On pages 125, in the section, Justifying God, Hession says of the tax collector (the publican):
“. . . the Holy Spirit had shown him things in his life that proved God right, and he was broken.”
Scriptural reference from Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV):
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise [his] eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Isaiah’s experience with brokenness seems to be similar:
Isaiah 6:5-8
Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.
I love this passage; it shows Isaiah, after he had proclaimed so much judgment on the nations, and then BAM - he suddenly saw Him without any hindrance!
I suspect Isaiah was following that Pharisaical template a little bit; Perhaps he had begun casting judgments without any sort of compassion.
The common thread is that the Spirit of God was at work, opening his eyes to see more clearly than he ever had before.
Think about it. How in the world did we come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Did we suddenly arrive at Nirvana? Did we overcome ourselves and enlighten ourselves? No way. The God who cares about us, stepped in and shined a light on our lives and exposed the darkness, and by His mercy and goodness, we were led to repentance, and we too became broken!
Why in the world do we expect that to stop? As if maturity brings arrival . . . Nope. If I’m leaning anything, true growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ brings more and more brokenness, while at the same time, being filled with a joy unspeakable!
Hession points out, Nehemiah's heart in the same section:
“Nehemiah’s prayer might well have been his [the tax collectors]: “Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly” (Neh. 9:33).
“True brokeness is ever the nature of true confession of sin. It is the confession that my sin is not just a mistake, a slip, a something that is really foreign to my heart, a thought or action that is not really like me. It is something that reveals the real “I”; it shows me to be the proud, rotten, unclean thing God says I am. It really is like me to have such thoughts and do such things.”
In the same way that we have absolutely no goodness in us, apart from the goodness of Christ, we have no innocence about us at all, apart from His innocence. If God was to take his hand away from us, there is no doubt, we would fall into a deep state of depravity—again!
Applications:
Some questions to ponder as we prepare for study together:
When will we grow beyond the idea that we have our own life to live?
When will we lay down our own desires?
When will we really stop fighting for our own rights?
When will we stop protesting our innocence?
Let’s stop the madness, and let’s:
When these things are being done, all of the others will fall into place; and we will be learning that our life is not our own, and we’re realize the life that Jesus Christ bought, will be restored and used in more wonderful and awesome ways than we could ever imagine, all for the glory of our worthy, Father, and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ!
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
“. . . the Holy Spirit had shown him things in his life that proved God right, and he was broken.”
Scriptural reference from Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV):
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise [his] eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Isaiah’s experience with brokenness seems to be similar:
Isaiah 6:5-8
Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.
I love this passage; it shows Isaiah, after he had proclaimed so much judgment on the nations, and then BAM - he suddenly saw Him without any hindrance!
I suspect Isaiah was following that Pharisaical template a little bit; Perhaps he had begun casting judgments without any sort of compassion.
The common thread is that the Spirit of God was at work, opening his eyes to see more clearly than he ever had before.
Think about it. How in the world did we come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Did we suddenly arrive at Nirvana? Did we overcome ourselves and enlighten ourselves? No way. The God who cares about us, stepped in and shined a light on our lives and exposed the darkness, and by His mercy and goodness, we were led to repentance, and we too became broken!
Why in the world do we expect that to stop? As if maturity brings arrival . . . Nope. If I’m leaning anything, true growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ brings more and more brokenness, while at the same time, being filled with a joy unspeakable!
Hession points out, Nehemiah's heart in the same section:
“Nehemiah’s prayer might well have been his [the tax collectors]: “Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly” (Neh. 9:33).
“True brokeness is ever the nature of true confession of sin. It is the confession that my sin is not just a mistake, a slip, a something that is really foreign to my heart, a thought or action that is not really like me. It is something that reveals the real “I”; it shows me to be the proud, rotten, unclean thing God says I am. It really is like me to have such thoughts and do such things.”
In the same way that we have absolutely no goodness in us, apart from the goodness of Christ, we have no innocence about us at all, apart from His innocence. If God was to take his hand away from us, there is no doubt, we would fall into a deep state of depravity—again!
Applications:
Some questions to ponder as we prepare for study together:
When will we grow beyond the idea that we have our own life to live?
When will we lay down our own desires?
When will we really stop fighting for our own rights?
When will we stop protesting our innocence?
Let’s stop the madness, and let’s:
- Learn to be men of God only;
- Learn to lay down our lives for Jesus Christ only;
- Learn to admit our sin before Jesus Christ;
- Learn to cling to Jesus Christ;
When these things are being done, all of the others will fall into place; and we will be learning that our life is not our own, and we’re realize the life that Jesus Christ bought, will be restored and used in more wonderful and awesome ways than we could ever imagine, all for the glory of our worthy, Father, and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ!
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)