Brokenness

Brokenness

Elan Kok. March 3, 2017



1. Introduction

Brokenness Centered on the Way of God (Ps Lim Keng Yeow, 5 Feb 2017)

What?

  • Recognising our sins with honesty (Psalms 51)
  • Recalling our stain with humility (1 Timothy 1:15)

Why Value?
  • Brokenness delights God (Luke 18:9-14)
  • Brokenness draws God (Isaiah 57:15)



2. Counter-culture and counter intuitive

Lifestyle:
  • Of agreeing with God about the true condition of our hearts
  • Of unconditional, absolute surrender of our will to the will of God
  • A response of humility and obedience to the conviction of the Word & God Himself
Man’s World –Broken
  • Things –throw away
  • Relationship –walk away
  • Negative
  • Hopeless
  • Avoid
God’s World–Broken
  • God draws close to those with broken and contrite hearts (Psalms 51:17)
  • God restores and compensates (Isaiah 57:15)
  • Positive(Reconciliation with God)
  • Hopeful (Making right / Restoration)
  • Embrace (Soul nourishment)

When we are DOWN to nothing, God is UPto something
There is something about reaching a breaking point that causes us to seek God earnestly
We will never meet God in revival until we first meet Him in brokenness
The closer we get to God, the more we see our need for brokenness.


3. Brokeness Cycle




Surrender is an act of prayer and prayer is an act of surrender. It is hard to pray because it is hard to surrender. It is hard to surrender because we do not pray. He who prays well surrenders well.



4. Stillness
  • Solitude = Stillness + Silence + Simplicity
  • Solitude cultivates awareness. Awareness is the birth of maturity… spiritual maturity as core
“One of the greatest troubles with modern life is that man thinks he is too busy to find time for spiritual meditation and religious devotion." -The UrantiaBook

Meditation: Practice of Stillness

a) Physical Stillness
  • Relax (better sit than lying down)
  • Breathing –inhale and exhale deeply
  • Aware of your being, relaxation and surrounding
b) Mental Stillness
  • Catch random thoughts and send them away
  • Unclutter your mind
c) Recite a scripture / characters of God

d) Silent Listening

e) Be Embraced
  • Practice: Be Still Meditation (6-min)
  • Recommend: Jesus’ Prayer
5. Nourishing Our Soul 

The 4 “S” Discipline
  • Surrender
  • Study
  • Solitude
  • Service

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Unwanted Journey (Genesis 28)

Image
An Unwanted Journey (Genesis 28) Collin Leong.  28 August 2015 Synopsis I imagine Jacob riding on his camel towards Haran with tears on his cheeks. He misses his father Isaac and especially his mother Rachel - both back in their estate in Beersheba, worrying for him. And here he is, on an unwanted journey, with nothing to his name, running away from his brother Esau who threatened to kill him for robbing his birthright. Soon, he will be more than 500 miles away from home. Jacob might be singing this song by Peter, Paul and Mary if he knew it as he rode into the sunset: If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles A Hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four Lord I'm 500 miles away from home away from home, away from home, away from home, away from home Lord I'm 500 miles away...
Read more

Be a Legacy Builder (1 Cor 3:5-15)

Legacy Builders 1) Invest in long term results. (v10) Paul pioneered the Corinthian church but Apollos built on it. In Paul's mind, it is never about himself. With the limited time spent in that place, he wants to build a Legacy.  When leave the church, what are we leaving behind. 2) Invest in eternity in mind. (v13-15) 3) Invest and build with their best resources. (v10-13) God is looking at the motivation from your heart. You can build with gold or straw. Gold is when you serve with love; straw is building with fame from others.  We are limited with time, energy, and money.  Three types of Giving: - Loose Change Giving  - Budget Giving  - Faith Giving  Your will should include giving to Christian ministries. 4) invest with or through the holy spirit. (v6-7) A legacy Builder invest when the Holy Spirit calls. Whatever you give will be like the five loaf and two fishes.  ------- True legacy is about leaving your money and education degrees to live in t...
Read more

Aaron Implicated With Moses' Disobedience (Numbers 20)

  I Just read Numbers 20. It is a very very sad chapter. Miriam and Aaron died, Moses was prohibited from going into the promise land. The people rebelled again, and didn’t learn the lessons of their fathers. But what was saddest for me is that God hold Aaron accountable for what Moses did. The short story was that Moses strike the rock twice, when God told him to speak to it so that water will come out (v8, v11). 1 Cor 10:4 said that the rock symbolizes Christ, and he only need to be “strike” once only, when he completed the redemption work at his crucifixion and resurrection. And this already happen in Exodus 17:6, where Moses strike the rock as God told him to do so. So now, all we need to do is speak to Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit (symbolized by the water pouring out from the rock). However, Moses ruined God's purpose to demonstrate the redemption plan. But Moses makes things worse when he spoke harshly to the people: “Listen, you rebels: shall we bring water for you ...
Read more