The Blessedness of Brokenness
SERIES: When God Turns Bad Luck into Big Breaks
Judges 7:15, 19-22 NLT
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before
the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord
has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
19 It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100
men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the
rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.
20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing
torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted,
“A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites
rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.
22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the
camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to
places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah
near Tabbath.
Never allow your mind to be so conscious of your enemies that you forget that you have
FRIENDS.
What we call OPPOSITION God calls OPPORTUNITY.
Christians have an INTERNAL foe, an EXTERNAL foe and a ETERNAL foe.
2 Corinthians 4:6-9 NLT – 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,”
has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in
the face of Jesus Christ. 7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we
ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that
our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side by
troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are
hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed.
I. My breaking will SHUT-UP the devil
Job 1:8-11 KJV – 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant
Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job
fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house,
and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and
his substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy
face.
Revelation 12:10 NLT – Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
“It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown
down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
Satan believes that God uses BLESSINGS to BRIBE, BELIEVERS to BEHAVE.
I can worship God even when I am broken because I know that GOD is in CONTROL.
II. My breaking will BUILD-UP the saints.
When you are broken you will be approached by those who either HELP or HINDER
your recovery.
2 Corinthians 1:3-6 NLT – 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our
troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give
them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more
God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down
with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted,
we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.
Before God can use a person GREATLY, God must allow them to hurt DEEPLY.
III. My breaking BLOWS-UP the Savior.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT – 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you
were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead,
God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they
are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used
them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can
ever boast in the presence of God.
Romans 8:31 NLT – What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is
for us, who can ever be against us?