How do we Practice what we Preach?
Luke 10:25-37

Intro:
Good morning.
Some time ago I gave a lesson that asked the question, ‘Can we preach what we practice?’ Both that lesson and the one today were inspired by a saying we have all heard probably many times in our lives, “He / she, does not practice what they preach”. To put it another way, if we, as Christians, preach one way to live and then live our lives in another way, we end up being hypocrites.

In that lesson we looked at some examples from the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Jesus clearly pointed out in scripture how they failed to practice what they preached.

In this lesson I would like for us to look at the example of the Good Samaritan and ask the question, ‘How do we practice what we preach?’ In other words, we understand that we need to practice, to live our lives the way the Bible tells us. We can see the importance, but how to we do it? I’m not talking about what we studied a few lessons back where James told us to “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”. Instead I want to focus outward and see what we can learn from this parable.

A preacher had been talking to a children's Bible class about kindness. He paused and asked, "If I should see a man beating a donkey and stopped him, what virtue would I be showing?" A little voice responded with the unexpected answer, "Brotherly love." I guess the point of the story is that we probably have different ideas about what is involved with brotherly love, and if we are to practice what the Bible preaches, brotherly love needs to be involved.

We are going to look at the parable of the Good Samaritan this morning as we find it in Luke 10. We are going to try and learn a few lessons from the Samaritan. This parable is probably one of the most well known even among those who are not Christians, but sadly it is also one of many parables which are often misinterpreted.

Some believe that the traveler in the parable represents man, who has left the heavenly city (Jerusalem) for the worldly one, (Jericho). Others believe that the robbers in the parable are representative of the devil and sin, who leave man dying in sin. Some believe that the priest and the Levite refer to the Law and its sacrifices, which are unable to help, but the Good Samaritan is Jesus, who provides the help needed.

Still others believe that the wine represents the blood of Christ; the oil, the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Finally, others believe the inn is the church, the innkeeper is representative of the apostles; the two coins representative of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Certainly these are all interesting interpretations of the parable, but they leave me wondering.

I. Is that really what Jesus is teaching us in this parable? Or does Jesus have some other lesson that He wants us to learn from it? Let’s start with a little background information. Luke 10:25 – “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?''”
A. The "lawyer" we read about here would be a person who would know the Law of Moses very well. When he came up to Jesus and tried to test or trap, as some translations have it, it doesn’t always mean in a negative way. It may simply mean that the lawyer was trying to find out just how faithful Jesus was to the commandments and the Law of Moses.
B. However, when we read the text carefully we also see that he may have been trying to trick Jesus. The text says, ‘he stood up’ which may mean he was trying to draw attention to himself. As we will see in a few moments the text tells us that he tried to "justify" himself with another question. Again this could indicate that he was interested in more than just a simple answer to his question.
C. When you think about his question, it sounds very similar to the question asked by the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18 – “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
D. Jesus answers the lawyer by pointing him back to the Law. Luke 10:26 – “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
II. Jesus answered the question with two other questions which showed that He had confidence in the Law. It’s important that we keep all this in context and remember that at this time the Law was still in force. The lawyer then replies with a proper understanding of what the Law taught concerning eternal life.
A. Luke 10:27-28 – “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'” Jesus replies, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” The lawyer basically quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus confirms his answer.
B. If you recall it is upon these two laws, one to love God, the other to love your neighbor, the entire Law was based. The lawyer is not finished though, he goes on and says in Luke 10:29 – “But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?''”
C. How typical of the religious leaders of that time to look for a way of “adapting” God’s law to their world view. Come to think of it, that is not different even today. In this effort to “justify himself” he asks a question which brings about the parable, - "And who is my neighbor?"
III. That’s the build up and background to the parable and the parable is how Jesus answers the lawyer’s question about who is my neighbor. Luke 10:30 – “Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”
A. A man travels from Jerusalem to Jericho, and is attacked, this is a distance of around 20 miles. It was a well known and dangerous road, scholars tell us it was known as "The Way of Blood" because of the robbers. The poor guy was stripped of his clothing, wounded by robbers, and is basically left half dead.
B. Jesus continues and says in Luke 10:31-32 – “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.”
C. Jesus says that two people pass by and do nothing, the first was a priest, and the second was a Levite. Both of these men were of the religious elite in Israel at that time.
D. Jesus continues in Luke 10:33-35 – “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'”
E. Jesus says a Samaritan came by and showed compassion to the man who was beaten up. Remember that the Samaritans were the descendants of those imported at the time of the Assyrian captivity according to 2 Kings 17:24-41. They were also a people who were despised by the Jews according to John 4:9.
F. These religious people, the priest and the Levite did nothing in this case. It was a Samaritan, the very people who would have been despised by the Jews; he was the one who showed compassion.
G. He was the one who was practicing what the priest and the Levite were preaching. He was the one who gave the man first aid, by placing bandages on his wounds, and applying oil and wine. He was the one who put the wounded man on his own animal and took him to an inn. He was the one who gave the innkeeper two denarii, which was around two days' wages, to provide for his care. He was the one who told the innkeeper to spend whatever it takes, and he will repay him when he comes again.
H. A method of interpreting this parable today is by contrasting religious people (the priest and the Levite) with worldly people (the Samaritan), making the worldly humanitarian superior to the uncharitable religious person: then - construing the whole as an answer to the question of how to inherit eternal life, with the conclusion that the only thing needful in order to inherit eternal life is for one to do good to his fellowmen. This parable teaches no such thing.
I. While it is true, of course, those uncharitable and pitiless religious persons cannot be saved; it is likewise true that the unreligious humanitarian is also without hope.
IV. I’m not going to go down that path today, but instead look at what can help us answer our question as to ‘How do we practice what we preach?’ We follow the example of the Samaritan.
A. James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We know there’s a whole world of difference between knowing what to do and doing it. The Priest and the Levite both knew what to do, but did nothing. The Samaritan knew what was needed and acted on that knowledge.
B. Jesus then asks the lawyer a question in Luke 10:36 – “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” Jesus asks for a conclusion and with a question which was so obvious the lawyer replies with the obvious answer in Luke 10:37 – “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus tells the lawyer to go and do likewise.
C. Even in the midst of an important question with an obvious answer, the Lawyer couldn’t bring himself to say the word Samaritan affording us a glimpse of his inner thoughts.
D. Notice something else here; notice how Jesus turned the focus of the original question around. The first question was "Who is my neighbor?" and how Jesus adjusts the question by asking "Who was the one that was a neighbor to the one in need?" You see Jesus has a way of getting to the point; He has a way of really getting people to think deeper about what really counts. Let me put this parable in everyday language.
E. A certain woman, driving on a limited access highway between two cities, ran over a sharp object which punctured her tire and left her stranded by the side of the road. After raising the hood of her car and tying a scarf to her radio antenna, she locked the doors and sat in the car, praying for the Lord to send help.
F. By chance, there came a limousine that way with a bumper sticker that read, "Smile, God Loves You!" When the occupants saw the stranded woman, they passed by in the far lane, without smiling. Likewise, there came a sports car with a bumper sticker saying, "Honk If You Love Jesus!" The man who was driving passed by in the far lane without honking. No one used a phone to tell the police about the woman's dilemma.
G. But a certain working man, who was on his way to his job, came to the spot where the woman was and, when he saw her raised hood, white scarf, and flat tire, he had compassion on her. He stopped his old beat-up pickup, which had no bumper sticker, and offered to change the tire for her. The woman opened the door and gave him the key to the trunk. The man took out the spare tire, jacked up the car, removed the flat tire, and replaced it with the spare.
H. When he had finished, the woman tried to pay him. He refused the money, saying, "If my wife were stranded on the motorway with a flat tire, I'd want some Good Samaritan to stop and help her out." He returned to his bumper-sticker-less beater, smiled, honked at her, and went on his way. Which of these three was neighbor to the woman who had a flat tire?
V. What Jesus was doing here was focusing the lawyer’s attention on a more important truth and that was, what it means to "Love your neighbor as yourself." In other words the whole purpose of the parable was Jesus teaching who our neighbors really are, and what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
A. Let’s take this back to our question, how can we practice what we preach? Well, we practice what we preach by recognizing that a neighbor is anyone we meet who has a need. The world is full of people in need, isn’t it? The world is full of people who need a cup of water in Jesus Name, isn’t it? Doesn’t a member in our congregation who is struggling to pay the gas bill have a need? Doesn’t the homeless person who sits in the town center have a need?
B. Now consider this - If my neighbor needed a cup of sugar, I would gladly give it to him; but what if he needed a friend? If my neighbor needed bread, I would share with him; but what if he needed love? If my neighbor needed shoes, I would provide them for him; but what if he needed compassion? If my neighbor needed water, if I could I would dig him a well; but what if he needed God?
VI. Practicing what we preach means going the extra mile. It means that we need to be involved in seeing what the real need is and providing for that need. Because loving our neighbor goes beyond seeing someone’s race. Loving our neighbor goes beyond seeing someone’s nationality. Loving our neighbor goes beyond seeing someone’s religion. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that loving our neighbor also means loving our enemy who may be in need.
A. That is the point Jesus was making using the Samaritan as an example. We already saw that there was animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. Although they saw each other as enemies, it was the Samaritan who helped the man in need.
B. Listen to what the writer of Romans says in Romans 12:13 – “distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Paraphrasing - “Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.” Now listen to what Paul says in Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Again paraphrasing - “So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith.”
C. The early Christians were practicing what they preached. When you read through the church history you will see that one of the reasons the church grew so rapidly in the early years was because of their incredible hospitality to strangers - to anyone who had a need.
D. If we want to practice what the Bible preaches we need to recognize that anyone who has a need is our neighbor. If we have the ability to help them and don’t help them, we end up being hypocrites just like the priest and the Levite.
E. In the parable, out of the three passers-by, the first two should have been the first to help. They should have done this on auto pilot. The priest and the Levite should have been influenced by their religion to help. Leviticus 19:33-34 and Deuteronomy 10:17-19 tells us that they should have helped.
F. Because they separated neighborliness from their religion, they became hypocritical. We know that the priest would teach the Law, and the Levite would assist in the service, but failing to practice what they preached showed how shallow their devotion to their faith really was.
G. You see if we don’t practice what we preach, we end up being like a ventriloquist’s dummy. A young boy was sitting on the front row watching a ventriloquist perform with his dummy on his lap. Interacting with the boy, the dummy proceeded to ask the boy questions and talk with him. The boy thinking he had found a new friend, he approached the dummy after the show to ask him to come over and play. The ventriloquist continued to decline the boy’s requests until the boy became frustrated. Responding to the boy, the ventriloquist said, "Well, he doesn’t DO anything, he just talks."
VII. We are quite familiar with James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” “Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.” So let me ask you, what kind of religion do we have? Does our religion show compassion for anyone in need? Does our religion go beyond social barriers? - Does our religion take risks? You know when you think about, the Samaritan took a great risk by stopping to help. What if the robbers were still near by? What if other thieves came by on this road known as "The Way of Blood"? He took risks.
A. Sometimes we need to do the same thing as Christians. Luke 6:30 – “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.” Christians are called upon to take risks when helping others.
B. I’m sure we’ve all met people who have come to us and told us they have a need. Sometimes those same people keep coming back for more help, especially if it’s financial help. We recall people who were hungry and we offered to buy them a meal. People who need fuel for their car and we offered to take them to the station and fill their car. Sometimes they have accepted and sometimes not. Sometimes all they want is money. Sometimes we give help and the person comes back again and again.
C. How do we know people won't take advantage of our generosity? It’s a risk, isn’t it? Maybe this is an area where we need to have faith in God. What if we make a decision to help someone and we find it was a mistake, they did not really have a need? Do we beat ourselves up over it? No.
VIII. Now practicing what we preach can also involve sacrifice. Imagine walking to work and you see this elderly lady lying on the sidewalk after falling over. What do you do? Do you go over and help her or do you think to yourself I need to get to work on time? I’m sure most people would stop and help even though it meant being late for work.
A. My point is that sometimes we need to be willing to put our schedules aside to help others. The Samaritan was on a journey, but he still took the time to stop and care for the man. Practicing what we preach means we need to sacrifice the time to show compassion, even if we’re forced to show compassion.
B. See Matthew 5:41 – tells us; “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” You see folks the first mile may be compelled but the second mile is given out of love. Notice also that the Samaritan sacrificed more than just time and energy; he also sacrificed some of his own provisions.
C. Luke 10:34 – “and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”
1. His sacrifice went the first mile when he stopped and helped the man out with what he possessed.
2. His sacrifice went the second mile when he offered the innkeeper a blank check to provide for his help until he got back.
3. Luke 10:35 – “On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'”
IX. Going that second mile is difficult sometimes. I think this is one area where we fall short. We care for people and try to meet their needs and then we forget about them. I believe that we should take the time to go back to them every now and then just to make sure they are still OK.
A. Do we know what will happen if we don’t? Do we know what will happen if we don’t stop to help someone we have the ability to help? Do we know what will happen if we don’t follow the example of the Samaritan? Do we know what will happen if we don’t practice what we preach? …
B. Perhaps nothing, nothing happens but a whole list of wasted doors which God has opened up for us to reach someone with the gospel.

CONCLUSION:
If God were to open up the diary of our lives, I wonder how many wasted opportunities He would find where we’ve missed being a neighbor to someone because we’ve been too busy to help? I wonder how many opportunities we’ve missed to be a neighbor to someone because we didn’t go the extra mile to help?

I think James puts it across to us with such clarity in James 2:15-16 – “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,'' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

Christians need to do more than just talking. Jesus warns us in Matthew 5:20 – “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” What is our righteousness like? Is it like the righteousness of the priest and Levite, or of the Samaritan? Jesus says "Go and do likewise Christian" The question is, are we willing to practice what Jesus preached?

Folks, there’s no point in sitting here every time we hear a sermon and saying ‘amen’ if we’re not willing to show the world that we’re not just Christians in word. We need to show the world that we’re real Christians with our words and deeds.

We need to show the world that we really do practice what we preach. We can preach a thousand sermons and people will forget within a day or two what was preached but if we help someone in Jesus Name, we can be sure that, - that one small deed done out of love and compassion will be remembered. You know that is true.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

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Reference Sermon
Mike Glover