Radical Love: Embracing All as Neighbors
Summary
Today’s focus is on the radical call to love our neighbor, especially those we might instinctively exclude or even consider enemies. Drawing from the parable of the Good Samaritan, the challenge is to examine the “dashboard lights” of our hearts—those internal warning signals that flash when we encounter people or groups who make us uncomfortable, angry, or defensive. Just as a car’s warning light signals a deeper issue under the hood, these emotional reactions reveal areas where our love and compassion may be limited or conditional.
The story of the Good Samaritan was intentionally provocative in its original context. Jesus’ audience expected the hero to be a fellow Israelite, but instead, he made the despised Samaritan the one who showed mercy. This would have been deeply unsettling, as Samaritans were seen as traitors and outsiders. By doing this, Jesus exposed the boundaries we draw around who deserves our compassion. He challenges us to see that the question “Who is my neighbor?” is the wrong one, because it’s really asking, “Who can I exclude from my love?”
We naturally gravitate toward loving those who are like us, who like us, or who benefit us. But Jesus calls us to cross those lines, to love those who are different, difficult, or even costly to love. The vulnerable—the orphan, widow, poor, immigrant, prisoner, and outcast—are often the first to be placed in the “not my neighbor” category because loving them is inconvenient and offers little worldly reward. Yet, these are precisely the people God commands us to care for.
Loving in this way is not about guilt or compulsion, but about being transformed by the bigger picture of God’s kingdom, by sitting at the feet of Jesus, and by recognizing our own brokenness. When we see ourselves as recipients of undeserved mercy, it becomes possible to extend that same mercy to others, even when it costs us. The Good Samaritan gained nothing in earthly terms, just as Jesus gained nothing by giving his life for us—yet both acts have eternal significance. We are called to go and do likewise, loving without boundaries, trusting that God is at work in ways we may never see.
Key Takeaways
- True compassion begins when we pay attention to our “dashboard lights”—those moments of discomfort or resistance toward certain people or groups. Instead of ignoring these signals, we are invited to look under the hood of our hearts, asking God to reveal and heal the prejudices or fears that limit our love. This self-examination is the first step toward genuine transformation. [44:47]
- The question “Who is my neighbor?” is inherently flawed because it seeks to justify exclusion. Jesus’ parable exposes our tendency to draw lines between “us” and “them,” and calls us to a love that refuses to categorize or limit compassion. The real challenge is to see every person, especially those we’d rather avoid, as someone worthy of mercy. [46:59]
- Loving those who are different, difficult, or costly to love is at the heart of the gospel. The Good Samaritan’s actions were risky, inconvenient, and offered no tangible reward—yet this is the kind of love Jesus models and commands. The vulnerable and marginalized are often the most challenging to serve, but they are closest to God’s heart and central to our calling. [58:52]
- The ability to love radically comes from a bigger vision: knowing we are part of God’s eternal story, sitting at the feet of Jesus, and recognizing our own brokenness. When we remember that we too are recipients of undeserved grace, it humbles us and empowers us to extend that grace to others, even those we find hardest to love. [06:02]
- Acts of compassion may not yield immediate or visible results, and often come at great personal cost. Yet, in God’s economy, nothing done in love is wasted. Like Jesus, who gave everything and gained nothing in worldly terms, we trust that our sacrifices have eternal significance, shaping us into Christ’s likeness and participating in God’s redemptive work. [01:04:22]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[40:08] - Opening Prayer and Introduction
[41:08] - The Call to Local Mission
[41:57] - Dashboard Lights: Recognizing Warning Signs
[43:32] - Jesus’ Parables and Discomfort
[45:22] - Entering the Good Samaritan Story
[46:32] - Who Is My Neighbor?
[47:43] - How We Define “Neighbor”
[49:34] - Drawing Lines and Exclusion
[49:51] - The Chicken Story: Exclusion in Nature
[52:24] - Jesus’ Shocking Twist: The Samaritan as Hero
[55:22] - Modern Parallels: Who Triggers Us?
[56:43] - Compassion That Costs: Real-Life Example
[59:06] - The Costly Love of the Samaritan
[01:00:55] - The Vulnerable as Our Neighbors
[01:02:32] - Jesus’ Final Question and the Eternal Perspective
[01:05:33] - How Do We Change? Looking Before and After
[01:08:19] - The NFL Draft: Lessons in Unity
[01:11:32] - The Gospel and Our Call to Radical Love
[01:13:02] - Reflection and Worship
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Radical Call to Love Our Neighbor
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### Bible Reading
Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of the Good Samaritan)
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### Observation Questions
1. In the parable, who are the three people that encounter the man who was attacked by robbers, and how does each respond? (Luke 10:30-35)
2. According to the sermon, what was so shocking about Jesus making the Samaritan the hero of the story? [[54:16]]
3. What question does the expert in the law ask Jesus, and why does the sermon say this is the “wrong question”? [[46:32]]
4. What kinds of people did the sermon mention as being placed in the “not my neighbor” category, both in the parable and in our world today? [[01:00:55]]
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose a Samaritan—someone despised by his audience—as the example of a true neighbor? What does this reveal about the boundaries we set for compassion? [[54:16]]
2. The sermon compares our emotional “dashboard lights” to warning signals in our hearts. What might these “lights” reveal about our own prejudices or fears? [[44:47]]
3. The Good Samaritan gained nothing in earthly terms for his act of compassion. Why is it important to love others even when there is no visible reward? [[01:00:11]]
4. The sermon says that loving our neighbor is not about guilt or compulsion, but about being transformed by God’s mercy. How does recognizing our own brokenness help us love others more freely? [[01:06:59]]
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### Application Questions
1. Think about a time when you felt uncomfortable, defensive, or resistant toward a certain person or group. What “dashboard lights” went off in your heart, and what might God be showing you through those feelings? [[44:47]]
2. Are there people in your life or community that you tend to exclude from your compassion—maybe because they are different, difficult, or costly to love? What would it look like to cross that line this week? [[01:00:55]]
3. The sermon mentioned specific groups like the orphan, widow, poor, immigrant, prisoner, and outcast as those who are often hardest to love. Is there one group or individual from these categories that God is putting on your heart to serve or reach out to? [[01:00:55]]
4. The Good Samaritan took a risk and paid a cost to help someone in need. What is one practical, possibly inconvenient step you could take this month to show mercy to someone outside your usual circle? [[59:36]]
5. The sermon says that acts of compassion may not yield immediate or visible results, and sometimes there is no “thank you” or happy ending. How do you stay motivated to love and serve when you don’t see results? [[01:04:22]]
6. The ability to love radically comes from sitting at the feet of Jesus and remembering our own need for grace. What is one way you can intentionally spend time with Jesus this week to let His love transform your heart? [[01:06:40]]
7. When you notice yourself drawing lines between “us” and “them,” what is one prayer or practice you can use to ask God to help you see every person as your neighbor? [[46:59]]
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Devotional
Day 1: Listening to the Heart’s Warning Signals
True compassion begins when we pay attention to the “dashboard lights” within us—those moments of discomfort, resistance, or unease when we encounter certain people or groups. These emotional signals are not to be ignored or dismissed but to be examined carefully. They reveal hidden prejudices, fears, or unresolved wounds that limit our ability to love fully and unconditionally. By inviting God to reveal what lies beneath these feelings, we open the door to healing and transformation in our hearts.
This self-examination is the essential first step toward genuine compassion. It requires humility and courage to look “under the hood” of our hearts and confront the parts of ourselves that resist loving others. When we do this, we begin to dismantle the barriers that keep us from reflecting God’s boundless mercy. Compassion then becomes not just an ideal but a lived reality that reshapes how we see and respond to those around us. [44:47]
Bible Passage:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” — Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)
Reflection:
What specific feelings or judgments arise when you think about someone you find difficult to love? Can you ask God to help you uncover what these “dashboard lights” are signaling about your heart today?
Day 2: Breaking Down the Boundaries of Exclusion
The question “Who is my neighbor?” often serves as a way to justify excluding others from our love and compassion. This mindset draws lines between “us” and “them,” creating categories of people deemed unworthy of mercy. However, the true challenge is to reject this limiting question altogether and instead embrace a love that refuses to categorize or exclude. Every person, especially those we instinctively avoid or dislike, is worthy of compassion because God’s love knows no boundaries.
By shifting our perspective from “Who can I exclude?” to “How can I love without limits?” we begin to live out the radical nature of the gospel. This transformation calls us to see beyond social, cultural, or personal differences and recognize the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. It is a call to dismantle the walls we build and to extend mercy even when it disrupts our comfort or challenges our assumptions. [46:59]
Bible Passage:
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5:44-45a (ESV)
Reflection:
Who is someone you have unconsciously excluded from your circle of compassion? What would it look like for you to intentionally extend mercy to that person this week?
Day 3: Loving the Difficult and the Vulnerable
Loving those who are different, difficult, or costly to love lies at the very heart of the gospel. The Good Samaritan’s actions were risky, inconvenient, and offered no immediate reward, yet this is the kind of love Jesus models and commands. Often, the vulnerable—the orphan, widow, poor, immigrant, prisoner, and outcast—are the first to be placed in the “not my neighbor” category because loving them requires sacrifice and offers little worldly gain.
Yet these marginalized individuals are closest to God’s heart and central to our calling as followers of Christ. Loving them challenges us to move beyond comfort and convenience, to embrace a costly compassion that reflects God’s own mercy. This love is not about obligation but about responding to the gospel’s call to serve those whom society often overlooks or rejects. [58:52]
Bible Passage:
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” — James 1:27 (ESV)
Reflection:
Identify one person or group in your community who is vulnerable or marginalized. How can you take a concrete step this week to show them Christ’s love in a practical way?
Day 4: Receiving Mercy to Extend Mercy
The ability to love radically flows from a larger vision of God’s kingdom and a deep awareness of our own brokenness. When we sit at the feet of Jesus and recognize ourselves as recipients of undeserved mercy, it humbles us and empowers us to extend that same grace to others. This perspective transforms love from a burdensome duty into a joyful response to the mercy we have received.
Understanding our own need for grace helps us to love even those who are hardest to love, not because they deserve it, but because we have been shown mercy first. This posture of humility and gratitude opens our hearts to a love that crosses boundaries and costs us something. It is a love that reflects the heart of God and participates in His redemptive work in the world. [06:02]
Bible Passage:
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Reflection:
Reflect on a time when you experienced undeserved mercy. How can remembering that moment help you extend grace to someone you find difficult to love today?
Day 5: Trusting God’s Eternal Economy of Love
Acts of compassion often come at great personal cost and may not yield immediate or visible results. Yet in God’s economy, nothing done in love is wasted. Like Jesus, who gave everything and gained nothing in worldly terms, our sacrifices have eternal significance. They shape us into the likeness of Christ and participate in God’s redemptive work beyond what we can see.
This trust in God’s eternal perspective frees us to love without counting the cost or expecting recognition. It invites us to join in the ongoing story of God’s kingdom, where every act of mercy contributes to a greater good that transcends time and circumstance. Loving without boundaries becomes an act of faith, hope, and obedience that honors God and transforms the world. [01:04:22]
Bible Passage:
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” — Hebrews 13:16 (ESV)
Reflection:
What is one costly act of love or compassion you feel called to undertake, even if the results are uncertain? How can you trust God to work through your obedience in His eternal plan?
Quotes
So who who do we usually view as our neighbor? Well, usually we will help those or view those as our neighbor for those people who are like us. There's a similarity. Maybe they come from the same cultural background. Maybe they have the same religious beliefs as us. Maybe they have the same skin color as us or the same experiences. They have the same political leanings. There's there's this similarity that connects us. They are like us. But then another thing that we usually help people who also like us, they have an affection toward us. They maybe look up to us. So there is somewhat of an incentive for me to help them because they like me. Cool. [00:47:40]
But then the final one is and they make other people like us. And by that I mean there's a benefit to help that person. If I help that person, maybe they'll tell other people about my good deeds and my popularity will rise. Maybe I need to it's someone who's gonna I can post pictures of and share the cool thing I did because I'm in the spotlight. So all of these things create people that we see as our neighbor. But like I said, when we start to do that, we draw a line. Then there's another side. [00:48:44]
So what's on the other side? Well, one, we have people who they're not like us. They look different. They believe different things. They vote different than us. All of a sudden, they're a different category. They're farther away from me. And maybe they're people who don't like me. People who don't like what I believe or what I think. And so, I just keep moving farther away from them. And then finally, there's also no benefit to helping them. I can't post a picture online of my cool short-term mission trip saying, "Look at this poor person I helped." [00:49:14]
I’m not allowed to do that. And so what's the benefit of helping them? I gain nothing. That's what happens. We start to delineate these two when we ask the question, who is my neighbor? We put people in categories. And recently, I I experienced this in my own backyard. So, you're going to go for a pivot here, so hang on. I like chickens. Really like chickens. I think chickens are awesome. My father loved chickens. He passed the love on to me and I'm passing that love on to my children. And so my chickens, they're in my backyard and things were going well. [00:49:56]
But then we noticed that one of our chickens was a little odd. She would follow the humans around more than the chickens. She didn't have normal chicken behavior. She kind of acted weird. And that was kind of cute and fun at first, but then we noticed the other flock that they started to push her away. She started getting shoved further and further away from them. She wasn't allowed to hang out with the other chickens in our backyard. And it got to the point actually where she was sleeping outside of the coupe where they were like they they well they didn't like her for sure. [00:50:36]
They thought she was different than them. So she wasn't like them. And so they made her sleep outside and we actually would have to pick her up and put her back in the coop because we're worried she would freeze to death. And then unfortunately they also made the decision that this check chicken had no benefit to the flock. And so two months ago we went outside and found that she had unfortunately been brutally attacked by the other chickens. And this is something chickens do that when they push one out as not like them. They see them maybe as a threat or as just they're not part of the flock. [00:51:17]
They may attack them. And so I had this bloody chicken that I thought was all dead. Realized she was still alive. ran her into my house to my wife's, you know, she was really happy about that. Um, brought the chicken in the sink and was like putting saline water trying to clean it off and then I had to pipe feed the chicken for about 3 weeks trying to bring this chicken back to life that had been its head had been attacked by the others. But the point of all of this was that these chickens, they had their warning lights, their dashboards were going off. [00:51:57]
This chicken was not like them. They didn't like it. there was no benefit for the flock. Therefore, they had pushed it so far away that they saw it as an actual enemy. Chickens don't have the ability to look at their dashboard and then reflect what's going on inside their own heart and change that. They're an animal. But we as humans, on the other hand, we have that opportunity. So, as people are being pushed farther and farther away and become the enemy, we have a chance to recognize the light, stop, and look under the hood. And that's what I want to encourage you guys to do today. [00:52:38]
But a Samaritan as he traveled came where the man was and when he saw him he took pity on him. Okay, pause a second here. We might not be seeing the lights that are going off in this actual context and how many people's dashboards would have been freaking out right now because of what Jesus just said. During this time, Jesus was actually using a very traditional storytelling technique where he would start by talking about the priest and then he would talk about the Levite, but then he would talk about the Israelite. He would talk about the normal Jewish person. That was the trajectory. priest, Levite, Israelite. [00:53:03]
That's what everyone was expecting. It's kind of like when we tell a joke about three men walk into a bar and boom, boom, boom, there's the punchline. Everyone knew the story he was telling. They knew how it was supposed to go. But then Jesus did something that made them all kind of take a step back and potentially have an audible reaction. He mentioned the Samaritan. He changed the normal story. So Samaritan, this is actually a big deal because the Samaritan wasn't just the guy who was bleeding on the side of the road. The Samaritan was actually the hero of the story. And this made people really, really uncomfortable. [00:53:32]
Why? Well, Samaritans were traitors of the Jewish religion. They were considered they were considered half breeds as what they called them at the time. Like there was this very disdain yucky view that the Jewish Israelite people had toward the Samaritans. They really hated them. They were the enemy. And so when Jesus told this story and all of a sudden the hero is the despised Samaritan, everyone like probably even Jesus' disciples are like whoa. Like that's not the hero. Like, what are you talking about? Jesus was trying to teach them something about what was going on under the hood in their own heart. [00:54:09]
And if we're honest, we also have things like the word Samaritan that trigger us. There's certain things we hear that we also have that visceral reaction to. So, let's put the story in today's context. The hero of the story, the one who was picking up the bleeding person from the side of the road and offering aid was someone who crossed the border illegally. The person who was helping the wounded man was someone who had committed a violent crime that you think should never be excused. The person who had compassion was the owner of the abortion clinic. The person who had mercy is a man that recently transitioned to a different gender. [00:54:49]
The person who had mercy was a protester or someone who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. Fill in whatever thing makes your light go off on your dashboard of people that you maybe despise. Right? Any car lights going off right now? The hero is the person we do not expect. And Jesus did this on purpose to shock us when we ask the question, "Who is my neighbor?" It's not going to be easy or comfortable. We don't get to pick and choose who our neighbor is. Instead, God's going to put people right in front of us who are in need of mercy and compassion. So, what are we going to do? [00:55:30]
The act of compassion will cost us. Even the Samaritan, if we look at the story, was putting himself at risk by stopping, right? Like this guy's bleeding on the side of the road. He was beat up by somebody. If I help him, am I going to be beat up next? There was risk involved. It's going to cost us, but we are called to love as Jesus did. And what the Jesus way of loving cost him. So let's go back to the story. What did it actually mean for the Samaritan in the story? What was he act? What was it really costing him in this story? [00:58:48]
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two daenery, that's two days worth of wages, and gave them to the inkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expenses you may have." He inconvenenced himself, right? He paid a monetary price. He gave up his time, his energy, his animals energy, and he was willing to actually give more money. [00:59:22]
And what did the Samaritan in earthly terms, at least in this story, what did he gain? Nothing. He didn't fix the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans. He wasn't raised up to this higher status. No one was watching him. Who knows what this guy that was even beat up, if he even knew, if he was conscious to know this guy was helping him. there was no actual benefit that we see in the story. And a lot of times that's what it is. We don't see the benefit. And because it's costly, we don't see the benefit. [00:59:59]
A lot of times the first people that we choose to put in the not neighbor category are those that are sometimes the most costly to love. And that's why we are called to love the vulnerable. There's a very clear biblical command and I put emphasis on this partially because it's local mission weekend, but also the Bible puts a lot of emphasis on these groups of people. And I think it's because they are costly to extend compassion to. Who are these groups? They're the orphan, the widow, the poor, the sojourer, the prisoner, and others who I would consider outcasts or vulnerable. [01:00:37]
So when you ask the question, who's my neighbor? Like I said, it's the wrong question, but usually in the not my neighbor category is the vulnerable because they are hard to love. And that's what people on this platform previously, that's who we work with. That's who they work with. And so at Elmrook to simplify it, um, we grouped them into these categories where you first have the isolated, which that I would say is the orphan, the widow, and also I'd put atrisisk youth in the isolated. The immigrant is the sojourer. that's mentioned almost a hundred times throughout the Bible of showing love to that group and refugees. [01:01:09]
And then the underresourced, this would be the poor. And then the prisoner, I would say prisoner, but also those out on parole who have that background challenged because it's very hard for them to reintegrate into society because of what they had done and that label that now sticks to them. These are the groups that the Bible calls special attention for us to have compassion on. So, what do we do with that? Like, we as a church, that's why local mission week exists. It's why we have these organizations. And we also have some prayer stations in the upper lobby that has more information on these specific groups because they're biblical and they're important. [01:01:53]
So, I want to go back to this idea of we gain nothing or the Samaritan apparently gained nothing. That's what it seems like in this story. But that's also I think you could make the same argument with Jesus. Earthly speaking when Jesus was crucified, lost his family, lost his friends, lost his influence, lost his life. He gained nothing. Right? But and similar with this, there is a gain. When we go back to those kids um that had struggled with the lice, for example, those kids' lives are changed because of the compassion that was had on them. [01:03:12]
That family is no longer in contact with them. Unfortunately, they're in a different home now. And that's a really sad part of it. There was never a thank you or a a good happy ending to this point. But we don't know what God's doing long term. We don't know what that story might unfold. But then also there's a benefit eternally. If our savior was willing to give everything up here on this world to show compassion, then if we do the same, we're following in his footsteps. We are being like him. There's an eternal impact. [01:03:38]
Worldly speaking, it might not look like anything's happening for the Samaritan or for the family that worked with the kid with lice or whatever, but bigger picture, there is a benefit. There's an eternal benefit, and it's worth it. But right here, right now, when I help someone, nothing changes. I gain nothing. And that's why this parable is partially so scandalous. So, the good Samaritan gained nothing. And if this is how we are called to love our neighbor, the person that we're called to love may be the person that sets off our dashboard. How do we do that? [01:04:21]
How do we actually make that happen? We're talking all about the dashboards and I keep saying check under the hood or check into your heart. How do you actually do that? How do you actually start to change so you can act compassionately toward others? Well, what I love about scripture is a lot of times when you have a question like that and you there's no clear answer apparently or right away, just look before and after the passage you're reading and usually there's some semblance of an answer. The Bible does that all the time with me. Scripture answers scripture. [01:04:56]
So if we go to the story right before the good Samaritan, it's the story of Jesus sending out the 72. They're sent out to cast out demons and to heal and proclaim the kingdom. And they come back to Jesus all excited. Jesus, look, we cast out demons in your name. And Jesus is like, "That's awesome, but what is more important is that your names are written in heaven." He points them to the bigger picture, to their eternal destiny, that God is up to something much larger. That's what we really should be excited about. [01:05:36]
And for us, I think if we're going to have compassion on those who are difficult, either because it's costly or because there's someone who we view as an enemy, we need to have the bigger picture in mind of what God is up to. So that's one way that we can start to deal with what's under the hood. But then two, if we go right after this parable, there's the story of Martha and Mary. And Mary, they've invited them into the home. Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet and Martha's running around trying to make everything look good and she stops Jesus and is like make my sister help me. [01:06:08]
And Jesus replies, "What she has found will not be taken away from her." Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. If we can have this intimate, deep relationship with our risen Lord, that changes what goes on in here. that it gives me the ability to start to love those who are different and not like me. And then finally, I added this one because I think it's very clear within the Good Samaritan, but we have to recognize our own brokenness. We as humans are terribly broken. That's what the Bible says. [01:06:41]
And if we can recognize that our own brokenness is shared with those who are our enemy, all of a sudden we don't have this leg up on them that we thought we used to have. And it's easier to love our neighbor as ourselves because we know we are also unworthy of love. So we're called to love, show compassion, mercy, and it's going to cost us. But I do want to emphasize it's not out of compulsion or guilt. Instead, it's out of this bigger picture understanding. It's through sitting at the feet of Jesus and rightly understanding who I am and how broken I am as well. [01:07:21]
That's how we start to love those that are hard to love. And as we conclude, I want to turn to one last story, which it feels like a bit of a pivot, but you'll see why. So, I got to attend the NFL draft this last few days. You guys aware there's been a draft going on. Green Bay was hopping. It's going to be the third actually I think it is officially the third largest draft ever by people who attended Green Bay. That's a town of a 100,000 people. Literally basically quadrupled the town's size for the numbers attending this event. It was an amazing experience. [01:07:48]
And what was so cool about it, besides, you know, the lights, the fanfare, the yelling, the excitement, was this idea that I am standing with a Tennessee Titan fan here. I have a Jets fan behind me. I've got some Lions and Vikings fans. I even had Bear fans near me getting some thumbs up from the crowd. And I was nice to them. But okay, not just me. Sure. Okay. Jake, you know, he works at church. He's a good Christian. He's going to be nice to those people. They had one arrest. 200,000 people at Green Bay that first night, one arrest. [01:08:28]
That is insane for any public gathering, especially with people who are opposite sides, who are enemies. And there was unity. There was this commonality, this love, this friendliness that happened that just blew my mind. I'm like, how are they pulling this off? How is an event like this bringing people together in such a beautiful way? And then I started to think through with this sermon, well, one, there's a common understanding like we understand our common brokenness, right, with the entire world that helps unify us in here. All of these people had have teams that have lost, have had losing seasons, have picked terrible draft picks. [01:09:08]
There's this commonality we share in this experience. one with the love of sports. Two, the NFL is this huge entity and this exciting thing and we can share in that broader understanding like us. We can understand that we're part of something much bigger than ourselves. And both of those have these beautiful unifying factors. But there is a difference between the draft and then also how we can love people that are enemy as followers of Jesus. And it comes down to that other point I mentioned. This idea of sitting at the feet of Jesus. [01:09:51]
The NFL is fake to be honest. And I'm not saying the NFL is scripted. Even if some of you think that's true. What I mean by that is it's a game. It's for entertainment. Love football. Loved going to this historic event in Green Bay, but it's a game. But we as Christians also have this person of Jesus, the risen Lord and Savior who we get to sit at his feet. So if you can have an event as big as the NFL that pulls people together because of this big picture understanding, we can relate to each other and they can come together. [01:10:28]
How much more can we cross lines of enemies because of the person of Jesus? We have the power, the ability to fix what's going on inside of our hearts, what's going on under the hood, so that we can love people and show compassion appropriately. So, in summary, we are not called to ask, "Does this person deserve my compassion?" It's not right to ask, "Is this person my neighbor? Is they not?" Instead, we have the reality that in God's eyes, we've all run astray. We all deserve his wrath. And we as Christians need to be careful that our political, our views, whatever is going on in our societal climate, we need to make sure to check if our lights are turning on. [01:11:05]
Jesus had mercy on us. Therefore, we should have mercy on others. Jesus inconvenienced himself. He paid dearly to help me. And he didn't really gain anything in this world. And yet, he gained so much. He gains so much eternally. And this is the gospel. This is the story of the Bible that we're created by God who loved us. And then humanity fell away. God's been chasing us. And he loved us so much. He sent his son. His son lived, died, and rose again so that we could be reconciled back to God. He gave everything and gained nothing back earthly. [01:11:48]
And so now we are called to go and do likewise. [01:12:09]
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