Our compassion can be seen clearly in our daily lives. For example:
• When we see someone in danger we try to warn them
• When we see someone discouraged, we try to encourage them
• When we see someone needing some assistance, we try to assist them
• When we see someone who is hurt, we try to help them
• When we see someone who is sad, we try to cheer them up
• When we see someone who is hungry we give them food
In many ways, we can see compassion in people in the way they live their life each day.
But why it is that we can be so compassionate in the PHYSICAL REALM of our lives, and seem to have no compassion whatsoever when it comes to the SPIRITUAL REALM of our lives?
Illus: If we had a loved one that we knew would have to spend the night on the streets somewhere, it would bother us greatly. But that same loved one can be headed for an everlasting burning hell, and will spend eternity in that dreadful place, and it does not seem to bother us enough to try and warn them.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? We can SEE their PHYSICAL NEEDS and we respond, but we CAN NOT SEE their SPIRITUAL NEEDS, so we do not respond.
The next time you see a lost person, loved one or friend, you might not see hell written all over their foreheads, but I can assure you that is exactly where they are headed if they do not come to know Christ as their Savior.
They must come to the Lord Jesus for salvation or they are eternally lost.
Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
It is a necessity, they must come to know the Lord.
Illus: Those who are trying to get to heaven remind me of the Arab who was walking through the Sahara desert, desperate for water, when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he walked towards the image, only to find a little old Jewish man sitting at a card table with a bunch of neckties laid out on it.
The Arab asked "Please, I'm dying of thirst, can I have some water?"
The man replied "I don't have any water, but you should buy a tie. Here's one that goes nicely with your robe."
The Arab shouted, "Idiot! I don't want a tie, I need water!"
"OK, don't buy a tie. I don't have any water, but to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll tell you that over that hill there, about 4 miles away, is a small restaurant. They'll give you all the water you want."
The Arab thanked him and walked away towards the hill and eventually disappeared.
Three hours later the Arab came crawling back to where the man was sitting behind his card table. He said "I told you, about 4 miles over that hill. Couldn't you find it?"
The Arab rasped "Yes, I found it, but they wouldn't let me in without a tie." The Jew said, “Do you want to buy a tie now?”
And lost man, you can mark it down, you are not going to get into heaven without Christ. The Lord Jesus loves you so much that He left the portals of heaven and died for you.
But none of us here doubt the love the Lord Jesus has for lost people.
Illus: Jesus loved people enough to die for them. We don’t love them enough to turn the television off and walk across the street and share the Gospel with them.
The prayer of every one of us today should be, “God give us a love for lost souls.”
Let’s look at the kind of love we should have for the lost. It has to be-
I. A GENUINE LOVE
In the world we live in, we see disingenuous people when it comes to love. The love we have for each other is so shallow and full of beautiful words.
Illus: One young man told his girl friend in a letter, “I love you so much:
• I would climb the highest mountain to see your face.
• I would swim the ocean to see your smile.
• I would fight a grizzly bear to kiss your sweet lips.”
After saying all of these remarkable things, at the close of the letter he said, “PS, If it does not rain Friday night I will come to see you.”
Only those who have a GENUINE LOVE will try to reach the lost with the gospel.
• In this congregation, I am talking to professing Christians that will state vehemently that they love the Lord Jesus, and that they believe in a literal burning hell.
• They will also state that they know that their loved ones are only one heart beat away from this dreadful place called hell, and they NEVER warned them about what, according to the Word of God, is going to happen to them if they continue to follow the path way of sin.
WHY? Could it be that our churches today are filled with professing Christians who do not possess a GENUINE LOVE?
When Christians have a GENUINE LOVE they will have a-
A. HEART FELT COMPASSION
As we read through the Bible, we see so many of God’s people who had a GENUINE LOVE.
Look at THE LIFE OF MOSES.
Look at Exodus 32:31-32, “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, IF THOU WILT FORGIVE THEIR SIN; AND IF NOT, BLOT ME, I PRAY THEE, OUT OF THY BOOK WHICH THOU HAST WRITTEN.”
Moses had such a GENUINE LOVE for the people of Israel that he said, “God If you are going to blot them out, blot my name out also.”
Illus: A Christian mother was talking to another woman who professed to be a Christian. This dear Christian mother said, “I do not want my children to be lost. I would be willing to die today if it would cause them to come to Christ.” This other mother said, “I want my daughter to be saved also, but I would not be willing to die for her to be saved!”
You could talk to the children of these two mothers and I guarantee those children who have a mother that is willing to die for them to be saved are convinced their mother loves them more than this other mother loves her children.
GENUINE LOVE has a HEART FELT COMPASSION and it has a -
B. HEART FELT CONCERN
Let’s look at another great man in the Bible that had a GENUINE LOVE - THE APOSTLE PAUL.
His GENUINE LOVE can be seen in that he had a real CONCERN for the lost.
We can see the CONCERN he had for these people as we look at Romans 9:3, he said, “For I COULD WISH THAT MYSELF WERE ACCURSED FROM CHRIST FOR MY BRETHREN, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”
Paul was so concerned for the Jews, that he could wish that he could be condemned in their place, and they could go free.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful today if God’s church was concerned about the lost like Paul was.
We live in a world today where the church is concerned about:
• Big buildings
• Big budgets
• Big programs
• Big Socials
• Big suppers
You can look at the average church newsletter today and you will see everything you can imagine on the calendar of events. And I might say that nothing is wrong with most of these things that you see there. The problem is the thing that you do NOT SEE THERE that should concern us as Bible-believers.
On many church calendars YOU CAN NOT find a time designated to reach the lost for Christ.
SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN THE CHURCH HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE GREAT COMMISSION TO REACH THE LOST. When this happens, the church has been sidetracked!
Illus: These Christians who keep getting sidetracked remind me of the 80-year-old couple that was worried because they kept forgetting things all the time and kept getting sidetracked because of their forgetfulness.
The doctor assured them there was nothing seriously wrong except old age, and suggested they carry a notebook and write things down so they wouldn't forget them.
Several days later the old man got up to go to the kitchen. His wife said, "Dear, get me a bowl of ice cream while you're up." "Okay." he said. "...and put some chocolate syrup on it and a few cherries on it, too." She added. "You'd better write all this down." "I won't forget," he said. Twenty minutes later he came back into the room and handed her a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. She glared at him. "Now, I told you to write it down! I knew you'd forget." "What did I forget?" He asked. She replied, "My toast!"
God’s church today has been sidetracked.
The greatest concern that any church should have is how they can reach their family and friends for Christ.
A GENUINE LOVE is filled with HEART FELT COMPASSION and CONCERN for the lost. Also, a GENUINE LOVE is filled with-
C. HEART FELT COMMITMENT
You could see that very clearly in the life of Paul.
Look at Acts 20:31, “Therefore watch, and remember, that BY THE SPACE OF THREE YEARS I CEASED NOT TO WARN EVERY ONE NIGHT AND DAY WITH TEARS.”
Commitment does not say, “I care about you”, it goes beyond that and says, “Because I care about you I MUST DO SOMETHING!”
Paul stayed at the church of Ephesus for THREE years. What did he do while he was there? The Bible tells us.
• HE WARNED THEM
Some say the reason they do not warn people is because they will not take heed to the warning they give them.
WELL GUESS WHAT? It sounds like they did not take heed to Paul’s warning either. He said he warned them for three years.
But the way we warn people makes a difference.
Illus: Some people will tell the lost that they are headed for a devil’s hell, and it looks like they enjoy telling them.
But Paul said HE WARNED THEM and as he did-
• HE WEPT FOR THEM
The Bible says, “...NIGHT AND DAY WITH TEARS.”
He had a broken heart as he watched men travel the broad road that leads to Hell.
Have you noticed that people who have a GENUINE LOVE are Christ-like?
For example, Paul wept night and day with these people for three years.
But look at the similarity of his life to the life of the Lord.
Look at Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION ON THEM, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
Paul wept over these souls and so did Christ.
Look at 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!”
Before the church is going to get serious about reaching the lost world, people will have to have A GENUINE LOVE THAT WILL:
• Cause them to warn their family and friends of this dreadful place called hell.
• Burden their hearts for the lost, a burden that will bring tears to their eyes.
Conclusion:
ARE YOU A LABORER IN THE HARVEST FIELD?
1 of 2
I. A GENUINE LOVE
2 of 2
II. A DEDICATED LOVE
III. A POWERFUL LOVE
IV. AN ACTIVE LOVE
