SERMON
A Heart Shaped by Compassion
Luke 10:33-37 (NIV)
April 26, 2026 9AM and 11:11
Pastor Sunil
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working…Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” John 5:17,19
We continue the “Inside Out” discipleship series by emphasizing that true discipleship is not just receiving God’s love, but being transformed so that His love flows outward to others. The fruit God grows in us is not for ourselves—it is meant to nourish those who are “hungry.” This outward expression of love is what we call outreach.
Using the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33–37), Jesus reframes a religious question about inheriting eternal life. Instead of focusing on what we can do, He reveals that loving God fully naturally overflows into loving our neighbor. The challenge, however, lies in defining who that neighbor is.
Through the story, the priest and Levite represent those who know God’s law but fail to act, possibly due to fear, self-preservation, or comfort. Their response exposes a deeper issue: a heart not shaped by compassion.
In contrast, the Samaritan—an outsider and marginalized figure—demonstrates true compassion. He sees the wounded man, feels deeply for him, and takes costly, personal action to care for him. His response illustrates that compassion is not merely doing something extra, but entering into another person’s suffering and sharing of oneself.
The sermon emphasizes that outreach flows from recognizing our own brokenness. Compassion is the ability to feel in ourselves the pain of another, seeing them not as an object of help but as one no different from us. We do not discover who our neighbor is until we choose to become a neighbor.
Ultimately, outreach is defined as the costly expression of Christ-like love—reflecting the heart of Jesus, who does only what He sees the Father doing (John 5:17,19). As disciples, we are called to join in God’s ongoing work by developing hearts shaped by His compassion.
Question:
Are you a disciple with a heart shaped by God’s compassion that cannot help but reach out, sharing themselves in love with those in need?
We continue the “Inside Out” discipleship series by emphasizing that true discipleship is not just receiving God’s love, but being transformed so that His love flows outward to others. The fruit God grows in us is not for ourselves—it is meant to nourish those who are “hungry.” This outward expression of love is what we call outreach.
Using the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33–37), Jesus reframes a religious question about inheriting eternal life. Instead of focusing on what we can do, He reveals that loving God fully naturally overflows into loving our neighbor. The challenge, however, lies in defining who that neighbor is.
Through the story, the priest and Levite represent those who know God’s law but fail to act, possibly due to fear, self-preservation, or comfort. Their response exposes a deeper issue: a heart not shaped by compassion.
In contrast, the Samaritan—an outsider and marginalized figure—demonstrates true compassion. He sees the wounded man, feels deeply for him, and takes costly, personal action to care for him. His response illustrates that compassion is not merely doing something extra, but entering into another person’s suffering and sharing of oneself.
The sermon emphasizes that outreach flows from recognizing our own brokenness. Compassion is the ability to feel in ourselves the pain of another, seeing them not as an object of help but as one no different from us. We do not discover who our neighbor is until we choose to become a neighbor.
Ultimately, outreach is defined as the costly expression of Christ-like love—reflecting the heart of Jesus, who does only what He sees the Father doing (John 5:17,19). As disciples, we are called to join in God’s ongoing work by developing hearts shaped by His compassion.
Question:
Are you a disciple with a heart shaped by God’s compassion that cannot help but reach out, sharing themselves in love with those in need?
Outreach: Notice. Stop. Step In – 10:10 – April 26, 2026
Pastor paul
Think about how many people you see in a normal day—either at work, at the store, driving down the road, or walking through a parking lot. People we notice, and people we don’t. And every once in a while, there’s a moment where we see someone in need and know we could do something. We could stop. We could help. We could step in. But most of the time, we keep going.
And if we’re honest, sometimes what keeps us moving isn’t a lack of compassion, but a reluctance to be interrupted or a fear of what helping might cost us. But Jesus teaches us something different.
In Luke 10, a religious expert comes to Jesus with a question—not because he doesn’t know the answer, but because he wants to test Jesus…and maybe even justify himself.
He asked:
“25 ‘Teacher…what must I do to inherit eternal life?’”
Jesus responded not with an answer, but with His own question:
“26 ‘What is written in the Law?’…‘How do you read it?’
Jesus wanted him to see that Scripture isn’t merely something to know, but something meant to transform how he thinks, speaks, and lives.
In response to Jesus’ question, this man answered:
27…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Then Jesus told him:
“28 You have answered correctly,” “Do this and you will live.”
Jesus wasn’t teaching that we earn salvation by loving our neighbor. He was emphasizing that loving our neighbor is a symptom—what happens as a result of—loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.
Then the man asked the question:
“29…And who is my neighbor?”
He was trying to draw a line when it comes to loving or not loving others. Trying to define the limits. Trying to figure out who counts—and maybe who doesn’t. And that’s a question we still ask today:
Who is my neighbor?
So Jesus told a story.
“30 …“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”
And then Jesus said:
“But a Samaritan…”
And that would have been shocking because the hero of the story was the last person anyone would have expected. And yet, Jesus makes the outsider the one who shows mercy. And in doing so, He challenges this religious expert’s assumptions about who counts as a neighbor.
The Samaritan was the one no one expected—the one who would have been written off.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
The Samaritan didn’t just notice someone in need. He stopped, and he stepped in to help the man. This Samaritan went far beyond minimum compassion.
Then Jesus asks:
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Do you see what Jesus did? He flipped the question. The expert asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He wanted to know how to classify others so he could know who he was obligated to love, and if there were any he didn’t have to love.
But Jesus turned it into a different question. Not “Who qualifies?” But “Will you be the kind of person who shows mercy?” Not “Who deserves my love?” But “Will I choose to love when I see the need?”
Because this kind of love doesn’t just impact them—it begins to change us. It reshapes how we see people. It stretches our compassion. It forms us into the kind of people who don’t just talk about love—but actually live it.
And here’s where this connects to us—especially when we think about outreach. Because outreach often gets reduced to something we do, but what Jesus is describing here is something deeper.
The priest saw and did nothing. The Levite saw and did nothing. But the Samaritan let what he saw change what he did.
He noticed. He stopped. He stepped in.
Outreach starts with a heart that notices—a heart that doesn’t rush past people, a heart that is willing to slow down. And when you live that way, something happens in you—your heart starts to change and you become more aware of what God is doing around you.
You don’t just do something different—you become someone different.
This Samaritan didn’t stop because it was convenient. He stopped because his heart was moved. And that’s where outreach begins—not with a plan or a program, but with a heart that is shaped by compassion.
Did you catch Jesus’ final words to the religious expert? He said, “Go and do likewise.”
Not simply as a task—but as a way of life.
As disciples of Jesus, it’s not about us—it’s about being kind to, caring for, loving, and being a neighbor to others.
What does that look like?
It looks like loving God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving others the way Jesus loves them. It means sacrifice and empathy—putting others before our comfort and convenience. It means being a neighbor to everyone, not just the ones we like.
If we’re not neighboring well, then we are not loving God well, because the two are vitally linked.
In Romans 13:8-10, the Apostle Paul states:
“8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law….10 Love does no harm to a neighbor.” – Romans 13:8, 10a
Paul is saying that we can never love enough.
So as we leave this building this morning and go out into the various mission fields that make up our unique, individual contexts, I want us to ask ourselves this:
Where might I be rushing past what God wants me to see?
Because if we’re honest…most of the time, it’s not that we don’t care. It’s that we don’t want to be interrupted. But following Jesus means stepping out of what’s comfortable and allowing God to use you to do BIG things.
In those moments, this is the question we have to ask:
Who is right in front of me—in my everyday life, in the places I already go?
And then:
What is one way, large or small, that I can be a neighbor this week?
Your neighbor is the person God places in front of you. And outreach begins in that moment:
When you notice…when you stop…and when you step in.
And as you do, God is shaping your heart and helping you see the world the way He does—forming you into the disciple He calls you to be, one act of compassion at a time.
And if we’re honest, sometimes what keeps us moving isn’t a lack of compassion, but a reluctance to be interrupted or a fear of what helping might cost us. But Jesus teaches us something different.
In Luke 10, a religious expert comes to Jesus with a question—not because he doesn’t know the answer, but because he wants to test Jesus…and maybe even justify himself.
He asked:
“25 ‘Teacher…what must I do to inherit eternal life?’”
Jesus responded not with an answer, but with His own question:
“26 ‘What is written in the Law?’…‘How do you read it?’
Jesus wanted him to see that Scripture isn’t merely something to know, but something meant to transform how he thinks, speaks, and lives.
In response to Jesus’ question, this man answered:
27…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Then Jesus told him:
“28 You have answered correctly,” “Do this and you will live.”
Jesus wasn’t teaching that we earn salvation by loving our neighbor. He was emphasizing that loving our neighbor is a symptom—what happens as a result of—loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.
Then the man asked the question:
“29…And who is my neighbor?”
He was trying to draw a line when it comes to loving or not loving others. Trying to define the limits. Trying to figure out who counts—and maybe who doesn’t. And that’s a question we still ask today:
Who is my neighbor?
So Jesus told a story.
“30 …“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”
And then Jesus said:
“But a Samaritan…”
And that would have been shocking because the hero of the story was the last person anyone would have expected. And yet, Jesus makes the outsider the one who shows mercy. And in doing so, He challenges this religious expert’s assumptions about who counts as a neighbor.
The Samaritan was the one no one expected—the one who would have been written off.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
The Samaritan didn’t just notice someone in need. He stopped, and he stepped in to help the man. This Samaritan went far beyond minimum compassion.
Then Jesus asks:
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Do you see what Jesus did? He flipped the question. The expert asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He wanted to know how to classify others so he could know who he was obligated to love, and if there were any he didn’t have to love.
But Jesus turned it into a different question. Not “Who qualifies?” But “Will you be the kind of person who shows mercy?” Not “Who deserves my love?” But “Will I choose to love when I see the need?”
Because this kind of love doesn’t just impact them—it begins to change us. It reshapes how we see people. It stretches our compassion. It forms us into the kind of people who don’t just talk about love—but actually live it.
And here’s where this connects to us—especially when we think about outreach. Because outreach often gets reduced to something we do, but what Jesus is describing here is something deeper.
The priest saw and did nothing. The Levite saw and did nothing. But the Samaritan let what he saw change what he did.
He noticed. He stopped. He stepped in.
Outreach starts with a heart that notices—a heart that doesn’t rush past people, a heart that is willing to slow down. And when you live that way, something happens in you—your heart starts to change and you become more aware of what God is doing around you.
You don’t just do something different—you become someone different.
This Samaritan didn’t stop because it was convenient. He stopped because his heart was moved. And that’s where outreach begins—not with a plan or a program, but with a heart that is shaped by compassion.
Did you catch Jesus’ final words to the religious expert? He said, “Go and do likewise.”
Not simply as a task—but as a way of life.
As disciples of Jesus, it’s not about us—it’s about being kind to, caring for, loving, and being a neighbor to others.
What does that look like?
It looks like loving God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving others the way Jesus loves them. It means sacrifice and empathy—putting others before our comfort and convenience. It means being a neighbor to everyone, not just the ones we like.
If we’re not neighboring well, then we are not loving God well, because the two are vitally linked.
In Romans 13:8-10, the Apostle Paul states:
“8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law….10 Love does no harm to a neighbor.” – Romans 13:8, 10a
Paul is saying that we can never love enough.
So as we leave this building this morning and go out into the various mission fields that make up our unique, individual contexts, I want us to ask ourselves this:
Where might I be rushing past what God wants me to see?
Because if we’re honest…most of the time, it’s not that we don’t care. It’s that we don’t want to be interrupted. But following Jesus means stepping out of what’s comfortable and allowing God to use you to do BIG things.
In those moments, this is the question we have to ask:
Who is right in front of me—in my everyday life, in the places I already go?
And then:
What is one way, large or small, that I can be a neighbor this week?
Your neighbor is the person God places in front of you. And outreach begins in that moment:
When you notice…when you stop…and when you step in.
And as you do, God is shaping your heart and helping you see the world the way He does—forming you into the disciple He calls you to be, one act of compassion at a time.