What Should Really Matter In Life?

Illus: Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddle boats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other.

• Words were exchanged

• Challenges were made

And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but they burned their cargo. (Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 97-98.)

A lot of folks have done the same thing with their life. God has entrusted them with life, and they have taken the one life God has given them and consumed it on the wrong things. As far as the world is concerned they might have won the race, but in the sight of God they have burned their cargo.

Illus: The thing that MATTERS to most people today it seems, is to make it BIG in some kind of sport. Many believe that the god of sports is the number one god in America. Think about it:

• This is all some talk about

• This is all some read about

It is probably true that the god of sports is the number one god in America.

Most Americans can tell you all about the games, scores and the players, but can not tell you very much about the God of heaven.

Illus: They are not like the two elderly sisters who donated $5 to a charity and, to their surprise, won tickets to a football game. Since they had never seen a live football game before, Madge thought the free tickets would provide an excellent opportunity for doing so.

"I think so, too," said Mabel. "Let's go!"

They soon found themselves high in a noisy stadium overlooking a large, grassy expanse. They watched the kickoff and the seemingly endless back-and-forth struggles that comprised the scoreless first half.

They enjoyed the band music and cheerleader performance that followed.

Then came the second half. When the teams lined up for the second-half kickoff, Madge nudged her sister. "I guess we can go home now, Mabel," she said. "This is where we came in."

Many people today can tell you are all about the different kinds of sports because these are the things that MATTER to them. But the thing that MATTERED in the life of Christ was PEOPLE! For example, we see-

I. THE HEART MATTERS

Look at verse 18 in our text, He said "He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted" He was not only SENT to heal the broken hearted, HE HEALED the broken hearted. Look at Psa. 147:3, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

As a pastor, I visit the hospitals often. Sometimes the folks I visit have a broken arm, leg or toe. It is serious but not life threatening.

But many times when I visit those who have heart problems, they are in the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. This kind of problem requires INTENSIVE CARE.

There are a lot of folks today that have a BROKEN HEART, and physically they are not in the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT at the local hospital, but I can assure you their heart it BROKEN.

It’s safe to say that in this congregation today there are hearts that are broken.

• Many times those who have a PHYSICALLY BROKEN HEART have it because they have not taken care of themselves as they should have

• Many times the reason that some have a SPIRITUALLY BROKEN HEART is because they have not taken very good care of themselves

David was like this. Notice David’s heart was broken after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He had a broken heart. But look what David came to realize about what MATTERS to the God He served. He found out HE MATTERED!

Look at Psalm 34:15-18, we read, “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”