"Healing The Holes"

"Healing the Holes in Your Heart"

Luke 22

The message today has to do with our lives and the things we have been through that have caused us some type of harm or left us hurt in some way and we cannot seem to forget it no matter what! Something that was so degrading or so surprising that it seems as though we will be haunted by the memory of it for the remainder of our lives!

The thing that happens whenever we go through an experience like this is we are left with a hole in our heart that doesn't heal back on it's own. As we go through our lives and experience this over and over we begin to feel as though our life has lost meaning and we can become weak in our spirit. Maybe even feel dead inside as we still go on with our lives totally undetected by those around us!

Let's look at some things that can cause those holes in our heart. It is the equivalent of taking a poker about the size of a finger and sticking right through our heart! Some of you may be thinking about right now, why is it such a big poker for an illustration of our hurt?

The reason I used that is because it doesn't take many of those experiences before we get to the point that we don't feel with our hearts anymore. We may try to imitate others that do or we may try to show feeling to save our relationship but it really isn't possible because there's not enough heart left to feel for anyone else! This is critical for abusers to understand!

There are also smaller pokers that leave smaller holes in between the big holes and we can eventually end up with a heart that is pretty much like a sponge full of thousands of holes. The sponge soaks up everything it touched but it really doesn't serve any other purpose. We can eventually get to the same point in our lives when we continue on leaving the holes unhealed in our hearts!

Let's look at examples of our own experiences that are found right in the last 48 hours of the life of Jesus. That's right! Jesus too had the holes pierced through His heart just as we do. Lets read about the first of these experiences,

Luke 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him: for they feared the people.

The religious leaders of that day were really looking for ways to kill Jesus for doing what was right and threatening the rules that they had set up so that they could gain from the positions they held. Have you ever stood up for the truth in an organization or even your church and found that you were the one being attacked in the end. You couldn't help but wonder how you could be so mistreated to the point of being hated by the people you thought you knew so well when suddenly you became a threat to their world just by standing up for the right thing.
Lets look at another,

Luke 22:15 And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.

Jesus knew the suffering that was coming and couldn't do anything to stop it because it had been prophesied and it was the will of His father that He go through this that we may be able to be justified and cleansed of our sins! He knew all would be healed by His act of love on the cross.

If you have ever gone through the experience of waiting for the time when you knew the suffering would begin; knowing that the attack would come again; knowing that the abuse would come; knowing that the betrayal of a close friend would happen again; knowing that you would be made fun of; knowing that the one you trusted would use you again; knowing that all your kindness and love was taken for granted; knowing the one you had devoted your life to was making plans to leave you one day; knowing and waiting for that time of suffering was as painful if not worse than the suffering itself. It left a hole in your heart for sure. A small hole every time a threat was made, every time an insult was thrown at you by your teenager, every time your spouse made you feel like a failure, every time your need for love was rejected by someone that you loved with all your heart, every time your coworker went behind your back and caused problems for you at work.

Do any of these problems sound familiar to you? These are the hurts that we experience prior to the actual attacks! These are the small holes in our hearts, but the small holes will cause us allot of damage over the course of our lives and practically kill you if they never heal! Jesus certainly had these experiences leading up to the time of His crucifixion.

Have you ever been out right betrayed by someone you trusted and you confided in? Has the one you trusted turned around and revealed you to those who wanted to see you demoted from that job you had worked so hard for or even to your spouse to try and hurt your relationship. That is so hard to deal with and the holes are very deep when this happens to us! Jesus had this experience too in the garden when he was sold by one of His followers! His follower even used a gesture of love to betray him with! Does that sound familiar to any of you?

Luke 22:47-48
47 And while he was yet speaking, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said to him, Judas, Do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?

Then we have the attacks that cause us critical damage and leave large holes in our hearts. Have you ever experienced being rejected for taking a stand by someone that you really counted close. Maybe even your choice friend who you had spent so much time with and built a very close relationship with? Jesus also experienced this as we read the following verses,

Luke 22:54 Then they took him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed at a distance.

Peter wasted no time looking out for his well being by moving back into the shadows so he wasn't noticed! Have you ever had someone close treat you this way before? It was shocking wasn't it?

Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, Before the cock shall crow, thou wilt deny me thrice.
Luke 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Jesus had told Peter to be strong for the rest of the disciples just a day before and to resist the temptation of the devil. Jesus cared so much for Peter yet he was betrayed by him when the going got tough. Peter was afraid of the possibility of having to suffer the same punishment as Jesus if he stood up and told the people what he believed in, who he loved and even more importantly that Jesus was Innocent of the charges. He hadn't stood up for his closest of friends! That kind of treatment leaves holes in our heart of great size and are very hard to heal on their own!

Have you ever experienced physical injury at the hand of a relative, friend or enemy?

How well did you deal with it?

Maybe your parent was abusive and called you names or mocked you to make you feel bad.

Maybe you had someone attack you in an abusive relationship and really hurt you in a effort to try to control who you talk to or made friends with.

Maybe you were attacked physically as a teen and hurt by someone you thought was a decent person and found that there was no way of escape as they overpowered you and didn't seem to care how much you cried!

They just wouldn't stop until you gave up the fight for your dignity and own protection. They had to be the one in control of everything! Even your mind had to be conquered by filling it with fear! Have you felt the pain of this kind of hurt and the huge holes that are left when the attack is over? The holes that seem to be impossible to heal even after many years! Jesus also felt this pain. Let's read,

Luke 22:63-67
63 And the men that held Jesus, mocked him, and smote him.
64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
65 And many other things blasphemously they spoke against him.
66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes came together, and led him into their council,
67 Saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said to them, If I tell you, ye will not believe.

In this passage Jesus was mocked, hit on, blindfolded and struck in the face over and over as they each told Him to tell them the name of the person who had hit Him. He could have named them and their entire family if He wanted to but He chose to endure the pain and continue with the end in mind!

They continued into the night making fun of His claim to be the Son of man and being sent by God! He was asked if He was the Christ but Jesus knew that they wouldn't believe and told them so. How painful it must have been knowing that it was for these people He would die and it was because of Gods love for these very people that Jesus would give His life!

I know from my own experiences that the troubles of this world and the attacks by those we care about can leave holes and scars that seem to never heal! I know that it doesn't take much to remind us of that pain as the wounds are still festered and sensitive if the holes are not healed!

We will find out tomorrow what it takes for those holes to heal and what Jesus taught us in his final hours about healing!
Let's pray,
Our Father and Savior, we come to you with an open heart today! I long for the healing that will give us freedom from the hurt and the memories of the attacks on my life and all who are here today searching for the healing too. I ask you Lord for a divine message tomorrow that will make clear to all just exactly how you were able to heal those holes pierced through your heart by the ones you cared so much for! I pray for us to come to you with our minds open to your spirits leading and for the Holy Spirit to fill us with the love of our Father as we prepare to reach the place in our lives when we cam turn loose of the past and live fully for you in the future! Each day being a new day to live for you Lord, I ask for your guidance and for the doors to open before me Lord as I seek your guidance in my life because I have learned that it is better to trust in you than to put my confidence in men. Thank you Lord for all your blessings and for the air that I breath! In Jesus name, amen.