Sermon Central
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Life's Broken Window
Contributed by Dave Kinney on Jan 27, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: It has been said that there is “a window to the soul” and through this window every person can see the wonder of God and sense the presence of God! Think about that, somewhere in the deepest place in all of us - this area helps us experience God!
It has been said that there is “a window to the soul” and through this window every person can see the wonder of God and sense the presence of God! Think about that, somewhere in the deepest place in all of us - this area helps us experience God!
Psalm 139: 13,14 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex.”
Once upon a time, that window was crystal clear, no blurriness, no cracks, absolutely no distortion! You could see God bless your life so clearly, you could see God moving in such a way - it was mazing!
But then, one day, a rock hit that window and created all the cracks that now distorts your view of life and diminishes your trust in God!
Just to think about the rocks that have broken the window to your soul, is enough to make you even tremble in your mind and soul!
What was the rock that brought pain, turmoil, trauma, disappointment and distance between you and God? Was it the rock of relationship, the rock of ambition to really excel in life and that rock busted it all up. The rock of change...The rock of disease, the rock of distress, the rock of death or the rock of addiction!
For me it was a mother dying at 40 years old, for me it was a divorce that shattered the window to my soul! Maybe you get mad at God because you hate that rock now, you are so angry at God because “God, how could you let this rock hit me and my family!” and let me guess - that’s the last words spoken to God!
Some how we get into our little heads what the job description for God should be - and that rock was supposed to never hit our lives! You and I have all said at some time, “If God is God, then...
We have a country that has a cracked window to its soul and it has impacted a relationship with God that used to be so important! The way people see Christianity today is very much a part of the millions of rocks that have shattered millions of windows that are connected to millions of souls!
LifePoint: When the window to the soul is reshaped because of cracks, then life is resented and ultimately God is redefined.
This is a reality even for persons of the Bible, The oldest book in the Bible is not Genesis, but Job and Job’s window to his soul was smashed in horrible ways! For a portion of his life - Job struggled to see God because of the deepest cracks in his soul’s broken window.
Job 10:1 “I am disgusted with my life...
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” NLT
Job 9:25 “My life passes more swiftly, than a runner.
It flees away, filled with tragedy.”
One day he’s on top of the world, one day he’s on the top of Forbes’s list of wealthiest people, one day he was on the top of his family’s admiration, one day he was on the top of his community. And then one day everything came crashing down around him. His children died, his wife turned her back on him, his health was gone, his riches flew away overnight, his friends were now his worst enemies - “After all Job,
you have a secret sin!”
Now with that picture in mind...
Jesus is mentoring his disciples, they were growing in wisdom and walking with Jesus as He was healing people, delivering people and His popularity was overwhelming to everyone!
You know the story, one day he feeds over 5000 with just a little fish and bread! WOW! What a day! But because of that one event the parallel passage in Mark tells us that after this event, the disciple’s hearts were hardened. WHY?
I personally think that the disciples thought - we have such a following of men, we have real power growing everyday, that we can now overthrow Herod, and all is military! After all Jesus, you can feed everyone, you can keep us healed, you can divinely protect us from the Roman swords and arrows - Jesus this is our moment!
But instead of mounting up for war, Jesus told them to start rowing! It’s right after this in Matthew 14 that Jesus sends them out on the Sea of Galilee and he goes up for a prayer summit by himself, leaving the disciples out on the water with the mother of all storms coming!
Have you ever rowed about for just half an hour? These men were rowing for at least 9 hours! Do you think they were happy campers? Nothing was going their way! Then on top of that they encounter an X-file!
