Sermon Notes
Neighboring Well – We are asking you to open up your life to other people, so you can look for opportunities to share God’s love.
Discuss with your neighbor – When was the last time you were interrupted by someone outside of your family? How did that make you feel?
1. Jesus was interrupted (repeatedly) but was never once ruffled
“an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus” – Luke 10:25
Jesus was:
- Interrupted at a wedding with friends – John 2:4
- Interrupted during a nap on a boat – Mark 4:38
- Interrupted during a sermon by someone removing the roof above him – Mark 2:3-5
What if you viewed your next interruption as an invitation instead of a frustration?
2. Jesus was dialed into the background and perspective of his neighbor – Luke 10:25-29
- Jesus enters the conversation with his questioner in mind
- Jesus separates out two dynamics about how we understand the Bible
- What is written (the text)
- What is our understanding (the interpretation)
3. Jesus uses four characters to explain neighboring – Luke 10:33-36
- the victim left for dead
- religious leader #1
- religious leader #2
- the most hated and despised group
According to this parable, neighboring is not about knowing theology with certainty but loving people unlike you consistently.
Application: Go and do likewise
Discussion Questions
MAIN TEXT
Luke 10:25-37
TALK IT OUT
- Time management experts typically list unnecessary interruptions as one of the top ten time-wasters. What types of interruptions do you personally find annoying?
- Read Mark 1:35-39, 2:1-5, 3:20, 4:37-39 and 6:31-34. What does Jesus’ response to interruptions teach us about God’s heart for people?
- Read Luke 10:30-35. Put yourself in the story as another person passing by this man on the road. What would your response likely have been if you had seen him before the Samaritan came along?
- Dr. Martin Luther King observed that we see two different mindsets in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The priest and Levite seemed to be thinking, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” The Samaritan, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking, “If I don’t stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Tell about a time when you struggled with these two perspectives after encountering a person in need. What was the outcome of that encounter? How did you feel about that? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?
- In what ways have you shown yourself to be a good neighbor in this past year? In what ways do you think you could improve your neighboring in 2020?
LIVE IT OUT
- Have you ever avoided helping someone or interacting with them because you were “too busy”? Think of one change you could make that would allow more room in your schedule for other people.
- Take a few moments to pray specifically for one of your neighbors. Ask God to give you an opportunity to share His love with them in some way this week.