Series: Good Vibes
Sermon Title: Compassion In a World of Indifference
Reno Campus
Pastor Dave Pretlove
Carson Campus
Pastor Dusty Braun
Campus Announcements / Service Moments
Reno Campus
Starting Point
Carson Campus
Starting Point
Series: Good Vibes
Sermon Title: Compassion In a World of Indifference
- My level of Christlikeness will never exceed my level of compassion.
Matthew 14:14 KJV
Matthew 9:36 KJV
Exodus 34:6 NIV
Psalm 103:13 NIV
Psalm 111:4 NIV - Indifference is easy, compassion takes effort.
Ephesians 2:4-7 NIV
Matthew 14:14 KJV
Matthew 9:36 KJV
Luke 15:20 KJV
Luke 10:33 KJV - The enemy wants to cripple our compassion and cause us to live lives of meaningless indifference.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What things in this world fill your heart with compassion?
- In each of the scriptures – Matthew 14:14 (KJV) and Matthew 9:36 (KJV), it says that Jesus was ‘moved’ with compassion, citing several different things that he saw. What is the difference between feeling compassion, and being moved by it, and how did Jesus respond in each case?
- Read Exodus 34:6 (NIV), Psalm 103:13 (ESV), Psalm 111:4 (NIV) – What do these verses reveal about the nature of God’s compassion? How does understanding God’s compassion influence our own ability to show compassion?
- Reflect on John 10:10 (ESV). How do the enemy’s lies about our ability to make a difference hinder our compassion? How can you counter these lies with truth and action?
- Discuss the statement, “You can’t do everything, so don’t do anything.” How can we overcome this mindset and take meaningful action, even if it seems small?
- How has the tremendous amount of suffering and needs of this world overwhelmed you and atrophied your compassion?
- Reflecting on the examples of Jesus’ miracles and parables (e.g., the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan), how can we be more intentional in “seeing” people and their needs?
- How do you navigate the challenge of showing compassion while ensuring that your actions truly help and do not inadvertently cause harm to those you are trying to assist?
- In what ways did Jesus’ compassion drive His teaching, miracles, and ultimately His journey to the cross?
- Why is indifference so easy, and why does compassion require effort? How can we cultivate a heart that is broken for what breaks God’s heart?
PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- How does pride and judgment interfere with our ability to extend compassion?
- Can you recall a time when fear prevented you from being compassionate?
- The opposite of love isn’t hate, but apathy. How have you been apathetic to the things that move the heart of God?
- Spend time praying for God to break your hearts for what breaks His, and for the strength to act on that compassion in your daily lives.
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON:
Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)
Luke 6:36 (NIV)
RESOURCES:
BOOK | Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life | Henri J.M. Nouwen
PODCAST | The Compassion of God | Timothy Keller
BOOK | What Are You Going to Do? | Matt Bronleewe and Eric Wilson
MONTHLY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO TRY: PRAYER
This week I heard prayer described as “ the moments we retreat from this world into another realm. A realm of safety and peace. A world where we seek to be unified in and with the presence of God.” Wow, is that not a powerful view of prayer? A place of retreat, safety, and peace. Yet prayer is scary for so many, or we are too timid to engage in it.
The enemy of your soul understands that he can keep you weak, exhausted, and powerless in the battle between heaven and hell, by keeping you fearful from the actual place that is restorative and safe.
As we walk through the daily grind of this world we need refreshment and union with the God of the universe who knows you and desires to be connected and interactive with you. He desires to restore your soul daily and refresh you so you may experience a life that reproduces things for the kingdom of God. (John 15).
Jesus is the example for the Christian for life, the physical rhythms of life, and the outpouring of God’s love towards those who are far from God. In Jesus’ life, we see a rhythm to his prayer life. He prays daily, regularly, and honestly, He was honest before God and he was dependent on the ongoing prayer-filled interaction. If Jesus needed this type of prayer life, we need it also.
There are different acrostics people have used throughout the years to help them pray. Here is one you can use. P.R.A.Y
P- Praise. Praise God for what he is doing, for who He is. “I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2)
R- Repent. Repent of any unconfessed sinful attitude, postures, or actions. We all sin, if we can not identify something easily, thinking deeper into attitudes or positions you may have taken that at the core are opposite of God’s truths. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9)
A- Ask God for the things that are weighing you down or that are on the top of your mind and heart. We are told, that God desires to answer our prayers when they align with his heart. “Ask and it will be given to you…for everyone who asks receives…Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)
Y- Yield. This means we yield our thoughts and words to God to allow him time to respond. In other words, a time of silence. In conversation with our friends, we talk and then we listen. This yielding is your listening to God’s response. This may take time or repeated efforts to learn the voice of God in your life. He is speaking, we need to be silent enough to recognize it.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
If you are a type A – productivity driven person like me, it is very easy to become a do-er instead of a see-er. Jesus had the most important job in all of history, yet never was too busy to see people, or to welcome interruptions from those who needed him. His compassion and love for His people far outweighed any task he was doing or journey he was on. If you look at the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10, Mary is at Jesus’ feet, soaking in his words, but the bible tells us that Martha was ‘distracted by many things/tasks/all the details’. However Jesus does not rebuke Martha, he acknowledges her worry and distraction and invites him into relationship and intimacy with him, using Mary’s attention as an example.
The Lord does not want us to become so distracted by the doing that we miss the ‘seeing’. Seeing Him in the middle of our day, seeing others and their needs. Jesus was headed to heal Jairus daughter in Luke 8 yet was met by the woman with blood on the road, and his compassion on her and awe of her faith led to her healing. And the raising of Jairus daughter from the dead made way for an even greater story than if he had not stopped. Each of us has something that pricks our heart, something that says ‘this doesn’t feel right’. If we all were outraged by animal cruelty, who would care for the orphans? If we all were outraged by the Foster system, who would care for the grieving?
All of it should break our heart, and we can know that His broken creation was never intended to be this way. Jesus has compassion on ALL life and His creation. It ALL breaks his heart, and we should desire for him to break our heart for what breaks His, and desire the commission of Adam in Genesis 1:15 to care for what God has created. But we each have our own calling, a certain compassion that God has imparted into us in order to go out and make a difference. Do not feel ashamed or overwhelmed that you can’t be everything to everyone, as only Jesus can do that. Ask the Lord to fuel your compassion for what He wants you to focus on in order to advance His kingdom.
A simple prayer may look like this “Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours. Do not allow me to get so caught up in tasks and details that I miss intimacy with you and relationships with people. Allow me to see people as you see them, to see injustice the way you see it, and to desire righteousness just as you do. Stir in me a desire to help others in the way that you have called me to, and lead me in your footsteps. Amen”
Rob Hans | Spiritual Formation and Connections Pastor