Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission

Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC

August 10, 2025

1. There are Only Two Requirements for Heaven (vv. 25-28)

2. Stop Thinking Like a Lawyer (vv. 29-32)

• We Feel the Need to Justify Ourselves (v. 29)
• We Try to Change the Grading Standard (v. 29)
• Logical Calculations Result in Cold Obedience and Self-Righteousness (v. 30-32)

3. The Beauty of a Gospel Life (vv. 33-37)

• The Gospel Life is Driven by the Heart (vv. 33-34)
• The Gospel Life is Others-Focused (vv. 34-35)
• The Gospel Life Loves Unselfishly (v. 36-37)

Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan reveals the stark contrast between heart-driven faith and head-driven religion. When asked about eternal life, Jesus points to loving God and loving neighbors as the requirements—standards impossible to fulfill perfectly. The religious leaders in the story made cold calculations about helping the injured man, while the Samaritan acted from genuine compassion. This parable challenges us to stop trying to justify ourselves through minimum requirements and instead embrace radical, costly compassion for others. True gospel-driven living flows from hearts transformed by Christ's sacrifice, leading to unselfish love that doesn't calculate convenience or cost.