Nothing Broken Beyond Repair Isaiah61:1-3 10-15-06

Sermon 10-15-06 Nothing Broken Beyond Repair Isaiah 61:1-3

Do you have any dirty laundry?
Here is mine.....
What if someone came into the church and listed your life sins
That's what they did to Jesus - He was sinless - yet they picked him
Jesus runs with sinners
Luke7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonour man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

These works of Isaiah are quoted by Jesus in his first sermon...
While others constantly pick at us,
He has come to give us hope in a broken world

He has come to BRING___GOOD NEWS___TO THE POOR
God cares about the poor...the needy
He cares about them thru us
Missions in the general budget, [missions director and 50K]
in special giving

Zacchaeus was a man whose life was changed by Jesus
]
7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner". 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, Luke19:8-9


I have come to HEAL THE BROKEN HEARTED
everyone has had a broken heart
Loss of a favorite toy, a pet, a boy friend, girlfriend, to be treated poorly by someone, to lose a loved one, broken marriages, financial ruin, dreams deferred


In Jesus we have this promise, that Nothing Broken beyond repair
"A man was once traveling in a strange city. Off the main street was a little alley lined with small businesses, most of them antique and curio shops. He was fascinated by that winding street of strange stores. And, as he moved along the crowded cobblestones, a weather beaten sign swaying in the wind caught his attention. "It read simply, "Nothing Broken Beyond Repair." this was a shop for broken things. The business specialized in shatterdness - broken toys and mementos, china and vases and marred furniture. By the same token there was something optomistic about the sign and the store. As he paused to watch for a time, the man saw a number of people making their way into the building.
"They were from all walks of life - the wealthy, the poor and those in-between. They were carrying things to be repaired - things of value - precious at least to them - things once whole that now needed mending.


Clearly this is a very popular store
If it were in Independence Center, how long would the lines be?

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm34:18
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm147:3


I have come to proclaim RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES -

• deliver to the oppressed---this is more than being in prison...
• there is also a moral and spiritual captivity
• addictions, disfunction, cycles of poor choices
• drugs, pornography, food, addictive relationship
• hearts that are broken so badly that they never feel good about themselves
• people living with programming so neurotic that they can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel

We have learned every way to deal with stress...exersize, vacations, self help books...they are band-aids to brokenness.

Jesus comes to set life free. We are victors instead of victims, actors inseats of reactors

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew11:28

First Sermon, Last Sermon
Jesus first sermon had as its theme "nothing Broken Beyond Repair."
His final sermon, preached from a cross, had the same theme. for in his brokenness he brought God's healing to all of us - personally and individually.

so what to do about brokenness?
City slickers...best day...worst day
Billy Christal, Bruno Kirby, Daniel Stern

So what to do about brokenness?
God has always used broken people to do his work...
David, Paul, Moses, Jacob, Rahab, what is your name?

So what to do about brokenness?
It is that very brokenness that opens us up to listen
Brokenness causes us to remember we are not in control...
without it we thought we were special
we need someone bigger than ourselves

Psalm51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Jesus comes in to our lives
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
to comfort all who morn,
3 and provide for those who grieve
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness - instead of mourning,
and a covering of praise - instead of a spirit of despair.

Song: God bless the broken road