10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
Copyright - Lester Hutson -
1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express
written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Chapter Thirty Four
Broken Things
Part I
INTRODUCTION: TEXT: Psalm 51:17
Broken things are normally of no value until repaired. They hinder and are often thrown away. Of what use is a broken record or broken glass? A broken chain saw, elevator, or lawn mower is virtually useless until repaired. Few would question the heartaches caused by a broken arm, leg, or ribs.
But in God's economy of spiritual things, the reverse is the case. He is first concerned about the lives of people and until a life is broken it is of little value to Him. Few truths are of greater practical connotations to God's people and to His churches than this truth which we hope to more clearly define here. Whether or not we allow God to break us will determine whether or not we are ever really useful to Him, ourselves, or others.
I. THE NATURAL INCLINATIONS OF ALL MORTALS ARE ROUGH, UNDISCIPLINED AND USELESS TO GOD.
A. Men who have turned to their own ways, of whom the humanists are the leaders in our day, contend that there is no such thing as a sinful, depraved, corrupt nature in man.
1. They say man is only what he is taught. They argue he would not be deceitful, cruel, greedy and repulsive in other such ways if he didn't hear and see it in others.
2. That is a round about way of saying that man does not need to be broken. Instead, he just needs to be polished up. The idea is that he is innately good and needs no total redemption or conversion. It is natural for self reform and social change to be propagated as the means to improvement by people of this persuasion. Most of them also deny the existence of heaven or hell and of a living Creator God.
3. It is such thinkers as these of whom Romans 1:21-25 speaks, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."
4. Yet there are some who have not swallowed the false line of humanism wholly, but who see nothing too seriously wrong with human nature and conduct and who regard sin with a rather passive, tolerant attitude. Most of us would be surprised at just how much of this thinking prevails among church members.
B. But the true nature of man, which is both stated in scripture and observable in every day human behavior, is that man by nature is corrupt and depraved. A statement which can consistently be observed in nature without exception is scientifically regarded as true.
1. As to the true inclinations of human nature, Psalm 14:1-3 states, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
2. Romans 3:9-19 paints this picture of human nature. "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
3. The prophet Jeremiah put it this way, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." (Jeremiah 17:9)
4. If any man just does what is natural and does not impose the external thinking of God upon himself, corruption will spew from him like puss from an infected sore. Here is how God put it, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)
5. Furthermore, it is not true that such attitudes and conduct have to be taught to man, and that truth and light is hidden within each man's heart. To the contrary, sin and darkness is what is hidden in each man's heart. It doesn't have to be put there. It is already there by nature and it is just itching to be released through the conversation and conduct. Again the prophet Jeremiah put his finger right on the issue when he prayed, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23) Showing the nature to be innately sinful, rather than sinful by external corruption, Solomon said, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child." (Proverbs 22:15) He also stated in Proverbs 19:15, "A child left unto himself bringeth his mother to shame." That is because he has nothing of value and honor in "self" with which to start.
C. Furthermore, even when a person is saved, he is still living in a natural body with natural inclinations.
1. It is true that "therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17) We are to let this new man control our conversation and conduct. Ephesians 4:22-24 exhorts, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
2. But even though a saved man is a spiritually new man and is to let that new man prevail, the old fleshly man is still there also, seeking to prevail. That is why Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels."
3. Thus, it is not difficult to see why the saved still have trouble with the flesh. The new spiritual man is seeking to control the life, and simultaneously the old earthen, or natural man, is seeking to control the life, and the result is tremendous conflict. Here is how Paul put it in Romans 7:18-23, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
4. In practical terms, that means that saved people can lie, hate, cheat, commit adultery, rebel and do anything evil any lost person can. If the will, by God's grace, chooses good, then good prevails.
II. GOD IS NOT HONORED BY A STUBBORN, REBELLIOUS WILL AND THE CONVERSATION AND CONDUCT IT SPONTANEOUSLY PRODUCES. HE WANTS TO BREAK OUR STUBBORN WILL AND ERADICATE THE EVIL FROM US WHICH IT PRODUCES.
A. A stubborn, rebellious human will is characterized by pride, greed, covetousness, selfishness, arrogance, deceit, injustice and a rejection of divine principles.
1. To our God who is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, canst not look on iniquity," (Habakuk 1:13), such characteristics are totally unacceptable.
2. Such characteristics render His children "Vessels of...dishonor." (II Timothy 2:20) "God resisteth the proud." (James 4:6) To God, "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (I Samuel 15:23)
B. God wants that proud, stubborn, self-will broken.
1. King David sets forth the thinking of God in this regard when he says in Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." You can see from verse 8 of the same chapter that God had, in fact, broken him. Listen to the same man of God talk in Psalm 34:18 about how God wants to break self-will, and its natural inclinations in men. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken spirit; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
2. When Jesus Himself was on earth, He set forth one spirit of submission that he desires to see in all men especially those who are His own children. He said of God the Father, "For I do always those things that please him." (John 8:29) He said in John 5:30, "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." His words in John 6:38 are, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." And, even as He went to the cruel cross, He prayed, "Not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)
That we should be broken in our wills, and submitted to the will of God also is without successful refutation. The scriptures say, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) Submission, obedience and service to God are the characteristics God desires in us. They are the exact opposite of rebellion, disobedience and self-mastery which are inclinations of the natural man.
3. Psalm 138:6 says, "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off." Thus, consider the advice of I Peter 5:5-6, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." It is obvious that God puts high premium on those whose self-will and natural inclinations are broken. These are the ones who please Him, and, whom He can effectively use in His service. His desire is that His children "take up his cross daily." (Luke 9:23) The daily cross is for the continual execution of self-will.
4. Anyone who has much knowledge of horses knows that an unbroken colt is of no use as a riding horse. He may be of the highest Arabian stock, or a quality thoroughbred of another variety, but until his will is broken, and he submits himself to the will of the rider, he is useless for riding. As long as he pitches, bucks and ignores the commands of his rider, he does no service for the rider.
And, how true the parallel is to God's children. As long as self-will prevails, they will kick, buck, and disobey. The old, corrupt, degenerate, depraved human characteristics will continue to flow like water from an artesian well. What God wants to do is break the self-will, with all its degenerate characteristics. The more thoroughly that breaking is, the more useful God's child becomes to Him.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"