“< My Hurt” Guest Speaker Gene Appel August 2/3, 2014

©2014 Southeast Christian Church of Jefferson County, Kentucky, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

For a full transcript and audio recording of this sermon please visit The Living Word at www.livingword.org.

Introduction One of the things I’ve come to figure out in life is that everybody’s hurting. Everybody lives with pain. Everybody’s wounded. And when you’re going through a time of intense pain or woundedness—physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually—you need a God who is greater than your hurt. To be honest with you, I really wondered at the time of my deepest valley in life if God could make a way for me. Could the God who made the world make a way in my world? Would He be greater than my hurt? All these years later I can stand before you as one who knows firsthand that we have a God who is greater than our hurt, a God who heals wounded, broken, afflicted people like we all can be. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I’d like to share with you some of the lessons I learned that might be helpful to some of you going through a season of brokenness, hurt, resentment, or relationship breakdown…times when you wonder if God can heal. Don’t pull out of life.

• When we’re hurt, our first impulse is to pull back into a shell so we can’t be hurt ever again. Love, by its very nature, is a risk, but by withdrawing from love we risk even more. There was a period of time when I went into isolation. I pulled away from relationships.

• Eventually, God motivated me to reengage with others and to enter back into relationships. It took brokenness to challenge me to make that change.

Disinfect the wound.

• When we’ve been hurt by someone our natural tendency is to hurt back. We hold on to hurts, and when you hold on to hurts they develop into the self-destructive diseases of bitterness, resentment, and hate. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

• Take it from someone who knows firsthand, if you hold on to hurt it will turn into hate, and it’s so destructive to you and all your relationships. But if we’ll forgive, and love our enemies, internally there is peace, and joy, and freedom.

Allow God to work in you during this time.

• Brokenness tends to be one of the greatest schools of higher education that you ever attend. It was only through personal brokenness that I learned that, when you lose everything else that’s important to you, but you still have Jesus Christ, you have enough. I learned the importance of truth-telling in relationships, even at the expense of pain and facing yucky things about myself. I learned the importance of

balance in my life. I think one of the greatest things God taught me through that time was a sensitivity for people crushed by their own experience in the crucible.

Allow God to work through you.

• Some of us have the sense that when we’re going through a difficult time personally, God is not able to use us at all, and He just kind of puts us on the shelf. But when we’re weak, when we’re crushed, when we’re broken, that’s when God is able to use us in a great way, because it’s just so clear for people to see God’s power in the midst of our weakness.

• I learned what Paul meant when he talked about his own personal crisis that crushed him, when three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him. But instead God said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV), “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Conclusion Over and over again in the Bible, God is described as “greater than.” Before I close, I’m going to read a series of Scriptures that talk about God being “greater than.” 1 John 3:20: “For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” John 10:27-29: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life…. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” Psalm 135:5: “I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.” 1 John 4:4: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Job 33:12: “For God is greater than any human being.” Isaiah 29:16 (NLT), “How stupid can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you. You are only the jars he makes!” Mark 1:7: John the Baptist announced, “Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave.” John 3:31, John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come from heaven.” Hebrews 1:4: “This shows that God's Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is far greater than their names.” God is greater than our circumstances, our disappointment, our past, our fear, our hurt, the angels, all other gods. Our God is simply GREATER THAN!