I hope that everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. I'm not a big fan of fireworks, but it was still nice to have a day of rest. I read two books, so that was fun.
I'd like to ask everyone to pray that the fires in the Southwestern part of the United States might be rapidly extinquished. Also, pray for the families of the 19 firemen who were killed in Arizona fighting the wildfires. Pray that God will give them His grace and comfort during this time.
In our message last week, we finished a brief series on the prophetic book of Nahum. We saw that God's word has been reliable in the past, so we can have confidence that God will fulfill His word today and in the future. We serve an awesome and powerful God who does mighty things.
Today, I want to talk about the compassion of Jesus. While He was ministering on this earth, Jesus showed His compassion for people in a number of different ways. Let's look today at the places where the Scriptures say that Jesus demonstrated compassion.
The first instance in Scripture that reveals the compassion of Jesus is found in Mark Chapter 1 verse 41. Jesus is approached by a man who is covered with leprosy. The leper says to Jesus, "Lord if you are willling, make me clean." The Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion, touched the man and healed him.
This isn't the only instance in Scripture that reveals Jesus' compassion for the sick. Mark 9:14-29 records Jesus having compassion on a boy who was possessed.
Matthew 14:44 says that Jesus felt compassion for the people and healed the sick. And Matthew 20:34 records that Jesus had compassion on two blind men by the side of the road. Jesus gave them back their sight.
Jesus had great compassion on the sick and afflicted. He was deeply moved by the suffering of humanity. Jesus healed the sick and freed them from their pain. People who suffered for a lifetime were delivered by the touch of the Savior.
These instances of Jesus' compassion for the sick mean a lot to me. I've struggled with illness my entire life. Sometimes, you feel isolated and that no one cares about your suffering. When I was a young boy in Christian schools, the kids and teachers often made fun of me because I was sick so much. I learned that Jesus cared about me. He loved me and had compassion for me. He gave me an awareness of His presence letting me know that I was never alone and that He understood what I was going through.
Unlike the people in the Bible, I was not healed of every affliction. However, Jesus did heal me of vitiligo. I know that Jesus will restore me to perfect health when I come into His presence face to face one day.
Because of much of the emotional suffering that I had to go through at school, I believe that is why Jesus sent Toby to me. Toby did not leave me when I was sick. We helped each other.
Just as Jesus showed His great compassion for those who were sick, we as His followers should do the same. We should try to help people that don't feel well with their daily needs if at all possible. If someone can't afford medical care, we as the church should help them out. We should reach out to the sick and hurting in our circle of influence and around the world.
One of the great stories of Jesus' compassion is found in Luke 7. Jesus was traveling around the country when He approached the city of Nain. As Jesus approached, He encountered a funeral procession for a young man who was the only son of his mother who was a widow. Jesus saw the boy's mother weeping, and He was moved with compassion. He told the mother not to cry and then raised her son to live again. Jesus was moved with compassion at the sight of a grieving mother.
Many people in our world today are hurting. They grieve over the loss of a loved one. It's been three years now since my mom and dad died, and it still hurts me deeply. Many people is our society suffer from depression and anxiety. As followers of Jesus, we can be a force of compassion by speaking words of comfort. We can meet the needs of others by being the best friend that we can be.
Jesus also demonstrated compassion for the hungry. Matthew 15:32 says that Jesus had compassion on the multitudes because they had followed Him and now they had nothing to eat. Jesus took five loaves and two fish and feed 5,000. Jesus cared that people were hungry.
Thank God for the compassionate people who work to combat hunger in this country and around the world. Many churches operate food banks, and I think that every church should do this. As followers of Jesus, we can donate food, time and resources to help alleviate hunger and food insecurity in this nation. There are also many excellent groups to support who help feed people across the globe.
Finally, Jesus showed His compassion on those who needed a Savior and a shepherd for their souls. Matthew 9:36 says, "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He came to seek and save the lost. Jesus will forgive and save from sin anyone who repents and accepts Him into his life as Savior and Lord.
As His compassionate followers, Jesus calls us to share the message of the Gospel with others. Jesus calls us to show compassion on the sick, the hurting and the hungry.
Next week, Lord willing, we will begin a series on the first five chapters of Revelation. On Wednesday, I will post another animal book review. May God bless you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment