Message

Luke 11:1 (ESV)  Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus showed his disciples how to grow spiritually by example. The book of Luke tells of Jesus praying by himself and in public many times. Jesus, the son of God, spent time daily talking to His father in prayer. The disciples of seeing Jesus pray daily wanted to learn how to pray for themselves.

Luke 11:2 (ESV)  And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

The prayer that Jesus taught is often referred to as the Lord’s prayer. It was not meant to be prayed and repeated over and over again. The Lord’s prayer was meant to teach some of the basic principles of prayer. Prayer should begin with a focus on your relationship with the Father. In the Bible, prayer is directed to the Father and prayed in Jesus’ name.

Not only is prayer to be addressed to the Father, it is first and foremost about the Father. We pray for the Father’s name to be honored and for His kingdom to come. These first two requests help us to focus on honoring the Father and seeking His kingdom first.

Luke 11:3 (ESV)  Give us each day our daily bread,

This prayer teaches us that prayer should be done on a daily basis. Further teaching by the apostle Paul encourages us to pray continually, throughout the day. We are to pray for God to give us our daily bread. Daily bread refers to all of our needs in life. We pray for and trust God to meet those needs as we follow Him.

Luke 11:4 (ESV)  and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Daily we should repent and confess our sins. Daily, we should forgive any who have sinned against us. To not forgive others who have hurt us is not an option for a follower of Jesus. Finally, the request is that we are not led into temptation. This final request is that God would protect us from yielding to temptation and sinning. If we’ve just asked forgiveness for the sins of yesterday, we need to be prepared not to fall into the same sin today. The second secret of spiritual growth is to pray to the Father daily.

Since prayer is so important, the devil does everything he can to get you to stop. If he can’t get you to stop altogether, he’ll get you to doubt that prayer even works. Once you start doubting that prayer works, it’s going to get harder and harder to pray.

Remember what Mary did, sitting at the feet of Jesus. We need to see our daily time of prayer in the same way. Simply taking time apart from our busy lives and sitting at Jesus feet. Rather than reciting a list of your needs and desires to the Father, just be still and listen. In your prayer time, listen to what the Father wants to tell you. Then respond to Him with your love and worship. By then your faith will be strong enough to trust God to meet your needs and the needs of those around you. The second secret for spiritual growth is to pray daily with the Father.

Luke 10:38-39 (ESV)  Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

Jesus came to the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. The two sisters had different priorities in Jesus’ visit. Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His teaching to learn from Him.

Luke 10:40 (ESV)  But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

Martha, on the other hand, was concerned or distracted by all the things she had to do to serve Jesus and probably some of His disciples. Martha’s priority was getting everything in the house just right for Jesus. The fact that Mary was not helping her get the work done, aggravated her. So, Martha complained to Jesus about her sister Mary. Martha actually told Jesus to speak to Mary to get her to help.

Luke 10:41-42 (ESV)  But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,  but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus made it clear what was wrong with Martha’s attitude. She was anxious and troubled about many things. Jesus told her that only one thing was necessary, and Mary had chosen that thing. Mary had chosen to make listening to and learning from Jesus her priority. Jesus was not going to take her away from being close to Him. We also must choose the one thing necessary in our lives.

The one thing necessary in each of our lives for spiritual growth is to build our relationship with God. There are many things in life that can leave us anxious and troubled, just like Martha. Those things that seem so important really aren’t that important at all. Our first priority should always be to build our relationship with Jesus.

How did Mary do that? She spent time sitting in Jesus’ presence and listening to Him. That should be the priority in your life as well. The things in our life that are priority should be done first and done daily, as we’ll see.

How do we sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him? Jesus will begin to tell us about how to do that in the next verses. Will there be time for getting the things done in life that have to be done? Sure there will be time, once we put our relationship with Jesus first. 

If you’re anxious and troubled about many things in life like Martha, something is wrong. Begin to spend time with Jesus every day, a significant amount of time, not just a few minutes. You will begin to see your worry level begin to decrease and your faith and peace grow. Choose the one thing necessary each and every day. In the next secret, Jesus will tell us how to choose the one thing necessary.

Today I’ve entitled our message “Three Secrets for Spiritual Growth.” What is spiritual growth all about? Spiritual growth begins when a person is born again, when they commit their lives to Jesus. A person who is not born again or saved, cannot grow spiritually because they are not alive spiritually. 

When a person is born again, the are born as a spiritual baby. God’s plan and desire is for every spiritual baby to grow spiritually. Spiritual growth will then cause that spiritual baby to grow to spiritual maturity. To understand these spiritual principles, let’s think about the difference between a baby and a mature adult. A baby is helpless, they can’t meet their own needs and so are dependent on their parents. Nothing wrong with being a baby, it’s how God designed us to get started. But if a baby doesn’t grow physically, we know that something is wrong. The same is true for spiritual babies, they also need to grow up.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

God made provisions for spiritual babies to grow by placing them in the church, the body of Christ. In the church, there are those who can help and parent spiritual infants to grow or be built up.

Ephesians 4:13 (ESV)  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

God’s goal is that every believer grow to mature adulthood. That goal of maturity, the standard by which we measure maturity is Jesus Christ. So, we are to continue to grow throughout our lives.

Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

God doesn’t want us to remain infants or even children who are easily deceived. 

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

We are to grow up, to grow spiritually, becoming more and more like Jesus. Physical development of a baby is automatic if the baby is fed and cared for. So many people think that spiritual growth is automatic. The longer you’ve been a believer, the more mature you must be. That is not true. A person can be a believer for 20 years and still be a spiritual infant.

How can that happen? That can happen if a person does not follow Jesus’ directions for their lives. Why does every believer need to grow spiritually? God desires and commands us to grow spiritually. If you’re not growing, you may on your way to dying spiritually. Spiritual growth draws a person closer to God and brings blessing into their lives. That blessing then enables you to be a blessing to others and help them grow as well. So, let’s begin today by looking at the first secret for spiritual growth.

Luke 10:33 (ESV) But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

Now, we come to the third traveler on the road who saw the injured man. Most likely the injured man was a Jew. The Jews and Samaritans basically hated one another. They had fought in the past, their religions were different, and they didn’t like one another. If anyone would have been expected to pass by the wounded Jewish man, it would have been a Samaritan.

The first thing we see about the Samaritan is that he had compassion on the man. This is the same word used to describe how Jesus felt about people who were in trouble. That compassion motivated him to not pass the man by, but to go over to him.

Luke 10:34-35 (ESV) He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

The Samaritan treated the man’s wounds with the supplies he was carrying. As the man was not able to walk, he put the man on his own donkey. And the Samaritan walked along beside, taking him to an inn to stay the night. At the inn, the Samaritan continued to care for the man. When he left, he gave the innkeeper money to take care of the man and promised to pay the entire bill when he came back.

Helping the injured man cost the Samaritan time, riding a donkey and money. Yet, he did it out of compassion, which is part of love, isn’t it. Jesus then asked the lawyer a question of his own.

Luke 10:36-37 (ESV) Which of these three, 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.”

Jesus changed the lawyers question to a more appropriate question that focused on the responsibility of the lawyer. Jesus asked, which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the injured man? Rather than trying to figure out who is his neighbor, he needed to consider if he was being a neighbor.

The lawyer answered, the one who showed mercy, the Samaritan. Jesus said to the lawyer, go and do likewise. In other words, have compassion on those in need around you and show them love. Your neighbor is anyone around you who has a need. That’s how to be a neighbor.

How do we be a neighbor and love our neighbors as ourselves today? First of all, we need to discard the thought that there are so many needs, we can’t possibly meet them all, so why try. In the story, there was a need and no one else to help. God will show you needs where you are the one He calls to help.

Ask for God to give you compassion for the needs of others around you. The need might be for physical healing. The need might be for spiritual healing. The need might be for resources to live and we could go on and on with different kinds of needs. Each of us has a responsibility for our families. 

Yet, this story challenges us to go beyond our families and sometimes even the people we know. To actually show Christ’s love to strangers who God brings in our paths. As we give to missions, we are being a neighbor to lost people around the world. Making it possible for missionaries to be Jesus’ hands and feet to them through our giving. God wants to challenge us today to be neighbors to those in need.

 To have eternal life, we must love God with everything we have and are. As we love God, He blesses us so that we can love our neighbor as ourselves. That observable compassion and caring of others is evidence we have eternal life. To love our neighbors as ourselves requires us to be neighbors to those in need.

Besides helping meet needs, our love opens the door for the Gospel. Meeting physical needs, either through natural resources or supernatural healing makes people more receptive to believing in Jesus. We see this throughout the ministry of Jesus and His disciples. As we show our love for the lost and their needs, more and more people will be saved and receive eternal life.

Luke 10:30 (ESV) Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a steep descent of 19 miles through a desolate rocky area. It was a prime location for bandits to raid unsuspecting travelers. Robbers attacked him, stole his belongings, beat him and left him nearly dead. The man would probably not survive without someone to help him. However, the road was well traveled and I’m sure the man was looking out for the first traveler to help him.

Luke 10:31 (ESV) Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

It seems that the injured man had been left lying on the road itself or close to it. A priest from Jerusalem was the first traveler to see the injured man lying there. Rather than getting involved, he altered his path to get as far away from the man and quickly walked by. 

One would have expected a priest in the temple to care for the man. However, he pointedly ignored him. Perhaps he was late for an appointment. Or, was afraid the robbers could still be lurking. Or maybe he wasn’t sure if the man was dead or not and didn’t want to be made unclean.

Luke 10:32 (ESV) So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

The next traveler was a Levite, a helper to the priests in the temple. He had a lower rank than the priest, but Jesus’ listeners would have expected both him and the priest to help the wounded man. Yet, the Levites response was the same. He saw the man, but moved to the other side of the road and quickly passed by.

Both men knew the command to love your neighbor as yourself. If they were lying on the roadside, surely they would have wanted someone to help. Yet, they did not see the injured man as their neighbor whom they must love. These two are examples of how not to be a neighbor.

It’s easy to not be a neighbor, isn’t it. Just pass by on the other side of the road, not my responsibility. It’s true that we can’t meet all the needs in our world. Yet, God does call us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

To love our neighbor is going to require some time, some concern and some resources. In other words, loving our neighbor is going to cost us something. Yet, for those who truly love God, He provides us with the means to love our neighbors and not pass by on the other side of the road.

Luke 10:25-26 (ESV) And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

The term lawyer here means a Jewish expert in the Law, the Old Testament. He asked a very important question, what must I do to have eternal life? Jesus answered him with a question of his own. He asked the lawyer how the Bible answered his question. The answer to all our questions of importance are found in God’s Word.

Luke 10:27 (ESV) And he answered, “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.”

The lawyer answers combined two Old Testament scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to love God with everything we have, our heart, soul, strength and mind. To love God is to put your faith in Him. Faith is not just believing that God or Jesus exists. Faith is to love God with everything you have.

It is critically important that loving God comes first in our lives. Everything else stems from loving God first and foremost. The second part to the lawyer’s answer is found in Leviticus 19:18. It says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. You must love yourself as someone created and loved by God. Then you are to consider your neighbor as someone to love, just as you love yourself.

Luke 10:28-29 (ESV) And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus acknowledged that the lawyer had given the proper answer to having eternal life. The answer is to love God and show your love for God by loving your neighbor. The lawyer then had a second question for Jesus, “who is my neighbor?” In this verse, we have a clue that this was not a good question. It says that the lawyer was seeking to justify himself.

He was trying to limit the options for his neighbor so that he could fulfill the command without going out of his way. As we go through the account today, we’ll see that Jesus never directly answers the lawyer’s second question. Jesus wanted to help him and us answer another more important question. To have eternal life, one must love God and his neighbor.

We might have the same qualms about loving our neighbor as ourselves that the lawyer had. If we’re honest, most of us love ourselves a lot. To love our neighbors as ourselves is really a tall order. Especially if we have a lot of neighbors. So, if we could eliminate some people as our neighbors, that would make life easier, right?

We’re going to learn that judging who is and isn’t our neighbor is the wrong question. When we truly love God, He is going to help us love our neighbors as ourselves. We’ll learn more about how to do that as Jesus illustrates the principle with a story.