So, in Exodus chapter 2, of course, a very familiar passage where Moses is being thrown
to the crocodiles there in the Nile, and Pharaoh's daughter comes along and finds him.
And it says in Exodus chapter 2 verse 6,
And when she had opened it, speaking of the ark,
she saw the child, and behold, the babe wept,
and she had compassion on him, and said,
This is one of the Hebrew's children.
So, it says there that when she saw Moses there, this helpless baby, crying out that she had compassion on him.
And we probably all understand what compassion is, but just in case we don't,
you know, compassion is basically when we have a feeling of deep sympathy, right?
So, when we see somebody in a certain predicament, and we say,
Ugh, that's too bad. And we have sorrow for others who are in bad circumstances,
who are suffering misfortune.
And not only that, that compassion is not only just that feeling, but it's also being,
it is accompanied by a strong desire to do something about it.
Compassion is not only understanding and seeing that people are hurting,
but also wanting to help them to do something about it, to alleviate that suffering.
And you can see that here with Pharaoh's daughter.
I mean, she's seeing this babe. She knows what the law of the land is,
that all these babies are just supposed to be thrown into the river.
And she picks out this particular one, and hears it, and goes over to it,
and compassion takes hold of her, and she looks at this baby, and we know the story goes.
She takes it unto herself, and, you know, Moses' sister goes and gets mom,
and she nurses the baby, and when he's weaned, Moses goes to live in her house as her child.
But what we should see from this, first of all, and I'll get into what I'm preaching here in a
minute, is that compassion, you know, it's more than a feeling. Compassion isn't just a feeling.
We just see, oh, it's too bad someone's going through something. Compassion is a call to action.
You know, it'd be one thing if, I mean, just imagine if Pharaoh's daughter had come up,
and seen this little baby in this ark, and, I mean, it's the River Nile. It's probably got
piranhas in it, or whatever else, and crocodiles, and just said, that's really too bad. Someone
should do something about that, and just kind of walked away. Would you say she's a compassionate
person just because she felt bad that the little poor baby Moses is going to get eaten up by a
who knows what? No. She had to do something about it. She had to take that baby out of that ark,
and have it nursed, and then brought into her house, and raise it.
So, compassion, you know, is more than a feeling. It's a call to action, and here's the thing about
it. You know, we might not always act on the compassion that we feel, right, but we all
usually do feel compassion, unless you're some kind of a psychopath, right, but I'm sure that's
none of us. That's kind of an inside joke right now, but anyway, compassion is a natural human
emotion though, isn't it? We all feel it, but do we all do something about it? You know, not always,
and if you would, go over to John chapter 8. John chapter 8. The Bible says in Isaiah 49,
but Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me. The Lord hath forgotten me, and then Isaiah,
speaking on behalf of the Lord to try to bring Zion to their senses, says, can a woman forget
her suckling child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Backslid in Israel is saying, the Lord's forgotten me, and he's saying, wait a minute.
Can I forget you any sooner than a woman would forget her suckling child? That's the example
that he's using there to try to drive that point across, a human relationship between a mother and
her child. So again, what I'm trying to get at is that compassion is a natural human emotion.
God uses that as an example to get across the point that He has compassion for us. He uses that
human relationship. He says, yea, they may forget thee, yet I will not forget thee.
What's interesting about the story with Pharaoh's daughter is that Pharaoh is Pharaoh's daughter.
She's an Egyptian, and we all know that Egyptians in the Scripture are a representation of the
world, often of sin, the unsaved, the heathen, but it was Pharaoh's daughter that found Moses.
It was Pharaoh's daughter who did something about it, who didn't just feel compassion,
but actually took action to do something about this poor baby.
Unfortunately, today, I'm sure it can all be said of us to some degree, at one point or another,
that we've all probably been less compassionate than the world has. If we look around the world,
even the world, because it is a natural human emotion to be compassionate,
often acts on it. We could just start thinking about all the different things the world does
to try and alleviate human suffering. They've got all the call this number, just five cents a day,
adopt this child, so on and so forth. All the things that they do, and those are fine and good.
The world is so compassionate today, they're even worried about the poor little animals.
They're going to set up their organizations to protect animals, and that's another sermon.
The point I'm trying to make is that the world, even the lost, the heathen, the Pharaoh's
daughters of this world, they feel compassion. They do something about it, and the world should
not be more compassionate than us. Now, I'm not saying we have to match them in every level of
what they're doing. Well, Brother Corbin is saying we've got to start our own animal rights
organization here at Faithful Word. That's not what I'm saying, because we know what true
compassion looks like. Of course, not to downplay what they're doing, trying to feed people, help
people. Those are good things. I understand that, but the greatest thing we all know we can do for
anybody is to see a soul saved, to preach the gospel. What good does it do to clothe somebody
and to feed them and not preach them the gospel? I'm glad there's people that do that,
so we don't have to. I'm glad there's people out there that are taking care of that,
that are fighting that battle, but that doesn't mean we don't have a battle to fight to,
and we should never let it be said of us that the world is more compassionate than us,
that the world does more to alleviate the suffering of others than we do.
Of course, again, they do it to meet physical needs. We should do it to meet their spiritual
needs, and what I want to preach the message tonight very quickly is just
this idea that compassion is what makes us Christians. Compassion is what makes us
Christians. If we were to go around and say, what are you? I'm a Christian. We would say,
I'm a Christian. Well, what makes you a Christian? People could probably come up with different
things. Well, I'm a Christian because I believe the Bible. Is that really what makes you a
Christian? That just might make you a Bible reader. I'm a Christian because I put my faith
in Jesus. Well, that just makes you a believer,
but what makes you a Christian? I'm sure there are other things we could point to and say,
well, this is what makes a Christian a Christian, but I think what we see in the Scripture is
of course that if we're following Jesus, that is what makes us a Christian,
and one of the most defining attributes of Christ is that he was very compassionate.
I mean, I just don't have the time tonight to read all the passages. There's multitudes,
and if you've read the Gospels, you know them. He's had compassion on these people. He's had
compassion on these people. He's moved compassion here. Just constantly that word compassion
being moved for people just comes up. That's the nature of who he was. That was the thrust of his
ministry, caring for others, and not just feeling compassion, but doing something about it,
taking action. What makes us Christians is the fact that we follow Christ, not just that we've
believed on him. I get it. We say, well, I'm a Christian, and I understand that,
but we look at Scripture. What makes a Christian a Christian is the fact that they follow Jesus
Christ in his footsteps. The Bible says in Acts 11, the disciples were called Christians first
in Antioch. Not every believer. It was the disciples. It was the disciples that were
so-called. It was the disciples that said, these are people that remind us of Jesus.
These are these disciples, these ones that are living this way, that are acting this way,
that are behaving in this manner. It's a lot like Jesus. Let's call them Christians.
They were called that first in the Antioch. It was the disciples, not just those that believed,
and I understand the word Christian today has come to mean a lot of different things,
but in Scripture, that's what we see. Here in John 8, verse 31, it'll say, I want to be called
a Christian. You've got to be a disciple. It's a good thing to be called a Christian.
If you're in John 8, verse 31, it says,
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.
Now, these are Jews that did what? They believed. They're saved,
because that's all you've got to do to be saved is believe.
It's great that you believe, but if you want to go a step further, and you want to be a disciple
of mine, well, you've got to continue in my word. You've got to keep my commandments. You've got to
do those things which I've commanded you to do, to continue in His word, to follow in His footsteps.
That's what's going to make you a Christian in the eyes of God. You say, well, that sounds good,
too. I want to be called a Christian. If that means having to be a disciple, that's what I'll
do. If being a disciple means I have to follow in His word and keep His commandments, I'm willing
to do that, too. Go to 2 Chronicles 30. The Bible says in Matthew 4,
And saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
I want to be a Christian. Okay, be a disciple. I want to be a disciple. Okay, keep His word.
Follow in His footsteps. Okay, how do I do that? Be a fisher of men.
That's what He said. To continue in His word, to follow in His footsteps, is to be a fisher of men.
He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Not maybe.
So, if somebody's not a fisher of men, if they're not going out and trying to save souls,
are they really following the way they should? The answer is no.
Because this is, follow me, and I might make you a fisher of men. Oh, and maybe you, but not you,
but you over here. That's not how it works. He doesn't exclude anyone from this. He says,
Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.
And the fact is, you just, you can't be a well-rounded Christian. Can we really say that?
That I'm, you know, exercising everything that's given to me as a Christian, as a believer. Am I
doing all the things that make me a good Christian if you're not a fisher of men?
Well, you certainly can't do it without compassion. But remember, compassion
takes action, right? Boy, I feel bad that people are going to hell. I feel bad that there's people
out there who get saved and no one's preaching to them. It bothers me. Well, you know, that's
half of compassion. You're halfway there. The other half of compassion is to go do something
about it and to say, you know, I'll do something. I'll go reach that one soul. I'll go knock those
doors and find that soul that'll be saved. You cannot be a well-rounded Christian without
compassion, and that compassion manifests itself by becoming a fisher of men, by seeking others.
And again, compassion is a defining attribute of the Lord, isn't it? As I mentioned earlier. But
again, true compassion requires action on our part. It requires action on our part.
If you look there in 2 Chronicles 30, verse 1, it says,
And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh,
that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover unto the Lord
God of Israel. So the posts went with the letters from the king, and his princes threw out all the
Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel,
turn again to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you
that are escaped out of the kings of Assyria. So what's going on here is that Hezekiah,
of course, they're being attacked by the Assyrians. Soon they're going to be attacked
by the Babylonians, and he sends out the posts in verse 6, and he sends it out to Ephraim and
Manasseh, the northern tribes of Israel, and he's telling them that they should come to the house of
the Lord of Jerusalem, and he's saying, according to the commandment of the king, Ye children of
Israel, turn again to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. He said, I know you're being
attacked. I know you're having a hard time up there. You need to turn to the Lord God,
and He will turn unto you that are escaped out of the hands of the king of Assyria.
Compassion is not just more than a feeling. It's action, and it's one of God's defining attributes,
but it requires action, doesn't it? He's saying, if you'll turn unto God, He'll turn unto you. Why?
Because God is compassionate, but what good would it have done to him to turn to God,
and God saying, well, I'm compassionate, but you know what? I'm not going to turn to you.
I'm not going to reach out to you. I'm not going to make a step towards you. I'm not going to move
towards you. I feel bad for you, Ephraim Manasseh. I feel bad for Israel that you're going through
this, that the Assyrians are attacking you, that you're being destroyed, and I see you turning to
me. I see you coming to my house and worshiping me, and I feel real bad about what's going on,
but you know, I'm busy. I'm God. I got a lot going on. I don't have time for this.
Whatever excuse. What if God made up some excuses why He couldn't go and reach those
that were in trouble, but we have the insurance of God from that God will,
if we are in such a predicament, if we turn to God, that He is again going to turn to us,
that He will have compassion on us, but that requires action, doesn't it?
If you would, go to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles chapter 30.
You know, compassion has to be received by those in need of it.
There's action required on both parts, right? We're compassionate enough. We go out. We bring
the gospel. We bring them to people that we know need it. If they're not saved, they need it.
We bring it to them. We're doing our part, but you know what? Compassion requires
action on their part too. They have to receive it, right? They have to receive that compassion.
It says in 2 Chronicles chapter 30 verse 10, so the posts passed through, the posts that He sent
out there, all the messengers, passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh,
even unto Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. He sends out these messengers
saying, hey, the Assyrians are all over you. You're going down, and you need to get to Jerusalem
in the house of God and turn unto God, the Lord God of Israel, and He sends that message out,
and they say, whatever. Bible thumper. What are you, some kind of Jehovah Witness?
Whatever they might say. They laugh them to scorn and mock them. God's not going to do anything,
and that's what we find a lot too when we go out there. If we're moved with compassion,
we do something about it. We go out there. We reach these people. We're these posts that are
being sent out by the king, right? We go out, and we find these people, and a lot of times,
it's just whatever. Maybe it's not a mocking. Maybe it's not a scorning, but it's always,
I'm busy. I got too much going on right now. They reject it, just like these people. They rejected
the Lord's offer of compassion, and I don't know that it was necessarily because they didn't
believe it. Maybe they knew it. Maybe they said, yeah, you're right. I just don't want to do anything
about it. Yeah, you're right. I know. The Assyrians are all over us. We meet some sinner. Yeah, I know.
I'm lost. Life's hard. Sin's having its way with me. You're right, but you know what? I don't want
to do anything about it. They reject it. They mock at it. They scoff at it. They make excuses.
Why? Because true compassion requires action, not only on the part of those that are to show it,
but on those that are to receive it. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to do it
show it, but on those that are to receive it. The person who's being shown the compassion has to
take action too. God's not just going to save somebody because we, you know, went out with
and felt compassionate toward them. We go there. We want them to save. It's like, you know, can I
show you? And God says, well, that's good enough. I'll save them. They don't need to do anything
more. No, they have to listen. They have to make a decision. There's action required. These,
you know, these northern tribes, these Ephraim, Manasseh, they had to go to Jerusalem and get
right with God. That was the message. True compassion requires action by those that are
in need of it. He says in verse 7, and be not like your fathers and like your brethren,
which trespass against me. I think I've got you. Oh, where am I at?
Second Chronicles 30 verse 7, and be not like your fathers and like your brethren.
Okay, good. If you saw my notes, you'd understand. He says, don't be like them,
which trespassed against the Lord, a God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to
desolation as you see. Now be ye not stiff-necked as your father's word, but yield yourselves to the
Lord, and enter in the sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God,
that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. I mean, isn't that the exact same
message we're telling people? Look, you need to come into the temple of God. You need to come
into the ark of Jesus Christ and avoid the wrath of God. Don't be like others that have gone before
you. Verse 9, for if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find what?
Compassion before them that lead them captive. So they shall come again into this land,
so the Lord God is gracious and merciful and will not turn his face away from you.
So again, he's telling them, look, there's compassion there to be had, but you have to
do your part. They are the ones that need to do something about it,
but they're never going to have that opportunity if we also aren't moved by compassion to be like
Christ and take this message to them. I mean, the offer was there, but the king Hezekiah gives the
order of the posts, go tell them, and the posts just go, is it really that important?
Somebody else will do it. Can't we just put it on the internet?
Can't we just mail it to them? Do I really have to walk all the way over there?
It's hot. It's a long way, and I'm going to get there, and they're going to mock, and they're
going to scoff. Yeah, a lot of them might, but you might get one every now and then
that'll stop and listen. Go over to James chapter 4. Actually, if you want to go over to Matthew 9,
go there, Matthew 9.
I was just thinking about this this last week when I was down there in Safford. This is kind
of where this all came from. I mean, we're down in Safford. It's not exactly a destination city.
There's no fine dining in Safford. I mean, it was, hey, don't get me wrong. It was good enough.
We were glad to go, but people aren't flocking to southern Arizona in the little town of Safford
because it's got some big draw. The people there are working in mines. They're working hard.
You know, the salt of the earth type, and I love that, but we weren't there to
eat food and have fun, although we did because we're Baptists. We were there to save souls.
We were these posts that were sent out by a king bringing a message,
and you know what? We had compassion, and that we took action on it,
and that doesn't mean it was easy though, and I'm just here to tell you if you say,
well, I'm going to follow in the steps of Christ. I'm going to show compassion on other people.
I feel bad that people are going, I'm going to do something about it, and that doesn't mean it's
going to be easy. That's why a lot of people don't want to do it. A lot of people quit,
and I got someone saved. We had 21 salvations. I got to at least take credit for one of those,
me and my soul winning partner, and you know which door it was? It was the last door on the last day,
but I love it when it works out like that. I love it. I just love it when it works out like that.
I think God knows. He says, I know this guy right here is going to get saved,
so I'm just going to make Corbin go over here first, make him walk over there, and then he's
going to get lost over here, and I'm just going to make sure that's the last door he knocks,
because I know that guy right there will listen, because the next time I go out and no one's
getting saved, I'll just remember, well, last time that happened, it was the last door on the last
day. That just keeps me going. That happens to me all the time. I ran into a bass fisherman.
I think I was telling you about this brother. I ran into a bass fisherman, and he just was one
of these mockers, one of these scoffers. Well, I've read the Bible for 23 years. I've studied
the Bible. I wanted to say, you haven't read it once, because I said, oh, okay. I did it nicely
at first. I said, so you know Ephesians then? For by grace are you saved through faith. So you know
the Bible teaches that we're saved by grace, and it's the gift that we don't work for it.
Well, that could be argued. Oh, okay. I'm just the post, and here's another scoffer. Here's
another mocker just mocking the king's message. Well, can I leave you a YouTube card?
Go give it to somebody that needs it, and have a good day. We will.
I could have just been like, forget it. These people down in Safford, a bunch of Mormons,
a bunch of roughnecks, a bunch of scoffers, a bunch of mockers.
Ran into another lady. I came in. I didn't realize I was coming through her backyard, but we did,
and she comes to the door just looking real rough. I mean, tattoos on her face.
Tattoos all over. Just life looked like it had been hard. Kids that are probably not hers,
probably grandkids. Maybe she's raising them. A lot of times that's how it goes these days,
and you know what? I felt compassion. I said, I really want this lady to get saved.
That's why I came here. The bass fisherman, I came for him too, but too bad for him. Someone
else, maybe it's just not his day. This lady, ah, she's going to get it because she just looks like
she's ready to receive it. No, she wasn't ready either. She was busy cooking.
I had the compassion, and she might even felt like, oh, he's right. Oh, this is why. I don't
know what she felt, but she had to take action too. It wasn't just enough for me to be there.
She had to feel that compassion too. Then I met Brendan at the end,
my last door. Young man, little baby, just a little newborn, and he came to the door Catholic
and gave him the whole gospel. He was getting it. He was getting it, and I said,
Brandon, at the very end, hey, I got a couple questions for you. First one's real easy. We're
all sinners, right? Yeah, you already admitted that, huh? But, Brandon, this next question I'm
going to ask you, it's not hard to understand. It's hard to admit. Brendan, can you admit that
because you're a sinner, you deserve to go to hell? He said, no. No, I don't deserve to go to hell,
and I just said, why not? I just stood there and let him think about that. Why not?
And you could see it build up. He got a little misty,
and I said, it's hard to admit, isn't it? Yeah, he couldn't say anything. He just went,
so you deserve to go to hell? Is that what the Bible says?
And after that, I decided to get a little more lighthearted.
I said, hey, you don't have to go, buddy. Don't feel so bad. That's why I'm here,
and he got saved. He got it all the way, but that was the last door after some people that
just wanted to mock and scoff or just didn't want to hear it or too busy, but there was one guy
there who wanted to hear it, and he got saved, but he had to take action, didn't he? He had
to realize, wow, this is compassion coming to my door today. I see the compassion of Christ,
and I need to do something about it, right? He had to do something,
but he never would have had that opportunity if I hadn't felt that compassion,
and there's people out there in this town and all over the state that will not get saved unless
we bring them the gospel. You say, what do you guys talk about out here? You talk about
soul winning a lot here. That's the way it is around here, and that's the way it's going to
stay, and it's a subject I never get tired of talking about, and it's something I never get
tired of doing. I'm not saying it never gets hard. I'm not saying it's always easy,
but I'm saying it's always worth it, but it takes compassion. Maybe you're someone here that's been
soul winning a long time. Maybe you're someone here that goes a lot, and you just kind of feel
like, well, I know it's just what I'm supposed to do, and it is, but don't ever lose that compassion
for these lost people, because it's compassion that makes us Christians. The compassion.
Not just I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to be the disciple to be the Christian,
and if you're going to be the disciple, you have to follow in the steps, and if you're going to be
a fisher of men, and if you're going to be a fisher of men, you're going to have to show
compassion. You're there in Matthew 9, right? Verse 35, and it says,
And Jesus went about all the city and villages. Boy, that sounds like a good example.
Why do you guys go to these small towns? Why don't you just knock your area code?
Why don't you just say in the immediate city limits of Tucson and just say that's good enough?
Well, 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. So He's doing all this great work. It's in verse 36. But when He saw the multitudes,
He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, right? Why were they fainted?
They've been walking. They haven't had anything to eat. They were scattered abroad,
as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, Let's set up a food bank.
Let's get some donations in here. Get these people some food,
clothe them. Look, I'm not against that. Like I said, I'm glad that there's churches
that are doing that, other organizations that are doing that, and they're not even trying to preach
the gospel, and I'm glad for that, because they've got the wrong one often. So just keep busy doing
that. That's good. Just keep doing that. It's like that down at Safford. I don't know if anyone knows
it, but have you ever heard about that Vatican observatory? Lucifer? That's the acronym. Lucifer.
It's crazy. And you read what that means. Look, that didn't just happen. You read what that
actual full name is, and it's like, that's not an accident. Oh, it turns out it spells Lucifer,
right? Anyway, but what are they doing with that thing? They're literally looking for
extraterrestrial life or something like that in hopes that they can give them the gospel or
something like that. Someone's like, yeah, the pope said that he's open to giving aliens the
gospel, and I thought, that's a real good job for the Catholic church. Let's encourage them. You
know what? You keep looking. Why don't you just keep looking out there? We'll take care of
everything down here, because they got the false gospel, right? And again, Jesus here,
you know, He's not setting up the food bank. Let other people do that. They're going to do that.
Compassion is a natural human emotion. People are going to fight that battle for us,
but the battle they're not going to fight is the battle for the lost.
They're not going to fight that battle. They can't. They're lost often.
He says, He was moved on compassion on them, and it says in verse 37,
Then saith unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labor is our few.
Now, that's an interesting response, isn't it? We've read this so many times. We've heard it
preached, but He's moved with compassion on this multitude of people that are there,
and you think, oh, He's going to do a miracle. Oh, He's going to do some great thing,
and you're thinking the Bible would read, oh, now He's going to go over there and take care
of all their needs and do this wonderful miracle, and it's going to be great.
When He's moved with compassion, look what He does. He turns to His disciples and says,
The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that He will send forth labors into His harvest.
That's what Jesus was moved to do when He felt compassion upon the multitudes.
When He looked at that throng out there, faint, weak, desperate,
He said, We need more labors. We need more people to go into the field
and go into the harvest. We need labors for the work.
That's what His compassion is. That's how it manifested itself. A call to action. Not just
Him taking action, and we know He took plenty of action, but when He felt that His compassion
moved Him to put out a call to action for us to preach the gospel to every creature,
to all of them, to everybody.
And that's a message that's being delivered to us. That's the call to us.
We want to pray that prayer. Actually, you know what? That's probably the least prayed
prayer that we're told to pray, isn't it? He said, Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest.
You need to ask for labors. I wonder how often that really gets prayed,
because you can't really pray that prayer if you're not doing it.
It's hard to ask people to do things that you are not doing.
People are going to help me move, and I'm going to say, Just get those boxes.
They're going to look at you and go, What are you doing? They're going to look at me and say that.
If I'm picking up, Hey, can you get that other box? Then they'll go get the box.
Oh, I need it. We're praying. We're in our place closet. Oh, I got to pray for that.
Pray for a labors to go harvest. God's like, What's that? You know, the labors going to harvest.
Huh? Well, what are you doing? Oh, I think I just found one. You wanted a labor to go harvest? How
about you? We don't pray that prayer, I think. I don't know. The ones that do are probably the
ones that are already out there doing it. They're out there going, Man, there's so many more people
that we need to reach. We're putting a dent in this thing. It's like we're standing against
the floodwaters just doing this, and everybody else is just flying by us, going to hell.
So, I guess I'll just close by saying this. The Bible says, They that sow in tears shall reap in
joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. It's a great promise for the soul winner, isn't it?
But, you know, it's the sowing in tears, right? It's the compassion that's there.
You know, maybe we've never even begun to go down. Maybe we've never even entered into that harvest.
Well, we probably don't, you know, really, this really isn't really something we worry
too much about then. We probably, maybe we read that and go, Yeah, I don't know.
Does that really apply to me? I don't have to worry about sowing in tears. I don't sow at all.
We need to sow, and those of us that are sowing, maybe the eye has gotten a little dry out there,
and not just because it's hot and windy. Maybe it's just because we lost the compassion.
Maybe we find ourselves at the door getting a little curt,
and we find ourselves at the door being a little, dare I say, rude.
Or just maybe like, I'm out here. I'm in the labor. I'm in the harvest.
Well, you know, I'm trying to help tonight. You know, I'm trying to help with that,
and we need to get the tears back in there, and then we'll reap with joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seeds. I'm going forth, and I have the seed,
but do we have the weeping? Do we have the compassion for what we're doing?
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
If we've lost our passion, soul-winning, or if we've never had it, it may be because we've lost
our compassion for the lost, and I just want to remind us tonight that compassion is a defining
attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ. If there's one thing, if you could really describe them in
one word, that would probably be a good word to use, wouldn't it? Compassion on the lost.
Compassion on the lost. Compassion on me and you,
and we need to be like him. We need to have compassion. Let's go ahead and pray.