Brokenness
- Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
- Speaker: Rashard Barnes
- Series: 1st Thursday
- Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7–4:18
Introduction
Hey everyone, I am glad to see all of you back. My prayer for you this semester is that all of you would make much of Jesus. Last time I spoke here I was talking about abiding in Jesus and to how abiding in him he will be more satisfying than our sin. But today I want to talk about another topic. After talking to many of you your desire for this semester is to fall deeper in love with Jesus and to obey him in all areas of your life. I too have that same desire this semester but what I fail to realize and probably you fail at too is to notice the process of how to get to that point. Now here me out, I am not about to preach about a how to sermon but I am going to express what the bible speaks strongly about and that's brokenness.
Brokenness is like an urban myth to our American society. Everything is America is about getting what you want. Read a Drake lyric We should get what we want. Right? Some examples is a lot of you want to get through college but Lord forbids if it’s hard. A lot of you are in a relationship but you don’t want any problems. This is just some food for thought, any time you get two sinful people in a room and they spend time together, there is going to be conflict, either implicit or explicit its there. A lot of you come from homes to where your struggle was figuring out to what you are going to wear the next day to school. I’m don’t want assume all of you came from that background but you get the picture. A lot of our times and efforts is spent on us! How can we be happier! How can we get what we want? Now there isn’t anything wrong with being happy, we just have the wrong motives behind on being happy.
To give you a working concept to what is it to be broken I went to the dictionary, According to the dictionary to broken is to be forcibly separated into two or more pieces; fractured, made weak or infirm, reduced in rank. Now the text that I am coming is in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18.
History of the church of Corinth
Paul is writing to a divided church in Corinth, he is trying to unify them of the wisdom of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:11-14. He is explaining to them of the cross relates to all areas of their lives, basically of theology of the cross centered life
They did not receive the first letter well; we went on the write four letters to the church at Corinth. It points to the reconciliation in the body of Christ. Christ died to reconcile us not only to the church but also to man. This is Paul most intimate letter that we had written.
There are four aspects of brokenness that I want to point you to:
- You’re broken to bless
- You’re broken to learn
- You’re broken to serve
- You’re broken to Worship
We will see all of these in the text today.
Jars of Clay
V.7 Treasure which is singular in jars of clays, which is plural. Jars of clay or earthen vessel are cheap, fragile not worth any value. Paul is demonstrating human weakness by saying we are jars of clays. The only thing that gives jars their worth is the content inside of them. This ties in verse 18 which the rest of the verse says “to show all-surpassing power from God and not from us.” So we are the clay and I’m not into geology or anything but I do know is clay comes from dirt. What would happen in this time is that the high/middle class people would store their treasures in bronze vessels. But would happen is that the thieves will come and steal their treasures. So the rich folks got smart and started to out their treasures in earthen vessels or jars of clay. Like I said before, these vessels were not worth anything. But in order for the people of the time to access their treasures they had to break the clay pot. What this is saying to you, the Lord wants to use you but you got to get out of the way. Because he is the treasure he gets the glory and the clay gets used.
V.8-9 Referring to Paul intense suffering. He was afflicted in everyway. A lot of you are going through a lot right now. It seems like every things is not going your way. But look at what Paul says. He was afflicted in everyway. One night I was discussing this with roommate about this text and I told him a lot of us is cool with being broken but we just want to tell God how we want it done.
- Afflicted but not crushes
- Perplexed but not driven to despair
- Persecuted but not forsaken
- Struck down but destroyed
The first portion of these verses shows us what it is to suffer like Christ but the latter is expressing God’s deliverance. Basically things are bad but they can be worse. You see God is calling you into the sufferings of Christ. In order to walk in the implications of the Gospel, we must be broken. But the problem for some of us is that we try to prolong our brokenness. I was in a difficult spot with whether I should break up with my girlfriend back in my sophomore year but this guy from church look at me, saw that I looked distraught and pulled me aside. I told him what was going and he told me this. He said, “brotha, you are walking around with a nail in boot.” I was a little confused but he said this. He said when a nail in your boot it keeps poking you and causing pain. But rather than sitting down and taking it out, you rather leave it in. Because it’s easier to deal with minor pain and nurse that than not to experience deep pain so you can receive healing. When I heard that I was dumbfounded, because I was running. I was wounded but the Lord wanted me to be broken! We could not use me if I was trying to control things.
1 Peter 1:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
V.10 The phrases in verses 8-9 was to show the paradox of living as a believer in a world full of sin. It’s saying always carrying the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus might be revealed. The dying of Jesus had affliction, bewilderment (perplexed), persecution and humiliation (struck down). All of these come from verse 8-9. But the life of Jesus is the deliverance that was mention in verse 8-9. The dying Jesus was endured so that the living Jesus might be experience. You must first be mortified/crucified before you a glorified. This is walking in the steps of Jesus. Tim Keller says this “On the cross Jesus wins through losing, triumphs through defeat, achieves power through weakness, comes to wealth through giving all away.” My question is, is our life identified like Jesus?
V.11 Paul was put through adversity to show the power of Christ in his weak body. He was able to endure adversity and still spread the Gospel. Everyone is called to spread the Gospel either overseas or where you are at. But what the scriptures is saying if you want to be a missionary to whom it is not an option for us, then you will suffer. There is not a missionary movement on this planet that does not involved suffering.
- Abraham and how the Lord asked him so sacrifice his son. But the Lord made a way out for him.
- The life of Joseph to how his brothers sold him into slavery, he worked as a servant, and blame for something he did not do. Was punished but the Lord made a way out for him
- The people of Israel were lead into the desert by Moses. 40 years in a land unknown but the Lord made a way out for them
- I think about Paul to how he was explaining to how he suffers.
- I think about Adoniram Judson, he was the first protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. He was married three times, all his wives died. His first wife left with him on the boat on February 19 at age 23, bore three children to Adoniram. All of them died. The first baby, nameless, the second lived 17 months and died. The third, lived to be two, and outlived her mother by six months and then died. Judson developed a serious lung disease and died.
- Then there was Jesus…
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
- Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,
- Hebrews 5:7-8 In the days of his flesh, Jesusoffered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, andhe was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
- So my question is how many of us go into our own world, we hide, and we have a pity party when things don’t go as plan. Paul was demonstrating to learn to trust God amid adversity. For our joy and his glory.
Suffered to Bless
V.12 So death is at work in us meaning we are carrying the dying of Jesus. But the life, Paul suffered so that many others may receive life. Jesus suffered so that we may experience life. I remember again back in my sophomore year of school. I was still involved in teaching the youth at my old church; I had a girlfriend at the time that I knew majority of my life. Things were going well, I had recently pulled off a Step Show for my fraternity. The summer before I put on this youth conference to which I had a singer from 116 to come to perform. A lot of things we going good! I had a great GPA, great job; I loved my church and family. But there were some things in me that weren’t right. So things started to take a turn. My parents left the church that we were at for about 10 years but I stayed back. And that created a weird vibe within my family. We barely spoke to each other and we live in the same house. Now my parents are awesome people and I thank God for this situation that we went through because it made our relationship stronger. But after that I started having doubts about that church so they were not cool with me. Then my girlfriend and me were having problems so we broke up. Then all my friends I neglected because of the girlfriend and the ones that I had sided with her. To make matters worse, I was in summer school and my grades were terrible. That summer I spent 4 hours a day before the presence of God. I had no friends, family was not cool with me and the church was not either. I lost my job that summer so I had nowhere to go but to the Lord. As I was getting in it he started to show me my sinfulness than I ever. He showed me my pride, my arrogance, my self-centeredness. I didn’t want to go through this but this was how the Lord really started to shape my heart more. I learned from a sermon I heard on brokenness about Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in the spirit. I fell deeper in love with God that summer! But also every single thing that I went through I can now relate with other people. So my suffering brought life in others. I suffered to bless. So what the scriptures is saying is sometimes you going to suffer for other people. And my question is, are you cool with that?
Then with verses 13-16 Pauls takes a spin. Verses 13-16 Paul reference the psalms in this text. Same spirit of faith according to what has been written. Psalms116:6,10. Reference to have the same kind of attitude David had when he was suffering. He was critically ill but God saved him from death to deliver his testimony. Paul had that same kind of attitude as we spoke in verse 14-16.The resurrection of Christ was the focal point of God’s plan for his history. And is the basis of hope in the future resurrection of the body. Verse 15 kind of looks like Romans 8:28. For all the things (persecutions, afflictions, etc.) for our sake, so that God’s favor and blessings extend to more people for his glory. So again we see in scripture that we are afflicted for our joy, to be a blessing to others, and to serve and glorify the Lord.
So it would make sense to why verse 16 says that’s why we never give up! Our motivation is the glory of God. We are becoming weaker physically but our spirit is being made new day by day. The reality is none of us want to be broken. We want growth to come without growing pains. See a seed sprouts from its shell and its broken and a flower comes about. The shell must be broken.
Lastly verse 17-18 talks about a light monetary affliction for an eternal glory. So we suffer to gain an eternal perspective.
Where do we go from here?
- We must live a life that displays our treasure is in heaven and not on earth. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:24-29
- You must die to self, to see the glory of God manifested. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:30
- Paul thorn reminded him on the Gospel ~ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 So let you suffering remind you of Jesus. You see where you are, is where the Lord wants. He did not create the universe and everything else and not think of you. He loves you too much to go down the road that leads to destruction.
- Don't medicate yourself on anything that will destroy your fellowship with God. Let God be the refuge that heals your brokenness. -Eric Mason
- God is trying to break some of you for joy and his purposes: See there are a lot of people that need to hear the Gospel on your campus but you are so caught up in your own world that you a blinded. So what the Lord is doing is trying to move you into that reality. But instead of embracing what the Lord is doing in your life, you are questioning if he is really real, if his power is true, if he is faithful. The lord is near to the brokenhearted. See brokenness is the mark to show that you are being used by God.
- Things the Lord may to want to break you of today: Legalism, judgmentalism, sexual sins, lack of self-control, you being in control, anger, jealousy, being real busy but have no kingdom endeavors in mind. The list goes on but since these things were brought to mind give these things to him.
