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July — September 2000 Number 21 Volume 3
Brokenness
A Little Understood and Lightly Esteemed Virtue
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The popular slogan means as long as
something is working—leave it alone! However, when it comes to the human
heart, it’s not fixed until it is broken.
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as
be of a contrite spirit” (Psalms 34:18). We see here that brokenness is the
essential condition for God’s presence in saving power. Both the prodigal
who returned home, and the publican who cried to God for mercy, were broken.
And both were the recipients of mercy.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Brokenness is the opposite of
arrogance and pride. Lionel Barrymore said, “The greatest disappointment of
my career on the stage in the theater is that I could never step beyond the
footlights and sit in the audience and watch me.” The essence of pride is
the centralization of self. There can be no point of meeting between a
proud heart and a holy God.
After the death of William II his personal servant said, “I cannot argue
that my master was a vain and arrogant man. If he went to a christening, he
wanted to be the baby. If he went to a wedding, he wanted to be the bride.
If he went to a funeral, he wanted to be the corpse.” Lucifer, through his
desire to be the center of attention, sought to exalt himself. Sin came
into the universe through Satan’s self-exalting spirit.
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name
is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). God is so vast and
immense that He fills eternity. The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him (2
Chron. 2:6). Yet this high and lofty God who dwells in the holy place also
abides in the heart of humble and broken men. Tom Palmer said, “You will
never meet God in revival until you meet Him first in brokenness.” The
broken, humble heart is the heart that God revives. Here is the essential
element for the refreshing, reviving presence of God.
While brokenness may be an abstract concept, it definitely has concrete
implications.
Brokenness is Surrender
When the Lord Jesus met Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, Saul had two
questions: “Who art thou?” and “What would thou have me to do?” From the
outset at his conversion, the apostle-in-the-making was submitted to the
Lordship of Christ. Surrender is a willingness to function within the
sphere where God has called me. Surrender is a willingness to fulfill God’s
purpose in life and God’s design in marriage, family, and church. It is a
willingness to submit to the authorities God has placed over me. When I am
broken, there is no longer any resistance or rebellion to the work of God in
my life.
Alan Redpath had two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at
night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet
him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched
the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, “Now,
I’ve got all of Daddy.” The daughter in his arms replied, “Yes, but Daddy
has got all of me!” Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is,
“Does God have all of me?”
Sin has been defined as my claim to my right to myself. Surrender is
running up the white flag by yielding myself to the will and control of God.
George Müeller, who experienced extraordinary answers to prayer, was asked
to what he attributed his astounding success. He responded by saying, “There
was a day when I died. Died to George Müeller, his opinions, preferences,
tastes, and will; died to the world, it’s approval or censure; died to the
approval or blame of my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied
only to show myself approved unto God.” By dying to self, George Müeller
was able to experience the Christ-life with the attending, incredible
results.
A man who is crucified with Christ has no right to self-pity, bitterness, or
retaliation. Since dead men have no rights, there is no place for fighting,
fuming, fretting, or complaining in this blood-bought temple.
Brokenness is Seeing My Sin BIG
When my shadow is so big I can’t see beyond it, I know I am filled with
pride. And when pride has the ascendancy, the sins of others bother me more
than my own. When other people’s sins irritate me more than my sins, I have
established myself as a judge rather than a servant. Instead of pouring
contempt on all my pride, I tend to pour contempt on other people. In
reality, the only difference between proud people and humble people is that
humble people are willing to admit they are proud!
Did you know that there are two people in the Bible who had five “eyes”?
The Pharisee said, “I thank God,” “I am not as other men,” “I fast twice,”
“I give tithes of all I possess.” The Devil said, “I will ascend,” “I will
exalt,” “I will sit,” “I will ascend,” “I will be like the Most High.” The
Pharisee and the devil both had “I” trouble. Likewise, our main problem is
not optical; it’s the big “I” of self.
Brokenness changes a self-righteous critical spirit into a burden-bearing,
compassionate spirit. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but
in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3).
Brokenness is Shattering My Will
Brokenness is shattering my will so that all my responses are filled with
the Holy Spirit. Moses had to smite the rock before the water could come
forth. Rivers of living water can only issue forth from broken people.
A broken cistern can hold no water and a broken “Self” can hold no pride!
Duncan Campbell said, “If you are filled with the Holy Spirit you can’t be
filled with anything else.” In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit
there must be an emptying of “Self” and sin. Before this emptying takes
place, there must a humbling of ourselves before God.
Brokenness is our response of humility and obedience to the conviction of
God’s Spirit or the revelation of His Word. Humility is when we confess our
sin by simply agreeing with God. “Confess,” in 1 John 1:9, means to say the
same thing about my sin that God says about it. When I confess, I call my
sin by the same name God calls it. But brokenness must also include
obedience. Acknowledging sin is not enough! We must obey! Obedience is
instantly doing all God tells me to do with the right heart attitude.
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to be a “Christian” at church
than it is to be a “Christian” at home? We all know how to act at church,
but the way we live at home demonstrates who is in control of our lives.
Brokenness will change the way I respond to my family.
The opponents of George Whitefield took out a newspaper advertisement and
listed fifteen of his faults. Whitefield’s friends brought the article and
showed it to him. Immediately after reading, Whitefield took out his pen
and began to write. His friends asked if he was writing a rebuttal.
Whitefield replied, “Oh no! All these are correct. I am writing several
more so they can have a complete list.” Brokenness will change the way I
receive rebuke and criticism.
A wealthy businessman in London took a busload of poor children to the coast
to spend the day at the ocean. These children had never been out of the
city. They spent the day running, laughing, playing at the beach. On the
ride home the businessman went through the bus talking with the children.
He asked one boy, “What are you doing with that half bottle of ocean water?”
The young boy said he was taking it to his mother because she had never
seen the ocean either. The businessman then asked why the bottle was only
half full. The boy replied, “I left room for the tide to come in.” There
has to be room in our hearts if the Spirit is to come in fullness.
Seeds contain the potential for fruitfulness, but they can never bring forth
fruit until they are broken. Anyone who has planted a garden knows that
life comes out of death. The earth is plowed and a trench is opened. The
hard seeds are planted in their burial plot. Dirt is thrown over the seeds
and the gardener waits. Normally, in a matter of days the seeds “break”
open and a green shoot emerges from the seed. Before long the shoot comes
out of the earth and grows into a stalk which bears fruit. The life of the
plant emerges from the brokenness of the seed. Fruitfulness is preceded by
falling in the ground and dying. Self-will must be shattered before the
fruit of the Spirit can spring forth.
The Roof Off and the Walls Down
When Adam sinned, he went into a hiding mode. Adam and Eve sought to
conceal themselves by crouching among the trees of the Garden when the Lord
came looking for them. God called out, “Adam, where art thou?” God was not
trying to locate Adam. He knew exactly where Adam was. The Lord was trying
to help Adam locate himself! Before sin came, Man and God enjoyed open
fellowship. But when sin came everything changed. Man’s disobedience had
brought guilt, and guilt brought shame. Now Man no longer felt free to face
God. Instead, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord
among the trees of the Garden. The Fall brought a barrier between God and
Man. Heaven ceased to be open and Man’s tendency from thereon would be to
flee the light of God’s presence and seek out dark places where he could
feel comfortable.
The sin that brought a barrier between the Creator and His creature also
brought a barrier between the first couple. Vertically, there came a roof
between Man’s soul and his God. Horizontally, walls sprang up between men.
Not much time elapsed after the Fall before the first domestic quarrel took
place. Adam and Eve not only hid from God, they started hiding from each
other. The breakdown was so severe that of the first two offspring, Cain
rose up and slew his brother Abel! Sin has a polarizing effect which
isolates men from God as well as from each other.
Genuine fellowship can only be restored through openness. Roy Hession said
openness is a willingness to know the truth about myself and a willingness
to let other people know me as I really am. Anything short of openness will
continue to perpetuate superficiality. Openness, before God and man, will
lead to brokenness, and brokenness will lead to oneness or restored
fellowship. Openness produces brokenness which causes oneness which has
been defined as REVIVAL!
In revival men walk in the light. They stop hiding from God, stop hiding
their sin, and stop hiding from each other. Honesty, humility, openness,
brokenness, restitution, reconciliation, and unity are the result. “God is
light, and in him is no darkness at all. . . . But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:5,7). Whenever
men come to the light, get real with God and each other, the roof comes off
and the walls come down! The cleansing blood covers all sin and fellowship
is restored. Brokenness is the key that opens the door to revival blessing.
Brokenness is Joyfully Receiving Trials
Trials are God’s method to lead us to brokenness. James tells us to count
it in all joy when we fall into various temptations (James 1:2). Paul said,
“but we glory in tribulations” (Romans 5:3). This mighty Apostle said he
even gloried in his infirmities (2 Cor. 12:9). Choosing to rejoice at, and
in the midst of, problems evidences trust and confidence in our Sovereign
God.
Pride seeks to conform our circumstances to fit our minds. It would
rearrange our surroundings to our liking and comfort. On the other hand,
humility is adapting our minds to accommodate our circumstances. Since we
all are going through tests and trials, it is to everyone’s advantage if we
choose to respond properly and derive the accompanying benefits. God wants
to use these fiery trials to build character in us. We cannot afford to
waste our sorrows. Often it seems God refuses to change our circumstances
until, through brokenness, we allow our circumstances to change our
character. There are some things in life that cannot be altered. When I
have surrendered my rights I will not fume, fret, fuss, or fight. When I am
broken, I have nothing to lose and nothing to prove. There is tremendous
rest in being crucified with Christ.
Many are humbled, but not humble. Many are low, but not lowly. I had a
friend who recently graduated to his eternal home. He suffered with brain
tumors for about twenty years. He went through numerous operations,
difficulties, limitations, and sufferings. Amazingly, he never complained.
He was always praising the Lord. Several days before his homegoing some
friends loaded him in their vehicle and brought him by our house. He was
very weak and it was obvious he was dying. As he sat in the truck he kept
saying, “God has been mighty good to me.” He could have been angry and
bitter, but he chose to receive his trials with joy.
Brokenness is not an emotion; it is an attitude. God brings the pressure to
bear, but we must make the choice to bow to Christ. So brokenness is both
God’s work and ours. He uses His Word and circumstances to break us.
Jesus walked the Calvary Road…to Calvary. We get on the Calvary Road…at
Calvary! Pastor James Bell says we must walk the Calvary Road because love
is better than hate; forgiveness is better than bitterness; faith is better
than unbelief; trusting God is better than despair; and obedience is better
than rebellion.
Brokenness means “Not I, but Christ.” That hard, unyielding self which
justifies itself, wants its own way, seeks its own glory, and stands up for
its own rights at last bows its head to God’s will. The big “I” admits it
is wrong, surrenders its rights, and discards its own glory so the Lord
Jesus might be all in all. As we walk the Calvary Road we learn that
brokenness is that daily response of humility to the conviction of God’s
Spirit.
Is it not that old proud “Self” who gets irritable, envious, resentful,
critical, and worried? Is it not “Self” which is hard and unyielding in its
attitudes toward others? Is it not that shy, reserved, self-conscious
disposition which must first be broken if the life of Jesus is to be made
manifest in mortal bodies? That beautiful fragrance in the alabaster box
could not be enjoyed until the container was broken.
The Bible says the stone which the builders rejected (Jesus) became the head
of the corner. Our Lord said, “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall
be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”
(Luke 20:18). The choice is ours: fall fresh upon the chief Cornerstone
(Jesus) and be broken, or have the Cornerstone fall upon us! It is only
through brokenness that our lives become acceptable to God and useful in
Kingdom purposes.
Lord, bend this proud and stiff-necked I,
Help me to bow the head and die.
That it may no longer be I, But Christ that liveth in me.
-Harold Vaughan
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