The Heart of the Matter (Part Two)
"Intensive Care for Broken Hearts"
Introduction
A. Example - It was 1974 B.T. (Before Tia) I was in 3rd grade at ACA. I had a crush on a girl in the 4th grade. I took the mature 3rd grade approach and wrote her a note. I laid it all on the line. I poured my heart into the note. It read: "Do you like me? Yes or No. Please check one." She didn’t answer the letter. I asked my friend David
(who was a 4th grader in her class), "Doesn’t she like me? Tell me, what does she
think about me?" My friend said, "She thinks you are strange!"
B. I was crushed! The girl of my dreams had said that I was strange. My heart was
broken! Boy, was she going to live with regret for not picking me (Ain’t that right
sweetheart!)
C. We find out at an early age what it feels like to have a broken heart. But what
happens when we are young (in my case, 3rd grade) doesn’t even compare with
the pain and heartache we experience as we get older.
D. For some of you, this past year has been extremely difficult. It’s been one blow
after another. As soon as one problem was over with, you were dealt with
another one.
E. It’s safe to say that there are many present today whose hearts are broken.
F. Are you ready for a shocker? God needs people with broken hearts! We may not
think that’s the case but in reality it is.
G. Last week, we began our series on "The Heart of the Matter" by discussing
heart trouble. We talked about the signs of heart trouble. We made an analogy
between the physical heart and the spiritual heart.
1. We noticed David’s heart trouble, that is, his sin with Bathsheba and the events
that followed.
2. Thankfully David finally admitted he had a heart problem and he allowed God
to do surgery on his heart.
3. David asked God to create in him a clean and pure heart.
4. We ended our lesson with a plea—allow God to open our hearts and do the
surgery.
H. Sometimes, after heart surgery is performed, people have to spend some time in
the intensive care unit. Their hearts have to be monitored closely. Even though
the surgery has been done, there’s always the possibility that complications can
occur; that heart trouble can act up again.
I. In like manner, once we have allowed God to do surgery on our hearts, we need to spend some time in the "spiritual" intensive care unit.
1. The therapy we need is to allow our hearts to be broken when necessary.
2. That might seem to be an odd concept when dealing with a heart condition.
3. But as we will see, God needs people with broken hearts!
J. Notice Psalm 51:16,17 - READ
1. Didn’t I tell you that God needs those who have broken hearts? I cannot say
that I understand why that is the case.
2. But there’s another passage that’s even more difficult for me to understand
when it comes to the brokenhearted.
K. Notice Psalm 34:15-17 - READ
1. I’ve got no problem preaching or understanding those verses. We expect God
to watch over the good hearted, the kind and the noble.
2. Psalm 34:18 - READ (Repeat)
L. Someone says, "I want to know if my heart is right with God. Am I living right?"
M. David says, "Having your heart right with God comes from your ability to have
a broken heart."
N. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus taught? "Blessed are the poor in spirit (the broken
hearted), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)
O. Two questions we want to address:
1. Why would God be drawn to those who are broken hearted?
2. What is the intensive care that broken hearts need?
Body
I. First, Why is God Drawn to the Brokenhearted?
A. Number One - The brokenhearted have learned the difference between what is
genuine and what is fake.
1. The brokenhearted know the difference between reality and what is a sham
(counterfeit).
2. It takes a brokenhearted person to know what is real and important versus
what is false and unimportant.
3. Luke 7:36-50 - READ
4. Isn’t it amazing how a broken heart will wipe away the "junk" and show you
what’s real?
5. Simon is so worried with making a good impression on his guests (so worried
about the externals) that he can’t even see past his nose to what’s really
important.
a. Simon "knew" this woman was a "sinner" and that she had problems—but
did he care? NO!
b. Did he offer to talk with this woman and see if he could help her—after all,
Simon was a Pharisee who knew the scriptures.
c. No Simon was too concerned about his appearance and his image in front of
his guests to reach out to this woman.
6. In fact, Simon didn’t even have the heart to give Jesus a proper greeting. He
didn’t wash Jesus’ feet which was a decent act of common courtesy!
7. Contrast Simon’s attitude with the brokenhearted spirit of this woman. There
is NO comparison!
8. Example - The lady in the surgical waiting room, all of the sudden, doesn’t
care about her husband’s annoying habits.
a. She doesn’t care about the fact that he snores at night or that he won’t wear
the shoes she wants him to.
b. She doesn’t care about the fact that he is forgetful or that he repeats himself
over and over again and has told her the same stories a thousand times over.
c. All she cares about is, "Please, dear Lord, help him make it through the
surgery. Help the operation to be a success."
d. As she weeps in her brokenheartedness, what’s really important becomes
clear!
9. Point: I don’t know if we can call ourselves true Christian people unless we
allow God to break our hearts and show us what’s really important in life!
10. God is close to the brokenhearted because they have discovered what’s
really important in life!
a. And it’s NOT the money, the clothes, the looks, the house, etc.
11. The brokenhearted have learned the difference between what is real and
important versus what is fake and unimportant.
12. Example - Henry the Hypocrite
Henry was a man of two faces. His wife had told him on numerous occasions
that he could turn it off and on in front of people the best that she had ever
known. You see, Henry was this way. He could be having a knock down, drag
out argument with his wife and ten minutes later he could be at the church
building with his arm around the little woman telling everyone what a great
wife she was and an hour later when they got back home, he wouldn’t even
speak to her.
Henry was always criticizing to his wife about how the minister was too long,
his sermon was too dull or too personal, or that he didn’t use enough scripture.
However, Henry always shook hands with the preacher on Sunday and told him
what a great message he had delivered.
Henry had been heard in Bible class several times to say that "the Jews gave
over a tenth of what they made to God and those of us who live in the Christian
age ought to do even more because we are living in better times." But Henry
made $1,000 a week and gave only $20.00 per week to the church except the
two weeks that he was on vacation. His giving amounted to a little less than
two percent per week.
Henry told everybody at worship that you should not forsake the assembly,
but his wife knew that his only headache came during the World Series on
Sunday night and that he had gone to a party at work on a Wednesday night.
Henry surely loved everybody down at the church building, but he had a
neighbor he hadn’t spoken to for two years.
One night the church had a missionary speak about a work in a foreign
country. Henry was seen wiping the tears from his eyes. What a holy man he
was! The next evening Henry was seen purchasing the latest issue of Playboy
magazine.
Hypocrisy, sham and pretense have no place in the lives of Christians! How
many "Henry’s" are there in the church?
B. Number Two - God is Drawn to the Brokenhearted Because the Brokenhearted
Aren’t Afraid to Cry in Front of Other People.
1. When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers (Genesis 45:2), he wept
so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and Pharaoh’s house heard about it.
2. David was unafraid to cry or shed tears in front of other people.
3. When is the last time we were so moved by something that we cried?
4. Disclaimer - Crying is not necessarily a sign of deep spirituality. Not everyone
responds to things in the same way emotionally. A person may be deeply
moved on the inside and yet not show any outward signs of emotion. (Wedding)
5. But we would have to admit that there is something in the tears; there is
something in the brokenhearted that God likes BECAUSE they know how to
hurt!
6. "Ross, big boys don’t cry! You’ve got to keep a hold on your emotions. You’ve
got to be strong! You’ve got to BE IN CONTROL!
a. Point: As long as I am in control, God cannot be!
b. That’s why God had to bring David right down to his knees before He could
get a hold of his life again!
7. David didn’t cry when Bathsheba said, "I’m pregnant!" David didn’t cry when
his life began to get fouled up. David didn’t even cry when Uriah was killed!
8. David’s heart began to brake when his baby was sick. That’s when the tears
started to flow. When he had been confronted about his sin and he realized
that it was time to turn his life around, the tears began to run down his cheeks.
9. Question - Don’t you think it’s time for us to let God break our hearts?
10. Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). Paul wept with the elders in Ephesus
in Acts 20:37.
11. David says, "God saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
12. Psalm 130:1 - "Out of the depths, I have cried to You, O Lord."
13. Tangent - "If we start crying and weeping, people will think we’re fanatics!"
14. It is amazing how we like to talk about being just like the church of the
first century. If so, then we need to act like the church of the first century.
15. There is a third reason why God is drawn to the brokenhearted. This point is
also the answer to our second question of "What is the intensive care that
broken hearts need?"
C. Number Three - God is Drawn to the Brokenhearted Because They, More Than
Anyone Else, Place Their Trust in Him.
1. The intensive care that broken hearts need is— to trust in the Lord.
2. Turn to Psalm 107. In this Psalm, we find people in various stages of need.
These people are crying out to God. They need His help.
3. Verse 4 - Some wandered in desert wastelands; hungry and thirsty. These are
people who experience problems in their lives (accidents, sickness, tragedy)
through no fault of their own.
4. Verse 10 - Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom; prisoners. These are
people who experience problems because of rebellion against God and a
rejection of His word.
5. Verse 17 - These are people who make foolish choices because of their
rebellious ways.
6. Verses 23-24 - READ
a. Analogy - These are the GOOD people. These are the Christians who are
striving to serve God. They don’t have problems. Things are going well.
7. Verses 25-27 - READ
a. Are you at your wits’ end? Can you relate to what these people are going
through? What are they going to do?
8. Verse 28a - READ
a. The brokenhearted cry out to the Lord! And what does the Lord do when they
cry out?
9. Verse 28b-31 - READ
10. God is close to the brokenhearted because, when their soul melts because of
trouble, they are completely reliant on God!
Conclusion
A. Are you one of the brokenhearted this morning? Do you feel like you need some
intensive care for your heart? Then simply place your trust in God!
B. "But how can I know that God will come through for me? Can I really trust Him?"
C. Psalm 30:1-5 - READ
D. Is God going to come through for His people? YES!
E. For some of us, we need our hearts to be broken today. We’ve rebelled long
enough. We’ve tried to do it on our own for so long.
F. Song - "Break My Heart"
