Christ Covenant Church

1. Jesus wants the faithful who love God to show it through shepherding the lost who also love God. 1.1. (Mat 9:9-13 w/36) 1.2. (13) “sinners” = Lost people who love God - versus lost people who love self/their sin. Jesus made the former a priority in His ministry (versus the latter who were a waste of time – TBD). “I desire compassion and not sacrifice” (Hos 6:6 “in the knowledge [understanding] of God rather than sacrifice”) = What God wants most from us as the sign of our love and loyalty are not those things or acts which require no exercise in understanding (“sacrifice”) but those that do (“compassion”) – especially in relation to those whose hearts are tender to God (they love Him) but are lost/have lost their way (“sinners”) (see Mat 12:1-7) = The Pharisees’ handling of the disciples was wrong (they “condemned the innocent”) because they did not take the time to understand them.1.3. This (then) is what is behind the word “shepherd” in verse 36 (notice its connection to “compassion”) = A person who take