Love this Neighbor:

Luke 10:30-35 “...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. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. 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.’...”

What is a priest?

•  Leviticus 6:7 “...And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty...”
• A prophet presents God to the people, relaying the Word of the Lord.
• A priest presents the people to God, putting them in right standing.

What did the priest in this story do?

• He purposely ignored a person in need.
• He avoided helping someone.
• He considered his agenda more important than helping a half dead person.

Does this sound like a person who is bringing people to God?

What is a Levite?

• Numbers 3:11-13 “...And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD...”
• The Levites were descendants of Levi that God chose to set apart in place of the firstborn that belonged to God.
• The Levites were to do the work of the Lord.

What did the Levite in this story do?

• He purposely ignored a person in need.
• He avoided helping someone.
• He considered his agenda more important than helping a half dead person.

Does this sound like a person who is doing the work of the Lord?

What is a Samaritan?

• John 4:9 “...The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ...”
• The Samaritans were a racially mixed society with Jewish and pagan ancestry.
• They worshiped Yahweh, but their religion was not mainstream Judaism.

What did the Samaritan do?

• He saw the need.
• He had compassion.
• He met the need.

Luke 10:36 “...Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?...”

Why did Jesus ask the lawyer this question?

• The answer was obvious, since only one showed mercy.
• Jesus allowed the lawyer to answer his own question about “who is my neighbor”.

 Who is your neighbor?

Luke 10:37 “...And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise...”

What was the lawyers original question?

• “...Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?...”

 What is the answer to this question?

• Live like the Good Samaritan.
• Love God and love your neighbor.
• Consider all people you come across as your neighbor.
• Give up your agenda and spend yourself for the good of others.

 Matthew 5:7 “...Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy...”

Do This and You Will Live:

Luke 10:25-28 “...And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live...”

What was the lawyer’s interest?

• Outwardly he appeared to have questions about eternal life.
• Inwardly he was putting Jesus to the test.

Is it wise to put God to the test?

• Numbers 14:21-23 “...But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it...”

• Deuteronomy 6:16 “...You shall not put the LORD your God to the test...”

• Malachi 3:10 “...Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need...”

• It is unwise to put God to the test (Father, Son, or Holy Spirit) - unless He specifically authorizes it.

How did Jesus steer the conversation?

• He had the lawyer give the answer.
• He agreed with the Law that the lawyer cited.
• He validated what was written.

Is it enough to know what is written?

• “...do this, and you will live...”

• Romans 2:13 “...For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified...”

Luke 10:29 “...But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?...”

How did the lawyer respond to the direct answer of Jesus?

• The lawyer was supposedly asking about how to inherit eternal life.
• The lawyer knew what was written in the Law.
• Jesus told him to do what was written and he would have life.
• The lawyer was convicted by an answer that implied he wasn’t doing something he should be doing.
• The lawyer tried to justify his lack of lack of doing what was written.

Have you ever found yourself justifying your lack of doing what is written?

Why do people try to justify their lack of doing what is written?

How can people do what is written?

•  Isaiah 40:28-29 “...Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength...”

• Ephesians 1:18-19 “...you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might...”

• Colossians 1:9-14 “...And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins...”

• Ezekiel 36:27 “...And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules...”

• Galatians 5:16 “...But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh...”

• It can only be done "by the Spirit", not "by the flesh"
  

The Mission:

Context:

• Jesus appointed seventy others to go ahead of Him.
• The plentiful harvest needed more laborers.
• He warned them they would be lambs in the midst of wolves.
• They weren’t to rely on their own supplies.
• Where received, they were to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom.
• Woe was awaiting the unrepentant cities.
• They returned with joy, explaining that even the demons were subject in Jesus name.

Luke 10:18-20 “...And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven...”

What was taking place at this time?

• The defeat of Satan.
• The expanded work of Jesus through believers.

What defeat was possible?

• For believers going out, even among wolves - “...nothing shall hurt you...”
• Jesus gave authority over ALL the power of the enemy.

Does Jesus still give this authority to the people He sends out?

•  Do you have this authority?

 What are people sent out to do?

• Does Jesus still send people to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom?

What type of rejoicing does this mission create?

• The temptation is to rejoice in the authority.
• The temptation is to feel pretty special that the spirits are subject to you.
• The appropriate response is to appreciate being in relationship with the One who has all the authority - the one who sends you.
• The appropriate response is to rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:21-22 “...In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him...”

Does everyone understand and accept the mission?

• There are things that are hidden from the wise and understanding. 
• People who don’t know the Son, are blind to the mission.

Luke 10:23-24 “...Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it...”

Does everyone get to see and hear what the sent ones get to see?

Hear and Follow:

Context:

• Jesus gets strong reactions from the crowd.
• Some think He has a demon and is insane, because of His words.
• Some think the opposite, because of His deeds..

John 10:24 “...The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly..."

Was Jesus plainly telling them and showing them who He was?

John 10:25-29 “...Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand...”

Which impacts you more, the words of Jesus, or the actions of Jesus?

Why do people not believe?

• Those who belong to Jesus hear Him, believe Him, and follow Him.
• Those who are not His do not believe.

Is unbelief from not hearing or from not following?

• What we do with what we hear is critical.

• The Jews heard Jesus speak and “...picked up stones again to stone Him...”

John 10:32 “...Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?..."

Did the Jews have a good reason for stoning Jesus?

• In their minds, He was blaspheming.
• They were wrong, but they were convinced they were right.

Do people have a good reason for rejecting Jesus now?

• In their minds, it isn’t sensible to follow Jesus.
• They are wrong, but they are convinced they are right.

John 10:34-38 “...Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I SAID, YOU ARE GODS'? "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father..."

Is Jesus emphasizing words or deeds in this passage?

• Jesus suggests that the focus be taken off the words and placed on the works.
• People love to debate about words.
• People should embrace actual reality, not preferred reality.

Was Jesus doing the works of the Father or not?

What is the outcome of believing the works?

• Believe the works of Jesus “...so that you may know and understand...”

What can you know and understand?

• That the Father and Son abide in each other.
• That Jesus is who He claimed to be.

Will we hear and follow, or hear and discard?

• There is a pretty significant reason to hear and follow.
• “...I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish...”

Knowing and Living with the Shepherd:

John 10:1-5 “...Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers...”

What two types of people are described by Jesus?

• A thief and robber.
• A shepherd of the sheep.

How do these two types differ in the way they enter the sheepfold.

• The shepherd enters by the door, which is opened to him by the gatekeeper.
• The thief and robber climbs in another way.

What is the sheepfold?

• A place where sheep are presumed to be safe and protected.
• A place where God’s people are presumed to be safe and protected.

How do these verses relate to the verses found at the end of Chapter 9?

• The Pharisees professed to be the guides or shepherds of the people.
• Jesus stated that they would lose their sight, becoming blind.
• These professed leaders were truly, truly, being called thieves and robbers.

Why do the sheep follow the shepherd?

• They hear His voice.
• They know His voice.
• They won’t follow a stranger.

What does this imply about those who follow the thief and robber?

• They don’t hear the shepherd’s voice.
• They don’t know the shepherd’s voice.

John 10:7-9 “...So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture...”

Who is the door?

• Jesus claims to be the door of the sheep.

What is the result of using the door?

• Being saved from sin and its blindness.
• Finding the pasture that has been prepared for the sheep.

John 10:10-13 “...The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep...”

How does what Jesus offers differ from what others offer?

• Jesus lays down His life for the sheep.
• Jesus offers the unconditional love that has no self-serving agenda.
• Jesus offers the abundant life that man was created to enjoy.
• Others have selfish agendas.
• Others actually steal and destroy the life that man was created to enjoy.

Is your life a going in and going out in the abundance of the Lord.?

John 10:14-18 “...I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father...”

What other sheep must Jesus bring also?

• The great love he showed wasn’t just for his disciples.
• The great love he showed wasn’t just for the nation of Israel.
• The great love he showed was for all who believed.

What does “...there will be one flock...” suggest?

• Though many folds (groups) exist, they make up one and only one flock.
• People must carefully avoid an elitist attitude that assumes they are the only sheep.

What was Jesus clearly stating about the Father’s will?

• The Father had given Jesus the charge to lay down His life.
• Jesus had the authority to lay down His life and take it up again.
• Jesus intended to lay down His life for His sheep.