Broken Men are Used Men Mathew 14 Seminary Nov 2006
Broken Men are Used Men
Brokenness is the prerequisite to miracles
Matt 14:13-21 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" 17 They said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18 And He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
NASU
Ø Brokenness is a prerequisite to being used by God. Whatever God can’t break He will not use.
Ø Broken pastors will love what God loves and hate what God hates.
Ø Broken pastors’ see the only hindrance to pleasing God as the middle letter in the word “Sin”.
Ø Broken pastors will change their focus to what they can personally get out of ministry and the church and dream of what kind of new sacrifice they can offer to the Saviour that will enhance the furtherance of His kingdom on this earth.
Ø Broken Pastors will see the cross of Jesus as place of personal tragedy and victory at the same time, not a piece of jewelry to wear around their necks.
Ø Longstanding habits of self indulgence will be broken when revival comes.
Ø Captives will be free indeed as personal sin habits are defeated by earnest confession of sin daily.
Ø Sin covered for decades will be brought to light. The positive prospect of cleansing and forgiveness will be more important than the fear of the exposure of their sin they have dreaded for so long
Ø When revival comes through brokenness; well laid plans for building careers will be broken and thrown to the wind to serve the name of the Savior in places that angels fear to tread.
Ø Houses, vehicles, and other material things will be sold to free up finances to do ministry.
Ø Pastors will be more concerned about building people than building buildings or increasing their own level of comfort materially.
Ø When revival comes through brokenness busy schedules of moving about the country will be thrown to the wind to give time to personal time with the Lord.
Ø When revival comes, goals and ambitions once thought to be Godly and holy will be revealed as temporary and worthless.
Ø But men who have lived in fear will be enabled to break with their past and start serving God as they’ve never served him before.
Ø Gods timing, God’s purpose, God’s plans will rule the day of brokenness.
Ø All that stand in resistance before him may expect to be broken and cast aside.
Ø The prideful will be brought down – Ministries and churches built on pride and personal ambition will collapse.
1. God will only bless those that build His kingdom while opposing those that build other kingdoms besides His.
Ø The insignificant will be raised up. - Some small and insignificant churches will bust at the seams because it pleases God to bless the humble.
Ø A Revival of brokenness produces broken ministers because broken people must have broken leaders.
1. Men in large congregations that have walked as men of importance filled with pride will discover their ministries have the value of rubble.
2. Men with ambition to become important will repent of trying to become anything except a servant of Jesus.
3. Sermons would seem satisfactory in days gone by will never do in revival.
4. Habits and practices in sleeping churches will either be broken when revival comes or the pastor himself may lose his ministry.
IV. Brokenness includes a shaking and a remaking
Ø God, the master workman will not break all before him only to retire again to his Heaven. He intends on being the controller of our daily lives for as long as we live.
Ø When God breaks, He can also be counted on to remake.
Ø Broken men are pliable, teachable. When a person has reached the end of himself is ready for a new beginning.
Ø Broken men have no inclination to tell God how to be God or to try and manipulate Him by using the promises of His word to extort personal wealth and favors.
Ø The breaking and remaking of God will produce a new focus on God himself.
V. When god breaks us and remakes us . . .
Ø we are unwilling to conceal sin
Ø we are marked by consistent and earnest desire to please god
Ø We apologize for lies
Ø We pay long overdue bills and debts
Ø We make restitution were ever and whenever needed
Ø Concession of sin becomes the order of the day
Ø We have a marked interest in feeding on the word of god
Ø Prayer is no longer drudgery. Prayer becomes a delight.
Ø We will have an agony for souls to be saved.
Ø Impassionate witnessing will no longer be enough.
Ø All teaching, preaching and Evangelism will be done with passion.
Ø Holiness will become a prime object of life.
VI. Brokenness …
Ø Reconciles us to God and reminds us how blesses we are to know Him through His grace when we deserve His wrath.
Ø Reconciles us to others and points us to doing ministry like Jesus did as a servant.
Ø Reconciles us to self and defines why we are here.
1 Cor 11:27-32 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. NASU