Compelled by Compassion

Website Editor • September 2, 2020

From Pastor Ky Martin's message on Matthew 9:35-38:

Compassion is defined as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.


Compassion runs deeper than sympathy. It means someone's heart goes out to another; that they hurt for a person and want to help.


Ours is a God of compassion.


In our text this week, we see Jesus' heart breaking for those who are lost. He sees them as sheep without a shepherd-- lost, leaderless, oppressed, scattered, without hope. This burdens Jesus deeply, to the point that He is moved to action.


Up until this passage in Matthew, Jesus has been calling people to follow Him. Matthew shows us that it is COMPASSION that drives Jesus to point His followers outward.


Jesus knew that His time on earth was limited. He could only reach a finite number of people. So He chose to launch His disciples out to share His message and proclaim the Gospel. Because He loved and ached for those who were lost, He sent His disciples (and all of us!) out on mission! The mission He gave us is to spread His Good News to lost sheep of every tribe, tongue, and nation. This is the ultimate act of compassion, because we are sharing the only true Hope we have.


Pastor Ky said it well, "Compassion is a great front door to evangelism." When we lead with genuine love and care for those who are lost, we are more likely to be successful in sharing the Good News that we have.


In Matthew 9:36, Jesus notes that those who are lost are like sheep without a shepherd.


Ezekiel 34 tells us how sheep act and behave when under a bad shepherd:


“You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaugher the fat

ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened,

the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed

you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and

harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was

no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were

scattered.” - Ezekiel 34:3-5


Like lost sheep, we are in desperate need of a good shepherd! The promise in Ezekiel 34 is that God Himself would come and be this Shepherd:


“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will

seek them out... I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will

bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong

I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” - Ezekiel 34:11


In compassion, Jesus came to earth to shepherd His people. He not only sees us, but cares for us, strengthens us, and keeps us near to Him. He seeks the lost and brings back the strayed. He restores us.


The very best shepherd, Jesus took a blow for His sheep and stepped in front of the wolf. He gave His life for His flock.


Jesus asks of us that we hear His mission and do His work of seeking out the lost. He says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."


Let's be a people who see others through a lens of compassion. Let's love and care for those who do not yet know the Lord, and ache for them as Jesus does. The only Hope we have is found in our Good Shepherd. Let's point others to Him and proclaim His good news to the ends of the earth.


This is compassion.


Watch this sermon, here.

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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