LUKE 10
9 Outlines
Luke 10:2
ON OUR KNEES FOR THE
NEXT GENERATION
You might like to quote
a little known, but very wise lady, Dottie Peters
(My wife of 25 years.). She said "It's our generation that's blown
it!" She means the
"baby-boomers" and refers to the fact that we (as a generation) have
failed to train our children properly.
We've blown it in other way. We in the church have failed to bring the
message of the Gospel to others our own age, and to the children who will
follow us in leadership. There is a
solution to this problem given by our Lord Jesus in Luke 10:2
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT
SUPPLY - "The harvest truly is great..."
THERE IS A SEVERE
SHORTAGE - "...but the laborers are few:"
THERE IS A SURE SOURCE -
"...the Lord of the harvest..."
THERE IS A SIMPLE
SOLUTION - "Pray ye...that he would send forth
laborers into his harvest."
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Luke 10:2
A MINISTRY FOR ALL
CHRISTIANS
Therefore said he unto them, The
harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few:
pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Not everyone is
going to be a pastor.
Not everyone is
going to be a missionary.
Not everyone is
going to teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, or
serve on a church board.
But there is a
ministry that every Christian should have.
This ministry is
the ministry of prayer that recruits workers for our Lord and Master.
POTENTIAL -
"The harvest truly is great…"
PROBLEM -
"…but the labourers are few:"
PRAYER -
"pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that
he would send forth labourers into his harvest."
PARTICIPATION - As
you pray, the Lord may recruit you to:
Pray for specific
missionaries.
Give to the
support of missionaries.
Go yourself.
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Luke 10:17-24
A TASTE OF SUCCESS
POWER OF DISCIPLES – Vss. 17-19
The 70 disciples returned from a preaching mission
throughout
Jesus agreed that Satan indeed was defeated this time.
PRIORITY FOR JOY – Vs. 20
Jesus warned the disciples not to so much rejoice that
spirits were subject to them, but that their names were written in Heaven.
PRINCIPLE OF ILLUMINATION – Vss. 21-22
In order for someone to be saved the identity of Jesus
must be supernaturally revealed to them.
PRIVILEGES OF DISCIPLES – Vss. 23-24
The disciples were privileged to see things that
prophets had only wished to see.
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Luke 10:25-37
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR
One of the advertisements that we have heard for years
is “LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, STATE FARM IS THERE.” Even the world recognizes the
value of a good neighbor.
I want us to consider the story of the “Good
Samaritan”.
It is here that we learn how we can be good neighbors
to those around us.
BACKGROUND
Vs. 25 – A certain lawyer appears. He is an
expert in the law of Moses. He is a theologian, a doctor of divinity, if you
will. He asks a question designed to put our Lord to the test.
The question is, “What must I do to inherit eternal
life?”
In order for that lawyer to come to the Lord, he had
to see his own inability to live such a life without Christ’s help.
Vs. 26 – Jesus answers the question with a
question. What does the Bible say?” This is always a good question.
Vs. 27 – The lawyer gives the summary of the law.
This is a combination of two quotes from the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 6:5,
Leviticus 19:18
Vs. 28 – Jesus congratulates him. “You’ve
given a good answer. Just go and do this and live!”
But there’s a catch to Jesus’ answer.
No one but the Lord Jesus ever lived such a life in
their own power. If anyone could, they would be given eternal life based on
merit. Galatians 3:11
If this lawyer was honest, he would have had to admit
that he could not make it on his own, by law keeping. I am confident that he
would have then been offered life through faith in Christ.
Vs. 29 – Instead, the lawyer looked for
another way out.
He might have thought that he had kept the first part
of the law about loving God, but in order to make sure that he hadn’t blown it,
he had to know the identity of his neighbor.
Now comes the story of the Good Samaritan, and the
qualities of being a good neighbor.
HE SAW
Vs. 30 – Undoubtedly, you know the story.
A certain man, by implication, a Jew was on his way to
Jericho from Jerusalem.
Robbers stripped him.
They beat him up.
They left him to die.
The distance of the man’s journey was about 17 miles.
The trip was downhill through mountainous territory. It was full of caves and
hollows, which made it dangerous. Many a criminal and highway man worked that
area. This man met more than his match.
Vs. 31 – Along came a religious leader, a
priest, whose job it was to model and practice his religion. He saw him and
passed on.
Vs. 32 – The priest was followed by a priest’s
helper, a Levite, who should have also been inclined to help, but he saw it and
passed by.
These men saw, but they
didn’t really see.
They saw but they didn’t recognize this man as their
neighbor.
These men had an attitude like the one we see so much today. It is the attitude that says, “I don’t want
to get involved”.
Vs. 33 – The Samaritan came along and he also
saw.
Remember the Jews hated the Samaritans.
Nevertheless, the situation spoke to his heart.
HE FELT
Not only did the Samaritan have a sharper vision, he
had a sharper burden.
He felt compassion for the injured man.
Some people will help out as a matter of duty, and
that is better than no help at all.
But help that is not bathed in compassion is often
cold, even cruel, and makes the one helped feel badly.
The help based on compassion does not judge, nor does
it lecture, nor does it act superior. This type of help is based on an “I care”
attitude.
Jesus had compassion on those who have needs and we
should also.
It is compassion that will lead to action!
We as Christians need to learn what it means to feel
compassion for those we see around us.
HE CAME
“and went to him” – Vs. 34
Of the three characters in our story, only the Samaritan
came closer to survey the situation. The others went further away.
He got closer to see that the man was still alive and
that he needed help.
There are families in our community that most
Christians wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.
There are many self righteous Christians who won’t get
their hands dirty, or even close enough to see what can be done to help.
Sometimes we don’t want to get too close because we
are afraid of what might happen to us! We are not willing to become vulnerable
because we might get hurt. And yes, some of the people I’ve helped have hurt me
in return.
But look to the life of our Lord Jesus and see how he
was hurt. He was hurt so he could help
us.
Isaiah 53:6
And consider what the Apostle Paul said about being
hurt. 2 Corinthians 12:15
There are times when we will come close and people
will retreat. We may have to back off. There will times when we come close and
find that there is nothing we can do except offer a word of comfort or prayer.
There will be still other times when we get close and
find that there are things that we can do to help, even when we didn’t think
there was.
The Samaritan did not find out what he could do until
he got close. Neither will you.
HE HELPED
Vs. 34 – The Samaritan bandaged the wounds.
He poured oil in, this would have soothed.
He poured in wine, this would have cleansed.
He put him on his own beast of burden, walking
himself.
He brought him to a nearby inn, and continued to nurse
him.
Helping this man meant total involvement in his life
for at least a day, giving completely of himself to the man in need.
HE PAID
Vs. 35 – In order to help, this man had to
spend some money.
¯
The wine he was using cost money.
¯
The oil he was using cost money.
¯
The room at the inn cost money.
¯
Leaving money for the man’s care cost money. He left
two days wages for a common laborer.
A lot of help that is needed today is monetary.
It is not the only kind of help needed, but often it
is needed.
HE FOLLOWED UP
Vs. 35 - The payment for care included the
promise, “I’ll be back to pay the difference.”
I might add that this meant the man would be back to
see the wounded soul, if the man was still there.
Follow up is important.
Sometimes we help someone for a while, and then after
the initial crisis is over, we more or less forget them.
Vss. 36-27 - The conclusion of the story is that
we should go and do the same.
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Luke 10:25-37
MY NEIGHBOR - WHO IS HE?
Vss. 25-28 - Jesus agreed with a lawyer of religion
that he should "love his neighbor as himself". The lawyer wanted to know who should be
considered his neighbor. We Christians
need to have that question answered ourselves. The story of the "Good
Samaritan" teaches us that our neighbor is:
SOMEONE GOD BRINGS TO MY ATTENTION Vss. 30-33
The priest, Levite and Samaritan all saw the wounded
man.
SOMEONE GOD GIVES ME ABILITY TO HELP
Anyone of the men who passed by could have helped in
some way.
SOMEONE TO WHOM I MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE Vss. 33-37
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Luke 10:38-42
TWO DISCIPLES
We want to meet two disciples
who have something to teach us about discipleship. What is interesting about these disciples is
that you have probably not thought of them as such. Also, they were sisters, and are two of the
better known women in the Bible. Of course I’m speaking of Martha, and her
younger sister, Mary.
Vs. 38 – Jesus was traveling and came to a familiar village.
It was the
Martha received Jesus and
probably at least some of the other disciples into her home. Mary and Martha were believers, and I’m sure
Jesus was always welcome.
THEY WERE FEMALE
You may wonder why I am
emphasizing their gender.
In the times of the Bible, it
was a man’s world.
In the Jewish culture it was
a man’s world.
Vs. 39 – A disciple is a learner.
Mary sat at Jesus feet and heard
his word.
If you read Martha’s
profession of faith in John 11, you will see that she too, was a disciple, a
learner, a follower of Jesus.
Kent Hughes – “Judaism did
not forbid women to be instructed in the Torah, but it was unheard of for a
rabbi to allow a woman to sit at his feet. Later rabbinic tradition includes
quotations such as: ‘May the words of the Torah be
burned, they should not be handed over to women”. And ‘The man who teaches his
daughter the Torah teachers her extravagance.” Cleary, Jesus rejected such
unbiblical, regressive attitudes outright.” R.
Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word – Luke
Volume 1, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1998), p. 396
In ancient
In the book of Acts, there
was a lady name Dorcas who was called a disciple.
Acts 9:36
Also in the Book of Acts
there is a husband and wife team, Aquilla and
Priscilla, who show themselves both to be disciples. Acts 18:24-26
My point is this, although
overall leadership in the church has been given to men, the ladies have as much
right and responsibilities to be good disciples as the men do.
And in many cases throughout
the history of the church, it’s often the lady disciples who have been more
sensitive and open to the call of God then the men have.
Mary and Martha both were
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
THEY WERE FAITHFUL
Martha in this story was
certainly not right in her attitude towards her sister, or even towards the
Lord.
But let us not forget that
Martha was committed to the task at hand, serving the Lord, and was indeed
faithful to the Lord Himself.
She got her priorities mixed
up, putting service ahead of fellowship.
We need Marthas
who are concerned with detail.
We need Marthas
who have the gift of hospitality.
We need Marthas
who are willing to use the abilities that God has given them to serve the Lord.
Martha was faithful, but at
this point in their lives, Mary had a better handle on what it meant to be a
disciple. Luke 10:38
I see Mary doing three things
here as part of her discipleship that I feel are important for us. Sitting at
Jesus’ feet, Mary was
LEARNING
LEANING
LOVING
Ø
LEARNING
Jesus was teaching. Mary was learning.
In fact, as we’ll see in a
few moments, Mary had a better understanding of Jesus’ death than the Apostles
did.
Why was that?
She was sitting quietly, taking
it all in, perhaps even asking questions.
She paid attention.
Ø
LEANING
Being at Jesus’ feet reminds
me that He is close.
And that whatever is bugging
me, whatever worries me, whatever concerns me, I can bring to Him.
He’s present to answer.
He’s present to encourage.
He’s present to guide.
A good disciple does not
“free lance”.
A good disciple gets all his
strength, guidance, and authority from his master. John 14:13-14,
Philippians 4:6-7, 1 John
5:14-5
Ø
LOVING
Why do Christians risk their
lives in Muslim countries?
It’s because they love Jesus.
Why do Christians endure
persecution joyfully?
It’s because they love Jesus.
Why did Mary sit at Jesus’
feet and hear His Word?
It’s because she loved Jesus.
The best disciple is the one
who faithfully loves his Master.
The disciple who loves His
master loves to hear His voice.
The disciple who loves His
master loves to speak with Him.
The disciple who loves His
loves to do His will.
Mary and Martha were faithful
disciples.
THERE WAS FRICTION
Luke 10:40 - But Martha was cumbered about much serving,
and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me
to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
First of all, I want you to
note that my implication, Mary had been helping in the kitchen. Evidently, Jesus came and she showed the
hospitality of spending time with her guest.
Martha got entangled in her
serving.
She was trying to do too
much.
She was letting it get the
best of her.
And when we are trying to do
too much, it is easy for us to look at others who aren’t helping, and get
frustrated!
And it becomes very easy for
us to become very judgmental and huffy.
We suddenly become the judge
of what a person should and shouldn’t be doing. Matthew 7:1-2
Martha comes to Jesus all
upset and frustrated.
“Lord, don’t you care that
I’m slaving out her by myself? Tell Mary that she should help me!
Luke 10:41-42 - And Jesus answered and said unto her,
Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: [42] But one
thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.
Jesus tenderly, yet firmly
corrects Martha.
“Martha, Martha, you’ve got
lots on your plate. You’ve got a lot
that bothers you. You are uptight about many things.”
Then Jesus tells Martha a
very important truth.
Only one thing was necessary.
And Mary had chosen it. Jesus was present and time was to be spent
with Him.
And time spent with Jesus is
invaluable!
If Martha had spent her time with
Jesus, the meal might not have been elaborate.
But Martha’s spirit would
have been at rest.
And Martha would have had the
strength and joy to serve when it was time to serve!
Our problem is, we try to serve with spending time with Jesus. This leads
to frustration.
THERE WAS FAVOR
Of course Mary received the
compliment from Jesus that she had made the right choice.
But what
about Martha? Did she learn her lesson?
I believe she did and because
of that she is certainly in favor when her brother Lazarus died.
Please turn to John 11.
Lazarus was dead.
Jesus was not there to heal
him.
But Martha gives indication
that here was a woman who had learned her lesson to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear
His Word.
Vss. 22-24 – Here was woman who had not lost or left her faith.
Vss. 25-27 – Martha’s response is one of the clearest
attestations to the deity of Christ that anyone makes in all of Scripture. Martha HAD been
listening. She HAD BEEN sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His word.
To this day, Martha stands in
Scripture as a disciple who knew who her Master was.
And what
about Mary?
Turn over to John 12:1-8 -
READ
Mary had been listening.
It was Mary who, out of love,
anointed Jesus’ body before burial, realizing that there would not be much
opportunity after burial.
Mary knew why she was doing
what she was doing! Matthew 26:12-13
So both Martha and Mary found
favor with the Lord.
Two disciples:
THEY WERE FEMALE
THEY WERE FAITHFUL
THERE WAS FRICTION
THERE WAS FAVOR
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Luke 10:38-42
LEST WE FORGET
In our modern society,
it is so easy to get so busy, we don't know if we are coming or going. Sometimes we need to look back at the story
of Mary and Martha to remember to keep our priorities straight.
DECISION Vs. 38 - Martha
made the right one. She received Jesus into
her house. The
most important decision we can make
is to receive Jesus
as our Savior.
DEVOTION Vs. 39 - Mary
had her priorities right. She sat at Jesus' feet
and heard
His word.
DISTRACTION Vs. 40 -
Martha let her service for Jesus get her upset.
She was distracted by much serving. She got
angry
with her sister, and demanded that Jesus
make
her help.
DISTINCTION Vss. 41 - Jesus
explains the difference between Martha
and
Mary. Martha was anxious and troubled
about
many things. Mary chose the one thing
that
was necessary.
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Luke 10:38-42
MARY AND MARTHA - A
COMPARISON
TWO GOOD SISTERS - Vss.
38-39
Martha was a doer! She
got things done!
Martha was a dreamer!
She had time for Spiritual things.
We call these girls good
because they had trusted Christ as their Savior.
TWO GOOD PRIORITIES -
Vss. 39-40
Martha's priority was
serving. Luke 9:23
Martha's priority was
sitting. She sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
ONE GREAT CHOICE - Vss.
41-42
Martha's choice to serve
brought her frustration.
Mary's choice brought
her favor. Time spent with Jesus is valuable for all eternity.
It's important to serve
the Lord, but only after we have spent time with the Lord!
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Luke 10:38-42 etc.
SISTERS
SISTERS WHO WERE
DIFFERENT - Luke 10:38-42
SISTERS WHO WERE
DISAPPOINTED - John 11:1-6, 17-37
SISTERS WHO WERE
DELIGHTED - John 11:38-44
SISTERS WHO WERE DEVOTED
- John 12:1-8
Martha's Service - Vs. 2
Mary's Sacrifice - Vss.
3-8