The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
The way back to God has always been and still is, through sacrifice. What can we bring
as a sacrifice to our God who in Christ sacrificed Himself for us?
In the context of the times when David wrote this Psalm, he was making the discovery
that God is happier with a heart that mourns for sin than with a sinner’s perfect bull
bleeding under the priest’s knife. Wesley says of this verse: “a broken spirit is of more
value than many sacrifices.” God seems to use broken things. Someone has pointed out
that it takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to produce rain, broken grain to
give bread and broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives
forth perfume. It is the broken Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns with greater power
than ever. But not only is our broken heart the way back to God, it is God’s way into us;
God says through the prophet Isaiah: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and 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.”(57:15)
Our brokenness is the crack, the opening through which Jesus can enter into our situation.
While this applies in all the areas and ways in which we can be broken in this life (draw
comfort from this truth) our context is spiritual poverty and holy mourning. Psalm 51 is a
model of holy mourning in a spiritually poor heart that seeks to return to the Lord. Verses
1-6 model honest and heartfelt sorrow for our sins, throwing ourselves at God’s loving
and compassionate mercy. Verses 7-12 model pleading for forgiveness, as opposed to just
asking for it. Verses 13-19 reflect a commitment to walking in God’s way in the future.
The key to honest turning back is our text verse.
O that I could repent!
With all my idols part,
And to thy gracious eye present
An humble, contrite heart!
An heart with grief oppressed
For having grieved my God;
A troubled heart, that cannot rest
Till sprinkled with thy blood! (99)
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.