Into the All Sufficiency of Christ #3 - Brokenness — Ed Miller

Well, good evening again. I surely did enjoy the day and meeting with some of you and chatting with many of you. It's a real blessing, isn't it, to touch one another's lives and just to see Christ and so many brothers.

It's beautiful. I guess I'm not very sensitive to really knowing when to move and I took it by the silence that we're finished. If there's anybody else that wants to sing or say something or share scripture, I don't want to cut in on anything.

I just, okay, we're ready. Okay. Well, it makes me nervous. There is a principle of Bible study that is absolutely indispensable. And I will never tire of saying that because our natural hearts take for granted the one thing that's indispensable over and over again.

And we need to be constantly reminded, as David said in Psalm 119, that we're strangers on the earth. We're pilgrims on the earth. Hide not thy commandment from me. We don't know the way to go. We need the Lord.

And only God can take this book and show himself. And I know I can sense it's your heart. You want to see him. I want to see him. Let's bow again. Let's ask the Lord to guide us. Our Father, we do thank you so much again for your word.

Lord, we know that you have not promised to bless the word that goes out of the mouth of your human instrument. But you promised to bless the word that goes forth out of your mouth. And so we would ask you to speak.

We pray that there might be that double conversation going on. And that behind the scenes you might be teaching our hearts and revealing Christ to us. We wait for you and we thank you. In Jesus Maxwell's name.

Christ as Lord and the Bond Servant's Life

2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 5 says, We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus is Lord. And ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus' sake. In a sense that verse is the ultimate in Christian living.

When the Lord Jesus is reigning as undisputed Lord of our lives. When our lives are being poured out in bond service. For his world. And that's what we desire and that's what God desires to work in us.

We won't take a lot of time to review just these thoughts. The Apostle Paul had such a passion. Had such a desire and God created in him a bond servant's heart. And I suggested that the Apostle Paul becomes God's illustration of such a heart.

And the process by which God created that in Paul. Is exactly the process by which God does that for us. 2 Corinthians is the book where Paul puts his heart on paper. By the Holy Spirit Paul just poured out his inner man.

And he laid out the process by which God created that in him. If we're to know such a life then we need to see this process. Now we've been looking at these things. I'm giving three principles but really when we're all done you'll see that actually four principles.

They're all one. They all blend together. We just analyze them. Cut them apart for the sake of discussion. But then when we're all done we've got to put them back in the Bible where they belong. And keep it as one whole.

But for the sake of discussion. Number one. If Paul is going to know Christ as Lord and himself a bond servant. Then God must take Paul beyond Paul. Over the line, over the threshold. And into the all-sufficiency of the Lord Jesus.

And what's true of the model is true of all those that would follow the model. Now there are many ways we say the same thing. Depends on where you're from and what group you're with and your background and all.

Some people would call that total surrender. Some would call it the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Some would call it death to self. Co-crucifixion. Doesn't really matter what you call it if you understand it.

What God is saying. That God along the way must take us beyond our limits. Beyond ourselves. Where we don't trust in ourselves. But in God who raises the dead. That was the first principle. And I'd suggest again.

I'd remind you again. That this is not a goal. This is a starting point. Satan loves to take byproducts and turn them into goals. And take starting points and turn them into goals. You know if you put your eyes on a byproduct.

You miss the byproduct and the goal. We miss everything that way. If we're wrong in the one thing essential. We abort everywhere. We're wrong everywhere. And so this is the starting point. And then this morning we looked at the second stage or principle.

When the Apostle Paul stepped over that line. In a sense he entered a brand new realm. Which we've called the all sufficiency of Christ. On the other side of Paul. He saw the Lord. He saw that God was adequate.

And God was enough. And Christ was all sufficient. And as he stood over that line. He knew he would never need another thing. Jesus Christ was everything. He saw Christ as his victory. He saw Christ as his testimony.

He saw the glory of Christ as the purpose of all Bible study. His heart. His eyes. His mouth was open wide. In amazement as he just beheld the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally everything began to fit together.

In the mind. In the life. Of this great saint. Now this evening I'd like to take you into what I think is the next step in Paul's experience. Yes I must be emptied. Yes I must be full. Of the all sufficiency of Christ.

Then what? What follows that? What comes next? Now before I come right out and state the principle. We're going to be looking at chapters four and five. Or at least segments from those two chapters. Now let me suggest.

A transition. That the apostle gives. From step number two in the process to step number three. He doesn't jump right into step number three. He gives you a little transition. It's almost as if the apostle couldn't find words to describe.

The glory of being on the other side of the line. And seeing himself in Christ Jesus. That just took his breath away. Just to see himself in Christ. And all that was his. In that union. In that relationship.

And so he seems to ransack creation. Hunting for some illustration. To describe that experience. I wonder if you can remember back. When you first began. Of course we're all beginners. We're all just starting to know God.

And starting to see God. But the first time when that truth was dawned on your heart. That you are in Christ Jesus. What a revelation that was. Anyway he takes chapter four verse six. Let me read the first six verses.

Therefore since we have this ministry. As we've received mercy. We do not lose heart. We renounce the things hidden. Because of shame. Not walking in craftiness. Or adulterating the word of God. But by the manifestation of truth.

Commending ourselves to every man's conscience. In the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled. It is veiled to those who are perishing. In whose case the God of this world. Has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.

That they might not see the light. Of the gospel. Of the glory of Christ. Who is the image of God. We do not preach ourselves. But Christ Jesus is Lord. And ourselves as your servants. Your born servants for Jesus sake.

For God who said. Light shall shine out of darkness. Is the one who hath shown in our hearts. To give us the light of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face of Christ. I'll ask you to look again at verse six.

Because I think that's his illustration. God who said. Light shall shine out of darkness. Is the one who hath shown in our hearts. To give the light of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ.

I think the apostle is saying something like this. When I crossed the line. When God pressed me. Pushed me. Crowded me. Engineered my circumstances. When God set me over that line. On the other side of myself.

And I saw myself in Christ. That experience. And it's that revelation. What I saw. Was the same kind of thing that happened. When God created light. In this universe. The same kind of thing. Try to visualize if you would.

Genesis 1 -2. I don't know if you've ever tried to make mental images. Of some of these Bible verses. It's interesting. I'd like to see some of them on canvas. How would you paint this? The earth was formless.

And void. Darkness was over the surface of the deep. It would be an interesting painting, I think. It's hard to get an image of that. No light. No form. Emptiness. Vanity. Profound darkness over the face of the deep.

And then all of a sudden. Let there be light. What happened to the emptiness and the vanity? And the profound darkness? It just dissolved. It was just gone. Well, Paul's trying to describe. An experience in his life.

And he says. That's it. That's what happened to me. The same God who said. Let there be light. Shown in my heart. To give me the light. Of the knowledge of God. The knowledge of the glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ.

And Paul said. I experienced that created light. Same thing that happened when God created the universe. Because before I crossed that line. My life was without form. And void. And empty. And darkness.

Profound darkness. Was on the face of the deep. I crossed the line. And suddenly I heard in my soul. Let there be light. And Paul said. There was light. And the veil was taken away. And I saw the light of the knowledge of God.

In the glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ. It's a powerful illustration. And he uses that to lead in. To this next step. And let me suggest. What I think might have been going through. The mind of the Apostle Paul.

As he stood there. In the sea of God's all-sufficiency. Asking in the glory of the Lord. He said. I got a new Bible that day. And every place I looked. I saw the glory of God. I saw Christ. It's wonderful.

I come as a sinner to the book. And God says. Let there be light. And all of a sudden. I see a Savior. Perfectly adapted to my need. Perfect Savior. I come as a legalist. And I look in the book. And all of a sudden.

God says. Let there be light. And Christ comes out of that page. As the end of the law. To everyone that believes. He says. I come to this book. As a weary pilgrim. And I'm looking. And all of a sudden.

Christ comes out. As rest. And I see him as my rest. And every time I have a need. I come to the book. God reveals Christ. Let there be light. Let there be light. Let there be light. Again. And again.

And again. And Paul almost raises this question. Is that what it's all about? Just standing there. Seeing Jesus. More light. Seeing Jesus. More light. Seeing Jesus. More light. Being emptied. Being full.

It's almost like Paul says. What's the point of all this light. And all this revelation. And all this illumination. In my heart. How does my fellow man. Fit into all of this? Shouldn't I be concerned about my brother?

Shouldn't I be concerned about my sister? Shouldn't I be concerned about my neighbor? The stranger? The prisoner? The orphan? The widow? My enemy? Isn't there some place in there. That says something about that?

What about verse 3 and 4. Our gospel is veiled. It's veiled to those who are perishing. In whose case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. What about the lost? The perishing.

The unbelieving. The blind. Those who are deluded by the God of this age. What about soul winning? What about missions? What about ministry? Christian service. Paul is about to learn the next step. You must be empty.

You must be full. But now comes the question. Let there be light. Let there be light. I get light. I get light. I think I need to be a transmitter as well as a receiver. All is light coming in. It would be nice I think if God would once we're saved.

Put a nimbus around us. You know what a nimbus is? The artists used to use that. That little round circle of light around the head. So you'd recognize the saints. Recognize deity. Wouldn't that be neat if God put a nimbus.

A radius around our head. Make things a lot easier. Oh look here comes a Christian. You could tell by his nimbus. And all the unsaved would know who the Christian is. And you could tell how you're doing in Christ.

Just with a light meter. Check your nimbus. Is it glowing? Is it growing? Of course if you were a backslider your nimbus would tell on you. There'd be no hypocrites. If you had a nimbus. Is that what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 5 .14.

You're the light of the world. Let your light so shine before man. Brothers since there is no nimbus. How is the light going to be manifest? This Christ that we're taking in and taking in. Seeing more revelation.

Illumination. Quickening. Revelation. The manifestation of Christ. Light in the soul is one thing. Releasing that light is another thing. And now Paul must learn how God has planned to release the light from within.

The Clay Vessel and the Release of Christ

For the sake of logical connection. Let me show you the illustration Paul chooses from chapter 4. And then just to make it real simple. I'll just state it in four simple principles. And then pray we get beyond the principles and have life and see the Lord.

Notice how verse 6 and 7 are contrasted please. God who said light shall shine out of darkness. Is the one who's shown in our hearts. To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. In the face of crimes.

But. But. Next verse starts with a but. But we have this treasure. In earthen vessels. Wonderful light. Wonderful treasure. Wonderful crimes. But. Unfortunately. But we have this. The Greek says in a clay pot.

Earthen vessel. Not some glass vessel or metal or brass. But a cheap. Unattractive. Fragile. Worthless. Clay pot. Chapters 3, chapters 4, chapters 5 of this book are full of contrasts. Light is contrasted with darkness.

Life is contrasted with death. That which is seen is contrasted with that which is not seen. The present is contrasted with the future. Light affliction is contrasted with an eternal weight of glory. And now in verses 6 and 7.

The precious treasure. Is held over against the clay pot. Marvelous light we have. Wonderful Christ in us. But we have this treasure. In earthen vessels. Now I can't prove this. But I go along with the majority of commentators who believe.

The apostle Paul. In this text is referring to an Old Testament story. And I'm talking about Judges chapter 6 through 8. The story of Gideon. Gideon's 300. I can't prove that was in his mind. But I think it was.

Whether it was or wasn't. It's in my mind. So let me just tell you the story. I'm sure you're familiar with it. But I'll just tell you in its basic simplicity. And then we'll come back to this. Gideon was selected by God to lead an army.

Against the Midianites. And God the Holy Spirit is careful to tell us the odds. It started off. With 135 ,000 enemy. Against 32 ,000 in the army of the Lord. Now here you have a corporate illustration.

As you go through your study of God's Word. Remember that everything that's true of the body. Is true of the individual. And everything that's true of the individual. Can be applied also to the body. So you better know in your life.

God's going to take you. Personally. Over your limits. He will do it. But he'll also take the body. Over the threshold. As a group. Well Gideon's army was 32 ,000. Against 135 ,000. That's 4 to 1 odds.

And to paraphrase it. God says now I know you're going to trust yourself. With those odds. So I'm going to reduce the odds. So that you'll not trust in yourself. But in God who raises the dead. And so God told Gideon.

Just to announce to the people. Anybody chicken hearted. Go home. Anybody afraid. And so 22 ,000 soldiers. Went home. That changed the odds. To 13 and a half to 1. And God says no. Because you're so full of self-trust.

If you got a victory with the odds 13 and a half to 1. You'd say look at the great victory we have. And so God said I'm going to have to press you again. Beyond your limits. So that you'll know it's from the Lord.

And so the word went out to Gideon. To test those who were real soldiers. And he said the test will be this. You take them down to the river. And you watch the ones that lay down their weapons. Because they're not real soldiers.

If they reach into the water with both hands. And lap up water like a dog. Then they're not real soldiers. If they hold on to their weapon. And they drink with one hand. Keep those. And so he told them what to do.

And they did it. Out of the 10 ,000. You know the story. 9 ,700 dropped their weapons. Leaving 300 men. And a new set of odds. 450 to 1. God says okay now. With these odds. 450 to 1. You know you're outnumbered.

You know you're outflanked. You know you're out everything. You're out skilled. And now I know if you have a victory. You're going to know it's because of God who raises the dead. And then in Judges chapter 7.

Verses 15 to 25. The Holy Spirit records this strange but very instructive story. He told Gideon. To take those 300 men and equip them. With torches. Trumpets. And a clay pot. Same word pitchers. And each of those 300 soldiers was to take a trumpet in his right hand.

A burning torch. In his left hand over which was the clay pot. So you couldn't see the flame. It would still be light enough under it to keep it going. I suppose it rested on their arm or something like that.

Then the 300 soldiers were to surround the Midianites. And on every hill all around the camp of the Midianites was to be a soldier. And then at the given signal. When someone yelled the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon.

They were to take the trumpet. Smash the pitcher. Blast the trumpet. And leave the rest to the Lord. Well. They did that. You realize what went through the mind of the Midianites. It was night. It was dark.

And all of a sudden everywhere they looked. They saw a torch and they heard a trumpet sounding. And they thought they were surrounded not by 300 men. But by 300 regiments of men. And confusion took over.

And according to the Bible. Men, women, children, horses, camels. Everybody was running every which way. And everyone thought their neighbor was an Israelite. And they all started killing each other. And so these men walked down into a battle already won.

Tremendous story. All to say this. And I think Paul had it in mind. In our next principle. And you already know what it is. In order for Christ to be released. In order for Christ to be manifest. The vessel, the clay pot had to be broken.

This my brothers is the principle toward which we've been moving. Got to be emptied. Certainly got to be filled with Christ. The all sufficiency of Christ. But now in order to manifest Christ. In order to release Christ.

In order that Christ might come out. That precious treasure. That's in the clay pot. The pot must be broken. Second Corinthians please. Chapter 4 verse 10. Always carrying about in the body. The dying of Jesus.

That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus sake. That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. If some of you sighed with relief when you passed over the line.

And said finally it's all over. No more pressure now. No more troubles. No more trials. God pushed me to the limit. God pushed me over the limit. Now I'm over the line. I'm safe. God is very serious. Brothers about the making of bond servants.

He's very serious. He's very serious about having Christ released. The vessel must be broken. Alright now having said that. Let me back off and come back again. And give you four simple principles. I'm going to be going over some of the same ground.

Let me make it clear. Let me just state these principles. Number one. The clay vessel must be broken. In order to release. In order to manifest the life of Christ. If the light within is going to be exposed.

The vessel has got to be broken. I read of a wonderful story. Of some old clay jars. With some precious treasure inside. Perhaps you've heard of the story. I'm referring to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls as you may know or not know.

Were discovered in 1947. Some of the oldest manuscripts ever found. Were in those scrolls. Included was 17 sheets of the book of Isaiah. And leather all sewed together. 24 feet in length. This is the book of Isaiah.

There was also portions of Habakkuk and Daniel and so on. According to the story. These treasures were found. Because of some little shepherd boy. Boys will be boys. And this little Bedouin shepherd boy.

Was playing near Qumran. In the northwest of Jordan there. And he was throwing stones. And he threw a stone into a cave. And he heard. The shattering of an old clay pot. And he went up into the cave to investigate.

And that's when they found those great eight vessels. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. We're also clay vessels and I'll tell you. We contain a treasure. Infinitely more valuable. Than those clay pots that held those Dead Sea Scrolls.

We're talking about the Lord Jesus. As in Gideon's day. The pots had to be broken. As Mary had to break that alabaster vial of costly perfume. To minister to the heart of Christ. As the Lord Jesus had to break the loaves.

In order to minister to the hungry multitude. As the grain of wheat must die and be broken. Before its latent life can be released. As our Lord Jesus himself had to be broken on the cross. Before we could drink of the wells of salvation.

As those vessels containing the Dead Sea Scrolls. Had to be broken before that treasure could be found. So brothers there's no shortcut to this. If you're serious about being a servant. You've got to be broken.

I've got to be broken. Our true life is not measured by how much spiritual wine we take in. But by how much of it is poured out. In the ministry. In the service of our fellow man. Second principle. God uses everyday life to break the vessel.

Everyday Trials as God's Instrument of Brokenness

When people hear this. I need to be broken. First temptation is to run to legalism. And to say I knew it was too easy to be true. Can't just see Jesus. Now there's got to be broken. Brokenness. This clay vessel has to be broken.

So now let's go about and mortify our flesh. Let's deny ourselves and suppress our sin. Let's willingly pour ourselves out. Let's start inviting everybody to dinner. Let's start a visitation program. Let's begin to look again like walking track racks.

And ramrod the gospel down everyone's throat. Let's weave Jesus into every conversation. We've got to be broken. Let's go out and do these things. Well, if Christ is going to shine through the vessel.

It isn't because we're going to enter into some kind of self renunciation or asceticism. Paul didn't say break the vessel. Paul says the vessel must be broken. There's a difference. We're not the ones that break it.

In fact, it's quite passive. Listen as Paul describes the stones that broke his clay pot. Verse 8. Chapter 4. We're afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken.

Struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus. That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in the body. He was talking about the everyday troubles that he was going through on his missionary journeys and so on.

His troubles, his afflictions, his trials, his tests, his harassments, his confusions, his oppositions. God has never told us to do more than look to Jesus. But what he does say is when you do that in reality, then God will engineer your life so that the vessel will be broken.

It only takes a moment's meditation to prove that. Just think of when Christ is seen by others. Is it when the seas are glass and the weather's fair and there's no troubles and Christians are just going along and everything's going fine?

Is that when Christ shines through? Just think about it. It's when you're cast down and when you're afflicted and when you're wounded and when you're broken. And then they're looking and they're observing.

And they see somehow you're supported during that time. They'd have to run to a building or a bridge in order to cope. They can't cope. And they watch you. And they see your joy and mine. And the comfort that you're receiving.

They see the fact that you're supported. That when these things come into your life, you're still praising God. You're still rejoicing. You're still worshiping. They see when you're opposed, somehow you're not bitter.

You don't carry animosity and a vindictive heart. You don't try to get even. You don't grumble. You know, we've gotten a million, million miles away, I think, from these great principles. If what I've been hearing among the brothers is true.

If God is speaking to His people around the world about this whole idea of being poured out for others. Then if revival comes, one of the great signs of that revival is going to be a broken people before God.

Going to be a child-likeness before God. We hear all kinds of words like scholarship and degrees. We don't hear too much about brokenness and weakness and helplessness and dependence. Instead, we hear words like blessed and healthy and prosperity and prosperous.

Wealthy and secure. You know, our seminaries and our churches are so full of talented men and women. Gifted men and women. Eloquent men and women. And zealous men and women. And even dedicated men and women.

Where are the broken? Where are the broken men and women? Seems like somehow we resist brokenness. And I'll tell you, brothers, and you know, your heart knows. If we resist brokenness, we are resisting the only way Christ is released through us.

He's released through brokenness. Hold that principle and let me share this third one. Not only the vessel must be broken in order to release Christ. Not only God uses everyday life and all the situations of life in order to break that vessel.

But everything that comes into my life designed to break the vessel are designed for my good. They're employed in my service. They're working for me. They're working for you. If you would go through chapters 4 and 5, you would notice the great emphasis on faith in those two chapters.

I won't take time to prove that to you. But the Holy Spirit, and through the Apostle Paul, just begins to talk about faith. It's almost like he jumped into the topic. And it's almost as if Paul is saying, you need to be broken.

Now you need to see that by faith. Otherwise you'll never believe that this is working for you. The Apostle saw it by faith. Look at verse 17, please, of chapter 4. Momentary light affliction is producing for us.

Take those three words. Producing for us. He's talking about all the afflictions that come into his life. And he says they're producing for us. In fact, what he does in that verse, he takes every problem he ever faced.

And if you read the rest of the Corinthians, you have the catalog of that, at least some of it. And he adds them all together and he calls them light affliction. Producing for us. The exact opposite of Genesis 42, 36, when Jacob says, all these things are against me.

He hadn't understood it at that point. Momentary light affliction producing for us. I'll tell you this, brothers. We're called to this. And it's going to help when God begins to break us or continues to break us, as the case might be.

It's going to help to know by faith that that's working for us. That that's producing for us. I think one of the greatest mysteries on earth is a woman's attitude toward childbearing. Those labor pains, we wouldn't have six children if it were reversed.

They say a man, if he has kidney stones, comes close or something like that. I never had kidney stones. I never gave birth to a baby. I don't know. Personally, I think a beach thing. But there's nothing to compare to this woman giving labor.

And my question is, why do they do it more than once? My wife did it five times. We have six children, but we snuck twins in there. She did it five times. Well, God tells us why. Because their labor pains are producing for them.

They understand that. John 16, 21, whenever a woman's in travail, she has sorrow. But when she gives birth to the child, she remembers that anguish no more for joy that this child is born into the world.

And the apostle recognized that everything that came into his life was a labor pain. And he understood it was producing for him. And when he put his eyes on what it was producing, it was not only worth it, he desired it.

And he said this light affliction, this little bit that we're going through breaking us, is producing because he saw the Christ that was being released from his life and the tremendous fruit that it was bringing forth.

And he said, oh, because of that baby, it's worth it. It's worth it. For Paul, the breaking of the clay jar was producing for him an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. I love that expression in verse 17, far beyond all comparison.

I'm not against hymn writers. Hymn writers have a license, and they can give shallow things. If you find a shallow song, don't be afraid to sing that thing. Sometimes we get so spiritual, we just say, I'm not singing that anymore.

It's got a verse in there that contradicts this. Sing it anyway. You know, there's a shallow part of all of us. There's deeper parts of all of us. And some of the songs have this idea in there that when we see the Lord, compared to what we're going through now, it's just going to look like nothing.

Well, the apostle didn't say that. What the apostle said was, I would love to tell you what's coming compared to this. But he said, I can't do that because what's coming is not worthy to be compared to this.

Beyond all comparison. The comparison is so tremendous, it's contrast, not comparison. And he said, if you would know what you are called upon to do, to experience through breaking, if you could understand what's coming from that, you would never resist it again.

You would long for that because that's the path. I'm taken over the line. I'm filled with Christ. Now, in order to release Christ, I must allow all of these things to come in and to break me. In order that Christ might be released.

And everything that comes into my life is employed in my service. It's working for me. It's producing for me. It's producing for you. That's why God's given us the faith sense to know that. We need to understand brokenness works for us.

Sometime when we're going through it, we just say, well, everything's against us. We need to understand these things. It's hard when you're going through it to say, this bankruptcy is working for me. Isn't it tremendous?

Oh, I love this failure. How it's working for me. Our brothers give you some theological honey. I call that which is very sweet and a little sticky theological honey. You couldn't say these things everywhere.

But you guys are as radical as I am, so I'll say this. Is it true that my sin is working for me? That divorce is working for me? Brothers, you pull out the stops and believe that with all your heart. These things that are designed to break you, every forward step in helplessness, in emptiness, in brokenness, in weakness.

Is a forward step in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of his book. God has called us. He's going to release Christ. But there's got to be brokenness and we need to know as it comes that that is producing for us.

Far beyond all comparison and exceeding weight of glory. All right, one more thing, we'll be finished. God uses the everyday trials of life to break us. All of those everyday trials are working for us.

Living Present with the Lord Through Brokenness

Here's the last principle. When I'm on the other side of the line and God begins the breaking process, there is the temptation to be brokenness-centered rather than Christ-centered. Sometimes makes us glorify suffering.

Sometimes makes us dread it. Some people just glorify suffering and they just say, oh boy, I just love suffering. Some people are just obnoxious and they get themselves into trouble with their mouth or their strange behavior and then they just write it off as suffering for Jesus' sake.

And really, if they had acted normal, they wouldn't have had to go through some of that. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle takes a marvelous illustration. He talks about the glorious future, but he's not all of a sudden jumping into now a word about the intermediate state or a word about heaven.