LifeBridge Community Church

A student asked Martin Luther, “If you could have only one book of the Bible, which would you choose?” His choice was Genesis. God’s plan started “In the beginning.”

Sin entered creation through Adam and Eve in the beginning. Through that initial rebellion against God’s plan, we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3). “None are righteous, no, not one” (Psalm 14).

Then [Abraham] said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

Genesis 18:32

In short, man needs God’s plan.

Chapter eleven of Genesis introduces “Abram.” He stood out from the ‘Sin Cycle Gang.’ God appreciated Abram. He was as good as man could be. His goodness was not perfect performance. He was eager to glorify God by living as God intended.

Abraham (i.e., Abram) was God’s faithful optimist. He believed God, and God counted his faith as righteousness.

God and two unidentified angels met with Abraham under the trees of Mamre. This meeting was not just for blessing, it was also for warning.

Abraham, God, and His two unidentified messengers set their course toward Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sodom and Gomora were a perfect example of moral depravity.

They were lost beyond a care for God’s mercy.

Sodom was a dramatic demonstration of God’s righteous judgment against sin and wickedness.

God trusted Abraham for godly fellowship. Abraham affirmed God’s love for all life. They were friends. The blessings from God included a mission for all who follow God’s plan.

God said, “I have known [Abraham] and he will command his children and his household after him, so they keep going the way of the Lord, being right and just” (Genesis 18:19). God not only trusted Abraham with the present, He entrusted Abraham with future generations.

Yahweh made His intentions clear to Abraham, because Abraham would teach future generations to walk in God’s way and no other way. Jesus blesses and warns us to keep the way of the Lord (John 3:16-17). Is God’s blessing for everybody.

There are truly two sides of the Day of the Lord. It is like the now famous bumper sticker: “Eternity: Smoking or non-smoking?” To the wicked, to any who mock God and block faith in Jesus, God warns, “Unpack your asbestos underwear; judgement will get very hot.” “‘All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and Judgment Day will set them on fire,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 4:1a).

This is God’s plan repeated as Jesus tells us to “make disciples of ALL NATIONS…baptizing [and]…teaching all I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19-20). Blessing and warning.

Not fifty, not forty, not even ten are right and just on their own merits. Only Christ, the righteousness of God by grace, through faith, saves. From Genesis through Revelation, Jesus is our message from generation to generation.

Scriptures

• Genesis 18:17-33

There are a lot of musicals that I love. My favorite is Hamilton. But right up there are “Les Miserables,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and Wicked.

I’ve had the chance to see “Fiddler” a couple of times live with Topol, including his farewell tour.

But one things is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:42

It was fantastic!

One of the great songs in that musical is “If I Were a Rich Man.” Some of the lyrics go:

If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray
And maybe have a seat by the eastern wall
And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men
Seven hours every day
And that would be the sweetest thing of all

Some feel that this is what pastors get to do all day.

That would be wonderful!

The reality is that pastors, like all of us, have many distractions that pull us from the “one things…necessary” that is “the good portion” (Luke 10:42).

In our text for today, Martha gets a bad rap. The inevitable question comes: “If Martha (and others like her) didn’t deal with everything, how would the get done?”

Jesus doesn’t answer that. He also doesn’t say what Martha is doing in unimportant. In fact, the only way He addresses her is that she is “anxious and troubled by many things” (Luke 10: 41) and earlier the text says she was “distracted” (Luke 10: 40). But the problem isn’t the items needing to get done. The issue is that Mary has chosen that which is the toip, best, most important thing. She sees the priority of things.

There will always be distractions and things to get done, but when we have – and take – that opportunity to grow in our relationship to God, grow in our faith, grow in the Word, we need to take it! (And address the other items another time.)

The fact is, we usually elevate the importance of these other matters and devalue items relating to our faith. We usually use the “distractions” as a convenient way to say “we’re too busy” to be in communion with God and take time in the Word.

The issue is seldom the other matters. The issue is what we value; what we spend our time on; what we choose with our time. The issue is whether we truly see Jesus as “the good portion,” at the expense of all else.

What are the distractions in your life causing you anxiety and keeping you from Him, the “good portion?” What will you do by the Holy Spirit to put away the distractions and focus on Him?

“Lord, grant that we put away all distractions and focus on growing closer to You, for Your desire is for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Scriptures

• Luke 10:38-42
• Psalm 27:1-4

As a kid, I knew a lot of our neighbors. Most of them had kids my age and we played all the time in the street. Our parents were friends and we did things together at each other’s houses. We gathered, ate, laughed, and kidded. If a neighbor needed help, we helped; even if we didn’t agree on everything. It was what being a good neighbor was about.

I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that a company co-opted the concept of a “good neighbor” to build upon those nostalgic memories, good feelings, and good friends.

[Jesus said,] “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be the neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Luke 10:36-37

We seem to have lost a lot of that in our current day. I don’t many of my current neighbors – except for the few that post on the neighborhood Facebook page or those who also attend LifeBridge.

That is a loss, I believe, for society.

Scripture tells us that we should be good neighbors. Godly neighbors. Neighbors who not only help, but give of their own resources to help someone in need.

It should be a given that someone who follows God and His law would do this.

Sadly, it is not. And it hasn’t been.

Our text for today tells a familiar story. Jesus is tested by a lawyer. We know the story. But perhaps it’s lost on us who the first two to pass by the victim were. The first, a priest. The second, a Levite. If anyone should know God’s law; should want to help; should set the example; should be the epitome of doing what is right, godly, and neighborly; living out the concept of mercy – it should be these two!

Yet it’s not. It’s a Samaritan who does. A Samaritan who helps. A Samaritan who has a heart to act neighborly; to show mercy. A Samaritan who, as a group were despised by many Jews.

This was backwards. A reversal of the way things were supposed to be.

I wonder if we get the point.

When people look at us, do they know “we are Christians by our love;” by our actions; by the mercy we show; by the help that we give? Can they see in and through us that our heart is one of giving; of loving? Do we show in our actions what God shares in His Word? Are we not only good neighbors, but even better godly neighbors?

Many times, of course, the answer is ‘no.’ We get so tied up at our own things; in our own world; in our own business; in our own needs that we either fail to see those of others or we simply can’t get around to it.

What’s the way out of this? Probably the easiest thing we can do is to continually remember the godly neighbor Jesus is to us. We, who were so often beaten up by our own sins, by the world, and by the Adversary, that we were left for dead. Then Jesus came by, tended our wounds, showed us mercy, and upon that heaped grace; not only to restore us, but to prosper us unto eternal life.

We have a godly example because we have as our example God.

God not only told us how to be a good neighbor in His Word, but showed us how to be a godly neighbor in and through the person of Jesus through the cross and empty tomb. We have only look at Him and follow His example out of gratitude for what we ourselves receive.

Take some time this week to see who God puts in your midst. What neighbors He places around you who are beat up by the world and needs some help, needs some love, needs some mercy.

And then attend to them by showing them Jesus, not just in words, but in actions – out of love, out of response, out of gratitude. Be the godly neighbor, not just because we are called to be that, but because God has given us that in Jesus.

“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being a godly neighbor and showing us love, mercy, and grace that we didn’t deserve. Grant that we, in response, show the same to all that You place in our midst. In Your holy and precious name. Amen.”

Scriptures

• Luke 10:25-37
• Psalm 31:1-3
• Psalm 41:13