Real Church
Broken: The blessing of Brokenness.
4/2/2017
Locations & Times
real church
10447 Refugee Rd SW, Pataskala, OH 43062, USA
Saturday 5:00 PM
The Bible tells us that Jesus opened up his famous Sermon on the Mount, with a Groundbreaking message called the Beatitudes:
Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV)
"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
While it's obvious that the main objective of Jesus' message was to teach us that there is a higher set of standards that God wants us to live our lives by, His message is also a complete, head scratching paradox. Because littered throughout this entire passage are these statements that say, "Blessed are those who mourn",
"Blessed are those who are persecuted",
"Rejoice and be glad".
What is this supposed mean?How can sadness be the pathway to joy?How can persecution be the roadway to rejoicing?
Jesus unflinchingly tells us in this passage, that: There is a blessing in Brokenness!
>Do you realize that the ground has to be broken before it can produce a new crop?
>Do you realize that a mother is stretched and broken before she can birth a new life?
>Do you realize that the body of Jesus was broken before he could give us all new life?
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:5 that Jesus: "was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; ...was punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Before new life can come into any of our lives, there are things that will have to broken:
> Our cycle of dysfunction has to be broken, before we can start living in total freedom!
> Our toxic relationships have to be broken, before we can find godly relationships!
> Our sin patterns have to be broken, before we can experience real forgiveness!
> Our fear has to be broken, before we will start taking some leaps of faith!
We serve a moving God who loves us so much, He will do whatever it takes to move us from where we are, to where He's called us to be!
Why brokenness?Because God knows if certain things don't break, we will stay living in them forever!
T.D. Jakes - "Sometimes God allows rejection to give us a new direction."
WHAT THE ENEMY INTENDS FOR EVIL, OUR GOD WILL TURN FOR YOUR GOOD!
Everyone of us have wounds from things in our past! Some of our scars we've created, and they've caused us deep regret. But some of our scars are because we serve a God who refused to let go, in the midst of our deepest struggles!
John 15:1-2 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes [a] so that it will be even more fruitful."
Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Psalms 51:17
"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."
The question we all must answer today is, are we willing to allow God to break some things in our lives, so that we can be used for His greater purpose?
At the most Broken point in his life, David cried out in:
Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Jesus said in:
John 12:24
"Unless a kernel of wheat falls and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV)
"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
While it's obvious that the main objective of Jesus' message was to teach us that there is a higher set of standards that God wants us to live our lives by, His message is also a complete, head scratching paradox. Because littered throughout this entire passage are these statements that say, "Blessed are those who mourn",
"Blessed are those who are persecuted",
"Rejoice and be glad".
What is this supposed mean?How can sadness be the pathway to joy?How can persecution be the roadway to rejoicing?
Jesus unflinchingly tells us in this passage, that: There is a blessing in Brokenness!
>Do you realize that the ground has to be broken before it can produce a new crop?
>Do you realize that a mother is stretched and broken before she can birth a new life?
>Do you realize that the body of Jesus was broken before he could give us all new life?
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:5 that Jesus: "was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; ...was punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Before new life can come into any of our lives, there are things that will have to broken:
> Our cycle of dysfunction has to be broken, before we can start living in total freedom!
> Our toxic relationships have to be broken, before we can find godly relationships!
> Our sin patterns have to be broken, before we can experience real forgiveness!
> Our fear has to be broken, before we will start taking some leaps of faith!
We serve a moving God who loves us so much, He will do whatever it takes to move us from where we are, to where He's called us to be!
Why brokenness?Because God knows if certain things don't break, we will stay living in them forever!
T.D. Jakes - "Sometimes God allows rejection to give us a new direction."
WHAT THE ENEMY INTENDS FOR EVIL, OUR GOD WILL TURN FOR YOUR GOOD!
Everyone of us have wounds from things in our past! Some of our scars we've created, and they've caused us deep regret. But some of our scars are because we serve a God who refused to let go, in the midst of our deepest struggles!
John 15:1-2 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes [a] so that it will be even more fruitful."
Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Psalms 51:17
"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."
The question we all must answer today is, are we willing to allow God to break some things in our lives, so that we can be used for His greater purpose?
At the most Broken point in his life, David cried out in:
Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Jesus said in:
John 12:24
"Unless a kernel of wheat falls and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."