Compassion Moves Us
Message by Joshua Mutter – October 23, 2022
Helping others is not about getting a desired response, but is about living out who God has called us to be.
Big Idea: When compassion moves us, we are reflecting the heart of God.
Compassion is a part of God’s character.
And he [the Lord] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. – Exodus 34:6-7a NIV
Because God is compassionate, he acts in a way that responds to the needs of others.
Compassion is expected to be in the DNA of God’s people.
Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. – Exodus 22:22 NIV
Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. – Deuteronomy 27:19 NIV
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. – Deuteronomy 24:19 NIV
So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against … those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. – Malachi 3:5 NIV
The Son [Jesus] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being… – Hebrews 1:2a NIV
Jesus shows us what God’s heart of compassion looks like.
FIRST – Jesus shows us that compassion is not dulled needs we encounter.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:36 NIV
A broken heart that feels the weight of the suffering around us is not weakness…it is godliness.
SECOND – Jesus demonstrates compassion when he asks people what they need.
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. – Matthew 20:34a NIV
THIRD – Jesus shows us that acts of compassion can be the result of our feelings.
Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:11-15 NIV
Closing Thoughts
- Reflect on God’s Compassion
- Grow in our awareness
- Act on the promptings of our hearts
You can find the sermon on YouTube here.
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