21CATM2 : How to overcome a wounded heart.

PROBLEM

[movie trailer] grinch

1966 - 60 Million people watched the first Grinch.

who would want to stop Christmas?

1st century Grinch in Matthew

Matt 2:1-4

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matt 2:8

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Harod wants to stop Christmas

He had a small heart just like the Grinch.

the Grinch's background as a child

wasn't like the whos

fell in love with little girl

as a child he had an experience that changed his life.

[movie clip 2] grinch is wounded.

a wound from his past cause his heart to grow small.

[apply to groups]

all of us have a tenancy to let wounds shrink our heart

maybe childhood, family, coach, teacher, etc.

we all try to drown out the pain in different ways.

Grinch does everything he can to drown out the noise of the pain of his past.

[movie clip 3] Grinch drowns pain

wounds from our past follow us

we turn to things to drown out the pain as well.

[trans to solution]

we can find solutions to letting go of our pain and make sure we don’t hurt those around us.

SOLUTION

Harod must have had deep pains in his past

he was a great builder but something caused his life to one of brutal control

suspicions of everyone.

murdered his wife and her mom

killed his three sons

Augustus. "safer to be his pig than his son.

when he was dying he had people arrested and had them killed when he died so others would cry at his dead.

must have had serious wounds

Matt 2:16

... he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under...

magi had showed up to to see the Christ

When we let the wounds of the past leak into our future, we will always hurt those closest to us.

When we let the wounds of the past leak into our future, we will always hurt those closest to us.

This is how Harod lived

lonely

fear

suspicion

anger

rejection

How are we?

God wants to transformed our hearts

Ezekiel 36:26

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.

How do we keep our past wounds from hurting people we love

Expose our hearts to the light of love.

Cindy Lou exposed Grinch’s heart to love

Its only God's love than can change a heart.

Rom 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus doesn't just say he loves us but he died for us

Rom 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

He saved us from the darkness...hell

Rom 10:10

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Rom 10:13

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

nothing more beautiful than a healed heart.

that's how it was for the Grinch.

[movie clip 4] heart transformed.

CHALLENGE

you can overcome all the dysfunctions in our lives

parenting

marriage

family

friends

Embrace the power of salvation to heal our wounds.