COMPLETE SERMON NOTES

Feeding the Five Thousand – Matthew 13 When Jesus heard it [John’s death], He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

+Why do many fail to see the Compassion of God?

• God’s Discipline. BUT it often occurs AFTER Compassion runs its course –

• When truth is set in motion it can’t be reversed.

God parallels his love for his people as a husband loves his wife. Yet she constantly rebels and commits adultery, but He calls her back and renews fellowship with here.

But there comes a point where that call is just a whisper…

+Why do many fail to see the Judge in Jesus?

I WAS SHOCKED AND SADDENED AS I STUDIED – the deeper I got the more I realized:

The BIG Problem with Compassion is that most lack it. Its causing division, hurt, AND pain, as well as a growing distance from God.

• The pride of our heart has deceived us (cf. Obadiah 1:3).

“I fully believe that another key to surviving the anointing…is to maintain softness, gentleness, and tenderness…If, after a period of time goes by, in my own devotional life I’m no longer able to weep or be moved by compassion, then I should be concerned with the state of my own heart” (David Ravenhill).

Concrete Truck Mixer Analogy:

OPPOSITE OF COMPASSION: Unkind, harsh, mean, callous, unfeeling, disagreeable, cruel, unloving, hard, unfriendly, tough, spiteful, unrelenting, uncaring, unaffectionate, unsympathetic, uninterested, heavy-handed, hostile, insensitive, abusive, cold hearted, …hard-hearted.

That describes the majority of the church…the majority of us.

• “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” – Isaiah 6:10

• A hard heart dulls our ability to perceive and apply truth.

• We need the heart of a Shepherd NOT a Sergeant.

• A soft heart recognizes that it is hard at times.

1 Corinthians 13 (NKJV) The Greatest Gift you can give your family, your church, and God –

1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

• To the pastor: You can preach …

• To the father: You can quote … [God’s not impressed with quoting without application]

• To the wife: You can keep yourself busy …

• To the young adult: you can have religion but not a relationship

Here’s How it Plays Out:

HOME: when we don’t have compassion we conquer – we are uncaring, unaffectionate, unsympathetic, uninterested, heavy-handed, hostile, insensitive, abusive, and cold hearted.

WE CAN EXCUSE IT ALL WE WANT, BUT IT’S WRONG!

CHURCH: when we don’t have compassion we hurt – we are hard, callous, disagreeable, unfriendly, tough, and competitive

WORK: when we don’t have compassion we compete – we are hard, callous, disagreeable, unfriendly, tough, and competitive

DAY-TO-DAY: when we don’t have compassion we could careless; life is all about me – we are uncaring, unaffectionate, unsympathetic, uninterested, heavy-handed, hostile, insensitive, abusive, and cold hearted.

• BUT I GO TO CHURCH – I HAVE THE “SIGN OF THE FISH” ON MY CAR – I LIKED CASTING CROWNS ON FACEBOOK

INSERT: What are the causes and solutions for a hardened heart?

Sin causes hearts to grow hard, especially continual and unrepentant sin. Now we know that “if we confess our sins, [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). However, if we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong. And this sinful and hardened heart is tantamount to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 4:1–2.

• Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/hardened-heart.html#ixzz3ToCmd2Ca

A lack of Compassion leads to a hard heart – it’s closed off

Back to the Concrete analogy: Water can’t be used when the concrete is hard – it must be broken

• “Search me O God, and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).

Closing: God loves to do the impossible. 15 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. 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

• Bring what you do have.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

• “Try Tears” (William Booth)

When Our Eyes Our Dry, So Is Our Heart.

A Hard Heart Prevents You From Turning to GOD

Sinner Come Home: “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Romans 2:5