Jericho Road

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham later in the program will tell you that you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle first hears the message Jericho Road, no light is a journey in the journey of life includes the Jericho Road. That's the time the message today simply the Jericho Road is the familiar and touching passage of Scripture filled with the love, mercy and compassion of our God tender and touching story. We need a lawyer who asked price to questions and in both questions, we see how we are to live and love on the road of life. Chapter 10 beginning at verse 25 and behold, a lawyer stood up to putting to the test. Say, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life. He said to him what is written in the law. How do you read any answer you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. And he said to him you have responded are answered correctly do this and you will live, but he desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor, Jesus replied a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, he fell among robbers and stripped them and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Not by chance a priest was going down that road and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side but a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion.

He went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his animal and brought him to an inn and took care of in the next day he took out to the mayor. I gave them to the innkeeper say take care of him and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. Which of these do you think proved to be a 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. Blogger mentioned that this passage is actually a religious lawyer one he was trained in the theology of the Old Testament, one who knew the law of God very well. He was a professional religionist, a professional theologian and so he came to Christ with a question. Two questions actually one to initiate the conversation but note before we even began with the questions that this man asked that this law your came to put Jesus to the test.

If you've ever had the experience of being deposed in a lawsuit or even being on trial. Sometimes you get the sense that you not that the person asking you the questions may not simply be wanting information but putting it to the past seeking to trap you to get some kind of information from you. Well, in this sense, the religious lawyer was coming to Jesus not for information on the sincerity of his heart, but in order to testing in order to trap him the person of Christ is always an issue in Christianity, which is Christ without Christ there is no Christianity because Christianity is not a dogma.

It is not a religious confession. It is not a creed but rather Christianity is a person, the person of Jesus Christ.

Satan is always attacking the identity of Christ, the person of Christ and hurling accusations and questions that Christ true today. There's always that? In their minds concerning the identity of Christ and always trying to uncover some hidden seduction of Jesus the Savior told this man did not come with sincere questions.

God never never puts aside anyone who comes with a sincere question if you have doubts come with your doubts. A man came to Jesus one day and said what I believe, help my unbelief. If you have a sincere desire to know Christ and who Christ is and what Christ is calling us to do, then you can come to him just as you are and he will show you himself but here was a trained professional theologian came with an important question. It was a question that was often discussed among the religious types of that day and really of this day is the question what must I do to inherit eternal life now again even want an answer.

He wanted to debate Jesus.

He wanted a discussion this theological truth. The course the answer to his question. What must I do to inherit eternal life. The answer is nothing you cannot do anything today eternal life because salvation is not rooted in the merit of man, but it is in the mercy of God's salvation is not a goal to be achieved is a gift to be received and there is nothing that we can do to gain the favor of God on the grace of God by our good works, and so Jesus responded to this man by saying okay what do you think they knew the man wanted to tell him what he thought. Anyway, he said, okay, you tell me what do you think, and the man repeated a summarization.

The summation of the law love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself, and this was a good answer because Jesus is pointing out to this man that salvation is experienced in the love of God, not in the life of the good deeds of man. It is a love relationship eternal life comes by the grace of God through a personal and deeply intimate relationship with the Lord our God is a personal relationship, love the Lord your God.

Now I find that many people don't have. They don't love God like this and like this law you this man who came to Jesus with these questions. They have a self-made religion and he seeks to justify himself, and even claims I am justifying himself, but somehow he has done this but the fact is anytime a person tells me how good they are. I know that they are a long way from the love of God and the grace of God. Why, because the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God that there is none righteous, no not one. The book of James chapter 2 in verse 10 tells us that if we are thin or keep the whole law but fail at one point of the law. We have become accountable for all of the law supposed there was a chain of 10 links and you were dangling on the end of that chain over the chasm in the fall from that chain would be certain there. How many links of the chain need to be broken for you to fall into the just one just one. And that's what the Scripture is telling us concerning this 10 links of the commandments of God that if we fail at just one point of the law that we become guilty of the whole, because we've all sin and the fact is, either in spirit or in substance. We have broken all of the laws of God.

So what are we to do to receive eternal life to repent of our sins, which means to turn from our sins and ask God to change our life from the inside out by receiving Jesus as our Lord and our Savior the book of Ephesians chapter 2 says it is by grace that we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves is the gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast. I went to see the movie amazing Grace, and it is a powerful story of William Wilberforce, who led the abolitionist movement in Britain and his relationship with John Newton's pastor and the author of amazing grace and there is a poignant moment near the end of the story that is given in the movie in which Wilberforce is speaking to his now blind pastor John Newton. Newton himself had been a slave trader and he was haunted by his past income to the grace of God and receive that amazing grace, but the sounds of the slaves were still in his hand. They haunted him as he called them the ghost of thousands of slaves that would perish under his watch and he couldn't forgive himself did receive the grace of God and the forgiveness of God, but somehow he could not get over the fact that he had played such a terrible pardon this terrible slave trade, but ultimately he made peace with God and peace with himself and he made a statement that is given so powerfully in the movie is that I know this that I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior and that's what we know and this is how we know that we have eternal life. Lord, I have sinned and broken your commandments. I am a great sinner no longer justifying ourselves or trying to prove ourselves through our good works are our good deeds but throwing ourselves on the grace and mercy of God our Savior. What a great Savior is Jesus. We have a great and gracious.

What must I do to inherit eternal life. Repent of that sin and receive Jesus into your life by grace through faith.

Listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message Jericho Road God-given calling to take the gospel to the world.

That's why we put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your love of the gospel and share it with others. This evangelism bundle includes three pastor Jack Graham specs to help in Easter life and God's promises for doubt filled days.

This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today and thanks to a generous matching grant gift today will be doubled. So call now to request your evangelism bundle when you give call one 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie Ellis Québec.

Today's message Jericho Road. The lawyer had a follow-up just who is my neighbor.

If you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength and therefore your neighbor as yourself. It was so well then who is my neighbor now that is an important ethical social question.

Of course we would identify a neighbor is someone who is new to us. Brad someone who is dear to us, someone close to next door or across the fence or down the street or it could be someone who shares a cubicle with you at the office. A coworker someone who is a friend at school.

But today we need to take a wider look a longer look as to what really is a neighbor because our neighbors are no longer the person just mere response, but due to the power of technology. The whole world is now next door. The whole world is becoming a neighborhood and everyone is our neighbor. Now this man wanted to limit his love. He wanted to define with narrow terms.

His love of God and his love for people. So we ask who is my neighbor. He wanted to confine his love to people like himself and Jesus is about to show this man is shriveled heart as he summing up the law. Jesus is saying the net net of all of this is love. Love, love, Andy uses a very special word for love, which means all-encompassing love is about to show us that our neighbor is anyone who has a need that we can meet and that's the point of this entire passage that our neighbors are not simply people like us or who love us what our neighbor is anyone in need and we can somehow meet that need, and therefore we are to love people, regardless of where they live or how they behave, they may speak a different language. They may be of a different color or ethnicity. They may look differently.

They may speak differently but we are to love them and why are we to love people because Jesus loves every person, and the Christian who is a true follower of Christ, the love of God is living in. We have experienced a supernatural kind of love, the book of Romans chapter 8 tells us this love is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit this law. The apostle John said in his little letter of first John is so central to the Christian faith that you can't say that you love God and at the same time not love others. How can your heart be headquarters for hay.

If you say that the spirit of the living Christ is living in you.

We have been filled with the love of God and therefore we are to give this love and to demonstrate this love to anyone who has a me know. To illustrate this, Jesus is a master illustrator. He tells a story is a familiar story to many of us, what is the story of the good Samaritan now. It's always been interesting to me that we call this the story of the good Samaritan because actually Jesus never calls this man was a Samaritan. The good Samaritan. They just mentioned that he was a Samaritan, or that he was a certain Samaritan, I suppose that when we see someone doing what love demands that all of us would do just the right thing to say well he was a good Samaritan. Well, he certainly did a good day. But Jesus tells the story of the Jew, who was on the road to Jericho when he was robbed and beaten and left for dead and he speaks of religious leaders, a priest and the Levite to see this man on the same road and walked by on the other side and then this certain Samaritan who would normally have spent on a man like this because you see Samaritans and Jews had no dealings with one another. The Jews despised the Samaritans they considered them half breeds. They were racially and religiously so different from the Jewish people and not only did the Jews despised the Samaritans, but the Samaritans return the favor. They despised you and so the fact that Jesus mentioned that this certain Samaritan came by and rendered aid and comfort to this victim. It must've been startling shocking to the lawyer and everyone who heard it better Samaritan would actually help you Wallace Hamilton preacher of yesteryear summarize way that people live in the three episodes of the man who walked by the men who we meet here in the parable first kind of person that many people live in this way of life is would be the fees in the philosophy the attitude of the fees is this what is yours is mine and I'll take what's yours is mine.

I'll take and many people live just that way today.

They live to advance her own calls to feather their own mass. The line their own pockets and what ever it takes what it means cheating you climbing over you manipulating you whatever their goal in life is to get more and more, and if it means taking what you have been what's yours is mine and I'll take it. That's one way to live life and many people unfortunately live that way. But then these religious leaders. The Levite of the priests, but once he saw him, and passed by on the other side. They live with a different kind of philosophy of life and is the attitude which says what is mine is mine and keep it they will reach out to other people. They live for self and self alone.

They rarely if ever do anything or anybody else but then there is the way of life of the Samaritan which is to say what is mine is yours and I'll give it was mine is yours and I'll give it from cover to cover. The Bible is clear we are to care about broken wounded dying people, people who can't help themselves. People whose lives have been beaten down. This includes the poor. This includes the sick.

This includes the dying. This includes anyone who has a need. Now, love and compassion. These are the keywords of this passage and the word for love in the Scripture is an action word. In other words, love is not passive.

It is acted is not abstract it is aggressive why because in this case and really in every case. Love is a verb.

Love is something you do.

So watch what happens when this certain Samaritan on his way down the Jericho Road encounters this man.

What kind of love did he give when it began because he had eyes to see, now the religious leaders. They also solve the man but the Samaritan he saw him with a different kind of focus. He saw him any pause to look beyond the surface of the brokenness in the herd and the woundedness and to see this man's need he could of thought, well, this man is of another race, another religion I don't have any responsibility here. I have an appointment down the road.

I'm busy and I should just go will know he had eyes to see the salt deeply with an open heart. May God help us to see with the eyes of Christ. People all around the time of the opportunities that we pass a day, people who need Christ who need is love who need his grace we need our mercy and our help.

You see, it begins with C. How different would it be in your life if you got up every morning and said Lord today. Give me eyes to see opportunities around me to be about your love and your grace of people's eyes to see. I mean really see as God. 60 not just looking on the surface but looking deep within. But not only did he have eyes to see that this love is demonstrated because he had a heart to feel the Scripture says that when he saw this man. He had compassion upon. I love the word compassion is a very strong word. The powerful word you see the word passion in the word compassion, and it means to feel deeply to feel strongly about something, it can also mean to suffer with to be deeply stirred and move it is a favorite word of biblical authors to describe Jesus as he had compassion towards people, particularly sinful people is also descriptive of our God even in the Old Testament. Many times we had the idea that the God of the Old Testament is a God of law, the God of judgment. But through and through the Scripture tells us that our God is a God of great love and mercy and compassion, and so in this Samaritans sees this man. He begins to feel very deeply hurt feelings for him. May God give us this time listening to PowerPoint.

Jack ran in today's message Jericho 3.2 billion people in our world still have no access to the good news of Jesus, and we must do whatever it takes to reach the lost, with the hope of Christ.

That's why were excited to tell you about a matching grant that will double when ever you get today to help reach more people to PowerPoint your support will help broadcast the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth will say thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books Tempe share the gospel right where you are this evangelism bundle includes the help of Eastern life and God's promises for doubt filled days so call now to have your gift doubled by the max requester evangelism bundle: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text when PowerPoint to 59789 that's PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie*what is your PowerPoint for today. God often uses unlikely events and circumstances to provide for us even when we think there's no way out or no hope.

He always and I do mean always provides, but the question I want to ask you today is, do you honestly believe that God will meet your every need. Many people know the story of the good Samaritan how God strategically placed a Samaritan along the Jericho road to meet the needs of the Jewish man was robbed and left for dead. The key thing that I want you to remember about the story is that the one who helped the man was a Samaritan. Unknown enemy of the Jews. Now imagine if you will, that you're a Jewish man in the story and you're laying on the ground severely beaten and scared half to death. Now imagine seeing this Samaritan a sworn enemy heading your way. Well, you probably think your best to get another baby and that's probably what this Jewish man in the story thought. Instead, the Samaritan man showed compassion and love for his Jewish enemy. He took a man cared for his wounds and provided a safe place for him.

You know I'm always amazed at the creativity of God, how he meets our needs are the most unlikely people and in the most unlikely of circumstances even when you think things couldn't get any worse. God always has a plan in mind to deliver you to help you to strengthen you to get you through your difficult. Matthew 626 says look at the birds of the year. They don't so, or reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they.

Well, of course, believers are more valuable than birds, and God is there to take care of you every step of the way. Even in the most unlikely of ways.

In the most unlikely of circumstances.

That's why no matter what you're going through today.

You can trust in God and fall into his arms piece safety provision and with that use today's power.

Remember when you give a gift PowerPoint. Your gift will be doubled by a matching call one 807 956-1800 795-4627 can also text word PowerPoint 2597891X PowerPoint. Dr. Graham brings a message of the house is your life God's and show that's next on PowerPoint with Jack PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries