A Broken Heart

Broken Hearted Believers
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalms 147:3

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This is a promise only to those who have been saved. Those who are the redeemed of the Lord. It is to those born again to whom these wonderful verses apply. God is a God of comfort and he promises to comfort his children. Not the children of the world, those who are unsaved, and it is not for "church members." But this promise is for the saved, the true believers in Christ.

Notice God is near to those with a broken heart.
He heals the broken hearted.
He comforts his people who are having trials and troubles.
He does this so that we can comfort others.

God does this for us because he is a God of mercy. He loves us and desires to show mercy to us if we live as his humble people. If our attitude pleases him he will bless us with his comforting presence and blessing.

He comforts us with the Holy Spirit.
He comforts us with his Word.
He comforts us through our spiritual friends.
He comforts us with his blessings of provisions.

Christ cares about our disappointments, whether they are caused by a loss of a loved one, a job, divorce, an injury, or an affliction. He cares for his hurting people. One day he has promised to take all his people out of this world of pain and suffering. What a glad day that will be for all the family of God. At times I have preached funerals and I've seen the family so hurt and crying. But when the holy scriptures were read, oh what a change would take place. Is your heart broken? Are you saved? Then you have a right to cry to the Father and ask for his comfort. If you are saved, you are God's child and he cares for you. Remember, you should be committed to the Lord to receive the best benefit of his comfort.

Broken Hearted Prophet
Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. Jeremiah 23:9

Jeremiah the prophet was broken hearted over the false prophets of his day. They were everywhere with their false messages to the leaders of God's people and the people themselves. They were always overwhelming believers with their misrepresentation of God, just as the liberal ministers do today.

Jeremiah was so hurt by this that he appeared emotionally disturbed physically. He staggered around like a drunkard. The weight of his burden was so great because, not only were they being given incorrect information, but the consequences of this would be devastating. Did you know that if a minister tells people wrong things from the Bible, that they are still held accountable by God even though a minister told them what they should believe. People better get into their Bibles and find out if their minister is telling them the truth! People who have never read the Bible or have ever heard its teaching can't say they didn't know. God won't except that excuse either! THERE ARE NO EXCUSES WITH GOD. IT IS EACH PERSON'S RESPONSIBILITY TO LEARN THE TRUTH!

Behold, I am against them that prophecy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 23:32

By contrast, God had sent the people his prophet, the true prophet, who was telling the truth to the people.

And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. Jeremiah 25:4

For decades Jeremiah preached the Lord's message to the nation of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, that unless they repent of their sins, they would be sent into captivity by Babylon. The nation had seen the ten northern tribes go into captivity over one hundred years earlier because of her sin, but Judah did not learn her lesson. She could, like the northern kingdom, have continued on worshiping idols until finally, God said "that's enough" and sent the Assyrians to enslave them in Assyria. Now Judah was about to be enslaved by Babylon because the false teachers said God would not allow their enemies to destroy Jerusalem and the temple of God. The Apostle Paul had the same problem in his day with the Jewish religious leaders who were misleading the people.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:7-8

Today, the voice of God's preacher, preaching against sin among the people of the nation and the church, is being largely ignored and frowned upon. Instead, the liberal preachers who promise prosperity and health by naming it and claiming its messages are well received.

Broken Hearted Person

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken heart and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalms 51:17

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:2

This is what the Lord is looking for in all of us, humility. You cannot, as a believer, please the Lord any better than by walking before the Lord with a humble spirit. Remember it was Lucifer who, filled with pride, thought he could take over the throne of God. He found out quickly that he could not remove God from his throne. Instead, he was cast down and demoted to be the Devil. Pride is the worst of sins. It is number one on God's hate list.

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look,.. Proverbs 6:16-17
When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. Proverbs 21:4

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and he lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16

The person who humbles themself has the smile of God upon them. In the world today we are constantly reminded that we deserve this or that. Little do they know they deserve Hell instead. We deserve nothing, for we have sinned against our Holy Creator! Pride says I deserve God's blessing.

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness. Lamatations 3:22-23

God offers his mercy and his comfort to his elect people. May we live humbly and thankfully, day after day, as we love and serve him. He wants us to live this way, humbly and thankfully, so that he can bless us. This he wants to do. We stop his blessings by the way we live.

Broken Hearted Savior

Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. Psalms 69:20

I don't know how many people may actually have had the unfortunate death of a broken heart. There have been many unfortunate deaths that's for sure, but I am talking about the unique death of a broken heart. There is no way, I suppose, of telling just how many there have been who died this way. It would be a sad way to die. When I speak of a broken heart, I am not just thinking about someone who is grieving over the loss of someone, whether it be in a romance, a family member, or a friend. I am talking about the one who died because their heart, actually ruptured and the blood and water came out when the soldier placed the spear in His side. Yes! That's what happened to Christ.

Many pathologists have concluded Christ died of a broken heart. Seldom does this ever happen with someone, but apparently it did with our Savior. There was no one who had compassion for him, or to whom he could share his griefs. We have family and friends we can tell our complaints to, and it will help some of our distress. But he was forsaken by all. He was deprived and despised, and rejected of all his fellow man. The Prophet tells us;

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3

He whose heart was the fullest of love, was scorned, and wanted by his own people. He who came to show them the way to God, was falsely accused of blaspheming God. He who was their long promised Messiah, was not even recognized as such. Think of how lonely he was with no one to turn to. Upon his cross he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In one respect, it was the saddest life ever lived, this one the Savior lived. How hurt he was and disappointed with the people whom he loved so much. Do you suppose his heart is still breaking over the way he is treated today? Treated by his own people, who he has saved, and the myriads who will not come to him for his free offer of salvation?

What is it that men despise about him? Have you ever wondered? Could it be because he is the Holy One and the Judge? People love their sin and they don't want to give up? They do not understand sin and its awful consequences. Many do not realize just how offended the Lord is with their sin. Our society has been so blinded by Satan to sin consciousness. While today the Lord is broken hearted over the sins of the people, one day soon, all the unsaved people will be broken hearted forever, over their choice concerning Christ and eternity.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for loving the unlovely. Indeed, there is nothing about the human family that commends us to you, yet you still love us. Help us to share your love and forgiveness so that many others may know you and find their own broken hearts healed by the grace of God. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Preacher