Mi Historia Favorita, Junio 28, 2026

Good morning. It's so good to be here with you all this morning. I'm thankful for another opportunity to gather around God's Word together. Before we begin, I do want to take a minute to pray for Venezuela. Many of you know they've experienced two devastating earthquakes this week. Some of you are from Venezuela. Some of you have friends and family there, and some of you know people who have been impacted by these earthquakes. A lot of people have lost their lives, and they're reporting that nearly 70,000 people are still missing. So let's take a minute to pray for these brothers and sisters. Lord, we know you are absolutely sovereign. We know these earthquakes are not a surprise to you. Lord, we just ask that you would please make your grace very evident to the families impacted by these earthquakes. You are the God of all comfort. We pray that you would strengthen your people there to minister to the hurting families. We pray, Lord, that this would open many doors for the Gospel. We pray that you would use this to draw many to yourself, Lord. Lord, I also pray that you would bless the reading and the teaching of your Word this morning. Please help me, Lord. Please move me out of the way. Speak to us through your Word. Let all that I say be from you and glorify you, Jesus. In your precious name, we pray. Amen. Well, if you have your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter 10. I will be reading verses 25 through 37. This is the parable of the good Samaritan.

I admit this has not always been one of my favorite stories. But a few years ago, I heard another pastor preach on this parable. And he helped me to really understand the primary purpose of this parable. And it's been one of my favorite stories ever since. It's one of the most popular parables in the Bible. But it's also a very misunderstood parable. People often use this parable to promote charity work. People use this parable to advocate for social justice. People use this parable to even guilt people into meeting physical needs. But the primary purpose of this parable is not about meeting needs. The primary purpose of this parable is to reveal our greatest need. So let's read it together. Daniel will read it for us in Spanish. And English speakers can follow along on the screen. Responding to him, he said, Then Jesus said to him, Ah, you have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live. But, wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, Responding to Jesus, he said, And they went away, leaving him half dead. By chance, a certain priest was walking down that road, and when he saw him, he passed on the other side of the road. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, he passed on the other side of the road. But a certain Samaritan, who was traveling, arrived at the place where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. And approaching him, he sold him his wounds, spilling oil and wine over them, and putting it on his own horse,

he took him to a mason and took care of him. The next day, taking out two denarii, he gave them to the mason and said, Take care of him, and all the rest that you spend, when I return, I will pay you. Which of these three do you think demonstrated to be a neighbor of the one who fell into the hands of the robbers? And he said, The one who had mercy on him. And Jesus said to him, Go and do the same. Amen. Alright, so who's asking Jesus questions? A lawyer. So this tells us that he's a well-educated man. So he would have had a comprehensive understanding of the Old Testament law. And he stands up and he asks Jesus the most important question a person can ask. What shall I do to have eternal life? But we know he's not asking sincerely. He was not broken over his sin or desperate for salvation. And we know this because it says he was putting Jesus to the test. And we know this because it says he was putting Jesus to the test. And that was what the religious leaders did repeatedly. They hated Jesus. So they tried over and over to trick him into saying something blasphemous so they could condemn him. So how does Jesus respond? As he often would. He responds to the question with a question.

He says, what's written in the law? How do you read it? And this is what we need to pay attention to. Because the lawyer is asking Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. See Jesus could have just said, repent and believe. He could have just said, follow me. But instead he responds with a question about the law. So what's Jesus doing here? Let's keep reading and we'll see. So the lawyer responds by referencing Deuteronomy 6. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And then he references Leviticus 19. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. These are the greatest commandments. Jesus says all the law and prophets hang on these two commandments. So these two commandments cover everything. They're the foundation upon which all the biblical laws rest. Love God with all your being. Love your neighbor as yourself. That covers everything. And Jesus says, you've answered correctly. And then he says, do this and you will live. If you do that, if you love the Lord with all your being, and you love your neighbor as yourself, then you will have eternal life. But you must do this perfectly. God demands perfect obedience to his law. Matthew 5, verse 48, listen to what Jesus says. You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. That's the standard.

Absolute perfection. So what is required for a person to inherit eternal life? Perfect obedience to the law. In order for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven, they must obey God perfectly. There's no room for error. James chapter 2, verse 10, for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. So let's stop here. And let's test ourselves. You guys ready for a test? Don't worry, it only has two questions. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Has anyone here done this perfectly? No. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Has anyone here done this perfectly? No. And these are good questions to ask when you're sharing the gospel, by the way. I've only had a couple of people actually say yes to these questions. But the truth is, none of us have done these things perfectly. None of us have perfectly loved God and our neighbor. And this is why we desperately need a Savior. And this is why we desperately need a Savior. So what does the lawyer do in response to Jesus' death? He doesn't confess his sin. He doesn't say, Lord, I haven't done that. He doesn't say, Lord, I haven't done that. He doesn't fall at Jesus' feet and plead for mercy. What does he do? He tries to justify himself.

And this is what self-righteous people do. They're not repentant. They don't recognize their need for grace. They're confident in their own works and morality. And they look down on other people who aren't at their level. And they look down on other people who aren't at their level. So instead of acknowledging that he has failed to perfectly love God and his neighbor, he tries to justify himself. He asks, well, who is my neighbor? He asks, well, who is my neighbor? So he tries to limit the definition of the word neighbor here. He wants a definition that would justify his lack of love and compassion for those he didn't want to love. He wants a definition that would justify his lack of love and compassion for those he didn't want to love. And in response to this question, Jesus tells a story that's meant to expose his self-righteousness. So let's look at the parable. A man was coming down from Jerusalem. He was robbed and beaten and left for dead. And who passes by first? A priest. And what does the priest do? He takes real good care of the man. No. He just passes by on the other side of the road. He leaves the man for dead. And then comes a Levite, another religious leader. What does he do? He does the same thing. They both know the law. They understand what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. But neither of them stopped. They didn't show compassion. They failed to love their neighbor. It doesn't say why they didn't stop. It could have been because they didn't want to become ceremonially unclean by touching a bloody person. We don't know. Whatever their excuse was, they prioritized themselves over their neighbor.

And this is where we need to be careful. Because some of you might be thinking, what a couple of hypocrites. But let's be completely honest with ourselves. How often do we prioritize ourselves over the needs of others? We are far more alike the priest and the Levite than we care to admit. We often prioritize our personal comfort and safety and desires over the needs of others. And we usually have an excuse too, don't we? I don't have time to help. I'm not equipped to help. Someone else will help them. They can help themselves. Here's one. I'll pray for them. As believers, we should desire to be like the Samaritan in this story. But again, if we're being completely honest, we often behave more like the priest and the Levite. The priest and the Levite failed to love their neighbor. But then comes a Samaritan. And the Jews hated the Samaritans. The Jews viewed the Samaritans as ethnically unclean. After the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, the remaining Israelites intermarried with Gentiles. This created a mixed heritage that the Jews despised. And this is why the Jews considered them like half-breeds. So what does the Samaritan do? He had compassion for the man. And his compassion led to action. And this would have really frustrated the lawyer that the Samaritan is the compassionate one. Not the religious leaders. The ones you would think would be. be compassionate, but a Samaritan. So he stops to help, he bandaged the wounds, he uses oil and wine, and this would have helped sanitize the wounds and ease the pain.

And then he sets the man on his animal, so we can imagine him walking beside the animal as it carries the injured man. He took him to an inn and he continued to care for him. He took out two denarii, and this was incredibly generous, by the way. Tremenda de gratitud, de generosidad, gracias. This was the equivalent of two days wages. He gives it to the innkeeper. He says, take care of him. And any amount that you have to spend caring for him, I'll pay you back when I return. So he was planning to return to continue caring for the man. Brothers, this is an example of sacrificial love. This is how you love your neighbor as yourself. And your neighbor is anyone in need. Not just people you want to love or people that are easy to love. Your neighbor is anyone in need. Even your enemies. So Jesus asked the lawyer. Jesus le pregunta a este intérprete de la ley. Which of these three men do you think proved to be a neighbor? The lawyer answers, the one who showed him mercy. And then Jesus said this to him. Y entonces llega Jesú y le dice, go and do likewise. Le dice, ve y haz tú lo mismo. When the lawyer heard this, he should have fallen on his knees.

He should have cried out for mercy. That's the right response to this parable. Esa es la respuesta correcta a esta parabola de Jesús. Because none of us have loved like this. The lesson of this parable is not, go and do what the Samaritan did. You can leave here today and go do what the Samaritan did, but it won't be enough. In order to inherit eternal life, you must love your neighbor like that all day, every day, perfectly for your entire life. That's the standard, brothers and sisters. And that's why this parable shouldn't leave any of us feeling very hopeful about ourselves. So what is the primary purpose of this parable? ¿Cuál es el propósito primario de esta parábola? To show us our need for Christ. To show us our need for Christ. This parable is meant to show us that we desperately need Jesus. That's what the law is supposed to do. Romans 3 verse 20, for by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes a knowledge of sin. The law cannot save anyone. The law has never saved anyone because no sinner can obey the law perfectly. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul, Galatians 3 10, for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, curse be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. So anyone who is trusting in their own obedience to the law for salvation is doomed. But what does the law do?

It reveals our sin and shows us our need for Christ. It shows us that we've not even come close to loving the Lord as he deserves to be loved. And that's why we need Jesus. What did Jesus do? He came and did what you and I cannot do. He obeyed every commandment given by God perfectly. He was absolutely perfect. Every second of his life, Jesus loved the Father with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength perfectly. He loved his neighbor as he loved himself perfectly. Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law. Whatever the law demands of you and me, Jesus did it. He kept the rules for us. And then he willingly went to the cross. Because God not only demands perfect obedience to his law, but there's a penalty for not perfectly obeying the demands of the law. What's the penalty? Death. The wages of sin is death. So what did Jesus do? He took our place. He took the penalty for us. He died the death that the law demands that we die. Galatians 3, verse 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree. We were under the curse of the law for not keeping the law. All the curses that should have fallen on us fell on the head of Christ.

He became a curse for us. He took our place. He was our perfect substitute. The perfect law keeper in place of guilty law breakers. On the cross, the perfect law keeper was treated as a law breaker. So that law breakers like us can be treated as perfect law keepers. This is the love of God in Christ. One of my favorite verses in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 5, 21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This is the love of God in Christ. All our sin is laid on Christ. His perfect righteousness is credited to us. All our guilt is removed. And God legally credits Jesus' life of perfect obedience to our accounts. Our filthy garments are removed and we are dressed in the righteousness of Christ. So God sees us and treats us as though we lived Jesus' life of perfect obedience. We are legally declared righteous in the sight of God. This is all of grace. This is not because of anything we have done. We contribute nothing to this. We cannot add anything to the perfect work of Christ. It is finished. He accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. All we can do is receive him and his perfect righteousness by

faith alone. But we must come empty handed. We must come and fall into his hands. at His feet. We must embrace Him. We must trust in Him and only Him to save us. He is all we have. He is all we need. He is everything. Christ is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is our joy. He is our freedom. He is our strength. He is our honor. Christ is everything. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him we have nothing. He is everything. We must throw ourselves on Jesus. We must rest in His finished work on our behalf. He came to save sinners. He did not come to call the righteous. He did not come to call those who were confident in their own obedience to the law. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came to save sinners. He stands ready to forgive all who come with a humble and contrite heart. Our sins are many, but His mercy is more. All who come to Him will have eternal life. Praise God for His glorious grace. Though we can't love Him and obey Him perfectly, we should desire to spend our lives growing in love for Him. And we should continue to pray for the Lord to help us love Him more. And we should pray for the Lord to help us love others sacrificially. As He has loved us and given Himself for us. Let's pray. Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus. Lord, we know we have not loved You with all of our being. Jesus, help us rest in Your perfect love for us. And by Your Spirit, please help us to know You more and love You more. Please help us grow in our love for You, Lord. And lead us by Your Spirit to help us love those around us in a way that glorifies You, Jesus. Lord, we love You. We thank You. And we praise You. Because You are infinitely worthy, Lord Jesus. And in Your precious Name we pray. Amen. you