Ministering: Oluwatobiloba Thompson

Date: 17th April 2023

Topic: Compassion

You are welcome to Bible study this evening, I hope we’ve been putting into practice all the things we’ve been reading and hearing o. Though the hearer is blessed yet the manifestation of the blessing is seen in the life of the doer. So please always practice the word of God. This evening we would be learning about COMPASSION, this is one important trait to have because it’s so important in building a healthy relationship (whether as an acquaintance, friendship or even in marriage) with anyone. It is my prayer that our hearts are open to learning from the Spirit of God tonight, we understand and produce good fruits in the name of Jesus.

Alright, let’s get right down to it.

Often times when we talk about God, it’s always about His fiery presence, His greatness, and other powerful revelation that makes us say “Oh wow! Fear God o”.

That’s good. However, what most of us haven’t realized yet is that the most powerful character (as it were) of God is His compassion.

Can I shock you? Praise, thanksgiving, sacrifice, prayers, and other spiritual things are good but they don’t move God, they only move you.

What then moves God? God is moved by compassion, and this is a predicted pattern of God.

You know we used to sing a song and it’s a declaration Moses made in the book of Numbers, Moses said:

So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”
[Numbers 10:35 NKJV]

I can tell you for free, God’s enemies flee before Him because who can actually stand against the Lord? Obviously no one. Normally sef if you understand the way authority works, you’ll know Moses spoke in the authority of God’s name.

But do you know that God Himself didn’t arise?

Ahn ahn, what do you mean? Let me now show you where God actually arose from His throne.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
[John 3:16 NKJV]

This is when God actually arose from His throne. Something important I want you to note here, God leaving His throne and coming down wasn’t for destruction but for salvation.

Hmm, think about it for some seconds.

Even in the very beginning of the Scriptures in the book of Genesis, the character of God shown to us is that of compassion.

Let’s see this:

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
[Genesis 1:2 NKJV]

The whole earth was in total disorder and confusion yet we see the Spirit of God brooding even upon the confusion, why? The simple reason is that God was ensuring that by the time man will be revealed, the earth and that man’s needs would have been made available to him and he can have dominion over the earth.

Then God said,

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
[Genesis 1:26 NKJV]

It takes compassion to actually want to make things easy for another person

Even in the same book of Genesis, we see God’s compassion again in manifestation

Then the Lord God said,

“Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. AND NOW, LEST HE PUT OUT HIS HAND AND TAKE ALSO OF THE TREE OF LIFE, AND EAT, AND LIVE FOREVER”—
[Genesis 3:22 NKJV]

Even after the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the compassion of the Lord sent them out of the Garden of Eden not because God was angry. The Bible tells us that is because He didn’t want them to dwell forever in sin. Oh! How loving God is!

But what exactly is Compassion? How do we actually describe this nature?

It means being in a position where you genuinely care for people, whether they be evil or good, obedient or disobedient.

Jesus reiterated this truth in Mathew 5

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
[Matthew 5:43 – 47 NKJV]

God sends rain also on the evil, disobedient, unjust, sexually immoral, and so on, why? He genuinely cares for them just the same way He cares for the believing, obedient, good, etc

Evil people eat food, just as Good people eat food now. It’s the same God that provides for them all.

If your compassion doesn’t extend to either people that hate you or it’s you that don’t like them, then you aren’t really compassionate at all.

Jesus said this is exactly how God is, loving the evil and good people so much that He died for ALL, and not for some. His blood was shed for ALL (whether you love Him or not) and He did it from a pure and sincere heart.

How else can we define Compassion?

It is the ability to be touched by the weaknesses of others.

Sometimes weaknesses come in the form of a need, not necessarily a character flaw.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
[Hebrews 4:14 – 15 NKJV]

Jesus saw a weakness we had and was touched. The weakness of always falling into temptation and sin. The weakness of a need for God. The weakness of a need for true love….and He came and died just to make provision for this weakness!

So now we can boldly say, I can do ALL things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me!

We can also boldly say, The Lord supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory!

We can also boldly say, He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I can ever ask or think of, according to His power which is at work in me!

When you understand this, you no longer need to give in to temptation or sin RATHER your testimony is I HAVE OVERCOME SIN, I HAVE DOMINION OVER MY BODY, I WALK IN THE LEADING OF THE SPIRIT, and so on.

Now on the part of God, He has supplied all our needs..what we now have to deal with is men that are supposed to do what God has instructed them to do. We shall come to that soon.

Let’s talk more about God’s compassion. A great hymn says:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be,

The writer then goes on to say:

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Permit me to say this, the day the Lord’s compassion fails; all of creation that dwell in the heavens and the earth will cease to exist. In the twinkle of an eye, gone! Just like that but hallelujah to the Father!  His Compassion fails not. It never fails! It never lies!

The Prophet Jeremiah accurately put it this way,

Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
[Lamentations 3:22 NKJV]

The fruit of Compassion is grace and mercy,

See what verse 16 of Hebrews 4 says:

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
[Hebrews 4:16 NKJV]

Temptation and sin are not the only weaknesses our High Priest can sympathize with. He also sympathizes with our peculiar needs.

Jesus’ life on earth is a testimony to the truth of His compassion even as the Son of God. One that comes to mind is one about the widow of Nain. Let’s go through it quickly:

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. WHEN THE LORD SAW HER, HE HAD COMPASSION ON HER AND SAID TO HER, “DO NOT WEEP.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
[Luke 7:11 – 15 NKJV]

Ordinarily, as a Jew, touching a dead body defiles you yet we see Jesus through compassion reach out to touch a dead body and bring him back to life.

The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to something here as well, A widow losing her only child and Jesus bringing him back to life, is a typology of how The Father would lose His only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit would bring Him back to life, so Jesus could really really really relate to her pain.

Do you also realize He didn’t even need to ask her whether she believed or not? Compassion in certain cases, can help one stand in the gap for another.

Other testimonies of the compassion of Jesus are the multiplication of bread and fish, healing the sick, fellowshipping with the outcast of society, and so on. Jesus’ life was a life of compassion even until the death on the Cross. Now that He’s resurrected and seated, He still extends His compassion toward ALL men.

Now as sons of God and men in whom the Spirit of God dwells, we have a responsibility to show the same character to everyone, everywhere. John told us that, AS JESUS IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD, it then means we have the ability to express this character of God.

Even as we strive to maturity in the faith, we must continually yield to the Spirit of God because that’s really the only way we can perfectly represent Christ. Let the compassion of God find expression in your character, the words you speak, how you speak the words you speak, etc. Maybe you should have a self-check tonight and look at areas where you are not being compassionate and ask the Holy Spirit to help you, He definitely will.

Lastly, Apostle John tells us:

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? MY LITTLE CHILDREN, LET US NOT LOVE IN WORD OR IN TONGUE, BUT IN DEED AND IN TRUTH.
[I John 3:17 – 18 NKJV]

This is a reminder to just BE CHRIST everywhere you go. Help when you can, be patient with people, be humble, show grace and mercy, speak encouraging words, make someone laugh, let people be comfortable with you, and so on. As we practice this, the hearts of men will be receptive to the gospel we have to preach.

I know some will say, but human beings can stab you, but remember it was while we were enemies of God that Christ died for us. While we were in sin, He justified us.

Will some people take advantage of you?

By God’s grace, Yes but remember we are to forgive one another even as God in Christ forgave us. The wisdom of God will also teach us what to do, that I am sure of.

I pray for you in the name of Jesus, that you are indeed AS JESUS IS everywhere you go, by the power of the Holy Spirit you are filled with the love of God now and forever. Amen

Please if you have a question(s) you can ask them, thank you.