical ways to love our neighbors.
1. Love people over tasks.
- Loving others is going to interrupt your life. The good Samaritan was going somewhere and had things to do, but he still stopped to help the man who had been beaten.
- You cannot continually chase the tasks of our lives (work, school, responsibilities, etc.) and love people. We tend to set our minds on the things of this world instead of being kingdom minded and focus on loving others like Jesus calls us to.
- God calls us to love him first and foremost and then to "love your neighbor as yourself." It is impossible to love God and love others when you are focused on things of the world and not God.
2. Love likenesses over Differences
- Samaritans were despised by the Jews. The Samaritan could not tell who the man was because he did not have clothes and was half dead, but that did not stop the Samaritan. Their only likeness was that they were both humans, their likenesses outweighed the differences.
- Do not withhold love and extend judgment, for everyone bears the image of God.
3. Love others over Self
- The Samaritan takes care of the man, using his resources and pays for the man's stay at the inn. The Samaritan took on the man's problems himself; he had no preferences.
- Philippians 2:5-8 shows that Jesus made our problems his problems when he died for everyone on the cross. Jesus carried a cross that we should have to carry.
I want to leave you with this final question: When did the prerequisite to love be that we have to agree with someone? Jesus did not agree with some, yet he still loved them unconditionally. Jesus also poured out His love for everyone when He died on the cross which He did not deserve. I challenge you not to extend judgment but love your neighbors as Christ loves you.
