Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.

Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. My beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles, speaking of Jesus. He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Let me tell you why we started here. This is a reminder of the Jewish people being God's chosen people. We are reminded here that Jesus was sent to the Gentile just as much as he was sent to the Jew. What God has promised to the Jews in this passage, he has promised to the Gentiles. This passage is a reflection of its connecting passage in Isaiah chapter 42.

Let's look at this. Isaiah was the original person that prophesied this as God gave it to him, and then in Matthew we're reminded of what Isaiah prophesied in chapter 42. Look at verse 1. Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.

I have put my spirit upon him. God is speaking of his son that was to come, the Messiah. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

What are we talking about here? He is saying he is going to suffer. He is going to be the redemption for your sins. He is going to willingly give his life. He's not going to fight against it.

He's not going to holler out trying to get them to stop. He's going to take it because he loves the world and he's going to purchase redemption for it. This is a very wonderful passage of Scripture. Notice what he says in verse 3. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. Notice this, verse 4. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged. God says my son in whom I delight is going to come. He's going to suffer.

He's going to bring judgment to the Gentiles. And he is going to not bruise. He's not going to break a bruised reed. He's not going to quench a smoking flax. And I'm going to tell you what God says this.

He puts this exclamation point. He will not fail and he will not be discouraged. How discouraging it must have been for Jesus to be around the very people He was getting ready to save. To see not only how they treated Him, but how they were. How sin dominated their lives and how sin dominates our lives. And despite how much we don't deserve it, and despite how wrong and sinful we can be, He still was not discouraged in purchasing our redemption. Now I want you to look at Luke chapter 4 verse 14.

Now we find a very interesting connection to these two passages. Matthew we're told that Jesus would come. He would not break a bruised reed.

He would not quench a smoking flax. You say preacher what does that mean? Well I'm going to share it with you. That is a direct reference to what Isaiah prophesied before the Messiah had already come. In Matthew He had come. In Isaiah He hadn't come yet. It was prophesied that He would come. And when He would come He would not break a reed that had been bruised and He would not quench a smoking flax. It had been prophesied. And God said He will not fail and He will not be discouraged until He brings judgment unto victory.

Luke chapter 4. Jesus had already begun His earthly ministry and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. And there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He taught in their synagogues being glorified of all. And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as His custom was He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. You say hey you know what preacher is it really important for us to go to church? You know what Jesus' custom was? To go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He was faithful to go worship His Father.

And by the way that's a very good habit for you and I to get into. Notice what He says in verse 17. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet who? Isaiah.

Asaias. That's what He's called sometimes. Isaiah. And when He had opened the book He found the place where it was written.

Now picture this. Jesus in His earthly ministry, fame had been spread abroad. He comes back to Nazareth where He had grown up. He comes back to Nazareth where He had been raised. He comes back to His home. Back to His family.

Back to His home people. He goes to the synagogue. They bring Him obviously the scrolls from Isaiah. The prophecy that had been prophesied about the Messiah that would one day come. Little did they know that very Messiah was holding the scrolls.

Now watch this. Verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Remember He's reading what Isaiah had written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted. To preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind. Notice this. And to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And He closed the book and He gave it again to the minister and sat down. Notice this. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

Why were they fastened on Him? In Isaiah it did not use a personal pronoun. In Isaiah it prophesied that the one that my soul delights in. He will. He will.

He will. When Jesus read the scroll He said me. Not He.

Me. And closed the book. And they're all looking at Him like why would He say me instead of what Isaiah had written.

Notice this. Verse 21. And He began to say unto them this day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears.

He said what you just read it's talking about me. I have come to preach to the poor. I have come to bring back sight to the blind. I have come to bring captives free. And He said this I have come to help those that have been bruised. This morning I'd like to quickly preach on this subject. Bruised.

But not broken. It's amazing that as we are prophesied about our Savior that was to come. And as we are described the Savior that did come. That there is a phrase that is used to describe Him.

And I think it's very important for us to take notice. What is said about Jesus was that this. That He would not break a reed that was bruised. He said a bruised reed He will not break and a smoking flax He will not quench. You say preacher what does that mean and why is that so important?

Well let me just start one by one. Let me tell you what a bruised reed is. The word reed means the cane or what they would call the calamus which grows up in marshy or wet places. It was firm like that would be firm for a cane which often times this reed was used for a cane for a walking stick.

In fact in Old Testament days that reed many times was used to be broken down cut down to make a writing instrument out of. That's what we're talking about here. Something that grows up in the marsh. Describing something that's somewhat flimsy enough that the wind can blow it and the weather can go against it and somebody walking by damage could be done to it.

That's what we're talking about here. In Isaiah he mentions the same thing. Now listen to me say preacher what does that mean to me? Well this word literally denotes that this is fragile, weak, easily waved by the wind, broken down. It stands in contrast to what would be a firm tree or something that was indestructible. And notice in Matthew chapter 11 verse 7 it says this, What went ye out into the wilderness to see?

A reed shaken in the wind? So preacher you say what in the world are we talking about here? What is prophesied about Jesus is that when he comes he will not break something that has been bruised. In other words he's not going to kick somebody that's down.

Number one this morning. I'll give you some principles from these passages. Number one Jesus doesn't break the bruised.

You say preacher why is that? Listen to me Jesus never discouraged anyone. If there was any life or hope left in a situation Jesus capitalized on it.

I began to write down some illustrations. I think about Peter when he sank when he began to walk on the water. And Jesus encouraged him and noticed that at least Peter had as Jesus put it a little faith. I noticed that Jesus welcomed Stephen home by standing as Stephen had been stoned to death. I noticed that when Paul was at a low point in his life sitting in the prison Jesus came and stood by him in the jail. I noticed that Jesus encouraged backslidden Peter when he had denied Christ and cursed him and had backslidden and lived in the very presence of Jesus. But ended up turning his back on the very one that would purchase his redemption. And yet a few chapters later Jesus comes back gives Peter another chance and uses him to do great things for him.

I think about during the storm in Matthew chapter 14 that Jesus looked at his disciples although they're in the middle of a very big storm he says fear not because I'm with you. I think about the woman that was caught in the act of adultery. As Jesus was talking to her she'd been caught in adultery. They had brought her to Jesus. But they were ready to criticize and they were ready to pass judgment and basically folks she would be the picture of a reed that was bruised.

She's a picture of somebody that what had happened in life had broken her and had damaged her and had bruised her. And when they brought that bruised reed to Jesus he didn't break it. He looked and he got down and he started to write in the sand and all of a sudden these men that had brought her in judgment realized that he knew something on them. And as they left you know what Jesus said? He said where are thou thine accusers? She said they're not here. And he said neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.

Oh listen to me dear friend let me tell you about church and let me tell you if you're visiting or if you've been in church your whole life it doesn't matter. I want you to know this morning you might be a bruised reed. You might be something that and somebody that's been broken and damaged and has been through some things in your life. And I'm here to tell you that some people in your life when you're down they're going to knock you out. And when you're low they're going to step on you.

And when you're bruised and damaged they're going to go ahead and break you. But Jesus doesn't do that. I'm here to tell you this morning God will not break the bruised reed. Let me read you a verse in John chapter 6. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

That deserved a bigger amen. God will not break the bruised reed. Maybe the winds of life have bent you a little bit. Maybe the storms of circumstances have bruised and battered your strength.

Maybe your reed has been damaged by others or even by yourself. But I'm here to tell you if your reed is still alive and if you still have breath in your body and if there's anything that's salvageable and if you're here this morning there's a whole lot that is salvageable. I'm here to tell you Jesus is not here to break you. He's not here to ruin you. He's not here to cast you aside.

He is here to use you. Tell you something there's a problem in churches because often times the bruised ones are the ones we break. The ones that have made the mistakes. The ones that are struggling. The ones that need encouragement.

They're the very ones we jump on, criticize and knock down. And I'm here to tell you folks the savior we serve doesn't do that. He promised when he'd come he would preach to the poor. He would bring sight to the blind.

He would love those even low class people. It didn't matter. But he also promised that those that were bruised he wasn't going to break. I don't know about you I'm glad Jesus didn't break me. You say well what if I just all that I've done preacher and all that I've done wrong oh verse 4 of Isaiah chapter 42 says this he will not fail and he shall not be discouraged. You can do all you want to to God but I'm here to tell you that God is not going to wipe away the love he has for you and you can fail him and you can backslide and you can get cold and you can be bruised and all the winds of life and all the winds of sin might bend you and break you and damage you but if there's any chance left if there's any breath in your body God's not going to break you he's going to use you. I don't know what people have said and you don't know what people have done.

I don't give a flip about what people say or do. What you ought to care about is what Jesus thinks. And dear friend I'm here to tell you you might be bruised and you might be damaged and you might have messed up and you might have backslidden and you might have gotten cold and you might have done some things you shouldn't have done and maybe you haven't been faithful to church and maybe you haven't been reading your Bible and maybe you haven't been praying and maybe you haven't been growing and maybe there was a time you used to do more than you are now but I'm here to tell you even if you're bruised he won't break you.

He'll use you. I notice secondly that the Bible says this that he will not quench a smoking flax. You say preacher what in the world does that mean? Number two not only Jesus doesn't break the bruise but number two Jesus doesn't quench what is still smoking. You know what a smoking flax is? It's a linen wick from either an oil lamp or a candle. And the picture here is something that used to be on fire something that was glowing something that had a red hot flame had been blown out. And now all that was left was just a small little glow smoke rising from that little flax that used to burn and used to have fire on it and know what the Bible says that when Jesus comes he will not quench a smoking flax.

Am I the only one that's excited about that this morning? You say preacher what in the world does that mean to me? Well listen to me Jesus never here on earth and he hasn't since he never quenched the spiritual fire in anybody.

He always kindled it. I'm here to tell you this morning maybe there was a time when you were on fire for God and maybe there was a passion that used to burn in your soul for the Lord and maybe you used to be in God's word and maybe God's word used to burn and glow inside of your life and maybe the preaching of God's word maybe it used to kindle a desire in you and it doesn't now but I'm here to tell you maybe life has thrown water on your fire. And maybe circumstances and individuals have blown out your flame. And maybe life has been tough and maybe we haven't reacted to everything that's happened the way we should be. Maybe circumstances have decreased the flame inside your soul. Maybe coldness has entered where heat used to dominate. Maybe gradual apathy has quenched the burning desire that once motivated you to serve God. Maybe you are but a spark of the fire you once were. Maybe the heat of your spiritual fire that at one time used to heat others isn't even heating you now.

Did you get that? Maybe you feel that the fire's gone and that the smoke is slowly fading away. I'm here to tell you this morning that it was prophesied by Isaiah.

It was magnified by Matthew and it was verified by Jesus himself in the temple that day. He did not come to break the bruised and he will not quench a smoking flax. If there's any heat left, if there's any part of that wick that is still available, if it's something that used to have a fire, God can light it again. I'm here to tell you he will pile the wood of his grace to reignite your fire. He will kindle what is left with his mercy. He will stoke what is still burning with his word.

And he will ignite with possibility the burning inside of your heart, if you'll let him. Others might be lining up to criticize what your fire used to be. And some might be kicking dirt into the remains of what used to glow in your life. But God is determined to see you glow and burn and be bright once again. You might be sitting here this morning and you might say, Preacher, I used to be close to God and I used to be involved and I used to love church and I used to love this and I used to love that, but things have happened and I've made mistakes and I've blown it and I have this and I just don't know anymore. And we come to church and it's just a faint ember of smoke coming from your life now where a fire used to burn. And oftentimes when you need somebody to kindle it and somebody to reignite it and somebody to throw a little fuel on it, many times the very ones you trust do nothing but throw water on it and kick dirt in it. It almost seems that sometimes it would please folks to see you broken.

So now they'd have something to say to their friends. And sometimes it almost seems that others would almost be pleased with watching your fire go totally out. But I'm here to tell you there's a savior in heaven that sees a fire that is still available. Oh, he's seen what happened and he saw the progress and he saw what transpired and he saw the process of what has happened in your life and he saw what those individuals did to you and he saw those mistakes that you made and he's seen that sin that has ended your life.

But I'm here to tell you it will not discourage him and he will not fail and he will not quit because he is not going to allow your fire to quench. I think about Samson. Samson was given every opportunity in life. Samson blew it, did wrong, took for granted God's blessing. Samson ended up where he wasn't supposed to be, had something happen to him that should have never happened to him and he put himself there. And as Samson, who used to be a strong and mighty man, used to be a firm tree growing in the garden for God, now became just a bruised reed blowing in the wind. Now it seemed as if he had done so much now that even God couldn't use him.

Let me tell you something in one last moment of his life. God put strength on him and God knew that there was still a little bit of fire there that wanted to serve God. There was still a little bit of Samson that did still feel guilt for what was happening and there was still a little bit there that wanted to do something for God and there was still a little bit there that wanted God to use him once again and Samson, I believe, asked God for forgiveness, made his life right at the end and God used him one more time. I think about Jacob. Jacob was a conniver and a schemer. He had cut corners, he had let his character go down to the drain and he was just one of these guys trying to get what he wanted however he could get it and I'm going to tell you something, God had an appointment waiting for him one night out there in the wilderness and the angel of God, God himself, showed up and he began to wrestle with Jacob and they began to fight and it's as if God said, Jacob, that wick that is almost burned out, I'm not going to let it quench in your life, I'm going to use you, I'm not going to let you go this route and they wrestled and wrestled and wrestled and when the sun came up, God won.

I'm here to tell you God wins every time. Jacob limped the rest of his life. Let me tell you what happened to that little smoking flax of his. It began to ignite once again. You say, preacher, how did that happen? Let me tell you something, when you quit fighting with God, when you quit running, when you quit getting off your little pity party and how bad it is and I'm done so wrong and I can't do this, when you get beyond all that and you accept the grace that God has given, he loves you no matter what, he died for you no matter what, he is not here to take somebody that's bruised and break you and he is not going to quench somebody that has already been quenched enough, he is here to use you and take you and let you serve him with the rest of your life. I want you to notice 2 Corinthians 4, I want to read this to you. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

Listen to this, you think your wick has been quenched and you think that your reed has been bruised. Listen to this, we are troubled on every side yet not distressed. We are perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Oh yeah, we're persecuted, yeah we're cast down and all these things happen but what we've got to remind ourselves is that he died for us and he can take his life and manifest it through you. You say to a preacher, you don't know what I've done, no it doesn't matter what you've done, God can use you to serve him. I believe number one that Jesus doesn't break the bruise, number two Jesus doesn't quench what is smoking, number three I believe that the church shouldn't do either. Now I'm about to meddle.

I think I meddled enough last Sunday night. I believe every Sunday morning and every Sunday night and probably every Wednesday night, I know in that building there is and I'm sure in this building there is too on Wednesday nights, there are bruised reeds that walk through the door. There are folks that have been cracked by circumstances. There are folks that have been severed by sin.

There are folks that have been damaged by disasters. They've been marred by mishaps and their own mistakes. They've been ruined by regrets. They've been bruised by their battles. Life has taken its toll and I believe every Sunday morning and every Sunday night and every Wednesday night and probably at your job and probably even in your own family, there are folks that used to have a fire for God. They walk through these doors and their flaxes are barely smoking. They want to burn and they used to burn but things have taken a toll. Folks have been through tragedy and difficulty and divorce and hurt and abuse and mistreatment and oppression and depression.

They've been through so much that there's barely any smoke left. I want to read you a couple of verses. 1 John 4 verse 11 says, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. Did you hear that? Nobody has seen God at any time because you know why?

We can't handle it. You ever hear a preacher that says, I saw God. God came and talked to me. He would be dead if God showed up. Because you and I cannot handle the brightness and glory of God. You remember the Old Testament where he had to hide Moses in the cleft of the rock?

Why? Because his glory was so bright he said, You'll die if you see me. He said, No man shall see God.

If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. That means this, if there's anywhere somebody that has been bruised and anywhere somebody that has been quenched, if there's anywhere they ought to find help and love and encouragement, it's in the very house that God built. You say, Preacher, why are you so loud today? I guess because I want to make sure it gets through to every person sitting here that I don't care what people have ever done to you.

I might have even done you wrong and don't even realize it. But I'm here to tell you that our Savior Jesus Christ did not come to break you if you're down and bruised. And he did not come to quench you if your fire has been blown out or quenched or water's been thrown on it or whatever has happened has slowly brought that flame down to where there's only smoke rising. He came so that he could use you and salvage you and build you once again and bring a fire into your life again and take that reed that was bruised and turn it back and mend it and make it useful to him. He will not fail and he will not be discouraged. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.