The parable of the Good Samaritan—who can argue with such a simple and truthful message? Be a neighbor to those in need. It’s pretty simple. Even “earthly life” understands this. Except, we all have our limits, don’t we? We all draw the line somewhere. Remember the story of Jonah? We all draw the line somewhere. Thank God, Jesus doesn’t. If he did, where would we be? On which side of his line? Remember, Jesus tells the story as a way of helping us understand the Great Commandment to love God and love others as ourselves. Love is not conditional. Love is sacrificial. Love is not only a feeling, it is a way of living. Love is not something we choose to turn on and off, it is a condition of the heart.

The parable of the lost sheep. Jesus told 42 parables. The parables are stories that come from everyday life, in the time of Jesus. Because it was an agrarian time, many of his parables have to do with farming and livestock—specifically sheep. Tending sheep in the environment of Judea was challenging. We will look at pictures of folks shepherding sheep in the area. Jesus tells a story of a wealthy shepherd—100 sheep was a lot back then. One wanders. We have some things in common with sheep, like “the grass is always greener.” We can nibble our way lost. Which one of you, having 100 sheep—and, one gets lost—wouldn’t leave the other 99 and go to find the one? The Religious leaders wouldn’t go after the lost. We know this by what they taught, and even more so by how they lived. People get what they deserve. Get lost—pay the price. But, Jesus is different. He focuses not just on the 99, but also on the one. He never gives up on us. It wasn’t easy being the “Good Shepherd.” It cost him his life to save us! Relentless love!

Andrew Devereaux preaches this powerful sermon

“Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” Pay attention. That is what Jesus is saying. Pay attention! If we don’t pay attention, we will hear a story, but miss the spiritual truth of the story. And, what is that truth? Well, there is a sower—God. And, there is seed—the Word of God. And, there is soil—some ready, but most not. Hard crusty ground isn’t going to grow anything. Earthly live can make us a bit hard and crusty. But, the sower is the eternal optimist, sowing seed there none the less. Rocky ground—plants with no depth can’t stand up to the pressures of earthly life. Kingdom living requires Kingdom focus. There are plenty of weeds that grow—it’s easy to give into earthly temptations, and miss out on Kingdom living. In the end, Kingdom living isn’t about us, it’s about the sower and his plan for a harvest—a harvest that includes you and me.

Unafraid - A Sermon Series

Pastor Tim Hunsinger talks about fear in this 4th part of a 5 part series.

April 22 - Unafraid Audio by Desert Spring United Methodist Church - Las Vegas

Unafraid Sermon Series

Part 2 of 5

Rev. David Devereaux

Unafraid sermon series - Part 1 of 5

Easter Sermon - 2018

20 Questions - Todays Topic - Are you Defeated?