God’s Healing Grace
One of the things I’ve learned in this world – is that no one has an easy life. We all have problems. We all have hurts. We all have hidden wounds.
Another thing I’ve learned in life – is that one of the deepest hurts of all is rejection. Rejection from parents – rejection from peers – rejection partners – all of these rejections hurt. Some of us can remember things which happened or were said – 5 – 10 – 15 years ago – or longer. We don’t let go of our hurts very easy because the wounds are deep. How do you deal with your hurts? How do you get over your pain? Today, I want us to look at God’s Healing Grace. I want to talk about – how God heals the wounds of our life. The Psalmist tells us:
“He (God) heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 (NKJV)
How does God heal us? How does God fix our wounded spirits? One of the ways that He does it is by telling us how valuable we are – by telling us we are important to Him.
You may not realize it – but did you know that you are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to heal you? It is true. It is the story of the New Testament. God sent His Son – Jesus – to the earth – because He knew that you were hurting and that you needed healing. Broken hearted – rejected by some – bruised sometimes emotionally and sometimes physically – God saw your hurts and He sent His Son to come and heal you. The Bible says:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV)
Someone told me a long time ago that I needed to make this verse more personal. They told me that what I needed to do was to put my name in the verse. They told me that this is what the verse would say: “For God so loved Tom that He gave His only begotten Son – Jesus, that if Tom would believe in Jesus – Tom would not perish but that Tom would have everlasting life.” You can put your name in there too – because God loved you so much that He sent Jesus to heal you too.
Here is a fact Folks – God loves me – God loves you – and He wants the best for me and for you. God thinks I am important – He thinks you are important too – so important that He sent His Son to heal you.
How does God heal? Part of the healing process involves changing the way we think about ourselves? Look at a verse from Romans with me:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle the words “renewing of your mind”. God tells us not to be conformed to this world – but to be transformed by the way you think – by the renewing of your mind. The Bible places great emphases on our thought life. Our thoughts are powerful. They direct our lives. Proverbs tells us:
“As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7
In other words – if you view yourself as a loser you’re going to tend to be a loser in life. If you view yourself as a failure, you’re going to tend to fail. But if you see yourself as a winner – you will give more effort to winning. If you see yourself as an over-comer – you will put more effort into overcoming. It’s very simple – our beliefs determine our behaviors. The way we think determines the way that we act – therefore we ought to think in a manner which pleases God.
I don’t know about you but I like to hear words of encouragement. I like to hear, “Hey, you did a great job.” Or, “Wow, you really did well.” Words like this boost my self-esteem and help me get a new perspective on my life.
The problem is – many of us have heard too many negative statements. If others don’t give us negative criticism many times – we criticize ourselves. We have gotten into a negative thought pattern. God wants us to break the old pattern and accept His way of thinking. That is why He says:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
Let me say up front – God knows we have sinned. He knows we have messed up. We know it too. But He also says some very positive things about you and me – and this is what I want to speak on today.
I want us to look at three things God says about you.
1. God says you are ACCEPTED
Do you remember playing any team sports as a kid? Remember how the teams were picked? Two popular kids would be the captains. They would each take a turn picking people to be on their team. You would stand there and you would be praying: "Oh, God! Don’t let me be the last person to be chosen!" You know how it feels. You know the hurt of rejection. But God does not do that. The Bible says you were chosen by God. You are accepted by His grace. You have been offered an invitation. He wants you on His team. Do you deserve it? No. Are you the best player? No. But you are important to Him. He wants you on His team. He wants you by His side. In Romans chapter fifteen verse seven, Paul is writing to the church at Roman and he says:
“Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.” Romans 15:7 (NLT)
Go ahead and circle the words, “Christ has accepted you”. Did you catch that – Paul says that we are to accept one another – in the same way that Christ has accepted us. We are accepted by Christ. He has opened a door and invited us in. He welcomes you to come into His presence. He tells you that you are valuable and He wants you to a part of His team. He wants you to be part of His family. Look at what Jesus tells us in chapter fourteen of the gospel of John. Jesus says:
“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NLT)
I don’t know about you – but I am glad that God has a place for me. He knows me inside and out – and He still has a place for me. Why? – Because He has accepted me onto His team and into His family. You know there are a few things that change when you become a Christian. Jesus becomes your Savior. Other Christians become your brothers and sisters. And God becomes your Father. In other words we become one big family. We are accepted. There is no more rejection. God welcomes me into His house. He welcomes you into His home. Do you remember the last verse of the twenty third Psalm? Look at it with me:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalms 23:6 (NKJV)
God has a home for me because He has accepted me into His family. The invitation is open to you too.
But that is not all:
2. God says you are VALUABLE
Look with me at these verses from Matthew:
“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT)
This verse tells us that God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. Even though the sparrow is not worth much money – God is aware of what happens to the sparrow. Don’t you think God knows what is happening to you? He knows when you fall asleep. He knows when you wake up. He knows when you are feeling down. He knows when you are feeling rejected. He knows every hurt and every tear that has been shed. He knows in such detail that He even says, “I know how many hairs you have on the top of your head. You are valuable – you are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows.”
I am valuable and so are you. I am worth something and so are you. How much do you think you are worth? You say, "I don’t know.” Let me ask you then – how do you judge the value of anything?
How many of you have ever watched Antiques Roadshow? I love to watch Antiques Roadshow and there are three things that I have found that determine the value of an object. They are:
a. Rarity
b. Quality
c. Popularity
First, the RARITY of an object determines the value of something.
We all know that diamonds are much more valuable than rocks. Why is that? Because I can go outside these doors into the parking lot and pick up a rock – because rocks are quite common. But it would be very rare indeed if I found a diamond just lying in the parking lot. The only way I could see that happening is if a diamond came loose from someone’s jewelry setting and just happened to fall in the parking lot. It could happen – but that would be very uncommon. That would be very rare. In fact – even if you would go to a diamond mine – diamonds are hard to find. It takes energy and effort to find diamonds – because they are rare. Because of their rarity – they are valuable.
But Folks here is a fact – you are rare also. You are unique. You are one of kind. There is only one of you just like there is only one of me. David said as he praised God:
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalms 139:14 (NKJV)
All of us could praise God in this manner. All of us are fearfully and wonderfully made. God created me to be unique. He knows every hair on my head. He knows that my finger print was going to be different than your finger print. He knows that my personality is different than your personality. He knows the exact moment that I was born and He knows the exact moment that I will die. He knows my thoughts and my motives. He knows me inside and out. Yes – we are all human – but we are all also unique and that makes each and every one of us valuable. We are each one of a kind – created in God’s image. I have value – I have worth – and so do you.
Not only that – but I am of the highest QUALITY – because my Maker is a Master Craftsman.
A few years ago I served in a church that had stained glass windows. The windows were beautiful. They were of great value – but they were not Tiffany windows. There was a church a few miles away that had Tiffany windows and the value of those windows was over twice the value of ours. Why? Because they were made by Tiffany and Tiffany was a master craftsman. He was a craftsman who only produced the highest quality work.
But Folks here is a fact – I can tell you right now – I was created by a Master Craftsman and because a Master Craftsman made me – I have great value. He who formed me set the stars in place. He who formed me created the colors of the universe. He who formed me created everything by the Word of His power. He who made me is a Master Craftsman of the highest quality. Nothing can surpass His work – He is a Master Craftsman. But that is not all. There is one other thing that determines value – that is POPULARITY.
Popularity determines how much someone is willing to pay for it.
How much is an object worth? Well it’s only worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. If there are many people want an object and there is a limited supply – the price goes up. That is called the law of supply and demand. Did you know the Bibles says:
“You were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 (HCSB)
You may ask what price? I can tell you. Jesus gave His life for you. Jesus came to heal you. He came to make you well. He came to save you. He went to a cross to die for your sins – in order that you do not have to die for them yourself. He paid the price – He suffered the punishment – in order that we do not have to suffer the punishment yourself. Look at what the book of Isaiah tells us:
“He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.” Isaiah 53:5 (HCSB)
How valuable am I? I am so valuable that God sent His Son to die for me. He sent His Son to die for you too. Why did He do that – because you and I are valuable. But that is not all.
3. God says you are LOVED
Knowing that you are loved sure feels good when you are dealing with rejection or a broken heart. When you are rejected you sure don’t feel very lovable. When someone rejects you – a girlfriend – a boyfriend – a husband – a wife – a parent or whoever – it hurts and it sure makes you feel down in the dumps. You are broken hearted. You think, "Nobody loves me! I’m not worth anything! I’m not loved by anybody." When you have thoughts like that – you’re wrong. The Bible says:
“The mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you." Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)
This verse tells me that God’s love will remain – no matter what happens. There are two characteristics that make God’s love different from human love.
A. God’s love is CONSISTENT
God’s love is never going to end. God is not fickle. He does not say one day, “I love you.” And the next day say, “Get lost.” Most of us have experienced inconsistent love in our lives because we live with human beings. Humans are inconsistent. I heard one lady say, "Growing up I never knew whether I’d be hugged or slugged. It all depended on the mood that my mom was in that day."
But God is not human. God doesn’t have bad hair days. God is not unpredictable. That is why God can tell us, “The mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain.”
God’s love for us is always consistent - it is always dependable. The second thing that makes God’s love different than human love is:
B. God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL
God’s love is not based on your performance – it is unconditional. The Bible tells us:
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
Some people have told me, “When I get life together – I’ll come to church. When I get my life together – I’ll ask Jesus to be my Savior.” Folks – Christ died for you – just as you are. While we were still sinners – Christ died for us. He is not asking us to get better – He is asking us if we want to be healed. He is the One who can heal us. He is the One who can forgive us. He is the One who can transform us. He is the One who can save us. We need to come to Him for that healing.
Jesus told a story saying: "There was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, no one showed up – so he called them on the phone, saying, ’Come on over; the food’s on the table.’ "But they all began to make excuses. The first said, ’I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. I’m sorry I can’t make it.’ "Another said, ’I just bought new car, and I really need to check it out. I can’t make it either.’ "And yet another said, ’I need to run to the store – they are having a sale down there today.’ Even though the invitations had been sent out well in advance – no-one came! The host was very disappointed but he had an idea. He said, “Here is what I will do. I will go out into the city streets and alleys. I will invite anyone who looks like they could use a good meal. I don’t care if they are unemployed – homeless or a cast out. I will accept them. I will feed them. I will take care of them.” (Luke 14:16-24) And that is what He has done. He has sent us an invitation to His dinner party – and if we respond – He will accept you – He will take care of you – He will heal you. God loves you with an unconditional love. Accept His love today. Say, "Yes Lord - I know that I have messed up my life - but today I want to be with You - I want You to be my Savior - I want to be part of Your family. Forgive me. Heal me. Amen."
