Be Somebody's Miracle
Be Somebody's Miracle • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
I was driving the other day to make a visit and heard a song on the radio that I had never heard. It was a simple song that was called Be Somebody’s Miracle.
It was performed by the gospel group Brian Free and Assurance. I had to look up the words and as I did, I was moved with their simplicity.
Be Somebody’s Miracle
Somebody somewhere’s got something that’s weighing them down;
Feels like their whole world is crumbling, crashing to the ground
They’re pleading
They’re praying
Saying Jesus help me please
And I know He that He will
But sometimes you and I
We gotta be
SOMEBODY’S MIRACLE
Somebody’s answer to prayer you know
Everybody’s got a need
Yeah it’s up to you and me
We could be we could be
Somebody’s Miracle
You know you don’t have to look
too far at all...
To find the hopeless and hurting
In and outside these walls
They’re bruised and they’re broken
Just hoping someone will see
They need the love of Jesus
Oh we have the chance to be...
Somebody’s Miracle!
As I have listened to this song more and more, I have asked myself, am I somebody’s miracle? What does the Bible say about me becoming somebody’s miracle? What can I do to position myself in becoming somebody’s miracle?
Once again we can turn to the Bible and utilize it’s precepts and principles as we live out God’s design for our lives. Jesus told a story about being somebody’s miracle. We find it only in Luke’s Gospel.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered: “ ‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10
We are called to be a people of action. In fact, the Gospel is three-pronged: it is evangelism, it is discipleship and it is social action. This passage is the indeed social action. It is an opportunity to be somebody’s miracle.
There are six characters in this story that at anytime, we can be any one of them depending on what we how we handle such a situation. Notice first the lawyer.
This man lived by the law. He was justifying himself in saying that, “I have done everything right, I am justified by my works.” The world is full of people that say exactly those words. When asked, “what should I do to inherit eternal life?, “ Jesus looked directly to the man and asked him a question: “what does the law say and what how do you interpret it?”
The lawyer rattled off the law. He proudly stated what is known as the Hebrew Shema as what to do to inherit eternal life. He says we must love God with all our hearts, we must prize Him and value ourselves and find our delight in Him. Our love must be hearty, sincere and fervent. It must be strong and intelligent. It must be an entire love where nothing gets in the way of it and we must serve Him in a way that there is nothing equal to Him. For good measure, the lawyer adds that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. We should wish well to all and never wish anything bad to happen. We must do all the good we can and do unto others as we want them to do to us, loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Jesus commends this man by saying to him, “You have answered correctly.” Then He gave the words, “Do this and you will live.”
These words were haunting to the lawyer because he, trying to justify himself, asked, “And who is my neighbor?” If he had no prejudice in his heart, if he truly had loved his neighbor, he would not have had to ask that question.
As I studied this lawyer’s response I can’t help but wonder if you and I can identify with him. What would be our answer if we were asked, “How much time have you spent with the Lord? would it be enough evidence for you to say that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind? Do you love your neighbor as yourself?
Jesus goes on to answer the question by telling the story we have come to know as the Good Samaritan. He paints a picture of a man going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Obviously it was a dangerous section and evidently robberies were very frequent there. He is robbed. He is beaten and wounded. He is stripped of his clothes. He is left for dead. Can you imagine? He was humiliated. He was in pain. He was deserted.
No one plans for this. No one expects for this to happen. But we can plan how to respond by looking at how 3 different men responded.
The Bible says that the first man that came along was priest. The Bible says he “happened to be going down the same road.” Was it providential that the priest should go down this road? Do things just happen by coincidence or was this a divine appointment?
He did not like the look of the wounds and blood. He did not want to disrupt his journey. Have you ever thought about this priest and the direction he was going? He was going down the road. Jericho is at 800 feet below sea level, and Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level. It is obvious that if the priest was going down the road, he was coming from Jerusalem. What do you think he had been doing in Jerusalem? I am certain that he had not been to Walmart. Do you think he had just been at the temple? After all, he was a priest wasn’t he? Do you think if he had, he had just recited this Hebrew shema? In other words, he know that he should love his neighbor as himself, right?
It just goes to show that one can live so easily and so pleasantly and even be called a priest, if you just carefully pass on the other side of the road. The priest had no intention.
Next, Jesus speaks of the Levite coming to the place, saw him, and passed on the other side. A Levite was like an “assistant priest” if you will. Like the priest, the Levite had been bound by his profession to help this man. Priests and their assistants are chosen by God to speak for God. This means that they are tender-hearted, gentle, kind, and full of sympathy.
The Levite came and looked. He may have meant, “I will look into it,” but those thoughts did not become action.
The Levite perhaps had good intention.
By the way, before you start thinking that this is something that only the priests should do, you should understand that if we are saved by the blood of Jesus, we are all called to be priests.
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2
Both of these men came close enough to recognize the situation. They saw his state. The chose to remain willfully ignorant. But, maybe they had good excuses. Maybe they did not have the time to mess with this. Maybe they were in a hurry and it would have inconvenienced their schedule. Maybe they thought, “I am on one person and I could not have made a difference.” Maybe they felt danger was lurking and it could happen again. Maybe they thought that they would be blamed for the crime so it was best to stay away. All of these powerful reasons together would cause any one of us to be justified and keep going on without stopping to help.
After all “God helps those who help themselves” is what the good book says right? Well yes, if your good book is POOR RICHARD’S ALMANAC written by Ben Franklin in 1757.
But, we are called to be better. We are called to be more!
We have before us the way of the Samaritan.
The Samaritan came where the injured man was. He looked at him and did not turn away. He had compassion. He did not say, “if you can get up and walk with me to Jericho I will help you.” He did not say even if you would meet me halfway I will help you. He did not question the man why he was traveling alone. He did not ask him what sin he had committed to get him in such a state. He did not tell him about when something similar had happened to him. He simply had compassion. He had deep awareness of the suffering that the injured man had felt and coupled that feeling with the desire to relieve it. The NIV says he had pity on him. He had sympathy and sorrow produced from the misfortune he had experienced. He took action. There on the spot. He had no stipulations. He simply did everything for the man where he was and as he was.
There’s a few lessons to learn here about taking action. When you take action it may cost you time, supplies and even money. God’s economy will take care of you.
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
When you take action, be prepared to follow it through.
When you take action, don’t pass the buck to someone else or another agency. The example of the Good Samaritan was to take care of his other responsibilities while being able to make arrangements for what the injured man needed. I believe that God will help you take care of other responsibilities as you go forward. That is covered in the verse from as well!
When you take action, own it.
Let’s go back to the lawyer as this story comes to a close. Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man that fell into the hands of the robber?”
The lawyer refused to call the Samaritan good. He simply said, “the one who had mercy on him.” Did he get it? I don’t think so. Jesus speaks to him and He speaks to us: “Go and do likewise.”
So how?
We must realize that our neighbor, just like us needs the love and salvation of Christ.
The Gospel is for all people!
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
1 Timothy 1:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Galatians 5:13
Luke 19:10
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
You and I don’t
Just like the Good Samaritan came to the injured man just as he was, Christ comes to all of us just as we are. Remember, you don’t have to get cleaned up to take a bath. Jesus comes into our lives and He does all the cleaning up!
Christ died for those who had nothing to to pay with. He rose again for our justification, He pleads on our behalf before the throne. Christ gives the Holy Spirit to those that are powerless, weak and left for dead.
When Christ comes into your life, your sin debt is paid in full! Just like the Good Samaritan paid the innkeeper to meet any needs, you and I have our needs met in Jesus! You and I can also count on Jesus coming back to get us to take us to our heavenly home.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
In the meantime, maybe we need to examine our lives. Are you like the lawyer? Do you think you have all the answers? Jesus has some questions for you!
Are you like the injured man and feel humiliated, in pain, and perhaps deserted? Jesus has some compassion, salvation and restoration for you.
Are you like the priest or Levite in this story? Jesus has a better calling for you.
Are you like the Good Samaritan? Jesus wants us to be or He wouldn’t have said, “go and do likewise.”
Jesus wants you to be somebody’s miracle. All you have to do is be ready, be willing, and be a person of action.