JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q4. A Broken and Contrite Spirit - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?
To get humbly on our knees and ask the Holy Spirit to show us all our sins, as these sins are shown to us they must be confessed with a grieving spirit. This grief comes from knowing how the sin separates us from God and how it grieves his heart. Some of the main ingredients of repentance is brokenness and grief.

Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?
If we are not pardoned we spend eternity in hell. Our pardon cost Jesus Christ our Lord his death on the cross. What a sacrifice.


Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?
Satan tells us that we don’t need to completely turn everything over to Christ. He says we can just do a little house cleaning and things will be fine. He wants us to stand up and get it done so we can receive the credit. This is lye from the pit of hell and will keep us from the relationship that God wants to have with us. It is not a changed life it is a exchanged life that God wants

It means to be sorrowful that we have transgressed against Yahweh.

Until we are sorrowful, we are not ready for forgiveness.

We must give up our old behavior for that of a new and better behavior based upon the word of Yahweh.

Mankind has always wanted to be in control of his own destiny.

Our hearts should break with sorrow because of our sin.

This is essential, because without it, we're not truly sorry for our sins.

That's what makes it a true sacrifice...the sorrow actually causes pain.

I'm not sure why we resist this. Perhaps we think it'll make us appear weak? (But remember...when we're weak, THEN we are strong!) I would guess that part of it could be an attempt to avoid pain.

A broken and contrite heart represents or is an indication of how serious the person is. It is in our brokenness we really come to God with nothing but Faith. This a sittuation where all you have is the Faith you have in God; and that alone will God act upon.

God see's through our hearts and he knows when you are broken in heart. He Knows how to mend your brokeness.

Thank you Halleluiah Jesus..Thank you Holy Spirit

Amen

What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?
To realize the deplorable condition of our souls - - our need of God and our dependence on Him. To realize that we are nothing without Him - then He can fill us with His presence.

Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?
Because we must realize our brokenness and go to God to ask for Him to pardon us - which He did through His Son's sacrifice on the cross. It could be considered a sacrifice - as we die to our flesh - (the sinful part as to oposition to God and disposition to sin).


Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?
Because we don't like change and we like being in control. The warfar is that the devil wishes us to think that we can retain a portion of our lives and only give Christ part of it. The world also tells us that we don't have to be all that "religious" we can mold our god into any image we want - God is love - - God give us everything, the trend today is to ignore the repent and change.

1. That we are grieving over our sin and seeking cleansing.
1. For if you do not show remorse, you are not serious about your sin or do not recognize it
3. Obedience to the Lord
4. Rebellious? Not having a right relationship with the Lord.

To have a broken heart and spirit over sin means that I have realized that my wickedness has injured my relationship with God and that must be restored. When I have hurt someone I love with an offense, it does break my heart. I want to do whatever is required to make it right between us again. The most powerful thing in today’s lesson for me is the reminder that my relationship with God needs to be just like that. Personal and intimate, not detached and superficial. I must care about Him as much as anyone else I love (and more, of course!)

It’s just simply painful to admit what you’ve done and accept responsibility for how it has hurt someone. Think how hard that is to do with other people! We don’t want to face the ugly truth about ourselves, or look bad, or be humble. Pride is essentially the reason for our resistance to the proper response to our sin. To be broken and contrite demands the sacrifice of self-interests for what is right and for the best interests of another (which is actually one of my favorite descriptions of “love”). May I treat my relationship with the Lord with such loving respect!

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?


Broken heart and spirit means crushed and heart broken. Utterly broken down in the heart and mind. Absolutely no will power to do anything. Final acceptance of the fact that he has broken the relationship between himself and God. It is this state of mind that is essential for a prayer of pardon. Pardon is granted when the seeker is genuine. God knows the mind and seeks genuine state of the mind and spirit of the individual. From a personal point of view this can be termed as a sacrifice as it involves dying to self. Being crushed and broken hearted is dying to self and saying Lord, I am undone. Please help me.

The 'SELF' that is there in us refuses to be crushed and broken. It always want self gratification. We were born with a rebellious attitutde, questioning the credentials of God Himself. The very first question that Satan posed was 'did God said so'? We tend to question everything pertaining to God's views. It is good to question and seek clarifications but not necessarily things pertaining to God as the Psalmist says, 'my thoughts are not your thoughts, they are higher than the sky....' We cannot comprehend God with our human minds. We should always condemn this 'SELF' and let God handle our things in His way and time.

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?

sincere awareness and acknowledgement that we have sinned before God.


Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon?
unless we are sincere in our prayer for pardon, God cannot and will not give forgiveness for that sin.

In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?
the sacrifice here is knowing your sin, confessing it to God and asking forgiveness, and then to not repeat the same sin again.


Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?
because we are human, our very nature is sinful. We fail to realize the full extent of our separation from God. Our faith is still not at the place where we have gone beyond and "area of unbelief".

What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?
i think of it in 2 ways
A-you know that you've sinned and are so sorry that you've hurt GOD's feelings that your own
heart hurts.
B-when you think that there's no solution to your problem (even after prayer) because sometimes
our time isn't always GOD's time. or our way isn't always GOD's way.

Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon?
A- to show GOD that you're thinking of him and not yourself.
B-to show that you're really hurting yet you haven't given upon him.

In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?
A & B-pride is a large factor in people. in doing a prayer for pardon shows GOD that you have made a
mistake and are asking him for forgiveness. this humbles you. to most that is a sacrifice.


Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

Being truly sorry and turning away from sin. Falling on our face and crying out to God for forgiveness for sinning against Him. Having a real genuine desire to change and avoiding sin at all costs.
We must restore our relationship with God. Sometimes even giving up a meal (sacrifice) or something else we enjoy to spend time with Him. We will be better for it.
We are ashamed and afraid that we will be found out by other people and despised by God because of what we did. God is quick to forgive and wants nothing more than for our relationship to be restored. And people, well they have all sinned also. But by the Grace and Mercy of God the Father we are made whole again. Praise be to God!!!!

When I resist a broken and contrite heart it is simply because I want. And I want because I do not trust. I do not trust because I have taken my eyes off God's promise, that promise is not for the things of the world (because He is not of the world).

Some say we are born to live and we live to die. Jesus says, "You are born to die and you die to live." Paul gives a fairly good example of what Jesus Is talking about. 2 Corinthians 6:4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
I don't know, but I think this is what Paul was thinking about when he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Sacrifice or obediance? The last sacrifice needed was that of Christ, now we must be obediant. Even God posed this question, "Is not obediance better than sacrifice?"
Christ did not shed his blood for us to sin, He shed his blood because we have sinned.

there usta be a song called "try a little tenderness"..that's what i thot of..in an impersonal world
when no one seems to care...it helps to find some one sympathetic..a nurturer..bec i am that way...i'm often looked upon as a "good listener"...and tend to be available...not to be so full of my own self, that i don't have room fr the cares and prayers of others...Because He cares for me...and you!

ed

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

When we are "broken" in heart and spirit, we realize our sinful nature, and it breaks our heart that we have sinned--again--against our loving Lord and Master! If it doesn't break our hearts, then we are in big trouble! That would mean that we are still making excuses for our sin, rather than admitting it and asking forgiveness!
If we can not, or do not, admit this sin is us sinning, then we cannot be forgiven. As long as we can't see our sin, we fool ourselves that we are okay with God. Therefore, we would not "debase" ourselves by confessing it.
It is hard to admit we have sinned again. How many times does that make??
The sacrifice that the Lord requires is "a broken and a contrite spirit". Psalm 51: 17 We know that we have sinned, but we hate to admit that! Stupid! God already knows our sinning. But we try everything to avoid having to show up before Him again, covered with the filth of our sins. Yes, this can seem like a sacrifice when we think better of ourselves than we have any right to!

ekila, on Oct 2 2005, 07:05 PM, said:

A contrite heart is one that has been convicted by the Holy Spirit, and the sins cause a breaking down of self will and deceit inside the heart so we can realize our great NEED to be forgiven and saved from our selfishness. I am not so sure my own heart is capable of His truth in its wholeness, and feel God allows me to suffer through sinfulness to open up my mind to the reality of my own sinfulness. Humans tend to feel OK about their own sins, when they are not in deep temptation...and just let their sins slide into thoughts of comparison with others they know, and think..."I am just as good as the next person" and excuse their own sinfulness of attitude as well as actions. Our tendency towards self righteousness allows us to be OK with our sins, if we think ..." I am not hurting anyone else" so it is OK for me . My own broken and contrite heart feels the pain of my own horrible sinfulness and is deeply repentant, even when I do not want to change. The prayer "make clean my heart and cleanse my mind as well" is needed and the Lord will help us do our part in this process. In faith and repose on His Goodness and love for us, helps us keep from self condemnation.

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

To have a broken heart or spirit means that the burden and guilt of our sin is so intense that it literally feels as though your heart is crushed or broken.

God wants us to be close to him but until our hearts are filled with the sorrow of our sin, we are not ready for forgiveness. We can never please God if our heart attitude is not right.

The contrite heart is a sign of true repentance and that is a "sacrifice" acceptable to God.

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?
To have a broken heart is a heart that knows that sin has entered into you again. When a heart is broken we think of a relationship of the loss of a child or husband the pain the agony and hurt that we think will never end. The pain is so much you fear you will not be able to bare it and go on. The broken spirit is I feel even worse for many don't recover once the spirit is broken I think of that as having seen some on so put down in life that their spirit to lift themselves back up again is impossible. These kind of hurts many never recover from in the walk of life but the walk with God if we put our faith and trust in him he will restore us. It hurts him to see us broken hearted and he himself is hurt by our sins and our spirit is broken because we no longer can feel his presence, until we truly repent and call on him to forgive us.

Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon?
How could we or anyone be forgiven if we never ask? God wants an intimate relationship with his children as we do with ours. If my child hurts me I want them to come and talk to me and tell me they are sorry for the pain they have caused me. God is our Father we owe him this to become back to the closeness we have with him in our walk with God we have to be pardoned of our sins.

In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?
This is a sacrifice because we have to be able to lay all our sins at the foot of the cross once again. I thought that once I was forgiven I would not have to do this again. It is something that we repeat all during our life. It is telling him our deepest painful fears and hurts and that we truly need forgiveness again. Lord help us to be willing to do this sacrifice daily as Paul said he had to put the flesh down daily and so must we as long as we live this will be a fight for the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We must continue to be a living sacrifice before God in order to stay in his will.

Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?
Pride and rebellion is the only reason I can give that we do not want to ask forgiveness of God. Both of which we know is sin.

What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

It means to have a full understanding of our sin and how it has hurt our Lord and to be devastated with sorrow that we have caused pain to the one we love so deeply and has loved us beyond all comprehension.
It is a sacrifice because it requires the "killing" of ourselves, our pride and laying ourselves open before the Lord. This attitude is essential because it only then we are totally open before the Lord, no games, just bald faced honest openess. We tend to resist this because it requires us to get down from the throne we place ourselves on, laying down of our pride, our arrogance. It is embarrassing and it hurts and most of all it is humbling. We generally don't like to be humbled.

Lesson 4 Q 4
What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit?

It means we become aware of God's divine presence and our hearts become broken because of our sins, making us want more than anything forgiveness. We become aware that our sins hurt God who loves us and by our sins we are injuring His reputation. We become broken to the extent of sorrow.

Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon?

Because until we become aware of how much this hurts God and we bring Him down with our sins we will not pray the prayer for pardon. We will only have religion and not a geninue relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In what sense is this a "sacrifice"?

We have to give up following what we want to do ourselves and be obedient to God, which we find hard to do, because we like to be in control. We have to "sacrifice" self.

Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves?

Pride! We do not want anyone to see or think we are not perfect and we do not want to admit it to ourselves.