Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: So today we're going to be talking about what it was to be moved, how Jesus was moved. So we'll be speaking on Luke 10, verse 25 to 37. I'll be reading out of the NIV, but most versions are probably okay as well.
On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it? He answered, love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, and all of your strength, and with all of your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.
You've answered correctly. Jesus replied, do this and you will live.
But he wanted to justify himself. So in reply, Jesus said, oh. So he asked Jesus, and who is my neighbor? And in reply, Jesus said, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes and they beat him. And they went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
So too a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He went to him and he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him into an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense that you may have.
Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in Noor replied, the one who had mercy on him. And Jesus told him, go and do likewise.
So in verse 30, Jesus is replying to this man, right? Who is this man?
This man is a Jewish lawyer, a guy who's trying to challenge Jesus, trying to get him to mess up, trying to get him to respond quickly out of anger, trying to get Jesus to test him on the law. But instead, Jesus replies with a story of love and compassion. And this story challenges the man. And he doesn't challenge the man out of Jesus, kind of explaining the law back to him. It challenges him in a way that touches his heart, in a way that calls him to change.
So in verse 31, it says, A priest happened to be going down the same road.
So in the esv, it says, by chance and in the NIV it says happened to be going down. And I was thinking a lot of these times where we see somebody that we feel called to go and share the love of Jesus with, or we see somebody who needs help or see somebody who we need to give our time and love to, a lot of the time it's by chance. I don't know about you, but how many of you go about your day within your calendar, oh, I'm going to meet this person round this corner that's not me. And definitely I find these things is when you least expect it. It's when you leave the house and you're in a rush and then you see somebody and you're like, oh, the Lord's calling me to go and speak to them.
And this makes me think the most kingdom defining moments for us often happen unexpectedly. And that's why we need to have our hearts ready and prepared to go and see that person and be ready to share the love of Jesus with them. And there's that quote that says to be loved is to be changed and to be loved by Jesus and accept the love of Jesus into our lives is to be changed by Him. And that's how when we then go out after spending time in the Word, spending time in his presence, that's when we can have a heart that's prepared, a heart that's laid on good soil so that then by chance when we come across this person, we're actually then ready to share the love of Jesus and have compassion with them.
So the priest wasn't expecting in the next verse to have an encounter with a half dead man on the side of the road. And that made me think, neither are we. We're often not expecting this, but we should be expecting it and we should be ready for the people that Jesus brings into our life so that we can go minister to them and go and love them how Jesus loves us.
So that challenges me. Is my heart prepared for this moment?
And when it comes down to it, will I really go and love this person or will I just cross over the road like everybody else?
So I want to be prepared every day afresh when I wake up, Holy Spirit come back into my life, I want to be ready today to do what Jesus is calling me into.
So then likewise a levite in verse 32, so the context of a Levite in this situation, the Levites were religious people, they were people in maybe ministerial roles. They were people who you would expect to stop and help if you were a dead man on the side of the road and you saw a Levite, you would go, oh, hallelujah, somebody's come to save me. But actually this Levite just crossed over.
And you know, this Levite in society would have had a high title. This would have been somebody who you would have expected to do the right thing.
But Jesus doesn't use titles. You know, Jesus uses hearts that are ready and hearts that are prepared and anybody who is willing to be moved by compassion in that place.
And then verse 33.
But a Samaritan had compassion on him. Who is a Samaritan in this situation? A Samaritan is somebody on the outskirts, somebody who is hated by society. Some somebody who people would spit on and say, oh, what are they doing here? You know, this is somebody who is completely unexpected in this situation. And this is where Jesus is making a radical point that the one who shouldn't be the hero in this situation is the hero. And, you know, this is what the kingdom looks like. It's completely upside down, it's flipped. It's where loving people who we, you know, loving people who the world hates, loving people who people will kind of look down on you from. Loving people who your friends will kind of snigger at you and laugh at you for loving. It's loving the people who are unexpected and loving whoever the Lord brings into your life in that moment. So that's how we need to love. We need to love in a countercultural way, in a way that makes people actually step back and go, hey, why are you loving them? But it's because Jesus loves us and that's why we can love out of that place.
And then as you move on, it says that the Samaritan had compassion in the Greek. I'm not going to say it because I'm going to butcher the word, but the word compassion means like a deep, gut wrenching feeling. It's the feeling that kind of twists inside of you and you can feel it in your insides.
And a while ago I had that feeling where I was. Where was I? I was coming back from Thailand, back to the University uk and I was going from Chiang Mai to Bangkok airport. I don't know if any of you ever been in Bangkok, but it is a sprawling place. It is absolutely vast.
And I really struggled to sit still. So I was pacing back and forth. I got like over 22,000 steps.
And as I was walking, I had my headphones on and I came across this girl. She was sat down, throwing up in between her knees into a bag. And I was so close to walking by because I was on a speed walk. I walked past and then I felt it inside of me, that pull and that nudge and that gut wrenching feeling to go back and help her. So I went back and said, hey, can I get you anything? She asked for water. So I ran off and got her some water and brought it back. And then I was like, how long have you been here? When's your flight? She had been there for a day and a half throwing up, nobody had helped her. And her flight was in two minutes, just down there. So I was like, do you want to get this flight? And she was like, yeah. So I picked up our bags and we ran to the bay.
We got there and there was a queue of people and, you know, when they checked the boarding passes and the passports, we were in this queue together and I was waiting with her. And we got to the front of the queue, they checked everybody else's, they checked hers and they didn't even look in my direction. And I was stood there like my jaw on the floor, like, this is one of the biggest supernatural experiences I've ever had. I walked straight through security with her without them looking at me. And I was able to pray with her and tell her about Jesus. And she was able to get on her flight and she messaged me a day later saying, nobody has ever done anything for me like that and I haven't thrown up once more. And that was just a situation where I had felt that gut wrenching sense of, you know, Jesus is asking me to have compassion on this person. And then from that place he had honoured my obedience and he had opened doors and yeah, it was really beautiful. And you know, and you know, this word of compassion is also in the feeding of the 5,000. It's what the Father of the Prodigal Son says to him. And it's also when Jesus heals the blind.
And compassion isn't just kindness, but it's actually that nudge and that ache inside of you is God's heart inside of you asking you to respond.
And then we go down to verse 35 and it says, take care of him. And then it goes on to say, when I return, I will reimburse you. And so the Samaritan entrusts the man to the innkeeper and he promises to return. And it's not like he just kind of gives him a bit of money and leaves. He gives him two denarii, which is about two weeks worth of wages.
And if you think two weeks worth of work just given to a man on the side of the road. And then this just made me think that the Lord will always, always provide for you when you give. He will always give. And you know, kingdom generosity isn't just giving from spare, but it's giving all that you have. And when God provides and he calls you to give, whether it's your heart or your money or your time to people, he will always provide and he always has you covered and you just don't need to worry about it.
So then Jesus goes on to say, which of these three do you think was a neighbor? So Jesus then flips the question and it's not who is my neighbor?
But who will become my neighbor. And so the issue isn't kind of identifying who's the neighbor in this situation, but it's who's going to become a neighbor in this situation. And I don't know about you, but I want to be somebody who always becomes a neighbor in whatever situation I'm in. I don't want to be held up by things I'm doing. I don't want to be held up by being late somewhere. I always want to be the person who is the neighbor to those in need.
So are we going to be people who are crossing the road to get away from this person? Are we going to be people who are actually crossing the road to come and sit with this person and spend time with this person? Or are you going to be sat back, crossing our arms, doing nothing? Because I know the type of neighbor that I want to become and that's one who goes the extra mile and crosses the road and goes to be with this person.
So the question is, what does compassion look like for us today?
It looks like having ready hearts, hearts that are ready and prepared to be moved by compassion. Hearts that have good soil that things can be laid upon, hearts that are ready every morning that we wake up to say, Jesus, what is it you want me to do today? In which ways do you want me to be moved by compassion today? It's having that gut level empathy and compassion. It's listening to when the spirit is stirring inside of you and having your ears switched on and saying, actually when you're speaking to me, I'm going to listen and then I'm going to respond.
It's having costly love. It's being willing to live sacrificially and being willing to give out of all that you have, because the Lord will always give it back to you and you do not need to worry because he will provide and he always does provide.
And then it's having kingdom courage. It's stepping across those cultural barriers, those social barriers, those racial barriers, any barriers there are, it's stepping across and it's going beyond. Because Jesus went beyond the grave for us.
And then it's having active obedience.
It's not just being moved. It's not just going, ah, Jesus has spoken to me. I feel the love of Jesus in my heart. It's actively moving and it's being changed by the gospel. It's not just saying, oh, I believe the gospel, but it's saying, I've been changed by the gospel. Now what am I going to go and do about it?
So you don't have to be qualified, you just have to be moved.
And compassion isn't just a feeling we chase, but compassion is Jesus a person that we follow.
And you know, when we move with compassion and when we live by compassion, this is when, as a body, we look most like Jesus. And it's not just when, you know, we feel that feeling inside of us. It's when we truly believe that Jesus wants to use us and Jesus wants to change our hearts and mold us into people who look like him, who carry forward the body of compassion. So that when we see people on the streets and when we see people who need a hand, it's actually when we come to them and tell them, hey, we're Christians, we want to help you. They don't think, oh, this is just, you know, a kind of group who's coming to help us, but they can actually see the body of Jesus encapsulated in us because we move forward and live in compassion.
So I'm just going to wrap it up and how long have I done time wise?
Thank you.
Yeah. Lord, I thank youk so much for the love you. You continuously pour out on us. And I thank you for the compassion that you've given us again and again and again. Jesus and I just pray today that our hearts would be continuously shaped and molded and moved with compassion Jesus. And we would be people who live in courage as well, to step out into that compassion and to step out into that calling of going beyond, going beyond boundaries and loving people how you love people.
In Jesus name. Amen.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: So, Father God, I pray that my speech and preaching be not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of a spirit and of power that the people listening here today that their faith be not in the words of man, not in my words, but in your words, Lord God, and in the power of God, amen So Good Samaritan Jesus replied and said a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he encountered robbers and they stripped him and beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road and when he saw him he passed on the other side.
Likewise a Levite also when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him and, and when he saw him he felt compassion and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And he put him on his own animal and brought him to the inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, take care of him and whatever more you spend when I return, I will repay you.
Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell into the robbers hands? And he said, the one who showed compassion to him. Then Jesus said to him, go and do the same.
Amen.
Okay. God's invitation.
When I was praying about this, when I was asked, I asked the Holy Spirit, I said, what do you want to say?
What do you want to say to the people here? He said to me, this would be a bit different to Esther's brilliant preach by the way. That's actually fantastic. And about the compassion, I really resonated with that, being drawn to compassion. I lack compassion sometimes, particularly when it's inconvenient. Heidi Baker says stop for the One. And I see Heidi on you.
Heidi Baker stopping for the One when it's inconvenient. And I just bless you. That compassion was just wonderful.
That reminder to be compassionate is such an important thing.
So I was talking to Holy Spirit about this. He said to me, I am the Good Samaritan God.
He said tell them that I am the Good Samaritan to them.
And he's been the Good Samaritan to me. So I'm going to use three stories, little brief testimonies in my life where actually God's been the Good Samaritan to me. So when I've been beaten, when I felt accused as it were, and also when the priest as it were walked on by, for some reason I seem to put the Levite first before the priest. I don't know why, whether it's been different story in the Bible or my mind works that way. But for me it's beaten, it's being accused and when the priest walks on by, so if you can bring up the first picture, Gordon, is that okay? The Dawlish School.
So beaten. If I get emotional, don't worry, you can be emotional with me if you want to.
Being beaten is interesting. I haven't actually been physically beaten up. I've had a few interesting fights where I've lost, but not exactly beaten up. And I haven't really beaten up anybody either, thankfully. But at the end of the day I've been beaten internally. I was bullied quite badly at Dawlish School. I moved from Newcastle Upon Tyne down to Devon when I was 14. My dad's job, he's a civil servant who he was. And it didn't go well. I moved from Newcastle. Why? I Geordie man. We worked with Desminto, Sam's dad. And I would say I'm like a Geordie with only seven years. So, you know, sometimes, you know, I'm not sure that counts really, seven years. But identify strongly with Newcastle. Moved to Dawlish and didn't go well at school. Bullied quite badly.
Fast forward on to about 18 and if you can put the next slide up, please, Gordon.
I decided at that point to take my life and to. Yeah, I won't go into detail. I don't know how many young people are here, but I just felt at the time I just didn't want to go on. I don't know how. If you've been beaten to that place, sometimes life's come to you and beaten you.
Whereas you feel like that Jew on the road. Do you feel like the Jew on the road? Have you been in that place where actually you've been beaten? Are you beaten now? In some ways.
And I just feel like that's been my story at that time.
I decided like, I want to check out. I want to go home, don't want to be here. Long story short, I don't know how to say it. Without saying some details, I just made myself ill and then that was. I was okay. The thought of being in my bed and my mum finding me either dying or dead the next day was something that I just couldn't do to her.
So, yeah, that was one of my lowest points in my life.
And I struggled with suicidal thoughts and different things like that for quite a long time.
Fast forward to a time I was living in Banbury. I can't give too much detail here. Too much. Not enough time to do it. I was living with a guy called Rob. Husband and his wife, Rob and Tina. And they actually used to work at the YMCA in Exeter, where I got saved in 1998. Wonderful people.
And I said to Rob, I just want to go home. I just don't want to be here. I want to go home. How many of you just want a sense of home? Sometimes when you just feel beaten, when you feel life has really just kicked you in the guts and whatever else, you just don't want to be here. Heaven, like heaven come like now. I don't want to be here where the invitation actually is Heaven now, rest in peace and don't be insensitive to people who've had people passed away recently or whatever else. But rest in peace is the most redundant phrase in the graveyard. When Jesus says to you, I want to give you my peace now.
Love, joy and peace.
The third part of the Fruit of the Spirit is peace. He wants to release to you peace.
Rob said to me, he said to me, you are home, Paul, you are home.
And he said to me, you are home.
Not his physical home. He wasn't talking about that supernaturally. I am home in Jesus.
I want to read to you John 17, 2024. Let me know how I'm doing the time.
Five minutes gone, five minutes left. Wow.
Okay. I've really got a really gotta speed up.
So. John 17, that's throw me that I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also that those who believe in me through their word, that they may be all the same.
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you. That they would also be in us. So that the world may believe that you sent me.
The glory which you have given me, I have also given to them, so that they may be one. But as we are one, I in them and you in me. That they may be perfected in unity.
So that the world may know that you sent me and you love me just as you love me.
So I'm going to leave it there. Basically the Father's saying, I want to release to you home.
So home's been the first part of the thing. So I'm going to have to go really quick. I've got five minutes left. I am.
I need to fly this plane to the ground.
So the second one is accused.
Could you please bring up the thing.
So that looks familiar. That chap there won a scholarship at university, went to university twice. University, age of 36 and did really well.
Harper Adams in Shropshire. And I won a scholarship for woodland management. Came top of my class in that second one is.
Then came top of the actual class itself when I graduated. And this is a foundation degree this isn't a the full BSc honours, it's actually the first two thirds, as it were.
And then the third one, please, that's Harper Adams in Shropshire. And the fourth one is Royal Agricultural University or RAU in Cirencester.
Had a choice of topping up in Harper or to Cirencester. Cirencester had the course. Harper Adams had the facilities. Brilliant place, absolutely fantastic. And any one of you who've done a degree or study, you'll know how important the library is.
Brilliant resources there. I made the choice of staying at Harper even though the course wasn't really the right thing for me.
And anyway, long story short, I made that as a wrong choice for me. I should have gone to Royal Cultural University.
Now I see this as being like the Levite, the accuser. So I've got scriptures written in here like Jeremiah 29:11 and Revelation 12:10. For sake of time, I can't go into that now. But the accuser comes to you and accuses you when you make mistakes.
And regret is one of the most corrosive things in our life. That really was a big mistake in my life. I have the Levite, as it were, or the accuser, the expert in the law, saying to me how I've done things wrong, how I made that mistake. Are you in that same place today?
Is that where you're at? Have you got regrets in your life? Where God says to me, and it's interesting in Jeremiah 29:11 some scriptures put in there actually his thoughts to not plans. We're very task orientated society in our world, as it were and some script has put in thoughts there rather than plans. So my thoughts towards you, what is he thinking towards you?
What is the father's narrative over your life right now like about that book of declarations? What is he saying to you? And I'm sorry for sort of going too fast and butchering it, but I'm fast running out of time.
The third one, which is the last picture please. Gordon is the father.
Brief testimony. I was at church 10 years in Exeter. Not rediscover all river churches was then another church.
And long story short, the church leader who was a father in my life, he eventually left.
And yeah, bit of a hullabaloo to say the least. Some people actually know, I know some friends here at TCC at that time.
And when your father walks out of the room, I remember being back at church and your father's walking out and you're thinking, my father's going, where's he going? Why is he going has the Father walked out on you? I don't mean Father God, but maybe that might be how you feel today in some situations when the Father's walked out on you. Maybe significant people have walked out on you.
I just feel like that's the important part that God wanted to say. The Good Samaritan God is here. The Father God is here and wants to embrace you. And there's a wonderful scripture in Romans 8, 14, 17 and talking about. In fact, I will read it if I got just a bit of time to do that, which is the fifth one, I think.
Okay. Romans 8, 14, 17.
For all those. For all those, for all who are being led by the Spirit of God. These are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received the spirit of slavery, leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, abba, Father, the Spirit himself testifies with your spirits that we are children of God.
And if children, heirs, also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
That was the last scripture about the Father, and I'm sorry for crashing the plane into the ground.
But in conclusion, he is a Good Samaritan God to you. I can testify that I shared some personal stories, although very briefly.
He is a Good Samaritan God to you. His invitation is that he says, I am here for you. If you are beaten, if you are accused, if you have people walk out on you, he is there for you.
He is there for you. Now, a friend or an acquaintance of mine was saying this, was saying, he says that the way of your being matches the truth of your being.
So I pray in closing that the way how we live our lives will match the truth of your being. What is the truth of your life? What is the truth being spoken over you right now? What is the Father saying? What is he inviting? Is he of a Good Samaritan God to you? And in that I'll say, I'm closing and say, amen.
