It's great to see so many familiar faces and a number of new faces as well.
We do want to thank you for your partnership in the gospel across the Tasman.
Kiwis need your prayer. Sad Australians.
But we do very much value keeping updated.
We get the newsletters sent over every month or two.
And we do hear of news that's going on in Chatswood.
And occasionally people write letters and keep us in touch as well.
So it's lovely to keep in touch and hear all those things.
We do want to thank you for your prayers and partnership in the work of the gospel in Christ Church as well.
The work there is growing and developing.
And next year someone who's been working with us is coming over to Sydney to study at Moore College.
So the work really is progressing and we're starting to see ministry-minded people growing and being trained.
And God willing to return and further the work in New Zealand.
So thank you for your prayers.
Let's spend a moment praying as we look at God's word together now.
Heavenly Father we do thank you for your word to us.
We thank you that you are committed to us.
That you're committed to continue to speak to us through your word.
Lord that you've given us your spirit so that we may understand your word rightly.
We pray that you'd open our hearts and our minds.
That you would challenge and convict us.
Particularly what it means for us to follow Jesus.
And we pray that this might give honour and glory to your name.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Not sure if there's a video call.
What are you doing this weekend?
I'm putting up a retaining wall.
Doing it yourself?
No, I'm going to get some bloke in.
Oh come on mate, do it yourself.
She's pretty big job.
You'll be right.
You reckon?
We can knock it over in half a day.
Yeah.
Get a couple mates around.
Hey Josie!
Huh?
Give us a hand over for job Saturday.
Mate, you're dreaming!
Aussies.
No surprises there.
DIY.
It's in our DNA.
Well one thing about Aussies and Kiwis is they do like to have a bit of a go at each other.
And you can see there that it's not just sport.
You get maligned on New Zealand TV as well.
But one of the other similarities between Australians and Kiwis is their kind of DIY mentality.
You know, you can do it yourself.
We like to think that we can do it ourselves.
Not so long ago in New Zealand there were endless DIY reality TV shows.
I take it there was probably a similar kind of surge of them here.
Where there'd be TV shows about home makeovers and renovations and you couldn't escape them.
It seemed to be whatever channel you would turn to, these shows would be on.
And it was quite painful really.
I'm glad they've kind of got past that phase.
But all of us seem to have this DIY attitude built into our DNA.
And I don't think it's just blokes with their kind of handyman jobs.
You know, they like to build their own deck or put out their own fence or renovate their own bathroom.
Which takes months usually.
But I think it's more that we simply want our own independence.
We want our own block of land.
We want our own home.
We want our own financial security.
We want our own career.
And we may even think about working for ourselves so that we don't have to answer to anyone.
Or perhaps for some of us it may be that we want to create our own image and manufacture ourselves.
And so we create our own identity on our Facebook page.
Where we can present the way we would like people to see us to the world around us.
Well this way of thinking easily creeps into our thinking about God as well.
We want to choose how we relate to God.
You know, I want to do it on my terms.
And we can easily see it in our friends.
It's easier to see the faults in our friends, isn't it, than in ourselves.
When they say things like,
Well, I like to think about God as...
Or, I think God would let me into his heaven because, well, I'm a pretty good bloke.
Not like so-and-so down the road.
But do we actually notice it in ourselves?
It's easy to see the faults in others.
But do we take a good look at ourselves?
Those times when we start to compare ourselves to other people.
Thinking that we're better in some way.
Or when we look down on someone.
Wondering how they could possibly call themselves a Christian and talk like that.
Or act like that.
And it's usually...
We usually do that to make ourselves look better.
You know, I don't talk like that.
I don't act like that.
Aren't I good?
Well, here in this passage, in Luke's Gospel,
we meet someone who has this kind of DIY thinking about God.
And here Jesus is confronted by DIY religion.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem
and he's teaching his disciples along the way about what it means to follow him.
When a religious lawyer, an expert in the law,
he comes up to Jesus with a question.
It's helpful if you've got your Bibles open in front of you.
Look at verse 25 in this passage.
Luke chapter 10, verse 25.
On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
Teacher, he asked,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?
And initially, it looks like a pretty good question, doesn't it?
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
It seems to be a good question
because it picks up what Jesus has just been saying
in the previous chapter of Luke's Gospel.
I mean, this man has come to Jesus
and he's asking Jesus how he should follow Jesus.
And we saw last week that the disciples,
well, they haven't really understood what it means to follow Jesus.
They understand that Jesus is the Christ,
that he's God's anointed king.
But they've not understood Jesus' call
to follow him by denying themselves,
by taking up their cross and following him.
And so when this teacher of the law comes up to Jesus,
we should find ourselves on the edge of our seats
in anticipation when he asks,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?
I mean, it's a pretty good question, isn't it?
We want to know too, what's the secret?
What's the secret to following Jesus?
Can't you just imagine yourself asking the same question?
You see, we like things to be simple.
We like shortcuts.
You know, we all learn the back roads to miss the traffic,
to miss those busy traffic lights or intersections.
We always look for the shortest queue at the supermarket checkout.
But have you noticed that the shortest queue always takes the longest?
Whenever you get there, the other queues are always faster.
Well, this guy is no different.
He cuts to the chase and he says to Jesus,
okay, Jesus, give it to me straight.
What do I have to do to get to heaven?
Well, maybe it's just a bloke thing.
You know, don't give me all the details.
Don't bore me with the details.
Just give me the bottom line.
What do I have to do?
And Jesus knows this man is an expert in the law
and so he throws the question straight back at him.
Well, what do you think?
Says Jesus.
So it's a great technique, isn't it?
When you're having conversations with people,
it's hard to get to know someone if you're conducting a monologue.
It's good to ask questions and that's how you get to know someone.
And so Jesus asks him a question back.
Well, you know your Bible, or the Old Testament at least at this point.
And so Jesus asks him, so what do you think?
Well, look at verses 26 to 28.
What is written in the law, he replied.
How do you read it?
That's what Jesus says.
And the guy answers,
See, he seems to be spot on with his answer, doesn't he?
I mean, even Jesus confirms his answer and says,
Well, do this and you will live.
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Well, the answer is simple.
Love God and love your neighbor.
But it does make you wonder,
Well, if he knew the answer,
why did he ask the question in the first place?
Love God and love your neighbor.
That's the secret to life.
That's the secret to life with God, eternal life.
And the expert in the law seems to have it nailed in one.
But then we're given a glimpse into the real reason
why this guy is asking the question.
And Jesus opens up the religious expert's heart.
He opens up his heart and exposes what's really there.
You see, look at verse 29.
But he wanted to justify himself.
And so he asked Jesus,
And who is my neighbor?
He wanted to justify himself.
See, at this point, it seems that all that's come before,
all that's already happened in this dialogue
between Jesus and this expert in the law,
it seems that it's all just a facade.
It seems that he was just trying to test Jesus
to somehow catch Jesus out.
That he wasn't really interested in Jesus' answer at all.
In fact, if we were reading carefully,
we would have noticed that back in verse 25.
Where he says, Luke tells us,
On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up
to test Jesus.
To test Jesus.
He didn't really want to know the answer.
He was trying to catch Jesus out.
To show him up.
Perhaps even to promote himself
as someone who knows the law pretty well.
And to do that at Jesus' expense.
To make Jesus look silly and promote himself.
Showing himself to be more knowledgeable.
But Jesus calls his bluff
and he turns the tables around on him
and exposes his heart.
And so the expert in the law pushes further
to justify himself.
And perhaps even to get a second chance
to test Jesus.
And so he asks,
Well, who is my neighbor then?
And Jesus replies with a story.
It's a parable.
It's a fairly familiar parable
to many of us, isn't it?
But as we read this parable,
it's crucial that we understand
who it is who is asking Jesus this question.
For Jesus knows this man's heart.
And so he tailor-makes this parable
to challenge him,
to hit him where he needs to be hit.
Now here this man is an expert in the law.
And so as the story unfolds,
we read of a man or hear of a man
heading down from Jerusalem to Jericho
and he's robbed and he's beaten
and he's left half dead.
And the first two characters we meet
is a priest and a Levite.
And what should we know about them?
Well, they're both religious experts.
They're both experts in the law.
Just like the man speaking to Jesus,
these two men both know the law.
But it appears they know the letter of the law
but not the essence of the law.
They've got knowledge
but they don't have understanding.
They don't understand God's character.
They don't have any mercy
or compassion for those around them.
You see, we're not told the exact reason
why the priest and the Levite walk past this man
just that they don't stop to help.
Although we are given a few hints in the direction.
And so we are told that this man
falls into the hands of robbers
who strip him and beat him
and leave him half dead.
And since the first two men knew the law of Moses,
they knew what the consequences would be
if they stopped and touched this man
if he was dead.
He's lying there half dead.
They didn't perhaps know
whether he was dead or alive
and so they erred on the side of caution
and decided not to get involved.
If they had have touched an unclean body,
a dead body,
well, they would have to go through
certain ceremonial rites
and they would be unclean for seven days
and it would be a lot of effort
on the third and seventh day
to go through cleansing kind of ceremonies.
And so it would have put them out
to do that.
And it doesn't seem the reason
these men didn't stop to help
was because they were on their way up to Jerusalem
and they didn't want to be unclean
and so not go to the temple.
That doesn't seem to be the reason
because it appears that these men
are actually coming from Jerusalem.
I haven't been to Jerusalem
but as my understanding is,
Jerusalem's on a mountain.
Jerusalem, hence Mount Zion
and the road from Jerusalem
winds its way down to Jericho
and so you would head down
from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And that's the way Jesus describes
this story.
And so in verse 30,
Jesus says,
a man was going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And we also read that the priest
and the Levite do the same.
In verse 31,
a priest happened to be going down
the same road.
It seems that they're leaving Jerusalem
and going on the road to Jericho.
And so it's not that they've got the excuse
of going to the temple
that they don't want to be defiled.
It just seems an inconvenience.
It's,
and so they're not,
it's not that they're worried
that they won't be able to worship
at the temple,
but they still don't want to defile themselves
by helping this man.
See,
these two religious people
are proficient in the law,
but they don't want to put themselves out
to help someone in great need.
And so you can imagine them
even perhaps using God
as an excuse not to help this man.
I need to say pure
so I can serve God better.
Perhaps it's piety
that's got in the way.
And so they fail to love their neighbor
who is in desperate need.
But in doing so,
they're failing to love God as well.
See,
it's not those two commands
kind of a mutually exclusive
that we love God
or we love our neighbor
and we can take either route.
No,
as we love God,
we will act
as God does
to those around us.
With mercy and compassion,
we will love our neighbor.
How can we experience God's love
and fail to love those around us?
And so we're challenged
as these people refuse
to get involved.
And then Jesus,
well,
he throws in a bit of a googly.
Or if you're not into cricket,
it's called a rongan,
I think nowadays.
He brings in
an unexpected character.
And so enter stage left
comes a Samaritan.
Now there's no love lost
in Jesus' day
between the Jewish people
and the Samaritans.
And so if you remember
in John's Gospel
as Jesus meets
the woman at the well,
the Samaritan woman
at the well,
John gives us
a little editor's note
to say that
it was surprising
because Jews
don't associate
with Samaritans.
And so the disciples
probably wouldn't have
thought twice
about calling down
fire from heaven
on the village
in chapter 9
that you looked at last week.
You know,
might have been doing
God a bit of a favor
to smite
a Samaritan village.
What would one village
less be?
And so it would have
shocked Jesus'
hearers
that a Samaritan
would be a hero
of a story.
It would be like,
you know,
a drug dealer
being the hero
of a story
or a pimp
or
insert,
someone that would
kind of add
shocking value.
It would be a surprise
that a Samaritan
would be the hero
here in this story.
And even the expert
of the law
who's stood up
to test Jesus,
he himself acknowledges
that it's the Samaritan
in the parable
who is the one
who acts rightly,
who acts mercifully
towards the half-dead man.
The Samaritan
who is considered
to be defiled
by Jews,
who's considered
to be a half-caste Jew,
he is the one
who acts in a manner
worthy of one
who would inherit
eternal life.
He acts in a manner
of one
who would inherit
eternal life.
And yet the religious
experts in the law,
the ones we think
would be on the inside,
they fail to act
as one who would
inherit eternal life.
See, the story
seems to be upside down.
Who is in
and who is out,
it's all back to front.
Surely the religious guys,
they should be in.
But no,
it's the Samaritan.
How could the Samaritan
get in
and the Levite
and the priest not?
Jesus is clearly showing
that it's not about
position or status.
It's not about titles
or roles.
Something else
is going on here.
This is no
sentimental story
that Jesus
is telling us about,
you know,
about how we should
be nice to our sister
or be good to your mother.
Nor is it about
being nice to those
who are nice to you.
You know,
I'll only lend my lawnmower
to the neighbour I like,
not to the neighbour
that I don't like.
You see,
Jesus is challenging
the very way
we view people
and the way
we judge people
around us.
Who are the needy?
Who can we act
mercifully towards?
Do we kind of
judge people
we look at
and decide
who we're going
to get involved with
and who not?
Who's going to be
less effort?
Who's more like us?
See,
it's interesting
as I came up
to St Paul's here
on Friday
afternoon,
I caught the train
here with the kids
to pick up a car
that someone
from St Paul's
was lending to us.
And I was walking up
from Chatswood Station
with my four children
around me
and there was a group
of about seven or eight
fifteen year olds
they looked
and they had bottles
of beer
and a cask of wine
and they were drinking
and carrying on
filling in their
school holidays
no doubt.
But I started to get
a bit concerned
about my children
and I didn't really
want them to be
near this group
of kids
that looked
like they were
looking for some
mischief to get up to
and smashed a bottle
and so I was
quite concerned.
I kind of didn't
really want anything
to do with them
particularly because
I had my children
with me.
And I was saddened
as I thought back
on it
and I thought
isn't it interesting
that I'm
quite concerned
about my kids
whom I love
and yet here are
some needy
teenagers
here in Chatswood
turning to alcohol
to fulfil
their felt needs
kids
and not even
realising
what their
greater needs
were.
Kids who needed
mercy
and yet didn't
even realise it
and here I was
stepping around
them
to go on my
way.
You see
there's plenty
of needy people
throughout our
community
not just
teenagers
but people
of all ages
and stages
people
who are half
dead
people who are
broken
people who
are without
hope in
this world
yearning for
something
better.
And that's
what Jesus
is challenging
this expert
in the law
about where
is his heart
really at?
How does he
view people?
Does he view
people the way
God does?
With compassion
with mercy?
Or are we
so busy
we just go
on our way?
But Jesus
isn't teaching
Christian moralism
here either
as if the way
to get to
heaven is by
being good
enough.
You know
you've got to
be a good
Samaritan to
enough people
to somehow
earn God's
favour.
If you help
enough people
then surely
God will let
you into his
heaven.
You see
that's confusing
the two questions
that the expert
in the law
is asking
here.
You see
the parable
that Jesus
tells here
is in
response to
the question
who is
my neighbour?
It's not
the complete
answer to
what I must
do to
inherit eternal
life.
See we've
already been
told the
answer to
that question
we're to
love God
and love
our neighbour.
We're to
love God
and love
our neighbour
and Jesus
is just
illustrating
this point
over here.
We're to
love God
and love
our neighbour.
And so
Jesus
he turns
the table
on the
expert in
the law
because the
religious
lawyer he's
come up to
test
but instead
it's Jesus
who puts
him to
the test
and tests
his heart
and his
heart is
exposed by
Jesus
and it's
found to
be rock
hard
lacking
compassion.
This man
probably did
well at
Sunday school
as a boy
but he's
failed to
understand
the purpose
of the
law.
I mean
he probably
would have
considered
himself as
someone who
loves God
but Jesus
is showing
him that
if he can't
do the
easier thing
of loving
his neighbour
then how
is he
possibly
going to
succeed
in the
more
difficult
thing
of
loving
God
with
all
his
heart
with
all
his
soul
with
all
his
strength
with
all
his
mind
surely
it would
be easier
to help
a half
dead
man
than
to
love
God
in
that
way
and
if
he's
missed
the
mark
by
so
much
when
it
comes
to
loving
his
neighbour
how
has
he
gone
when
it
comes
to
loving
God
surely
it's
impossible
to
meet
such
a
requirement
and
I
think
the
challenge
is
there
for
us
if
we
are
struggling
to
love
our
neighbour
how
are
we
going
in
our
commitment
to
God
to
love
God
to
that
extent
with
all
our
heart
with
all
our
soul
with
all
our
strength
with
all
our
mind
it's
a
pretty
big
ask
isn't
it
and
if
we're
honest
with
ourselves
we
feel
the
same
burden
you
know
I
know
that
I
don't
love
my
neighbour
to
the
extent
that
Jesus
is
challenging
me
here
and
it
doesn't
take
too
long
to
look
at
myself
to
realize
well
I
fall
way
short
in
my
love
of
God
with
all
my
heart
soul
strength
mind
and
it's
not
just
a
matter
of
coming
along
to
church
here
on
Sundays
to
get
a
bit
of
a
pep
talk
to
keep
us
going
for
the
coming
week
so
that
we
can
try
and
do
better
we
can
be
nicer
to
more
people
we
can
be
more
committed
to
God
this
week
perhaps
and
ironically
the
answer
lies
on
the
lips
of
the
one
who
initially
came
to
test
Jesus
you
see
Luke's
very
clever
in
the way
he
presents
this
account
the
initial
question
that
the
expert
in
the
law
asks
Jesus
was
what
must
I
do
to
inherit
eternal
life
it's
a
strange
question
really
isn't
it
I
mean
what
can
you
do
to
inherit
something
well
nothing
in
fact
it's
what
the
other
person
does
that
entitles
us
comes
through
the
death
of
the
person
from
whom
you
inherit
and
so
what
must
I
do
to
inherit
eternal
life
it's
a
strange
question
what
are
we
to
do
we're
to
follow
the
one
who
has
his
face
resolutely
set
towards
Jerusalem
we're
to
trust
in
the
one
who
has
his
sights
firmly
fixed
on
the
cross
that
lies
ahead
of
him
we're
to
follow
the
one
who
is
going
to
lay
down
his
life
so
that
those
who
trust
in
him
can
inherit
eternal
life
see
it's
not
what
we
do
that
allows
us
to
inherit
eternal
life
it
is
the
one
we
follow
who
earns
life
for
us
through
his
death
and
resurrection
and
so
Jesus
challenges
the
religious
expert
to
act
mercifully
to
those
around
him
and
he
exposes
his
own
heart
when
it
comes
to
his
neighbor
but
also
I
think
when
it
comes
to
God
but
Jesus
isn't
asking
this
guy
to
do
something
that
Jesus
himself
is
not
doing
so
here
in
these
chapters
of
Luke
we
started
last
week
looking
at
Jesus
journey
to
Jerusalem
he's
heading
to
Jerusalem
to
suffer
to
be
rejected
he's
heading
to
the
cross
where
Jesus
will
act
mercifully
towards
us
by
taking
God's
wrath
upon
himself
the
wrath
that
we
rightly
deserve
and
as
we
follow
Jesus
we
act
towards
those
around
us
towards
our
neighbors
in
the
same
way
that
God
acts
towards
us
in
his
son
Jesus
with
mercy
it's
interesting
that
this
parable
has
become
known
as
the
parable
of
the
good
Samaritan
because
as
you
read
through
the
passage
doesn't
even
mention
the
word
good
in
the
whole
passage
I
don't
know
if
you've
noticed
that
it's
unhelpful
having
headings
in your
Bible
isn't
it
he
should
have
been
called
the
merciful
Samaritan
he
acts
mercifully
he
acts
as
God
acts
towards
us
we
are
to
love
our
neighbor
in
the
way
that
God
has
shown
his
love
for
us
greater
love
has
no
man
than
to
lay
down
his
point
in
Luke
Jesus
is
heading
to
Jerusalem
and
is
calling
his
disciples
to
take
up
their
cross
and
follow
him
it's
not
going
to
be
an
easy
road
and
here
we
sit
on
the
other
side
of
Jesus
death
and
resurrection
we
can
look
back
and
see
and
understand
Jesus
death
and
resurrection
in
the
way
the
disciples
couldn't
so
we
should
understand
more
clearly
shouldn't
we
how
we
should
follow
Jesus
that
we
should
take
up
our
cross
and
follow
him
it
is
the
same
path
that
we
will
take
until
Jesus
returns
to
take
up
our
cross
and
to
follow
him
but
we
can't
do
it
ourselves
can
we
this
isn't
DIY
religion
there's
nothing
we
can
do
to
inherit
eternal
life
except
follow
Jesus
loving
God
with
all
our
heart
with
all
our
soul
with
all
our
strength
and with
all
our
mind
and
loving
our
neighbour
just
as
God
does
with
compassion
and
with
mercy
with
a
desire
to
care
for
them
and
to
see
them
following
Jesus
and
inheriting
eternal
life
and
so
Jesus
has
his
face
resolutely
set
towards
this
goal
towards
laying
his
life
down
so
that
we
might
gain
life
what
is
your
heart
resolutely
set
on
set
on
following
Jesus
whatever
the
cost
set
on
loving
those
around
you
acting
mercifully
towards
them
dealing
with
their
needs
dealing
with
their
greatest
need
of
knowing
God
and
following
Jesus
themselves
well
let's
pray
that
God
would
open
our
eyes
to
see
those
around
us
who
need
his
mercy
and
particularly
need
to
hear
about
what
it
means
and
what
it
looks
like
to
follow
Jesus
so
let's
pray
and
ask
God
to
help
us
do
that
heavenly
father
we
do
thank
you
we
thank
you
that
you
do
challenge
us
that
you
do
rebuke
us
even
though
it
hurts
we
pray
that
you
give
us
eyes
to
see
those
around
us
to
see
those
around
us
that
we
need
to
act
mercifully
towards
people
who
are
broken
people
who
are
half
dead
people
who
reject
you
give
us
the
words
to
say
give
us
the
opportunity
to
say
them
help
us
to
care
for
people
and
have
concern
for
people
that
we
would
love
them
that
we
would
have
compassion
on
them
that
we
would
act
mercifully
towards
them
and
we
pray
that
through
this
that
your
name
would
be
glorified
and
that
people
would
know
what
it
looks
like
to
follow
Jesus
and
we
pray
this
in
Jesus
name
Amen