He Will Not Break a Bruised Reed

Isa 42:1-4

42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

· Tonight I have not come to preach something that will make you shout, or something that will mess with your emotions, but I have come to preach to you the pure, unadulterated, powerful, truth of God’s Word.

· The word that I have for you tonight will go with you in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

· I’ll be the first to tell you that this message cannot be digested in one night; it will not do for you like other messages do for you in one night.

· I am going to preach to you something that will be medicine in your soul that is going to take some time to work.

· This passage of Scripture that I have read to you tonight is all about Jesus.

· The very first word we read is “Behold” that word is a signal to all the listeners.

· It means to observe, to watch, to view, to consider, or to regard, in other words; pay attention because what I have to say is important.

The Scripture says “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth”.

· It as though the prophet wants you and me to know “WHO” we’re talking about.

· He wants there to be no misunderstanding and no misconceptions about this servant.

· You may have heard something different but I want you to behold exactly who He is. Pay close attention to what I have to say about him.

· Notice what the next part of the scripture says about this servant, it says “I have put my spirit upon him: (and yes) he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (But) He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

· I don’t know if you can begin to see the image the prophet wants us to see, but if there is one thing we all need to “Behold” concerning Jesus Christ is that He did not come to force people to hear him, or serve Him, or to follow Him.

In Matthew 12 Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, and they sought to kill Him because He healed on the Sabbath.

The Bible says that He would not come with a loud clamor or noise, but that he would come as a tender, loving Savior.

· His clarion call went out to all “Whosoever Will Let Him Come’

· We find the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Matthew 12.

· The Pharisees had just held a council meeting on how they might kill Jesus, all because he had healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.

In Matthew 12:15 the Bible says “But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known”.

· Notice He did not raise His voice and get mad because they were out to kill Him, He did not retaliate in anger, talk about them and run them down.

· He was not like the disciples that wanted to call fire down out of heaven and destroy them.

· He never picked up a spear and cut a man’s ear off like Peter.

· He never got so made he cussed them out and stomped and snorted and threw things around.

The Bible says if He wanted to He called of called 10,000 angels to fight on His behalf.

· But Jesus wasn’t out to take revenge against those that did not want Him.

Matthew 12:18-20 reiterates what Isaiah wrote:

· “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

· He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

· A bruised reed shall he not break”.

· Let me just say something I just can’t understand, why don’t the whole world want to serve Jesus.

· While we were yet sinners Christ died for us all.

· Jesus never came to force Himself on anyone, He never came to hurt anyone, He never came to condemn anyone, He only came to love, help, and minister to all that would let Him.

· He never came in a loud, boisterous, overpowering personality.

· In fact more often than not, when He does speak to you, it will be in a still, small, calm, peaceful, tranquil voice to your spirit.

· When you study the life of Jesus Christ you find time after time He healed and delivered and preformed miracles and raised the dead, and opened blinded eyes and fed the multitude, brought comfort and healing to all those that followed, and time after time He said “Don’t tell anyone, Don’t spread the news, Keep it to yourself”

In Matt 9:29-30

Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

· After he fed a crowd of 5,000 and the people tried to force him to be their earthly king, the bible says “He departed again into a mountain himself alone”

· I’m here to tell you tonight church, serving God is not about the signs, wonders and miracles, there is something far better.

· He wants to capture your heart and steal your affection by His tender words of mercy

· I believe that Jesus wants all of His creation to know, the He came not into the world to judge the world, or condemn the world, but through His acts of kindness and mercy and grace and through His tender words of mercy, the world might come to Him and be saved.

· Look at the world that we apart of today, how often does someone just come up to you, and show you an act of kindness.

· How often does someone come up to you and say “I love you”

· Is there anything you need, can I give you something, can I feed you, can I heal your body?

John 15:13…..Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

· Jesus went on and said….I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

· Let me say that America has forgotten God, but God has not forgotten America.

· Let me ask you tonight “Why hasn’t God turned America over to judgment, and wrath?

· Why hasn’t he dealt with us as a nation according to our sins?

· He gave Noah’s generation 120 years of warnings, but after that he said, ‘Enough,’ and brought a flood and destroyed everything.

· America was born July 4^th 1776; we are now living in 2007, that makes us 231 years old as a nation, God has been twice as merciful with America as He was with Noah’s generation.

· I want to say, and I’m not preaching about patriotism, but I love America and I am happy to say, I’m an American.

· But the fact of the matter is that this country, is not what it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

· America has lost it moral compass, our world is more corrupt now than ever before.

· I’ll admit I am fearful of what this country and what our society is going to look like in 10, and 20 years.

· I’m amazed every year God allows us to have a New Year.

· Where’s His judgment, where’s His wrath, where’s His anger?

· I believe church as we look around at what’s happening in our world today, we can begin to see the coming judgments of God upon this world.

· I see the terrible calamities taking place in the world today as warnings.

· Terrorism, car-bombings, school shootings, rapes, murders, drugs, alcohol, out of control sex parties, adultery and fornication, restaurants on every corner, a great falling way, churches falling asleep, ect.

· Let me ask, with all of the calamity, and chaos, and wickedness and sin, why is our nation able to still function, why are souls still being saved, why is God still drawing people to Him?

· I’m convinced there is only one answer, it’s all because of the tenderness and longsuffering of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

· Isaiah’s prophecy says: “A bruised reed shall he not break.

· A reed is a tall stalk or plant with a hollow stem, usually found in marshy areas or near a supply of water.

· It’s a tender plant, it bends very easily, it can break with a strong wind or swift current of water.

· This tender reed that the scripture is talking to us about is a reed that can only be bent so far.

· It can only take so much; once enough pressure has been applied it can break and never be repaired again.

· Aren’t you glad that God has told us in His word that He will not break the bruised reed?

· I want you to know I could go in several directions right now, but very quickly let me say concerning our country and why I say, what I say, concerning where we are tonight as a country.

· America once stood proud and tall, full of purpose and promise, as a beacon of light for the rest of the world

· Our entire society honored God, and the Bible was held up as the standard for our laws and judicial system.

· Even during my lifetime, school textbooks consisted of lessons and stories from the Bible.

· Jesus was acknowledged as God, the One who gives our country favor and blessings.

· Yet, in our prosperity, we became like ancient Israel: proud and unthankful.

· We as a country have fallen, along way in a short amount of time.

· We are more concerned with being politically correct that right biblically.

· I even heard one of our brand new congressmen was sworn last week using a “Koran” and not the bible.

· Why because our society and political correctness wants separation from church and state, and now we have pushed God out of Government, out of our court system, off our court house lawns, out of our schools, and out of Christmas.

· We have allowed our leaders to mock and ridiculed our God.

· In New York City, a teacher can place a copy of the Koran on his desk, but if he brings a Bible to class, he could lose his job.

· Our society has totally lost its moral compass. America and it’s founding fathers were founded upon the bible.

· The America that I remember, when I was a child, that once stood tall, is now crippled, like a bruised reed.

· Our country, our society, our churches, are growing more corrupt and more evil by the day.

· Everyone, whether they admit it or not, knows we’re living on borrowed time.

· How long can a world last when it kills its unborn…how long can a world last where fathers rape their daughters, mothers molest their sons, and child molestation has become an epidemic, how long can a world last where gay’s are given the same rights as every other married couple, how long can America last where you can see men and men and women and women kissing right on our television.

· How long can the violence, the murder, the molestations continue?

Isaiah said “He will not break the bruised reed”

· As America sits in utter confusion, bent over and bruised by our many sins, we are not yet broken.

· In his tenderness, His mercy, His grace, God has not allowed us to be broken yet.

· Why, because when He was born He was born in a bruised society.

· When Jesus came to this earth Israel was living under the rule of Rome.

· The Jews were oppressed by Roman taxes and laws.

· The priesthood of that day was taking advantage of widows and the poor.

· The downtrodden were mocked and ridiculed, and the people were blinded by corruption.

· That is why when the prophets spoke of the coming messiah they said He would come in an hour of darkness, and when He came He would bring light to a dark world.

· Jesus came into a society plagued by hypocrisy and rampant with sin, and wickedness.

As he beheld the nation’s condition, he said “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate”.

· Church I want you to know after He made that statement, there was 70 years of anointed, God inspired, Holy Ghost, fire breathing preaching.

· There were signs, wonders and miracles to follow.

· They preached hope, deliverance, and repentance.

· Every God anointed preacher that preached issued a powerful call to whosoever will.

He said, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt , and the blind.

· The lord said…Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

· Notice the people that would fill the house, the bruised.

· What am I saying; God would not break the bruised reed.

· Israel was bruised but God would not let them be broken without throwing them a life preserver.

· I want this church to know, yes our would is bruised, our society is bruised; our church and church people are bruised, and wounded.

· The cares of life and life’s disappointments have bruised us all.

· Morality has bruised us, church has bruised us, preachers have bruised us, friends have bruised us, and our love ones have bruised us, finances, relationships, jobs, have taken there toll on all of us.

· It has caused most today to live depressed, to live defeated, to live with no joy and peace.

· Here me church, in today’s world we have more psychologists, social workers, counselors, self help books, than ever before in history.

· But every where we look and everything we see people are crying out for peace, just give me some relief, just help me a-little bit, just help me carry, what I’m caring.

· And the reason why some can’t help, is because their bruised themselves.

· Life and life’s circumstances have been tuff on all of us.

· We’ve all been hurt, were all struggling, were all in need of relief, we’ve all been let down, were all struggling financially, we all have sickness, were all tired, were all raising families and trying to make ends meet, we all been bruised.

· Our children are being bruised by broken families, abuse and molestation, there worried how am I going to eat, and buy cloths and where am I going to sleep tonight.

· There bruised by not having any love and the love they seek after is taking advantage of them.

· Society has taught them that it’s all about things and when they don’t have those things there empty, that’s why they turn to drugs and alcohol, and premarital sex.

· I want you to know that because of the condition of our world it has left most bent and bruised, and nearly broken.

Isa 42:3 says:

A bruised reed shall he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench:

· I am convinced that the reason we have not been broken is because God sees some wicks that are still smoldering.

· These wicks once were on fire for God, they knew there purpose and their calling.

· But now they can barely be seen, but God sees some smoldering.

· I want to ask, is there still a people in this church that remembers what it use to be like.

· Are there some people in this church that still remember, what it use to be like to have a midnight prayer meeting.

· Are there some old saints of God that still remember praying until you prayed through?

· Are still some saints of God that are willing to fight to rekindle the fire again?

· The Lord has said, “If I see a wick that is smoldering, I won’t snuff it out.

· Church here me the flame may be gone, with no appearance of fire, but if God can still see some smoldering embers, He said I will not allow the fire to go out.

· Isaiah is telling this modern Apostolic church, as long as I hear even a faint cry from faithful people of God somewhere, I will not allow that bruised reed to break.”

· Brother’s and Sister’s, God has not yet given up on us yet.

· His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.

· The word “bruised” has a number of definitions.

· It means hurt, it means pounded to pieces, it means having having your feelings hurt, it means crushed by unfulfilled expectations.

· In my spirit tonight I sense that we have that bruised reed in our midst tonight.

· Night after night you come to this church, and you raise your hands and you worship and praise the Lord, but in reality you’re bruised in your spirit.

· You’re your bent to the point that you feel like your going to break.

· You pray but you don’t feel a thing.

· You worship but you really don’t feel it like you use to.

· You here the word and you want to believe, but you don’t have the strength to put your faith in action.

· You have the Holy Ghost but the fire is out, and all you have now is a smoldering ember.

Is this how you feel?

One dedicated couple who recently returned from the mission field put it like this. Years before, they had left everything they owned to spend seven years overseas, ministering and giving their all. When they returned, they came home with nothing, having left all their substance in the land to which they were called. Now, as they began looking for jobs, every door before them was shut. Both the husband and wife were well educated, with a great supply of skills. Whenever they put in applications for a position, theirs always rose to the top. But these talented people were rejected in every place, always ending up as second or third choice. Finally, a Christian company asked the husband to interview for a job. The company spent a full day courting him, and they all but assured him the position was his. But once again, the job went to another person. That couple is deeply bruised now in heart and spirit. They’ve been left wondering, “We gave our lives faithfully on the mission field. We have prayed and believed. So, why are we at this point?

Is that how you feel?

· Have you been disappointed and let down so often that your confidence is God is being tested tonight?

· Elijah the great prophet of God was there.

· He was a man of God that was brought to his breaking point, he was bruised so badly in his spirit and almost broke.

· We all know the man Elijah and all his miracles, he was a man that knew God and knew the voice of God.

· He was such a great man of God, that when he prayed he open up the heaven and he closed the heavens.

· He prayed and brought fire down from heaven, and he destroyed 400 prophets of a Baal.

· He was so anointed and so full of God, that he outran a chariot for over 20 miles.

· But now we find Elijah receiving word that Queen Jezebel was on his trail to kill him.

· Fear over came this mighty man of God, and the next time we see him he’s sitting exhausted, bruised, worried and confused, under a juniper tree, very discouraged.

You read the 19^th chapter of 1 Kings and you see this man by the name of Elijah mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bruised.

· God’s mighty servant had been mentally and physically bruised.

· He must have thought “Why is this happening to me?

· God’s hand has been on my life for all these years, and I’ve seen him perform miracle after miracle.

· But now I’m facing this hopeless situation, I’m going to be broken and destroyed.

This same man, who once stood against the powers of hell and called down fire from heaven, now cried out in distress: in 1 Kings 19:4

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

· In other words Elijah broke down and cried and said “Lord, I can’t take any more, I’m at the point of being broken.”

Some of you right now are under Elijah’s juniper tree.

· You’re too tired to pray and you’re telling the Lord I can’t take it anymore.

· You’re bruised, you’re hurt, you’re wounded, you’re tired, you’re discouraged, and you’re at your breaking point.

· You’ve been faithful, you’ve given your tithes, you worshipped and served the Lord, you’ve live holy and right, But.

· You love God you love His church and you love His word, But.

· Your bruised deeply, wounded as never before, and you can’t even bring yourself to pray like you know you should.

· You think to yourself, “I have sought God faithfully, I’ve read his Word, I’ve prayed, and fasted, why don’t God move for me, why doesn’t God answer my prayer?

· It’s gotten me nowhere, my soul, my walk with God, my experiences, my life is bent further than ever before, I think I’m going to break.

· I feel my-self giving in, I feel my hands loosing it grip, I feel myself slipping, I see where I’ve been and I see where I am today, I’ve slipped, I’m loosing it, I’m not going to make it.

· Like Elijah, you’re under a juniper tree, you’re discouraged, you’re depressed, you’re holding on for dear life.

· Let me remind you were in a spiritual warfare.

· What I mean is that we are all going to have to face battles, it means weariness, it means you will be wounded, it means there is a enemy that is out to destroy you and kill you.

· I admonish you to remember that when you bruised, remember that is when you become drowsy and sleepy.

· And that is when you are most vulnerable.

· That is when the Devil will begin to talk to you.

He’ll say to you

· You’re not praying the way you did before.

· You don’t study the Word enough.

· You’re dried up and your lukewarm, your fire is going out, where’s your testimony now?

Church let me warn you that Satan knows God word better than we do.

· He will use God word to condemn us and discourage us.

· God word is to give us the peace, strength, and comfort that we need desperately, but Satan will use it to discourage us.

· You need to know that the Word of God will try you at times.

· It happened to Joseph and it happened to Elijah: we’re told that until his appointed time came, the Word of the Lord tried him.

· When we come to the place that we are bruised and almost broken our conscience will beat us up with the Word we’ve hidden in our hearts.

· Throughout Scripture we read, “Be not slothful. Pray fervently and earnestly, with all that is in you, seeking him while he may be found.

· Give yourself to prayer and the Word.

· Redeem the time.

· Beware of the foolish virgins, be not slothful.

· All of these passages and principles come rushing to our minds in our time of bruising.

· And we think, “Lord I’ve let you down” I’m no Good” I just need to leave” “I just need to get out of the way” “I’ll never make it anyway”

· Let me say to some bruised reeds tonight, your faith is the wick that’s smoldering, and the devil wants to snuff it out.

· He wants you to sleep, he wants you to stay discouraged, he wants you to stop praying and believing, he wants you to keep on thinking about suicide, he wants you to backslide and give up, Satan wants you depressed, bruised and broken.

But notice what happened to Elijah when he fell asleep.

1 Kings 19:5-8

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

· Church I want you to know, God knows what we can handle, He knows when were just about to break.

· Notice the Lord did not rebuke Elijah for sleeping, or being discouraged, or feeling like he could not take it any more.

· He simply said ‘I will not break a bruised reed.’

· “The angel of the Lord came…and touched (Elijah), and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee”

· It doesn’t matter how bruised you are, how bent over you are because of life’s situations, God has made you a promise: “You will not be broken.

· I won’t allow your flame to go out.

· Jesus is speaking to someone right now and saying, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee”

· God isn’t mad at you, he has not come to condemn you, and criticize you, He’s not made that your discouraged and feeling forsaken.

· God knows, the situation is too great for you to handle. And He wants to give you some strength the make it through.

· He’s here to give you what you need to move on.

· The reason I say this is a message that is going to take some time to get into your spirit and work, is because the bible says it took Elijah 40 days to be fully restored.

· It was a slow, meticulous, soothing and gentle restoration.

· One day at a time, one meal at a time, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other until God said “What are you doing hiding in this cave, Elijah?

· Scripture says that during Elijah’s time in the cave, “A great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind”

· God was not in that message.

· “After the wind [was] an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake”

· And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire.

· We need to understand that God knows the word we need to here when we are bruised.

· Elijah needed to hear a still, soft, voice: “After the fire [came] a still small voice” came unto him and spoke to him just wanted his spirit needed to here.

· Some commentators translate this phrase to mean “a gentle blowing,” meaning, “a soft, refreshing breeze.”

· Always remember “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

· The Lord has said, “No matter how bruised you feel, I will not allow you to be broken.

· You’re broke tonight and your spirit and your face and your actions prove it.

· Satan has tried to destroy some of you, but God has stepped on the scene and said I will not allow you to break a bruised reed.

Church, I truly feel that the Spirit of the Lord has been 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.

Always remember: 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.

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