MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(Powerpoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #298)
ILL. In the records of court trials in Richmond, VA, Trial #761 253 is a case between Mary Green God & David & Eva Hurt. The gist of the trial is this: Mary Green God had a piece of land she wanted to sell, & David & Eva Hurt wanted to buy it.
They agreed upon a price & the transaction was finalized only to find, after the money was paid, that Mary Green God did not have clear title to the property. So David & Eva Hurt took Mary Green God to court.
What caught my attention was the title of the trial as listed in the court records. Court case #761 253 is entitled, "God vs. Hurt."
As I read that I wondered if there is anybody in our area named "God." So I got the Telephone Directory & looked for someone named "God." I didn't find anybody.
Then I went to the much larger NW Arkansas Directory, but I still didn’t find anyone with the last name of “God.” I found Godby & Goddard & Godwin, but I didn't find anybody by the name of "God."
Then I looked for "Hurt" & found a number of people named "Hurt" Franklin Hurt, Gerald Hurt, Ike Hurt, Jimmy Hurt, & several more. There are a lot of families whose last name describes the way many people feel much of the time.
A. "God Vs. Hurt" I think that's an interesting theme for a sermon. There is a lot of pain & suffering. Yet the Bible tells us over & over again that God loves us.
But words can express only so much. So God decided, "I will show them how much I love them," & He came to earth to live among us.
With that in mind, God used the prophet Isaiah to describe the ministry of the coming Messiah. And one day Jesus read this passage out loud to the people in His home synagogue in Nazareth, & told them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21)
Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Isaiah 61:1-3 says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives & release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor & the day of vengeance of our God,
"to comfort all who mourn, & provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, & a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." (Isaiah 61:1 3a)
B. Now according to that prophecy, what did Jesus come to do? Basically, two things: #1, to help those who are hurting to give them freedom & gladness & praise instead of mourning & despair; & #2, to proclaim “the day of vengeance of our God.”
PROP. So this morning, let's talk for a few moments about Jesus as our Comforter; 2ndly, about Jesus as our Protector & Deliverer; 3rdly, about Jesus as a Prosecutor; & finally, about Jesus as the Great Physician.
I. JESUS AS OUR COMFORTER
Look again at part of our text this morning: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me… He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted… to comfort all who mourn, & provide for those who grieve…”
Scripture teaches us that Jesus is able to be our comforter because He really understands us.
I came across a poem that says it better than I can say it. It goes:
"If only God would speak with us, oh, every single week with us.
If He would tell us what to do. Then surely we'd come through.
If only God would stay with us, each night & working day with us,
Stand by us in the mud & spill some holy blood.
If only God would hurt with us & wear a common shirt with us.
Remove His robe of gold, & shiver when it's cold.
If only God would sup with us, break bread & drink the cup with us.
Share time with us & then resume His throne again."
Jesus has done that. And because He has, He is able to comfort. He knows what it is to be hurt. He knows what it is to be cold. He knows what it is to be lonely. And because He understands, He can comfort us. He can help us when we hurt.
Now I realize that when we look out over any congregation that there are all kinds of people present, & different kinds of hurts.
A. There are people who have been deeply hurt, but they seem to carry on with tremendous courage. Some have lost loved ones & thus there are empty spots in their lives that will never be filled the same way again.
Some have suffered through the tragedy of divorce & experienced not only grief but feelings of self doubt & rejection. Some have financial problems & are struggling to pay their bills.
Parents have been hurt by their children, & children have been hurt by their parents. There are all kinds of hurts that become burdens that seem too heavy to carry.
And yet, some of the most inspiring people I've ever met have been people who are hurting, but by the grace of God & their faith in Jesus they have been able to bear those burdens & even to be an inspiration to others.
B. There are also times when we hurt ourselves.
ILL. As most of you know, I'm a missionary's kid, a preacher's kid. All my life I've heard stories about preacher's kids being the meanest kids in town. And I have heard stories, too, about how weird some preachers are.
I thank God that my father was the kind of man that he was, & that he set an example in sacrifice & service that I could really respect. And I only hope that in some small way I have been able to measure up to him.
Possibly as a result of hearing stories about lazy preachers & how scarce some seem to be when there is any physical labor involved – for most of my years of ministry I tried to do more than my share when there was work to be done.
Well, about 30 years ago I made a big mistake. The ladies of the church I served in Brownsville were getting ready to put out a Cookbook, & we ordered 30 boxes of paper heavy boxes of paper each one weighing around 75 pounds.
I borrowed a truck, went to the warehouse, loaded the boxes into the truck, came back to the church, unloaded the truck, & carried each box one by one up the steps into the church office, or down the steps into the storage room.
You see, I wasn't a lazy preacher. I didn't ask for any help!
Folks, that was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done! At that time I didn't know what a Sciatic Nerve was. I didn't know about sprained backs or pinched nerves. But boy, I learned!
The next day I was almost helpless. I could barely walk. The most tremendous pain I had ever known seemed to be gripping my legs & my back. For the greater part of 3 months I was in almost constant pain.
The people were so kind to me during that time. But deep down I knew I didn't deserve their sympathy. I hurt myself, you see.
Maybe I was just stupid. Maybe I was too proud of my reputation of not being a lazy preacher. Whatever the reason, I brought it upon myself.
APPL. Don't we all do that at times? And it can be much more serious than a hurt back. We inflict ourselves with all kinds of hurts. Some dull their senses with drugs or alcohol. Some abuse marital vows, & they are hurt, & others are hurt.
Some abuse the relationship within their families, & many are hurt. Some violate the very basic laws that God has given us to live by, & they are hurt.
But the good news is that Jesus comes to minister to all who hurt, regardless of what kind of hurt we're experiencing. And because He knows us, our strengths, our weaknesses, Jesus is able to be our Comforter.
II. JESUS AS OUR PROTECTOR & DELIVERER
Our text also describes Jesus as our Protector & Deliverer. It says that the Messiah was “to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners.” And with all my heart, & for many reasons I am convinced that is true!
Now when I first began preparing this message, I intended to tell you about a time years ago when our family was taken captive by Tibetan bandits.
After being held prisoner for 10 hours, my father was about 5 seconds away from being executed - their guns were already raised when something unexpected, so unbelievable, happened to save his life & the rest of us, also. And the only explanation I can give is that God stepped in to save our lives.
ILL. But something happened just 9 days ago that I want to share with you instead. One of our granddaughters, Allie Borders, graduated this year from Dallas Christian College. Her goal is to spend her life serving in a mission in India.
With that as her goal she has spent the last 3 summers preparing by working with missionaries in India, Ecuador, & Guatemala. And this summer she was asked by the Global Expeditions mission to be a group leader in Nepal & then step up to be an assistant to the directors of that mission in India.
There were 49 who went to Nepal – 8 adults & 41 teenage mission volunteers. When their time in Nepal was over, 26 of them – 5 adults & 21 teenagers flew back to the United States, leaving 2 men, Allie, & 20 teenage girls to fly to India & join a group of mission workers there for another month of service.
They flew from Nepal to New Delhi. When they got to New Delhi the taxi company that had been hired to take them to their hotel did not send 3 vans as expected. Instead it sent 7 taxicabs, & they didn’t all arrive at the airport at the same time.
Each driver was given the same written instructions where to take their passengers. The first 2 taxis took one of the men & 6 of the girls & left. The next 3 taxis that arrived loaded up Allie & 8 more of the girls, leaving one man & 6 girls to wait for the last 2 taxis.
After the taxi that Allie was in had gone a ways, it turned off the main road & headed down a long dark alley, turned & went down another dark alley, stopping in front of a seedy-looking building, & the driver told Allie that this was her hotel.
But things just didn’t feel right. Men were sitting around everywhere, & there was a strong smell of marijuana & liquor. Allie told the girls to stay in the taxi while she went in to check it out. She went inside, but it was obvious that this was not the place where they had reservations & where the first 2 taxis had gone.
She went outside to try to call on her cell phone, & found that the taxi driver had made the girls get out of the cab, quickly unloaded their luggage in the alley & left. The next 2 taxis had also arrived & done exactly the same thing.
So here they were, 9 girls, foreigners, all alone, who didn’t know the language, who had been dumped in an alley; & no one else knew where they were.
Now you also need to realize that in India New Delhi is known for its involve-ment in the sex slave trade where hundreds of girls disappear every year. And here was this hotel clerk insisting that the girls had to split up & go upstairs “now.”
Very apprehensive about the whole situation Allie told the girls to stay together while she continued trying to use her cell phone. Suddenly the mood of the hotel clerk turned ugly & Allie told the girls to grab their luggage & get out of the hotel.
Carrying their luggage they walked back down those two dark alleys until they reached the main road which was jammed with pedestrians. Turning in the direction the taxis had originally been headed they kept walking, hoping to be able to contact the others on her cell phone.
After they had gone several blocks, suddenly a man approached them & said, “I know where the rest of your group is staying. Just follow me.” Up to this point Allie had been very apprehensive, but for some strange reason she felt completely at peace about following this man.
They walked quite a few blocks following him, when suddenly they saw one of the two men of their group standing on a corner watching & waiting for them. Allie then turned to thank the man who had led them. But he was gone, & none of the girls remembered seeing him leave. He was just gone.
Folks, I don’t know what conclusions you may draw about this incident in India, & about the stranger who just appeared & led them to safety. But I am convinced that time & time again our Lord has kept His promise to be with us always.
And I am also convinced that God’s people have been the recipients of His protection & deliverance far more often than we have every realized. Do you suppose that the words “Guardian angel” are much more than just words? I do.
III. JESUS AS A PROSECUTOR
#3, Our text points out that the Messiah, Jesus, will come as a prosecutor, too - “to proclaim…the day of vengeance of our God…” Now the duty of a prosecutor is to oppose the wrong & uphold the right.
When Jesus came into the temple & saw the money changers there cheating the people, He didn't just stand by & watch. He overturned their tables & drove them out of the temple because they had made God's house into a den of thieves.
When He saw political authorities & religious officials inflicting hurt on others, Jesus did something about it. And that tells us something about the nature of God.
So be assured, when you hear newscasts about the cruelty going on in the world, wherever it may be, that our Lord stands opposed to that, & one day God will punish for He is the prosecutor of all who hurt & destroy.
ILL. Fifty-five years ago a young native minister in India, Dr. Vijai Lall, & his wife Pushpa, started Mid-India Christian Mission. That Mission, starting with a few little house churches that they were serving, is still going strong.
But now the churches & their evangelists number in the hundreds. They established an eye hospital, medical clinics, a Bible College, a Media Center providing the Indian national networks with Christian programs.
They started 2 of the most highly respected schools in Central India with a total student body now of over 2,000 students. They also started a school for the blind, & developed successful programs for training women & helping widows.
All in all, despite violent opposition at times from certain elements, it is a successful & highly regarded work in the eyes of district & provincial authorities.
But two of the churches that they started, those at Birsingpur & Shadol, had a very difficult time trying to get government permission to build. Poor as they are, the Indian Christians there had sacrificed & accumulated money for their buildings, but they just couldn’t get the necessary building permits.
For more than 5 years they tried, but 15 layers of bureaucrats had to approve & all were hostile to the formation of the churches in their area.
Finally, a Hindu official in Damoh, a supervisor of high position who thought very highly of Dr. Lall, was transferred to the district which includes those two towns. In going over the files, he was aghast at the lies & half truths put there by these officials.
So he summoned these officials one by one & "encouraged" them to sign their permission without any further delay. They all did, except one. "No," he said, He "would never sign permission!" One week later, that man was hit by a car & sustained multiple fractures.
Maksun, an Indian Christian minister, went to visit him in the hospital & told him that the church was praying for his recovery; but that he should never again oppose God. "Yes," the man agreed, he "would never again stand in opposition to God."
His replacement quickly signed the permission, & today there are two simple but beautiful church buildings in Birsingpur & Shadol.
Now I'm not suggesting that God is always going to step in & right the wrong immediately, but there is a Judgment Day coming, & the Bible says that there will be many who will cry for the rocks & mountains to cover them in their fear of His righteous judgment!
IV. JESUS AS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
A. Finally, #4, see Jesus as the Great Physician who heals those who hurt. Isaiah said that the Messiah would come “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, & a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
You can't read the Gospels without noticing that Jesus was always reaching out: to a woman who touched the hem of his garment to a man who could not see to a lame person who couldn't walk to a leper whose skin was infected.
He treated more than just physical ills. The woman at the well Jesus knew the whole history of her life. He knew how deeply she hurt inside & told her about the water of life that would quench her thirst. Then He sent her back into her hometown to witness to the residents there, & He took away the hurt.
Time & time again He took away the hurt of hunger, the hurt of disease, the hurt of loneliness. Whatever the hurt was Jesus moved in & healed it as the Great Physician.
B. Something I think we miss when we read the Gospels is that Jesus came not only to heal those who hurt, but He came also to heal those who inflict hurt on others.
That is the reason He looked up at Zacchaeus & called him down from that sycamore tree. Here was a man who had hurt hundreds. Here was a man who had cheated. And yet Jesus came to heal his hurt too, & in the process reached out to help all the people Zacchaeus had hurt.
SUM. So Jesus comes as the Great Physician, & what that says to us is this, "In the eternal court case of God vs. Hurt, when the verdict is finally in. God is the winner. The victory is His & all those of us who are in Jesus Christ will never hurt again."
This morning God extends his loving arms through His Son, Jesus. He invites you to come, & He stands willing & able to heal the hurt that is in your life. I pray you will respond as we stand & as we sing.
