THE COMPASSION OF JESUS
(An Expounded Sermon Outline Form)
By Pastor Diana Gray
Copyright © 2,000 All Rights Reserved

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. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father we love you and lift your name up on high.  Help us to grow in Your wisdom and truth as we study your Word.  Help us to fully learn what Godly compassion is and how we can use it in our lives towards others seeing them through the eyes of Jesus.  Thank you Lord and in Jesus’ name Amen.

I.  JESUS HAD PERFECT RIGHTEOUS COMPASSION : 
     Matthew 20:34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and 
      immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. 

     A  Jesus was perfect in every way possible and free of carnal sin.  (The sin we are born with
           dating back to Adam and Eve when they sinned mankind's first sin.)  His life was "not"
           tainted with jealousy or immorality as our lives are.  Christ was righteously pure and full
           of positive faith because He was doing the perfect will of the Father who sent Him to
           save mankind.
     B  Jesus Being perfect, had pure unselfish motives when He felt compassion toward others.
           Unlike the people of the world, Jesus Christ cared more for our lives than He did His
            own. (This precious life was laid down for our sins at the cross of Calgary)

II.  JESUS COMPASSIONATELY  UNDERSTOOD PEOPLE'S FEELINGS
      Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with 
      compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

      A  Jesus was motivated to win souls,  why? Compassion! 
           John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that 
           sent me.
           John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, 
           and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day
      B  He wanted to share the Father’s love,  why?  Compassion! 
          John 15:12-14 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 
          Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my 
           friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
               We have to be willing to lay down our lives for others.  Not one person should be left on 
          the earth that doesn't have the chance to have the decision to know Jesus Christ as their 
          Savior.   Nothing in our lives should be more  important than that quest.  We are in a 
          spiritual war for people's souls and we must not let up one minute or back down.   From 
          time to time we may have to withdraw our forces to recoup and heal up our battle wounds 
          and scars but as soon as we are able to fight, we have to get right back into doing our 
          righteous duty.  Even from a hospital bed people have been led to Jesus, and by opening 
          up your mouth so can you!
                If we love our fellow mankind then no matter how badly we get hurt and wounded we 
          must not give up the fight.  Satan will throw everything that he can at us but we must not 
          quit.   If one door is closed then we strive to walk through another door.  We must not 
          always assume that every door closed was Satan's doing but realize that the hand of God is
          with us leading the way.  We just have to trust Him to be doing the right thing even when it
          seems like He is not.  We have to trust and walk by spiritual eye sight and not worldly 
          carnal eyesight.

III.  JESUS SHOWED COMPASSION WITH GREAT COURAGE

          A  When He saw His people: 
                1.  Scattered abroad without a shepherd.  Math 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. 
                2.  Suffering from sin that Satan brought into the world. 
                    ILLUSTRATION ABOUT ADAM AND EVE: READ GEN. 3
                     Now this is Satan's plan: 
                     1)   He tempts us to doubt and question God's Word. 
                     2)   The devil strives to get us to look at the problem rather than God. 
                     3)  By making us think that wrong things look easier then what we should do in the
                           Lord’s eyes. 
                     4)   Satan effects our emotions by making us feel like a failure. 
                     5)   The devil gets us to delay in doing what we know to be right so the job 
                            never gets done.  He makes us afraid with fear!
                     6)   What is the job at hand for believers? Winning souls for the Kingdom 
                            of God!
           B  Jesus felt compassion when He saw people who were suffering: 
                Matt 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their 
                 synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness
                 and every disease among the people. 
                Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: 
                 freely ye have received, freely give.
                Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are 
                 cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 
                 preached to them. 
                 1.  Demon possessed  are freed of demons.
                     Mark 5:2-19 ……..a man with an unclean spirit,……legeion……..entered into the 
                      swine: and the herd ran violently down a  steep place into the sea, 
                      (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
                  2.    Lepers are healed
                  3.    Raised the dead Lk 7:11-15
                  4.   The blind see Mk 1:40-4
                  5.  The lame walk Matt 11:5
            C  Jesus felt compassion at the risk of His very life. 
                 Hebrews 12:2-4 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the 
                  joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
                  the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him that endured such contradiction 
                  of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet
                  resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
                        This is why we don’t ever give up the fight to win souls.  Even though we may at 
                  time get wearied in our minds yet we know that we have not resisted unto death to win
                  souls for the Lord.   We should have and use Godly compassion! 

IV.  JESUS TAUGHT BY EXAMPLE HOW TO BE COMPASSIONATE:
Matthew 9:36-37 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. 

        A  Jesus taught people to follow Him and teach others how 
                Mark 6:34 …and he began to teach them many things.
        B  Jesus taught believers to pray for workers and labors 
                Matt. 9:38 Pray ye therefore the
                Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 
        C  The Lord taught us compassion by giving all He had. 
                John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
                whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

V.  JESUS WANTS US TO DEVELOP COMPASSION TOWARDS OTHERS 
 
      A  By constantly dwelling upon His Word  filled with spiritual teachings.
            1.  Read, study and study some more.
            2.  Act and live out our lives by the teachings letting them become a part of us.
      B  Spending time among Godly people
            1.  Going to church and attending regularly.
            2.  Having dinner with believers and getting to know their personal life.
            3.  Ministering to their needs and watching their Godly examples.
      CBy spending time looking and seeking out the lost and lonely.
            1.  Getting to know them by inviting them out to lunch and spending time with them.
            2.  By visiting the nursing homes, hospitals and even grocery stores as well as jobs. 
                 Clubs and classes are excellent places to look.
            3.  Become aware of anyone that is isolated and lonely like the sick, disabled or senior 
                 citizens not yet in nursing homes.
            4.  Get to know your neighbor by showing up with a tray of cookies and invite them over
                  for coffee.  Take advantage of Christmas time goodies.

CONCLUSION: Where are all of the souls that should be saved today after 2,000 years of Bible training?  Are people any different today in the desire to reach the lost then they were in Jesus’ time?  What keeps us from reaching out with compassion to win souls for the Kingdom of God? Lack of real courage and compassion! 
     Does the desire to win souls permeate your whole being and when we see people that we strongly sense that are lost, do we reach out to minister to their needs?  How can we say that we care about the lost when we make no real effort to even try to reach them?  How many people truly try to even talk to their neighbors and who are our neighbors if not all of mankind? 
     If we become too engrossed with our own problems and comforts we will never be about to reach out to the lost.  Set aside TV and computers for a time and go out of your way to reach the lost.  Jesus set the example by going out to the multitudes didn’t he?  Can we believers do anything less with our lives?   Should we let comfort keep us from striving to reach out to the unsaved?
     We can all pray for the lost and that the Lord will send laborers into the field.  If we have trouble teaching people can’t we at least invite people to come to church to be taught?  Be an encourager of those who are going out in the field because they will be under demonic attack. They will need to be spiritually covered with all of our prayers.  Let compassion to save the lost motivate you into action. 
     Some of the people were filled with ingratitude and self-centeredness, yet Jesus reveal His compassionate heart when He showed His merciful heart by feeding and healing them.
     Jesus felt a burning desire to save them spiritually but he knew their immediate needs had to be met first in order to reach their hearts.  The eternal needs could then be met after their physical needs were satisfied.  Feeding their bodies made the people look with love and become more receptive to receiving the message.  In other wards they had to trust the messenger first before they could trust the message.  The Lord was tired and yet He placed His own needs and comforts aside to minister to other’s needs.  Can we do any differently?
     When we go through trials and troubles the Lord teaches how to handle  problems so that we then have the  knowledge and sympathetic compassion to help others.  As we see their problems we remember how we felt and how we were able to make it through.  This then opens the door to winning souls for the Kingdom of God because the Lord can use our painful paste to minister healing into the lives of other people.  We become the laborers of the Lord harvesting souls for the Kingdom of 
God.
     If we are failing to see people as God does it is because we haven’t yet learned to develop Godly compassion.  Jesus had compassion for those weak in faith and yet He still reached out to save them.  He fed the five thousand by taking care of their physical needs first and then their spiritual needs.  Find a way to help others first and then you will reach their hearts.
      I  challenge your attitudes and actions to become motivated to minister with compassion into the lives of people and show them their need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.   Start viewing people from a biblical perspective and come to understand the mind of God when it comes to winning souls for His Kingdom.

PRAYER: Thanking the Lord for His spiritual wisdom and guidance as He ministered to our lives His righteous truths.  Asking the Lord to teach us His compassion.  Giving us the desire anew to win souls for His Kingdom.  In Jesus’ name Amen.

KJV BIBLE