Achey Breakey Heart

[0:00] Luke chapter 4 verse 18 is one that I read this morning but I'm going to take a different tack on it tonight.! Talking about your achy breaky heart. That God can heal the broken hearted. Amen. God can heal the broken hearted.

[0:18] There was a little girl that was sent on an errand one day by her mum and she took a long time about it. And when she got home the mum wondered why she'd been taking so long and she wanted to know how come you've been away so long.

[0:32] And the little girl said this. She said that on her way she met a little friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. Oh, said the mum. Then you stopped to help her fix the doll.

[0:45] Oh no, replied the little girl. I stopped to help her cry. She had a broken doll and she was crying in that time of brokenness. And broken things happen to us, don't they?

[0:57] Who can identify with that? Broken things in our lives. Broken homes. Broken people. And in brokenness there is hope. There is hope for healing. For the wounded and the hurting.

[1:10] God can heal an achy breaky broken heart. Can't he? That's what the word tells us. That's what he says here. In Luke chapter 4 verse 18.

[1:20] That's what the spirit of the Lord is saying to us. He says, Our Lord says, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

[1:33] He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted. To preach deliverance to the captives. And recovering of sight to the blind.

[1:43] To set at liberty them that are bruised. You know, it's a kind of sad reflection that in some translations of the Bible, I take out these three words that he sent me to heal the broken hearted.

[2:00] Takes out. It's one of the key things he's come for. Is to heal the broken hearted. Those words can be taken out. But we know in the word of God, it does say that he's come to heal the broken hearted.

[2:11] And I put to you tonight, the Lord can use even our brokenness. Our times of brokenness. God has not left us. He's right there. And he's working even then. Even more so then.

[2:23] In those times of brokenness. And he takes us sometimes through that place. To that place and through that place of brokenness. So that we can know his deep work within.

[2:34] We know if you want to do some planting. And I know Julie's on my back about this all the time. In a nice way, of course. But when I try to plant something, she says, make sure you dig the hole deep enough.

[2:46] Because I'm a bit kind of lazy. I just sort of just casually scrape the surface and sort of just push it into the hole. But we've got to dig the hole deep enough for the plant to be grounded and planted well.

[3:00] And likewise too, sometimes God's got to do that. Breaking up of the fallow ground. To break up the hardness. To make that place a place of brokenness. Where he can do a deep, deep work in our soul.

[3:14] And we see that through the word of God. This sense of brokenness. Brokenness. And the truth of brokenness. And where he does his healing of our soul is in those times.

[3:25] In those places where he causes and allows us times of brokenness. We think of Job, for example. What a time of brokenness he had. And what God wrought in him.

[3:36] Well, we're starting to sing the song again here. I'll get back to that. Let's go back to the slides. Sorry. Gadgets. Psalm 51.

[3:49] We see the brokenness of David. What does he cry out in Psalm 51 verse 17? The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.

[4:00] A broken and a contrite heart. Oh God, thou wilt not despise. David's crying out here. He's crying out for healing. He's crying out with a hurting, broken spirit.

[4:13] A contrite heart. Broken up over his sin. And we can see times in our lives. And we go through patches that are rough and hard when there's a breaking up of the fallow ground.

[4:28] We might maybe go through times of bouts of depression or anxiety. And there's people close to me that have been there. And they're still getting through that. Through that storm.

[4:39] Through that tragedy. Through that heartache. Through that hardship. And God is real there. He's with us there. He's not left us there. He's very present. And sometimes God has to break up our hard hearts to do that deep, deep soul work.

[4:55] And as we yield in repentance, we can receive his grace there. Now the context of Psalm 51, of course, is allied with 2 Samuel 12.

[5:11] 2 Samuel 12. Where we see Nathan the prophet comes to David the king. And Nathan got straight to the point. After telling an analogy.

[5:24] And it says, The Lord sent Nathan unto David. This is 2 Samuel 12, verse 1. You might want to read the whole context. But we just touch on it tonight. And he came unto him.

[5:34] Nathan came unto David. And he said unto him, There were two men in one city. The one rich. And the other poor. And he tells the story of these two men.

[5:45] One with a little lamb. And the rich man with abundance. And the lamb gets taken from this poor man. Who has next to nothing.

[5:57] And Nathan challenges David. He inquires of David. What should be done to this man who took the lamb from the poor man? And David was very stern and strict in the condemnation of this man.

[6:13] And then David is confronted by Nathan. And Nathan says, Thou art the man. Thou art the man. And he goes on to explain that the Lord knows his sin.

[6:27] That the Lord knows. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? This is 2 Samuel 12 verse 9. Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his wife to be thy wife and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

[6:47] Of course the sense here is of David, King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He'd taken Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, for himself.

[7:00] And then he had sent Uriah to the front line to be slain in battle there. And picture it as David was confronted here by Nathan the prophet. Just picture it if you will.

[7:13] If you could stand in King David's shoes, as it were. As he was standing there with the blood draining from his face. Thou art the man. You have killed Uriah the Hittite.

[7:24] You have taken his wife. Standing there, King David, as it were, with the blood draining from his face. Confronted with his sin. His forehead beating with sweat.

[7:36] As it were, with the nervous sweat. Maybe his pulse racing. You could imagine it. Perhaps his knees knocking. That his sin had found him out. And perhaps he grew tearful there.

[7:49] Under the Lord's conviction. As he was confronted face to face with the ugliness of his own personal sin. Confronted there by Nathan.

[8:02] Our hearts can be broken. Broken. In a good way. It was a good thing that David got broken up here. David knew all about broken hearts.

[8:12] He had one. Your heart. It's the inner you. It's who you are. It's your mind, your soul, your character, your will. It encompasses all of that.

[8:25] And David knew this all too well. To have a broken heart. We know of David. This was the same man. Who had lost an infant child with Bathsheba. As it happened later to him.

[8:38] Then he lost his adult son. Absalom. He lost his best friend, Jonathan. He had serious marriage problems. At one time his wife, Michal, despised him in her heart.

[8:52] 2 Samuel 6 verse 16. Despised. By his wife. His boss hated him, if you like. He lost his job, as it were. He was out of work. He'd lost that dream of a peaceful kingdom.

[9:05] And of a happy family. These are hard, life-changing things. And that's what happened to David. He got really faced up with all of these things. And now here stands David.

[9:17] Face to face with his own sin. And David accepted his guilt. And he yielded to God in confession. God broke him up in his heart. He was broken up over his sin.

[9:29] He realised his shame. And he acknowledged it simply. He responded simply in 2 Samuel 12 verse 13. Where it says, And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.

[9:45] I have sinned against the Lord. He didn't excuse it. He didn't think of some alibi, some excuse to justify his actions. I have sinned against the Lord.

[10:01] And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. Here was David. A man after God's own heart.

[10:14] One that we could look up to in many ways. A mighty man of God. A warrior of the mighty men. And he said, The greatest king.

[10:27] To rule over Israel. Yet here he is now. The renowned David. David brought low. A man facing up to his sin.

[10:37] Looking in the mirror. And seeing his sin for what it was. David set often as a godly example for us. Here is David in the rawness of it.

[10:48] As he looked up and this one who he could look up to. Who he could esteem and regard with honour. Is now shown dishonoured.

[11:00] As a liar. An adulterer. A murderer. The Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. Proverbs 13 verse 15 in part.

[11:13] The way of the transgressor is hard. It's hard. And there's a hardness that comes. It's the hardness of the heart.

[11:25] The hardness of the conscience. People can get hard towards God. And God's got to break up. The hardness.

[11:37] With his sledgehammer. As it were. The Bible is called a hammer. That breaks the rock in pieces. In Psalm 51.

[11:48] David yields himself unto the Lord. And we see a man truly broken up. Over his sin. He realises his transgression. He knows his state. His standing. He's ashamed.

[11:59] His guilt. His wickedness. His shame. His reproach. It's exposed. For what it is. And David cries out. For mercy to the Lord.

[12:10] Psalm 51. You can read the whole psalm. To get the whole gist of it. The whole substance of it. It's very confronting. It's the opening up of his heart.

[12:22] As the heart surgeon. The Lord God. Performs that heart operation. For David. And David cries. Have mercy. Upon me.

[12:33] O God. According to thy loving kindness. According unto. The multitude. Of thy tender mercies. Blot out. My transgressions. Wash me.

[12:44] Thrilling. From mine iniquity. And cleanse me. From my sin. Here's a heart. Crying out. A heart. Broken up. Over its sin. A heart. Exposed.

[12:55] Ashamed. Repentant. Confessing. And receiving. God's forgiveness. Here David faced up to his failure. And he found God's forgiveness right there.

[13:06] In this time. Of great. Heartache. He found restoration. And peace. And David wanted to see his relationship restored. Restore unto me.

[13:17] The joy of my salvation. And he records in verse 17 of Psalm 51. The sacrifices of God. Are a broken spirit. A broken.

[13:28] And a contrite heart. O God. They will not. Despise. Friends. You might have at times. Those. Times of weight.

[13:40] Of. Of burden. Of challenge. A broken spirit. Hard things. Prayer.

[13:50] That doesn't seem answered. Trouble. That comes your way. That you can't understand. The sacrifices of God. Are a broken spirit.

[14:02] A broken and a contrite heart. O God. They will not despise. When we come to the end of our own strength. He is there to help. To step in. To minister.

[14:14] In 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10. It tells us that those who know godly sorrow. That leads to repentance. Can know a blessing.

[14:26] God blesses the broken. Those who are broken up over their sin. It's a good place to be. It's the best place to be. Because it's a sacrifice of God. It's a blessing for you.

[14:38] There's a ministry unto you. There's a blessing you can receive from him. As you face up to sin. As you despair. As you fall upon God's mercy. And his grace. As you abandon.

[14:49] Your pride. And your selfishness. And your self-reliance. As you come. And rest. And lean. And cry out. Unto God's overwhelming.

[15:01] And abundant mercies. You can find his awesome grace there. To answer your situation. And most of all. The greatest need of any man. Salvation. To miss that.

[15:12] Is to miss everything. Everything. And as we yield our heart. In brokenness. In grief. And hurt before him. When times of trial come. We can find his healing.

[15:23] We can find his presence. We can find his closeness. We can find his arms around us. And he will hold you safe. And sure. When you yield in humility.

[15:34] And you bow your heart. Your will. And find his overcoming power. To sustain you. To keep you. To hold you. To steer you.

[15:45] To guide you. To uplift you. Hebrews 4.16. Tells us there's a throne. And we know.

[15:56] In kingdoms. And domains. Demains of men. And kings. And queens. That no one gets to go near the throne. You'll be lucky to get.

[16:08] To get a glance at the throne. Or to. Be anywhere near a palace. As it were. But yet. There's a throne. That you can come on to. And this is the greatest throne.

[16:19] Of the greatest king. Of the king. Of kings. His throne is open. For you to enter in. And it tells us here. In Hebrews 4.16.

[16:31] Let us therefore. Come boldly. Unto the throne of grace. That we may obtain mercy. And find grace. To help. In time of need. When do we come to the throne?

[16:44] In time of need. All the time really. We shouldn't wait. To the time of need. But we should come boldly. Come boldly. Come boldly.

[16:54] To the throne. Even in time of brokenness. In a time when it's hard. In a time of hardness. In a time of sadness. In time of hardship. You know. Sometimes it's hard to pray.

[17:05] When we're feeling. Like it's. A tough time. But it's all the more reason. We should pray. It's all the more reason. We should come. Because he's there. His grace is there.

[17:16] His grace is available. In time of need. He's not far, far away. Like it tells us that. He isn't. Ever present help. In time of trouble. Isn't he? He's always present.

[17:27] In time of trouble. And even in time of loss. Of brokenness. When we're under a relentless attack. And slander. Some of you have had that. You face that.

[17:38] You still face it. When you're suffering sorrow. And disappointment. When hope seems lost. When it seems you're face to face. With bereavement. Or affliction.

[17:50] We can know God's gracious gift. Even at such a time. We can find hope and strength. Beyond our own. Even in the present situation. That can be difficult.

[18:01] And we can know a peace that passes all understanding. That will keep our hearts and minds. Through Christ Jesus. Brokenness can be a blessing. It sounds kind of counterintuitive.

[18:13] You know nobody wants to have a time of brokenness. But that can be that time of need. It's when we can find grace. It's when we can obtain mercy. It's when we can come boldly.

[18:24] Unto the very throne room. Into the very presence of our King. And it's something that can draw us near to him. Such a time. Brokenness.

[18:34] It can make a room for repentance. It can make that contriteness of heart. That our Lord wants. It's a sacrifice unto him. To bring us into sweeter fellowship with him.

[18:45] So we'll know that closer communion with him. With him. Even when we have miserably failed. Some would think. Oh I'm so. I've failed so.

[18:57] I've fallen so far. That I'm too far gone. But no one is too far gone. He reaches to the uttermost. There's no further point.

[19:08] Than the uttermost. That's how far his grace extends. Thank God for that. True grace. True brokenness. It's a tool that God uses. To bring. His wandering sheep.

[19:20] Back into his loving arms. No matter how far you might stray. As a wandering sheep. You're still his.

[19:35] Of course his sheep hear his voice. And follow him. Sometimes we get our ears blocked. I think. We don't always hear his voice. Let's ask him. Lord clear out my ears. We need some ministry there.

[19:47] Say Lord break me. Break me. Help me to come. To that place. Where I come. To the end of my own self. And come. Into his presence. We see in Isaiah 57.

[19:58] Verse 15. That thus saith the high and lofty one. The one who inhabits eternity. His name is holy. He says to you. I dwell. In the high and holy place.

[20:09] With him also. That is of. A contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit. Of the humble. And to revive the heart. Of the contrite ones. It's here.

[20:20] It's here brother. Sister. It's here we can know his closeness. It's here we can know. The one who is holy. The one who is heavenly. Can come. And dwell even. With us.

[20:32] In the humble. And I guess that's the point. Isn't it? Are we. Of contrite and humble spirit. Now sometimes especially as Christians.

[20:43] We can get so theologically lofty. And so theologically advanced. In our standing. In our esteem of ourselves. I'm speaking of myself.

[20:54] Sometimes we can miss the point. That we need to come. And bow the will. The heart. The knee. Our life. And be a contrite and humble one.

[21:06] God touches the very heart of such. And it touches our heart. Our being. Our core. Our soul. God will not turn away. A broken. And a contrite heart.

[21:18] It says he will come there. He will dwell there. He will come to you. You might say preacher. I'm just too sinful. I'm just too. Wavering a Christian. Just come humbly unto him.

[21:30] Bow your heart to him. Confess your need to him. Come with brokenness unto him. And he'll revive the heart. Of the contrite ones it says. He'll revive.

[21:41] He'll breathe new life. He will refresh and enliven. Your spiritual life. As you know that true remorse of sin. Now sometimes it's the Christians who say. I know I'm a lousy Christian.

[21:53] They're the ones that God knows. They're his. Because they're not big noting themselves. In a prideful way. Or putting on a show. A pretense.

[22:04] A face like the hypocrites. Had these play acting masks. To have a certain face which was not a true face. Behind the mask. We need to come openly and contritely.

[22:16] Unto him. Unto our Lord. And know that true remorse for our sin. As he moves us to conviction. Over our sin. As he moves us like David. And sometimes we need a Nathan. To say thou art the man.

[22:29] And they're the ones that you don't want to kind of. Sometimes you don't want a Nathan. Do you? To come along and kind of say something pretty straight up. But God brings us low.

[22:42] And we cry out for his forgiving grace. And we can be sure we'll be accepted of him. It says that I will dwell with him. The Lord is near to the broken hearted.

[22:53] And he saves those that are crushed of spirit. We know it says that David knew of a broken heart. As we've seen. God brings us low. And we cry out for his forgiving grace.

[23:05] And David sang a song of praise in Psalm 34. You might want to check that out for homework too. Psalm 34. Again of David's brokenness. Of God's working in David's heart.

[23:17] A man after God's own heart. If David is a man after God's own heart. We should see how God dealt with David's heart. Shouldn't we? What did David. What did God do with David's heart?

[23:29] What did David say about his own heart? Of the heart that God receives. Become low and humble. And cry out for forgiving grace. David knew of a broken heart.

[23:41] Yet he knew of praise. He knew of praise to receive God's grace in that time. Of God's saving of a contrite heart. He knew firsthand of God's saving power.

[23:53] God's touch of a broken heart. It says, The Lord is near to the broken hearted.

[24:05] Not far, far away. When you're feeling brokenhearted. When you're feeling broken down. When you're feeling broken. The Lord is near unto you. The Lord is near unto you.

[24:15] And he saves those who are of contrite spirit. It's got a sense of being crushed. Those that you're feeling crushed. There's a weight. It's pressing.

[24:27] You're feeling pressed. He saves those that come to the end of their own strength. And he knows your heart. He understands. I know there's loved ones in my life that have been through, you could colloquially call hell, as it were.

[24:47] They've been through torture and suffering and sadness, great hardship and agony. God is near to us. Even when we suffer. Even when we endure abuse.

[24:59] And the worst of the worst. That a person can endure. God is near to us. When our lives are falling apart.

[25:09] When it feels like it's hopeless and hard. When we're feeling overwhelmed. As David felt. With Saul's army breathing down his neck at one time. He was overwhelmed.

[25:21] As Moses, when he came to the Red Sea. As the sea was in front of him. And the Egyptian army was behind him. He was broken. He came to the point where this looked like all hope was lost.

[25:34] But it wasn't, was it? Because God stepped in. Like in Jonah's time. When he was swallowed up by a fish. We see a time of sheer hopelessness.

[25:45] And disaster. Like when Peter was bound in prison. And ultimately the angel came. Like when Paul was on the ship. And it was sinking. And it seemed like they were all doomed.

[25:57] That the Lord is truly near at such times. The Lord is truly with us at such times. At times of great testing. Of great, it seems, hopelessness. As we would see it with the eye.

[26:09] The Lord is truly near to us at such times. So brother, sister, be encouraged and stirred up. When you face such challenges. The Lord is truly near to you. He's not far, far away.

[26:19] He's very, very close. It tells us Psalm 51 verse 17. That the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart. Oh God, thou wilt not despise.

[26:32] It bears repeating. David calls his heart contrite. It refers to crushed. Broken in pieces. Smashed. Shattered. Made humble.

[26:44] A contrite heart, oh God. Thou wilt not despise. It's a good thing to be broken up over our sin. You see times when people come to Christ. And not that we major on the emotion of such an occurrence.

[26:58] But because for some, some experience it differently than others. But what a joy it is to see tears of repentance. What a joy it is to see a heart broken up. And just overwhelmed by the grace of God.

[27:12] And overwhelmed by their need of Christ. A broken and a contrite heart, oh God. Thou wilt not despise. And Psalm 34 verse 17. It says the righteous cry.

[27:22] And the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Cry out to him in prayer. Believe in prayer. Believe in the God who answers prayer. That he will hear your prayer.

[27:33] Cry out to him. In tears if need be. In agony of spirit. When you come to the end of your strength. Call on his strength. And he will deliver you.

[27:44] He promises to. And many are the afflictions of the righteous. But the Lord delivers him out of them all. It's not saying, you know, some would reckon you become a Christian.

[27:55] And it's all easy breezy. And just ride the glory train. And just kick back. And just enjoy the ride. But sometimes the many are the afflictions of the righteous.

[28:06] There's a sense where brother, sister, it's normal for you to have hardship and affliction. Because it's the testing of your mettle. It's that journey of life that we all have to endure some things and go through hardship and testing.

[28:20] So it will be stronger and firmer. And grow. For the tree to grow. It has to press through the rock and the stone and the soil.

[28:32] And it has to endure the storms and wind and hail. And the pressing of nature. So it can be a strong tree. And likewise for us as believers.

[28:44] We know that we suffer affliction. But the Lord will deliver us from such things. And we can't expect times of distress. How will we cope? Know that the Lord is near you.

[28:56] He's not left you. He never will leave you nor forsake you. He will save. He will see you through. And God meets us where we are at. Even in such a time. A time of brokenness.

[29:07] And our Lord can bind up the broken hearted. He can identify. He is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We've not got some wooden idol.

[29:19] Or some idol of concrete or stone or metal. Or whatever fancy manufactured item it is. Who cannot hear or see or be real.

[29:29] Our God is real. He put human skin on. And he lived such as we without sin. And he was acquainted with grief. And he died for all those things that break our own hearts.

[29:39] Our own sin. The sins of others. And he is our comfort and strength. And real peace comes from him. Only him. And hope for the broken hearted.

[29:50] And God is still in the healing business. The healing of the soul. The healing of the spirit. And if we can just throw ourselves on the mercy of God. He still avails.

[30:01] His salvation still avails. There's a whole lot of brokenness. And it's all around us. Brokenness. Sometimes it's within us. Our Lord can heal the broken in heart.

[30:12] He can heal the broken in us. And it tells us the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. I'm stressing it again. He is near to you.

[30:24] People of God. Brokenness can be a blessing. Heartbreak can be a blessing. All of us have had at times where our heart has been broken. There's a disappointment. There's a loss.

[30:35] There's a rejection. Sometimes it can be something that we're ashamed of. Something that was a mistake. A great failing. God hurts with you.

[30:48] When you recognise what you've done. God cares for you. He is close to you. When you're in pain. God is closest to you. He walks beside you. Through the valley.

[30:59] The valley of pain. He's there for you. He's with you. And our worship flows from a broken heart. This man who wrote this is David. The man who's had his heart broken.

[31:10] The man who's had his life shattered in pieces. He's saying, praise him. Praise my God. His worship flows from a broken heart. And it can for you too.

[31:21] Sometimes God breaks us so he can remake us. And our lives can be mended. Broken relationships. Broken aching hearts. Personal pain. We can feel fractured and hurting.

[31:35] And he can heal what's painful. Loneliness. Emotional things. Sadness. It tells us. He promises you. That he heals the broken in heart.

[31:47] And he binds up their wounds. Psalm 147. Verse 3. He heals. The broken. In heart. And he binds up. Their wounds. Like the certain Samaritan.

[31:59] He came and he ministered. And he bandaged up. The hurting one. And he reflects for us. God's care. Is such that he binds up our wounds.

[32:12] Whatever it be. Some of addiction to drugs. Some of bitterness. Abuse. Situations. Past hurts. Shame. Guilt.

[32:23] Our Lord can forgive. And take it away. It tells us in 2 Corinthians. Paul writes that. Grace be unto you. And peace. From God our Father.

[32:34] And from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God. Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of mercies. And the God of all comfort. Now that's a wonderful description of our God.

[32:47] Isn't it? He is the God of all comfort. And it goes on to say. This comforting. This. In our tribulation.

[32:59] It says verse 4. Who comforts us all. In all our tribulation. That we may be able to comfort them. Which are in any trouble.

[33:11] By the comfort. Wherewith we ourselves are comforted. Of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us. So our consolation.

[33:23] Our comforting. Also aboundeth by Christ. So. The lessons we learn in being broken. Can be to help others that are broken. If we can put ourselves in their shoes.

[33:35] Our brokenness. Can be a ministry for God. The God of all comfort. But to minister through you. As his vessel. Will we be yielded vessels? Sometimes we can be vessels just.

[33:47] As the Aussie expression. Full of ourselves. Can't we? Let's not be a vessel full of ourselves. But a vessel full of him. Amen. Yielded unto him.

[33:59] A vessel that he can fill. With himself. The God of all comfort. And how can we be such? Be a yielded vessel. Let him have all of you. Be that yielded vessel.

[34:12] Come in your emptiness. And let him fill you. Fill you. Overflow you. With his fullness. Someone has said. God uses that which is broken. In a greater way. Than that which is rigid.

[34:23] And unyielding to his will. Don't be rigid. And unyielding. Be yielding. Yielding to God. Submit yourselves to him. As people.

[34:37] That you know you're inadequate. Imperfect. Unworthy. Humble yourselves. That he can fill you. Think of the sacrifices. That God is delighting in.

[34:49] It was through the breaking down. Of Jacob's strength. At Peniel. As he wrestled with God. That God could clothe him. With spiritual power. It was the breaking of the rock.

[34:59] At Horeb. By the striking of Moses rod. That let the cool water flow. To the thirsty. Of Israel. There's something that was broken. The rock was broken.

[35:11] It was when the 300 soldiers of Gideon. Broke their vessels. A picture of them breaking of themselves. That the light shone. And scattered the adversaries.

[35:22] It was when the poor widow. Broke the little pot of oil. In Elijah's time. Or Elisha. And poured it forth. And God multiplied. To pay all her debts.

[35:34] And supply a means of her support. And it was when the Lord Jesus. Took the five loaves. And broke them. To feed the 5,000. The loaves had to be broken. It was when Mary.

[35:46] Broke the beautiful. Box of ointment. Of alabaster ointment. That the pent up perfume. Could be released. And the fragrance.

[35:57] Could fill the home. It was when the Lord Jesus. Allowed his very body. To be broken. Of course we know. His bones were not broken. But his flesh was broken up. By the thorns.

[36:07] By the nails. By the spear. That his saving grace. Could flow. When he was broken. The Lord blesses broken things. And it's the same for you and me.

[36:18] As we bow humbly before him. In brokenness. And think of the broken. That are all around us. You know. As someone has put it. There's people with locomotion. Emotion.

[36:29] And intellect. But they're still dead to God. They're dead in trespasses and sins. They might be walking around. They've got locomotion. They've got emotion. But actually. And they've got intellect.

[36:40] But they are dead. Before God. They are dead to God. And to what is spiritual. And they're broken really. Before him. They're not broken up about their sin.

[36:52] They're still blindly trudging. Ultimately to hell. And the broken are all around us. They're in need of repair. Think of the broken. And see how you can be a minister to the broken.

[37:06] Because as we read here. In 2 Corinthians. It tells us that. He's allowed us tribulation.

[37:18] So we can comfort. Others. In trouble. So we can be comforted. So we can comfort them. With the comfort of God. It's so we can be a vessel.

[37:30] Of his comfort. A vessel. Not full of ourselves. But full of Jesus. Full of the God of all comfort. And the Lord can use. That brokenness that you've come through.

[37:42] Those testings and trials. That you've. Overcome. So you can be a comforter to others too. Think of it. As we close. The Lord can use your scars.

[37:55] To minister to others. And it was for this mission that he came. To heal the broken in heart. And he will. And you are his vessels.

[38:08] His messengers. His arms extended. He will save. Those who come unto him. He says him who comes to me.

[38:18] I will in no wise cast out. And you might think. I'm too far gone. For God to. Save my. My situation. I'm. I'm just so broken.

[38:30] Sin has damaged me. I'm just too damaged. I'm damaged goods. He can heal your broken spirit. He can heal your wounded heart. He is able.

[38:41] He says. He who comes to me. I will never. Cast out. He's able to save. He's able to heal. The most broken. Those. He's able to save.

[38:52] To the uttermost. And friends. Think of the one. Who I speak of tonight. He understands you. He understands betrayal. By his closest.

[39:04] He understands temptation. And loss. You can trust this great physician. I think if you. Had need of a doctor.

[39:15] How better a doctor. Than to know the one. Who knows exactly. What you're going through. And he gives you the heal of.

[39:26] Sorry. The balm of Gilead. As it were. He gives. He's got the. He's got the ointment. He's got the medication. To minister to you. But no ointment will heal you.

[39:37] Unless you put it on the wound. And there's a sense where. We need to apply the word of God. Don't we. We could take this. These words. And file them away. For future reference.

[39:49] But rather put them into action. I've been talking about being a vessel. Not full of yourself. But full of Christ. Full of the God of all comfort. Talking about. Taking that message of comfort.

[40:01] The message of the comforter. Putting it into application. By faith. Apply the word. The word was mixed with faith. Faith. The maker of the stars is the same one.

[40:12] It's the one we're talking about. This is not some. Human man made God. This is the maker of the stars. Of the universe. That he would come and dwell in our hearts.

[40:24] By faith. This is the great physician for broken hearts. And wounded spirits. And he can do this healing. This healing work. And he simply says come. Answer me.

[40:35] Come. Answer me. All you who are heavy laden. All you who are burdened. Who labour. You who are broken.

[40:46] Come. Answer him. Who can heal the broken in heart. And God's healing work. Can begin the healing process. Healing for the wounded. Let him change your life. How does it start?

[40:57] As I talked about before. It's as we yield. Ourselves. Unto him. As we yield ourselves. Unto his care. And keeping. 1 Peter 5. Verse 7.

[41:08] 5 through 7. It talks about submit yourselves. It talks about be clothed with humility. It talks about God resisting the proud. By giving grace to the humble. And it says.

[41:19] Humble yourselves therefore. Under the mighty hand of God. That he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him. For he careth for you. How do we receive this ultimate spiritual healing?

[41:32] Throw yourselves upon his mercy. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Realize the maker of the stars. The maker of you. The one who knows the direction your life should be going.

[41:44] Is the one who calls you to come unto him. And receive him. Receive his ministry. The one who wants to minister to that which is broken in us. Surround yourself with God's people.

[41:55] Strengthen your relationship with him. Let him take you from this world view that the world would give. To that which is of eternal value. God has a means of breaking men.

[42:09] As he did with Job. What did it take? What will it take in your life? In mine? That will come to the end of our own strength. That will humble ourselves. It's where it begins as we humble ourselves.

[42:23] In contriteness. In contrition. In repentance. In submission unto him. And go to the Lord with your broken heart.

[42:33] And believe that he can heal you. And as he heals us. There's others too. To take his message to. We should never rest.

[42:45] Until we impart that message. And wow we've got something to sing about haven't we? Haven't you? Something to sing about. Deep down in your heart.

[42:57] A heart set free. With glad tidings of great joy. There was a man who was known to be always singing. And someone asked him. Why are you always singing? He says because I always have something to sing about.

[43:11] You've got something to sing about today. There's good reason for singing of hearts. Broken hearts. Healed. Made whole. Something to sing about. In time and in eternity to come.

[43:22] Throughout eternity. The praises of him. The maker of the stars. The glorious one. The one who inhabits the throne of his glory. Of the throne of his grace.

[43:33] The one who heals the broken in heart. And binds up our wounds. And he will repair. He will restore. Won't you trust him? Trust him now. As a believer we know we can suffer times of brokenness.

[43:49] But God never leaves us nor forsakes us. And if you're not saved tonight. How important it is that your heart be broken up. Over your sin.

[43:59] That you realise your need of Christ. That you cry out for his awesome salvation gift. That you come unto him who has made you.

[44:10] To know him as your saviour and master. That he will deal with your heart today. Let's join together in heartfelt praise as we sing our closing verse of 244.

[44:23] And let's just pray at this time as we just be praying for that song. Lord we thank you that you are truly the healer of the broken in heart. That you bind up our wounds. Lord we pray for those in time of affliction.

[44:37] That each one would know that true message. That you are truly close to us. And that you do not leave us. Lord and that we can come unto you. And know your mercy.

[44:47] And your forgiving and grace at any time. Lord most of all help us to humble ourselves. Under the mighty hand of God. In Jesus name we pray.

[44:58] Amen.