Christ came to heal your hurts
A man's spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who
can bear? - Proverbs 18:14 ESV
The pain of the body is but the body of pain ; the very soul of sorrow is the sorrow of the soul. - John Flavel
Who knows how to contain himself in his sufferings. Luther
Substantial healing can be significant in the life of a believer in this life. Francis Schaeffer
Paul Thompson & Tim Keller
Testing our knowledge
What is a crushed spirit? Ways this may happen? Why does God allow it? What can we do about it? If one of the fruits of our fall in Adam is a crushed spirit how does the promise of Christ crushing Satan relate to healing our crushed spirits?
Examples of some crushed spirits in the Bible
Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38). A Levite and his concubine (Judges 19). Amnon and Tamar (2 Samuel 13) can you think of others?
What are the Proverbs?
The Book of Proverbs provides exceptional wisdom on how to live a happy and peaceful life.(From Gods perspective.) Added in brackets - biblescripture.net
Proverbs forms the genre of wisdom literature in the Bible. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Job and some suggest James in the N.T. God is the only source of true wisdom and as his image bearers in Christ His goal is that we grow like Him. Our verse posses a real question we all ask (a crushed spirit who can bear?) and Christ in the gospel is Gods daily remedy for healing our hurts.
Immediate Context v10-16
Seven miscellaneous proverbs referring especially to confidence in God, and humility as the only true wisdom. Peter Lange
The Hebrew words
spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation) Man ( male.. masculine )
sustain (To seize, contain, measure ) infirmity (Disease, sickness) wounded (Stricken )
spirit (Wind, breath, mind spirit ) bear (To lift, bear up, carry, take ) - Baxters Hebrew Dictionary
Some parallel passages to read out loud (Interpreting scripture with scripture)
Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Rom 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
Rom 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, Rom 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Rom 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ
2Co 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
The Bible promises Christ came to heal my crushed spirit – as part of my salvation
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isa 53:6 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. Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luk_4:18 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,
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Rev_22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
How Christ's cross work heals my hurts
The cross was a tree of death, but because he climbed the tree of death, we have the Tree of Life. Actually, he turned the tree of death … The cross was a tree of death to him; therefore, it was a tree of life for all of us. To the degree you let that melt your heart, to the degree you see what he did for you, to the degree you rejoice in that, to the degree you orient your heart toward that and it just melts you at the thought of that love, to that degree you will experience what Tolkien calls, “… Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”
He took the tree of death so you could have the Tree of Life. Use that on your emotion. Use that on your conscience. Use that on your existential angst. That’ll get rid of your fear of death. Most of all, use it on the hope of your heart. Love the people you love and love the things you love, but through them realise the ultimate song, the ultimate beauty, the ultimate arms, the ultimate Tree of Life (is what) you’re going to have (in eternity) Added in brackets
Tim Keller
Additional Homework
On mission – Next time you speak to someone listen to their story. Hear pain and hurt when it is expressed. Share yours & don''t be a Job's comforter. Pose the question, “Who can heal a crushed spirit? Then gently share Christ as the promised crusher for crushed spirits. Follow Gods big story of Creation, Fall, Redemption and restoration show them where the fit in the story and how it is good news! Ask them if they would be interested in learning more and arrange a time to walk or have a coffee and see together what the Bible says about healing our hurts. Pray with them over their hurts.
Read, Listen and study - Tim Keller on “THE WOUNDED SPIRIT” – Proverbs Series