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my husband often praise as I'm getting

ready to go speak or record he's praise

Lord help Nancy to be the one to go

first help that her to say yes to you

about the things she's teaching before

she teaches them to others he prays that

God will do the work in me first and I

prayed that myself for many years but

I'm so thankful now to have someone who

is praying that specifically as we come

into a time like this

tonight we're going to come together

with tens perhaps of hundreds of

thousands of other women around the

world to cry out to the Lord on behalf

of our families our churches our nations

and the world but before we can do that

we need God to do the work in us first

and as I was seeking the Lord about what

I should speak on this weekend actually

I normally speak on the opening night

Robert said to me a few weeks ago I

think you need to speak on the subject

of brokenness he had heard a message

that I'd given unbroken as many years

ago and he said I think that's the

message you need to give and he said I

think you need to do it on Friday

morning before you have the concert of

prayer before you have the cry out time

well I had not thought for a moment

about doing this message it's been many

years since I've shared it it's a

message that's very dear to my heart

I've written a book on the subject but

it just wasn't on my mind but I listened

I thought I think God is leading through

Roberts counsel our team talked we

prayed together and we agreed that

before we pray for others we need to let

God do this work of humility and

brokenness in our own hearts so we can

pray effectively tonight and in the days

ahead so over these next moments I want

to talk about the principle of

brokenness what it means what it is what

it isn't and then illustrate it in God's

Word with a number of people that show

what it is to be broken or to not be

broken and then I'll talk about the

fruit of brokenness and then invite us

to take a step of brokenness however God

is speaking now I know what's in my

notes I know what I'm planning to say

and praying that the Lord will direct me

as I speak but what I don't know is how

the Holy Spirit will apply what I'm

about to say to your heart to your

situation one of the things I pray going

into conferences like this I've been

praying it over this past week or so

it's Lord would you create circumstances

in women's lives who are coming to this

conference that will make them realize

how much they need you will you make us

desperate for you by circumstances that

you create in our week how many of you

would say now that you hear that God

answered that prayer in your life this

week now don't blame me but God loves us

enough that he knows if we walk into a

place like this and we're fine and we

think we have no need why are we gonna

cry out to him

you don't call an ambulance unless you

have a need and when you call and say

911s per when somebody's had a heart

attack here or somebody's falling down

or there's an injury the ambulance comes

racing to the scene of need and I

envision God's grace as being a little

bit like that ambulance you might call

it a grace ambulance that comes racing

to the scene of our need when we call

out for always say lord I need you I

think there are hardly sweeter words

that God could hear a say and so God

creates circumstances and you thought

that it was your two-year-old who was

the problem say I wouldn't have been so

reactionary I wouldn't have been so

angry if my two-year-old hadn't painted

the living room furniture with butter

but God knew you were an angry woman and

he used that little two-year-old in

those circumstances to squeeze you and

what was inside of you came out he

thought I'm this sweet loving gracious

kind godly proverbs 31

mother until my two-year-old filled the

dryer with water and then you realize I

am I'm crazy I mean I am an angry woman

God created circumstances to make you

realize you didn't just need the gospel

when you got saved fifteen or twenty or

in my case fifty-four years ago

I need the gospel today you need the

gospel today and those circumstances

help us realize how much we need God by

the way did you bring your hankie with

you because you might be needing it if

not for tears we ought to sell

waterproof mascara at these events but

tears are a good thing and maybe it's

just some surrender that's needed

through this morning you have that handy

and I don't want to just see white

hankies I want to see him but God wants

to see hearts that are saying yes Lord

yes Lord to whatever he says so need is

something that makes us eligible an

acknowledgement of me makes us eligible

to receive the grace of God let me read

to you a few verses from the Old

Testament that speak to us about this

matter of brokenness Isaiah 57 verse 15

for thus says the one who is high and

lifted up who inhabits eternity whose

name is holy God says I dwell in the

high and holy place that's God's address

infinitely above us but God says I have

another address

I dwell also with him who is of a

contrite and lowly spirit to revive the

spirit of the lowly and to revive the

heart of the contrite and then some 34

verse 18 says something similar the Lord

is near to those who have a broken heart

and he saved such as have a contrite

spirit Psalm 51 verse 16 David says

after he sinned this great sin of

adultery with

Bathsheba he says Lord you do not

delight in sacrifice or I would bring it

you will not be pleased with a burnt

offering how much could I give in the

offering what could I do for you how

many hoops could I jump through how many

verses could I memorize how much could I

beat myself up with guilt that's not

what you want that's not what you are

looking for sacrifices of God but

sacrifices he's looking for are a broken

spirit a broken and a contrite heart O

God you will not despise Isaiah 66 verse

2 this is the one God says to whom I

will look as the eyes of the Lord go to

and fro throughout the whole earth this

day what kind of person is he looking

for will he stop and look at you at your

seat who's he looking for God says this

is the one to whom I will look today he

who is humble and contrite in spirit and

trembles at my word so what kind of

heart

does God revive what kind of heart does

God look to the heart God revives as we

see in those verses and many others is

the broken humble contrite heart now our

emphasis in this era is on everything

but that we want to be whole we want to

be full we want to feel good and when we

think about revivals we often think of

revival as a time of great joy and

blessing and fullness and celebration

and it will be all of that and more in

its time but we want a painless

Pentecost we want all the fullness of

God's Spirit we want to be this great

godly free and full and fruitful woman

without getting to the cross God's Word

teaches us that the way up

is down the way to wholeness is through

brokenness one revivalist a man who was

greatly used of God in revival in the

1970s in Borneo

he said revivals do not begin happily

with everyone having a good time they

start with a broken and a contrite heart

you and I cannot meet God in revival

until we first meet him in brokenness

humility and brokenness James chapter 4

says it this way draw near to God and He

will draw near to you

the problem is God is holy and we're not

so we can't get anywhere near a holy God

as we are so how is just a draw near to

God how can he draw near to us well he

goes on to say cleanse your hands you

sinners purify your hearts you

double-minded be wretched and mourn and

weep now can I just say that there are

very few modern therapists who will give

you that kind of counsel they're trying

to help us have good self-image feel

good about ourselves but the James says

be wretched and mourn and weep let your

laughter be turned to mourning and your

joy to gloom nobody walks in a Christian

bookstore today and says or goes online

at Amazon or Christian books commerce

says can you find me a book on how to be

gloomy how to be sad how to be mourning

how to be wretched

but God's Way is first down and then up

humble yourselves before the Lord and He

will exalt you this is God's way it's

totally counter to what is natural to us

now I think a lot of people are afraid

of this whole idea of brokenness it's

not well not if somebody suggested that

I write a book on brokenness I talked

with our publisher about that and I

thought they must not have a marketing

department because that is not exactly a

popular topic today

but I think sometimes we're afraid of it

because we have some misconceptions

about what brokenness is first of all

what it's not our idea of brokenness

sometimes is not the right one for

example we may think of brokenness is

always being sad or gloomy or

introspective downcast never smiling

never laughing always going on this

witch hunt to find something else that's

wrong in my life now there may be

moments of sadness moments of gloom

moments of looking inward but that in

itself is not necessarily brokenness

some think of it as a false humility

always putting yourself down for some

the idea of brokenness conjures up an

image of crying lots of Tears

having a deeply emotional experience but

you know you can shed buckets full of

tears in a prayer room or in an altar or

a deeply emotional experience without

having a moment of brokenness and you

can have brokenness sometimes without

necessarily shedding a tear some equate

brokenness with having been deeply hurt

by tragic life circumstances back in 95

this happened to me that summer I was in

this accident or somebody I loved this

happen and I was broken well you may

have been but maybe you weren't

sometimes those deeply hurtful

experiences can make us more hard and

less broken more resistant you see

brokenness is not a feeling though it

certainly involves our feelings but it's

not first and foremost a feeling rather

it is a choice it is an act of our will

before a holy God and brokenness is not

just a one-time crisis experience

although there may be points of

brokenness when God deals with us in a

specific way and there is a moment of

brokenness but more than that brokenness

is an ongoing continual

style so I don't want to just know were

you broken back at true woman o8 I want

to know are you living as a broken woman

today are you walking am i walking in

humility and brokenness brokenness is

not necessarily all those things but so

what is brokenness what is God's idea of

brokenness well brokenness is a

lifestyle of agreeing with God about the

true condition of my heart and my life

not as you think it is but as an

all-seeing all-knowing God knows it to

be you see I've had hair with help

makeup and wardrobe I think I look okay

you just see me up here you see Robert

and me up here we're holding hands were

smiling and I'm not saying it's not fake

but I'm saying you don't live with me

and I don't live with you and so what do

you think of me when I'm up here in this

platform it doesn't really matter

brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing

with God about what he knows what he

sees when he looks at my heart

brokenness is a lifestyle of

unconditional absolute surrender to

Jesus as Lord it's a lifestyle of waving

this white flag and saying yes Lord

whatever God says whatever his word says

yes Lord

think of that stallion that horse and we

say that horse needs to be broken what

do they mean by that they mean you take

a 2x4 and hit that horse over the back

and break it no they're talking about

breaking its will so that it will be

trained it will be submissive it will be

responsive to the direction of the rider

it's a it's a lifestyle brokenness is of

saying yes Lord brokenness is the

shattering of my self will so that the

life and the Spirit of Jesus may be

released through me brokenness is my

response of humility and obedience to

the conviction of

spirits the conviction of his word and

if I'm living in this word and if I'm

walking in the light of this word and

his spirit then that conviction will be

happening all the time just in the

course of things and not just because I

do something that I act out sin but

sometimes it's just something I'm

thinking it's an attitude and God can

fix my heart that was pride that was

selfish that was self seeking that

wasn't loving when you spoke to your

husband that way when you you're looking

at that woman and acting like you're

really interested in what your she's

saying but in your heart you're thinking

I wish she'd go away now I know you

never do that but God convicts me at

times that what you're seeing on the

outside is not true of what's on the

inside and so if I'm broken I will

continually be humbling myself and

saying yes Lord and then obeying the

promptings of God's Holy Spirit

you see brokenness goes to directions

there's a vertical dimension and if

you've already heard this reference

today and there's a horizontal dimension

there's brokenness toward God and

there's brokenness toward others one

writer has likened it to our lives being

a house and saying that we need to live

with the roof off and the walls down

roof off nothing between my soul and the

Savior open transparent honest before

God not defending not rationalising not

excusing my sin not blaming somebody

else saying Lord it's me you're right

I'm wrong just to find God rather than

ourselves

that's a roof off brokenness but then

there's also walls down brokenness and I

think sometimes that's harder because

god I know already knows everything

that's going on so I can't really fool

him but you don't really know and attain

I'm learning in the last 10 months

nowhere does this get lived out more

this walls down thing than in the

context of our homes

and marriage in particular see I'm

choosing everyday am i living with walls

up or walls down toward Robert

am I being honest am I being transparent

about what's going on in my heart but

that doesn't mean he just blurted out

everything you think every time you

think it that would not be wise but it

means we're not putting up walls and

we'll talk more about what that looks

like over these next moments there are a

lot of examples in Scripture of people

who were broken humble contrite

repentant and frequently those examples

are set in contrast to people who were

not broken and I want to give you three

of those examples from the Gospel of

Luke in just a moment but in each of

these cases you'll see that it's not a

matter of who is the worst sinner we're

all sinners we're all in need of God's

grace so it wasn't a matter of who

sinned more or whose sin was worse what

is it is a matter of the person's

response to the conviction of God's holy

spirit and that looks very different in

each of these two pairs in each of these

pairs of two people first of all in Luke

chapter 18 we see an illustration of two

churchgoers two churchgoers we're gonna

look at two churchgoers two brothers and

two people at a dinner the two

churchgoers in Luke 18 Jesus told a

parable and he's telling us he tells us

in the scripture who is audiences it

says he told this to some who trusted in

themselves that they were righteous

self-exalting and treated others with

contempt I am something you are nothing

now none of us would say that hopefully

but how often are we thinking of

ourselves in a better light than our

mate or our family or our coworker or

that neighbor so Jesus was speaking to

those who thought they were something

and others were less now Jesus was

parentally perennially dealing with

these people called the Pharisees and

they were in the crowd that day

and so he used a Pharisee as an

illustration a Pharisee you went to

church to worship supposedly but he gets

in the presence of God and he looks

around and he sees this tax collector

how dare he come into this holy place

for tax collectors were known notorious

sinners they were cheats they were

thief's everybody hated them they were

despised they were vile they were scum

that were the lowest of the lowly here's

this Pharisee he's got a PhD at THD in

theology and a few other things and

these were the holy men of God they knew

the Word of God they were the pious men

they were the prayers they were the

pastors they were the teachers they were

the Bible study leaders so the contrast

is great but the Pharisee exalts himself

seeing this tax collector out of the

corner of his eye because lord I thank

you that I'm not like other sinners I

know like this tax collector but I fast

I pray I tie starts listing all the

spiritual credentials to God that Jesus

is maybe exaggerating the way that this

Pharisee might have talked but he

probably wasn't exaggerating the way the

Pharisee might have thought Jesus says

those two men left church that day and

when one went home justified it wasn't

the Pharisee it was that tax collector

what was his prayer scripture says he

couldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven

but he bowed his face to the ground and

he said O God be merciful to me

no pride no pretense no covering know

trying to look better just transparent

before God roof off walls down which one

did God listen to which one got his

prayers answered I think there's some

women in McPherson women's prison we're

serving life without possibility of

parole for murder one whose prayers God

may hear some days more than he hears my

prayers I don't have their history

sometimes I have so much pride so much

performance so much caring about image

and I get with those women you could

sense it from the women on the platform

they don't care what you think about

them

they don't have anything to hide they

don't have anything to lose by being

honest and so here's me trying to

protect my reputation public person

whose prayers just got here there's our

mind in that moment well Jesus told the

story about two brothers in Luke chapter

15 and again in the audience this day

there were two kinds of people there

were the tax collectors and the sinners

they came to hear Jesus they were

sponges they just soaked in his words

they were humble but the Pharisees and

the scribes were maybe I envisioned them

kind of around the outskirts of the

crowd they weren't gonna get too close

the sinners are pressing in to Jesus

they love Jesus because I know they

needed him Pharisees the scribes

teachers of the law they're the ones

with the folded arms sitting back there

scrutinizing evaluating critiquing

murmuring where did he go to school

where did he get his education I never

heard of that way before it you know

them we got some of them in some of our

churches and aren't many of us sometimes

in that place well those were the people

in the audience that day so Jesus said

let me tell you a story

there were two brothers you know the

story tells about the younger brother

who was rebellious hard-hearted willful

independent rebellious he spent his

father's living said I want what's

coming to me

took it early took the inheritance

squandered it profligate lifestyle and

then when he'd spent it all he began to

be the scripture says in need when God

puts you in a place where you are in

need

thank God that's the best place we can

possibly be where we have no solutions

as money ran out his friends left him he

had his family was gone he was desperate

he was destitute he was in need in the

scripture says he came to himself he

came to his senses as like a wake-up

call that's what Bob asked these women a

few moments ago when did you have a

wake-up call it's when they came to

themselves they came to their senses

they got honest about their failure they

admitted their need and then there's

repentance he says I will get up out of

this pigsty and I'll go back to my

father he was going one direction his

own way

he was willful he was raised he stops he

has his wake-up call he turns around

says I'll get up and I will go back to

the place where I left grace that's

repentance you could just see him

practicing his speech all the way help

me scared to death because you know if a

son was rebellious in those days and you

were caught they could they could stone

you he didn't know what would happen

what kind of reception he'd be met with

so he's practicing I'm gonna say to my

dad Oh dad I've sinned against God roof

off I've sinned against Jew walls down

I'm no longer worthy to be your son

would you just let me be one of your

hired servants because he's thinking I'm

starving here in this Pigpen I have

nothing to eat and my dad has higher two

hands who are better off than I am maybe

he would just let me work out in his

field

his dad sees him well I still a long way

off scripture says why because he'd been

waiting longing for God to turn the

heart of that son bring him back notice

by the way he didn't in

that case go pursuing after his son and

let me say moms and grandmom's still

apprentices here you may have a wayward

rebellious son or daughter or grandchild

you cry yourself to sleep at night just

so burdened what how they're destroying

their lives don't rescue them from the

cross I don't know what that means in

your case in your situation I don't that

doesn't mean necessarily don't do

anything but I think there's some people

who think they love their kids who are

really enabling them to stay away from

God sometimes you just need to take your

hands off and say you're gods that's

hard I watched a lot of moms go through

that that's hard but this dad let God

deal with his son and the dad comes

running out you see the two you just

picture them embracing it for the kid

can't even get home he doesn't even get

the whole speech out of his mouth I've

sinned against God I've sinned against

you before he can say the rest of it his

dad is saying welcome home son let's

celebrate let's have a party and the

kill the fatted calf and the music

begins and I think that family had

probably been morose and morbid and

everybody was sad all this time they're

just grieving over this son now that

lost son has come home they're

celebrating and everybody's joyful

except the older brother who never did

anything wrong

he's dutiful he's firstborn he's

performing he's doing what he's supposed

to do all the time and he's had in the

field and hears music anything and there

hasn't been any music around here since

Mike Reddy younger brother left him what

in the world is going on so he asked a

servant what's happening with servant

tells him the facts but he doesn't tell

him the truth he says your younger

brother has come home and your dad has

received him safe and sound well that

was the facts but it wasn't like the

whole truth look at what kind of

condition he was in

and he's humble and he's broken come on

let's celebrate the older brother is a

picture of those Pharisee standing at

the back of the crowd scrutinizing

evaluating critiquing murmuring what I

never he ought to have to suffer for

what he did his dad here's your son's

out sulking in the field you better go

talk to him the dad leaves the party

I've been told that in the Jewish

culture when the dad with a man in the

house will lead the party the music

stopped the dancing stopped the party

stopped while the dad goes out and deals

with this hard-hearted older brother

who's the Pharisee proud and unbroken

and isn't that a picture of what's going

on in some of our churches it's not a

lot of celebrating it's not a lot of

life there's not a lot of joy you know

why because the pastor's are always

having to deal with the Pharisees the

proud unbroken people you took that

parking space away that hasn't that's my

parking space since 1946 seven parking

in that space your Leno's youth those

teenagers meet in our Sunday school

classroom listen to them they're so loud

look at them they got holes everywhere

and tats everywhere and these poor

pastors are always putting out fires

with the Pharisees so people are coming

to Jesus and they're not all put

together and they don't talk and look

and act like everybody else and and

you're looking and you know some of us

are looking at those brand-new baby

Christians and they're just so full of

joy and every time you sing they don't

know the words they don't know the tune

and they just make noise and they cry

and they lift their hands and they and

you're thinking give them a few months

they'll get over it

they will if they sit next to you listen

our Heavenly Father

receives broken sinners that's who the

gospel is for and it's not that the

Pharisees aren't sinners it's that

they're not broken they don't realize

their sin they don't need realize how

much they need God's grace so some of us

can't rejoice when God is doing a new

work a fresh work a sweet work of deep

work and it's not neat it's not tidy

it's not exactly as we would have

planned it or scripted it listen the

longer you've been in this Christian

life thing the higher up you go in terms

of position and responsibilities and

influence the greater the temptation to

become a 21st century modern-day

Pharisee I know I know we had a prayer

call last week or two ago with speakers

for this event I don't know if Janet

Parshall was here this morning she had

some difficulty getting here yesterday

but Janet prayed you'll hear from her

tomorrow morning Lord willing

she said Lord I want to pray for women

coming to this conference who've been

saved 30 40 50 years and they know the

routine but they've lost the

relationship with Jesus now I know

there's some women here like that but if

she prayed that in that moment I haven't

had a chance to tell her this yet Janet

if you're here I want to thank you for

what you prayed because sitting where I

was in my home on the phone in my heart

my hand went up in the air and I said

she said that for me so busy I know the

routine just not sweet fresh

sense of relationship with Jesus roof

off florid that's me

walls down I found my husband and I said

I want you to hear what God just said to

me through Janet and her prayer I was

able to take some steps over those next

days over the past couple of weeks to

just draw near to God a fresh way sweet

way to come home as a not a proud older

brother but as a needy prodigal and God

racist to meet us with His grace when we

do well to churchgoers two brothers two

people at a dinner it's the third one in

Luke chapter seven you remember the

story again there's a Pharisee involved

here

Simon is his name he hosts this dinner

for Jesus he's named the woman in this

case is not named we're just told she

was a woman of the city who was a sinner

that means probably that she was an

immoral woman she had a reputation

everybody knew you didn't need to dame

her they knew who she was

how she got in that dinner I don't know

she came probably uninvited she wasn't

on the VIP list she wasn't on anybody's

list

she was an object of scorn and derision

and shame and guilt but she makes her

way into that dinner and as I've studied

this passage over the years I think that

what it probably happened was she had

heard Jesus or encountered him somewhere

prior to this moment and he had changed

her life he had given her His grace and

now she was coming back to say thank you

I love you I'm so so grateful and she

makes their way into this dinner and

everything this woman does is at the

feet of Jesus she's the lowly one in the

contrast here is between her and Simon

the Pharisee he's watching all this

going and first she stands behind him

the scripture says at his feet what does

that mean we remember how in the east

there the at the dinners they would eat

reclining propped up on their arm feet

stretched out behind so she comes and

she stands

behind his feet just quiet now I am

confident that this woman never intended

to make a scene to be seen to be noticed

much less us to be standing here talking

about her in this thousands of years

later

and as she stands there I think she just

wanted to be near him she didn't say I'm

gonna cry now it wasn't scripted can't

script that they flowed down from her

eyes down her cheeks and down onto the

feet of Jesus almost as if she's

embarrassed she gets down lower at Jesus

feet began begins to wipe his feet with

her hair I don't know how long her hair

was but she got to get down at the feet

of Jesus and then she takes this bottle

appointment that she brought with her

something perhaps that she'd been saving

as an instrument of her trade could I

say it that way to be used on a special

man well now she has met the man who's

redeemed her life and what else is she

gonna do with this she breaks open that

flask she pours expensive ointment pours

it on Jesus feet quiet humble no scene

no performance well Simon he's the host

of this fancy dinner he's looking around

he sees this woman they always got their

arms crossed

I'm just actually cold up here and he's

thinking to himself if Jesus knew what

kind of woman she is he would not let

her do that

how seemly well Jesus not only knew who

that woman was and what she was doing

and what her past was jesus knew what

Simon was thinking Jesus tells a story

to sinuses let me tell you I won't go

into all the details but he talks about

two people who owned a lot a huge dead

one owed a little bit and he got it paid

off the other owed a lot and he got it

paid off which one will love his master

the most Simon goes while the one who's

been forgiven the most of course she

says goes right you don't get it Simon I

came into this house you didn't give me

water to wash my feet

you didn't give me a kiss a normal sign

of grieving that you would do with a get

honored guest in your home you didn't

have oil to anoint my head these were

signs of hospitality you didn't do

anything because you were too proud you

think you're the highest thing in this

house your love your your affection for

me is measured it's controlled but this

woman it's just all real she loves me

and why because she knows how much she's

been forgiven it's not that you don't

need to be forgiven a lot it's just you

have no idea how much you need to be

forgiven in each of those pairs which

one do you most identify with do you

identify with the prodigal the shameful

sinful woman the tax collector the cheat

the thief he's like no I'm not I'd never

end up at McPherson prison that wouldn't

be me well then you identify with the

Pharisee the proud older brother

unbroken you see it's not in the nature

of your sin it's in the nature of your

response and let me ask you this which

one in each of those pairs did Jesus

feel most comfortable with who was he

drawn to was drawn to those who were

broken and contrite in spirit you see

and I don't want to offend you by saying

this I'm gonna say it anyway God is more

offended by the proud cold hard dry eyed

critical heart of faithful churchgoers

and ministry leaders than he is by an

immoral woman prostitute adulteress

murderer an abortionist who's recognised

their sin and come to the cross in

humble repentance

in fact I'll tell you a day Jesus really

offended the Pharisees I'm sure of it

it's when he said to them in Matthew 21

verse 31 truly I say to you he's looking

the Pharisees in the eyes the tax

collectors and the prostitutes go into

the kingdom of God before you you think

that went over well in church that day I

don't think so

so what does it mean to be a broken

woman what does it mean to be a humble

woman and what are some of the

characteristics of a proud unbroken

woman I want to just list several for

you when you come back this afternoon or

at the door today I can't remember

you'll get a little card that has these

and more on it but I just want to be

here with your heart right now you say

where'd you come up with this list I'll

tell you where I came up with most of

them this is pretty autobiographical I

just looked at my own life when I first

gave this message and I said what are

some of the evidences of Pride and

unbroken as' in my life and here some of

the things proud women focus on the

failures of others whereas broken women

are overwhelmed with a sense of their

own need proud women have a critical

fault finding spirit they look at

everyone else's faults with a microscope

but their own with a telescope broken

women on the other hand are

compassionate toward others who fail

they can forgive much because they know

how much they've been forgiven proud

people are self-righteous they look down

on others but broken people esteem all

others as better than themselves proud

women have to prove that they are right

they have to get the last word whereas

broken women are willing to yield the

right to be right proud women are self

protective of their time their rights

and their reputation but broken women

are self-denying proud women want to be

served they want their husband and their

children and everyone else to meet their

needs but broken women are motivated to

serve others proud women have a drive to

be recognized and

appreciate it and they get hurt when

they're not thanked or when they get

overlooked but broken women are willing

to serve without expecting anything in

return

proud women are wounded when others get

noticed or promoted and they get

overlooked but broken women are eager

for others to get the credit and they

rejoice when others are lifted up I got

to tell you after I first gave this

message the first time I ever gave it 21

years ago God moved in on a service

something like this in an extraordinary

way and over the next two days God sent

a measure of revival as God's people

whose hearts had been prepared began to

respond to him saying yes Lord I gave

the message sat down got out of the way

and God's Spirit kept working well in

the days that followed people took this

list and they reprinted it and they

posted it we didn't have social media in

those days but they copied it there were

cassette tapes of the message they

distributed those all around the world

and people started writing me and saying

how much this message had meant to them

how much it had changed their lives and

over time subtly I realized one day that

all this stuff about this message about

humility had become a source of pride in

my own heart and I think if maybe first

dawned on me when I saw this list

published without credit I'm thinking I

wrote that thing about humility

[Laughter]

and the biggest lessons in my life about

what I'm talking about right here have

come since the first time I gave that

message and each time I give it since as

God speaks to my own heart about this

this drive to be noticed to be

appreciated to be thanked

proud people are self-conscious but

broken women are really not concerned

with self at all proud people keep

others at arm's length but broken women

are willing to risk getting close to

others and take the risks of loving

intimately proud people are rigid and

stiff and formal they're the ones that

want to make sure they don't cry so

their makeup doesn't run and somebody

might think I'm really like this

horrible sinner but broken women they're

they're warm they're loving and they

don't care the tears can flow because

they know that they're just sinners who

need God's grace every moment every day

of their lives

proud women find it difficult to share

their spiritual needs with others so if

you go have a little small group let's

go around and share what God's doing in

our lives or what he's speaking to you

about or what how can pray for you pray

for me that I'll be a better mother

better a wife I mean who doesn't need

that but broken women are willing to get

specific about their sin and open and

transparent as God directs proud people

have a hard time saying these words I

was wrong will you please forgive me but

broken women are quick to admit failure

and to see forgiveness when necessary

proud women wait for the other to come

and ask forgiveness if there's been a

misunderstanding or a conflict in a

relationship now listen I wasn't in your

home yesterday but I know what happened

in some of your homes you were getting

ready to come to true woman and you were

hustling to get out the door and to get

make sure your family's needs were all

met and everything was going fast and

you know things weren't everybody wasn't

falling in line and doing exactly what

she wanted your husband in the midst of

all this said something that hurt your

feelings and you've been nursing it ever

since

and you're thinking when I get home I

mean it's just growing bigger and bigger

and bigger in your mind what he did what

he said and it's now a federal case in

your head and you're thinking when I get

home

he better be at the front door standing

no better yet on his knees begging me I

was so wrong please will you forgive me

that's a proud woman broken women race

to the cross to see if they can get

there first don't wait for him some of

you been waiting for a mate or a child

or parents who wounded you when you were

a kid you've been waiting for them to

recognize how wrong they were and I'm

not saying they weren't wrong but you've

been saying I'm gonna hold them at arm's

length until they're willing to

acknowledge how deeply they wounded me

and come back and beg my forgiveness

that is P R I D self all at the center

of that crowd people are blind to their

true heart condition the funny thing is

everybody else I guess it's not funny

but everybody else around them can see

it the last ones to see it

and know it the broken women realized

they have they walk in the light they

Scott shows them the truth about their

lives proud women don't think they have

anything they need to repent of and

there are hundreds if not thousands of

women in this room who coming into this

place today if somebody asks you is

there anything you need to be repenting

of any area of your life that God's

dealing with you couldn't think of

anything and I've been there I know what

that heart is like but broken women

realized they have need of a continual

heart attitude of repentance proud

people don't think they need revival but

they're sure everyone else does broken

women continually sense their need for a

fresh encounter with God and a fresh

filling of his Holy Spirit proud women

are sitting here thinking of someone

else who needs to hear this message

and you're gonna make sure and send on

the link when you get home I don't mean

by the way to suggest that all the proud

women are sitting over here they're

probably some over here too

well when you think of it this way why

would anybody want to be broken any more

than someone would sign up for surgery

for childbirth I have a dear friend who

this week was sent into emergency

surgery I'd never wanted surgery who

want who does but they agreed to it

because they were told that what's going

on your body is so toxic so poisonous

and if you don't have that surgery you

will die so why do you submit to

brokenness why do you let the Holy

Spirit bring about that kind of

sometimes painful thing in your life

well it's because of the fruit of

brokenness brokenness brings blessedness

blessedness Jesus said blessed are the

poor in spirit that word poor is not

just like somebody who's living you know

below the poverty line that word poor in

the Greek language is a word that means

utterly absolutely destitute

poverty-stricken you have no help no

hope no way of making it if someone

doesn't reach down and lift you up out

of that gutter and Jesus said blessed

happy joyful fortunate are those who are

poverty stricken now that's not our way

of thinking that's counterintuitive but

it's God's math it's God's way of

thinking blessed are the broken ones

those who realize they are bankrupt

apart from Jesus in His grace so what

kinds of blessings does brokenness bring

but we've seen that brokenness causes

God to draw near to us that God draws

near to the humble broken ones and

conversely he stiff-arms the proud you

feel like you're not close to God maybe

God is keeping you at a distance because

God Hey

pride in every form new life is released

through our brokenness that's a blessing

of brokenness think about that kernel of

wheat that Jesus talked about that goes

into the ground and it dies it sheds its

hard outer shell it's buried in the

ground no one coddling at no one singing

to it playing music to it recognizing

and it just dies but Jesus says if it

doesn't die it abides alone and nothing

ever happens to it but if it dies it

brings forth much fruit brokenness

brings increased fruitfulness jesus said

this is my body which is broken for you

his death released eternal life for us

and so when we are willing to be broken

humble contrite before God his abundant

life can flow through us to others

brokenness gives us an increased

capacity for love and for worship think

about that woman in Luke chapter 7

she's broken she's humble she's grateful

she loves Jesus with all her heart and

nobody has to scrip for her how to

worship Him she doesn't need a praise

band up there telling her to do it she

doesn't need noise she doesn't need

instruction to just it's it's unscripted

it's beautiful it's precious but some of

us look at believers who act that way

and we get all pharisaical about it

because those people over there raising

their hands I'm gonna be one of those

charms Matisse

[Laughter]

hey that's alright sit on your hands

that's fine and let me say if you raise

your hands in the air and somebody next

to you doesn't and you're looking at

scamp's at them like why are they so

then you've got a problem see God's

looking at our hearts and when your

heart has seen who God is and who you

are you've been broken and humble before

God then love for Jesus worship for God

love for others it comes flowing out

vertically and horizontally it comes

flowing out of brokenness brokenness

brings increased fruitfulness because

God uses things and people that are

broken Jesus body broke it on Calvary

and eternal life released for the

salvation of the world I just want to

address this question for a moment then

I want to invite you to choose a step of

brokenness as God's been speaking to you

say where do I start

well first of all see God as he is

because the closer you get to God and

His Holiness the more you will see

yourself as you are and then fall on the

rock Christ Jesus who was broken for you

cry out to the Lord and say God be

merciful to me a sinner have mercy on me

and then acknowledge and verbalize

need-need God I need you I need you it's

not my brother it's not my sister it's

not my pastor it's not the elders it's

not the Deacons it's not the youth it's

not the old people Lord it's me standing

in the need of prayer no blaming listen

there's no brokenness when the finger of

blame is still pointed at someone else

your husband your kids your parents your

your small group leader your pastor your

boss your whatever that's not brokenness

nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy

cross I cling naked come to thee for

grace

dress helpless look to thee for grace

fowl I to the fountain fly wash me

Savior or I die

acknowledge verbalize need to God roof

off and then walls down acknowledge and

verbalize need to others

there's no brokenness where there is no

openness maybe to your husband but you

need to go home or call him before this

day is over and say I've been such a

proud self-righteous critical judgmental

woman always evaluating you always

holding you up to my standard of

performance

could you please forgive me now I don't

know what your story is I don't know

what your details are I don't know what

your need is got I know that there's an

invitation that God draws near and he

brings near to you those who choose the

pathway of humility and your choosing

that let me encourage you to do the very

thing that you know God wants you to do

but your flesh is telling you not to do

Lord I'll go to anyone I'll do anything

I'll make any wrong other past right

except that one thing I'll go to any

person except that one person listen

some of you came as a church group here

I got 10 15 20 50 women here together at

this conference and some of you there's

someone in that group and they're just

walls a mile high between you and who

knows how it started or wire how long

it's been going on but maybe God brought

you here today to reconcile your hearts

don't wait for the other to come to you

we're going to open the altar of God's

presence in just a few moments and I'm

gonna invite you to do whatever the Holy

Spirit is telling you to do roof off

walls down and it may be that you need

to find that person maybe it's a mother

and daughter you came together or

mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and

there's been a barrier between

you and you're blaming that stop blaming

don't do it God's not asking you to deal

with their sin God's asking you to deal

with your pride and you may need to take

that person by the hand and come here

and make an altar out of this front area

or perhaps go back there to that prayer

room or just kneel there at your seat or

in the aisle here and say I've been so

proud I've been so wrong would you

please forgive me

maybe you just need how long has it been

since you just knelt humbly before the

Lord and said Lord

I made your grace how long has it been

since you've shared a real spiritual

need or burden with someone else some of

you have sons and daughters that are far

from God but you're too embarrassed to

tell anybody some of you have kids in

prison or husband in prison and you're

so ashamed you're so embarrassed but you

heard these women who are free and full

and fruitful because they got honest

maybe you just need to find somebody in

your church group there somebody who

knows you and to say there's something

I've been hiding something I've been

pretending about I'm not who you think I

am some of you women have many in this

room who have had an immoral

relationship and immoral past or an

abortion you've you've hidden it listen

there is no sin God cannot forgive but

God is not as concerned about the sin

that you have committed as he is about

how you respond to that sin are you

covering are you hiding are you

pretending or are you willing to walk

out into the light now that doesn't mean

you have to tell everybody everything

about your whole life story but I'll

tell you what there shouldn't be

anything in your life or mine that we're

not willing and open to share if it

would bring God glory and it would help

maybe somebody else who's walking in

that same direction someone asked if we

could just stand for a moment in the

presence of the Lord I know we've been

here a long time this morning but you

saw a powerful illustration of

brokenness and humility in these women

who sat up here on the platform former

inmates at McPherson women's

and I wonder what God has been saying to

you as he's been speaking to our hearts

this morning here at the front on the

far sides all the way there at the back

what has God been saying to you let's

just bow our hearts before the Lord for

a moment be still before him I want to

ask you in these next moments would you

take some step of humility and

brokenness that God is speaking to you

about maybe it's to come to the front

here in neo maybe it's to get in an

aisle there into some kneel it's just a

turn at your seat and kneel there before

the Lord and say this immediate what's

that do listen it doesn't do anything if

your hearts not humble but if your heart

is humble it can be an expression of

humility maybe you need to make your way

back to that prayer room and get one of

those prayer partners and say I need

somebody to pray with me some of you

need to get on your phone go call your

husband say we got to talk now maybe

I've known women at a time like this

who've needed to confess to their

husband that there was an immoral

relationship they had kept hidden I

wouldn't advise throwing that on your

husband on the phone in the next two

minutes but I'd maybe find somebody else

and tell him I got to make this right

and then ask God for wisdom maybe get

him another mature women woman to pray

with you about the best way to bring

this into the light talking about roof

off walls down I don't know what God's

speaking to you about but we're gonna be

still we're gonna be quiet and I want

you to just stand for a few moments so

that those who want to move can make

their way out and then if you get tired

of standing a few moment you can feel

free to be seated or however God

promised I'd like to ask you please so

for these next 10 or 15 minutes not to

disrupt anybody or anything we're just

gonna wait in the presence of the Lord

God's talking don't wait for somebody

else you move if God's telling you you

need to make something right you need to

talk to someone you need to pray you

need to go to that prayer room whatever

it is this whole room it's gonna be a

massive officer we're we're just gonna

come say Lord it's me standing in the

need of prayer we're not gonna be able

to pray for others tonight if our hearts

are not repentant and broken and humble

before God what do you need to repent of

what do you need to confess what do you

need to get right about where do you

need to let the roof off where do you

need to let the walls down you obey the

Holy Spirit as he speaks to us in these

moments and although Jesus you are here

in this place in your people they're

women here who are like that one woman

was for McPherson who say I've been in

church all my life I maybe it was a

Sunday school teacher but I don't know

Jesus don't mean I need to get saved

give your heart surrender your will to

him Oh Lord I don't know what it is I

don't know what you're speaking to

people about but you are the Holy Spirit

she was a God of the universe and would

you move on people's hearts right now

forget everybody else and everything

around him just say yes Lord wave that

white flag of surrender Lord have your

way in this place