Text – Mark 12:30-31 (read vv.28-34)
INTRODUCTION
Somewhere along the line many of us forgot that “Love” is an action word. When someone asks: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, or HOW about love, some type of expression of that love is required. When the Bible teaches and shows us how we are to express love to a person, it is not simply a sexual form of expression. Even a lot of Believers have fallen into the world’s view of love by associating sex with love; they even find themselves using (and believing) the phrase: “making love” without ever asking themselves: “How is love made?”
The world shows us in movies, television, music, art, books, and through many other media that sexual relationship is the epitome of one’s expression of love. Not only is this false, but we see how the world is painting the picture that even if this expression of love is shown in homosexual relationships, because it is love it is godly and okay. What a powerful and deceptive ploy the devil concocted!
As we examine our text for today, many of us are going to reexamine our thoughts about our concept of love; you should because Believers live by the word of God (The Holy Bible), and this includes how we express love to one another. As you do that, I hope you’ll think about our simple subject for today:
SHOWING LOVE!
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” 32. “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34. When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.” Mark 12:28-34 (NIV)
“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30. 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, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.1 34. He went to him2 and bandaged his wounds, 3 pouring on oil and wine.4 Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn5 and took care of him.6 35. 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 you may have.7’ 36. “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37 (NIV)
POINTS – I want to point out Seven (7) things that this “Neighbor” did for this stranger (expound).
- He took pity on him. – When he saw that the man was beaten and left for dead, he felt compassion for the man and “SHOWED” pity for him.
- He went to him. – Unlike the men who passed by him, he went over to the man.
- He bandaged his wounds. – He ministered to the man’s immediate need (expound).
- He commenced to pouring on oil and wine. – He cleaned and bandaged the man’s wounds with oil and vinegar.
- He put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn. – He proceeded to put this man on his own donkey, and while he walked, he became an ambulance for this beaten stranger and took him to a motel (expound).
- He took care of him. – He continued to minister to the man when he got him to the inn.
- 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 you may have. – As the man set out to continue on his journey, he made sure that the beaten man was looked after (expound).
CONCLUSION
We don’t see where this Good Samaritan asked the beaten man what happened (it is kind of self-explanatory). He did not ask the man who was at fault. He did not ask the man what religion he was; he did not even ask him if he was saved! There were many things he did not ask the man; he simply showed love by meeting the man at his point of need and ministered to him.
Sometimes we forget that we may need to be the one who is planting the seed so that someone else can come along and water it. The Good Samaritan went as far as he could with the beaten man at the time, but he left him in the hands of someone else until he returned from his journey. Showing love to someone does not have to have anything to do with sex, but it may require the need to postpone your task to tend to the need of someone.
Saying to someone or someone that you love them is not enough. Love has to be shown; and contrary to what the world is teaching, sex and love is not the same thing!