A SAVIOUR LOOKS AT THE WORLD

MATTHEW 9:3

A. "BUT WHEN HE SAW THE MULTITUDES, HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION ON THEM, BECAUSE THEY FAINTED, AND WERE SCATTERED ABROAD, AS SHEEP HAVING NO SHEPHERD"
  1. The words of our text reveal that the great masses in the day of our Lord:
    1. Constituted a neglected and aimless multitude
    2. That multitude was an indictment against the professed spiritual leaders who fed themselves and not the starved multitude - Is. 56:10-12
    3. This indictment is sharpened in the words of the prophet - Ezekiel; Ezek. 34:5-6
    4. When we study the severe pronouncement of our Lord as recorded in Matthew 23 we can see the divine reasons for the condemnation
  2. How different was our Lord's attitude toward that multitude; lost, scattered, and aimless:
    1. "He was moved with compassion"
    2. He knew and understood the background to their pitiful condition
    3. It was to save this lost multitude that He left heaven and it's glory, took the form of a servant - Phil. 2:6-11 B. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
  3. To keep the eyes of God's people upon the unsaved masses:
    1. That is a part of the great gospel commission - Matt. 28:18-20
    2. That is the one great incentive of true Bible Christianity - to brings salvation to the multitude that live in darkness - Is. 60:1-7
  4. The soul-need of a dying world is the great burden upon the heart of the true shepherd:
    1. He will cry to God, "Lord spare thy people" - Joel 2:17
    2. A vision of bringing hope to the hopeless will fill his heart with unquenchable zeal Rom. 9:3
    3. The salvation of the lost made John the Baptist "a burning and shinning light" p John 5:35 C. A SAVIOUR LOOKS AT THE UNSAVED MULTITUDE
  5. That is the mission of the church:
    1. My experience in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when I saw the multitude seemingly moving about aimlessly; it gave me a passion to live and labor for souls
    2. The gospel commission "Go" explains the duty of all professed followers of Christ
    3. It explains why a worker for God cannot make any reservations for himself - "Go" and preach the gospel; leave all else in the hand of the Lord
  6. Beloved, do we look at the world:
    1. Not to become attracted by its fashions and become contaminated by its vices - I John 2:15-16
    2. Not to isolate ourselves from the needs of suffering humanity - John 17:15
    3. But to identify ourselves with their needs to bring salvation unto them
  7. Our look at the lost multitude must be sharpened by our knowledge of the price heaven paid to save the world:
    1. John 3:16 is the guideline for our look at the world
    2. The parables of the lost coin; the lost sheep; the prodigal son - Luke 15:3-32 are heaven's appraisal of the world lost in sin
    3. We should pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth reapers - John 4:34-38
  8. In closing let us note three specific implications in our text:
    1. The opportunity of the church - the angels are keeping the winds of universal strife in check - Rev. 7:1-3. Opportunities in formerly closed lands are wide open
    2. The need of the church - It needs men and women that will say, "here am I, send me" - Is. 6:8. It needs workers that have a compassioned look at the world
    3. The resources of the church - The pledge of Heaven to supply all its need Matt. 28:18. That includes the power of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:14-17; 1:8-11.
    4. Is this the picture you get from our opening text?


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