God is with us in Mercy

The episode is a sermon from the 'Emmanuel' Christmas series at First Baptist Church Las Cruces, delivered by Pastor David. He opens by explaining the series theme 'God with us' from Matthew and Isaiah, focusing this week on mercy. The pastor begins by discussing a world without natural compassion, illustrated by a personal driving story where he nearly lost patience with a student driver. He then analyzes a scene from the movie Gladiator to argue that mercy was not a natural concept in the ancient Roman world. The core of the sermon is an exegesis of Matthew chapter 9, where Jesus performs a series of miracles: forgiving and healing a paralyzed man, calling Matthew the tax collector, raising a synagogue leader's daughter, healing a woman with a bleeding issue, giving sight to blind men, and casting out a demon. Pastor David emphasizes these acts as evidence that Jesus is God in the flesh. He explains that Jesus did these things out of compassion, seeing the people as 'distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.' The sermon delves into the Hebrew concept of compassion originating from the bowels, not the heart. It connects Jesus' mercy to God's holiness and grace, noting that mercy means not receiving the condemnation we deserve. The pastor discusses Jesus sending out the disciples to continue his work of teaching, proclaiming, and healing, motivated by the same compassion. He highlights how early Christians' mercy—caring for abandoned infants and the sick—drew people to Christ. The sermon shifts to a section on 'a God full of compassion,' referencing the book of Jonah where God asks if He should not have compassion on Nineveh. Pastor David describes how people flocked to Jesus because they knew he cared. He addresses listeners experiencing pain, such as marital breakdown, illness, or grief, assuring them that Jesus is with them in their suffering. A powerful personal story recounts his daughter's prodigal rebellion and a 3 AM moment where God told him He loved her more and shared the pain. The sermon concludes with an invitation to trust Christ, give burdens to Him, and know God's merciful presence.

As heard by us

A Christmas sermon that treats mercy as the shape of God's nearness.

God with us remains the governing frame, and the message stays in Matthew 9 as it turns forgiveness into mercy after last week's focus on forgiveness.

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Why you'd press play

When mercy takes center stage, this Christmas sermon keeps pointing you to sheep, shepherds, and Emmanuel.

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