A man was robbed and beaten and left for dead. This actually happened to a friend of my father’s. Who knows how long he laid there. It was a well-known road and had a history of dangerous spots where, who knows, anything could and did happen. It was kind of like today’s interstates with the truck stops scattered everywhere. After awhile everyone knows where to stop and not to stop.
People who passed by saw this man. Three people are mentioned in this story but there could have been others, too. It’s just that these three are important to the story. The first one that went by and kept on going was a good guy, the preacher. The second one that did the same was also a good guy, the Sunday school teacher. The third one was, heaven forbid, a ne’er-do-well that didn’t know much about good guys and bad guys. He just knew that this man was hurt and needed help. He fixed him up.
What’s the point? All good guys know ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.” The two mentioned above had to know this important axiom. But knowing the rule and practicing it are two very different things. The third fellow probably had heard the rule but didn’t spout it at Sunday services because, for one thing, he didn’t go. He might not have been welcome either. Just the same, he showed more love for this stranger than the good guys. It’s all there in Luke 10:30-37.
The text of the sermon was about looking out for each other. Who knows? That fellow left for dead might be us someday. Wouldn’t it be nicer to know that everyone practiced the rule?
Copies of the sermon are always available and we would love to send you a CD of it. They are free. Call (4l7) 543-6219 to get a copy. Have a God-blessed, God-inspired, and God-filled week
