The Comfort & Compassion Jesus by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

Psalm 51:17 -The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. In this message, we will continue to look at the Comfort and Compassion of Jesus in our times of brokenness. This is a small portion of that message that was preached on Sunday morning, May 7, 2023, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church. Beloved, God allows times of brokenness into our lives. They are many times painful, but the Lord can bring blessings out of them even though our eyes are blackened to the future and what the Lord will do in us and for us by our brokenness. A broken heart gives birth to humility, yieldedness, dedication, service, and consecration. That is what the Lord is trying to accomplish in us. He wants us to be more like Christ. This is why He allows crushing circumstances in our lives. He also allows the crushing experiences of our sinfulness, willfulness, and stubbornness to be our teachers and turn our lives back in the right direction. * Jeremiah 2:19-Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. * Psalm 119:67-Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. A contrite spirit means "a beaten-out spirit." God uses the hammer of trials and His Word (Jeremiah 23:29) on the anvil of adversity to break us, mold us, and shape us into His image like a blacksmith that hammers hot iron to mold and shape it into the image he wants. If you are broken today, realize the Lord is very near. If the Lord has your heart, He has you. The heart is the incense that perfumes our holy things. It is the jewel of God's delight. God prefers this jewel to be cracked and broken, soft and tender, smooth and sparkling. He wants a heart that is yielded to Him. Let me ask, “Is your heart yielded to Him?” A yielded heart is like the soothing song of the turtledove. When we seem to worship God and withdraw our hearts from Him, we mock, hurt, and take God's name in vain. A broken heart is soft, tender soil in which the seed of God’s Word can grow and flourish. When it is hardened, it needs breaking. People want to have a sense of control and security and when they don't, they become afraid or discouraged. If they feel helpless, they become overwhelmed. Others become depressed because what they were relying upon to make them happy fell through and let them down. Trouble and trials have a way of revealing the weaknesses of our securities. When weakness is discovered, depression and discouragement are in the shadows. The heart is crushed, wrecked, and broken into pieces. Do you have a broken heart? If so, realize that even in your pain and sorrow, this can be a very special time for you to get close to the Lord. He is near those with broken hearts. When your heart is broken, it tends to be tender and teachable. We are more apt to listen to what the Lord has to say to us. When we yield to Him, He can heal the pain that we are feeling. Godly sorrow brings about blessing, cleansing, mercy, pardon, and rejoicing. It is encouraged by the Lord all throughout the Bible. If you are experiencing sorrow in your life, then let it be a catalyst to drive you closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. If your sorrow has been created by your sinfulness, then let it motivate you to take action to turn your life around with the Lord's help. Don't put it off. Turn from your sin today before it's too late. Sir Thomas Fuller put it this way, "You cannot repent too soon because you do not know how soon it may be too late."

Topics

• Love & Compassion
• Jesus Christ
• Encouragement