During World War II, a young soldier named David Webster of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne wrote his mother: "Stop worrying about me. I joined the parachutists to fight. I intend to fight. If necessary, I shall die fighting, but don’t worry about this because no war can be won without young men dying. Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice."
Scripture often refers to the Christian life as a war—a spiritual battlefield. Isaac Watts posed this question in his song, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”
Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
The answer to that question is clear. We will not be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease. There is no victory apart from sacrifice. Just as our salvation was purchased at great cost, overcoming the enemy and walking in the Spirit comes at great cost as well — but the cost is well worth the sacrifice! (Source: Band of Brothers, Stephen E. Ambrose)
We must sacrifice for Christ if we will ever impact the world for Christ.
A Trap
Luke 10:25-29. A dishonest question. A lawyer asks the Lord a question with impure motives. Calling this man a lawyer would mean he was an expert in Jewish law. The lawyer wants to test the Lord and wants to justify his own choices.
A strong, brief response. What is the best way to answer this trick question? The Lord points the lawyer to the scriptures with a question to lead the lawyer to the answer. In Luke 10:27, the lawyer refers to Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 for his response to Jesus (love God and love your neighbor). The Lord then responds in essence with, “that’s a good answer! Go do it.”
A defining of terms. The lawyer is not satisfied. Luke 10:28 tells us the lawyer wants to justify himself, so he asks a qualifying question - “who is my neighbor?” The Lord then tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.
A Tale
Luke 10:30-35. Lost Opportunities. A man traveling the road from Jerusalem to Jericho (a well-known dangerous road) was mugged. Thieves stole his money and severely beat him up. At two different times, two men (a priest and a Levite), come upon this man who was severely injured and half dead. On both occasions, both the priest and the Levite saw the man in need and chose to pass him on the other side of the road.
Many years ago, a young man went to China as a missionary with an income of $2,500 annually. A company decided that they wanted this young man to work for them and offered him a position with a $5,000 salary. He declined the offer, and it was raised to $7,000 and then to $10,000, but he still declined.
The company asked him if the salary was his sticking point and he answered, “Oh, the salary is big enough, but the job is not.” (Source: The Speaker’s Quote Book, Roy B. Zuck)
We have placed so much emphasis on the here and now that we have lost sight of the yet to come!
These men were “religious men” — NOT spiritual men. They were unwilling to live out their religion in practical ways of their everyday lives! Sometimes the modern-day church has the same struggle! What is it that keeps us from living out our faith before others?
…It is INCONVENIENT
Our schedule would be interrupted!
…It is UNCOMFORTABLE
Our desires would be interrupted!
…It is outside our PEOPLE GROUP
Our relationships would be interrupted!
…It is RESPONSIBILITY
Our resources and time would be interrupted!
Unfortunately, there are many in the church today that will say, “I love my neighbors,” but their words often show little evidence of the love of which they speak. I’m sure the priest and Levite would have said they love their neighbors as well. Love is more than a feeling or a saying. Love is a choice of one’s will that requires action. Love gives very specific evidence (I Cor. 13:1-8). Genuine love for others is the outcome of our love for God.
Our relationship with God is on full display in whether or not we love others!
Embraced Opportunities. The contrast to the priest and Levite in Jesus’ parable is the good Samaritan. A Samaritan was seen as an outsider and the enemy of the Jewish people. While the priest and Levite may have considered Old Testament laws that allowed them to avoid the man in need (choosing ritual purity over compassion), Jesus turns the expectations of the crowd upside down and makes the enemy (the Samaritan) the hero.
Verse 33 - What he saw, moved him with compassion = COMPASSION
Verse 34 - His compassion made a difference = ACTION
Verse 35 – Making a difference costs something = SACRIFICE
COMPASSION moved him to ACTION, and ACTION required SACRIFICE
A Task
Luke 10:36-37. The Lord ends the parable with a question. He asks the lawyer, “which of these three was a neighbor to the one who was mugged?” Did you notice this at the end of the parable? The Lord does not straight out tell the lawyer what to do. Instead, the Lord asks the lawyer a question to help him come to the correct conclusion – and then He simply affirms the lawyer’s correct answer!
People often learn better by searching things out themselves instead of sitting through a chastising lecture (this is because we tend to “listen to respond” when we really need to “listen to understand”).
A young boy sat in church and watched as the offering plate was being passed. Wanting to give something, he reached inside his pocket for something to put in. To his dismay, he had nothing in his pockets. As the plate was passed down the row and came to him, he put the plate on the ground and stepped inside. He had nothing monetary to give, but he gave the most important thing he had—himself. (Source: Unknown)
Here’s the conclusion of the Lord’s parable: nurture a heart of compassion for God and others (in that order) and be certain this takes higher priority than traditions, rituals, personal comfort, or anything else. So, how do I nurture this compassionate, sacrificial heart? Here are 5 choices to nurture a God-focused and others-minded life:
Abide in God’s Love
In Luke 10:27, the Lord clearly connects loving others to loving God. You cannot show true compassion for others without first receiving God’s love yourself. So, develop the disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, and corporate worship to greater depths in your own life (regardless of what others around you do.)
2. See People Through God’s Eyes
The priest and the Levite saw a burden when they saw the Samaritan on the side of the road, but the Samaritan saw a man in need. Remember, when you first came to Jesus, you were a mess, unclean, and spiritually dirty – but Jesus saw a person in need. When you see others who are struggling with sin, do you see a burden, or do you see a person in need? Lk. 6:36.
3. Be Open to Interruptions
The Samaritan stopped his journey, got up close and personal, spent his own money, and followed up later. Interruptions will often require personal sacrifices of time, money, and comfort. Compassion is not just feeling bad for someone. Compassion allows their need to cost you something.
4. Practice Mercy in Everyday Life
Compassion is not a single heroic act – it is a daily choice. This compassion for others grows with small consistent decisions for a closer relationship with Jesus, especially when no one else is watching.
5. Rely on the Holy Spirit
This last one is important. This compassion is not man made. Compassion is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). This is a work of God transforming our character from selfishness to mercy.
Kreisler, the famous violinist, said, “Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day, and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin.” (Source: Zondervan 2011 Pastor’s Annual, T. T. Crabtree)
We usually will count the cost by what we receive in return. If I play golf today, I will not get any projects at home done, I will not see my family a good portion of the day, and my wife may be a little upset about it all -- but I will have a good time, have a chance to unwind from a busy week, relax, and I have earned this break!
Counting the cost requires us to consider what we are willing to sacrifice in exchange for what we will gain!
What do we desire more than God? What are we unwilling to yield to follow His Word? My own logic…my own agenda…my own comfort…my own “right way?” We will show the Lord in us to others through our own words and actions. Even Jesus was not all about Himself – He sought the will of the Father who sent Him. To sacrifice for the Lord is well worth the cost! We must sacrifice for Christ if we will ever impact the world for Christ.