Room for the Broken

Matthew 9:1–13

Matthew 11:28–30

We are finishing our series called Breaking the Myths.

We are taking ideas that sound spiritual, but do not agree with the whole counsel of God.

We began by breaking the myth that God loves me more when I do better.

Then we broke the myth that if I give more, God will give me more.

Last week we broke the myth that my pain always means God is punishing me.

Today we come to one more myth that keeps many people away from Christ and makes many believers hide in church.

The myth is this: church is for people who have it all together.

Some people stay away from church because they think they are too broken, too guilty, too messy, too ashamed, or too far gone.

Some believers come to church, but they feel pressure to pretend.

They smile while carrying burdens.

They sing while hiding wounds.

They dress up the outside while the inside is weary, guilty, fearful, or confused.

That isn’t what Jesus came to create.

The church shouldn’t be a place where sin is excused, but it should be a place where sinners can come to the Saviour.

The church shouldn’t be a place where brokenness is celebrated, but it should be a place where broken people can find truth, grace, help, and hope.

The Bible never presents Jesus as impressed by religious image.

He came for sinners.

He came for the sick.

He came for the burdened.

He came for people who couldn’tsave, heal, cleanse, or carry themselves.

Matthew 9 and Matthew 11 show us that Jesus has room for the broken.

That does not mean He leaves us broken.

It means we don’t have to become whole before we come to Him.

I. Jesus Meets Us at Our Deepest Need

Matthew 9:1–2 1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

The first person Matthew puts before us in this chapter is a helpless man.

He couldn’t bring himself.

He had to be carried.

His need was visible to everyone.

Nobody had to wonder whether he was weak.

Nobody had to guess whether he needed help.

He was lying on a bed, and others brought him to Jesus.

We like to look strong, capable, composed, and in control.

But every one of us has needs we can’t fix by ourselves.

The man’s body was weak, but Jesus saw even deeper.

Before we ever talk about church being a place for broken people, we need to see that Christ Himself meets broken people.

A. The Man Came With a Visible Burden

Matthew says this man was “sick of the palsy.”

His weakness couldn’t be hidden.

Everyone could see the bed.

Everyone could see the dependence.

Everyone could see that he was being carried.

There’s a mercy in obvious need because obvious need can drive us to seek help.

But many needs aren’t obvious.

A person may walk into church with a strong handshake and a broken heart.

A mother may sing a hymn while carrying fear for her children.

A father may open his Bible while feeling like he’s failing.

A teenager may sit quietly while drowning in shame or confusion.

A senior saint may smile while feeling lonely and forgotten.

The problem with the myth that church is for people who have it all together is that nobody really does.

Romans 3:23 KJV

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

All have sinned.

All come short.

All need mercy.

Some beds are visible.

But some burdens are hidden.

But EVERY sinner needs Christ.

B. Jesus Spoke to the Greater Need

Verse 2 says, “and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

That must have surprised the people in the room.

The man came with a physical need, but Jesus first spoke to his spiritual need.

He said, “Son, be of good cheer.”

Then He said, “thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Jesus wasn’t ignoring the man’s body.

He would heal him physically.

But He knew the man’s deepest need was forgiveness.

That’s true of us as well.

Our circumstances matter.

Our griefs matter.

Our fears matter.

Our physical pain matters.

Our family burdens matter.

But our deepest need is to be right with God.

Isaiah 53:6 KJV

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sin isn’t merely a weakness we manage.

Sin is guilt before a holy God.

That’s why the gospel is such good news.

Jesus did not come merely to improve our circumstances.

He came to forgive our sins.

C. Grace Gives Courage to Needy Sinners

Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer.”

That is a tender word to a helpless man.

The scribes would soon accuse Jesus of blasphemy, but Jesus began by giving courage to the needy.

He did not say, “Be of good cheer, because you have no sin.”

He said, “Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

The courage came from forgiveness, not denial.

The gospel never asks us to pretend sin is small.

It tells us Christ is sufficient.

1 John 1:7 KJV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

That’s why broken sinners can come honestly.

We don’t have to hide from the Great Physician.

Imagine a man who is sick but refuses to tell the doctor his symptoms because he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

That would be foolish.

The doctor’s office isn’t for people who can prove they are well.

It’s for people who need care.

In the same way, the church shouldn’t train people to hide their need.

It should point people to the One who can forgive, cleanse, and restore.

The Church isn’t a museum to showcase your goodness!

The Church is a hospital where the sick help the sick through the power of the Great Physician.

Jesus did more than speak forgiveness to this man.

He proved that He had authority to forgive, and then He moved toward another man whom religious people would have avoided.

II. Jesus Calls People Others Avoid

Matthew 9:9 says, “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom.”

Matthew was a publican, a tax collector.

That means many people would have despised him.

Tax collectors were often viewed as traitors, compromisers, and dishonest men.

They worked with Roman authority and were known for taking advantage of their own people.

If respectable religious people were choosing the next disciple, Matthew probably would not have been near the top of the list.

But Jesus saw him.

That phrase matters.

He saw the paralyzed man, and now He saw Matthew.

Others may have seen a tax collector.

Jesus saw a man who needed grace and would become His disciple.

A. Matthew Was Not Too Far for Christ to Call

Matthew 9:9 says Jesus “saith unto him, Follow me.”

That’s grace.

Jesus did not say, “Clean yourself up, and then I will come back.”

He did not say, “Prove you are respectable, and then I will use you.”

He said, “Follow me.”

Matthew 9:9 says, “And he arose, and followed him.”

The call of Christ was stronger than the grip of his old life.

Nobody’s too stained for Jesus to save.

Nobody’s too known for sin for Jesus to call.

Nobody’s too spiritually messy for grace to reach.

1 Timothy 1:15 KJV

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Paul then said, “of whom I am chief.”

The greatest Christian ever known to man, realized he was probably the worst of them all!

If Christ came to save sinners, then sinners shouldn’t feel surprised when they are invited to come.

The church should never communicate that people need to become righteous before they can hear the gospel.

We preach Christ because sinners need Him now.

B. Jesus Sat With Publicans and Sinners

Matthew 9:10 says, “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.”

Jesus did not sin with sinners, but He did sit with sinners.

He did not approve their sin, but He did come near with truth and mercy.

That balance is important.

Some people think compassion means we must deny sin.

Others think holiness means we must keep needy people far away.

Jesus did neither.

He was perfectly holy and wonderfully approachable.

Sinners were not drawn to Him because He was loose with truth.

They were drawn to Him because He was full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 KJV

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

A church that follows Jesus should hold both.

Truth without grace can become cold and crushing.

Grace without truth can become shallow and false.

But grace and truth together makes a place where sinners are loved enough to be welcomed and loved enough to be changed.

C. Religious Pride Resented His Mercy

Matthew 9:11 says, “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”

The Pharisees did not rejoice that sinners were near Jesus.

They complained.

They were more concerned with image than mercy.

They could see the sin of the publicans, but they couldn’t see the pride in themselves.

That’s a dangerous place to be.

It’s possible to be around religion and still miss the heart of God.

It’s possible to be separated from obvious sins and still have a heart full of self-righteousness.

It’s possible to look clean on the outside while being far from mercy on the inside.

The myth that church is for people who have it all together often grows in soil like that.

It grows when image matters more than truth.

It grows when people are more afraid of being exposed than eager to be healed.

It grows when religious people forget how much mercy they have received.

Romans 5:8 says,

Romans 5:8 KJV

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God did not wait for us to become respectable before He showed love.

He loved us while we were yet sinners.

If Christ has shown that mercy to us, we must not despise sinners who still need that mercy.

The Pharisees asked why Jesus ate with sinners.

Jesus answered with a picture that every hurting person needs to hear.

The sick don’t need to hide from the physician.

They need to come to Him.

III. Jesus Invites the Burdened to Rest

Matthew 9:12 says, “But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”

Jesus answered their criticism with a simple picture.

Healthy people don’t go looking for a doctor.

Sick people do.

Then He explained His mission in Matthew 9:13.

He said, “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

That statement breaks the myth completely.

Jesus did not come because we were whole.

He came because we were sick.

He did not come because we had everything together.

He came because sinners needed repentance, forgiveness, and life.

A. The Sick Need the Physician

Jesus said, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”

The point isn’t that the Pharisees were truly whole.

The point is that they thought they were.

Self-righteous people don’t seek a Saviour because they don’t think they need one.

Broken people are often closer to help because they know they can’t heal themselves.

That’s why honesty is so important.

A person who won’t admit sickness won’t seek the physician.

A sinner who won’t admit guilt won’t seek the Saviour.

A church that pretends everyone is fine can become a hard place for wounded souls.

But a church that keeps pointing to Christ can be a place of healing grace.

Jeremiah 8:22 KJV

22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Jeremiah asked, "Is there no balm in Gilead?"

The implied answer is, "Of course there is."

The tragedy was not that the remedy was missing, but that God's people weren't seeking it.

Church family, the Great Physician is still available today.

If you know something isn't right in your heart, don't settle for spiritual sickness.

Seek the One who alone can heal and restore.

The answer of the gospel is that there is a Physician.

His name is Jesus.

He heals what pride can’t admit.

He forgives what effort can’t erase.

He restores what sin has broken.

B. Mercy Matters to God

Matthew 9:13 says, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.”

Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6.

The Pharisees knew religious activity.

They knew sacrifice.

They knew outward forms.

But they needed to learn mercy.

The Lord cares about more than outward religious performance.

He cares about the heart.

A person can attend church, carry a Bible, sing hymns, and still be harsh toward the broken.

A person can defend standards and still fail to show mercy.

A person can know correct doctrine and still forget compassion.

Micah 6:8 says,

Micah 6:8 KJV

8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?

Mercy does not mean we ignore sin.

Jesus said He came to call sinners “to repentance.”

But repentance isn’t the enemy of mercy.

Repentance is one of mercy’s gifts.

Mercy does not leave a sinner in chains.

Mercy calls the sinner out of darkness and toward Christ.

C. The Weary Are Invited to Come

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

That’s one of the sweetest invitations in Scripture.

Jesus does not say, “Come unto me, all ye who have it all together.”

He does not say, “Come unto me, all ye who are impressive.”

He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.”

That includes the guilty.

That includes the ashamed.

That includes the weary parent.

That includes the struggling believer.

That includes the sinner who feels too far gone.

That includes the church member who is tired of pretending.

But notice also with me they are the ones who are already labouring.

They didn’t wait to labor until they were strong enough.

Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.”

Jesus does not invite us to rest so we can live without Him.

He invites us into His yoke.

He becomes our Master, our Teacher, our Saviour, and our Lord.

Then He says, “for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Matthew Henry wrote, “Rest for the soul is the most desirable rest.”

That’s true.

The deepest rest isn’t just a nap for the body.

It’s peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and the comfort of belonging to Christ.

Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in thee.”

The burdened soul will never find its deepest rest in image, achievement, money, pleasure, or human approval.

It finds rest in Christ.

Conclusion

The myth says, “Church is for people who have it all together.”

The truth says, “Jesus came for sinners, the broken, and the burdened.”

Matthew 9 gives us a helpless man on a bed, a tax collector at a table, and sinners sitting near Jesus.

Matthew 11 gives us the invitation of Christ to the weary and heavy laden.

That means there’s room for the broken.

There’s room for the guilty to be forgiven.

There’s room for the ashamed to come into the light.

There’s room for the weary to find rest.

There’s room for sinners to repent and be made new.

But we must be clear.

Jesus does not welcome sinners because sin is harmless.

He welcomes sinners because He’s a merciful Saviour.

He does not call sinners to stay as they are.

He calls sinners to repentance.

He doesn’t offer rest apart from Himself.

He says, “Come unto me.”

So if you are lost, don’t wait until you’ve fixed yourself.

Come to Christ.

He came to call sinners.

Romans 10:13 KJV

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If you are saved but weary, stop pretending you have no burdens.

Bring them to Christ.

If you are ashamed, bring your shame to Christ.

If you are guilty, confess your sin to Christ.

If you are tired, come again to the meek and lowly Saviour.

And church, let us be the kind of people who make much of the Physician.

Let us tell the truth about sin.

Let us offer mercy to sinners.

Let us refuse pride, image, gossip, and coldness.

Let us never make broken people feel like they must become whole before they can come near enough to hear of Christ.

The church is not a museum for perfect people.

It’s a hospital to be healed.

So come honestly.

Come humbly.

Come repenting.

Come as you are, but trust Him not to leave you as you are.

There’s room for the broken because there’s mercy in the Saviour.