| Subject: Broken or Crushed |
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Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 20:47:21 04/24/14 Thu
Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Oftentimes you run across scriptures that may have a direct meaning but it is written in such a way as to invoke thoughts that might not be the actual meaning but by using a little literary license may bring out another truth just as real as the direct meaning. This is one of those verses.
Doctrinally this verse brings out the truth that rejecting the "Stone of Israel" will bring ruin and great harm even to the point that if not remedied before judgment will bring crushing punishment. Found in the Book of Daniel is the latter meaning in good detail. Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. The nations that fight against God in the last day will become as powder or the dust of the threshingfloor. That it pertains to individuals also can be ascertained in the context of the verse above in Matthew. Matthew 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. Stumble and fall on the Rock and you will be broken. If the Rock falls on you in judgment you will be totally crushed. That is the 1st meaning of the verse. There is another picture in this verse however that pertains to so many Christians that I think it would do us good to have our minds refreshed by our experiences.
THE SPIRIT OF BROKENNESS
Rodney Griffin
I remember the night so long ago,
The first time I called Your name;
Empty and broken, ashamed of my sin,
I asked if this sinner You'd save.
There came a time in my life that I knew that I had no part with God. I was a sinner without God and as such I realized I had no hope. Psalms 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. At times like this you look for someone to talk to; to confide in but you find little solace from friends that can only guess at what troubles you. You seek rest and find none. Sleep will not come. Your heart is troubled but even self is not convinced of what is going on. Like Jacob you wrestle and wrestle. Fallen on the feet of Jesus and are pleading for mercy. You have fallen on the "Rock" and are as broken as you can get. You cry for mercy from the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" and suddenly where there was storm there is now peace and warmth. It is the broken petal of the rose that sends forth the sweetest fragrance and now you are a sweet smell in the nostrils of God.
Lord, give me a spirit of brokenness,
Like You gave when I first called Your name.
And replace all my pride with humility,
Lord, a broken, willing vessel I'll be.
A broken heart and contrite spirit. David knew full well what God demanded to become one of His. Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. The writer of the gospel song "The Spirit of Brokenness", which I am citing in this writing had traveled the road and probably often. I can claim a kindred spirit with him for I too have traveled that road much too often. The spirit of brokenness is hard to hold on to. It was there as a necessity when salvation came to me but as time lessened the acuteness of that first "meeting with God" I tend to lose that spirit of brokenness and humility that is mandatory for a close walk with Jesus.
I never set out to drift into sin,
My intentions are never to stray;
But my flesh is weak, and I'm so prone to fall,
Like a child I go my own way;
'Til I hear Your cry from deep down inside,
Saying, "Go back to Calvary again.
There you'll see my flesh opened and my spirit broken,
Then surely your drifting will end."
Drift backward? Well we never intend to, do we? However hard we try we seem to not be able to hold on to that spiritual closeness with our Lord. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. The apostle Paul cried in agony of soul when he said "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans7:24) I don't know how many times I have had to make that trip back to Calvary for a renewing and spiritual refreshing that restores that brokenness that I so desperately need. I find myself crying out again and again "Lord forgive me one more time and please Lord give me of your strength that I might not wander."
There was two parts to the verse on brokenness that we have been looking at. As hard as it might seem to have a contrite spirit and hold on to the brokenness we need there are a multitude of people that don't see any need for it and indeed are repulsed by the very thought of such humility before deity. Many don't see the possibility of a personal relationship with the Creator and even scoff at the notion that one man dying on a cross would be sufficient to save every last person on this earth. "Fairytale"! How could any be so ignorant as to believe such nonsense? We Bible believers have a saying: "Repent or perish, turn or burn". We believe it and therefore try to warn others of the foolishness of rejecting so wonderful a Saviour who was willing to die a cruel death that all who believe could have everlasting life in heaven with Him. One day God will call time and those who refused to fall on the Rock will be judged and the Rock will fall on them. "And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. " Matthew 24:51
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