Compassion (3 of 5)
Series: Chasing Peace
Craig Smith
Luke 10:25-37
I. Introduction
[ad lib transition from last song]
We're in the midst of our series, Chasing Peace. And here's what we know so far:
- Peace is never a product of our circumstances.
- Peace is always a by-product of pursuing godly character.
Our guide for the pursuit of godly character in this series is Proverbs 6:16:
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
And we know that the reason God hates these things is because he loves us. He hates these things because he hates what these things do to us, the damage they cause and the lack of peace these things cause in our relationship with him and with each other. So if we want to experience peace, what we need to do is pursue the opposite of these things, and today we're tackle the opposite of ''hands that shed innocent blood.'' And as near as I can figure, the opposite of hands that shed innocent blood are hands that show compassion to the guilty. It's hands that bandage the wounds of those who have wounded us.
It's interesting: we tend to think of ''compassion'' as just a synonym for ''kindness'', but in the Bible, it's a lot more than that. Compassion is kindness, but it's not just kindness shown to anyone...it's kindness shown to someone who has hurt us.
I love the way Exodus 34:6 describes God. You don't need to turn there, but listen to this:
And the Lord passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ''The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exo 34:6-7)
What we need to pay attention to here is how ...
Series: Chasing Peace
Craig Smith
Luke 10:25-37
I. Introduction
[ad lib transition from last song]
We're in the midst of our series, Chasing Peace. And here's what we know so far:
- Peace is never a product of our circumstances.
- Peace is always a by-product of pursuing godly character.
Our guide for the pursuit of godly character in this series is Proverbs 6:16:
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
And we know that the reason God hates these things is because he loves us. He hates these things because he hates what these things do to us, the damage they cause and the lack of peace these things cause in our relationship with him and with each other. So if we want to experience peace, what we need to do is pursue the opposite of these things, and today we're tackle the opposite of ''hands that shed innocent blood.'' And as near as I can figure, the opposite of hands that shed innocent blood are hands that show compassion to the guilty. It's hands that bandage the wounds of those who have wounded us.
It's interesting: we tend to think of ''compassion'' as just a synonym for ''kindness'', but in the Bible, it's a lot more than that. Compassion is kindness, but it's not just kindness shown to anyone...it's kindness shown to someone who has hurt us.
I love the way Exodus 34:6 describes God. You don't need to turn there, but listen to this:
And the Lord passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ''The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exo 34:6-7)
What we need to pay attention to here is how ...
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