The
Need for Brokenness – by Chris Terry,
http://crt010304.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/revive-2-the-need-for-brokenness/
Have you ever suffered a
broken bone? If you have, you know that it wasn’t a very pleasant
experience in your life. None of us want to relive those kinds of moments. Why?
Because they are painful. Have you ever had a broken heart?
A time of emotional distress where you really hurt? Some people would say that
the broken heart was more painful than the broken bone. Most people have a real
aversion to pain of any kind.Have you ever been spiritually broken?
What I am referring to is this – when a believer becomes strongly convicted of
sin in his life, and becomes so convicted that he mourns his present spiritual
condition, he is humbled, and knows he must make a change. This is the essence
ofspiritual brokenness. The truth of the matter is every true
believer, every true Christ-follower needs to be broken spiritually, and
usually more than once, in fact repeatedly throughout his life. This describes
for us, the need for brokenness.
In the Old Testament
there is an incredible story of spiritual revival that took place. A
revival is what happens when God’s people, whether individually or
corporately, are restored to a right relationship with God. As we see in Ezra
chapter nine, spiritual revival begins with spiritual
brokenness. It was brokenness over sin in the lives of God’s people.
This brokenness over sin began with one man, Ezra, a priest and servant of God.
In Ezra 10:1, Ezra prayed and confessed guilt, and wept before God.
While he was doing this a multitude of people showed up and also began to weep.
Jesus Also Wept (Supplemental
Thoughts)
In Luke 19, we read about
Jesus entering into Jerusalem riding on a young colt – Luke tells us that when He
approached the city, He wept over it, saying, “If you had
only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from
your eyes” (Lk 19:41-42). Though Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus, the
expression there carries with it the idea that He “cried silently” (Jn
11:35) whereas when He entered Jerusalem, the expression literally means that
He “wailed loudly.” The reason for Jesus’ agony was
“their rejection of Him” (Jn 1:11) — Jesus was saying, “If only you had known
what I wanted for your life. I wanted to shelter you, and spread My wings of
comfort over you. If only you knew My love and mercy toward you. How much I
wanted to give you My peace, My blessings, My hope, and My purpose for your
lives. If only you would have listened.” Jesus saw the masses worn down, heaven
in spirit, despairing over their lifelong efforts to please God with their
empty rituals. Jesus had spent three years preaching to them throughout the
land, but they would not listen. The same can be said of the countless millions
of people today who are desperately trying to placate their gods; desperately
trying to make some sacrifice that they hope will atone for the guilt of their
sin. As Jesus looked around the temple, He saw people everywhere buying lambs
and goats or pigeons to offer as sacrifices — and at that point He was overcome
with great grief. “If only you knew how much I love you.”
---------- end of supplemental thoughts
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In Luke 10:2-4, we learn
that one of the men speaks up and says, “We have been
unfaithful to God and married foreign women (non-Israelites), and yet
we know, in spite of our wrongdoing, there is still hope for Israel.” Therefore
the man proposed that the nation of Israel make anagreement with God to
divorce their foreign wives and children, according to the counsel of
God and His commandment. They now want to obey God’s commands. Thus the man
tells Ezra, “be courageous and act.”
The people knew that they
had really blown it spiritually, and were now definitely repentant. The
word repent means, “to feel or express sincere regret
or remorse.” They needed to make things right, so they called upon Ezra to be
their leader to guide them in the way that they should respond. Whatever Ezra
told them to do, they would do. This willingness to change, this willingness to
be led is a demonstration of humility.True humility is the result of
spiriual brokenness. John Wesley once said, “Give me 100 men who hate
nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake this world.”
In verses 5-6 we learn
that Ezra gets up and makes the religious leaders (the
leading priests and the Levites) and all Israel (the people of
God),make an agreement with God to divorce their wives and children, as the
law commanded. After this agreement Ezra went into a Temple chamber — he
didn’t eat or drink, because he was mourning over the sin of God’s people (the
returnees from exile in Babylon). This brokenness over sin resulted in mourning
over sin.
In verses 7-8 there was
an announcement made that all Israelites come up to Jerusalem.
Whoever would not come within 3 days, all his possessions would no longer be
his and he would be an outcast among the people of God (the returnees from
exile). Brokenness began when one man, Ezra, became aware of sin in the lives
of God’s people. He was mourning over these wrong actions, this sin. This
resulted in brokenness of a large group of God’s people. When these people were
broken, they realized they needed to change, so they did. Not only that they
called the rest of God’s people to brokenness and change, and if they refused
to do so they would become outcasts among God’s people. That is how serious
this group of God’s people were about brokenness and change.
In verse 9 we learn that
this call to brokenness and change got the attention of the men and they showed
up at Jerusalem within 3 days. All the people sat in
front of the Temple, and they were trembling because of the reason they were
there, and because of the heavy rain. In verses 10-11 Ezra stood up and spoke
to the people. He told them that they had been unfaithful to God and married
foreign wives, which added more guilt to God’s people. As a result, Ezra called
them to brokenness and change. “Confess your sin to God and do His will.” Also,
stop living like the non-believers (peoples of the land), and divorce your
foreign wives and foreign children.
Ezra who has already been
broken over the sin of God’s people, now calls God’s people to brokenness over
their sin and to change. Ezra says that it is not enough to just be
broken or sorry, the people must choose to change.
Evangelism, fine as it is, is not revival. After a very successful evangelistic
gathering, Billy Graham was asked, “Is this revival?” Graham replied, “No. When
revival comes, I expect to see two things which we have not seen yet. First, a
new sense of the holiness of God on the part of Christians, and
second, a new sense of the sinfulness of sin on the
part of Christians.”
In verses 12-15 we are
told that after Ezra called for brokenness and change, this
huge group of men responded, “Ezra, you are right! We are wrong! All that you
have said, it is the duty to do!” The people point out that for them to do what
the law commanded could not be done immedi- ately because there are so many
people, and the weather is not conducive to do this immediately. Furthermore
the task also could not be completed in one or two days because God’s people
have transgressed so greatly in this matter; they had sinned severely and in
great number. So they propose to make appointments with godly leaders to do as
Ezra told them to do, until God’s anger over their sin is turned away — because
they were broken and changed, God would for- give them. Four men tried to
oppose the plan but were unsuccessful. The vast majority of people said they
would change. The majority was convicted of their sin and were broken
spiritually. They knew they had sinned greatly; as such, they would confess
their sin to God and change.
The
Battle for Brokenness -- http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/10/battle-for-brokenness.html
One of the current trends
in many Christian circles is to confuse brokenness with... brokenness. The
rise of inner healing ministries in the 1970s resulted in a modification of the
definition of “brokenness.” What has occurred is that we now consider brokenness
to be a reflection of all the painful events we’ve incurred in life rather than
the traditional, Biblical meaning of brokenness. The Lord speaks through the
prophet Isaiah:
For thus says the One who
is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in
the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly
spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the
contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for
the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.
Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck
him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of
his own heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead
him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the
lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will
heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea; it cannot rest, its
waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the
wicked.” —Isaiah 57:15-21
True spiritual brokenness
is a reflection of a life given to humility, a contrite spirit, and an
understanding that we are like brute beasts before God unless we allow Him to
break us like the horseman breaks a stallion. Real brokenness is the
man who acknowledges that he is no longer his own; he has been bought with a
price. Such a man yields himself to God to be broken and formed into the image
of Christ.
See how this plays out in
the life of the prideful man who experiences true brokenness: All
this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve
months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king
answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty
power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words
were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King
Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you
shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of
the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of
time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of
men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against
Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his
body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’
feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. At the end of the days I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and...
I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to
generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as
nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of
heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His
hand or say to Him, “What have You done?” At the same time my reason
returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor
returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in
my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are right and
His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to humble. —Daniel
4:28-37
Here is the natural man
broken by God. His pride is broken, his position is broken, his self- worship
is broken. And in the place of all these comes praise to God for being broken
by Him.
Contrast this with the
“brokenness” we so often hear spoken of today in Christian circles. We
are fragile not because they are being broken by God, but because we dwell in
the pain of our circumstances. This is not to say that God does not use
circumstance to break prideful people, but too often we who revel in our pain
exhibit a pride in displaying just how broken we are! No one has been as hurt
as badly as we have been. No one has endured the tragedies we have endured. In
short, we become immune to the very brokenness God desires to instill in us so
long as we make an idol of our pain.
Acolytes of this “new”
brokenness must always talk about it, wear it as a badge of honor, and retreat
into it whenever anyone questions the need to dwell in the pain. Worse yet, we
can use our pain as a way to assuage our guilt before the Lord. We make
ourselves appear downtrodden when we are anything but, refusing true brokenness
and holding instead to the mire of our own making.
Such is not God’s
brokenness, but a counterfeit that leads us away from real healing and growth
in Christ. Dying to self means abandoning even our pain, no matter
how great, to take on the image of the Savior. Only then can the scales
drop from our eyes and we be raised up to stand in true brokenness before God.
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