Series: When a Heart Breaks
Sermon: When a Heart Breaks
Scripture: Luke 7:11-15
ICE BREAKER: Would you rather ONLY be able to turn left everywhere you walk OR trip every single time you stop walking?
REVIEW:
This week we celebrated Baptisms and closed out our "When a Heart Breaks" series! We continued looking at the greek word Splagchnizomai, translated as "moved to compassion."
All series long, we have investigated this word and learned how Jesus feels about us. Jesus' type of Compassion is deep and compelling - it forces you into action!
In Luke chapter 7, we see a scene of ultimate heartache. A woman has lost her only son; to make things worse, she is already a widow. This meant she had no earning potential or capacity in the ancient world. Not only had she lost everyone she loved, she would also live a life of complete poverty.
To empathize with the woman, we asked the question:
WHAT IS THE LAST THING THAT BROKE YOUR HEART?
This isn't something we are quick to share. However, the truth is we all have pain in our life. This broken world leaves its mark on us from a very young age. We have all suffered, and the scars of that suffering follow us into the next seasons of our life.
The widowed mother led a large crowd out of town to bury her son. As she approached the gate of the village, Jesus and HIS large group were on their way into town. The way towns were constructed, the gate acted as a single point of entry - one way in, one way out.
Two crowds, one was going OUT while mourning and grieving, and one was going IN while celebrating all that Jesus had been doing. The two crowds met at the gate!
On the other side of that gate, the woman's life would change forever. She would bury her son, her hope, and her future. The gate acted as a point of no return, and it was by no accident that Jesus met her AT THE GATE.
In our lives, we have these "Gate" moments. Things that happen where we know we will never be the same. When we lose the business, get served the papers, get caught in our lies, begin our addiction...
Here is the good news - JESUS MEETS US AT THE GATE!
He allows us to turn things around and live a different life. We can say confidently through this series that Jesus sees us in those moments and is MOVED TO COMPASSION for us!
Jesus met the woman at the gate and raised her son back to life. It was the ultimate act of power and a sign that Jesus could make all things new.
APPLY:
HERE ARE THIS WEEK'S APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
What pain are you currently experiencing in your life?
Have you brought that pain to Jesus in prayer?
Have you trusted a fellow Jesus follower with the burden you are carrying?
What would it look like to give your pain to Jesus?
PRAY:
Spend time asking the Holy Spirit to show you the pain hidden in your life. We often push our feelings so deep we aren't actively aware of them. Begin talking to Jesus about the things that hurt the most in your life. Learn to trust God's heart for you.
