Being Broken In The Right Places

INTRO: Mother Teresa:

One night a man came to our house and told me, "There is a family with eight children. They have not eaten for days." I took some food with me and went. When I finally came to that family, I saw the faces of those little children disfigured by hunger. There was no sorrow or sadness in their faces, just the deep pain of hunger.

I gave the rice to the mother. She divided the rice in two, and went out carrying half the rice. When she came back, I asked her, "Where did you go?" She gave me this simple answer, "To my neighbors—they are hungry also!"

I was not surprised that she gave, because poor people are really very generous. But I was surprised that she knew they were hungry. As a rule, when we are suffering, we are so focused on ourselves we have no time for others.

-Isn’t that true. When we’re hurt or in pain we get so focused on ourselves we have no time for others!

Truth: When you’re following God the opposite should be true. -When you read the Bible it seems to have paradoxes. For example:

: It teaches if I want to save my life, I have to lose it. : If I want to be lifted up, I have to humble myself. : If I want to be the greatest, I have to be a servant. : If I want to be first, I have to be last.

1. When I speak to you about tears, heartache, pain, brokenness I’m talking about being broken the right way, broken in the right places.

2. As we are on this journey of faith we will encounter things we wished we never encountered. But when we’ve done it the Lord’s way we come out better, stronger, kinder, and gentler.

-We’re able to go through the flames and come out without the smell of smoke.

3. There’s a difference about being broken the wrong places and being broken in the right places.

Illustrate. When I’m broken in the right places I care about people, if I’m broken in the wrong places I don’t care about anybody.

-When I’m broken in the right places there is not pride and arrogance but when I’m broken in the wrong places I take on the victim mentality where everyone owes me.

Summarize: Being broken in the right places is trusting God with what he’s doing or not doing., going in with the right attitude—the Lord is going to work this out through me. This morning I am not talking about beat up, I’m talking about being broken up.

TITLE: Being Broken in the Right Places ’TEXT: Psalm 126:5

I. Background. The Jewish nation had returned from their exile in Babylon. But once the exiles were back in their land, their joy began to subside.

A. The remnant experienced some bad seasons (Haggai 1:9-11) but the promise came that God would send the rains and the harvest if the people remained faithful (Haggai 2:15-19).

1. We get this picture, "He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him."

2. Farming back then—a certain portion of the crop was to be held in reserve so you would have something to plant next year or the grain that the farmer sowed might have been used to make bread for his family to eat.

-Did they trust God enough? Lord brings this truth, he who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy.

Thought: To those who are being faithful to what God has told you and it’s been difficult, hang in there for in due season you will be singing songs of joy.

3. I wonder why we are not broken in the right places, God’s way. f S: Look at some things that can cause you not to be broken right.

II. Things that will cause you to be broken wrong (not having a heart for God).

A. 1st is a very fast-paced life. This can contribute to being broken wrong. You’re so stressed out, with so little time to do anything.

Example. In Princeton seminary there was a professor who had decided he would do an experiment. He decided that he would take 15 students, divide them up into 3 groups. The first one he said to them, "I want you to go from this building to another well known building across campus and I am going to give you 5 minutes to get there. You will have to hurry because if you are late it will not go well on your grade, so you have got to hurry." The second group he gave 45 minutes to make the trip, the third group he gave 3 hours to make the trip.