20th May 2012 - Phil Hardy - Compassion

Phil spoke from Matthew 9:35-38 on Jesus’s compassion.

Introduction

•Looking at what it means to Go and express the heart of God to people who do not yet know him
•Are we concerned enough
•What is our motivation
•What was Gods motivation
•What was Jesus motivation

Matthew 9:35-38
Compassion – sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others:

Points to note:-
•The people were harassed and oppressed
•Roman empire
•Pharisees
•Other religious leaders
•Sin
•Sickness
•And demonic oppression

•In this one chapter we have a picture of what Jesus saw in his day and them influences they were under.
•Jesus had compassion – they were helpless, unable to change themselves, their circumstances, do anything about their sickness, and pain.
•A repeated theme through Matthew, maybe Matthew was more sensitive to this compassion than others as he was shown compassion when he did not deserve it.

Jesus showed his compassion by doing something for them.

I suppose that when our Saviour looked upon certain sights, those who watched him closely perceived that his internal agitation was very great, his emotions were very deep, and then his face betrayed it, his eyes gushed like founts with tears, and you saw that his big heart was ready to burst with pity for the sorrow upon which his eyes were gazing. He was moved with compassion. His whole nature was agitated with commiseration for the sufferers before him. (Spurgeon)

Matthew 14:14
14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 15:32
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

God of Compassion
•God himself was full of compassion
•For those he created
•Moved his heart to send Jesus
•Moved Jesus heart that he willingly went to the cross and took upon himself our sin
•Moved the heart of God to send us the Holy Spirit to so us compassion, be our helper, comforter. To Equip and empower us to go and show the same compassion.
These are words from God way before Jesus came to the earth

Isaiah 53:4
4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 42:3
3 a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Isaiah 40:11
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Micah 5:4
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Jesus in response to what he saw instructed
1.Pray
2.Worker

Our compassion

There are many who show compassion what is humanly natural to us we all have the capacity to have compassion our emotions are stirred when we see the hurt and suffering of other. But like wise there are those who have hard hearts who show no compassion but rather would cause hurt and pain and distress to others.

•Friends Story – received a request for some money for those suffering in another nation and instead of being moved with compassion he was offended and thinking I want to spend my money on what I want not give it away. He went through an internal battle before he realised this situation had revealed what was really in his heart.

•The circumstances that Jesus was in revealed his heart that heart of compassion for lost, hurting, sick, directionless, lonely poor people.

•The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:25-37
Jesus uses this story to teach a the point about our neighbour to make the point that to love ones neighbour involves showing care and compassion even to those who you would normally not have any relationship with. It was culturally unthinkable for a Samaritan to help a Jew.

•Jesus command in Luke 6:27, 35 was to Love your enemies. Here he uses a story to emphasise this command.

Questions

•Are you a person of compassion?
•How do we together show our compassion for other? Is it different with Christians?
•Do you see Christianity as an opportunity to play on the compassion of others or an opportunity to show compassion to others

1.Have we become desensitised ?
2.Have we become hard hearted maybe through our own experience, it can go both ways either we become more sensitive because of our experience or we become hard-hearted ?
3.Do you need to know for yourself the compassion of God again today ?

Listen now! (43:00min / 12MB)