Glen Bond
Aug. 6, 2006
Picayune, MS

Subject: The broken Spirit

I want to start with a little background on salvation of the sinner.
How that a sinner is a valid candidate for salvation.

  Mark 16:15
     And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
     preach the gospel to every creature.

The gospel is the good news that Christ died for sinners.
He only died for sinners.

  1 Timothy 1:15 
     This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
     that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; 
     of whom I am chief. 

The gospel is good news to a sinner because he sees that he is hopeless in himself. He sees that he needs a saviour. He sees that there is a saviour available to him.

...he came to save sinners.

We don't read any where in Gods word that he came for the PROUD.

We don't read where he came for the self righteous.
...he came to save sinners.


  Luke 9:56 
     For the Son of man is not come to destroy 
     men's lives, but to SAVE them.

Christ came to save sinners.
He came and did everything that is necessary for your salvation.
He did it all successfully and completely.
There is nothing else that needs to be done.

Now, you must come to Him and ask for this salvation.
You are required to come.

  Isaiah 1:18
     Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:

The Lord calls you to come and reason with him.

  John 6:37
     All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
     that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

When you come to him, you will be accepted. He has promised.

But look, You must call on the Lord. You must beg him.
The Lord is waiting for you to call on him.


  Ezekiel 36:37 
     Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired 
     of by the house of Israel, to do it for them;

The Lord knows what you want and need, but he is waiting for you 
to come and plead for it.

He is not going to give you something if you don't want it enough to beg for it.

The Proud heart is not going to be heard by the Lord.
The self righteous will not be heard.
But the broken and contrite heart is what the Lord loves.


  Psalms 51:17   The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
     a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

it says:The sacrifices "OF" God ...

This implys that they come from God himself.
The Lord has to give you this broken heart.
This is part of the work of salvation in the heart, and it comes from God.
You can't work it up.



a quote from the internet:  --------------------------------------
by John Coblentz

The Hebrew word translated 'broken' is a strong word. It means "wrecked, shattered, even crippled or maimed." The Lord delights in the person with a broken spirit. In Psalm 51, characteristics associated with such brokenness include: 

Acknowledgment of wrong. A person with a broken spirit does not make excuses or blame others. He takes full responsibility for his wrongdoing. 

Contrition. A broken spirit produces genuine sorrow. 

Humility. Self-will has been shattered. There is no attempt to lift oneself up. 

Seeking after God. The person with a broken spirit has faced his own poverty and sin. He has no righteousness of his own to promote, but rather, he seeks to know God. 

Teachability. He is done with his own answers to life and is ready to turn to the Lord for help. He does not want his problem explained or justified; instead, he wants help to change. 

Unworthiness. The person who's spirit is broken does not demand, he asks. His focus is not on getting all that he deserves because he knows he has been spared from what he really deserves. He is grateful instead of complaining. He has tasted mercy, and he is done with demanding rights. 
Much as a 'wounded spirit' makes a person difficult to live with, a 'broken spirit' makes a person a joy to be around. He has a tenderness in manner, a gratitude for what others do, a humility about himself, and a gentleness in relating to others who have faults. 

God heals the broken-hearted. He declares that He will dwell "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Isaiah 57:15). When we experience brokenness and the blessings that follow, we wonder why we resisted such joy and freedom for so long. 

by John Coblentz
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Psalms 
  107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy 
        endureth for ever. 
  107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed
        from the hand of the enemy; 
  107:3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from
        the west, from the north, and from the south. 
  107:4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found 
        no city to dwell in. 
  107:5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 
  107:6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered
        them out of their distresses. 

This is the spiritual condition of every believer before the Lord saves him.

You are required to come.

You must call on the Lord.