BROKEN AND BEAUTIFUL
OPENING TEXT:
“I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works. I think about what you have done. I reach out for you. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.” (Psalm 143:4-7, NLT).
• How many of you can relate to those words?
• These words were penned by King David, a man after God’s own heart!
• Job said, “And now my heart is broken. Depression haunts my days.” (Job 30:16).
• Do you feel like you’ve lost all hope, fearful, depressed, and thoughts of dying?
• Do you rarely laugh anymore, feel exhausted, and lack joy in your life?
• There is hope for those who find themselves in a pit of despair today.
PERSONAL TESTIMONY:
New Christian, call to ministry, Bible College, interning at local church. I was attending a Faith church where the pastor said we must always say: “I’m on top and rising.” You couldn’t talk about your doubts, fears, troubles or problems. Sin went underground. So I had no one to talk to. One night ended up in a club with some friends and got drunk. Guilt, shame, broken!
THE REALITY IN THE BIBLE:
I’m so thankful that the Lord doesn’t candy-coat the stories and characters of the Bible. They were real men and women with real problems, struggles and issues. They got depressed; they made wrong choices, and struggled with sin. One of my heroes is King David:
KING DAVID’S TRAGEDY:
“1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child.” (2 Samuel 11:1-5).
v.6-13 - tried to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife to cover up his sin
v.14-25 - that didn’t work, so he plotted to have Uriah killed on the battlefield
v.26-27 - Bathsheba mourned her husband’s death, then David took her home.
12:1-24 - God sent Nathan to David to confront him, David said, “I have sinned…”
How did this happen to a man after God’s own heart?
• He wasn’t fulfilling his destiny – he should have been out fighting battles!
• He was up late at night looking at something he shouldn’t have. (night time = dangerous)
• His friend Jonathan wasn’t in the picture anymore (good Christian friends can help us!)
• Regardless of how it happened – it did happen. But then what did David do?
KING DAVID’S PRAYER:
1. CONFESSING OUR SIN WASHES US CLEAN:
“1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1).
• The first thing David does is call out for God’s mercy, remembering His lovingkindness and tender mercies. Our God is a good, loving and forgiving God!
“2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.” (Psalm 51:2-4).
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (v.10-11).
• When we sin, we feel dirty (guilty and ashamed) and only God can wash us clean.
• One of my favourite Bible promises: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
2. CONFESSING OUR SIN BRINGS JOY:
“Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.” (v.8).
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” (v.12).
David describes this in another Psalm:
“Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:1-5, NLT).
• Sin can make you sick, miserable, weak and depressed – it steals your joy.
o Note – not all sickness is caused by sin!
• But when we confess our sins to God, we are forgiven and experience great joy.
3. CONFESSING OUR SIN HEALS OUR BROKEN HEART:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.” (v.17).
• A lot of times we think of brokenness as a bad thing. But when we allow our hearts to be broken over our sins, then we can find freedom, healing and restoration!
• “I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.” (v. 17, The Message).
THE BIG IDEA: When we sin, we experience guilt and shame, depression and brokenness. But when we come to Jesus and confess our sins, we experience cleansing, joy and healing!
• Morton Kelsey wrote: The Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.
“Jesus said, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do…” For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Matthew 9:12-13, NLT).
• It’s time to start being open and honest about our sins and getting free from them!
• “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16).
TESTIMONY: Sharing my sins with a friend who didn’t keep it in confidence.
• Seven out of ten leaders will fall – those who don’t have accountability partners.
• “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
• We need to be willing to help each other without judging. It’s all about GRACE!
4. CONFESSING OUR SIN PREPARES US TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS:
“Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.” (v.13-15).
• When we compromise with sin, we’re not motivated to go out and share our faith.
• Once Jesus has set us free, we want to help others experience that joy, too!
• King David was at home sinning when he should have been out on the battlefield…
OUR MOTTO: “If you come around here, we’re going to love you – unconditionally, always, and under every circumstance.”
• Love, acceptance and forgiveness. That’s the church!
• We’re here to help you find hope, healing and restoration through God’s Word.
SONG: Broken and Beautiful by Mark Schultz
There’s a business man, there’s a widowed wife, There’s a smiling face with a shattered life,
A teenage girl with a choice to make. It’s crowded here in church today.
And the preacher says as the sermon ends, "Close your eyes, bow your heads.
Is there anyone in need of prayer? Jesus wants to meet you here."
’Cause we all fall short, and we all have sinned, But when you let God’s grace break in…
It’s beautiful, beautiful.
Come as you are. Surrender your heart.
Broken and beautiful.
ALTAR CALL: Come to Jesus and be saved! Confess your sins and:
• Be washed clean, Experience His joy, and Find healing for your broken heart!
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
