http://bible.com/events/7205608

We acknowledge, our wounds can come from a lot of places:

• Wounds from past sin or from current sin (destructive behaviors) 

• Wounds from failure – you have disappointed yourself and others

• Wounds by other people – abused, disrespected, mistreated, abandoned

• Wounds from incredible loss in your life

• • •

Statement #1

(In the midst of your pain) He loves you.

• • •

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

• • •

• Our emotions in the midst of our circumstances can sometimes make us feel like God is distant 

• But the truth is that Jesus weeps with us in our pain (John 11:35) 

• Jesus showed us a God who associates with the broken and the destitute

• Jesus is able to bring us the most comfort when we are hurting (Matthew 5:4) 

• • •

Statement #2

(In the midst of your pain) He can heal you. 

• • •

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Add your private notes…

• • •

• It’s not just that God is close, but He desires to save, to minister, to heal

• “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

-The wounds represented here were from years of being in exile

-God was healing deep emotional and psychological pain from all that was lost

• • •

John 5:1-9NIV

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.  2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  4 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”  8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 

• • •

The Question:

Do you want to be healed? 

• The man’s response with reasonable excuses…”I have no help” and “Someone gets ahead of me” 

• Often we can identify all the reasons why experiencing healing is hard, without clearly answering the question 

• “God healed me, but I had to choose that healing. To be made whole, first I had to admit that I wasn’t.” Christine Caine

• Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.

• • •

Sometimes we want to be accepted, rather than healed.

We want to be comforted, rather than healed.

We want to be enabled, rather than healed. 

If we aren’t careful, our identity is totally caught up in our pain, our hurt, our wounds. 

Add your private notes…

• • •

“His healing follows you trust”

• • •

Philippians 3:13-14NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

• • •

“Straining toward what is ahead” is not easy. It sounds messy, even painful. There will be moments filled with uncertainty. But ultimately it comes down to trust. Trusting God means we are “straining toward what is ahead” and “pressing on.” 

How can God heal us if we will not trust Him with our wounds?

• • •

Other Texts for Further Reflection:

• • •

Isaiah 53:3-5NIV

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.Like one from whom people hide their faceshe was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  4 Surely he took up our painand bore our suffering,yet we considered him punished by God,stricken by him, and afflicted.  5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him,and by his wounds we are healed. 

• • •

Psalms 73:26NIV

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever. 

• • •

Matthew 11:27-30MSG

27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. 28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 29 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

http://bible.com/events/7197808

April 19
Free From Yesterday, Part 2: Rejection

Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.
o Last week we began by focusing on the powerful role of shame in our lives
o This week we focus on the role of rejection

Philippians 3:10-14
Paul made the decision to “forget what is behind”
o What were the things Paul needed to forget?
o Saul (before he was Paul) was an enemy of the church
-“Saul began to destroy the church” Acts 8:3
-“Saul was breathing our murderous threats” Acts 9:1
o God transforms his life and now He is Paul, servant of Christ  
o Paul experienced rejection from everyone
-the Jews wanted to kill him (Acts 9:23)
-the disciples and followers of Jesus were afraid of him (Acts 9:26)

The Truth About Our Own Journey
1.  We have all experienced rejection
 o often the memories of rejection stand out more than anything else from our past
2.  Rejection hurts
o There are scars that we carry for the rest of our lives because of the rejection of others
o As far as your brain is concerned, physical pain and experiences of emotional rejection are just as harmful
3. We can’t erase rejection from our past & we can’t prevent future rejection
o In fact, Jesus told us to expect rejection – John 15:18, Luke 10:6

The promise we can claim is that if we are followers of Christ, God will not reject us

Deuteronomy 31:6 
o At the end of his life, Moses wants the people of God to know that He will not reject them

Matthew‬ ‭27:45-46‬ 
o Ultimately, God would send His Son to the cross to pay the price for sin.
o We deserved God’s rejection, but instead Jesus took our place.  
o “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“God’s approval overwhelms man’s rejection”

o No matter how many time you have been rejected in your life today
God will not reject you
o If God won’t reject you, you can overcome any storm
o If Jesus conquered the grave….He can conquer the weight of your rejection

http://bible.com/events/7186638
April 12 – Easter Sunday
Free From Yesterday, Part 1: Shame

Many of us are prisoners of our past
o the things we have done
o the things that have been done to us
o Some would say, “I’m free of everything, except my past.”  The truth is, if you can’t get free from your past, you can’t get free of anything. 

The statement we will continue to come back to throughout this series:
Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV) 
Paul wants to know Christ in two specific ways:
o The power of His resurrection – The resurrection was not a past event, but rather it was a present reality in the life of the believer
o The participation in His sufferings – Jesus did not come as a conquering king, but rather His power was found in serving, in humility, and in weakness, even if it led to suffering

Knowing Christ in this way means we identify with Christ:
o Identify with his death – a death to self
o Identify with his resurrection – a resurrection to real life

The Easter message connects directly with power over your past
o Paul is forgetting what is behind, and He is moving forward
o It is removing the power of what’s behind to hinder him in the now. It is not removing the actual memory of the past, but its weight
o Easter holds the promise of freedom from your past – “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)

For many the burden of shame seems to heavy for true freedom to be possible  
o Shame is the belief that we are flawed and therefor unworthy of love and belonging
o Believing that “I’m unlovable” and “I don’t belong”

John 8:2-11 (NIV) 
o The message from the religious leaders to this woman was clear: “Shame on you”
o For Jesus there is a clear difference between conviction and condemnation
o Conviction corrects…condemnation shames….

Romans 8:1-2 
Our church’s definition of The Gospel:
The Gospel is the good news message that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. He was raised to life, victorious over the power of death. In choosing to live for Him, we can be free from the power of sin and experience abundant life today and eternal life in Heaven

The Gospel message is not a message of condemnation
o Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins
o On Easter he roster again, overcoming death, conquering sin and shame
o No matter what our past is, we can experience freedom in Christ today

The power of God overcame the power of shame.

Other Verses for Study & Reflection:

Galatians 5:1 
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Isaiah‬ ‭54:4‬ ‭
Romans 10:11

https://bible.com/events/7167361

Title: Perspective MattersJohn 14:27 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
At the start of this Holy Week there is good news that our visible eyes cannot see:
EASTER ISN’T CANCELED

The promise of Easter, that offers new life, also offers new perspective and peace that the world cannot take away
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

• We WON’T fix our eyes on
  • The flood of fear in the media and our world
  • Political banter that causes division
  • The hard hit financial portfolios
  • A rising death toll clicker

• We WILL fix our eyes on 
  • The peace he offers
  • The promise that He is working out things for our good
  • The prize of resurrection life
  • The people in need of hope that is found only in Him

The truth this Holy Week and throughout the entirety of this pandemic + beyond in our lives is this:

“Your heart will follow where your eyes are fixed”Where are your eyes fixed?

Let’s pray for perspective

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG)

16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Some practical ways to “fix your eyes”:

-Read God’s word, start a new bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible App

-Set a time to pray regularly

-Stay connected to others, even if its virtually

-Turn on some worship music and turn the television off

-Tune into the Holy Week Daily devotional reflections this week + Midweek every Wednesday night.

Additional Texts: Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20, Colossians 3:1-4

http://bible.com/events/7154608

Youversion  – March 29
Drifting, Part 4: The Hurried Life

Luke 10:38-42

o The problem was not related to the difference in Mary and Martha’s temperaments
o This encounter gives us a clear picture into the heart that Jesus desires
o Jesus was concerned about focus….and clearly Martha was distracted (verse 40)
o Jesus was concerned about attitude…and clearly Martha was worried/anxious (verse 41)

If Jesus was suggesting that only one thing was needed, then it begs the question: what is the one thing?
o “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬
o Jesus is ultimately describing a life of worship- “love the Lord with ALL”
o What we do WITH Christ is far more important than what we do FOR Christ
o Mary was adamant about being WITH Christ, giving Him her undivided love

Perhaps the single greatest obstacle you face in pursing the life God has for you is busyness.
o If loving the Lord with ALL is the most important thing, then the greatest obstacle is a life that beckons us to do MORE
o Many of us end up like Martha…busy but not blessed
o “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” Dallas Willardo Busyness and sin have the same effect: they cut off your connection to God, to others, and to your soul.  
o “Money has created a culture of too many options. And the more options we have the busier we get and the busier we are the more anxious we become.” John Mark Comer  

The bottom line:
Worship won’t grow in a garden of hurry.
Signs of ‘hurry sickness’….
1. Irritability….annoyed too easily
2. Hypersensitivity….a small comment throws you into major emotional events
3. Restlessness…you don’t even know how to rest, even when you have a chance
4. Workaholism….you don’t know when to stop, and you can’t stop
5. Emotional numbness…you have no empathy
6. Out of order priorities….you get sucked into the urgent but maybe not the important
7. Lack of care for your body…you don’t take time to value your own health
8. Escapist behaviors…overeating…binging on entertainment…using them to escape from reality
9. Slippage from spiritual disciplines…you begin to drift from God’s best
10. Isolation…you feel disconnected from God and others

Two practical ways to counteract a life of busyness:
1. The Discipline of Silence & Solitude
o This discipline involves taking intentional time in the quiet to be alone with God. is the practice of our “waiting for God”
o Jesus modeled this throughout his ministry (Luke 4:1-2, Matthew 14:1-13, Luke 6:12-13)
o This is NOT isolation, but instead learning to be still, learning to listen to God, and learning that prayer is about connecting with his presence.
2. Sabbath
o Sabbath is a day blessed by God for rest and worship
o In Genesis 2, God saw all that he had made, it was good, and he rested.  
o Many people, when they think of Sabbath, point to the 10 commandments, but Sabbath actually predates the law
o Sabbath was intended to be a day set aside for worship, for rest, not another day for busyness, not another day to accomplish things

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Additional resources:

Great resource on developing the spiritual discipline of Silence & Solitude
https://practicingtheway.org/practices/silence-solitude

Great resource on developing a rhythm of Sabbath
http://bridgetown.church/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sabbath.pdf