Compassion

1. Definition
a. Compassion is responding to a deep need with a longing to do whatever is necessary to meet it

b. Different levels of responding to peoples deep need
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John3:17)

If we truly have the love of God, it is a natural thing to show compassion.
- Sympathy: feeling sorry for people who are hurting
- Empathy: feeling the pain with hurting people
- Compassion: doing something about the pain

2. Doing something and faith go hand in hand
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. (Jas 2:15-18)

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (Jas 2:26)

- How can we say we have faith in Jesus if we shut our bowels of compassion (ignore the cry of the needy) to do something to help hurting people?
- Faith being along is dead. Our faith can’t grow without the ‘doing something’ for the needy. This means that we can’t grow spiritually and can’t be strong in spirit.

3. Who are the needy?
Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. (Exo 22:22-24)

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (Jas 1:27)

The needy are people who need our help to provide and protection them. James teaches us to provide for the poor, but we cannot neglect defending the needy from exploitation and danger (to their bodies and souls)

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. (Psa 82:3-4)

4. How do we develop a compassionate heart?
- Remember our great debt to God. Matt 18:23-34 is the parable of the wicket servant who was forgiven of a great debt. However he didn’t show likewise to one who owed him a small debt even though the latter cried out for mercy. If we don’t show compassion, our lives will be tormented.

- Enlarge our hearts
I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. (Psa 119:32)

To run the way of thy commandments is be quick to obey. God will enlarge our hearts by His love, our hearts become small with selfishness.

- Turn personal suffering into compassion for others, for by this we will experience God’s comfort
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2Co 1:4)

- Constantly look for ways to do good to others
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Gal 6:10)

5. The sheep and the goats, the last judgement
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
(Mat 25:31-46)

Final judgment is when Jesus Christ returns as judge. This is something we have to grasp; because God’s throne of grace is also the throne of judgment. He will separate sheep from goats as a shepherd separates his flock. Note that it is a flock that have been with the fold, thus the separation is within the church. Similar to separation of tares and the wheat which grew in the same field which were fed from the same soil, water and fertilizer. Jesus is coming back to judge because God is Just.

God has prepared His Kingdom from the foundation of the world! Can you see God’s plan and purposes for His children? Jesus calls out to the sheep first to inherit. The mark of the sheep is one that feeds, shelters, protects and visits strangers. Strangers are those who can’t pay us back as with the case of the Good Samaritan. Strangers are people we take risk in helping not considering our loss but considering as doing the right thing proceeding from a life of faith. The sheep is not aware of the good deeds because it is a natural out flow of faith. Self denial and taking up the cross and following Jesus is a clear mark of the sheep.

6. Mercy for the poor
Nebuchadnezzar was counseled against pride and one of the key action of repentance is showing mercy to the poor as shown in Daniel’s advise.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
(Dan 4:27)

Even in the teaching of wisdom in Proverbs teaches us mercy on the poor. Please don’t end up reproaching or defaming our Maker.
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
(Pro 14:31)

God’s heart is toward the poor, shouldn’t ours be also? When Jesus returns will we be called His sheep or worst called goats unto eternal damnation?

7. The testimony of George Mueller
"The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in."

Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.

George Mueller 1805 – 1898 (http://www.georgemuller.blogspot.com/)

"At last I saw Christ as my Saviour. I believed in Him and gave myself to Him. The burden rolled from off me, and a great love for Christ filled my soul. That was more than fifty years ago. I loved Jesus Christ then, but I loved Him more the year after, and more the year after that, and more every year since."Born in Prussia in 1805, George Mueller began running from God early in life. By age ten he had devised a scheme to embezzle government money entrusted to his father. He spent his schooldays in drunken immorality. He even served time in jail at age sixteen for failing to pay his bills.

The university he attended had some 900 divinity students, but Mueller said there were not nine of them who truly feared God. He continued his sinful habits during his college days until finally at age 20 the burden of his sins overcame him and he trusted Christ as Saviour.

Soon he committed himself to a full-time gospel ministry. When Mueller was twenty-five, he went to Teignmouth, England, with his new wife, Mary, to pastor a small church. He gave up the small salary offered when he discovered it was paid through the rental of church pews. From that time on he resolved to live by faith.

Mueller moved in 1832 to Bristol, England, to be the pastor of another church. There his famous work with the orphans began when two young children were thrown upon the church's care. Mueller had only two shillings to his name when he began the orphanage work, but over the next sixty years God sent more than $7,500,000 to supply their needs. New buildings were built or purchased, staff was hired, and the hundreds of children never missed a meal. Many times prayers were said over empty plates only to have food arrive at the last moment.

Mueller resolved never to tell anyone what his needs were. He told them to God and confidently expected them to be met.

During his life, Mueller started 117 schools which educated over 120,000 young people and orphans. He became pastor of Bethesda Chapel in Bristol. The church had some 2,000 members at his death.

Spurgeon said, "Of flowers of speech he has none, and we hardly think he cares for them; but of the bread of Heaven he has abundance."