The Blessing In The Breaking | Courteney Bence

Sunday, September 21

Scriptures

Matthew 14:13-21; Matthew 11:28-30; I Peter 5:7; Romans 12:2; II Corinthians 10:5; I Samuel 16:12-13; John 16:33; Romans 8:37; Isaiah 64:8; James 1:4; Genesis 50:20; Matthew 9:17; Exodus 30:25; Matthew 14:20-21; Isaiah 53:5; Isaiah 53:10; Luke 22:42-44; Genesis 3:15

Introduction

“And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” - Matthew 14:19-20

Today we’ll explore the message, ‘The Blessing In The Breaking’ by Pastor Courteney Bence. The message encourages us to focus on the ‘process’ of miracles as demonstrated in the feeding of the 5,000. She called attention to the fact that God works through processes and not just instances. The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 lays out a 4-step process that Jesus used to address the needs of the people. The 4 steps were: taking, blessing, breaking, and multiplying. In the process, Jesus not only met the needs of the people but established a relationship with His disciples which He would use to build the future of the Church. Courteney went on to emphasize the need for us to trust His process in life’s challenges. It is only as we yield to God and His Holy Spirit that we are able to experience the fullness of what He wants to do in our lives.

Matthew 14:13-14 "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick."

These verses provide us with context for Jesus’ compassion and also the setting of the miracle. In the same way, it is Christ’s compassion for us that calls Him to establish the same processes for us. He loves us so much as to meet us where we are, but too much to leave us there. He not only wants to provide our ‘daily bread’ but He wants us to become the children He created us to be. It is in the ‘process’ that God does both!

This week we will dig into:

Surrendering Control To God (Taking)

Finding Blessing In God’s Presence (Blessing)

Embracing Brokenness as Preparation (Breaking)

God’s Process Results in Multiplication (Multiplying)

Reflection Questions:

What stood out to you in this past Sunday’s message?

What phase of God’s process has been easiest for you to go through? What is hardest, and ‘why’?

Surrendering Control to God

This week, Pastor Courtney showed us how God is a God of Process and that in the process there are steps that are painful and those that fuel us. The focus was of the very familiar Bible story of the feeding of the 5,000. Often overlooked is the initial step of Taking the Bread. Before Jesus blessed the loaves and fish, before He broke the bread and clearly before He multiplied it, He took it. He accepted -from open hands - what the boy was offering. And when Jesus took it, a miracle happened for a multitude.

In this case the boy offered his lunch but the act of giving to the Lord whatever it is we have or whatever it is that we are carrying is key to the process that follows. His offering had no strings attached and no agenda behind it. The boy did not designate what the Lord would do with it. He placed the loaves and fish in the very capable hands of Jesus, trusting HE would know what to do. His responsibility was in relinquishment not fulfillment. And in doing so, the Lord provided for a bigger miracle than what was intended for one little boy. He is more than enough, as Pastor Bence reminded us.

We see a similar message when Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

A yoke is an agricultural device that links two working animals together during heavy labor. The weaker one would be joined with the stronger one who would help carry the burden. Jesus used this as a metaphor to show us that He will carry our burdens. It is in His shouldering or taking what we offer that we find guidance and rest.

What things are you holding onto that need to be laid at the foot of His Cross?

How does relinquishing your control into the Hands of Jesus change your situation? What does this look like for you, in your very unique situation?

Letting go of something dear to our hearts might be the most difficult thing we do. It may feel like you are stepping across a chasm when you cannot see the bottom and having to trust that He will get you to the other side. There is no pretending that all is well that will bring us relief or peace. The struggles in this life are real. He cares about the details of our lives. He cares about what is important to us, be it a burden for the health of our children, or of ourselves. If we have a burden over finances, or if we are struggling with a relationship or an addiction that we cannot seem to battle any longer, He is waiting for our open hand so He can take it from us. A reminder is found in 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) - "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

How do you intend to remind yourself with God’s Word that giving Him what you are holding onto is the right thing?

What specific burdens (e.g., worries about family, finances, or health) are you clutching tightly, and how can you practically open your hands to surrender them to Jesus?

The Second Step: Jesus Blesses the Bread

In the sermon, Courteney highlighted the second step in the miracle of feeding the 5,000: Jesus blessing the bread and fish. Before breaking or multiplying them, Jesus looks to heaven and blesses what appears we would think is insufficient—five loaves and two fish for thousands. She stressed that God's blessing isn't tied to favorable circumstances or visible changes; it's rooted in His presence.

How often do you wait for situations to improve to feel blessed?

How natural is it for you to remember true blessing comes from God's nearness and purpose, not just provision or comfort?

Courteney used David’s anointing in 1 Samuel 16:13 to show that God’s blessing is about His presence, not immediate change on the outside:

In 1 Samuel 16:13 (NIV), "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David."

Despite the Spirit of the Lord coming powerfully upon David, his circumstances remained unchanged in the immediate—he returned to the fields as a shepherd while Saul remained king.

Look at 1 Samuel 16:13: How does David’s story show that God’s blessing can be real even if life looks the same? Share a time this happened to you.

The blessing persisted spiritually through God's presence, preparing David for future responsibilities, even amid unchanged external realities.

How can you personally pursue God's presence over perfect conditions this week? How can the group help?

Just as Jesus blessed the bread before it multiplied, and David carried God’s anointing amid ordinary days, we are called to seek God’s presence in every moment, trusting that His blessing sustains and prepares us, even when life feels unchanged.

Embracing Brokenness as Preparation

In Courteney Bence’s sermon, The Blessing in the Breaking, the breaking of the bread in Matthew 14 is a crucial step in God’s transformative process. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, blessed them, and broke them before multiplying them to feed thousands, showing that brokenness is essential for divine purpose. Bence compares this to olives crushed for anointing oil and grapes pressed for wine, explaining that just as olives are “beaten, soaked, salted, and pressed” and grapes are crushed, our trials—such as betrayal, loss, or heartbreak—refine us.

As it says in Isaiah 64:8, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand,” God molds us through these painful seasons into vessels for His glory. Bence calls for “broken worship,” urging believers to offer “ugly praise” and a “painful hallelujah” in tough times, trusting God to transform our scars into testimonies. Another scripture we can lean on is John 16:33, where it says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” Jesus promises peace amid pain, ensuring our breaking is a setup for His purpose.

How can you surrender to God’s shaping process in a current trial, trusting He is forming you for His purpose?
In what ways can I practice “broken worship” during my current challenges, offering “ugly praise” or a “painful hallelujah” to God, as Bence encourages, even when circumstances feel overwhelming?
Reflecting on John 16:33, how can I lean into the peace Jesus promises in the midst of my troubles, and what practical habits (like prayer or reading Scripture) can help me trust that my brokenness is a preparation for God’s multiplication in my life?

Conclusion

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

The last phase of God’s processes is that of ‘multiplication.’ The 2 small fish and 5 barley loaves became enough to feed what some would estimate as 20,000 + people, with leftovers. The result is not based on ‘Self-help’ but on ‘Christ-help.’ It is through the processes of God that we are able to be prepared and in position to become the miracle that God wants us to be to fulfill our role in His purposes. We are called to trust God and His process in our lives of taking, blessing, breaking, and multiplying to bring about miracles in us and through us.

Courteney concluded her message with an important insight. She noted that the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 was actually a symbol of the process that Christ went through to secure our salvation. Jesus was ‘taken’ by the Heavenly Father to become the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sin of mankind, once for all. Jesus was ‘blessed’ by the Father so that His seal of approval was on Him [And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Mt 3:17]. Jesus was ‘broken’ on the cross for our sin. Jesus was ‘multiplied’ in that “…all who believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16”. As such, the Church was born out of the taking, blessing, and breaking of Jesus and a multitude of faithful believers would have eternal life.

The key to all of this is to remember that it is not what ‘we’ do that earns us this, but what Christ has done for us. Moreover, it is not simply about the destination or task that God’s process takes us to, but rather who God is molding us to become in the process!

Call To Action:

Find areas of your life where you are in the midst of God’s process,

Look for the phase that God has you in,

Identify how God’s hand is shaping you in this phase,

Commit to surrendering yourself to God’s process

Most importantly, actively and with intentionality, through meditation on God’s word and prayer, look for ways to embrace and grow through each phase to become the person God desires you to be so you can do what God has called you to do.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Help me to be open to the work of Your hand and the working of Your Holy Spirit. Teach me to be: willing in seasons of taking; humble in seasons of blessing; trusting in seasons of breaking, and faithful in seasons of multiplication. Empower me to embrace the fact that You are in control and that You have: “plans to prosper (me) and not to harm (me), plans to give (me) hope and a future.” Jer 29:1. Help me above all else to be faithful to Your process so that I can become the godly person that You desire me to be, so I can do what You are preparing me to do.

In Your Holy Name Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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