Do This and You Will Live

In one paragraph

Before the sermon, Pastor Mark handed out cards asking the congregation to write down three things: a trustworthy individual, a trustworthy group, and the group they considered most harmful to the gospel. Those answers shaped the whole message, which walked through the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 and pressed the congregation to reckon honestly with who they see as neighbor and...

Read together

1. Luke 10:25-37 the main passage for the sermon, the story of the Good Samaritan
2. Luke 6:35-36 read as a benediction about loving enemies and being merciful

Talk about it

1. The lawyer asked Jesus 'what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' and already knew the right answer. What does it tell us about ourselves that knowing the right answer and actually doing it are so different?
2. Pastor Mark pointed out that the priest and the Levite both had understandable reasons for passing by. What are some of the 'understandable reasons' that we use to avoid getting involved in someone else's messy situation?
3. The congregation filled in that third blank with groups ranging across the political spectrum. What does it reveal about us that nearly everyone has a group they consider most harmful to the gospel?
4. Jesus flipped the lawyer's question from 'who is my neighbor?' to 'to whom can I be a neighbor?' How does that shift in direction change the way you think about your responsibility to the people around you?
5. Pastor Mark closed by praying that God would use this church to reach people we consider most antithetical to the gospel, and he pointed to Saul becoming Paul as an example. Can you think of a time when God used someone very unlike you to show you something true, or when you were the unlikely person He used for someone else?