No. 4 - BROKENNESS—THE PATH
The Birth, Death and Resurrection of a Vision

Genesis 12:1-4

Brokenness is the process whereby God brings us to the end of ourselves and into total love, trust, and submission toward Him.

Opportunities are often wrapped up in the disguise of huge disappointments.

How many have gone through a devastating disappointment? Only to find out later that not only did it have to be, but that is was exactly what you needed and what God had planned.

· Psalm 95:10 “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, it is a people that do err in their hearts, and have not known my ways.”

· Psalm 103:7 “He make known his ways to Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.” After reading about the “children of Israel,” a kid said, “Where were all the adults?” Well, the children of Israel were the adults, but they didn’t act like it very often. This verse says Moses knew what was going on and why, while the children of Israel only saw what was simply apparent to all.

When it comes to brokenness, we can all expect that God’s major dealings with us will be in harmony with His basic ways. He wants us to know these ways so we can properly respond to the events He allows or brings into our lives.

What do you do when you KNOW God wants something from your life and yet everything you do to try to see that fulfilled fails? What do you do?

· “I must have made a mistake. It must not have been God’s will at all.”

· “I quit! This is too hard. It takes too long. Enough is enough.”

· “I am hanging in...waiting, hoping, praying, listening, believing.”

Yet, every step you are blocked. You are in more turmoil than ever before.

Pastor Cecil Thompson says, “It is important for us to realize that the men and women of the Bible were no plaster saints. They had all of the human emotions that we have today. Their sense of loss and frustration was every bit as devastating as our bitter pills.”

The Birth, Death and Resurrection of a Vision

The “birth” of a vision is not something we hatch up. Today people are encouraged to “think big” and “dream” for God, all based on the “dreams” given in the Bible. Hay, those dreams were not the result of too much pizza after 10pm. “Dreams” in the Bible were given by God before He finished His written revelation which we now have in the Bible.

Abraham - - Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

“Great nation” - - Barren . . . too old - - Isaac

Genesis 12 & 15:1-3

God spoke to Abraham about His purpose. It sounded wonderful when it was given, but God didn’t tell him the schedule. The death of Abraham's vision was the realization that both he and Sarah, his wife, lived far past the child-producing age. All that was left of his forest of God's promise was just dead timber. Each passing year only drove another nail into the coffin of his vision of fatherhood.

It seems that Abraham was more committed to the promise than he was to the God who had given the promise. You may recall that he took Hagar, the handmaiden of his wife Sarah, and she bore him a son. This son was his son of the flesh, Ishmael. Ishmael became the father of the Ishmaelites, who became the Arabs, who have been the enemies of the people of promise, even to this very day.

It is so easy to get focused on a vision or a promise and get our eyes off of the God who is the giver of visions and promises. I t is then that the Lord puts His children to the test. It is not necessarily to punish, but rather to prove one's commitment.

Romans 4:16-25. We read of Abraham who was told by God that he would become the father of many nations. Abraham looked at the circumstances and realized that his body was old (incapable of reproduction) and that his wife Sara was not looking like she was up to it either. His mind must have thought, “Lord, there is NO way this that you have told me can happen.”

But Abraham did not let his mind and circumstances influence his decision. Instead, he believed God. Because Abraham chose to believe and was completely persuaded that God could do what He had promised, God imputed right standing to Abraham. Abraham learned to “walk by faith and not by sight” as he called those things that have not yet been revealed to the sense realm (feeling, touch, taste, hearing and smelling), as though they were.

Abraham and Sarah were finally blessed with their son of the vision. It must have seemed to Abraham that all was right with his world. What more could an old man, over 100 years of age, ask for? He watched his son, Isaac, grow before his eyes, and life was sweet. It was then that he heard from God.

Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

Isaac - - Sacrifice Him - - Ram

Genesis 22. God called him to offer his son on the altar of sacrifice. When Abraham obeyed and was ready to offer Isaac up, God provided the lamb for sacrifice. He had passed the test. Hebrews 11:

Finally, we are certain that there is no way we can in our own strength, knowledge or wisdom, accomplish the vision. It is at this point that we let go of it and God is free to work. As you rest in Him, He expresses His workmanship. Before you know it the vision is fulfilled. The seed that died has experienced resurrection.

You may wonder why God has chosen to do things this way. There are many reasons but the main reason is this:

(1) If we could accomplish the vision on our own we would. Then we would take the glory. But if we turn it over to Him, let the seed die He brings it to pass and He gets the Glory.

(2) A side benefits is that when we let Him accomplish the Vision, we become less anxious and don’t enter in to worry; we don’t stay discouraged; we have peace, His Peace.…and to truly does pass all understanding.

Now the encouragement to you is this: don’t hang on trying to do all you can do until you get to the point of frustration, let the Vision die and die quickly so that the resurrection power of God can come on the scene sooner. Even Jesus was buried three days before He was resurrected.

Joseph - - Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

“Dreams” - - Sold . . . prison . . . 13 years - - Prime Minister

Sold into slavery, lied against, accused, imprisoned, forgotten...death, after death, and more death.

Moses - - Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

Miraculous boat - - Backside of desert - - Israel’s Leader out of slavery

He had probably heard it all his life, “Moses, God is going to do something special with you.” “That ark in the River Nile was not a fluk.”

Exodus 2:10-14 Killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Maybe they wouldn’t notice.

Off he runs to the backside of the desert, Exodus 2:16-25. 40 years on the south side of north bound sheep. Get my drift? And they weren’t his sheep. They were his father-in-law's. Image the conversation each night as his wife asked, “Moses, when are you going to quit mooching and get your own sheep?”

Burning bush, Exodus 3.

How crazy did Moses feel when he told Pharaoh his plan? Exodus 5:1-14 Hay, even the people didn’t buy into his vision, then? Exodus 5:19-23.

Actually, throughout the days of the Exodus, Moses experienced a lifetime of visions, deaths of visions, and rebirths of vision. God provided such miracles that it is hard to take it all in. Let me just try to recall a few off the top of my head. The plagues that were called down because of Pharaoh’s hardness; the Egyptians giving gifts to the departing Hebrew slaves; the pillar of cloud and fire; the parting of the Red Sea which became a means of deliverance for the Israelites and a sea of death for the army of Egypt; the sweetening of the bitter waters of Mara; water from the rock; victory over the enemies who attacked them; the supernatural provision of food; the clothing and shoes that did not wear out for forty years.

From death to life, over and over again! What a story! But Moses failed the test of calling forth water from the rock, and instead, in anger struck the rock twice with his staff. He was not allowed to enter the land of promise, but God showed him the land before he died.

There is another expression of vision being restored to Moses. In the Gospels we read of the transfiguration of Jesus. On the mountain with Peter, James and John, two Old Testament characters appeared: Moses and Elijah. Moses was in the land of his promise, but much more than that, he was with Jesus Christ, the One who brings us all a vision that will last through all eternity.

David - - Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

Anointed King - - Saul’s Pursuit - - Became King

Conquered all his enemies - - Absalom - - Absalom’s death

Dream of Temple - - “No” - - Provided material for his son

Disciples - - Birth - - Death - - Resurrection

Kingdom - - Crucified - - Risen

Jesus . . . John 12 - - Seed - - Dies - - Harvest