Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours | Francis Chan

I want to share something. Uh first, it's good to see you guys. And um I I was just praying for all of our pastors the other day, the other morning. I try to do that pretty regularly. And and uh I every time I pray for them, I just got this big smile on my face, you know, just coming before God, go, "God, I'm just so grateful for this guy and this guy, this guy, and thank you for her and her and her and and on and on and on."

And um but I I I want to follow up on something that I said last week. Uh because every once in a while I'll say something, it'll come out of my mouth as I'm speaking and and then it doesn't sit right with me. Sometimes it's because I said something wrong and I got to fix it right away.

But other times I say something and it it feels hypocritical. And that's what happened last time. like I said something in passing and I myself wasn't living it out and it just felt kind of gross as I said it. And so I just want to confess that to you.

Um I was I was talking out of Jeremiah because we had just read through the book of Jeremiah and I was talking about how he was he was he was able to confront all the sin in the world. He wasn't like a lot of the preachers nowadays that'll hold back on anything that's offensive.

He just lays it out there. Um, and nowadays we just want to be politically correct. We want to offend anyone and we do it all in the in the in the name of love even though it's not the most loving thing to not confront someone's sin. But but the thing I pointed out at the end though was Jeremiah was balling his eyes out as he said it.

And I talked about how we have to be careful to not just confront what's wrong in someone's life without being sad over it. Otherwise, we become judgmental. We become self-righteous. We come across angry rather than loving. But the reason why Jeremiah was crying, I mean, he's referred to, many refer to him as the weeping prophet.

He was always crying. He when he talked about God's judgment, it wasn't like, "Hey, you guys are all going to burn in hell. He's balling his eyes out like, man, don't you understand who this God is and that his judgment's really coming?" And he would cry and he would weep.

And and we were talking about Jeremiah 9 where he says, "Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. Oh, that I had in the desert a a traveler's lodging place that I might leave my people and go away from them for they're all adulterers, a company of treacherous men.

Um, you know, they proceed from evil to evil. They don't know me, declares the Lord. And then then later on in in verse 12, he says, "Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness so that no one passes through?" And the Lord says, "Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accordance to it, but they have stubbornly followed their own hearts."

So Jeremiah is crying and he's like, "Gosh," he goes, "God, I can't stand this. I I" He goes, "I I actually want to leave. I wish I could just leave this place, go off in the desert somewhere because it breaks my heart when I see people disobey you."

And rather than following what's clearly written, they go with what's in their heart. They stubbornly follow their own heart. But I made the comment last time like, "Hey, we can't be people that just confront sin without crying over people." And and and I I said it, but then afterwards I'm like, "Man, when's the last time I cried for someone?

When's the last time like sin didn't just annoy me, but it broke my heart because I knew how much God hated it and how much it broke his heart and and I've been uh it's been bugging me. So, I just had to throw it out there and let you know like I'm not I'm struggling.

It's bugging me to this day. This last month, I've been praying for this. You know that song we used to sing? um hosana and there's that uh there's a bridge in it where it goes break my heart for what breaks yours. I've just been singing that non-stop like the last month I I just whenever I I just I just have that one bridge in my break my heart for what breaks yours.

It's going to it's just I just kept singing it. I'm like God because my heart isn't broken for the things that break your heart. I mean, first of all, I my heart doesn't break that much, you know? Like, I just don't My family's like, "Yeah, I I mean, I just I don't let things bug me.

I just try to let everything roll off." And I'm not going to cry about everything, but um but there's a bad side to it is there are things that should make us cry. There are things that should break our hearts. And I've just been bothered by God, when I do have my heart broken, sometimes it's not even things you care about.

Then the things that you do care about don't break my heart. And that's not good. I go, God, I want your heart. I want to care about the things you care about and not care about the things you don't really care about. You know, you you can you can tell a lot about a person by what gets them emotional, what gets them riled up, what makes them angry, and what makes them cry, right?

You you find out what they love. That's the barometer. You go, "What does this guy care about? Well, what what makes him sad? What makes him angry? What gets him emotional? What gets her so fired up? What is it? What makes you weep? Are they the things of God?

The things that God weeps over? And I just realized, wow, God, I I still have a very selfish heart, a very self-centered heart. A few weeks ago, I went to my first Warriors game. Um, I'd never been to a Warriors game, and it was game seven of the finals.

That was a good one to start with. Um, but I I've never paid for a game. I just I just can't do it, you know. But someone will invite me and I'm like, "Yeah, sure. Game seven. Where where are the seats?" You know, because I want to make sure it's down low enough to where I'd rather, you know, go there than watch on TV.

But um but I went, you know, it was good seats, everything else. And obviously it was the wrong outcome. It was just awful. Um evil. Uh but what was crazy was watching people's reaction after the game. Okay. when the Warriors lost. I mean, my heart sunk cuz we just didn't expect it.

That didn't make sense, you know. Um, and uh but you know, we're we're walking out, everyone's kind of in this somber mood, but I'm watching, people are holding each other, sobbing. Okay, the guy in front of me is just ready to fight. Anyone with a Cavs jersey, he was just ready.

He He was just just getting in everyone's face trying to start a fight. And then I start walking from my seat out to where the concessions are and everything and I see something fall in front of me like back right by where Tony is. I see something and I realize it's a person's body from the second floor that he'd been thrown over the edge or he committed suic I don't know.

And I just I've never seen anything like that, right? I mean it's just chaos. People are crying. People are fighting and then I see a body thrown over and it just landed. You know that ah I've never heard that sound. I'm just sick as as as as as I don't mean to be too, but it just it's just like in the movies where it's just blood coming out everywhere in this pool and people are taking pictures of him.

Meanwhile, people are fighting and I'm sick to my stomach and I'm just walking outside. I'm going, "God, it's a basketball game. You weren't even playing." you know, like what? Like, it just made me sad. It's like this is your whole life. This is what you'll cry over. This is what you'll fight over.

This is what you'll kill for. And and you learn a lot from a person by, man, what gets you emotional. And then I just looked at my own life and I'm going, God, what are the things I care about? I mean, I'll be honest. I was a little embarrassed as I was, you know, and the Warriors lost and I'm sick.

It's like h and it's like, God, why do I care that much? And how come that makes me sad? And then I pass people all day long that rebel against God and they're going to face him one day and how come it's not killing me? Why am I not emotional over that?

And what Jeremiah was emotional about wasn't just the people out there that were living a certain way. No, what got him fired up was the people inside. The people of Israel and going, "God, this kills me. Look at your own people. They're supposed to be your people. You showed them so much and this is how they live.

I just want to get out of here when I see the sin." What breaks your heart? Man, I remember I was I was thinking back to uh the early days before I was even married. Um I bought this Mustang, you know, was like only two years old, convertible, V8, you know, everything.

GTS is just wow. And uh after like a week, I ran into a pole and I remember just being sick, you know, just sick to my stomach. like I'd never bought a nice car. I never and I just crashed into a pole and just ah it was just this grieving and people are trying to cheer me up and it's just a car and I'm like ah man it just that's what I cared about back then or I think about relationships you know girls um and just relationships that would break and just like ah the devastation in my and it's like wow that's that's it for you.

And so I've been praying. I'm going, God, I I know I've changed in so many ways, but my heart isn't broken for the things that break your heart. Did you know that God grieavves? He grieavves over sin. I mean, in Genesis 6, he was grieved that he even made man because he looked at sin that was so bad.

He's like, "Oh, why did I even make them? Look at the way they rebel against me." The Bible talks about this is crazy. We can actually grieve the Holy Spirit of God. I think some of us as men, it's like, you know, we're I mean, I don't think it's right to cry over everything.

It's like, okay, man up. I don't I don't think you're supposed to cry over everything. But sometimes we can look at this emotion or sadness or even crying as a weakness. And then you got to go, okay, well then you're saying that God is weak for grieving. Um Jesus was weak for weeping and something screwed up when we're not crying at the right times.

And I'm just confessing to you, I'm praying for this cuz something screwed up in me. And you can pray for me and my heart isn't broken for the things that break the the heart of God. And I'm I even said, "God, I I don't even really want to preach about this today because I feel like a hypocrite."

Um, but it's your word. And so, it's just something we're going to have to work on together and pray for each other because as I'm looking at that also, okay, so that was Jeremiah 9. Okay. Then we start reading Ezekiel. And I don't know if you noticed in Ezekiel chapter 9.

Okay. Ezekiel chapter 9 was weird. I never noticed this. Um, I should to have but just going to share all my failures today. Ezekiel 9. Okay, God's going to destroy, right? He's going to he's going to judge the city. But before he judges the city, look at what he says.

The Lord tells this guy in chapter 9 verse4, he calls this man clothed in linen. Um verse four, the Lord said to him, "Pass through the city through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads." So it's good for those of us who have big foreheads. Put a mark on the foreheads of men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.

And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and strike. Your eyes shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men, maidens, the little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark and begin at my sanctuary."

That a weird passage. He goes, I'm going to destroy all these people. Well, he goes, "And I mean all of these people, but he goes, first go through and mark on the foreheads certain people that I'm not going to destroy." But what blew me away was he put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.

So I was already convicted about this from Jeremiah 9. Then I read Ezekiel 9 and you realize, man, God loves those who weep over the things that he weeps over. Those who don't just look at the sin around us and go, "Oh, no big deal." Or, "Oh, that's horrible."

Or get angry or judgmental. But those who actually sigh and groan and go, "Oh, God, this isn't what you made us for. This is not how you made us to live. You create us to live a certain way. Your law makes it clear. forget what's in my heart, man.

I want to obey your law, but to sigh and groan, I go, God, if you went through the city right now, would I be one of the guys you'd mark? Because I sigh and I groan over the abominations even in the church. So then after Ezekiel, we start reading Ezra.

And in Ezra chapter nine. Okay, this is pretty weird. Um, this is just the stuff we've been reading the last week. Ezra chapter 9. When Ezra sees the sin, what does he do? Ezra 9:3. As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled.

Then all who trembled at the word of the God of Israel because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles gathered around me while I sat appalled until evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my fasting with my garment and my cloak torn and fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying, "Oh my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads.

Our guilt has mounted up to the heavens." And if you read on like in chapter 10 verse one, then Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God. A great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.

Again, this is the sign of those who were lovers of God, followers of God, is we weep over the things he weeps over. They were so sad over the sin of the people because they knew God hated it. Then yesterday, what did we read yesterday? Daniel chapter 9.

Okay. I just bizarre. I I don't think there's anything in it. It's just weird that it's all it's easy to remember at least. Chapter nine, what is what is Daniel doing yesterday in in verse three? He goes, "I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and please for mercy with fasting and sackloth and ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession. Oh Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commands and rules.

We have not listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name, to our kings, our princes, our fathers, to all the people of the land. So again, we see it in Jeremiah, we see it in Ezekiel, we see it in Ezra, we see it in Daniel, we read about it in Nehemiah.

Remember Nehemiah chapter what? No, two. Um, but didn't fit perfectly, but you know, it was the same thing, right? But but you think about it. This is when Jer I mean, what's his name? Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king. So he was fine. He's in the king's palace like, "Here, have some more wine."

He said, "But what is he weeping over?" He's going, "Man, the the city, God, the city you care about. Look at Jerusalem. It's in r." He's crying. Not because his own situation is bad, but he knew how much God loved Israel. He knew how much God wanted his name in that city, and he's weeping over that.

Break my heart for what breaks yours. Tomorrow, those of us who are doing the reading, you'll be reading the book of Haggi. Now, in the book of Haggi, if you read chapter 1, God says to the people, "Hey, you keep trying to make money and and he goes, and you keep losing it.

You know why?" He goes, "Because you're trying to put money in purses with holes in it." He goes, "You know why you've got holes in your purse? Because I put them there." You know why I put the holes in your purse? because you live in a nice panled house while the house of the Lord lives in ruins because I'm destroying everything that you try to create because all you care about is your little house.

And so you sit there and go, "Oh, nice. Look at my house. I think I'm going to redecorate. I'm going to redo my kitchen." Meanwhile, look at the house of the Lord. See, you care about your stuff. Your stuff breaks your heart and the stuff of God doesn't break your heart.

And that's why Jesus, look, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And so, I've just been praying. I'm going, God, I I care too much about certain things on the earth, and I care too little about what's going on in heaven and what you're thinking.

Break my heart for what breaks yours. And as I thought about this, I realized I think I realize why I don't mourn for the things that God mourns for. Okay. And here it is. Every prophet, read it. We're reading all the prophets. Every prophet, every man or woman of God, but specifically the prophets were given two jobs, every prophet without fail was given two tasks from God.

One, tell the people of all the great rewards that are coming their way if they obey my commands. Second job, tell the people of all the curses and the punishment that are coming their way if they don't obey the word of God. That's it. Promise the people reward for following me and warn the people of punishment if they disobey me.

That's it. Two jobs. And so you see it over and over and over. I mean, even the Israelites, this is very important to God. It's always like, "Hey, here's the promise if you follow. Here's the punishment if you don't over and over and over. You see it with Pharaoh.

You see it uh you even see it when Israel is going into the promised land." He goes, "Hey, I want you to split the people up. Put half of them on this mountain. So, take half the people, put them on Mount Garazm, and take the other half and put them on Mount Ebal.

And so, here's what you're going to do. those from this mountain. Like it's it's like if we split up and say, "Hey, you guys go on this side. You guys go on this side. You guys scream out the blessings of if we follow the Lord." Read these out.

If we follow him, he's going to do this. If we follow him, he's going to do this. He goes, "Then you guys scream out the curses. If we don't follow him, he's going to do this. If we don't follow him, he's going to do this." This is what this is the way it's always been from the beginning of time all the way to the book of Revelation where you go, man, if we hold fast and follow through, we're going to be in a place where there's no more tears, no more weeping, no more pain.

If we take the mark of the beast, if we decide to go with the majority, well, here's your punishment. Same as the devil. You can follow Jesus up there. you can follow devil down there. It's it's the same thing over and over. And now I get to why I feel like I don't weep is because we live in a time where we only do half the job.

We live in an era here in America where people will tell you the promises all day long. Do this and you'll receive life. Do this, you'll receive life. But we don't dare talk about judgment because that's offensive and we want to fit in and we don't want to be rejected.

No one wants to believe in hell anymore. No one wants to believe in the end where I I'm guilty. I like to read about the new Jerusalem. I love that part. That's fun. I love reading Revelation 21. I don't like reading Revelation 20. I love the sheep and goat judgment.

The part about the sheep. Hey, I was hungry. You fed me. I was thirsty. You gave me something to drink. And then they just they just go and they get this reward, but I don't want to read the other part. And we live in a time when people tell us not to read the other part.

And because we don't believe in a God who's a God of wrath, just as he's a God of mercy, he's a God of justice, just as he's a God of love. We don't want to know the whole council of God's word. But when we neglect our job and only do half of it, we're not going to weep.

And it's hard. I I get exhausted from it. There have been a couple times in my life when I've um allowed my mind to go there where I think about someone I love and imagine them, you know, facing that Revelation 20 where he says anyone's name who was not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

And earlier he talks about the devil, the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then he says, "If your name's not written in the book of life, you're going to be thrown there." And only a couple times have I let my mind go there and I just start balling.

I remember waiting tables with people and I love them and I just came home one night after waiting tables and I just started thinking, man, your word is so serious about what happens. those who have not been forgiven and those in their arrogance just believe they're good people and they're going to get there.

It's like it's not what your word says. And and it's not just, hey, everyone goes to heaven. It's not like at every funeral you go to where they always say, oh, he's in a better place. That's why Jeremiah was weeping. He goes, man, all these false prophets are saying peace, peace when there is no peace.

He goes, I know what's coming and it's killing me. And it was killing me. I mean, I remember just going to bed that night just crying, crying, crying, thinking this this morning about um when Rachel wasn't following the Lord and just waking up at 3:00 in the morning and going, "God, this is my daughter, man."

I said, "You can have anything of mine. I'll do whatever, but just have my kids follow you, man. This is the one thing I asked for. I don't care about anything else. I mean, I don't care if they're happy. I don't care if they're they're rich. I don't care if they look good or smart.

I don't care if they're dumb. It just I just want them to know you. That's it. This is the one thing I asked for, God. I'm just crying, crying, crying because I want to spend eternity with her. And I go, God, I want a break. I go, even as I'm teaching, I prayed for this moment right here because there's some of you here that are part of the church, or at least you attend our gatherings.

And it's not like I'm wanting to judge anyone. It's not It's not like I'm mad at anyone. It's just that I get scared because I look at your life and I'm like, do you love him? Like, do you in your heart know him or are you just kind of following the crowd or is this in you, man?

Or you just keep going back to your sin. Some of you guys in in in our programs, it's like once you're gone, what are you going to do? Is it in you where it's like, man, I can't walk away from God. I can't continue in my sin because this is in me.

I love him, man. This isn't me judging you. It's me caring about you. I was like, God, why don't I I even ask God, I go, God, I believe this to be true, and why doesn't it break my heart more? And and it's it's not like this is what I want.

It's not like this is just stuff I come up with and go, "Oh, here's what I want to believe." Because if it were up to me, I I wouldn't have a hell, I don't know, that's probably wrong. But I'm just thinking in my head, I don't want anyone to get punished.

But I also believe that's the heart of God in the sense that he doesn't desire for anyone to perish. God says, "I don't delight in the death of the wicked. You think I like that, but I'm a just God." He goes, "I now precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of his saints." 116:15.

Psalm 116, but he goes, "But I don't delight in the death of the wicked." That's why he's always warning, "Don't go there. Don't go there. Don't walk away from me. Don't go with your heart. Don't go with what you think. Go with me. Trust me." Man, I just read stuff and 1 John 3 says this, "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning and practices lawlessness also practices lawlessness."

Sin is lawlessness. Verse six, no one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.

For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. Again, these aren't my thoughts. I just read and I go, "Ah."

It doesn't matter if you're here saying, "I believe in Jesus. I got baptized. I did this. I did that." The Bible says, "Well, if that's true and God's seed abides in you, you can't keep on sinning. It'll drive you insane." Some of you guys know exactly what I'm talking about.

I can't keep sinning, man. I start going down that road and it drives me nuts. Why? Because God's spirit's in me and I got to turn from and I got I just have to practice righteousness. Like the Bible says when the spirit came into me, I became a slave to righteousness.

My concern is that there's some of you and again, man, I just got to ask, is it in you? Are you are you okay with just continuing on in your sin and going, "Well, I hope he forgives me at the end." If that's the case, I go, "Man, I am so scared that you don't get it.

I am so concerned for you, man. I see some of you, you get in arguments with each other, and it's like, don't you see that God hates that? Isn't there everything in you that goes, I got to make peace. I got to make peace because this grieves the heart of God.

This is what grieves the Holy Spirit when there's division." man, if if if any of you, you know, calls on the name of Jesus, you know, I mean, Isaiah, you know, like if you had something against me or I had something against you, it's like, man, let's get that right.

Let's let's fix this. Let's change this. Why? Because it's breaking his heart. Break my heart for what breaks yours. Any of you that are are are sleeping with someone who's who's not your husband or not your wife, he says, "Man, you've got the spirit of God in you."

And he goes, "How dare you take the spirit of God and enter into a prostitute? You're going to take Christ and force him into a sexual relationship that he wants nothing of?" He just makes it so gross. And so if you can continue in it's like, "Wow, you've got the spirit of God and you're okay with that.

No conviction." That that just scares me. That's all because we can all go to church. We can all say we believe in Jesus, but over and over the Bible's saying, "Look, if you say you know him, but you're okay hating your brother," he goes, "Then you don't really know him.

If you say you know him, but you can just keep going on in your sin, man, how could God seed abide in you?" I I sure hope you understand my heart. It's like, I don't care. You go do what you want to do, whatever you think it. It's not about me.

It's about me going, you're really going to face him one day. This is no joke. And I'm sorry that the tears aren't there. I'm not going to fake them. I wish they were because it's so real to me. And I'm saying, God, make it even more real because I'm not mourning over your church.

I believe God is sad when he sees places called church that are supposed to be his children. And there's fighting. There's all sorts of sexual immorality. No one's really serious about him. I'm just seeing more and more it breaks his heart. And that's why we're trying so hard to say, you guys, let's let's give him something different.

Let's be a church that actually really loves each other, where we open up our houses to each other, open up our wallets to each other. We we we serve each other. We serve each other's kids. We don't care if you're black, white, Asian, Hispanic. I look at this place.

This is beautiful. I love it. You know, it's like, no, we're not like the world. We look inside and we see Jesus and we say, man, what's mine is yours. Like, that's what God wants, so that's what we're after. And I love I love that so many of you sacrifice your time, your money, your effort, your heart, and you care for each other.

You weep for each other, and we try to care for the needs around the world. Man, it's an awesome thing. And the reason why we do this is not so because we like it necessarily. It's like, no, this God, this is what you asked for. And you weep over places that call themselves Christian and church and yet they live like the world.

And I'm just saying, God, I don't want that. I don't want that here. So, I'm praying for you guys. I ask that you pray for me because I just want to care about the things God cares about. And let's just call each other on that and say, "Hey, I think you care about that too much.

You know, about this or that." And uh because when we have too many things we care about, we don't have enough left in the tank for the things that matter.