It Is Easier to Send People Away Than to Feed Them

Sermon outline

Your neighbour is anyone who does not yet know Jesus, and like the Good Samaritan you are called not to cross to the other side but to give them something to eat, carrying them with your heart, your time and your resources by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. You give them something to eat

   Late in the day, in a remote place, the disciples wanted Jesus to send the five thousand away. It is easier to send people away than to meet their need, because then you do not have to deal with them. Jesus answered, you give them something to eat, and had them sit in groups of fifty. When God gives you a word, you follow it with corresponding action.

   Illustration: From that one verse, the town ministry has seen more than five hundred people give their hearts to the Lord. Because it serves a halfway house, people come and go.

   “It's much easier to send somebody away than to take care of their own needs.”

   • Luke 9:13-14

2. Who is my neighbour? The priest and the Levite crossed over

   An expert in the law asked how to inherit eternal life, and Jesus turned the question back: what is written, and how do you read it? Loving God and your neighbour fulfils the commandments, and when you are not filled with compassion for people your life dries up. Wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asked who his neighbour was. In Jesus' story a priest and then a Levite, men who knew the law of God, saw the beaten man and passed by on the other side.

   Illustration: The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about eight hours on foot, with no Uber and no transport.

   “Sometimes we see things, we see people hurting, we see the great need out in the world. But what we do, we hide our faces.”

   • Luke 10:25-32

3. The Samaritan took pity: mercy that costs

   The Samaritan, despised by the Jews, bandaged the man's wounds with oil and wine, put him on his own donkey, took him to an inn and paid two denarii with a promise to cover the rest. He sees Jesus in the Samaritan, who carries us, bruised and left for dead, and the church in the innkeeper who is told to look after him. A busy church can still lose its first love, and Jesus' instruction is go and do likewise.

   Illustration: Truth is like a mirror that shows your love handles; we cover up with black clothes, and in the Christian walk we cover up with busyness that is not effective. He says he lives for six words: well done, my good and faithful servant.

   “A busy person, brothers and sisters, is sometime neglect of love.”

   • Luke 10:33-37
   • 2 Peter 3:8
   • Matthew 24:12
   • Revelation 2:2-4

4. The sheep and the goats

   When the Son of Man comes in glory He will separate the nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. To those on His right He will say, I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and in prison, and you cared for Me; they did it so naturally that they did not recognise it. Each person will stand before Him individually, not as a group, and these are the words He will use.

   Illustration: Group work at school let you hide behind the clever one and the one who could present, but individual assessments left you on your own. He goes into prison every Saturday with Faith Chronicles because he wants to fulfil this scripture in his lifetime.

   “Whenever you did for one of the least of the brothers and sisters, you did it for me.”

   • Matthew 25:31-46
   • Matthew 25:21

5. Numbers one to three: who our neighbour is, loved with conviction and compassion

   Number one, your neighbour is anyone of any race who does not know Jesus. Number two, a disciple must have a conviction to love that neighbour, a conviction that will not let you rest until you act, and God first asks for your heart. Number three, show genuine compassion to people you would not normally associate with.

   Illustration: When people want to join the work he tells them, give me your heart first; a skill can let you down, but if he has their heart it is worth more.

   “Conviction is something that will not allow you to rest until you do something about it.”

   • Proverbs 23:26

6. Numbers four and five: they cannot repay you, and they need consolidation

   Number four, our neighbours cannot pay us back, just as the beaten man could not repay the innkeeper, but the Lord will repay every act of kindness and nothing goes unnoticed. That is why you need the Holy Spirit, who anointed Jesus to preach to the poor; without Him you will run dry. Number five, new believers need consolidation before discipleship, following the four pillars of win, consolidate, disciple and send.

   Illustration: When a baby messes itself you do not throw the baby out with the nappy. You throw out the nappy, clean the baby and put on a new one; baby Christians need the same love.

   “Without the Holy Spirit, you will run out dry. You will get tired.”

   • Luke 4:18

7. Numbers six and seven: pay the price, and give your heart with your resources

   Number six, our neighbours will cause much inconvenience in the early stages, so count the cost: the Christian life is one of losing, sacrificing and dying to self. Number seven, our neighbours will need our resources given with love for real transformation. It is easier to send money and not be there, but God wants your heart with your resources.

   “Thank you for the money that you have. Thank you for the resources that you're sending. But apart from that, my son, give me your heart.”

8. Numbers eight and nine: our neighbour was once us, and our neighbour is Jesus

   Number eight, we were once lost and needed people who loved us, walked with us and gave us Bibles. Number nine, our neighbour is Jesus, because what we do for the least of His brothers and sisters we do for Him.

   “We were once our neighbor, and look where we are now.”

   • Matthew 25:40

In this message