[0:00] Good morning and a warm welcome to the service this morning. Those who are here with us, it's good to have all of you. There's some who are back in church for the first time in over a year and it's especially good to have you back.
[0:14] Some who are in church here for the first time and you're very welcome, it's good to see you. And there's some who are visiting with us as well. And so a warm welcome to all who are gathered in the building and also not forgetting those who are watching online at home or listening in on the telephone.
[0:31] It's good for us to come together and to worship God. A couple of intimations. First of all, just to remind you that the service this evening will be an in-person service again at six o'clock and it will be live streamed.
[0:47] So be encouraged to come along if you're on the list or to tune in to the service this evening. The prayer meeting will be on Wednesday at half past seven on Zoom still.
[1:00] So also a warm welcome to join in that. And also in terms of intimation, two sad intimations, two sad notices.
[1:12] Probably most of you will have heard by now. But Ian Davidson, who fought cancer for so long and so bravely, he passed away just late, very late on last night, just before midnight.
[1:27] So we will miss him and we thank God for him and for his life and for his witness, especially in these latter weeks where he proclaimed his faith in Christ.
[1:45] We pray for Shona and for the boys, for all those who were close to Ian. They will miss him the most. We will miss him very much in the congregation and the community as well.
[1:58] And so there's no details yet about funerals, but let's be remembering the family in our prayers at this time. And also I got a message from Angus McKellar this morning to say that Dr. Hay, Kirstie's father, his father-in-law, passed away early this morning.
[2:16] I think it was about half past six this morning. And so we remember Kirstie and Angus and the wider family. And I know Dr. Hay was known well to a number of you here.
[2:29] And so we pray for the family as we give thanks to God for the life of these people, both of them, who trusted Christ.
[2:41] I think we'll pray just for a moment before we sing. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the fact that on your day we are able to come into your presence.
[2:56] And we thank you that when we feel that sense of sadness and loss, when those whom we have loved have gone from time into eternity, we thank you that we can come to you.
[3:11] And we can seek the comfort that you alone can give. We thank you for a peace that is offered, a peace that does not come from this world, but is the peace of heaven.
[3:24] And we pray that we would know that peace on this day. We thank you, Lord, for Ian and for his life. We thank you for Dr. Hay also and his life.
[3:35] And we pray for the families. We will continue to pray for them in the course of this day and in the days ahead. And we commit them to you and ask, Lord, that you would minister to them in the power of your spirit.
[3:50] We thank you not only do you give us comfort, Lord, in that sense of grief that we have, but we thank you that you give us hope. For those who are in Christ, we thank you that there is a sure and certain hope.
[4:04] It's the hope of resurrection. And even on this day, the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, where we gather together to remember that Jesus rose from the dead.
[4:15] We thank you that that resurrection life is promised to all who believe. And we thank you for Dr. Hay and for Ian and for the faith that they had and professed, the faith that we could see in Christ as they lived.
[4:29] And we thank you, Lord, for the comfort, for the encouragement that brings to us today. So hear our prayers and lead us and guide us as we seek to come together to worship you.
[4:44] May we be in the spirit on the Lord's Day. May we know your help. May we know your presence. And may we be worshiping you in spirit and in truth.
[4:56] And we pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We're going to hear now God's word being sung. Psalm 147.
[5:07] Psalm 147. And we'll hear the verses 1 to verse 7 of the psalm sung by Cammie.
[5:20] Praise ye the Lord, for it is good. Praise to our God to sing, for it is pleasant and to praise. It is a comely thing. God doth build up Jerusalem. And here it is alone that the dispersed of Israel doth gather into one.
[5:34] Those that are broken in their heart and grieved in their minds. He healeth. And their painful wounds he tenderly upbinds.
[5:46] Down to the end of verse 7. And we'll hear God's praise sung here in the building. We're not able to sing ourselves as a congregation yet. But those who are at home, you can sing at full volume.
[5:58] So let's praise God from our hearts and with our lips. Praise ye the Lord, for it is good.
[6:15] Praise to our God to sing. For it is pleasant and to praise.
[6:29] It is a comely thing. God doth build up Jerusalem.
[6:42] And he it is alone. That the dispersed of Israel does gather into one.
[7:04] Those that are broken in their heart and grieved in their minds.
[7:19] He healeth. He healeth. And their painful wounds he tenderly abides.
[7:33] He counts the number of the stars. He names them every one.
[7:47] Great is our Lord. And of great power his wisdom search can none.
[8:01] The Lord lifts up the meek and casts the wicked to the ground.
[8:16] Sing to the Lord and give him thanks. On harp his praise. On harp his praises sound.
[8:40] Again, let's unite our hearts in prayer. Let's pray. Our heavenly father once more we thank you for the privilege of being able to come into your presence.
[8:55] we thank you for the freedom that we have to be able to to hear your praises being sung in this place we thank you for the the freedom that we enjoyed in the past and we hope to enjoy again in the not too distant future where we're able to unite our voices together to sing praise to god we thank you for the desire that you've placed in our hearts to praise you we thank you that you've brought us here together this morning those in the building and those who who watch in their own homes we thank you lord that you are the god who who draws us we think of the words of jesus who said to the disciples you did not choose me but i chose you and lord we thank you that as we hear the voice of jesus as we sense our sin and our need of salvation we know that you lord are working in our lives this is not something that we can manufacture in our own hearts we do not decide suddenly that we will follow christ but we thank you that you are the god who who stirs our hearts you're the god who opens our eyes and unblocks our ears in such measure that we are drawn to jesus and we pray lord for each of us here and anyone listening this morning we thank you lord for your work in our lives and we thank you that for any who who know their sin we know that that's evidence of the holy spirit working in our heart he is the one who came into the world to convict all people of sin and we know that if our eyes are being drawn to christ and if our ears are being open to hear his voice we know lord that you are working in the power of the spirit and we are being given opportunity to to be saved and we thank you for the promises of your word that everyone who calls on the name of the lord jesus will be saved no one who comes to him will be cast away but all who come in faith confessing sin and seeking salvation have the promise that that salvation will not be withheld but will be given so we pray that each of us lord would know the assurance of that salvation even in this day may we not be hardening our hearts even at this time but as we hear your voice we pray that we would respond in faith by coming to jesus come to me said jesus all who are weary all who are weighed down under that weight of sin all who are heavy laden and i will give you rest and so we pray that we would know that rest that rest of of knowing that we are saved for all eternity and that peace that we are given in time as we meditate upon that promise we pray lord once more for your help for your comfort this day and as we as we grieve as we feel that sense of loss for those whom we have loved and spent time with for past years and decades in some cases we pray for your comfort we think of the the words of paul to the church in thessalonica when he said we we grieve but not as those who have no hope now we believe that jesus died and rose again we believe that jesus is coming back and we'll bring with them all who have trusted him
[12:58] we thank you for the the everlasting hope that is given to us in christ and christ alone we so often sing our hope is found no guilt in life no fear in death this is the power of christ in me and we ask lord that we would know that power that comfort this day and we pray especially for families that are grieving we thank lord of shona and we ask that you would comfort her that you would uphold her that she would know your presence that your peace would be would be about her we pray for ian's mum who's so up in years annie and we ask lord that she too would know your your touch upon her life we thank you that she is trusting in you and we pray that she would know that balm of your spirit in her heart this day we pray for the boys we pray for for mark and for lewis and for jodo and we ask that you would minister to them we pray lord that they would know your presence and that they would know your your peace we bring all four of the boys to you and we ask lord that that you would be near to them that your hand would be upon them and your strength would be given to them over over these days and especially for scott as he makes arrangements we pray lord that you would uphold him and that you would help him and we pray for the mckellers and for the wider family we ask that they too would know your presence your peace and we thank you that in your providence that you enabled kirstie to be at home with her father at the time when he passed from time into eternity so bless the family over these days and for all who are struggling for all who are in need of help lord we bring them to you we thank you that we can bring whole countries to you in prayer we think about india we think about nepal two places that are in such dire need just now feeling the the worst blast of covid and we ask lord that you would have mercy upon them that you would enable the help that is needed and the medicine that's needed to get through to those who are who are most in need and we pray for your people in these countries and we ask lord that you would help them and that you would enable them to be light in the darkness that you would enable them to speak a word of hope when there is a feeling of despair so hear our prayers and help us lord as we seek to worship you help our eyes to be fixed upon
[16:07] Jesus and help us we pray to be responsive to the the holy spirit receive us in Christ father we pray and may we know your love and your touch upon our lives and we pray these things in Jesus name and for his sake amen boys and girls we have a few of you here this morning and we have a few more at home behind the camera that I can't see but you can see me so I've got a couple of things to show you and you can maybe tell me what these things are so first of all there's this does anybody recognize what that is you see that car John Rory what's that it's a first aid box you're right lives in the kitchen on the wall just in case there's any accidents so what's in the first aid box do you know any idea you ever had to open a first aid box and have a look in
[17:17] I'm not going to because I'll just make a big mess of it but what's in a first aid box what do you think Callum what do you think what might be in there or Lily any ideas well there's it tells me in the back you must know Ailey come on and Alistair your mum's a nurse go on Alistair stuff like bandages yes there's bandages and dressings in here and there's things that you can you can wash so in a kitchen the most likely thing that's going to happen is you're going to cut your hand maybe when you're trying to chop something so you need to clean the cut and make sure that you can put the bandage on and so the first aid kit this first aid kit that's that's what that's for and I thought there might be tablets or there might be something in a first aid kit that would that would help you if you were sore but apparently not so does anybody recognize what this is yeah Katie it's Calpo every house with people who are young knows what Calpo is and what do you use Calpo for when do you get
[18:35] Calpo what do you think Emily when you feel sick if you're feeling a bit hot or you're feeling a bit sore or you're feeling a bit sick then the bottle gets opened the wee scoisher thing goes in open that wide two scooshes and after a wee while you you start to feel a little bit better so we have a first aid box and we have something here that helps us when we're sore gives us a bit of pain relief is what the the nurses and the doctors call it do you know that God has a first aid box for us what do you think it is where do we find God's help when we're sore in our hearts John Roddy the Bible the Bible is is like is like
[19:36] God's first aid box and the Psalms especially we were just singing one of the Psalms and one of the old preachers from a long time ago said the the Psalms are like God's medicine cabinet and we can find medicine for our hearts when they're sore when they're sick we can open up the Bible we can go to the Psalms and it's like medicine for us God he he speaks to us through the Psalms and he he gives us his words and it's like it's like medicine for our hearts it's like a first aid box for our souls but you know if there was someone in the kitchen who was chopping up the vegetables for the soup and they got a cut and it was a bad cut then we might know there's a first aid box on the wall but would you would you try and fix the cut yourself if you were looking around here just now and you're thinking well somebody's just got a bad cut and they're very sore
[20:53] I'll tell you what I'll just fix it would you would you do that or would you would you maybe look to somebody else I think we'd look to someone else wouldn't we I can see nurses all over the place I can see a doctor there are physicians it's the complicated word the old fashioned word for those who can help and if there was somebody in a lot of need then we probably ask one of them all over the place can you help because I wouldn't try it and if you don't have any training you'd be best not to try either but let me ask you a question boys and girls who's the greatest physician that ever lived and I'll give you a clue it's not Dr.
[21:50] Latham he's a good doctor it's not Dr. Latham who's the greatest doctor the great physician John Rory Jesus that's right and it says in the psalm that we were just singing he heals the broken hearted and he binds up he bandages up our wounds and that's what Jesus does when we come to him when our hearts are sore like they are about today now we can come to to Jesus and he helps us and when we know the sin that's in our hearts and when we come to him and we we tell him about that he's able to heal us you know in this world doctors and nurses they can help us but they can't always heal us but Jesus when we're talking about our hearts he can always help us he can always heal our hearts he doesn't always make us healthy in this world because we're only in this world for a wee while he's got a better place prepared for those who are trusting in him and when we trust in him he promises that he can give us something better than Calpo he can give us everlasting life there was one bit in the
[23:35] Bible in John chapter 6 I'm almost finished you're listening well and Jesus was talking and people had been listening and then people started to stop listening and lots of people had been crowding around Jesus and at this point in John chapter 6 the crowd started to go away they didn't like what Jesus was saying and Jesus said to his disciples he said to them will you go away too and do you know what Peter said Peter said to Jesus to whom else can we go it's only you that has the words of everlasting life and boys and girls that's what Jesus promises to us life that begins here when we trust him but it goes on and it goes on and it goes on and it goes on and when we go from this world into the place he's prepared for us it just gets better that's his promise so boys and girls be opening your Bibles remember it's medicine for our souls and let's be coming to Jesus for the everlasting life that only he can give and we'll pray
[25:05] Lord God again we thank you for your word and for your promises to us we thank you that when in this world we're feeling like we're struggling we might be feeling sad we might be feeling sore we might be feeling worried about something we thank you that when we have these feelings we can come to you and you promise that you'll help us we thank you Lord Jesus that the help that you can give us is much more than just making us feel a bit better we thank you that when we come to you in faith you promise that you will take our sin away and you'll give to us that everlasting life we thank you that when we're trusting in Jesus even though we die we're taken through death into life that knows no end and so help us Lord we pray to be trusting in Jesus and to know his everlasting life and we pray this in Jesus name and for his sake amen thank you for listening boys and girls you can head through to
[26:20] Sunday school now and if we could maybe turn in our Bibles to Psalm 147 Psalm 147 and we'll read the whole of this fairly short Psalm this is God's word praise the Lord how good it is to sing praises to our
[27:22] God how pleasant and fitting to praise him the Lord builds up Jerusalem he gathers the exiles of Israel he heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds he determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name great is our Lord and mighty and power his understanding has no limit the Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground sing to the Lord with thanksgiving make music to our God on the harp he covers the sky with clouds he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills he provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call his pleasure is not in the strength of the horse nor his delight in the legs of a man or of a warrior it says in another version the Lord delights in those who fear him who put their hope in his unfailing love extol the
[28:31] Lord oh Jerusalem praise your God oh Zion for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you he grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat he sends his command to the earth his word runs swiftly he spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes he hurls down hail like pebbles who can withstand his icy blast he sends his word and melts them he stirs up his breezes and the waters flow he has revealed his word to Jacob his laws and decrees to Israel he has done this for no other nation they do not know his laws praise the Lord amen and may God bless that reading of his word to us again we'll pray heavenly father we thank you for your word we pray now for the help of the holy spirit as we meditate upon your word give us insight give us understanding give to us that sense of your nearer presence your ministry to each of our hearts and what we pray for ourselves we pray for the children as they meet and discuss the truths of the gospel in a simple way and we pray for the churches around us every place where Christ crucified is preached we pray
[30:11] Lord that you would be adding your blessing that you would be encouraging your people that you would be glorifying your name that you would be seeking and saving those who are lost and that you would be building your church and we pray this in Jesus name amen take my watch off the clock is the clock is seven or eight minutes slow so apologies I'm slightly behind schedule sometimes we can be in difficulty in this world sometimes we can be struggling in different situations and not knowing what to do in our struggles and then all of a sudden without us even having to spend any time looking for help help is at hand remember once being en route to Glasgow airport and we were cutting it a little bit fine as often people do when they're heading to an airport and driving along and everything was going fine and then
[31:19] I was starting to get a funny smell from the car and then I started to hear funny noises from under the bonnet and I was becoming increasingly worried so I pulled over at a petrol station and I opened the bonnet to see what I could see I don't know why I bothered I knew nothing much about how to fix anything but I could see even from under the bonnet that things weren't quite as they should be there was liquid there was diesel in places that there shouldn't be and I didn't know what to do I wasn't sure was the car safe to drive and yet I knew that if I delayed too much I was going to miss the plane so I was worried and then out of nowhere this guy with an RAC boiler suit he just appeared I don't think he was an angel I think he was just a mechanic who happened to be sent to the right place at the right time and he looked at me it was in Glasgow and he said alright Paul and I said well
[32:19] I'm not sure I've got car problems and he says can I help I said please can you take a look and he looked and to cut a longer story short he helped us and he got the car into a safe condition he says you're fine to carry on south no problem you'll make the plane fine I didn't have to look for help didn't have to search for it all of a sudden the guy was there the perfect man for the job was there now today and in fact every day we need the help of God we need him every hour the hymn says but there are some days where we feel in a particular way that sense of struggle that sense of loss and we feel that today as we think about the fact that one or two people that were very precious to many of us have gone ahead of us from time into eternity and although we believe that they are with the
[33:42] Lord although we have that hope and that comfort there is still a real grieving there is that struggle and with that as an experience I wondered where do we go in the Bible today for help we're not in Luke's gospel as we would expect to be this Sunday morning and I wondered as we came close to today where do we go for help but I didn't have to think long I didn't have to look far because I believe the Lord took me back to the psalm that we were actually already in last Sunday evening we were in psalm 147 and so my mind kept going back to this psalm in the last few days and
[34:44] I want to focus this morning on just one verse which will take as our text for today and it's verse 3 and it says in verse 3 he heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds so that's our verse for today as we struggle and as we feel that sense of loss he heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds so three points hopefully in the time that we have first of all we'll think about hearts that are broken and secondly we'll think about the healing that is offered and thirdly finally we'll think about the helper who is present with us so first of all hearts that are broken and the whole idea of a broken heart is not something we have to search long for at the cultural level to find we don't have to look or listen long to hear people share stories of hearts that are broken
[36:03] I expect a few people here could tell stories about broken hearts but if you listen to country music or if you listen to folk music so many of the songs which have the greatest impact are songs about broken hearts and even in pop music the stuff that jingle jangles on our radios the artists that I've heard I'm not much good on pop music these days but the artists that I've heard on the radio artists like Adele and Lewis Capaldi that their most popular songs are not the happy songs but they're the sad songs about broken hearts and it's just part of the reality of the world that we live in there are hearts that are broken and in our own experience we know to varying degrees what it feels like to have hearts that are broken even as
[37:09] I look around the room just now I can think of stories that have caused heartbreak in your lives we know what it feels like to be wounded some may have suffered the breakdown of relationships the pain that brings separation from family members the struggle that we wrestle with over that others may have been let down by people we've trusted and that's hurt us people we thought were friends people we thought we could trust they've betrayed us or it may be that our hearts have been broken through a loved one becoming ill or becoming distant disconnected through dementia or even losing a loved one through death these things hurt these things they wound us they break our hearts and the psalmists they experienced much in the way of heartbreak as we go through the psalms we we don't have to search long in the psalter to find accounts of heartbreak and hearts that are wounded we get a sense of the pain of that and the words that are used in this verse the word for broken the
[38:51] Hebrew word sabar means to break to destroy to crush to smash to shatter the strong words a violent word heart that the psalmist uses in relation to the broken heart and the word he uses for heart it speaks about the very core of the person the seat of thought and emotion and conscience and courage and mind and understanding it's the very inner person that's broken the word that's used for wounds I'm not going to try and pronounce the Hebrew it speaks about pain and sorrow and grief and heartache and suffering so we get a sense of pain from the psalmist as he speaks about the wounding and the breaking of heart he's not talking about a trivial thing here he's he's speaking about an intense inner suffering speaking about deep heart and there are psalms that we can go there are laments that we can go to in the psalter that give us words to express what we can't find words to say when we're feeling sore there are psalms that we can read and as we read them we think that's what
[40:23] I feel I just didn't have the words to say it but I think today something that gives great comfort to us when we feel wounded and broken hearted is to know that God knows what that feels like now when we're struggling whether it's with addiction or illness or grief we tend to gravitate towards the people that we know that we know understand our struggle that's why you have meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous and Road to Recovery people who have the same struggle they come together because they understand each other and God understands our struggles he knows them says in Hebrews 4 15 for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness
[41:25] God knows our struggles he knows what pain and what sorrow feels like Jesus we're told in Isaiah 53 3 he was despised and rejected by men he was a man of sorrows he was acquainted with grief Jesus knows he knows what he was abandoned he knows what it feels like to be rejected by his friends when he went to the cross remember the twelve who had promised that they would be with him to the end even to death said Peter they scatter as Jesus goes to the cross he is utterly alone Jesus knows what it feels like to be betrayed by one who was close to him as one of his own disciples Jesus knows what it's like to be misunderstood he knows what it's like to be talked about he knows what it's like to be despised he knows what it's like to be rejected he knows what it's like to have people give him the cold shoulder he knows what it's like to feel the psychological pain of public ridicule and disgrace he knows what it's like to feel the physical pain of being battered and whipped and having nails thrust into his hands and feet and being left on a cross to suffocate to die he knows what that feels like
[43:14] Jesus knows the distress of having a loved one becoming sick he knows the grief of losing a friend in death and standing at a graveside weeping and Jesus knows even the reality of entering into death something that we haven't yet done he knows the spiritual pain of that he knows the spiritual pain of our sin crushing his heart you know never was there a more broken hearted cry than my God my God why have you forsaken me Jesus knows all about being broken hearted he knows all about the reality of being wounded at every level and
[44:31] I think that brings us comfort today wherever we're at whatever we're struggling with however we're feeling I think this brings us comfort this brings us encouragement to come to Christ when we have hearts that are broken the atheist will say or actually the anti-theist because atheists are aggressive today they're anti-theist not atheists but they will say you're God that you profess to believe he doesn't care about your suffering if he cared he'd do something about it but as we open scripture we learn that he did do something about it he left heaven to enter into it he shared in it so when we suffer when we feel broken hearted we we should come to him we should receive the comfort that he alone is able to give we so often sing the words of that hymn can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share
[46:00] Jesus knows our every weakness so take it take yourself to the Lord in prayer there is hearts that are broken the second point is that there is a healing that's offered we've thought about the fact that we can be wounded in this life we've thought about the fact that we can have hearts that are broken we've thought about the fact that there is encouragement of knowing that Jesus understands what that feels like we're reassured by the promise that he will comfort us in our grief but in the gospel in the good news about Jesus we're offered more than just comfort for our sore hearts we're offered healing there's a healing that's offered you know in our bodies we can be suffering and we can receive the comfort of pain relief you know the child with a high temperature that's struggling with an infection they get relief from the wee blast of cow pole but if there's an underlying problem the cow pole doesn't get to it there's a root that goes down deeper that needs to be actually addressed there's an illness that needs to be fought there's an illness that inflicts our hearts that brings all the pain that we're speaking about so what's the root cause that lies behind all the heart break well you know the answer to that question the children would tell us immediately it's sin everything that we're talking about here that brings heartbreak that brings wounding it can be traced back to the garden of
[48:11] Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin came in we go back to the very beginning when God created the world the world was not designed to be a heart breaking wounding place in the beginning this world was designed it was made to be perfect not painful but sin changed all that so all the things that we suffer under and all the things that we sometimes cause other people to have to suffer they can be traced back to sin whether it's desertion or betrayal or violence or illness or death these things were not God's design they were sin's distortion now the Bible is clear and I need to keep making this point that our personal suffering very often does not relate to our personal sin think about the book of
[49:16] Job he suffered not because he sinned he suffered because of his devotion to God or think about the man in John chapter 9 he was born blind the disciples said whose sin was it him or his parents Jesus said neither sin the suffering has nothing to do with personal sin but the reality is because sin is in this world it affects everything and it affects everyone the virus that has caused us to have our lives turned upside down for the last year it can be traced back to poor hygiene in some market in Wuhan China but it's affected everyone and sin the effect is felt by everyone that's the bad news but the good news is that there is healer that is offered there's an old hymn that I couldn't find in any of the hymn books but it draws on the imagery of
[50:27] Jeremiah 8 22 and it says this there is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole there's power enough in heaven to cure a sin sick soul and that's the good news and we get a sense of the power of heaven the power of God in this psalm look at verse 8 we're given this big picture of the power of God he covers the sky with clouds he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills as we look up as we look around us we see the power of God he spreads verse 16 the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes we think about the scale of that we see the power of God he hurls down his hail like pebbles verse 17 we've known that even in this week we see something of the power of God and the psalmist says in verse 5 great is our
[51:40] Lord and mighty in power we see this mighty creator sustainer God in this psalm and so as we look at him we know that he doesn't lack the power to heal us and then as we look to Jesus the one whom each psalm points forward to the one who is the image of the invisible God we see that not only is God able to heal the broken wounded sin sick soul but he's willing yeah but the words of Jesus in Mark 2 17 he says it's not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick I have not come to call the righteous the people who think they're okay I've come to call the sinners Jesus is the great physician and how did he affect such healing you know we're given balms and medicines of various kinds that promise healing for our bodies but what is the medicine that brings healing to our hearts what is this balm that's offered to us what's in it well there's only one ingredient it's the blood of
[53:06] Jesus Hebrews 9 22 says without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness no healing but the good news is that on the cross Jesus blood was shed it was poured out so that we can have our hearts cleansed so that we can be forgiven so that our broken hearts can be healed so that our wounded souls can be bound up it's the blood of Jesus that brings that medicine to us Isaiah saw this in preview in Isaiah 53 he's pointing to the cross and he says surely he that's Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows yet we considered him stricken by God smitten by him and afflicted but says Isaiah he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and listen to this by his wounds we are healed
[54:20] Isaiah saw that in preview and those of us who have been to the cross in faith we've seen that promise fulfilled we've seen and perhaps felt that healing that is offered in and through the death the shed blood of Jesus we're going to sing it at the end there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains the dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day and there may I as vile as he wash all my sins away dear dying lamb that precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed ones of
[55:23] God be saved to sin no more so there's healing that is offered to the sin broken heart there is a healing that's offered to the sin wounded soul and the healing that's offered it's a full healing it's a comprehensive healing the word that's used for healing in the psalm it speaks about recovering fully it speaks about being made whole it speaks about being made fresh being made new and that's what God offers to do for us he doesn't take a plaster and put it over the sore of our sin stained hearts gives us new hearts this is promised in Ezekiel 36 he says I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and
[56:29] I will put my spirit in you this is the kind of healing that is offered to those who know that they are it's a full healing it's an eternal healing and it's offered to those who will believe and who will come with empty hands and ask for it so there's a heart break hearts that are broken and there's a healing a healing that is offered and finally there is a helper that is present the psalm in the text you see there before you it speaks about he doesn't it there's a subject here there's a he that heals the broken hearted he binds up their wounds and so we ask the question we must ask the question who is he the answer is he is
[57:36] God this healing this this binding up work it's God's work Spurgeon says he only can do it God only can do it I defy any of my brethren says Spurgeon to bind up a broken heart I have often labored to do it he says but could never affect it I have said a word to console the mourner but I have felt that I have done but little or have perhaps put the wrong mixture baptism or the Lord Supper or regular attendance at the house of prayer some of you again have certain forms and observances to which you attach saving value as the Lord liveth says Spurgeon none of these things bind up the broken and hard apart from the Holy Spirit they are empty wind and air you may have them and be lost you can have no peace and comfort says
[58:36] Spurgeon unless you have immediate dealings with God who alone as the great physician healeth the broken in heart Psalm 46 verse 1 says God God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble and what I want to say in conclusion is that God is very present today he's here that's his promise where two or three gather in his name he will be here he's not far off he's with us Jesus is Emmanuel God with us and he came near in the incarnation but when the word of God is read when the gospel of
[59:40] Jesus is preached once more Jesus comes near the power of the Holy Spirit and he offers to heal our broken hearts he offers to bind up our wounded souls he's here to save us Romans 10 verses 8 to 10 words that I often read with Ian the word is near you who's the word Jesus is the word the word is near you it is in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith we are proclaiming that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised them from the dead you will be saved for it's with your heart that you believe and are justified and it's with your mouth that you confess and are saved now today with
[60:50] Ian Splassing and with Dr. Hayes Plassing we grieve for them but not as those who have no hope we have hope for them why it's because they believed in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead it's because they confessed with their mouths that Jesus is Lord that's why we have hope I want to ask the question what about you do you have hope do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus have you confessed that Jesus is Lord do you have hope you called upon the name of the
[61:55] Lord Jesus for help for healing because if you haven't you still can he heals is what the psalm says not that he did heal in the past it's not what it says it doesn't say that he will heal in the future it says he heals present tense continuous tense he's healing today the literal translation is he is giving healing to the broken in heart he is binding up their griefs this is a present offer some of us are waiting for a vaccine for covid we know it exists but for some of us it's not yet available we haven't had the call or the second call but this healing for sin is offered today there's no delay there's no waiting list
[63:01] Jesus is calling us to come to him and some may question the effectiveness of any medicine or any balm to heal but the healing that Jesus applies it's always effective there's never been a case that's been too difficult for Jesus there's never been a patient that's come to him and has been turned away it says in John 6 he'll never turn anyone away he will in no wise cast out those who come to him so let's come to him let's come confessing the sickness of our own sinful hearts let's come seeking his healing of our wounded souls because he is able he is willing and he is offering to give to us that salvation that he paid for on the cross and promises to those who will believe him and receive in grace we'll pray heavenly father we pray that you would take these words and these meditations and bring them in the power of your spirit to our hearts and give us faith we pray to respond and to receive the healing that is offered in
[64:57] Jesus and we pray this in Jesus name amen we'll hear the hymn 671 from mission praise being sung to finish 671 in mission praise we quoted from it there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains lose all their guilty stains lose all their guilty stains and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains the dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day and there may I as vile as he wash all my sins away wash all my sins away wash all my sins away and there may I as vile as he wash all my sins away dear dying lamb your precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church of god be saved to sin no more be saved to sin no more be saved to sin no more till all the ransomed church of god be saved to sin no more hear sin by faith
[67:59] I saw the stream your flowing wound supply redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die and shall be till I die and shall be till I die redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die when this poor lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave then in a nobler sweeter song I'll sing your power to save
[69:03] I'll sing your power to save I'll sing your power to save then in a nobler sweeter song I'll sing your power to save and now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the comfort of God the Holy Spirit be with us all both now and forever more Amen