Sermon
# 214 Series: Isaiah
Title: BROKEN HEARTS HEALED
Text: Isaiah 61:1
Subject: Christ’s Healing of the Brokenhearted
Date:
Sunday Evening – June 11, 1995
Introduction:
Nothing
is more painful than a broken heart. A
stouthearted can sustain trouble. But a
broken heart finds trouble where none exist. When trouble gets into a person’s heart, all
troubles are magnified, blessings are unseen, and it is well nigh impossible
to bear the daily experience of life. Getting out of bed is misery. Living is torment. Nobody
understands a broken heart but one whose heart has been broken. I can think of nothing sadder than one whose
heart is broken.
Yet, in a spiritual sense, I
can think of nothing more promising, nothing more hopeful, nothing more blessed
than a broken heart. You may think that sounds
strange. But a heart broken before God is a heart touched by the finger
of his grace for whom the sweet balm of salvation is prepared. God specifically promises grace and healing
to the brokenhearted.
And
in Isaiah 61:1, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God declares – “The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted!” What a marvellous word of
grace from our Savior. “He hath sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted.”
Proposition: The Lord Jesus Christ heals broken hearts.
Divisions: The title of my message tonight is Broken Hearts Healed.
I have
nothing to do tonight but to point you, with the utmost simplicity, to
Christ. May God the Holy Spirit, whose
work it is to take the things of Christ and show them to us, minister comfort
to every heart here by showing us how the broken hearts are healed by Christ. I want to talk to you about five things.
I. First, as I have already suggested, our text
describes A Sad Condition – “The Brokenhearted!”
I
will not attempt to define what it is to be truly brokenhearted. Many sermons have been preached about
it. Many books have been written about
it. But I fear that they are all more
hurtful than helpful for one simple reason.
The Word of God nowhere defines broken heartedness. Our text does not limit brokenness of heart to one
specific experience, neither shall I. The Scriptures seem to assume that if you experience it,
you will know it. And they leave it there. I am thankful that the Word of God never
makes specific distinctions and conditions to be descriptive of a broken heart.
A. If such description were
given, you
would be left looking at your heart instead of looking to Christ; and that
would not be good – Look away to Christ!
B. If the word of God defined
broken heartedness in specific characters, I could not confidently tell you that if you come
to Christ he will heal your broken heart – I would have to
qualify my message to people with a specific kind of broken heart. But that is not the case.
C. The brokenhearted are people
downcast, dejected, and despairing because of their perception of things.
I was once far away from the
Savior,
And as vile as a sinner could
be;
And the thought filled my
heart with sadness,
“There’s no hope for a sinner
like me!”
3. Brokenhearted souls perceive that God is against them in everyway – (Jeremiah – Lam. 3:1-26).
II. Secondly, we may very properly and
reasonably draw A Safe Conclusion from our text.
Brokenhearted
souls, listen up – If the Lord had meant to destroy you, why
would he have sent his Son specifically to heal the brokenhearted? If God meant to slay you, would he gently
woo you to Christ by his Word and assure you that he has deep, eternal designs
of his love toward the brokenhearted? I think not!
Manoah’s Wife had it right – Judges 13:23. Well do I recall the dark,
lonely hour of brokenness. When…
…A voice whispered sweetly to
me,
Saying “Christ the Redeemer
has power,
He can save poor sinners like
thee.”
I listened, and lo, ‘twas the
Savior
That was speaking so kindly to
me
And the thought filled my
heart with gladness,
“There’s hope for a sinner
like me!”
Since God the Father sent his Son to
heal the brokenhearted, if your heart is broken, I see no reason at all for you
not to conclude – “God sent his Son to heal me! Christ came to heal me!”
III. Thirdly, look now at the One who has been
sent to heal the brokenhearted, and find in him, A Sweet Cordial of grace and hope – “He hath sent Me.”
What a suitable Healer the Lord Jesus Christ is! I cannot spend much time on this point. But you will not need for me to do so. A few suggestive comments will open the way for much joyful meditation.
A. He who is The Man of Sorrows
is acquainted with sorrow and grief of every kind – (Isa. 53:3).
Whatever
it is that breaks your heart, the Son of God has experienced it.
B. The Lord God has chosen One to
Heal Broken Hearts whose Own Heart Had Been Broken.
C. This One who is sent to heal
broken hearts has already healed multitudes of others.
Let
me tell you about the experience of one man I know whose broken heart the Son
of God has healed – (My Experience of Grace).
D. Here is another sweet cordial for your soul
– The Lord Jesus never becomes irritated, or grows
weary of, or gets discouraged with your feeble, broken heart.
I’m such a hard-hearted man that I sometimes get a little irritated by and weary with the repeated complaints and sorrowful tales of troubled souls – Christ? Never!
If
you cannot go to anyone else, you may always go to Christ. He is always willing to hear your sad
story. He is always willing to help,
and always able!
IV. Fourthly, as I read this text, and hear it
falling from the lips of the Son of God, I see that he was sent into this world
with A Specified Commission – “He hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted.”
A. Christ was not sent to tell you how your heart got
broken and scold you for it – He was sent to bind up the brokenhearted.
There
are many who are ready enough to tell you that you should not have fallen into
the pit of muck and mire that engulfs you, and will gladly tell you what slips
you made. But I’ve been in that
pit. And I am so thankful for One who
came and lifted me out!
B. The Lord Jesus was sent to bring medicines to you by
which you may heal your own broken heart – “He healeth the broken in
heart.” (Ps. 147:3).
C. When the Son of God binds up the
broken heart, he
does so so thoroughly and so effectually that the deeper the wound was, the
more utterly broken the heart, the greater the joy and gratitude when the heart
is healed.
Illus: Sonny D.
V. Lastly, our text does not speak of a possible
cure, but of A Sure Cure – “He hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted.”
If
that is what the Son of God was sent to do, you can be sure of this – He will
bind up the brokenhearted. “He shall
not fail!” (Isa. 42:4). Let me show you some of the methods he
employs to heal the broken hearted.
A. I read in the Book of God of a fallen,
brokenhearted saint whose heart was healed by The Ointment of
Divine Forgiveness.
B. Nothing binds up the broken
hearts of believers out of fellowship with Christ like fresh discoveries of his
love – (Song.
1:2-4).
Illus: “Tell my disciples and Peter.” (Mark 16:7).
C. Hearts broken with a sense of
sin, guilt, and condemnation are healed by the Word of Grace applied by God the
Holy Spirit.
· Redemption Accomplished!
D. Believing hearts, broken by great troubles
and sorrows, are bound up and made strong by The Balm of
Providence.
E. Hearts broken by bereavement are healed and
strengthened by The Liniment of Love to
Christ.
He is jealous of our love. He will have all our hearts. And sometimes, the way he gets our love for him to grow is by taking away one we have loved too much.
Illus: The Two Boys Taken.
How often our broken hearts find healing in the observance of this blessed ordinance – The Remembrance of our Savior!