Sermon for September 06, 2009
Sermon Series: Sermons on the Grace of God:
Sermon # The Healing Grace of God:
Scripture Ref: Psalm 147:3
‘He heals the broken in heart & binds up their wounds.’
Introduction:
I BEGAN PREACHING when I was 17 YEARS OLD. My NEXT BIRTHDAY I will be 57 YEARS OLD. That’s 40 YEARS & in those 40 YEARS I have LEARNED ONE THING & that is; NOBODY SAILS THROUGH LIFE.We ALL have HURTS. We ALL have PROBLEMS. We ALL have some HIDDEN WOUNDS. We ALL have some EMOTIONAL SCARS that NOBODY ELSE SEES but they’re THERE & they HURT.
ONE of the DEEPEST CAUSES of those HURTS is REJECTION.
We ALL FACE REJECTION in our lives:
There is the REJECTION from PARENTS.
There is the REJECTION from CHILDREN.
There is the REJECTION from FRIENDS.
There is the REJECTION from CO-WORKERS.
There is even the REJECTION from SPIRITUAL BROTHERS and SISTERS in CHRIST.
EVERY DAY there is a PASTOR SOMEWHERE who THROWS in the TOWEL & RESIGNS to NEVER STAND BEHIND another PULPIT AGAIN. He has MINISTERED & MINISTERED to PEOPLE HE has POURED HIS LIFE into the PEOPLE, but then SOMETIME - SOMEWHERE - SOMETHING HAPPENS & HE is REJECTED by THE PEOPLE & THEY LEAVE & then GO SOMEWHERE ELSE to church. HE is REJECTED & he is HURT.
I KNOW a PASTOR who went to a CHURCH that DESPERATELY NEEDED a NEW BUILDING. The PASTOR was a very SKILLED CARPENTER & he WORKED HARD BUILDING them a NEW CHURCH BUILDING. For SEVERAL YEARS there were MANY NIGHTS he stayed there ALL ALONE WORKING. Finally the BUILDING was FINISHED & the PEOPLE were THRILLED. They BRAGGED & BRAGGED on the PASTOR. He was the GREATEST THING since HOT BUTTER..
SOON AFTERWARD the BUILDING was COMPLETED the PEOPLE began to FIND FAULTS with the PASTOR & EVENTUALLY they found ENOUGH FAULTS they GOT RID of him.
REJECTION: Some of you may RECALL THINGS that were SAID TO YOU on a PLAYGROUND 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years ago. We DON’T LET SOME THINGS GO LIGHTLY.
This morning I want us to take a LOOK at GOD’S HEALING GRACE & HOW GOD HEALS even the DEEPEST & the MOST HIDDEN WOUNDS of our HEARTS.
The HEALING GRACE of GOD:
Psalm 147:3 ‘He heals the broken of heart & binds up their wounds.’
HOW DOES GOD DO IT? HOW DOES GOD HEAL HIDDEN WOUNDS?
The BIBLE tells us that GOD does it by CHANGING the WAY we THINK:
GOD CHANGES OUR MINDS.
GOD CHANGES THE WAY WE SEE GOD, HOW WE SEE THE PAIN & THE BROKENESS & THE REJECTION & HOW WE SEE OURSELVES.
In Romans 12:2
‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewal of your minds….’
If we WANT to CHANGE OUR LIVES & if we WANT to HEAL OUR HURTS--- then BEGIN the HEALING PROCESS by CHANGING the WAYS we THINK.
The BIBLE says in Proverbs 23:7 ‘As a man THINKS in his heart, so is he.’
If we SEE OURSELVES as LOSERS then we’ll TEND to BE a LOSER in life.
If we SEE OURSELVES as a VICTIM then we TEND to PLACE OURSELVES into SITUATIONS where we become VICTIMS.
If we SEE OURSELVES as a FAILURE then we TEND NOT to AIM VERY HIGH in life.
The BIBLE says OUR BELIEFS DETERMINE OUR BEHAVIORS.
The WAY WE THINK DETERMINES the WAY WE ACT.
Now there is a PROBLEM WITH THAT.
SOME of OUR BELIEFS are FALSE & WRONG & MISTAKEN.
Just BECAUSE SOMEONE said SOMETHING to us DOESN’T MEAN we ARE THAT WAY.
DUMB—STUPID—IGNORANT--SELF CENTERED--MEAN-- UNPOPULAR—UNLIKED—UNLOVED--FAILURE HYPOCRITE—GUILTY--TO BLAME.--NEVER AMOUNT to ANYTHING --CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT.
PEOPLE can be SO CRUEL & so CRITICAL & so CONDESCENDING.
I wish we would SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING at OUR OWN FAULTS & OUR OWN FLAWS & WORK ON IMPROVING THEM rather than LOOKING at OTHERS’ FAULTS: We WOULD NOT BE nearly as CRITICAL or nearly as FAULT FINDING & IN THE END we would ALL BE MUCH BETTER PEOPLE.
So DON’T ACT UPON OTHERS JUDGEMENT as IF THEY WERE RIGHT.
That is EXACTLY WHAT the DEVIL WANTS.
This morning I want for us to LOOK at WHAT GOD THINKS & WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT US:
IS THAT ALRIGHT?
Have you ever STOOD in FRONT of those MIRRORS that DISTORT YOUR IMAGE?
When we LOOK at a DISTORTED MIRROR then WHAT we GET is a DISTORTED IMAGE.
It GIVES us a DISTORTED PICTURE of OURSELVES.
We’re MUCH BIGGER or MUCH WIDER or MUCH TALLER or MUCH SHORTER or MUCH THINNER,
SOMETIMES OTHER PEOPLE are MUCH LIKE those DISTORTED MIRRORS.
The PROBLEM MAY NOT BE WITH US – the PROBLEM may be with THEIR DISTORTED VIEW.The PROBLEM is THEM! & NOT ALWAYS US!
SOME PEOPLE LOOK ONLY for the NEGATIVE... They LOOK FOR the FLAWS & the IMPERFECTIONS.
They are PROFESSIONAL FAULT FINDERS. & I have FOUND that IF we GO LOOKING for the FAULTS then we CAN FIND PLENTY of them.
IF they are a PART of SOMETHING of AN ACTIVITY they ALWAYS SEE the NEGATIVE in OTHERS.
They are a lot like FORD. They ALWAYS have a BETTER IDEA.
IF FAULTS & FLAWS & IMPERFECTIONS are WHAT we GO HUNTING FOR we can BRING HOME a BAG FULL.
But we CANNOT BEAT OURSELVES to DEATH by BELIEVING EVERY NEGATIVE & CRITICAL & CONDESCENDING DISTORTED VIEW that OTHERS may have of us.
Even JESUS was FALSELY CRITICIZED & CONDEMNED ---
HE was CALLED EVERY SLURRING & CONDESCENDING & DEGRADING & NEGATIVE THING in the book.
BUT HE KNEW WHO HE WAS & WHAT HE WAS & HE DID NOT ALLOW IT TO HINDER HIM. HE KEPT ON GOING!
But let us CONSIDER THE WAY GOD LOOKS AT US.
GOD’S VIEW is PERFECT & HE NEVER TELLS A LIE.
This morning I want us to:
TAKE a LOOK at 4 THINGS which GOD SAYS ABOUT US BECAUSE of HIS GRACE.
#1: WE’RE ACCEPTABLE:
That is PRETTY GOOD to START OFF WITH because SO MANY PEOPLE SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIVES trying to BE ACCEPTED BY OTHERS.
We WANT to be ACCEPTED by OUR PARENTS & by OUR PEERS & by OUR ENEMIES & by THOSE WE ENVY & even by TOTAL STRANGERS.
We WANT the WAY WE DRESS to BE ACCEPTED.
We WANT the HOUSE we LIVE IN to BE ACCEPTED.
We WANT the KIND of CAR we DRIVE to BE ACCEPTED.
TODAY is SO DIFFICULT for OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. SOME of THEM will DO the CRAZIEST THINGS just to BE ACCEPTED..
We’ve HEARD the QUESTION, “If they JUMPED OFF a BRIDGE, WOULD YOU JUMP TOO?”
& MANY WOULD JUMP!
We ALL WANT to FIT & to BE ACCEPTED.
SOMETIMES we THINK:
IF I COULD JUST BE PERFECT THEN I WOULD BE ACCEPTED & PEOPLE WOULD LOVE ME..
But I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY IF THAT WOULD WORK EITHER!
JESUS was PERFECT in EVERY WAY & HE was DESPISED & REJECTED!
The PROBLEM was NOT JESUS --- the PROBLEM was the PEOPLE.
JESUS tells us THIS PROBLEM is SETTLED WHEN WE ACCEPTED JESUS as our SAVOUR & LORD.
Romans 15:7 ‘So accept one another, as CHRIST has ACCEPTED you…..’
Circle that word: ACCEPTED
NOTICE there are NO CONDITIONS to CHRIST ACCEPTING US.
It DOESN’T SAY:
IF we GO to CHURCH EVERY WEEK then CHRIST will ACCEPT US.
IF we BECOME PERFEECT then CHRIST will ACCEPT US.
IF we KEEP the TEN COMMANDMENTS then CHRIST will ACCEPT US.
WHEN WE BECOME a PART of HIS BORN AGAIN FAMILY we are ACCEPTED BY CHRIST.
Do you REMEMBER WHEN you were in SCHOOL & it was SOFTBALL TIME.
There were TWO CAPTAINS & EACH ONE TOOK TURNS CHOOSING WHO would be ON THEIR TEAM.
You were STANDING THERE HOPING: ‘DON’T LET ME BE PICKED LAST!’
YOU DIDN’T WANT to BE THE REJECT that NOBODY WANTED!
It FEELS GOOD to BE CHOSEN.
& GOD CHOOSE US – NOT BECAUSE WE DESERVE IT but BECAUSE of HIS GRACE.
& IF OTHERS DON’T LIKE IT --- THAT’S THEIR PROBLEM!
Psalm 27:10 ‘Though my father & my mother forsake me, yet the LORD will receive me.’
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#2: GOD SAYS WE’RE VALUABLE:
We are VALUABLE to GOD because of HIS GRACE.
WE’RE WORTH SOMETHING to GOD.
HOW MUCH do you THINK YOU’RE WORTH?
JESUS TAUGHT ‘A MAN’S LIFE CONSISTS NOT in the ABUNDANCE of MATERIAL POSSESSIONS.’
They will ALL PASS AWAY.
There are TWO WAYS to DETERMINE if SOMETHING is of GREAT VALUE:
1: WHO OWNS IT:
2: WHAT SOMEBODY IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.
#1: OWNERSHIP DETERMINES VALUE:
SOMETHING that is OWNED by SOMEBODY FAMOUS is FAR MORE VALUABLE than SOMETHING OWNED by ONE of US.
A CAR OWNED by ELVIS PRESLEY is WORTH MORE is than one WE OWN.
A PAIR of SWEATY TENNIS SHOES worn by MICHEAL JORDAN is WORTH MORE than a PAIR of OUR SWEATY TENNIS SHOES.
A BED OWNED by a PRESIDENT is WORTH MORE than one of OUR BEDS.
WHO the OWNER IS ADDS VALUE to SOMETHING that OTHERWISE would be COMMON.
I John 4:4 says ‘My little children, you belong to GOD.’ (NEV)
When we COME to CHRIST & ASK HIS FORGIVENESS & we ACCEPT HIS GRACE we STEP ACROSS a ROYAL BLOOD LINE.]
We BECOME a PART of GOD’S ROYAL FAMILY.
I John 3:2 ‘Beloved, now we are the sons of GOD & it does not yet appear what we shall be..’
WE”RE NOT ONLY CREATED BY GOD – WE BELONG TO GOD.
That means we are PRICELESS & of GREAT VALUE.
#2: WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT DETERMINES ITS VALUE:
If we have SOMETHING FOR SALE it is ONLY WORTH what SOMEBODY is WILLING to PAY FOR IT.
YOUR HOUSE: You may have PAID $100,000 for it but it’s ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMBODY is WILLING to PAY FOR IT.
COLLECTORS of COINS, BASEBALL CARDS, STAMPS they may have a BOOK VALUE of a CERTAIN PRICE BUT they are ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEBODY is WILLING to PAY FOR IT.
HOW MUCH WAS PAID FOR US?
I Corinthians 7:23 ‘We have been bought with a price..’
CHRIST GAVE HIS OWN LIFE to PURCHASE US.
The GREATEST PRICE EVER PAID was PAID for YOU & for ME.
John 15:13 ‘No greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend.’
GOD said: WE are SO VALUABLE to HIM that HE GAVE HIS OWN SON to DIE for us.’
If we WANT TO KNOW JUST HOW VALUABLE WE ARE to GOD then TAKE a LOOK AT THE CROSS.
THE CROSS says WE ARE VALUABLE TO GOD.
Isaiah 43:4 GOD says ‘We are precious in HIS sight..’
#3: GOD SAYS THAT WE ARE LOVEABLE:
That sure FEELS GOOD when we’ve been REJECTED.
When we’ve been REJECTED we are often MADE to FEEL like NOBODY LOVES US & that we’re NOT WORTH VERY MUCH.
But WE’RE WRONG!
Isaiah 54: 10 ‘The Mountains may crumble but MY love for you will never end, so says the LORD who loves you.’
GOD”S LOVE for us NEVER ENDS!
There are TWO CHARACTERISTICS that make GOD’S LOVE DIFFERENT from HUMAN LOVE.
#1: GOD’S LOVE is CONSISTENT:
It is not ever GOING TO END.
GOD doesn’t CHANGE HIS MIND --ONE MOMENT HE LOVES US & the NEXT MOMENT HE DOES NOT.
GOD DOESN’T have BAD DAYS:
HUMAN BEINGS’ LOVE is NOT that CONSISTENT.
With HUMAN BEINGS depending on what sort of MOOD they’re in that day, we don’t know IF we’re going to be HUGGED or SLUGGED.
But GOD’S LOVE is NEVER going TO END:
#2: GOD’S LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL:
GOD’S LOVE is NOT BASED upon OUR PERFORMANCE that day.
GOD’S LOVE is NOT BASED upon whether or not WE MESSED UP.
HUMAN LOVE is often CONDITIONAL.
IF we DO WHAT they WANT & we DON’T DISAPPOINT them – they LOVE US.
IF we DO NOT EMBARRASS them ---- they LOVE US.
IF we are PRETTY we’re LOVED but WHAT HAPPENS when we GROW OLD & FAT?
All of that is CONDITIONAL LOVE.
But GOD says to each of us: ‘I LOVE YOU PERIOD! NO CONDITIONS. JUST IN MY GRACE!
We don’t have to ask “I WONDER if GOD WILL LOVE ME TOMORROW or NEXT WEEK or NEXT YEAR, HE WILL.
GOD may NOT ALWAYS BE HAPPY with us.
BUT HE ALWAYS LOVES US.
#4: The BIBLE says because of GOD’S LOVE WE ARE FORGIVEABLE:
That is also GOOD NEWS because we all NEED FORGIVENESS a LOT:
We BLOW IT. We MAKE MISTAKES. We MESS UP BIG TIME.
Yet GOD FORGIVES US.
This guy is going to the Smoky Mountains to his cabin.
On the way he ran out of gas. He got out of his car but forgot to put on the brake so the car backs over the cliff. So he starts walking to the cabin. On the way up the mountains there comes a terrible storm. He gets completely soaked & drenched. He is shivering to the bone & he knows he is going to get pneumonia. He’s feeling lower & lower. Finally, he sees the cabin in sight & before he approaches it, lightning strikes it & it is caught on fire.
Bewildered he cries out to GOD, “GOD, why me, why me?”
All of a sudden he hears this booming voice from heaven declaring, "because some people just tick ME off.”
Now that’s a JOKE but sometimes we may feel that way about GOD.
But listen, we’re CHRISTIANS. We’re in the FAMILY of GOD.
Yet, when THINGS GO WRONG in our lives we THINK: “GOD is GETTING EVEN with us.”
We ATTRIBUTE the ATROCITIES of LIFE to the REVENGE of GOD.
But GOD doesn’t do that to HIS CHILDREN.
Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am HE that blots out thy transgressions for mine own sake, & will not remember thy sins:’
GOD FORGIVES. Not because we DESERVE FORGIVENESS.
FORGIVENESS is based on a FORGIVING GOD.
GOD says, “I will NOT HOLD your SINS AGAINST YOU.’
GOD is NOT LIKE SOME PEOPLE, GOD doesn’t CARRY GRUDGES.
GOD DOESN’T REHERSE IT-- HE RELEASES IT.
That is the GRACE of GOD.
Because of GOD’s GRACE we are
1: ACCEPTABLE
2: VALUABLE
3: LOVEABLE
4: FORGIVEABLE
