Sermon Central
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Dealing With Wounds Series
Contributed by David Dewitt on Dec 16, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: Every person deals with wounds of some kind or another
Dealing with Wounds
Series: Wounded
October 12, 2014
Morning Service
We are starting a new series of messages this morning entitled Wounded. We will be looking at how God works in and through our lives when we have difficulties and hardships.
Oct. 12: Dealing with Wounds (Brokenness)
Oct. 19: When We Hurt Ourselves (Addiction)
Oct. 26: Living in the Pressure Cooker (Stress)
Nov. 2: Past Tense (Failure)
Nov 9: Letting Go (Forgiveness)
Nov 16: Moving On (Hope & Healing)
Please consider joining us for the whole series of messages.
Our world is filled with brokenness. Every day we encounter the walking wounded, people who have been hurt through the harsh reality of life. The truth that most do not want to face is that every person deals with some type of wound in their lives. The issue is not whether we will deal with brokenness but how we deal with it. We are all part of the walking wounded, even if we refuse to admit it to ourselves.
Brokenness is part of the human condition. We are surrounded by the reality of pain and problems. Primarily there are three types of brokenness that people have to deal with.
Three types of brokenness
1. Physical Brokenness
* Injuries * Illnesses
2. Emotional brokenness
* Hurts and sorrows that run deep
3. Spiritual Brokenness
* Our sin leaves us broken in the eyes of God
* It is only when we admit that we are broken that God can draw us into His divine care
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
I. God heals those who are broken
The implications of being brokenhearted in the Hebrew mind were simply incredible. Our modern understanding of heart breaking does not compare to the depth of the Hebrew understanding. The implications are twofold: broken in the heart.
The Hebrew term here for broken is one of extremes. The word means to be broken in pieces, to be torn violently or to be shattered. The implication is that something has been damaged beyond the hope of repair. Something is so damaged that nothing can be done.
The Hebrew understanding of the heart was far more than the organ that beats within our chest and pumps blood. The heart was viewed as the core of one’s being. The heart was the center of everything for a person. The heart was the source of the will, the conscience and determination. The heart was the place of strength and the place of courage within a person’s life.
To be brokenhearted meant to have the core of one’s being crushed. Brokenhearted meant to have everything that makes a person who they are ripped from them. Brokenhearted meant to have courage and strength torn from a life in a violent manner.
1. God promises healing
The psalmist lays out the reality that God has the ability to do anything. God is almighty and more powerful than any difficulty or pain that we would ever face. The truth is that God reaches out to those who struggle and are in pain. The promise of God is that He will bring His matchless power into the lives of the powerless. He promises to restore wholeness to people who are broken.
2. God offers hope
To be broken was to be damages beyond hope of repair. To be broken was to have hope ripped from one’s life. When the psalmist communicates healing, it is also a call to hope. The hope is that God could restore that which was shattered. The hope is that God could do the impossible.
3. Christ came for the broken
The reason that Christ came into our world was to restore the broken. Jesus came to bridge the gap that existed between heaven and humanity. Jesus came to restore the relationship that sin shattered beyond repair. Jesus allowed Himself to experience the depth of human brokenness so we could be restored.
My God, My God why have you forsaken me
God extends His grace to those who are broken. He gives strength to those who have nothing left. He gives power to those who have been wounded. He gives courage to those who have to face fear. God gives us His undeserved blessing when we need it the most. He gives us His amazing grace.
II. God binds up those who are hurting
The Hebrew understanding of wounded is much broader than we might think in modern times. We often think of being wounded as experiencing some form of physical injury. The Hebrew thinking on wounds is much deeper and covers a range of issues.
The understanding was to be hurt to the extreme. It was to be injured by the harsh reality of life. Being wounded meant to experience injury of any kind or to experience any kind of pain. Being wounded is to be filled with sorrow, to be hurt or to experience trouble.
