Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Brokenness In the Hands Of God

 



T
his message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Nov 21st 2021 by Abhishek  Bansode D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

When we are broken in the hands of God, we are safe and he holds us. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the ”

Isaiah 35-3-4

 

In 2019 I was at a very low point in my life. I was broken! An image came into my mind – an epoxy coffee table – a broken piece of wood can be turned to something of worth and value. So I was encouraged by this. In the hands of God we can be made into a unique masterpiece. Brokenness in the hands of God can lead to something beautiful.

 

We can be broken physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. It can be different for different people. Broken means crushed, destroyed, burst. It is a painful existence. But in that, the good thing is what Jesus says, he has been sent to heal the broken hearted.

 

The knowledge to rejoice in is that he heals us without any merit. Luke – 4:18. He makes is into a master’s piece.

 

3 Characters who were broken and what can we learn?

1.      David

a.      God has made David into a person who has a legacy forever. But David was broken

b.      He was disregarded by his brothers and by the king. He experienced humiliation at a very different level. He had to flee his own kingdom because of his sons. The Psalms all talk about his heart’s posture while all of these things were happening. He was broken.

c.       We too might be broken because of something that has happened to us. But we can do 2 things:

                                                              i.      Holding on – Isaiah 40:29 “he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” V.31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faith”. He gives us the strength and then rewards us for holding on.

                                                             ii.      Cried out – Psalm 56:8 “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected al my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”. His compassion for us is astounding! What a good good father we have. David was expressive and emotive and did not have any problem expressing himself to the Lord. He takes it seriously. God is on our side.

2.      Elijah

a.      Elijah was an amazing prophet of God. But he was broken! 1 Kings 18 Elijah wanted to die. Depression is a very real thing and there is no shame in seeking help from a qualified professional for clinical depression.

                                                              i.      Feeding and resting – 1 Kings 19 The angel of the Lord came and gave him food and allows Elijah to rest. God says I know the journey is long for you. He is compassionate and understands. We too need to rest and refuel ourselves by feeding on the Word of God and his abundant love.

                                                             ii.      God’s intimate relation with us – 1 kings 19:11-12 “The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” We might want massive things to happen, but God is in the still small voice – a voice that is for us. His intimate still small voice is for guiding me.

3.      Paul

a.      2 Corinthians 11:23- 29 “ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” None of us have suffered like this. In addition, his friends abandoned him when he was in prison

b.      But in the hands of God, he has done great things for the kingdom.

                                                              i.      The sufficiency of Grace – 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” To be made perfect is like the epoxy table. It means to fill up. He fills us what is lacking in us. In our brokenness there is such grace to look forward to. There is weakness but God’s weakness comes and fill up.

                                                             ii.      Endurance because of Eternal Hope- 2 Tim 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This is the proof of the sufficiency of Grace. Romans 8: 35 – nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The love of God is the driving force for a person like Paul who was so broken to endure till the end.

In the hands of God, submitted to him, our broken lives can be made beautiful.  

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

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