Sermon Central
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The Breakdown Before The Breakthrough
Contributed by Jeffrey Sims on Mar 1, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: We all have times that we feel broken and hopeless, but that doesn't mean it's the end... A breakthrough is coming and it's going to better greater than anything we can imagine. Trust God, He's not going to leave you in the breaking He's going to give you a breakthrough
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2 Corinthians 4:8-9
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
There’s an old saying: “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” But when you’re in the darkness, it doesn’t feel like dawn is coming.
I heard a story about a man lost in the desert. He was exhausted, thirsty, and barely holding on. Then, in the distance, he saw an old-fashioned water pump. Beside it sat a rusty canister with a note inside:
"Use all the water in this bottle to prime the pump. Trust me, there's more than enough. But if you drink this water instead of pouring it out, the pump won’t work, and you’ll run out. Have faith and pump the handle."
The man had a choice… cling to the little he had or trust that something greater was coming.
Some of us may be there right now. We may be in the Middle of a desert, facing a breakdown moment. You may feel like you’re running out of strength, running out of hope, and maybe even running out of faith… But what if I told you that your breakdown might just be the setup for your breakthrough?
Let me tell you about some Breakdowns Before Breakthroughs
Joseph: Went From the Pit to the Palace (Genesis 37-50)
Joseph had a dream that one day he’d be a ruler. But instead of immediate promotion, he faced some breakdowns:
His brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery.
Potiphar’s wife lied about him, and he was locked in prison.
In the darkness of prison Years passed, and it seemed Joseph was completely forgotten.
Can you imagine how he felt? Alone ... Confused… Maybe even Wondering if God had abandoned him.
But God.... But God, was working even in the breakdown. The pit was not the end of Joseph’s story… The prison was not his destiny… The palace was coming!
Do Remember what Joseph says to his brothers "What you intended for harm, God intended for good." (Gen. 50:20)
Our breakdowns are not wasted … God uses them for a greater purpose.
(Exodus 14:10-14)
Think about it... When the Israelites escaped Egypt. They were finally free! Then, all of the sudden, they hit an impossible barrier… they found themselves between a rock & a hard place the Red Sea in front & and Pharaohs army behind them coming up fast.
They began to panic. "Moses, why did you bring us out here just to die?"
But Moses stood firm: and said "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today… The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)
Just when they thought it was over, God Split the Sea…That strong east wind started to blow, it blew all night and turned the sea into dry land, and the Israelites went into the midst of the sea a wall of water on each side... The Egyptians weren’t so lucky…
Sometimes, God allows us to come face to face with something impossible so that when He moves, we will know without a doubt that it was Him who provided the breakthrough.
Even Jesus went through a breakdown moment.
On Friday, He was beaten, crucified, and He was buried and It looked like the end. Saturday came, the disciples sat in silence, questioning everything.
But they didn’t know … they didn’t realize Sunday was coming.
In Luke 24:6-7, we read about the breakthrough… the women go to the tomb on the first day of the week and are confronted by two guys who asked them, why do you seek the living among the dead? "He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you… The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.”
If the greatest victory in history came after the greatest suffering, I can assure you that your darkest moment is not the end … it’s just the middle.
God Uses the Breakdown to Prepare You
The Breaking just helps reveal Our Dependence on God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Paul had a "thorn in the flesh"… We don’t know what it was exactly, but it was something that tormented him. Three times he begged God to take it away. But remember what God said? He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Sometimes, the answer to our prayer isn’t relief … sometimes the answer to our prayer is revelation. God sometimes allows certain struggles to remind us that we aren’t self-sufficient. To remind us that we need Him.
The Breakdowns are what removes what holds us Back
