Mend the nets of compassion and isolation.

John 3:16-17 NLT [16] "For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. [17] God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."

•     The greatest sermons are not preached from behind pulpits and lecterns but rather from the way in which we live our lives.

•     We are all called to minister that should inspire us to get out of our seats and into the streets.

•     God is a good God and He’s not mad at us.

•     Jesus is for us and never gives up on us.

•     That's unbelievable hope.

1.      I've watched as the same gospel and the same Jesus that has been preached for over two thousand years continues to compel lost people to turn to Jesus.

1.      Logic, debates and threats of judgment could not accomplish in a year what the good news of Jesus’ love can do in a few short moments.

2.      I think sometimes we take the gospel for granted.

1.      We’ve heard it, experienced it and even preached about it so much that it doesn’t seem that amazing anymore.

1.      But when we spend real time with real people who have real problems, we'll be brought back to this simple truth: Jesus is enough.

2.      The focus of our conversation and our preaching is not hell, sin or self-effort.

1.      It’s Jesus.

2.      There is no greater joy and privilege than introducing people to Jesus.

3.      It is my desire that as you attend this church and hear the Word of God, your heart would be captured with a consuming passion for people.

1.      In these days where many see human life as less than significant, it is God's aim that you discover the significance of each human life.

2.      The challenge of compassion for people.

Luke 6:31-36 31 "Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 "If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."

1.      Motivation is everything!

1.      This is where reaching people for Christ starts.

1.      Ask yourself, why do I want to reach people?

2.      Your response to that question means everything.

2.      Jesus was motivated by a true and genuine love for each individual; every person matters.

1.      Allow God to investigate the motive of our heart.

1.      Do we see past the sin and love the sinner?

2.      Do we truly value the person regardless of whether they love us back?

3.      Will we continue to love them even if they never change?

3.      Jesus is our ultimate example of living the “call to people.”

1.      One simple phrase could sum up His heart toward people:

1.      He was moved with compassion.

2.      I have prayed many times that I would love people more, give my life for others and be moved with compassion.

1.      What does that look like?

2.      Did I even know what I was praying for?

3.      Before we get into the heart of this series, we need to answer the challenge of compassion for people.

1.      First, we need to understand what compassion is.

2.      Second, we must determine how to get it.

1.      Without compassion, our efforts to reach people will start out strong on an emotional high, then slowly fade as our lives get busy and we realize the immense cost of getting involved in people’s lives.

4.      Jesus is compassionate.

1.      Jesus was walking and talking with His disciples when He demonstrates true compassion:

Mark 1:40-42 NLT [40] "A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean," he said. [41] Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," He said. "Be healed!" [42] Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed."

2.      Jesus used this opportunity to instruct His disciples and us by demonstrating how we should respond to the challenge of exercising compassion for people.

1.      We must recognize what lepers represented to society in Jesus’ day.

1.      Leprosy and the infections that it caused literally rotted away the flesh of their bodies to the point of death. 

1.      Sin is a disease that slowly rots the life out of people.

2.      Having eternal affects.

2.      Like leprosy, sin will eat away at you, but Jesus isn’t afraid to stretch out His hand and rescue.

1.      Since that night Jesus rescued me I have never been the same.

2.      I've never gone back.

1.      Although we all will still struggle at times, we can see God’s faithfulness even in our wanderings and rebellion.

5.      I am reminded of God’s immeasurable compassion and our responsibility to express it to our generation.

1.      I am so thankful that Jesus is still in the healing business.

6.      There are three ingredients of compassion: stretched out, touched, and spoke.

1.      Jesus stretched out.

1.     Vs. 41 "Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out" 

2.      In order to possess the same compassion Jesus did, we must be willing to stretch, reach, and extend beyond our current comfort zone.

1.      Reaching beyond what is convenient, comfortable or routine.

2.      Giving more than sympathy.

1.      We must stretch out.

2.      In 1 Peter 1:22b "see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently:"

1.      “Fervently” actually means “to stretch.”

1.      The message is crystal clear: We must remain fervent about reaching and stretching toward people with the love of Christ.

2.      Jesus touched.

1.      Jesus stretched out His hand to the leper in order to touch him.

2.      As Jesus did this, His disciples are in absolute shock.

3.      Nobody touched lepers—leprosy made a person spiritually and physically unclean.

1.      The leper himself must have pulled back when Jesus unexpectedly touched him.

2.      Most likely, it had been a long time since anybody had even been near him.

1.      Yet Jesus wasn’t afraid to touch him in order to meet his need.

4.      We must follow our Savior’s example and touch the lives of others.

1.      This may mean listening, meeting practical needs, or simply being a friend to a lonely person at school or work.

2.      Sure, if we touch people we might risk their pulling away from us or not accepting us.

1.      However, if we never touch the lives of people, we will never truly know what it is to be moved with compassion.

2.      We'll never experience the fulfillment of watching a life being transformed.

5.      I don’t think we realize how simple it is to stretch out and touch someone.

3.      Jesus spoke.

1.      After Jesus touched the leper, He spoke to the leper.

2.      Jesus loved this leper so much that He took the time to really speak to him.

1.      Jesus loves you so much that He is speaking to you even now.

1.      Words destroy or empower.

3.      In order to convey Jesus’ love to others, we must be willing to be the voice of Jesus and speak the Word of God to people.

1.      As we do this, we will fully experience the compassion of Jesus flowing through us.

4.      Just do compassion.

1.      I don’t always feel like loving people; but as I simply started meeting the needs of people, the feelings came.

2.      Too often we sit around waiting for our emotions to motivate us to go out and reach people.

1.      When that doesn’t happen, we conclude that God must not be calling us to reach people because we don’t feel anything.

1.      As a result, we do nothing.

3.      I have a new challenge for you.

1.      Just start!

2.      As you start stretching, touching and speaking to people, the feelings will come.

3.      This is living a life of faith, not a life based on feelings, may we be challenged like never before to go out and reach people.

3.      The challenge of consecration without isolation.

1.      One year I preached a Purity Conference for a friend of mine in Central Cal I was feeling pretty good about my own success in this area.

2.      Sitting there feeling peaceful and pure, I began reading in Luke 5 about the disciples washing their nets.

1.      As I finished verse 2, the Spirit of God asked me, “Have you gone washing and forgotten to go fishing?”

1.      “When is the last time you went catching with your nets instead of just washing them over and over?”

3.      The Spirit of God reminded me that just as the purpose of clean nets is to catch fish, the purpose of our purity through salvation is to reach people.

1.      Our right-standing before God and our ability to live in purity come from Jesus, not from our efforts.

1.      That means that we can’t boast about our purity or look down on others who are less pure; likewise, if we sin we shouldn’t give up on ever helping anyone else.

2.      The fact that Jesus helps us conquer sin is good news that we can’t keep to ourselves.

1.      Purity, when mixed with love and humility, can be a powerful source of hope for people trapped by sin.

4.      Becoming full-time followers.

1.      Jesus used this story to teach His disciples about fishing for people.

2.      To this moment Peter, James and John, were just part-time followers.

1.      Most theologians agree that this account in Luke 5 is their third call to discipleship.

1.      The first call came in John 1, the second in Matthew 4; Jesus had already been training and talking to them about His passion and mandate for people.

3.      Discipleship finds its greatest expression in reaching and loving people.

1.      Luke 5, we see that some of the disciples who loved to hear Jesus teach and to see Him do miracles had not yet given up everything to follow Him.

1.      That was about to change.

1.      How about you, have you given Him everything?

4.      Jesus was preaching by the lake of Gennesaret.

1.      His words were so powerful that the people pressed forward, crowding Him, so He decided to get in a boat and teach from the water.

2.      He looked for Peter, who was washing his nets, to ask him to put his boat back in the water and push out a little bit so that He could continue preaching.

3.      After he finished preaching, Jesus then asked Peter to launch out into the deep water to fish.

1.      Even though Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, he said "nevertheless at Your Word."

2.      As soon as Peter let down his net to catch fish, he caught so many fish that the nets started to break and he had to get help from his partners.

4.      Peter realized this was a supernatural catch of fish and that Jesus was more than just a good teacher, because he immediately declared himself a sinner and Jesus, Lord.

1.      Then Jesus said: “Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people.” Luke 5:10.

5.      Losing touch with the sea.

1.      As we just read the purpose of this story isn’t fish—it’s people!

2.      A dirty net eventually would have rotted and fallen apart, which would have made catching fish impossible.

1.      The problem is that it is easy to get comfortable with our nice, shiny, clean nets and lose touch with the sea.

3.      Here’s what happens: we get saved, God pulls us out of a pit of sin, darkness, and destruction washing us with His Word.

1.      We feel so good that we want to go spend all of our time with other people who have been pulled out of their pits as well.

2.      Church becomes “pit less parties” where we sit around and talk about how glad we are that we are no longer in a pit.

1.      We forget that we were pulled out of a pit so that we would help others out of the same desperate situation.

Proverbs 18:1 “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire.”

2.      Isolation is centered in self.

3.      To go beyond our comfort zone or to make new friends is risky and challenging.

4.      Therefore, many people choose the path of least resistance—isolation.

1.      Though you're with some people, most if not all of those people have Jesus.

6.      Use our nets for their intended purpose.

1.      I realize that if I don’t make a concerted effort to get out of my office, my house, my already established relationships to meet people and attend some local events, I will end up isolated.

1.      Once we realize that washing and mending our nets has purpose, we move into a whole new dimension of Christianity!

2.      You have been saved for a purpose—to minister to other people.

1.      There is great inspiration, strength and resource in using our nets for their intended purpose.

2.      The reason God sets us apart isn’t so that we will become isolated.

1.      He sets us apart so that we will have strong, healthy nets that are able to pull other people out of the depths of sin.

3.      Holy Spirit, send me back to rescue those who haven’t found that freedom.

1.      Keep my heart compassionate so that I don’t easily forget about others.

1.      May I be a vessel used by You to reach people.

For the recorded version you can visit our podcast any time at cwcukiah.com