When People Are Hurting Pt. 1

Key verse: “If you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness.” (Isaiah 58:10 NCV)

The big idea: My devotion to God is revealed in how I treat others.

Pastor Mark remembered high school geometry: some rules never change. If this is true, then that follows. Following Jesus works the same way. If we love Jesus and pursue Him, then certain things should naturally show up in our lives.

In Isaiah 58, God’s people came looking for Him every day. They fasted and asked Him to be near, and they could not understand why He did not seem to notice. God answered through Isaiah: on those same days they were unfair to their workers and fought with each other. The fast He wanted was to free the oppressed, share food with the hungry, open their homes to the homeless and clothe people who had nothing.

1. My devotion is revealed in how I treat others

Isaiah 58:1-5; James 1:26-27

Our worship of God should never be disconnected from how we treat people. James says religion God accepts looks after orphans and widows in their distress. Pastor Mark said he does not want Crossroads to give lip service to God without living it out. He also said we cannot share what we have not experienced. The first Band-Aid handed out Sunday is a reminder of a time God met you in your hurt and saved you.

2. Genuine devotion moves me to demonstrate mercy

Isaiah 58:6-10; Ephesians 5:1-2; Acts 3

Devotion should move us to mercy, not judgment. That does not mean staying silent about what is true, but love leads the way. Mercy is more than something we feel; it is something we do, like caring for widows in our church or being known as the church that serves a Thanksgiving dinner to our neighbors.

Pastor Mark told about passing a homeless man on the streets of Honolulu who asked for a couple of dollars. A block later he knew he should have stopped, as Peter and John did with the man at the temple gate in Acts 3. We will miss it sometimes, but God is calling us to be a church of mercy.

This is part one of two. Bring the second Band-Aid back next week.