Icon Key
📝 = Fill in the Blank
A couple of weeks ago we learned that Help Is On The Way through you. The week after that we learned from this subject, Yes, You. Regardless of you, God wants to use you. Last week we learned that…
Regardless of your PAST, God wants to use you in the PRESENT.
Maybe you’ve been thinking to yourself over these last couple of weeks use me for who? Use me for what? This week, I want to address those questions. The Bible says in Matthew 9:35,
“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Matthew 9:35
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
“Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.””
Matthew 9:37-38
Verse 36 gets me every time. Let’s look at it again. It says,
“But WHEN HE SAW THE MULTITUDES, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
BUT WHEN HE SAW THE MULTITUDES…
I want to speak to you from this subject today…
I CAN SEE IT.
Every time I read this passage of scripture, I can’t help but to think of the question that God asked Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:11. It says,
“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “JEREMIAH, WHAT DO YOU SEE?”…Jeremiah 1:11
When you look out into this world, WHAT DO YOU SEE?
DO YOU SEE A LOST CAUSE, OR DO YOU SEE OUR CAUSE?
DO YOU JUST SEE A PROBLEM, OR DO YOU SEE OUR PURPOSE INSIDE OF THE PROBLEM?
Church, God has gathered us here this morning to ask us, "WHAT DO YOU SEE?”
On another occasion Matthew recorded something that rocked my world when I read it. Matthew 14:14 says,
“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
Matthew 14:14
“When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. SEND THE MULTITUDES AWAY, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.””
Matthew 14:15
The disciples said, send them away. They don’t look like us. They don’t talk like us. They don’t smell like us. They don’t have resources like us, they’re going to drain us master, SEND THEM AWAY.
When I read this verse, it broke my heart. When I read this verse, it made me think…
WHICH VERSE WILL WE LIVE IN?
As a church will we live in verse 14, where Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowds, or will we live in verse 15 where the disciples said send them away?
Same story, same crowd, 2 totally different perspectives. Which perspective will we be? I pray that we’ll be the perspective of Verse 16 where it goes on to say,
“But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.””
Matthew 14:16
Jesus said, "You give them something to eat.”
Maybe this is why one of the reasons Malachi 3:10 says,
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be FOOD in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Malachi 3:10
YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT…
Jesus says beginning in Matthew 25:35,
“for I was hungry and YOU GAVE ME FOOD; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’”
Matthew 25:35-36
Jesus goes on to say in verse 40,
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of THE LEAST OF THESE My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew 25:40
Who are the least of these??? I believe Matthew 9:36 tells us exactly who the least of these are. It says…
“But WHEN HE SAW THE MULTITUDES, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
The least of these are the multitudes. The least of these are the weary. The least of these are the scattered, those who are sheep with no shepherd. The Bible says that when Jesus saw them that He was moved with compassion.
When He saw them…When He saw them…
📝 • Compassion Chooses to SEE.
Compassion chooses to see yourself less and to see others more.
Notice that I didn’t say that you need to see yourself AS LESS, but rather to see yourself less, and to see others more.
This is why you need to be discipled in the area of compassion.
Discipleship teaches you to take the focus off of you and to put it on others.
Compassion takes the focus solely off of oneself and places it on others.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility VALUE OTHERS ABOVE YOURSELVES,”
Philippians 2:3
The Bible says but when He saw them. This is key because…
📝 Compassion doesn’t see pass people compassion sees people.
This is why I’m excited about our future…
Pamlico AGAPE COMMUNITY CENTER
The word Agape is defined as…
AGAPE- A pure, willing, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another’s highest good. It’s an unselfish love. A love that comes with no strings attached.
PACC a place where people are seen.
PACC a place where people are valued.
PACC a place where people are taught who they are, Who’s they are, and all that God has for them. PACC will be a place where people will not only be able to find actual shelter from Hurricanes, but as well as the storms of life.
CAN YOU SEE IT?
A place where children can be tutored.
A place where people can be clothed.
A place where people can be fed.
A place where people can find shelter through tiny houses, and the like.
A place where people can come for shelter when hurricanes arise.
A place where natural disasters relief workers can come and stay and be refreshed before they go back out into the field.
A place where life lessons and life skills will be taught. A place that’ll supply 100 plus jobs to Pamlico County. My only question to you is CAN YOU SEE IT?
“When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is A DESERTED PLACE, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.””
Matthew 14:15
They were in a deserted, desolate, remote place—kind of like where our church is located. But God made a way right there in that deserted, desolate, remote place, all because God Works. Church, I’ll ask you again CAN YOU SEE IT!
Can you see our new church home, a separate building from our PAMLICO AGAPE COMMUNITY CENTER? A place where souls will be saved, set free, and delivered. A place where people will be equipped to go and do the work of the ministry. A place where disciples will be made and baptized and sent to fulfill the great commission. Can you see it? But we can’t just stop with seeing it!
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was MOVED WITH COMPASSION for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was MOVED WITH COMPASSION for them, and healed their sick.”
Matthew 14:14
Compassion doesn’t just talk about it. Compassion doesn’t just cast vision. No….
📝 COMPASSION CHOOSES TO MOVE.
📝 Compassion isn’t just an EMOTION compassion is an ACTION.
HOW WILL WE MOVE CHURCH?
I believe with everything in me that God is calling us, and challenging us to move like this. Luke 10:30 says
“Jesus replied, “There was once a Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when bandits robbed him along the way. They beat him severely, stripped him naked, and left him half dead.”
Luke 10:30
““Soon, a Jewish priest walking down the same road came upon the wounded man. Seeing him from a distance, the priest crossed to the other side of the road and walked right past him, not turning to help him one bit.”
Luke 10:31
““Later, a religious man, a Levite, came walking down the same road and likewise crossed to the other side to pass by the wounded man without stopping to help him.”
Luke 10:32
““Finally, another man, a Samaritan, came upon the bleeding man and was moved with tender compassion for him.”
Luke 10:33
“He stooped down and gave him first aid, pouring olive oil on his wounds, disinfecting them with wine, and bandaging them to stop the bleeding. Lifting him up, he placed him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. Then he took him from his donkey and carried him to a room for the night.”
Luke 10:34
“The next morning he took his own money from his wallet and gave it to the innkeeper with these words: ‘Take care of him until I come back from my journey. If it costs more than this, I will repay you when I return.’”
Luke 10:35
“So, now, tell me, which one of the three men who saw the wounded man proved to be the true neighbor?””
Luke 10:36
“The religious scholar responded, “The one who DEMONSTRATED kindness and mercy.” Jesus said, “Go and DO the same as he.””
Luke 10:37
As it relates to this vision of our new church facility, as it relates to our Pamlico Agape Community Center…
CAN YOU SEE IT?
But we can’t just stop there…
WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO DO?
HOW WILL WE MOVE CHURCH?
Opmerkingen