THE INDISPENSABLE LAW OF ETERNAL LIFE

Luke 10:25-37; 18:18-30 (Mat.19:16-30); John 17:1-3

The Torah had little or no teaching about afterlife or eternal life and Jewish rabbis did not teach much about the subject either. People’s understanding of it was vague. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection and eternal life in heaven. But the Sadducees did not because they didn’t see it explicitly taught in the Torah. All this division and vagueness continued until Jesus came.

The clearest teaching about eternal life was brought to the surface by Jesus Christ. No wonder there were many questions to Him about what the afterlife would be like after the resurrection (Mat. 22:23-32). The Sadducees here referred to the Jewish law of levirate marriage. They tried to use it to prove the teaching of Christ to be false. But Christ the Author of eternal life shed light on the truth, and accused them of neither knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. Why do people doubt miracles? Because they know not the scriptures nor the power of God. Why do people doubt heaven and hell? Because they know not the scriptures nor the power of God. 

But the teaching we are going to concentrate on is found in the famous story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

(1)   The Investigation  Of The Learned

A. Searching Questions

1.What shall I do to Inherit eternal Life (Luke 10:25)?

2.What is the Greatest Commandment in the Law (Mat.22:36)?

3.What must I do to be saved (Acts 16:30)?

B. Succinct Answers

1.Do this and thou shalt live (Luke 10:28)

2.Sell what you have and give to the poor (Mat.19:21; Luke 18:22)

3.Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31)

These are great questions in the bible demanding clear answers. After His baptism two disciples of John the Baptist followed Him on the way and He asked them a very important question, “What seek ye”? What do you want with Jesus? For some all they want from Jesus is to solve their problems – family, job, finances and health. Once they get these done, they would say bye to Jesus. What do you want from Jesus? If all you want from him are job, family, etc., you will not be able to follow Him. You cannot endure the demands of discipleship (Luke 9:58)? You need to give a clear answer to this question.

The next question is of great importance. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? It is related to, “what must I do to be saved?” it a great question, possible the most important question anyone would ever ask.

It is a shame that this question was asked not because the lawyer is seeking eternal life. He asked it to tempt (test) Jesus! Have you asked that question? Have you got the answer? Have you acted on the answer?

(2)   The Illumination From The Lord

Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:5; Lev.29:18.

If you are seeking for eternal life, the Law of the Lord supplies the answer. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul (Psalm 19:7). It is necessary to our eternal happiness. Heaven is an eternal state and Law of the Lord tells us how to get there. The Scribe quoted the Law correctly (Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:5; Lev.29:18). His question was answered but did he really want the answer? No! He simply wanted to test Christ’s teaching. Some people come to Church just to test what the minister is preaching, or to find out and criticise what the church teaches. They are never really interested in eternal life.

(i)                 The Insight Of The Law. But how does the Law of the Lord convert the soul (Psalm 19:7; Rom.10:8-17; 1Cor.15:1-3)? (i) It is by the word of God that men are made to see that they are in error (Rom.3:23; 6:23); (ii) then the word of God would lead the man away from all attempt to get by the wrong way; (iii) then it will show man how he might get right (Isa.30:21-22); (iv) After this the Holy Spirit then helps the man to believe – believe in Jesus; believe that He died to save him. Then the man is saved. (adapted from C H Spurgeon).

(ii)               The Insincerity of The Lawyer. With all his learning, he still did not come to understanding the definition of who is a neighbour. The Lord knew their hearts (Luke 18:9). “And who is my neighbour?” the lawyer asked. Religious bigotry leads to spiritual blindness and ignorance. “Who is my neighbour?” To the Jew, a neighbour was a fellow Jew. A Samaritan was never a neighbour. Jesus was about to shock this learned man!

(3)   The Illustrations Of The Law                                                                             (Deut.6:5; Lev.29:18; Luke 10:30-35; Mat.19:16-31 )

(i)                 Go To The Samaritan And Do Likewise: Our Lord Jesus knew how the turn the theology of His opponents upside down, for their own good that is. Think of the proud Pharisee, think of the pompous Scribe. This illustration would not go down well with them. A man was attacked by robbers and left half-dead on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest, supposedly holy to the Lord passing by saw him and went his way on the other side. A Levite, serving in the Lord’s Temple, looked him over, and also passed on the other side. But a travelling Samaritan saw him and sensed the urgent need and immediately swung into action (Luke 10:30-35).
           The Lord instructs this lawyer forcing him to say with his own mouth, that the Samaritan, a man from a hated race, acted as the true neighbour of this man. To drive the point home. Literally, he told this proud lawyer to go do like the Samaritan! Go show love like the Samaritan. Go and help the needy like the Samaritan. Go support the weak and helpless like the Samaritan. Go and do likewise. We have to notice that Jesus did not attempt in the object lesson to show how to love God. We can only assume that the lawyer knew how to love God. He was instead truly shown who a neighbour was; that understanding and loving your neighbour, whoever they may be, is a necessary requirement to enter eternal life (Mat.25:31-46).  Even a person that as a Jew he passionately hated was given as an example of a true neighbour.

So who is your neighbour? (i) Those members or visitors of this Church who you have not been in the Church for some time, have you been a neighbour to them? Have you gone out of your way to visit them? Have you phoned them? Encourage them in the faith? (ii) Those who are not in the same fortunate situation as you, have you gone out of your way to succour them, support them, to share with them your provision of blessings? Even if you do not have goods to share what about sharing your faith? Sharing your love? Giving a helping hand? I thank God for one of us who has seen the need to lend a helping hand to my wife to clean up the house. did you ever think that such service was rewardable by God?

(ii)               Go Sell What You Have And Give To The Poor: This question of eternal life was asked in a different setting in (Mat.19:16-21) compare (Luke 10:27)). Here is the indispensable Ten Commandments in a nutshell.  The requirement for eternal life is the same – keep the Royal Law. The person in this story in (Mat.19:16-21) again sought to justify himself. He wanted to be commended by the Lord for keeping the commandments. But the Lord went straight to the point underneath the fine façade, into the depths of the man’s heart. There we discover that he was man ruled by his wealth. He would not part with his wealth, even if parting with it would lead him to eternal life!  Are there people in this Church like that (Luke 12:15). Some so called Christians even go as far as withholding their tithes and offerings from the Lord. If you are looking for excuse not to do the will of God, Satan is there to help you to do it.

Have you got eternal life? Are you saved? Are you heading for heaven or for hell? Are you using all that God has given you in service to the and to those who are in need? If you have not, repent today and be saved. Then begin to do those good works which God has fore ordained for us!