I love that song that we sing sometimes called, “TO BE LIKE JESUS”.
This world is filled with people who only think of themselves but if everyone was like Christ this would be a world of LOVE AND COMPASSION!
Illus: The story is told of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, and the day Queen Victoria of England asked to meet with him. Because she had heard so many favorable things about his work in the slums, she asked him for the secret of his success.He said “Your Majesty,” he replied, “Some men have a passion for money. Some people have a passion for things. I have a passion for people.” (Source Unknown)
The word compassion, as it is used in the Bible means, “To be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity and empathy.”
Someone else has defined compassion as “Sympathy coupled with a desire to help.”
When we read the Gospels we are told that Jesus went about doing good. We could translate that to mean Jesus went about helping people in need.
We see that our Savior was moved deeply in His inner being by the needs of those around Him.
Illus: We see a good example of compassion when Jesus stood on a hill side in Jerusalem and said, In Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
In this sermon, I would like to address the subject of compassion.
I want to talk about what motivated Jesus to be compassionate and how we can become more compassionate like Him.
I don’t know about you, but I surely need all the help in this area that I can get.
Too often:
• I am selfish
• I am self-centered, but I want to be more like Jesus.
Let’s look at The Compassionate Christ and learn His secrets for caring about the needs of others.
First, we need to consider…
I.THE ORIGIN OF HIS COMPASSION
Many people read the Old Testament and come away God is a God of wrath and judgment.
Yet, we read that He is also a God of infinite love, grace, mercy and compassion.
Illus: A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.
• A Christian Scientist came along and said, "You only think that you are in a pit."
• A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit."
• A compassion-less Fundamentalist said, "You deserve falling into this pit."
• A Charismatic said, "Just confess that you're not in a pit."
• A Methodist came by and said, "We will bring you some food and clothing while you're in the pit."
• A Presbyterian said, "This was no accident, you know."
• An Optimist said, "Things could be worse."
• A pessimist said, "Things will get worse!"
• Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.
One of the reasons we lack compassion in our society is because we have been so greatly blessed of God.
Let me explain…
Illus: We often tell people, “I know how you feel!!!”
But before you can know how someone feels you have to experience what they have experienced.
Illus: For example, I do not know how a woman feels when she works on a job and does the same thing a man does but yet she does not get the same salary that a man gets. As a man I have not experience what a woman has experienced.
Illus: For example, the other day I saw a person that was an Albino. Every where they go people look at them because their skin is white, hair is white and most of the time their eyes are blue.
The reason they are born like this is becase they were born without any MELANIN IN THE PIGMENTS OF THEIR SKIN.
This MELANIN determine the color of our skin, hair and eyes.
Every human alive are the same and it is only this Melalnin makes our skin color different. Albinos have no MELANIN SKIN PIGMENT THAT IS why they are WHITE.
But as I looked at this albino and every was looking at him I do not know how he feels bcause I have not experienced what he experienced!
Illus: For example, I do not know how a black person feels when he-she is passed up for a job promotion simply because he/she has more mela-nin pigment in their skin than a white person. I do not know how a black person feels because I have not experienced what a black person has experienced
Illus: For example a Latino that lives in this country is often mistreated because they were born in another country! They had nothing to do with being born in another country!!! I do not know how a latino feels because I have not experienced what a latino has experienced
Yes, we often tell people we know how they feel but we can never know how they feel until we experience what they have experienced!!!
Illus: Again, have you ever experienced a genuine, bonified toothache? Until you have experienced what they have experienced you cannot really feel what they feel.
We in America have been blessed in so many ways it is hard for us to tell those who have not been blessed in the same way that we know how they feel.
Illus: These politicians who make more money in one day than what some will make their entire life will say to us, “I FEEL YOUR PAIN!”
In other words, “I know how you feel!” No, they do not! Many of these were born with wealth and have never felt the pain of being poor.
The Lord experienced what the poor have suffered.
Jesus did not come into this world to live a luxurious life! He could have!!! The life He lived was difficult at best!
• He grew up, lived and died in abject poverty, Luke 2:24; Matt. 8:20
• When He died, His worldly effects consisted of just the garments on His back, John 19:23-24.
• He knew about loneliness, Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:47.
• He was despised, hated and rejected, John 1:11; Mark 14:50.
• He even endured a time of severe temptation, Matt. 4:1-11.
Jesus knew the feeling of pain. He knew what it felt like to hurt deeply and as a result He is able to enter into our hurts with us. He is able to feel our pain,
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
We have looked at the THE ORIGIN OF HIS COMPASSION.
Now let’s look at…
II. THE OBJECTS OF HIS COMPASSION
Jesus felt the need of all classes and kinds of people. His love and compassion are a challenge to each of us!
A. He Felt Compassion For The Scattered Ones - Matt. 9:36; 15:32
B. He Felt Compassion For The Sinning Ones - Mark 5:1-20
C. He Felt Compassion For The Sick Ones- Matt. 14:14; 20:30-34; Mark 1:40-45
D. He Felt Compassion For The Suffering Ones - Luke 7:11-13
F. He Felt Compassion for those who have lost a loved one as He stood beside a graveside when lazarus died and wept.
He also had compassion for everyone because Jesus, even though He knew all their faults, did not let that get in the way of His compassion and expression of love!
He did not look just at that which was apparent on the surface, He was able to look at these people and see their deepest need!
What we need to learn is to look past a person’s exterior to see them as they really are. We must see their needs before we can express compassion to them! May we learn to see them as Jesus does!
Illus: Stephen Covey tells of an unusual experience on the New York subway. While people were sitting quietly in the car, a man entered with his noisy and rambunctious children. The man sat down and closed his eyes as though he was oblivious to his rowdy children. The once quiet subway car was now a disturbing place of chaos. The children's inappropriate behavior was obvious to everyone except their father. Finally, Covey confronted the man about his children. The man opened his eyes and evaluated the situation as if he were unaware of all that had transpired: "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital, where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
Compassion starts when we begin to understand the hurts of others.
What do you see.?
We need to see people the way Jesus did, with all their faults He had compassion and saw their needs.
We have looked at
I. The Origin of His Compassion
II. The Object of His Compassion
Let us now look at...
III. THE OBJECTIVES OF HIS COMPASSION
A brief look at the gospels reveals that the disciples knew nothing of compassion.
• Look at Luke 9:54, “And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?”
James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to punish a Samaritan village that refused to receive Jesus.
Look at Mark 6:34-36, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.”
These disciples wanted to send a hungry crowd away with nothing to eat. The disciples had no compassion for the people.
They had no thoughts of reaching outside their circle and helping the people around them.
It’s sad, but it is also easy to see ourselves in these men! Aren’t we often self-centered and selfish?
That is if it doesn’t touch our lives the lives of our family and friends, then it is no affair of ours!
I think the answer lies in the fact that compassion is against our very nature.
We are selfish and concerned only with ourselves! That which does not touch us personally does not matter! That is why Jesus had to teach His men about compassion. That is why we still need the lessons today!
Jesus used two illustrations to teach the need for compassion –
(1)The parable of the Good Samaritan –
Luke 10:30-37, “And Jesus answering said, 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. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And 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. And 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. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
Illus: The same thing we see in this parable we see on the streets of our nation. We see two or three attack someone and beat him to a pulp and leave him laying on streets and by standers will stand there and watch the beating and won’t even go to the aid of the victim laying on the streets.NO COMPASSIOON!!!
(2)The parable of the Prodigal Son –
Luke 15:10-24, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
This elder brother had no compassion for his brother. NONE!
Ill. A banker had just turned a man down for a loan, then made an unusual offer. He said to the man, "I have one good eye and one glass eye. If you can tell me which is which, I'll approve your loan."
• The man looked for a moment, then said, "Your left eye is your good eye."
• The banker was surprised. "That's right," he said. "How could you tell?" The man said, "I detected a hint of compassion in the other eye."
Note: It may be against our human nature to be compassionate, but it is not against our new nature!
Look at Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Look at Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
He wanted them to start seeing people as He saw them. He wanted them to be moved by the needs of others. So moved that they were compelled to do something about those needs. He wanted them to become involved.
Illus. A businessman and his wife were on a vacation at the beach One night a violent storm lashed the beach and sent massive breakers thundering against the shore. The wind finally died down and shortly before daybreak the man slipped out of bed and took a walk along the beach to see what damage had been done. As he strolled, he saw that the beach was covered with starfish that had been thrown ashore and helplessly stranded by the great waves. Once the morning sun burned through the clouds, the starfish would dry out and die. Suddenly the man saw an interesting sight. A young boy who had also noticed the plight of the starfish was picking them up, one at a time, and flinging them back into the ocean.
“Why are you doing that?” The man asked the lad as he got close enough to be heard. “Can’t you see that one person will never make a difference—you’ll never be able to get all those starfish back into the water. There are just too many.”
“Yes, that’s true,” the boy sighed as he bent over and picked up another and tossed it back into the water. Then as he watched it sink, he looked at the man, and smiled, and said, “But it sure made a difference to that one.”
Often, there is so much to do that it sometimes can seem overwhelming. But, any difference made in the life of another through the ministry of compassion will bear fruit to the glory of God!
Conclusion:
While walking home from school, a boy named Mark noticed the boy ahead of him had stumbled to the ground and dropped everything he was carrying. Mark hurried to the boy’s side and helped him collect his belongings. Surprisingly, the boy was carrying an especially hefty load. There was a baseball glove and bat, a couple of sweaters, a small tape recorder, and an armful of books. Mark helped him carry the things home and his new friend, Bill, was most appreciative of his compassion. During the walk home, Mark discovered Bill was struggling in school and had just broken up with his girlfriend. When they arrived at Bill’s house, he invited Mark in for a Coke and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking, laughing, and watching TV. Although the two boys never became real close friends, they kept up with each other throughout the rest of junior high and high school. Several weeks before graduation, Bill approached Mark and asked him if he remembered that day they met when Mark helped him with all of his stuff. Mark nodded as he remembered. Bill then asked, “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things that day?” Without pausing for an answer, Bill explained that he had cleaned out his locker and was going home to take his life. He had been storing away sleeping pills and was headed home to end it all when Mark happened along to help him out. Bill told Mark how that simple act of compassion inspired him to go on living. He said, “Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you saved my life!” Imagine how many times our small, seemingly insignificant gestures of concern may reignite the flame of life and inspire someone to continue on.
Thankfully, compassion has a way of doing that. You never know what a little compassion will accomplish!
I need help in this area! How about you? Remember, compassion is more than feeling sorry for someone. It is more than pity. Compassion is a desire to reach out and make a difference in the life of someone else.
In truth, compassion is a desire to be Christ to someone else!
In this sermon on compassion we have looked at…
I. THE ORIGIN OF HIS COMPASSION
II. THE OBJECT OF HIS COMPASSION
III. THE OBJECT OF HIS COMPASSION
Note: You can hear this sermon preached on YOUTUBE - LYKESLAND
