Not Dead Yet
Notes
Transcript
He’s washed up! He is a has-been, no longer necessary, useless! – These are all statements made in our cruel world when someone does not benefit another like he used to. Human beings can be written off and forgotten about quickly. Now, To be sure this seems harsh, but it is the way of business. If you cannot do the job, you are replaced. If you have made a stupid remark, or decision, you are forced into early retirement. If you listen to a pitcher who should be replaced, you will no longer manage the Red Socks. - This is simply the way things are.
It is a wonderful thing to be a blood-bought, born again Christian. There is nothing that the devil can do that will erase salvation! Butt… there are many Christians who feel that they are no longer useful to our Savior. We have been led to believe that God has sees our failure and has put us on the shelf, never to be used for his glory. It is a horrible feeling to believe that God has discarded you!
Our passage this morning is a quotation from Isaiah 42:1-4. The prophet is explaining how the messiah will be recognized. One distinct characteristic is that he will not get rid of the weak and broken. This morning let us meditate on this truth: Where there is life, there is hope… and we are not dead yet!
Jesus will not break a bruised reed
Jesus will not break a bruised reed
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
A. Small stick with a crack or weak spot- not a mighty oak tree.
1. Not much good for building
2. Still had life in it
B. Bruised= an outward sigh of an inward hurt
1. Personal failure
2. The failure and hurt of others toward you
C. This bruise captivates the soul- Jesus sets you free!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
D. David’s soul was bruised after his sin
1. Guilt
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
2. Lost joy
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.
3. Broken heart
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
E. God heals the bruised heart
1. God is greater than your heart
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
2. God heals the broken heart
He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
Hearts are flowers; they remain open to the softly falling dew, but shut up in the violent downpour of rain.—Jean Paul Richter
Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), 338.
Jesus will not quench the smoking flax
Jesus will not quench the smoking flax
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
A. The picture
1. A little light
2. A little heat
3. A lot of irritating smoke.
B. Peter
1. Proclaimed his loyalty to Christ
Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
2. Peter denied Christ and wept bitterly
And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
3. Peter was greatly used after he was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Jesus will bring judgment to victory
Jesus will bring judgment to victory
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
A. Victory over emotions
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
B. Victory over the flesh
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C. Victory over guilt
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
D. Victory over death
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I recently read a peculiar story about a family in Lander, Wyoming that had gone to their local refuse dump to dispose of some unwanted family items that were either busted or greatly abused. As they were emptying there junk into a large dumpster, the man of the home saw something that caught his eye. It was apparently an ornate, antique four-poster bed that had been left there by some other family.
The man called to his wife to have her to look at it as well. After a few moments of discussion they both agreed that it most likely could be stored to its original condition. So, even though it was a bit worn and tattered, they began to inquire about that possibility with the management staff of the refuse center. They found that they there was no problem with taking the grand piece of junk home if they would just pay a small fee of a few dollars.
They proceeded to load the headboard, footboard and the wooden rails into the back of their pickup and pull-along trailer. As they were loading the post, which were separate pieces, they began to question the weight of each one. The husband felt they were quite a bit heavier than he had imagined they would be. But they finally got all the pieces loaded and drove home.
When they got home, the husband backed the truck and trailer into his driveway with the assistance of his wife and eldest son. They then proceeded to unload the bed one piece at a time. To their amazement, as their son picked up one end of the first bed-post, the finial at the top worked loose and slipped out of its socket. Thankfully they were standing in the front yard and a nearby hedge broke the fall, catching the post. But suddenly they heard the weirdest noise.
As they turned to look toward the area of the noise, something caught the glimpse of the father’s eye. A few silver coin tumbled to the ground near the base of the bush. After picking up the loose coins he looked in the opened end of the bed-post and to his surprise there were more silver coins inside. With the help of his son, he picked up the opposing end and hundreds of silver, brass and gold coins came rolling out onto the lawn. Many of the gold ones dated back into the 1800’s and almost all of the coins were near mint condition. After close inspection of the other three posts, they, too, were completely hollow and contained equal amounts of coinage.
What was cast away because of external circumstances had great value inside. Jesus not only sees our warn exterior, but also sees who we are and who we can become in Him. There is still life, there is still hope. We are not dead yet!