Jesus Loves the Broken - Part B

God give us that kind of prescription eyeglasses for lower prescription with the kind of law that allows us to see people like you saw them to observe them with compassion.

We need our site corrected. We need to be more farsighted.

We are so nearsighted can't see past ourselves off our deal.

Our thing, our issue or problem would give a second division Christian researcher and author Ed Spencer said a church without the broken is a broken church today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shows you the perfect example. Christ said, on how to love broken people and how you can follow it. Before we begin, use a resource that will give you fresh insight about God's extraordinary life. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus loves the devout and the doubters priests and prostitutes. The disease and the depressed Jesus just loves people all people, no matter what their past or their present. Sadly, sometimes it's the people who need love the most, who feel the most rejected even by the church. But Jesus loves all people, shouldn't we we want to help you grasp God's relentless love for people by sending you the complete booklet. Jesus loves people collection by skip. I think these booklets look to Scripture to demonstrate Jesus's love for people from every walk of life.

Yet all four Jesus loves people titles including Jesus loves the broken and Jesus loves addicts when you give a gift of $25 or more today to help expand this Bible teaching outreach to give call 800-922-1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer. Okay, let's dive into today's church in John chapter 5 Skip Heitzig to begin.

75% of marriages where there is chronic illness end in divorce. 75% and that is because the spouse the caregiver is frightened at the prospect of long term care and 75% of the time will flee the marriage so circumstances can rob against a person's life and rendering that person crushed broken.

E. Stanley Jones some of you have heard the name of that great missionary to India so that he knew of the pastor who prepared a series of 10 sermons and they were was a series called how to avoid a nervous breakdown before he had finished the 10th message. He had one.

She had one himself broken by circumstances in his life. Something else I'd like you to notice as you look at your Bibles in verse three. This man was broken by people not want you to see this in these porches in this pool of Bethesda all describe it to you in Jerusalem. There lay a great multitude of sick people. So there's a place where they just stuck sick people or allowed them to congregate is a great multitude of sick people blind Lane paralyzed waiting for the moving of the water is important you know that in ancient cultures. They did a lousy job of caring for the sick.

They did not have programs like we have today. If you were sick.

Back then, if you were broken back then you would either become a beggar in the streets, or at the gates or you simply congregate where people knew the sick people were in this pool of Bethesda. Now the pool of Bethesda and there is evidence of it. Still to this day was about 2 feet maybe 3 feet deep. This large rectangular pool by the sheep gate because they would bring sheep into the city and they would clean them up and get them ready for sacrifice, but were told it was a great multitude of sick people.

One commentator suggests that you probably find about 300 of them every day in that place but on festival times like this great feast where people would gather to Jerusalem, you would find about 3000 sick people congregating together now doesn't take a great imagination to envision what this would look like and what this would smell like you've ever visited a Third World country hospital and you seem sometimes to patients per bed in a little single bed. They don't even know each other but the put in the same bed and their families are camped around on the floor. Cooking food for them what it looks like sounds like and smells like I've experienced it reminds me of what I read here know why were they there will speaks about the moving of the water.

Evidently there was some subterranean spring that fed this pool because the water to bubble up every now and then and so people thought it was an angel that did that and that's why it is written by the way, though it is written in your Bibles this way in the most ancient manuscripts. It doesn't say the angel stirred up the water so it is believed that a scribe in trying to to describe to us what people believed in that day, said it was an angel that that it either way, people congregated there in the hopes of finding healing Bethesda is a word that means the house of mercy's ironic because it to become a house of misery were a great multitude had gathered together, but I'm bringing this to your attention because this is how many broken people feel they feel just like they did in ancient times that our culture doesn't do a very good job in taking care of them. They feel isolated.

They feel they feel shelved. Sort of like this camera here. This camera ordinarily sits on a shelf at home. It's a remind me of my past, my father, but that's all it is a disorder since there broken on the shelf for me to walk by and be amused by and people who are homeless feel like there on the shelf. People walked by them in her amused by the AIDS victims often feel there on the shelf. People walked by and her amused by the those in nursing homes feel like there on the shelf. People walked by their amused by the there's no real involvement or care. They feel broken by people. This man broken by circumstance broken by people and also he was broken by time verse five. I just want the that the length of time to settle into our hearts, a certain man was there who had an infirmity almost 4 decades, 38 years.

The next verse says Jesus saw him and knew that he had been in that condition along time there's a man on whom time it had taken its toll.

Not only had easy been broken by the circumstance of disease and broken by the relegation of a place by people, but he got up every single day to the same reality so that his helplessness turned into hopelessness whatever hope he had of getting better, had vanished decades before this was is this daily hopeless routine.

Sometimes people say will you know time heals all wounds. No it does not.

Sometimes the longer the time Pro tracks and elongates. It feels like eternity upon eternity to a person in this condition, and they spiraled downward from helplessness to hopelessness. I've appreciated the honesty of Paul the apostle in second Corinthians, when he said he had suffered beyond the ability to endure so that we despaired even of life but always cut me off guard and psych. That's Paul despairing of life. What could happen to while he goes on his honesty is unveiled in chapter 11 of that book. He says I have labored and toiled and I have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst, and I have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked, and besides everything else, I faced daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches it said daily pressure.

Day after day week after week. That adds up.

It takes its toll and it finds a person crushed like the psalmist said, my tears have been my food day and night crushed down by circumstances by people by time and how is brokenness expressed well a number of different ways.

Depression is one anger is another substance abuse will be true for others. Others will be antisocial in their behavior. Others will be suicidal in their thinking and others will self injure cutting self injury. A number of different ways it's done.

But basically it's when a person has the emotional problems that are so pronounced they feel they can't share they can put it into words.

They can articulate the amount of grief or shame or hurt or anger they feel. And it hurts so badly emotionally that they resort to self injury physically because it takes their mind off the other pain when I go to a dentist when he starts putting this stuff in my mouth.

The needles and the drills often pinch my finger so hard to saw think about a different hurt people who live like that. Let's see how Jesus loves this man. How does he approach this man will we know he heals them so that's a great part of it but there's something else that I want you to see how Jesus handles the broken how he approaches a broken person because this is what we ought to do. First of all, Jesus observed him compassionately. He observed him compassionately.

Verse six is really striking says now a certain man who had been there, who had an infirmity 38 years when Jesus saw him lying there out of this huge measurable crowd.

Jesus sees one guy he saw them all. He knew them all. But he zeroes in on one person, one solitary human being.

He saw him, and this is really the great story of Jesus he was able to speak to crowds and move crowds and people would say after he would speak never a man spoke like this man.

And yet you could get him one on one and he would be so individual and engaging with Nicodemus or the woman at the well for this needy man here in our story, loving the broken begins by how we see the broken spy how we observe them. One of the great stories of the New Testament is when Jesus is surrounded by a huge crowd of people up in Galilee, they start coming toward him. A lot of people go. This is some they're common to hear me. Those were Jesus thoughts is as he saw them, he saw them and he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd set kind of compassion that enable Jesus to see like he saw how do you see broken people you see them do you view them with embarrassment. You see them as an inconvenience. I've always loved the story of the two boys talking out in front of school, you know little boys will say anything to each other and they were observing. Parents picking the kids up and one boy said to his friend.

I hate to wear glasses all the time when you sent the little boy would say in his friend said.

I don't know if they were my grandma's glasses out of the good be all that bad. So what you mean by that is about, you know my grandmother has this way of seeing if somebody is hurt or somebody needs something she says just the right thing and one day I asked her grandma how is it that you can see people like that and she said I don't know I think is just the way I learned to look at things as I get older. The other little boys really didn't get it. So I said I think you're right, it must be her glasses and I think God give us that kind of prescription in our glasses of fill our prescription with the kind of love that allows us to see people like you saw them to observe them with compassion.

We need our site corrected. We need to be more farsighted. We are so nearsighted we can't see past ourselves so often, our deal, our thing, our issue are problem or give us that kind of vision observe compassionately. Here's the second thing you did. He interacted. Honestly, this is always been striking to me how Jesus talks of this man is very honest in verse six, Jesus saw him lying there knew he had been in this condition, and he asked him he said to him do you want to be made well kind of a question is that this guy's been crippled 38 years, you want to get better. It sounds cruel in 30 years of doing hospital visitations.

I've never asked this question, I never have the guts to ask that question. But Jesus acid and it was appropriate. And here's why.

Verse six tells you the clue he knew that he had already been in that condition along time. He had learned to live this way so long that now a change in his condition and circumstances would mean a change in his responsibilities, JA Finley said that in those days in the Middle East.

A man who would've been healed could lose a substantial living.

He had been so used to the system of being a baker and laying around and collecting handouts from people that Jesus would ask this question.

He said for him to be healed means that he has to join a very hard workforce and work for pennies a day as a hard labor, so he's a broken man, but if he is healed he has a take on new responsibilities. So he asked them, you want to be made well are you content with your condition. Do you want change you really want a different life. Roger Fredrickson, a commentator on this was very helpful to me this week you write so often people succumb to their illness. Bedding down with her alcoholism or heart trouble or partial paralysis or whatever they become psychological and spiritual invalids retreating within themselves, avoiding responsibilities, becoming more and more self-centered as they demand sympathy from others.

So every now and then in dealing with this kind of defeated person in the office or at a hospital bed or in a luncheon appointment. I have asked that question. Do you want to be made well I read that and I thought you know I've never asked that question, but maybe I should start asking it now. In some cases, Jesus is so honest as he deals with well notice something else. In verse 14. Afterward after the healing took place.

Jesus found this man in the temple and said to him, see you have been made well send no more. Last all the worst thing, upon you. What what could possibly be worse than 38 years of being broke. You know the answer or something far worse that could happen, eternal suffering because of unrepentant sin could mean this man could be eternally lost and though the disease had taken the best years of his life away unrepentant sin would take his eternity away not know. Just think about this. Probably no one had ever spoken to this man like that. No one had ever talk to this man about his sin if you don't do that sac is and if talk about their sin.

But Jesus did.

Why because he loved him because he loved him and you know there's something far worse, so loving the broken means preaching the unbroken gospel. At some point if you care for that person. You will care for that person soul if you merely feed that person or make them better. It is temporary unless at some point you are honest enough to talk about something far worse than any physical brokenness or malady as Augustine well put it if I weep for the body from which the soul is departed. Should I not weep for the soul from which God is departed. So observe compassionately interact honestly and the third thing Jesus did the expected adversity. He knew what was coming. Verse nine. Immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked and that they was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him, it was cured, it's the Sabbath is not lawful for you to carry your bad, he answered them. You made me well said to me, take up your bed and walk then ask him who is the man who said to you, take up your bed and walk another hunt them down but the one who is healed and not know who it was for Jesus had withdrawn a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him see that you have been made well send the moralist a worse thing come upon you notice. I'm in verse 13 they could find Jesus because Jesus had what withdrawn himself.

He knew that doing this showing this kind of love and compassion will put them right in the bull's-eye so he withdrew, he got out of the way, this was not the time to be arrested and be crucified that would come later.

It was all in a perfect timetable. So, expecting adversity, Jesus withdrew himself because love has consequences. And one of the great consequences of loving the unlovely is will be misunderstood by people we had an enormous groundswell of love and support for the series, Jesus loves people. But what is amaze me is some of the messaging we have gotten back from Christians who will say I can't believe you guys are saying that Jesus loves prostitutes.

I'm glad you're reading it. Well that's exactly what we are saying you got the message Jesus loves homosexuals.

Yes, he does yes he does. That does not mean in saying that all of these people to Jesus loves that he condones their choices or their behaviors.

But he does love them and he will forgive those who come to him his way and it's time the church start saying that Jesus loves people know a few years ago we did a huge outreach. A few of them to the AIDS community in this town we just brought them food and loved on them and they they received a very suspiciously because of what they've heard about Christians in the past but what we found is it was very controversial and we were misunderstood by both the faith community as well as those in the AIDS community and then over the years, we have ministered inmates and when they get out of prison. We've actually hired many of those inmates here at the church and people is that wolf that's risky that's risky to hire those guys. You know what was risky when they let me come were all a risk and I find the Jesus was so often willing to take that risk only to say something else. We wind this down expected adversity not just from the community will misunderstand you but from the very people you're trying to help. Sometimes you will find pushback and blowback and and and they'll say things about you trying to love them and help them and they'll say nasty things to your do nasty things. There's an adage in the mental health community that goes like this hurt people hurt people. People have been hurt will often be the ones who will hurt reactively because it's like it temporarily numbs the pain that they have experience of rejection, so expect anything, but don't let that hold you back from loving the broken was one American artist that noted that when the Japanese men the broken things that oftentimes they will aggrandize the damage done to that thing by filling in the cracks of the broken object with goal interesting. They would fill in the cracks with goal because they say when something is been damaged.

Now it has a history and now it's more valuable to more beautiful. I love that thought is this broken man. What a history he had, and by the way there's no record that even knew Jesus was Jesus came and was merciful to him and loved him this broken man. He had a history and he was valuable because a single human being is the most beautiful. The most valuable and potentially the most powerful thing God ever made. I have to say this in closing, there is a brokenness that God loves. There's a brokenness that God wants the Bible says a broken and contrite spirit of the Lord you will not despise.

He loves when we are humbly broken before God because we realize our failures, our sins are inadequacies and we bank on him for compassion and forgiveness include Skip Heitzigs message from the series Jesus loves you.

Scripture tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way as you help connect others to God. You know you can never be out of Jesus reach no matter what you've done, no matter where you've come from, no matter where you're going.

He loves you and he is ready to welcome you when you come to him. That's great news that the world needs to hear, and you can help share that news, and keep these teachings coming to you through your support today. Your gift helps connect more people with the love of Jesus.

Here's how you can give right now you can give online@connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 809 two 218 tomorrow Skip Hyson turned his attention to the topic of homosexuality and how you can cultivate Christ's heart for that community and yourself.

If God loved the world that we should love the people that are in that world as well. Jesus loves people. That's the theme of this whole series of gay people straight people prostitutes. These drunks, atheists or agnostics.

Religious people and even you and I Skip presentation of connection communication through