Introduction: Are you a TAKER, KEEPER, or GIVER? Jesus described 3 kinds of people in the world. Only one of them is a GOOD NEIGHBOR.

“….A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37)

1. TAKERS

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:30)

A TAKER is someone who says, “What you’ve got, I want, and I’ll TAKE it.”

Are you a TAKER?

2. KEEPERS

“1And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:31,32)

A KEEPER is someone who says, “What I’ve got I will KEEP.”

Are you a KEEPER? Most of us fit in this category. We work hard all of our life to accumulate “stuff.” Then we insist on KEEPING the “stuff” we have amassed, sometimes needing to be reminded that we will not TAKE it with us to heaven.
Even worse than that, it is left for our families to argue and fight over… who gets what!

3. GIVERS

“33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” (Luke 10:33-35)

This last man, a Samaritan (  half-breed) was a GIVER. A GIVER is someone who says, “What I have, I will GIVE”!

Are you a GIVER?

Conclusion: Please do not misunderstand. Jesus was not saying to the lawyer who asked Him about eternal life that being a GOOD NEIGHBOR will get you to heaven. By the way, the whole point of this narrative was to demonstrate WHO is a GOOD NEIGHBOR? To clarify, Jesus concludes:

“36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:36,37)