IN DEFENSE OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY

OR

 HE FELL

Scripture:  Luke 10: 25 -37

 

I.  Justification

            A.  Define Justify:

                        -to render righteous or such he ought to be

                        -to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered.

                        -to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be

 

            B.  Our own

1.  Who is my neighbor?  v. 29  G. Campbell Morgan -> The lawyer was hard hit.  He had to find some way             out.  He knew he had not eternal life and wanted and excuse for not having it. 

 

                        Matthew Henry:  "Many ask good questions with design rather to justify themselves than to inform                                            themselves,  rather proudly to show what is good in them than humbly to see what is bad in them.

 

                                    This is the spirit of Cain.

 

                        2.  Am I my brother's keeper?  Genesis 4:9 “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And                                     he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”

 

                        3.  What is the spirit of Cain?  I John 3:12 “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.                                      And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”

 

                        4.  Justifying ourselves  Luke 16:13 - 15 “16:13 No servant can serve two massters: for either he will hate the                                     one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God                                     and mammon.  16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things:  and they                                     derided him.  16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God                                     knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

 

                        5.  Trusting in ourselves  Luke 18:9-14  *READ

                                    How many pastors would like to have this Pharisee as a member?

                                    He was faithful over many things.

           

II.  A CERTAIN MAN

            A.  He Fell

                        1.  Mephibosheth Fell

                                    II Sam 4:4 “And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when                                                 the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it                                                 came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was                                                 Mephibosheth.”

 

                        2.  Have you ever fallen?   How does it feel to fall?

 

                        3.  Let's ask Mephibosheth how it feels.  *READ  II Sam 9:1-*8

                                    Like a dead dog.

                        4.  Let's ask the psalmist how it feels.  *READ Ps 88:1-18

                                    Like a dead man.

 

            B.  Stripped

                        1.  A certain man was stripped.

                        2.  Christ was stripped.  Mt 27:28  “And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.”

 

            C.  Wounded

                        1.  A certain man was wounded.

                        2.  My heart is wounded.   Ps 109:21-31  *READ

                                    There are times I would rather be cut in the flesh than cut to the heart.

 

                        3.  My spirit is wounded. 

                                    Proverbs 18:14 “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?”           

                        4.  Offended  Prov 18:19 “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are                                     like the bars of a castle.”

 

                        5.  Christ was wounded.

                                    Isa 53:5  “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the                                                        chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

 

                        6.  The worst of heart wounds.  Wounded by friends.

                                    Zech. 13:6 “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer,                                                 Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

 

III.  RESPONDING WHEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY

            A.  The Passing Priest

                        Possibly on his way to or from officiating his turn in the temple.

            B.  The Looking Levite

                        Attendants of the priests.  Also on his way to or from the temple.

 

            Matthew Henry:  It is sad when those who should be examples of charity are prodigies of cruelty, and when those                         who should, by displaying the mercies of God, open the bowels of compassion in others, shut up their own.

 

            C.  The Saving Samaritan

                        M.H. --> The priest had his heart hardened against one of his own people, but the Samaritan had his opened                         towards one of another people.  When he saw him he had compassion on him, and never took into                                consideration what country he was of.  Though he was a Jew, he was a man, and a man in misery, and the                         Samaritan has learned to honour all men; he know not how soon this poor man's case may be his own, and                         therefore pities him, as he himself would desire and expect to be pitied in the like case. 

 

                        1.  Samaritans

                                    a.  One in Ten  Luke 17:15-17 “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and                                                 with a loud voice glorified God, 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks:                                                 and he was a Samaritan.  17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but                                                 where are the nine?”

 

                                    b.  Some have no dealings with Samaritans

                                                John 4:9 “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest                                                             drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the                                                             Samaritans.”

 

                                    c.  Some liken a Samaritan unto devils.

                                                John 8:48 “Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a                                                             Samaritan, and hast a devil?”

 

                        2.  The Power Of  Compassion

                                    a.  Compassion saved Moses a Type of Christ 

                                                Ex 2:6 “And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she                                                             had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

 

                                    b.  The LORD is compassionate

                                                II Kings 13:23   II Chron 36:15  Ps 78:38 

                                                Ps 86:15  Ps 111:4

 

                                    c.  The Father of the Prodigal had compassion  Luke 15:20 “And he arose, and came to his father. But                                                 when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on                                                 his neck, and kissed him.”

 

                                    d.  Christ had compassion Mt  9:36  *READ Matt. 18:21-33

 

                                    e.  He heals  Ps 147:3 “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

                                    f.  Compassion makes a difference. 

                                                Jude 1:22 “And of some have compassion, making a difference:”

 

            Matthew Henry:  We must wish well to all and ill to none; must do all the good we can in the world and not hurt, and                         must fix it as a rule to ourselves to do to others as we would they should do to us;  and this is to love our                         neighbor as ourselves.

 

IV.  WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

            Define Neighbor:

                        - a friend

                        - any other person, and where two are concerned, the other (thy fellow man, thy neighbor), according to the                                     Jews, any member of the Hebrew race or commonwealth.

                        - according to Christ, any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance

                                    to meet

 

            The Compassionate know who is their neighbor and they are faithful keepers of the brethren.

 

            Those who know the Saviour, know their neighbor.

 

            Matthew 26:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it                         unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”