3rd June 2018 - The Blessing Of Brokeness.
Summary
The message centers on the theme of surrender, drawing a parallel between Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane—'not my will but yours be done'—and the need for believers to offer their entire selves as a living sacrifice. The speaker encourages the congregation to emulate this total surrender to God's will, drawing further parallels to Jacob's struggle and eventual blessing.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Welcome and opening songThe speaker welcomes the congregation and leads them in an opening song of praise.
Prayer of adorationThe congregation engages in a prayer directed to the Father, asking for His kingdom to be established through their praises.
Reading from the Gospel of LukeThe speaker reads from Luke 22:39, describing Jesus going to the Mount of Olives to pray.Luke 22:39–40
A prayer for total surrenderThe speaker leads a prayer asking God for the strength to surrender everything to Him, following the example of Jesus's total submission to the Father's will.
The context of Jacob's crisisUsing Genesis 32, the speaker describes Jacob's fear of meeting his brother Esau and his human attempts to use schemes and gifts to appease him.
Seeking the blessing of being brokenThe speaker argues that true blessing is not material prosperity, but the process where God breaks us so that He can transform us and bless us.
How do we respond to correction?The speaker argues that our reaction to being reproached reveals the true condition of our hearts and whether we are ruled by pride or faith.
The danger of relying on reason or legalismRelying solely on our own intelligence or strictly following the letter of the law leads to bondage rather than life.
Clinging to God in faithWe must reach a place where we stop striving and simply cling to God, trusting that even when our strength fails, His everlasting arms will hold us.
Clinging to God until the endReflecting on Jacob's life, we see that his faith and his habit of clinging to God continued until his old age, allowing him to end his life as a true worshiper.Hebrews 11:21
What it means to be brokenBreaking is not about destroying your personality, but rather dethroning your pride, arrogance, and stubbornness so that God can use you.
God's faithfulness through the seasons of lifeJust as God promised to be with Jacob and bring him back to his land, He remains faithful to His promises even when we are in difficult or lonely seasons.
Progressing from Bethel to PenielWhile many are content with 'Bethel' (the house of God), God desires us to reach 'Peniel,' where we encounter Him face to face and experience internal transformation.
The necessity of spiritual violence and brokennessTrue blessing requires a violent struggle against our own pride, arrogance, and self-will to reach a place where we can truly encounter God.
Seeking a higher spiritual lifeFollowing the example of Jesus in Gethsemane, we should not settle for just daily needs but cry out to be delivered from the darkness of our souls and led to something higher.
