About This Sermon
Jarrett Stephens teaches from Luke 10:25-37 and the parable of the Good Samaritan, the second week of Champion Forest's Priorities series. Jesus tells this story to answer a lawyer who wanted to justify himself by narrowing the definition of neighbor. The priest and Levite had reasonable religious excuses for passing by, but the Samaritan saw the wounded man, felt compassion, and moved to action.
Jarrett shows that Jesus flips the question from "who is my neighbor?" to "who can I be a neighbor to?" He connects this to Martin Luther King Jr.'s call for "dangerous unselfishness" and challenges the church: if Champion Forest disappeared, would anyone in the community miss us? Loving our community means seeing people in need, feeling their pain, and doing what we can with what God has given us.
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 21:1-4; John 4
Study Guide
A few ideas to carry with you, discuss with your group, or revisit during the week.
Practical Takeaways (5)
- The question is not who is my neighbor, but who can I be a neighbor to.
- Compassion that does not move to action is not the compassion Jesus calls for.
- We often pass by people in need because we are busy, afraid, or inconvenienced.
- Heart change from God must come before we can truly show mercy to others.
- The church should live so that the community would notice and miss us if we were gone.
Discussion Questions (5)
- What does the Samaritan's response in Luke 10 teach us about what it means to love our neighbor?
- When have you recently felt the temptation to pass by someone in need because you were busy or uncomfortable?
- How does understanding that we need God's mercy first change the way we show mercy to others?
- What is one practical way you could put yourself in the path of someone who needs help this month?
- If our church disappeared tomorrow, do you think people in our community would notice? Why or why not?
From the Series
Priorities
Priorities is all about realigning our lives around what matters most to God. Together, we are walking through our three Focus Priorities as a church: Making Disciples, Loving Our… Read morePriorities is all about realigning our lives around what matters most to God. Together, we are walking through our three Focus Priorities as a church: Making Disciples, Loving Our Community, and Strengthening the Church. This series invites us to examine where we invest our time, energy, and hearts, and challenges us to live with purpose and intentionality. Show less
