BROKEN TO BE MADE WHOLE
Key Verse: John 3:30 “He must decrease, and I must decrease.”
Opening:
We face a new year that will be different than any other. For most people, that is. Some folks expect and are excited about 2003. Others are not. God has convinced and challenged many of you that will be serving and honoring the Lord.
Jesus said it well in John 14:12 -
"…he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…”
So the question for us is –
How can we be sure we are ready?
In this morning’s bulletin is an insert - “New Year – New Opportunities”
In your quiet time (this week), please answer these questions for this year.
Regardless of what you may think of yourself, you are having an impact on someone else’ life.
What you say and what you do is having an effect on that person. Would you agree, or disagree?
Many of us will do greater things for the Lord than we have ever done in our lives this year. There are three of our ladies somewhere down in Costa Rica (this morning) of whom I am sure are coming home later this week to tell you this.
Willingly, they have left the comfort of their home and friends to discover this truth for themselves.
Jesus said it well in John 14:12 -
"…he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…"
Christ knew what He was talking about when He said that. Amen?
How many of you want to at least try to make a difference for the Kingdom of God this year?
Before any of us can see a real and lasting results to what this church is about, and what your walk is about, we will have to experience and accept BROKENESS in our lives.
Text: Matthew 21:42 thru 44
We must be BROKEN TO BE MADE WHOLE. Our quote of the day explains this: “Whole and unbroken men are of little use to God.”
In our text, we find Jesus defining our relationship we have with Him in a way that few people will understand.
It is no doubt that this Man, Jesus Christ, is different things to different people. You may not understand yourself what Jesus is saying. Jesus is describing Himself in three ways.
To the very religious Jew:
Christ is the One Who will be “rejected”. That is because the stiff necked Jew refused to submit to the sovereign authority and Lordship of Christ. They were perturbed and disturbed with almost everything Jesus would say and do.
And to this day – there are many who look at Who and What Jesus stood for in much the same way. Many people are offended and insulted when they are confronted with the plan of salvation and redemption of man. Many are spiritually stubborn towards Christ & the commandments of God.
To the Gentile:
Christ was the rock that would cause “Every valley (to) be exalted and every mountain…brought low…”
This would mean that Jesus would one day rule and reign over the oppressive Roman Government.
Many of the Gentiles were only interested in Jesus “crushing and grinding” the government of Caesar, and making their life more enjoyable. This is why so many of them followed Jesus for a while and (later) left Him.
And to this day – many folks are like the Gentiles. They only want their lives to be easier. Not more godly.
The Gentiles were only interested in the Man from Nazareth for selfish reasons. They would call on His name only if they were in trouble. If they were in prison, or were sick/afflicted, or left out in the cold, then (and only then) would the cry out to Him.
They would consider Christ for their physical needs, but not commit to Christ for their spiritual needs.
NOTE: Both the Jew and the Gentile would risk eternity with the way they would think and treat Christ.
So sad, but so true.
To the humble saints of God:
Christ was the “Chief cornerstone”,
Of our faith and way of life.
He is all we will ever need.
My friend, He is just what you need.
The way we see Christ this morning is all that He says He is. I have never felt I had to say anything that Jesus isn’t or anything I would want Him to be.
I have no better way to describe Him than what He has already described Himself. And, I cannot remember ever trying to say that He is anything less than what He has said He is.
I have never felt that I had to convince myself or anyone else of Who Jesus is.
I could never do Him that justice.
I will simply let Jesus speak for Himself.
Listen again to what Jesus says -
“…whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
These are two very important descriptions of what Jesus is doing.
1. “Broken” – to crush or shatter
2. “Grind” – to scatter as powder or dust.
Is this the method that a loving and gentle Savior would use on His beloved? I would say – YES.
I know this to be true because this same report is recorded in Luke 18. And this was prophesied by the prophet, Daniel. (chapters 2, 8 & 11).
This is a very unusual method for us to understand, but we (out of our own destitution) will “fall on this stone”.
It is there we will be BROKEN AND MADE WHOLE.
You will never find this method of humility and brokenness in any of man’s philosophy or teachings.
Those who are worldly do not understand humility and forgiveness.
Simply put – we all will gain from Christ in our loss of pride and vanity.
Some have asked –
“Why is it we keep coming back to this humility thing (around here)?”
Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, who -
(1) worship God in the Spirit,
(2) rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
(3) have no confidence in the flesh,
There are many scriptures that support what I am saying to you.
Let’s consider Jeremiah 18:1 thru 6
This is a prophetic vision of how –
· The potter created a jar of clay, but it was defective
· The potter was not happy with it because it was not beautiful or good enough to be useful to him
· The potter had no choice but to brake it so he could make whole again.
I hope you can understand that this is how you and I were first created.
We did turn out the way the Lord had intended us to. God had a very specific purpose for us. But we failed.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Our nature is not what God intended it to be. What we do and say is not good enough for our “Potter”.
But here comes the Good News:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Thank you, Jesus, for –
· Coming to this earth and making Yourself as a jar of clay (just like us).
· Allowing your Heavenly Father to brake You first before us.
· Becoming the New Vessel that God has intended us to become.
Jesus accomplished this for us in that–
1. He was rejected of men and became the Man of Sorrow.
2. He became our grief, our sin and shame.
3. He was mocked and beaten and nailed to a tree for us.
4. He was sentenced and put to a gruesome death.
5. There was nothing left of Him when they pulled Him down from that tree.
6. He was broken and grinded until there was nothing left of Him.
7. He was placed in the ground.
8. He was lifeless.
9. He rose up from that grave.
10. This BROKEN jar of clay was MADE TO BE WHOLE again.
The Potter in Heaven had a use for Him and He now has a use for you!
All of this was much more than an historical moment of time.
This prophetic story of the Potter is not just a one-time experience at an altar. Rather, it is a way for us to live our lives everyday.
You see, we all have had certain periods of time in each of our lives when we have felt so fragile.
Just like that jar of clay sitting on a shelf at the Potter’s House.
And then someone/something came along and knocked us off our shelf. How many know what I am talking about?
How many know what will happen to a clay jar if it is knocked off onto the floor? It shatters everywhere!
Sometimes, some of us try to act like a plastic jug when we get knocked off that shelf. You don’t want to let anybody know that you have fallen off your little shelf and shattered on the floor.
The fact is - maybe God let you get knocked off so you can become BROKEN TO BE MADE WHOLE again.
I have had some ask me, “Pastor why am I crying all of the time? I don’t know what is wrong with me!”
Sir. Maam. There is nothing wrong with you. God is breaking you to make you whole again.
Church – The Potter wants brokenness in His House. Amen?
Stop thinking you are a plastic bottle. Sometimes you aren’t supposed to bounce back again.
Jesus was a Jar of Clay!
He was broken for you by the Hand of God Almighty.
So what exempts you from being BROKEN TO BE MADE WHOLE?
I am certain that as strong as Jesus was at the time of His crucifixion that He could have easily refused to give up. He could have called 10,000 angels to come and rescue Him from being completely BROKEN.
But He didn’t!
Some of us may want to plead their case with God. You may ask,
“Why am I having to go through all of this pain and grief in my life?”
We need to understand that we are being BROKEN TO BE MADE WHOLE.
Some of us have this appointed time in our lives we are going through.
Christ is having to brake us, crush us, shatter us, grind us, and scatter us like powder on the Potter’s floor.
