The Second Coming 10 the Good Samaritan — Stan Ford

The Good Samaritan and the Question of Eternal Life

I want, this evening, to read with you one of the most loved and well-known parables in the Bible. Luke, chapter 10, please. Luke, chapter 10. This parable, of course, is the parable that we mostly call the parable of the book of Samaritan.

We will commence reading a little way down in the chapter. I would like us to read in verse 21,. "...and, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?".

You know, I never read that without being a little of a person that asks the question. It was a lawyer. A man who I pursued, if they were like modern lawyers, every day were occupied with dealing with people's possessions.

And a lawyer said, what must I do to inherit? He thought that the very simplest truth was that you don't do anything to inherit, apart from get into the family, such that we might leave our children. But if we do have something, they'll have it because they're our children.

They're in the family. You don't do something to inherit, you make sure that you're entitled to the inheritance by being in the family. And the other lawyer didn't seem to know that. What must I do to inherit eternal life?

He said unto him, what is written in the law? How readeth thou? The answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself.

And he said unto him, Thou shalt put right this due, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbour? Jesus answering said, A present man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and parable of things which stripped him of his remnant, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came down a present priest that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a threatened Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his brooms, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own feet, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two tents, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou was his neighbour?

Or was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, And do thou, please could I repeat that last expression, because this is why the parable was told.

Go, and do thou likewise. If there is one thing that has amazed, I'm sure, every one of us during the past evening, the tremendous number of scriptures that deal with the coming again of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s Return Beyond Explicit Prophecy

We have traced through the word of God, in definite prophecies, the fact that Christ did say, If I go, I will come again. We have seen that speaking of him, he is to sit upon the throne of his father David, and reign over the house of Jacob.

And so we have seen not only something of the truth of the rapture, we've seen something of the truth of the coming again in power and glory of the Christ of God. But tonight I'm going to take a step further away from definite prophecies.

Tonight I don't want to talk of definite prophecies as to the return of the Lord, definite prophecies as to when and where and how he will come back again. But tonight I want us to see that in the parables that Jesus told, parables that outwardly have nothing whatsoever to say about the coming again of Christ.

Yet in those parables, the Lord himself speaks of the fact that he's coming back again. And what better one could I choose than the simple parable of the group Samaritan? When I come again with David, I do not want for one moment to take away the perfect significance of this parable.

I want us to understand that the parable is a moral parable. The Lord is looking at you and me, and reminding us of our social responsibility to men and women who have not been blessed as much as we have been blessed.

And Jesus said, go there and do likewise. But will you please remember this, that while the Lord did not apply the parable to himself, but appointed it to those that were listening there, the Lord never asked anyone to do what he does not do himself.

Richard and Harold standing up and saying, do this and do that, and you look at them and sort of say to yourself, now I wonder where he does it. When it came to the Lord, he never asked anyone to do what he did not do himself.

And I suggest to you that as we look at this parable, we can see one of the most wonderful portraits of Jesus Christ that's found in the Bible. We see one of the wonderful portraits of Christ. We see also a tremendous portrait of men and women, and I go further, of nations as well.

The Man on the Downward Road

Isn't remarkable how it's done? A certain man, he does not say a certain rich man, he does not say a certain poor man, he does not say a certain learned man, he does not say a certain ignorant man. He says a certain man, a certain man.

Oh please, there is little doubt, as we read the story, that he wanted you. But Jesus never said that. Jesus wants us to see our portrait. He wants us to see the portrait of the world in the picture. A certain man went, oh my friends, how true that is of every one of us.

How true it is that as we journey on life, we find ourselves not climbing up, but going back. We may have a long desire to climb up. We may sing and sing lustily the lovely Alexander hymn, or plant my feet on iron grass.

But if experience tells us anything, it tells us this, that until we come in contact with the good Samaritans, our pathway is a dandwood pathway. He went down from Jerusalem. Down from the place where God hath placed his name.

Down from the city that was God's city. Down from the place that is known and will know, the shrine of glory in all its wonder. He went down to a city that was the veil of the city of Perth. A city where God again and again and again, on three different occasions, and on other occasions as well, but three different occasions, hath placed his power because of the wickedness of the people that dwelt within the city of Jericho.

He went down from the presence of God, from the blessing of God, from the glory of God. He went down to the city of Jericho. There's no need for me to remind you, because you all know the story, and I'm certain you some day, small teacher, have shared it with your class in a legion of times.

You know that the journey was not a long journey. The journey at the most was but about fifteen miles. The journey that any decent man could walk in the course of a day. But while it was a dandwood journey.

Never forget this, that it was a dangerous journey. Never do forget that traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho, it led that man to one of the ruggedest parts that were known in the district. A part where many who had charmed away from that Roman conquest had gone and taken up the profession, as I may call it much, of highly robber.

The Downward Path and Divine Judgment

Halfway was dandwood and dangerous. All my fellow travelers to eternity, I don't think I need to say very much about it. I believe that everyone in this place knows that every step we take that takes us away from God, is a step that takes us away to God's perfect direction towards the judgment of the Almighty.

As we were thinking the other evening that there is a heaven again, that there's a hell of a shot. And we know that as we travel on life's journey, that dandwood part is a dangerous part of me. If I could say this of individuals, can I not say it also of nations?

If we have learned anything in the past evening by just reading the word of God, we have learned that nations that turn their back on God are nations that are doomed. And still say it, righteousness expulses a nation, and sin is an approach unto anger.

Never let us forget this, my friends. Never let us forget that a nation that turns its back on God is a nation that's heading towards the judgment of God. And as we have seen, it will not be long before he whose right it is to come will come.

And the thought of the earth will be removed. And its old seed will be opened to all that was noxious and vile and corrupt to be with it. And there is left behind for certain judgment those that have said no to Jesus Christ, those that have continued on the dangerous path.

The Tragic Condition of the Wounded Man

One thing I must say about this story, it is this. It is the story of a tragic condition. For it is the story of a man whose paramount peace, it is the story of a man who was left half-dead by the roadside.

He was left half-dead. Is it not true he was only half-alive? Is it not true that he was a man left by the side of the road, stripped of his clothes, naked, bruised, half-alive, he was half-dead? Who emphasized that that dangerous path was a dangerous path?

I want to remind you it was a dangerous path. But it was a downward path and it was a dangerous path because it was a devil's path. It was the road that led to the place where the curse of God was, and my fellow travelers will return again.

You may feel that the downward path is an easy path. You may feel it's the place where you can break into a trance. It's the place indeed where things are easy. Remember, life's journey may appear easy, but there's nothing easy about falling into the hands of those that will strip you and leave you naked.

The Priest Who Passed By

I see this now. But I want to remind you it's not only the story of a tragic condition, it is the story of a terrible conduct. I think it's most important perhaps to remind ourselves of this. It is the story of a terrible conduct.

May I share what I feel about it? The man lay by the side of the road, half-dead, stripped, with no hope whatsoever. Suddenly, coming down the road, there was a priest, and the priest defined him. I will read the story without reminding my heart of this.

But a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. But a certain priest went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. For as we turn the page of holy writ, this is that which we read. And by chance there came down a certain priest.

The seventh chapter of Matthew is one of the most awful chapters in the Bible. It may be the close of what we call the Sermon on the Mount, but it is one of the most terrible chapters in the Bible. The seventh chapter of Matthew tells of the son who will look into the face of the Lord Jesus and say, but Lord, I prophesied in thy name, and in thy name I've done many wonderful things.

And Jesus will look at them and say, depart from me, I never knew you, you wrathless of Israel. But it's not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, who will enter into. He was a man whose profession demanded that he should speak of God, yet he was going away from God's city.

He was a man whose profession demanded that he should stand by the side of God and utter the word of cursing upon that which was opposed to God. And he's making his way for that. And I want very simply to say this to you, sir, I want to say this very simply to you, madam, that you may have your name upon a church register.

You may, when I speak to you, tell me that you're a Christian. But the thing that counts is where you're buried. The thing that counts is not the robes you wear, not the profession you make. The thing that counts is whether you have been for or against, whether you have trusted Jesus Christ and turned your back upon the city of destruction, turned your face towards the city of blessing.

The Levite, Legalism, and Excuses

This priest was going down what? He said, likewise, a Levite. Now, you are aware that a Levite is a Jewish lawyer. He was a man who knew all the law that was demanded of the Jews. It's an interesting fact that the Jews had 365 laws.

Now, you'll never forget that, but that's the same number for our days in a year. They had 365 laws, and on top of that, they had 289 prohibitions. How many times have I said to the boys and girls, now I want you to repeat with me the words of the Ten Commandments.

What have we got? And I say to our... Frequently, boys and girls can quote even the Ten Commandments. There was a time in my country I know nothing about yours. There was a time in my country when every child that went to day school, the day started by the quoting of the Ten Commandments.

No wonder we've slipped away, for we've slipped away from that. We'll have a job to remember Ten Commandments. I don't know what they would do with 365 laws and 289 prohibitions. No wonder they needed a lawyer, a religious lawyer, to keep them on that.

And that was a Levite. And he came down. He did more than the priest. He actually crossed the road. He actually leaned over the man. He actually looked at the man. And then he passed off. All conduct was, please, please, keep them.

Maybe what I am doing is this. Maybe what I am doing is I'm saying to my own life, well, find an excuse for some of the things you did. You see, when I read the... I read that the man was left half dead, so he was half alive.

In other words, he had only just been waylaid from years before, or months before, or days before. It had happened that day, and they're involved by their own side. Those that robbed him couldn't have been very far off.

The priest looked at them and said, oh, it's dangerous to be here. I can't hang about here. They might jump out on me. I'm going by. Lee White, when he passed, said I ought to help him, but I'm in danger.

And he hasn't very much longer to live. I'm not a medic. I can't do very much. I'm going by. Doesn't matter what they do to me. But maybe they were a bit too cowardly. I don't know. Into the realms of nations.

I don't need to translate this into the realms of men and women. When I translate it into the realms of nations, I realize that we are living in a day where there are many nations that have been beaten and left by their own side half-dead.

Cross the water and go to Africa without remembering the tremendous passings in the past few years around that lovely country we call Rhodesia. Cross the water and go to Africa without remembering Armin and all the bloodshed and murder and heartache that came to one of the prettiest, loveliest countries in the world.

Nations that had so much. Frequently are we able to help. We start on our journey and by working you up. If there is one thing that can be said for this land of yours, it seems that nations imagine that you have a bottomless pocket in you for help, and so infrequently not being helped.

But perhaps when all they do is stir up strife by nations, we find ourselves left by the Just upon my robber. Oh please, it's pure imagination and you might not see it as I see it. Is it? Don't. God bless you.

Personal Guilt Beneath the Law

I wasn't part of this mess. I wasn't part of the robbers that jumped out on him, beat him, gunned him and left him by the roadside half-dead. You see, I can understand a little bit of what he went through because once that happened to me, oh please, I'm not talking about physical.

I've got a strong feeling I'm going to put my head down and land out. But I know this as I was sharing with you the other day. There was a time in my life when I fell among the thieves. Those were the thieves that I've already referred to, although I didn't call them thieves then.

But I fell among ten commandments. And suddenly I found, I found all the good that I thought I had was stripped of me. Suddenly I had the word of God. Please, I can't have no other gods before me. And I found I had other gods.

My gods were a pair of boxing gloves and a rugby ball. My righteousness ripped off me as I was shown to stand before the Almighty as one who was in need of a garment to cover up my sins. I'm not going to go down the ten commandments because they leave me naked.

My righteousness is ripped off when I consider those commandments and consider my own life. This man was left there as we have been left. Tonight, by a roadside, a man called God's blessing dandered. No one there.

Christ the Good Samaritan

I beg. A certain Samaritan and he thought as he went down. It's his journey. He takes it. It's his journey. Down from his glory. My Lord and Savior came and Jesus was his name. The prophet long ago was speaking of the Lord Jesus said, He bore our grief and carried our sorrows.

Oh, how true. Christ works. We're merely misunderstood. Christ was misunderstood. We're merely past in time. There he dies. Christ dies. He's borne our grief. He knows all about us. I love him, sir. He's done for me.

He's a guilty one. Guilty. Wonder where it is I love him, sir. There we were. And hallelujah. We were. If there was a woman that was a sinner, there was a Savior who would say, Neither do I, never. If there was a man that was a leper, there was a Savior who would say, If there was one that had been placed in a tomb, there was a Christ.

If there was a woman whose blood was flowing from her daily and her life going out of her, there was a Christ who turned by her side so she could touch the hand of God. He came not through power or way that we can't touch him.

He's as near as breathing. He's as near as the prosper and nearer next to you. He found us in the oil, or he not only came where he was, but so did the Levite. He came where we were, the Levite. He's had one.

But there's a young person here tonight, and you're taking life without sleep and sight. Why? He's brought me to health, just to wash my sin away, not to bring me joy. This is just what the Lord does.

He does no one else but does. He pours in the oil and wine, so he gives me joy and gives me peace. Let me tell you what it all means. He didn't just say to him, When you pour in the oil and wine and round up this womb, now you get on with what you can.

The Samaritan’s Provision and Compassion

But He made provisions for him. I thank God I have a Saviour tonight who will make provision for us. I beg God tonight if you will touch Jesus Christ you may find in front of you that the pathway is still right.

The pathway is still holding us through. Hallelujah. I may use the expression of the beast who knows his way around us. It's played its name. But I said that there was a tragic condition. I said that there was a terrible conduct.

I said there was a tender compassion. But oh please, there is still a tremendous concern. He came to the edge. He said to the innkeeper, take care of him. He saw the way he is. He gave him two pence. I often say to the children when I tell the story to the boys and girls, I often ask them the question, you know, why was it that he only gave the man two pence?

And I get awful, awful answers. And the young man doesn't say that's all he had. You know, he's a mathematical and a genius is their place. Oh, two pence was worth a lot of money then. What? What for what?

There's only one answer. You give an innkeeper two pence to look after a man who's sick. You respect my dear doctor friend here tonight. Wouldn't it be much good giving a doctor in or just the two pence to ask you to look after you in hospital?

I have a strong feeling the answer is very simple. It's justice. He didn't intend to stay away very long. I'll give you two pence. It won't last you long, but I won't be away long. Coming back. My friend, I have a savior.

The Returning Savior and the Church

Coming back. What's he coming back for? What's he coming back for? He's coming back for the man that he's hanged by the rope by. Sick, half dead. I have a savior who's coming back for those that he missed on like granny with all their sin and all their wickedness.

He's coming back again for those that he himself had redeemed and made his own. Oh please, I don't do it. I almost say with some shame I don't do it. But I ought to do it. Every night when I draw the curtain I ought to say perhaps.

I ought to say perhaps this morning. Perhaps today. Because he's coming and he's coming and threatening. And he's coming as sure as my life was. Tenderness. In every heart. I'm speaking of the church, the body of Christ, ladies.

I am not talking of some church that has four walls of brick and stone. I'm a church building. The body of Christ. He has trusted Jesus. One hundred and ten. When the decision is drawn. I cannot imagine.

It passes any imagination. That man hanged by the rope. I would have said when the American leaned over him. Don't touch me. Go away. All of a sudden he could do for himself. How willingly he did that.

May I come into your life. Will you let me to do. With your sin it's called. One day we'll come again.