But I Am So Flaky

Introduction

For the last few weeks we have been wrestling with the concept of reconstructing faith. So far we have discussed how we can get entangled in manmade religion which may have an appearance of Christianity but when it has deviated from who Jesus is and what He said in His Word, then the worship that comes about as a result is unacceptable to God regardless of how much it may proclaim that Jesus is Lord. Ultimately, Jesus will say “depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.

We also learned that there is only one foundation and we must be mindful that whatever we build is built on Jesus the only solid rock for every other soil is sinking sand.

All of what we have been talking about is highly offensive. But it is only offensive to a particular group of people.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (LSB)

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

Admittedly this group of people is the majority of earth’s population:

Matthew 7:13–14 (LSB)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14 “For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

But for us who take the Scriptures seriously and who want so desperately to serve the Lord, what we have been covering may be scary, because you know how flaky you are.

You are on fire today and tomorrow not so much. You still struggle with sin and you find your trust in God wanting…

Which one of us has not felt at some time or another that no matter how hard we try we keep making the same mistakes, we keep loosing motivation, you keep making promises that at the moment you mean, but sooner or later you end-up breaking those promises.

Then you are embarrass. You do not want to pray because you feel that God has heard it all over, and over again. You are tired of your own self how could God not be tired of you.

If you are feeling particularly flaky this morning you are in the right place, at the right time...

Hopefully you will be encouraged this morning by what the Word of God has to say about where you find yourself today and God’s plans for you.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart; O take and seal it;

Seal it for thy courts above.

You are not the only one… Robert Robinson wrote these words in 1758.

What grace there is for all of us wanderers, doubters, and sinners in need of his grace!

Philippians 1:1–11 (LSB)

1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

5 because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace.

8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge and all discernment,

10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ,

11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul Identifies himself and Timothy who happens to be with him at the time and sees himself as well as Timothy as “slaves of Jesus Christ” (doulos). This identity is foundational to understanding their relationship and not only with Paul but with one another.

He addresses everyone as “To the saints” “holy ones” despite their flaws, their struggles, and how they feel about themselves. Most of our problems stem from an overarching trust on how I feel at the expense of how things are.

Next Paul says,

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

These are not casual words, this does not mean “I wish you well” or when you say “bless you” when someone sneezes. These are deep theological truths.

Grace is unmerited favor. The church did not earn it or work for it.

John 1:16 (LSB)

16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

Ephesians 2:8 (LSB)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

These were not good will wishes or empty words. These were theological truth declarations made with apostolic authority rooted in the word of God that if they are true of the entire church of Philippi overseers and all they are also true of the Bridge Church.

Even when we feel flaky or unworthy, God sees us as saints in Christ. Our relationship with God is rooted in His grace and not our perfection.

Through the blood of Jesus Christ there is peace between us and God. We have his peace because we have been reconciled to Him. He have been justified by faith so we have peace with God (Rom 5:1)

Philippians 1:3–5 (LSB)

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

5 because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

He has known them since the beginning of their journey (v. 3), and he prays for them fervently (vv. 4–5)

Almost nothing is known of Paul’s blood family. He is writing from prison and still has joy because his true family which is the fellowship of believers are with him although he is some 800 miles away.

The blood that united Paul and this congregation and members of the congregation with each other was the gospel. It is the source of joy and comfort in any circumstance including flakiness. They are the only real family that will outlast this world.

Matthew 12:47–50 (LSB)

47 Now someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”

48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

And Paul had such an understanding of the kingdom by divine revelation. He understood and told his brothers and sisters, regardless of their shortcomings the following,

You may say, I don’t feel particularly saintly today. You do not know the thoughts I’ve had, you do not know the things I’ve said, you do not know the thing I did, which now has me feeling ashamed and embarrassed ( Isaiah 54:4)

Philippians 1:6 (LSB)

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

No you are not perfect today, and you were not saved yesterday, but the confidence is that when God begins a work he does not abandon it.

He began the work of creation back in Genesis and the second chapter says,

Genesis 2:1 (LSB)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

what he starts He brings to completion. And you my brother and/or sister were not the initiator of the work of saving you. Jesus said

John 6:44 (LSB)

44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

You didn’t start this, and it wont be you who will bring it to fruition.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You did not do the work, you are not doing the work, and you will not do the work, it is all God working in you… slowly and steadily.

His confidence is that their lifelong participation in the gospel “from the beginning until now” will continue until the day of Christ… or the last day

And Paul is not talking about the work that God is doing through them but the work He is doing in them which is salvation.

The Philippians had their issues just like you and I. They were not perfect, but they were being perfected.

He tell them them in the next verses

Philippians 1:9–10 (LSB)

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge and all discernment,

10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ,

Paul prays that the Philippians’ love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight (v. 9). He recognizes that growth is gradual, and spiritual "flakiness" is part of the human condition. But despite our inconsistencies:

Our relationship with Christ is secure: The foundation of our salvation is not our performance but Christ’s work on the cross.

Romans 8:38–39 (LSB)

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Even when we are flaky, God’s love continues to abound toward us. He desires that our love for Him and others would grow despite our struggles.

When our faith feels like it is teetering on edge and we can’t seem to get it together, remember that God has consistently asked us to invite him into our mess and allow him to help transform us from the inside out. We will always have natural consequences for our actions, but if our hearts are sincere as we seek his truth, we can be confident that he is working in it.

Philippians 1:11 (LSB)

11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

This filling up and growing comes through Christ alone (solus Christus)

verses 10-11 mention that God will help us discern what is best and make us "pure and blameless for the day of Christ." This is God's work in us, refining and purifying us over time.

We can rest in the assurance that God is working in us. Instead of focusing on our failures, we should focus on Christ and His faithfulness. Our calling is not to be secure perfection, but to trust the One who is perfecting us.

As we leave today, remember that feeling flaky doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love or His plans. Philippians 1:6 assures us that God began the good work in you, and He will be faithful to complete it. Your relationship with Jesus is secure, not because of your consistency, but because of His.

This week, whenever you feel discouraged about your spiritual walk, remind yourself that God’s work in you is ongoing. Reflect on His faithfulness and commit to trusting Him through every season, knowing that He is bringing you to completion.

Even if our hearts condemn us God is greater than our heart