Jesus Can Heal Our Broken Hearts

Jesus Can Heal Our Broken Hearts

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - August 17, 2014

*One of the biggest news stories this past week was the tragic death of actor Robin Williams. Millions of Americans were stunned and saddened by his unexpected death.

*Part of that reaction came from the fact that Robin took his own life. But most of the sadness came from the connection people felt with Mr. Williams'. Over his long, successful career, Robin Williams entertained a lot of people. Most of us have seen some of his movies, like: "Good Morning, Vietnam", "Dead Poets Society", "Good Will Hunting", "Hook" and "Jumanji", plus animated films "Aladdin" and "Happy Feet". Robin Williams was a highly talented actor and comedian. He won all kinds of awards for his work, and earned tons of money.

*That was another reason for people's sadness, because on the surface, Robin was somebody who seemed to have it all. But there was a dark side to his life that included broken marriages, depression, drug addiction and alcoholism. According to some reports, he was also facing bankruptcy, and he had been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson's disease. (1)

*People around us may seem to have it all together, but all of us have problems, and hearts get broken. Heartbreaking news can come to us from out of nowhere, and hearts get broken. But Jesus Christ can heal our broken hearts!

1. How does He do it? -- First of all, by setting us free from our past.

*Jesus Christ can set us free from our past mistakes. And all of us need to be set free, because the pain in our lives is not just caused by the devil. It's not just caused by other people who sometimes hurt us, or by sickness or accidents.

*Sometimes our pain is brought on by our own sin and selfishness. We get trapped and oppressed by our own sins. King David was in this kind of pain in Psalm 25, and there he prayed:

1. To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.

5. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

6. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.

7. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O Lord.

*In Psalm 25, David also prayed:

16. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted.

17. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Oh, bring me out of my distresses!

18. Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.

*David needed to be forgiven and released from the pain of his own sins. And the only person who can do that is Jesus Christ! So here in Luke 4:18, when Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth, He read about Himself from the OT Book of Isaiah. And Jesus said:

18. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed."

*Instead of "oppressed," the KJV says "to set at liberty them that are bruised." But the idea behind this word is not someone with a little bruise. It's someone broken in pieces, shattered, crushed. Albert Barnes tells us it means those who are "pressed down" by great calamity," or whose hearts are crushed by the consciousness of sin. (2)

*But Jesus Christ really does have good news for us today! He really did come to heal the brokenhearted. He really did come to preach deliverance to the captives. He came to set at liberty all those who are oppressed. And oh how we need His help!

*King Duncan once said this about sin's oppression: "We are oppressed by our inability to free ourselves from the burden of sin. Anyone who's ever struggled with a habit that resisted breaking, anyone who has left good resolutions unkept, anyone who's been cruel when they would have been kind, lazy when they would have been productive, or short-tempered when they should have been patient, knows the oppressive power of sin.

*There is only one remedy for such oppression, and that it is to accept the free gift of God's grace. As the great hymn says: 'Come, every soul by sin oppressed; there's mercy with the Lord.'