Sunday First Service | Parables: Mirrors of the Soul #5 | Pastor Shawna Thomas

And And the question today isn't just who is my neighbor, but the deeper question is this, what does my response to my neighbor reveal about what's in my heart? Because the people we avoid, the people that we step around, the people that we quietly hope someone else will handle, all of those are mirrors. And today, I want us to look into the mirror of mercy. Say the mirror of mercy. The mirror of mercy. [00:56:12] (42 seconds)  #MirrorOfMercy

Since through the law comes knowledge of sin. And so we're told that no one will be justified by the works of the law. Well, why is that? That's because the law was never meant to be a measuring tape. It was meant to be a mirror. It shows us our need, not our merit. And guys, mirrors don't flatter us. They don't flatter us. They reveal us. [01:05:36] (28 seconds)  #LawAsMirror

And so the moment that we start asking where love stops, we've already revealed that something is not quite right within our heart. Because here's the reality is that love has no loopholes. But how do you know we love loopholes? Anybody love loopholes? Come on. Sometimes, what's the easiest way? How can I get through this? How can I do that? [01:07:35] (26 seconds)  #NoLoopholesInLove

You know, this parable is so familiar that we almost miss how confrontational it really is. Jesus is telling isn't just telling a nice story about kindness. He's dismantling categories. He's exposing motives. He's holding up a mirror. And here's the reality, Mirrors can be a little bit uncomfortable because they don't argue with us. They show us what's really there. What you see is what you get, whether you like it or not. [01:00:31] (36 seconds)  #UncomfortableMirror

This wasn't a surface sympathy. It wasn't a polite concern but it was something very deep on the inside of him. Something that allowed another person's pain to interrupt his plans. Some of us need to let somebody's pain interrupt our plans so that we can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus. [01:19:40] (27 seconds)  #LetPainInterruptPlans

Guys, this isn't quick charity. This is sustained mercy. He truly felt for this man and would do whatever he could to help him. And inside the family of god, that's what love looks like. Not one conversation, not one prayer, not one hospital visit, but ongoing presence. [01:20:31] (26 seconds)  #SustainedMercy

And if we're honest, sometimes that instinct, I think, lives on the inside of us. I think sometimes that justification can be one of our favorite spiritual hobbies. So what do I mean by that? We justify our silence. We justify our distance. We justify our prejudice. We justify our avoidance. You know, we rarely argue with god's commands, but we just redefine what those boundaries look like. [01:02:42] (40 seconds)  #JustifyingSilence

Guys, if you're like me, it's like, that's the person who lives next door. Okay? No. It's much bigger than who lives next door or across the street. So we see this lawyer. He he was he was desiring to justify himself. He didn't ask how can I love better, but he asked how little can I love and still be righteous? [01:01:40] (29 seconds)  #MoreThanNextDoor

And little by little, we create a polite distance. We come in and we worship together, we sing together, we take communion together, but we don't carry each other. And here's the mirror. It is impossible. Nope. It is possible to attend church faithfully and still step around wounded people. It is possible to know someone's name, know their story, and still avoid their pain. [01:13:21] (38 seconds)  #WorshipWithoutCare

And so here's the reality. There's actually something a little unsettling about this story if we're honest. We always wanna celebrate. Go be like the good Samaritan. Right? But I think there's a whole lot more that we've gotta look at here. We all wanna be like the Samaritan, but I think that most of us recognize ourselves sometimes in the other characters of the story. [01:00:07] (24 seconds)  #MirrorToAllCharacters

He wasn't seeking transformation. He was wanting validation. Just say, what's the what's the loo what do I exactly do I have to do? He didn't want a mirror, but he wanted a measuring tape. Anybody else in here, you want the measuring tape? Just tell me exactly six inches, two feet, how many yards. He didn't want a mirror. He wanted a measuring tape. He wanted them to measure the minimum requirements. [01:02:10] (32 seconds)  #MeasuringTapeMindset

And so before we rush in and we admire the Samaritan and everything that he did, first, I want us to look at the lawyer because the story didn't start with the wounded man. It started with a heart that wanted to justify itself. And I think that that's where that mirror begins. And so my point one this morning is the mirror of justification. [01:01:06] (24 seconds)  #MirrorOfJustification

He gave him the correct answer. He said, love god fully. Love your neighbor as yourself. So, he knew the right theology. He had the right doctrine. He gave the right answer, but then what did Jesus say? Do this and you will live. But then the revealing moment is how he responded to that. Right? He desiring to justify himself. There it is. [01:03:39] (27 seconds)  #RightAnswerWrongHeart

Guys, the mirror isn't exposing his ignorance, but it's exposing his self protection. And guys, this isn't the first time we see in scripture Jesus confronting self justification. If you go to Luke chapter 18, there's another story there that Jesus tells. You guys remember the story about Pharisee and the tax collector? [01:04:07] (23 seconds)  #ExposingSelfProtection

So yet here, we have this lawyer using the law to measure how little he can love instead of how much grace he needs to extend. And so, basically, he essentially is kind of asking, where does my responsibility stop? Who counts? Who doesn't count? How small can I draw this little circle and still feel righteous? [01:06:05] (24 seconds)  #WhereDoesLoveStop

And if we're honest, guys, we have asked that same question too. Maybe not as loud, maybe not even out our mouth, but probably on the inside. Right? Maybe it's looks like sometimes crossing to the other side looks like someone leaving the service in tears, and you just pretend not to notice. [01:06:28] (19 seconds)  #WeHaveAskedThatQuestion

Maybe it's avoiding eye contact with somebody out in the foyer because, oh, no. It might turn into a really long conversation, and I'm just not ready for that. I can't handle that today. I don't sometimes it's like, I don't want them to see me because I'm hurting. It can go both ways. [01:06:48] (18 seconds)  #AvoidingEyeContact

Sometimes it's saying, well, let me know if you need anything instead of maybe saying, hey. Can I bring over a meal? Like, a specific type need. I'm guilty of that one. Let me know if you need anything. Not how can I help you? Would you like me to do a, b, or c? [01:07:06] (20 seconds)  #OfferSpecificHelp

And we prefer loving in categories. We prefer loving people like us, people who agree with us, people who are easy, people who are grateful. But guys, the lawyer's question becomes a mirror. Because anytime we try to limit love, we are protecting something on the inside of ourselves. [01:08:00] (23 seconds)  #LovingInCategories

We're protecting our comfort. We're protecting our control, our reputation, and sometimes even our resources. So we see that the lawyer wanted eternal life. Eternal life isn't earned by limiting love. We know that it's received how? By grace. Through faith. And how do you know that grace can humble our pride? [01:08:23] (28 seconds)  #ProtectingComfort