Picture This

So this Sunday is graduate Sunday and let me tell you its an awesome day. For me in particular its an awesome day. Today signifies that Elisha and I are halfway there. We got 2 of the 4 graduated and for the most part out of the house. Yall I love my kids but I’m on the countdown now. I’m like 2 more years and my grocery bill gets cut in half. Two more years and I won’t have to go through the house yelling about light switches and thermostats and wide open doors and well you get it. And those of you that don’t get it yall are the ones getting yelled at about lights switches thermostats and open doors.

But this is a day of celebration for our graduates a day that we get to acknowledge them, congratulate them and wish them well in their future endeavors.

We are gonna dip out of our series through Mark and I’m going to give a message that is to the graduates but hopefully relevant to all of us. The title of my sermon this morning is Picture This.

You see as graduates you have a picture in your mind of what the rest of your life is gonna look like. Right now you know what you want to do, the car you want, type of house you want, how many kids what your family will look like and where you are gonna live. Careers, college, success, and getting out on your own. And your parents have a picture in their mind of all those things as well. Some may look the same some will be alot different but they have a picture.

Let me give you something to think about this morning. At some point in the future could be sooner could be later things are not going to match up with that picture.

So the first example I want to give you is David. As a 15 year old boy he was a shepherd. Guarding sheep protecting them. I bet he had a picture of him as he got older having his own herd and a family and living in the country a nice simple life.

Then the prophet Samuel shows up and anoints him King of Israel. Wow Picture change. You see the whole picture changed for David but he was only given a piece. Check this out in 1 Samuel chapter 16 starting in verse 10...

English Standard Version Chapter 16

10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Now the reason I say he got a piece of the picture is because it would be another 15 years of waiting between the time he was anointed King and the time he became king. And he went through some pretty rough stuff in between. I mean just the waiting itself would have been torture right. How many of you like to wait? I mean I can handle a couple of days maybe at most a week or two but how would you like to wait 15 years for something to happen.

And you can say well if somebody told me in 15 years I would be king i could wait sure you could if you had a definite timeframe. David got a piece. He didn’t get a timeframe he didn’t get an assurance except for the Spirit of the Lord that came upon him. That was his only assurance.

So finally this happened in 2 Samuel chapter 5...

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

Finally he becomes King....Little did he know exactly how much impact he would have on the future. He still just had another piece.

Now look at Abraham. He was childless had a picture in his mind of what things were supposed to look like but that wasn’t how things were working out. Then God helps the picture with a piece in Genesis chapter 15.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

You see God really gave him a picture. Go outside and count the stars if you can Abraham. Your offspring will be like the stars. Big picture but he only had a piece of it. Just a piece. But he believed God.

And then all these other things happened and Abraham was still childless. He tried to make it happen on his own but God always keeps His promises. He always comes through. There is never a time when God is not in control. Where His plan doesn’t work. Where His purposes aren’t fulfilled. Not ever.

But when we just have a piece it’s hard for us to believe sometimes that God has a purpose for us. Graduates just because you only have a piece doesn’t mean the picture isn’t coming together. Just because the big picture isn’t coming together quickly or the way the think it should doesn’t mean God isn’t working out all the details. And that goes for all of us.

Check this out. I bought this lego set right. Now everyone should have gotten a lego piece when they came in today. If you didn’t make sure you grab one on the way out. So I bought this lego set and the picture on the outside is great right this is gonna be awesome and i open the box and instead of the picture on the box I get this.

What am I gonna do with this? All these pieces? This does not look like the picture. This isn’t what I bought. I mean come on. Now some of yall can see that these pieces all go together in a particular order right and then once all the pieces are put together you get what the picture shows. But you have to do something interesting and somewhat foreign to most of us especially the guys in the room.

YOU HAVE TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. The instructions will help the pieces come together to make the picture.

Graduates and everyone else in here. How will we know how our pieces go together if we don’t read the instructions. How do we know what God says about us and our purpose and our relationship with him and what that is supposed to look like if we don’t read the instructions.

You see if we don’t read the instructions then we won’t understand that just because we have a piece of the picture and the whole picture doesn’t just automatically show up we shouldn’t give up.

If we don’t read the instructions we won’t understand that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That His plan isn’t going to match our plan. And we won’t understand that His plan for us is perfect. His plan fits. And the pieces that He gives us will come together to create a beautiful picture.

In Isaiah Chapter 55 it says:

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

His thoughts are perfect and His ways are perfect. God wants the absolute best for you. He has planted His purpose for you deep in your soul and as you gather the pieces to fit the picture of God’s purpose you will be fulfilled and content. Some of us though are trying to make the pieces fit our own picture and we keep looking at the pieces like what do I do with this it doesn’t fit my picture and we get frustrated.

Graduates when you get a piece that doesn’t fit your picture maybe you need to readjust your lens and see if your picture is matching God’s purpose. Don’t give up when you get a piece that doesn’t fit. Don’t give up when it looks things aren’t working out.

This is for all of us. Don’t give up when life throws you a curveball. Don’t give up when you get a terrible professor. Don’t give up when you change your major. Don’t give up when you move to a place you didn’t plan on going. Don’t give up when things get difficult. Don’t give up when the pieces don’t seem to match up. Don’t give up when all hell is breaking loose around you and your under attack and it seems like nothing is ever going to go right again. DON’T GIVE UP. Keep picking up pieces. Keep trusting God. Keep reading the instructions.

Paul writes this in his letter to the Romans :

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

He’s going to work all those pieces into a beautiful picture. God is going to take all the pieces that you think are broken that you think are throw away pieces and put them in place to create a beautiful picture for your life if you put your faith and trust in Him and keep reading the instructions.

Paul also writes this in Philippians chapter 1

English Standard Version Chapter 1

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God will bring that good work He started in you to completion. Well Brad what does that mean? I’ve got all these throw away pieces. God is faithful. God is Faithful. He keeps His promises. He knows what the picture is supposed to look like and all those pieces matter. He keeps working and once you’ve placed your faith and trust in Jesus that good work begins. And God will see it all the way through. He doesn’t go halfway get bored and then pick a new project. He promises that the good work that is started He will bring it all the way through to completion.

My challenge to you graduates this morning is to gather your pieces carefully by reading the instructions. Keep Jesus as the center of your life as you gather your pieces. He will make His will known to you and His purpose clear in your life. And don’t get tired if the pieces don’t make a picture right away. Have faith that God is going to work all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Don’t give up and don’t throw away your pieces even the ones that you gather during hard times. As you get older those pieces become some of the most beautiful pieces of your picture.

As the band comes up can I get everyone to stand. Some of you here this morning have given up on your pieces because it seems like it’s taking to long. Some of you here have tried to force your pieces instead of using the pieces God is giving you. That’s ok. We aren’t perfect. But I want to encourage you this morning bring all your pieces up here to this altar and give them to God and let Him rearrange them for you. Let Him fix them.

Some of you are holding pieces you don’t want bring them to God this morning and let Him show you the purpose for those pieces.

And there are some in here that most of what I’ve been saying makes no sense. You haven’t placed your faith and trust in Jesus and asked Him to be the Lord of your life. You’ve got your own picture and if your honest most of the time it doesn’t make sense or it’s constantly changing. But you also know that some of what I’m saying is ringing true and you have no idea why. God is inviting you to a relationship with Him. God sent His son to die on a cross so that we could have a relationship with Him. All we have to do is accept His son Jesus place our faith in Him and ask Him to be our Savior. If that’s where you are come up talk to me let me pray with you.