Manuel Bellina
I’d like to begin to set a scene.
This scene is a very precious scene. It’s a scene that really provoked me when I first came into Christianity. It was a big turning point in my life to understand who God is. It was very precious to go back to that experience and behold the God in whom we serve. This is spoken of in John 8.
This scene is given to us in the book The Desire of Ages. I’ve taken snippets out just to build this experience, just to see the preciousness of the experience. It speaks of the woman that was caught in adultery.
On the last day of the feast, the officers sent out by the priests and rulers to arrest Jesus… {DA 459.2}
Hardened as were their hearts, they were melted by His words. While He was speaking in the temple court, they had lingered near, to catch something that might be turned against Him. But as they listened, the purpose for which they had been sent was forgotten. They stood as men entranced. Christ revealed Himself to their souls. They saw that which priests and rulers would not see,—humanity flooded with the glory of divinity. They returned, so filled with this thought, so impressed by His words, [Jesus Christ] that to the inquiry, “Why have ye not brought Him?” they could only reply, “Never man spike like this Man.” {DA 459.3}
The rulers were unable to carry out their purpose and condemn Jesus without a hearing. Defeated for the time, “every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives. From the excitement and confusion of the city, from the eager crowds and the treacherous rabbis, Jesus turned away to the quiet of the olive groves, where He could be alone with God. But in the early morning He returned to the temple, and as the people gathered about Him, He sat down and taught them. {DA 460.2-3}
He was soon interrupted. A group of Pharisees and scribes approached Him, dragging with them a terror-stricken woman, whom with hard, eager voices they accused of having violated the seventh commandment. Having pushed her into the presence of Jesus… {DA 460.4}
Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene,- the trembling victim in her shame, the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of even human pity. His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle. Well He knew for what purpose this case had been brought to Him. {DA 461.1}
The action of the accusers was wholly unauthorized. Jesus, however, met them on their own ground. The law specified that in punishment by stoning, the witnesses in the case should be the first to cast a stone. Now rising, and fixing His eyes upon the plotting elders, Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And stooping down, He continued writing on the ground {DA 461.3} [Their own guilt and condemnation].
They trembled lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be laid open to the multitude; and one by one, with bowed heads and downcast eyes, they stole away, leaving their victim with the pitying Saviour. {DA 461.4}
The woman had stood before Jesus, cowering with fear. His words, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone,” had come to her as a death sentence. She dared not lift her eyes to the Saviour’s face. {DA 462.1}
For that face revealed a life of sinlessness.
But silently awaited her doom…then those words of hope fell upon her ear, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” Her heart was melted, and she cast herself at the feet of Jesus, sobbing out her grateful love, and with bitter tears confessing her sins. {DA 462.1}
This was to her the beginning of a new life, a life of purity and peace, devoted to the service of God. {DA 462.2}
This experience reveals very powerfully to me the potential of a broken life. The potential of this broken life. I expressed when I entered into Christianity, this was the first story I have heard that left a deep impression upon me. How thankful I am to go back and refresh that impression. And how thankful I am to go back and be melted by that impression again. Apostle Paul explains this experience in a particular scripture.
Romans 5:20, Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
Isn’t that precious? I’d like us to stop and think in this experience,
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone,”
Again, as I expressed, these words highlight to me an ingredient in the cup of accountability. Every single person that we have ever met in our life, and there would be a lot of people, every single person that we have ever come in contact within this life, we can surely say is a broken life. Broken! Damaged! Surely, we can say that every single human being that we have before us right here right now, we can turn to one another, and we can see damaged goods. Damaged goods. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint – damaged, broken. Sin has left its ugly stain, and that stain is ingrained upon our DNA. It is ingrained upon our nature with a pen of iron.
Isaiah 1:6, From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it.
I would think that there may be some that may not agree with this. This is revealing the condition of our human nature. Have we met the condition of our human nature? Or have we seen fleeting moments of our human nature? In this world in which we live, I say few, and I mean very few. Very few are willing to recognize their broken condition, and much sadder is this revealed in the religion of our day. There is a disease so decrepit. There is a disease so insidious. There is a disease that is so fearful in its power upon the Christian mind, that sets light for darkness and darkness for light. That is the Laodicean mind. Although this condition is so bleak, so dark, so dismal, thanks be to God that he is in the work of restoration. Thanks be to God! How it is that this degree of restoration is dependent upon the measure in which we realize our broken condition? I’m going to say that again, this degree of restoration is dependent upon the measure in which we realize our broken condition. I must add, it is a painful process. Painful!
I do believe that everyone can probably say amen to that. It’s painful, because a realization of our brokenness is recognized in our very life. We should not have to go far into the past to see our undone condition. We do not have to go spanning years and years to see our decrepit condition. When we think we’ve seen enough of our condition, what does the Lord do? He shows us more. Have you met this experience? He takes us deeper into the realization of our human nature – our depraved condition. He takes us deeper into that experience.
When you are taken deeper into that experience and you realize that the Lord has just shown you something, that is a realization of oneself. Painful as it is, by nature we flee. By nature, we hide. By nature, we make excuse. By nature, we can even blame one another for our condition.
As we are taken down that rabbit hole, deeper and deeper into the experience of seeing the decrepit reality of our human nature. sometimes it’s like a rabbit hole of seeing one’s own condition. It just gets deeper and deeper and deeper. Have you seen your condition deep enough?
Hebrews 2:9, But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
He became one with our decrepit condition. Have you experienced in your life the fullness or the impact of what that really means? Because I believe that I have enough, and that’s obviously why I’m sharing this message. I have come to realize that most of our professed Christian life, most of it is spent in running or hiding from God in some way, shape or form. Most of our Christian life is spent from running or hiding from God because what God does is He shows us our condition, doesn’t it? But we do not see it.
Running or hiding from God sounds quite ridiculous, doesn’t it? Would you do such a thing? Every single one of us does this in very many different varied ways. I’ve written here that each one of us has our own unique ways of doing this- very unique. Quite often we’ve. We’ve mastered this uniqueness that we keep God at arm’s length, and otherwise, it’s just too painful.
Psalm 14:1, 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 correct rendering in that text is that “There is” is borrowed. “The fool hath said in his heart, no God.” That’s the fool. It’s too painful
Psalm 14:1-2 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.
What did he find? Well, He found me, and He found you.
Psalm 14:3, They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The damage that sin has wrought in yours and my life is terminal. It’s terminal! If it wasn’t terminal, then why would we need to be born again? It’s terminal. We can read, “There is none that doeth good. No, not one”, but what amazing expectations we place upon ourselves or even others. This is one point that really, really impressed me, that we place expectations upon one another, don’t we? Whether it’s siblings, children, we place expectations upon one another – parents, husbands, wives, friends, acquaintances – we actually place expectations upon one another, especially in Christianity, because we think, “Oh, they should know best. They should know better than that.” I have come to realize that the expectations, the expectations that I place upon my brothers and sisters, upon my family members, perhaps upon friends, I have come to realize that the expectations that we place upon either ourselves or say, especially others in Christian circles, is disease forming. It causes disease. It causes disease. When we see the weakness or broken condition of one another, what is our natural mindedness? This natural modern mindedness that we have, which is also rampant in the world today, if it’s broken, throw it out.
If it’s broken, husbands and wives, brothers, sisters, church family, we see brokenness, don’t we? All the time. By nature, we discard it, check it out. We live in a disposable age. That is the time in which we live. We live in a disposable age, and we dispose one another in this predicament and in this condition. How easy we fall prey to this very reality. How easy I have fallen a prey to this very reality.
It was once I listened to a testimony of a couple that had been married for 70 years. Just think about those 70 years or 75 years. They were being interviewed and the question was asked, what is the secret to the longevity of your relationship?
They said, “When there is something broken, we fix it.” It was not a disposable age.
In our age, it’s very disposable.
Look at the relationships of our day. We don’t need to go far to see the short. Well, the far outweighing contrast of what marriage means today compared to what it used to mean. Friendships, relationships, marriages. It’s easy just to walk away. It’s easy just to walk away.
In that thought, I’m so thankful that God doesn’t just walk away. God doesn’t see us as disposable. He sees us as potential.
We read that in that beautiful experience of the woman caught in adultery. This beautiful potential of a life of purity and peace devoted to the service of God. The potential of a broken life. God sees that potential with each one of us. Thank God that he does!
Only until we realize fully, I weigh on that word “fully” because, I mean fully like when that cup’s full, you can’t put a drip in there if it’s full. But only until we realize fully our absolute broken condition can we be used in God’s service. They are words of inspiration. There are words. They’re not my words. Only until we realise fully our absolute broken condition can we be used in God’s service. It’s humbling, but God sees potential in that experience. So, the human nature, the human minded man, what does he say? Well, we might say, “I know how broken I am.” You ever thought that? I’ve thought that. “I know how broken I am.”
Sometimes in understanding brokenness, sometimes it’s easier to understand what it’s not. So, I like to read a couple of paragraphs of what brokenness isn’t. What it’s not.
With some the knowledge of their true state seems to be hidden from them. They see the truth, but perceive not its importance or its claims. They hear the truth, but do not fully understand it, because they do not conform their lives to it, and therefore are not sanctified through obeying it. And yet they rest as unconcerned and well satisfied as though the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, as token of God’s favor, went before them. They profess to know God, but in works deny Him. They reckon themselves His chosen {1T 406.2}
You know, right at this point, through the week, I don’t mean to break into a profound spirit of prophecy statement, but I went into this.
There was a little study or a little sermonette type of thing that I saw on the internet a little while ago. Then I thought, Well, that’s it. It was talking about 144,000. And then I had a look at some of the comments that were given at the bottom, and I read some of the comments, and it was really fearful, actually. It was fearful at the amount of people that believe that they are part of the 144,000. And then they give their reasons for it.
Such a delusional reality that some of these people were expressing. Yet I can be in the same predicament. We can be in the same predicament, we can be under our own personal, unique delusion.
They profess to know God, but in works deny Him. They reckon themselves His chosen peculiar people, yet His presence and power to save to the uttermost are seldom manifested among them. How great is the darkness of such! yet they know it not. The light shines, but they do not comprehend it. No stronger delusion can deceive the human mind than that which makes them believe that they are right, and that God accepts their works, when they are sinning against Him. They mistake the form of godliness for the spirit and power thereof. They suppose that they are rich, and have need of nothing, when they are poor, wretched, blind, and naked, and need all things. {1T 406.2}
They can’t see it. This is the Laodicean mind, the people of the judgment. This is the predicament that we face, not just in the church, but in our own mind. This is where it’s found. No, this is not brokenness. This is not brokenness.
Comparing ourselves among ourselves… {1T 406.1}
That’s not brokenness. That’s not the fruit of a broken and contrite spirit.
Comparing ourselves among ourselves taking fallible mortals for a pattern, when we have a sure, unerring pattern. We should not measure ourselves by the world, nor by the opinions of men, nor by what we were before we embraced the truth… {1T 406.1}
Now, that really spoke powerfully to me. Because how often is in my experience, I Sometimes have to reassure myself that I look back upon my past and say, “Wow, yeah, I’ve changed.” I don’t do those disgusting, lured acts of stupidity anymore. But you know, it just gets more deceptive. Satan just gets more cunning. He works our own natural cunningness.
We should not measure ourselves by the world, nor by the opinions of men, nor by what we were before we embraced the truth… {1T 406.1}
That spoke mightily to me.
We have a measurement – The Lord Jesus Christ.
But our faith and position in the world, as they now are, must be compared with what they would have been if our course had been continually onward and upward since we professed to be followers of Christ. {1T 406.1}
That’s powerful.
This is the only safe comparison that can be made. In every other there will be self-deception. {1T 406.1}
See how it’s really powerful to understand brokenness by understanding what it isn’t. God does that a lot in the scriptures. It’s very precious.
Here are some fruits of the unbroken condition.
I’ll apply this to myself. I pray that we can apply this to our personal life that we are not in place where we can run and hide. God is here. This paragraph is really powerful.
They have lived some time watching to keep their brethren straight—watching for every fault to make trouble with them. And while doing this, their minds are not on God, nor on heaven, nor on the truth; but just where Satan wants them—on someone else. Their souls are neglected; they seldom see or feel their own faults, for they have had enough to do to watch the faults of others… {1T 145.1}
That’s a big job remember. It takes a lot of time to do that. When you have done the experience, you understand the preoccupation of mind, how much effort goes into it.
…A person’s dress, bonnet, or apron takes their attention. They must talk to this one or that one, and it is sufficient to dwell upon for weeks. I saw that all the religion a few poor souls have consists in watching the garments and acts of others, and finding fault with them. Unless they reform, there will be no place in heaven for them, for they would find fault with the Lord Himself. {1T 145.1}
But when persons have so much care of others’ faults, they take no care of themselves. {1T 145.2}
This is how easy it is for our salvation to fall out of our grasp. Someone who is not broken, I was going to relate all these scriptures to this to someone who is not broken, is proud, self-centered, self-willed, Self-sufficient. I like that one. You know what I mean. I don’t like it, but it addresses something in my own particular condition.
This we find at the core of the Laodicean condition. It’s a fearful predicament.
So, what is this brokenness that we find that is so highly favored with God that we, by nature, do not desire, but when we behold one that all is altogether desirable, it begins that desire? The desire of ages.
What is this brokenness that is so highly favored with God?
I really dwelt upon these scriptures that I’m just about to read of the Psalm of David. I’m sure that many of us have been there. We’re going to go there, Psalm 51, and we’re going to read of David’s experience. We’re going to see if we can meet ourselves in that predicament or in that conditional and meet ourselves there. We know that when we read the scriptures, we are to read our lives into the scriptures. It’s a letter from God, isn’t it? It’s a letter from God to us personally.
What is this brokenness that is so highly, and I mean highly, it’s so highly favored with God?
Psalm 51:1, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.} Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
No hiding in that, is there?
Psalm 51:2, Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
I often think about that scripture, that my sin is ever before me. I think, why? Why is it I still have the remembrance of some of the just absolute ridiculous things that I did from my past? Why do I have those things there? Lord, if you forgive them, why are they there? Are you supposed to erase them out of my head? No. He blots out the sin, but he doesn’t erase heads from these memories. Why? Because they keep us in a humility of mind. And then we see one God who is so desiring to forgive one that has done such decrepit things in their life.
We don’t want those things washed away from our mind.
We ask ourselves, “Why do I have to?” Why do I have to be reminded of these things in my life? Why?
Well, God sees why. So, you can see that I’m mighty to save and that I’m mighty to forgive. You, my friend, need to be remembered of that. And that’s what he tells that to me all the time. I need to be reminded of it all the time.
Psalm 51:4-8, Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hear those beautiful words of joy and gladness of the power of forgiveness in your life. What a joy! It’s a peace that surpasses any peace’s that this world can offer.
Psalm 51:8, Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
You wonder why you have had experienced this?
Psalm 51:9-13, Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
This is what God is trying to work likely upon your life. So that you can work nicely for him.
Psalm 51:14-17, Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
It is the repentance such as this that is beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish. It is obtained only from Christ who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men. It is obtained only from Christ who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men. It is obtained only from Christ who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.
Repentance
So how can we know? How can we know in light of what we’ve been reading? How can we know that we have truly been broken? Or perhaps you’ve found your condition in what we’ve been reading here. I took the time throughout the night to have a look, and I found my condition.
How can we know that we have truly been broken?
Well, to a certain extent, as we’ve read, it can be seen to a certain extent by our lack. Our lack of what? Our lack of whispering and judgmentalism toward one another. That’s how it can be seen.
How can we really know whether we have been broken? How can we really know it? You’ll know it. This is the only measure of being used of the Lord and securing heaven’s blessing. We must be broken. We must be broken! Yes, we are broken but selfishness must be smashed. It must be crushed. It must be mortified.
Many have accepted the theory of the truth who have had no true conversion. I know whereof I speak. There are few who feel true sorrow for sin, who have deep, pungent convictions of the depravity of the unregenerate nature. The heart of stone is not exchanged for a heart of flesh. Few are willing to fall upon the Rock [Jesus Christ ] and be broken. {5T 218.2}
The scary reality is that if we don’t fall upon this Rock, we will be ground to powder. We will.
No matter who you are or what your life has been, you can be saved only in God’s appointed way. {5T 218.3}
How much of a blessing that is that God has an appointed way! There is hope for the sinner.
You must repent; [You must see your undone condition. You must see your cause in the mess of your life.]..you must fall helpless on the Rock, Christ Jesus. You must feel your need of a physician and of the one only remedy for sin, [What is that remedy?] the blood of Christ [The life of sustaining life of one who is only willing to give.] This remedy can be secured only by repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Here the work is yet to be begun by many who profess to be Christians and even to be ministers of Christ. Like the Pharisees of old many of you feel no need of a Saviour. You are self-sufficient…{5T 218.3}
I’m reading these words as they are. When I read to you, I mean the “me”. We all must mean the “us”.
Like the Pharisees of old many of you feel no need of a Saviour. You are self-sufficient, self-exalted. Said Christ: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The blood of Christ will avail for none but those who feel their need of its cleansing power. {5T 218.3}
What surpassing love and condescension, that when we had no claim upon divine mercy, Christ was willing to undertake our redemption! But our great Physician requires of every soul unquestioning submission. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must have the entire management of will and action. {5T 219.1}
God has a prescription. We have a great physician and he requires unquestioning submission.
Christ must have the entire, Christ must have the entire my management of yours and my will and action. That would look pretty different, wouldn’t it? That would look like the life of Jesus Christ.
Many are not sensible of their condition and their danger; and there is much in the nature and manner of Christ’s work averse to every worldly principle and opposed to the pride of the human heart. Jesus requires us to trust ourselves wholly to His hands and confide in His love and wisdom. {5T 219.2}
We can only do that when we are willing to behold that God so love the world that he gave us Jesus Christ. By beholding that life, we will see something of such great value that we will only but desire to lay down our own life. It’s the only way.
We may flatter ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our moral character has been correct and we need not humble ourselves before God like the common sinner. But we must be content to enter into life in the very same way as the chief of sinners. {5T 219.3}
That’s powerful! We must enter into the life the same way as the chief of sinners.
We must renounce our own righteousness and plead for the righteousness of Christ to be imputed to us. We must depend wholly upon Christ for our strength. Self must die. We must acknowledge that all we have is from the exceeding riches of divine grace. Let this be the language of our hearts: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.” {5T 219.3}
I pray that we find meaning in this message because I did. Amen.
