He Blessed Me at My Breaking Point

Synopsis of 10/15/23 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Jeremiah 20:7-9 NKJV
O LORD, You induced me, and I was persuaded;
You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
I am in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the LORD was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.

I. INTRODUCTION

1. One of the most amazing revelations and common dominators in our lives today is how so many have come to their breaking point. Many will testify that breaking points are not uncommon. They tend to sneak up on you.
2. When you come to the end of yourself, it is an interesting place of contemplation. It is a place where you will think about things that you thought would never enter your mind.
3. In this series, we have talked about this. For instance, we talked about Elijah under the broom tree a week or so ago. He had come to the end of himself. If you’ve never been to the end of a breaking point, keep living! There will come a day that you will come to the end of yourself and in this, you will discover that no matter what title you have, no matter what degree you have, no matter how much money you have, the breaking point hits us all.
4. The beaty of breaking points is that God specializes in meeting us at the end of our breaking point. It is written that our extremities are God’s opportunity. Maybe you are hearing this word, and you are baffled by the attacks in your life. Well know that it is all about what you are carrying. If you weren’t carrying what you were carrying, you would never have these attacks.
   1. In experiencing these attacks, it is natural to want out. When you are contemplating walking away, you must realize that you are not just walking away from a thing, but rather walking away from a Devine Purpose.
5. A purpose is not something that you choose. It chooses you. When it chooses you, it apprehends you. You can’t get out of it. The enemy tries to get you to stop carrying what you are carrying.
6. In the midst of overwhelming attacks, know that God is at work in your life. The assignment of God will come to fruition, but you will come to a place called the end of yourself. It is at this place where you are doing what God told you to do. You wonder why all this drama now? Know that there is a blessing at your breaking point.
   1. Some of us are at a point where someone just needs to do one thing sideways, and it is all over!
7. We have come to prophesy to you today and let you know that God has a blessing at your breaking point!
8. Jermiah’s life is a good example of someone at their breaking point. Jermiah is called when he is young. God says that before he formed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb, God knew him. Jeremiah must grow up not only naturally, but also spiritually.
9. Jeremiah is a prophet during the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah and during this time, the people of God had lost their minds. They were so caught up into idolatry; they are not hearing God. God sent Jeremiah to them with a warning for them to get themselves together. God says it was time for them to come back to Him.
10. Jeremiah comes at a time in history when the walls of Jerusalem would fall down. Still the people would not listen to God’s word.
11. When they saw Jeremiah in the street, they would avoid him. They made a mockery of him. Some of them mocked and criticized him so much, Jeremiah started questing his assignment. He actually tried to quit.
    1. At this point he realized that something placed inside of him was so strong, it was like fire shut up in his bones.

II. GOD WILL PERSUADE YOU KNOWING THE REALITY

• It is interesting how Jeremiah processed what he was up against. Jeremiah thinks he is tricked by God. His struggle was if God knew this would happen, why couldn’t he have given him an opt out option.

A. You Never Choose the Call, It Chooses You

1. God will insert himself in your life and leave you no say in the matter. You must come to a place where you know God owns your life. Jeremaih 1 says that God knew him before he placed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah had to catch up and walk into what God had already started for him.
2. God doesn’t tell us everything, because he knows our flesh will walk away from it.
   1. You have to walk into what God chose for you. An example of this is, God2 chose the disciples.
3. If God chose you, then you wonder why he chose someone like you? It is because God knew that you could handle it.
4. You don’t understand your strength, until you’ve gone through some things. You wouldn’t know how good you could pray if you first hadn’t gone through some stuff.

B. God Knew You Could Handle It

1. That is why you’ve got to go through it. God knows what he is doing. We know we can do it, but in our head, we are frustrated.
2. Jeremiah’s issues manifested in every area of his life. Why? It was the pain of rejection.

III. THE PAIN OF REJECTION

• Bishop says he suffers from rejection. Many of us suffer from rejections that happened a long time ago. Rejection is tough, especially when you’re doing what God told you to do. How do you reconcile rejection when you’re just doing what God told you to do? It’s hard being rejected because you wonder if you are good enough.
• Here is where Jeremiahs pain is:

A. I’m Trying to Help Them, But They Are Hurting Me

1. Everybody has been there? What God is giving Jeremiah is for their benefit, but they are trying to curse him instead of embracing what God told him to say. The people we are there for, often abandon us.
   1. Mark 6:4 NIV says Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” – This simply means you will get more love from people outside your community than those you grew up with. Sometimes your biggest haters will be those that you grew up with or the ones in your own home.
2. Remember the stone that the builders rejected, became the chief corner stone.
3. So why are they rejecting you?

B. The Word Is Not Welcomed

1. They hate the word. In Jeremaiah 1, God said, don’t be afraid of their faces. God put his word in us. He put divine logic inside of us. When it looks illogical out there, it will be logical in here.
2. When God gives you word, you are carrying something. Jeremiah is worried, because the people are rejecting the word that he puts out.
3. Why were they rejecting the word?
   1. You Have to Admit That You Are Wrong – They don’t want to have to acknowledge that all these years, they have been doing things wrong. Can you imagine being on a job and presenting something that can change things, yet the company rejects it? They reject it, because they don’t want to accept or own that they have been doing things wrong all this time. Some would rather go down doing something wrong than come up doing something right.
   2. You Have to Access Your Ways – You have to make changes if you accept this word. Some are not willing to do that.
   3. You Have to Be Accountable to His Will – If you receive His word, you are now accountable for it. You’re only accountable for what you receive.

Story– Bishop tells a story about his son Joseph. When Joseph is told that he can’t have something or is told that he can’t do something, he takes his index fingers and put them into his ears, as if he’s not listening to what you have to say. We do this with God. We are not listening and this is why our lives are out of control.

4. Jermiah realized it was because of God’s word that the people weren’t listening.

IV. I’VE PLANNED MY RESIGNATION

• When people resign, they plan it. When someone resigns, they didn’t just wake up on Monday and resign on Tuesday. They resigned 6 months ago. They’ve been collecting a check, but really been absent for six months. People plan their resignation long before they act on it.
• People resign because of:
  • Escape– They trying to get away from the drama and avoid confrontation.
  • Stress – They are trying to escape the stress. They can’t take it anymore!
  • Regain control – I lost myself! They try to get back to themselves. Do you think God would invest in you just for you to turn around and throw it away?

A. My Frustrations Have Led to Contemplation

1. Things inside your mind are frustrations that cause you to contemplate things you never thought you would. The enemy will use HALT as an access points. HALT is an acronym that stands for hunger, anger, lonely, and tired. The enemy will use these low points to allow himself the opportunity to get to you.
2. The enemy tries to convince you that you will never come out of this.

B. I’m Done but I’m Still Doing It

1. Jeremaih is preaching but complaining to God at the same time. The people are not listening to him! Many of us are still working, but we’re done. Our passion is diminishing, and our focus has gotten off. You’re at your breaking point. You are done but still functioning! You’ve checked out! Anybody ever been there?
2. Jeremiah was at his breaking point! This is the point where God is there!

V. MY PASSION WAS REIGNITED

• Jeremiah’s transparency is a point of identification for all of us.

A. Your Word Wouldn’t Let Me Quit

1. If it wasn’t or the word of God, we would have lost our mind. His word kept us!
2. There are moments which you have a hell filled week, and on Sunday, God somehow gives you the word you need to go on.
3. Whatever you are going through, God has a word for it. You think you can’t keep going, but God has a word for you. Jeremiah was about to quit, but God’s word gave him a second wind.
   1. Even if the preacher isn’t preaching what you are going through, you better save it for when you do.

B. My Faith Is on Fire

1. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. When you are hearing Jeremiah say, “it’s like fire shut up in my bones”, then you realize that God reignites our passion.
2. Story: When Bishop started with Mt Zion he was 34 yrs old. Jefferson St had 150 members. 60 would show up on a good Sunday. There were some that showed up praising God. Some praised God occasionally Some came as the frozen chosen and some came falling asleep.
   1. Bishop was about 2 months into his Pastorship, when they came to him and said they had an Annual Usher Day scheduled. He asked who was the guest speaker? They said they wanted to hear their new Pastor deliver the word.
   2. After eating, he went back upstairs and the church was full. He’d never seen the church this full. That day, the Lord let him sit in His lap. Bishop preached harder than he ever had. He saw this old Lady shout. Bishop was feeling himself then. 6 Ushers got up and grabbed hands and made a circle around her. Another one tried to give her some water and the other fanned her. Bishop thought, “I’m trying to start a fire and ya’ll trying to put the fire out.!”
3. God gave you a fire that noone is going to put out. They may lie on me, but my fire is not going out! You might talk about me, but my fire is not going out!
4. How does fire remain? It is oxygen. The more oxygen, the more the fire burns. The bible says let everything that has breath, praise the Lord! Our breath or our praise, just might be the oxygen that reignites somebody’s fire!