This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Nov 21st 2021 by Abhishek Bansode D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.
When we are broken in the hands of God, we are
safe and he holds us. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the ”
Isaiah 35-3-4
We can be broken physically, emotionally,
spiritually, etc. It can be different for different people. Broken means
crushed, destroyed, burst. It is a painful existence. But in that, the good
thing is what Jesus says, he has been sent to heal the broken hearted.
The knowledge to rejoice in is that he heals us
without any merit. Luke – 4:18. He makes is into a master’s piece.
3 Characters who were broken and what can we learn?
1.
David
a. God has made David into a person who
has a legacy forever. But David was broken
b. He was disregarded by his brothers
and by the king. He experienced humiliation at a very different level. He had
to flee his own kingdom because of his sons. The Psalms all talk about his
heart’s posture while all of these things were happening. He was broken.
c. We too might be broken because of
something that has happened to us. But we can do 2 things:
i.
Holding on –
Isaiah 40:29 “he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the
weak.” V.31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They
shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They
shall walk and not faith”. He gives us the strength and then rewards us for holding
on.
ii.
Cried out –
Psalm 56:8 “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected al my tears in
your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”. His compassion for us is
astounding! What a good good father we have. David was expressive and emotive
and did not have any problem expressing himself to the Lord. He takes it
seriously. God is on our side.
2.
Elijah
a. Elijah was an amazing prophet of
God. But he was broken! 1 Kings 18 Elijah wanted to die. Depression is a very
real thing and there is no shame in seeking help from a qualified professional
for clinical depression.
i.
Feeding
and resting – 1 Kings 19 The angel of the Lord came and gave him food and
allows Elijah to rest. God says I know the journey is long for you. He is
compassionate and understands. We too need to rest and refuel ourselves by
feeding on the Word of God and his abundant love.
ii.
God’s
intimate relation with us – 1 kings 19:11-12 “The Lord said, “Go out and stand
on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass
by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the
rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there
was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the
earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire
came a gentle whisper.” We might want massive things to happen, but God is in
the still small voice – a voice that is for us. His intimate still small voice
is for guiding me.
3.
Paul
a. 2 Corinthians 11:23- 29 “ Are they servants of Christ?
(I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,
been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to
death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes
minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones,
three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I
have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger
from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger
in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from
false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I
have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold
and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for
all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and
I do not inwardly burn?” None of us have suffered like this. In addition,
his friends abandoned him when he was in prison
b. But in the hands of God, he has done
great things for the kingdom.
i.
The
sufficiency of Grace – 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 “But he said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will
boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest
on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am
strong.” To be made perfect is like the epoxy table. It means to fill up. He
fills us what is lacking in us. In our brokenness there is such grace to look
forward to. There is weakness but God’s weakness comes and fill up.
ii.
Endurance
because of Eternal Hope- 2 Tim 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This is the proof of the sufficiency
of Grace. Romans 8: 35 – nothing can separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. The love of God is the driving force for a person
like Paul who was so broken to endure till the end.
In the hands of God, submitted to him, our
broken lives can be made beautiful.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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