God's Masterpiece

INTRO:

“Patience is a virtue!”

We’ve all heard that one, right?

Have you ever noticed that when we are waiting on God’s plan it often seems His plan develops slowly, at least slower than we’d like.

For sure, god’s design is never rushed.

The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner.

At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability.

One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion.

"What's the trouble, Mr. brooks?" he asked.

"The trouble is that I'm in a hurry, but God isn't!"

Haven't we felt the same way many times?

Some of the greatest missionaries of history devotedly spread the seed of God's Word and yet had to wait long periods before seeing the fruit of their efforts.

William Carey, for example, labored 7 years before the first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in Burma.

Adoniram Judson toiled 7 years before his faithful preaching was rewarded.

In western Africa, it was 14 years before one convert was received into the Christian church.

In New Zealand, it took 9 years; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the first harvest of souls began.

Thomas à Kempis, late Medieval Catholic monk and author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the best known Christian books on devotion, described that kind of patience in these words:

"He deserves not the name of patient who is only willing to suffer as much as he thinks proper, and for whom he pleases. The truly patient man asks (nothing) from whom he suffers, (whether) his superior, his equal, or his inferior...But from whomever, or how much, or how often wrong is done to him, he accepts it all as from the hand of God, and counts it gain!" - Thomas a Kempis

- Our Daily Bread.

It’s very difficult sometimes to wait on the Lord. But the Bible is clear about the rewards for doing so.

Isaiah 40:31 KJV 1900

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.

O to be patient in the things of the Lord.

· God’s time is not always our time.

1 Peter 5:6 NIV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Who’s time?

· God’s time!

God is patient with mankind.

He is patient with us!

And, shouldn’t we thank Him for it?

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him.

Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent.

There he washed the old man's feet and gave him food and drink.

The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing.

So Abraham asked him, "Don't you worship God?"

The old traveler replied, "I worship fire only and reverence no other god."

When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.

When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was.

Abraham replied, "I forced him out because he did not worship you."

God answered, "I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?" - Thomas Lindberg.

Thanks be to God that He endures us for ever how long it takes to be molded by him into what he wants us to be.

A few years ago I tried an experiment on a Sunday night.

I had a volunteer agree to be a model, and I handed out pencil and paper to the audience, and asked then to create a masterpiece-quality pencil drawing.

We could see right in front of us that the model was a perfectly good example of God’s work, so I challenged to do equally good work.

“With a fine model like this, you should be able to draw your masterpiece in no time at all,” I told them.

I said, “Ready, set go!” and they began to draw.

After only 10 seconds, I stopped them.

Then I looked through the drawings acting very disappointed and offended that the drawings weren’t better.

How many of you think it was unfair of me to expect them to produce a masterpiece in only 10 seconds?

It takes time, patience, and endurance for a true artist to create an authentic masterpiece.

Yet many of us treat God as though he should complete his work of art in our spiritual, emotional, and physical lives right now, in 10 seconds or less!

But that's not the way God works.

Listen to what the Scripture says.

Colossians 1:11–12 NIV

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

God is creating a masterpiece in you, so don't rush him!

Let his Spirit and power strengthen you so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need to live out your life as God’s evermore-beautiful work of art.

Sometimes we think that our mistakes are God’s failure in us, or that it’s our failure, and God is just not able to do a wok in us like He doses in others.

But that’s just not true.

The only thing that determines whether or not God is able to complete His work in us is OUR PATIENCE!

Our willingness to be molded and used by God is the determining factor.

Because ALL who are willing are used, molded, and made into one of the God’s masterpieces, and it takes more than 10 seconds.

And It’s never too late!

If you’ve already messed up your life, it doesn’t mean God can’t use you.

A life in shambles does not mean God is finished with you.

If God began His work in you some time ago, and then you failed, drifted from Him, and now you think He’s done with you, I promise He is not!

Jeremiah 18:3–4 NIV

So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

If, like the pot in this passage, you have pushed back against your Maker, you have slipped and become marred, He will remake you into something still beautiful.

The saddest thing I see is people who are convinced that God can’t use them, or make them into anything because of their sin and failures.

Do not give up on God, because He has not given up on you!

Let God remake you into His masterpiece!

It may not be the what it would have been before you rebelled, failed, or sinned; it may not resemble, even, what it might have been, but...

God remakes busted pottery into masterpieces!

Be patient with God, and...

Allow His work to be accomplished in you IN HIS TIME!

So, think about it; have you been impatient with God?

Don’t allow your past sin, or your view that you are somehow marred beyond the point of being able to be made into anything spectacular by God to cause you to lose heart, or grow weary in this life!

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Philippians 3:14 ESV

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Each and every one of you has an “upward call” on your life!

God did not create us to fail; if we do, that’s our own choice.

God has called us to win with Him!

Have you read the end of the book; God wins!

Win with Him!

Be His masterpiece, used by Him to do great things for the Kingdom!

CLOSE: How do you feel right now? Do you feel like God is using you, or do you feel like God can’t possibly use you?

Let me assure you, God can use you, and more than that, He WANTS to use you!

The Creator wants to create in you a masterpiece, a true work of art, a one of a kind world-changer doing His will.

Will you let Him?

Let us pray...