Monthly Archives: August 2010

The Good Samaritan (part two)

But there is more to this parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke’s gospel. It isn’t just about, “Who is my neighbor?” Ultimately it is about, “Who is my Savior?” Luke makes this clear for us when he tells us at the very beginning of the passage that the lawyer desires to “justify himself.” (v. 29) By seeking to justify himself he wants, like every faithful Jew in his day, to set himself right before God (and man) by living his life in such a way that he qualifies for salvation. Yet the only way he can qualify is to keep the law, perfectly. Continue reading

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The Good Samaritan (part one)

For the next several weeks I will be writing about passages of Scripture on which I’ve preached over the summer. I begin today with the parable of the Good Samaritan. This passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter ten, verses twenty-five through thirty-seven. As the story opens, a lawyer approaches Jesus with a question while Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”, he asks (v. 25b). This is not an innocent question. The lawyer’s intent is to put Jesus to the test. Continue reading

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Prayer (last in a series)

For the past eleven weeks I’ve shared my thoughts about prayer with you. This week we hear from some famous Christians known for their prayers:
Oswald Chambers
It is not so true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things… Continue reading

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