Everything Beautiful In Its Time

Peter Voorhees

Philippians • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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What truly matters most in life? Join us tomorrow as we discover Paul's inspiring call in Philippians to fix our eyes on Jesus - our eternal reward. This powerful passage will renew our vision and priorities, with practical keys to overcoming distractions. Whether you're seeking purpose or want to go deeper spiritually, this timely teaching will fill you with hope. Come ready to recalibrate your life toward what counts for eternity. You won't want to miss this uplifting message! You may just find that what Paul challenges the Philippians with 2000 years ago is exactly what your soul needs to hear today.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

The title of todays message is “Everything Beautiful in its Time”.

It implies that there may be some beauty currently but it hasn’t come to full fruition. It takes time, patience, cultivation...

Proverbs 25:15 “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”

Luke 8:15 “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

Romans 8:25 “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

The Bible has something to say about patience. I’ve heard the quip too where someone will say, “Don’t ask for patience, because God will give it to you.”

I want to encourage us church that is patience that inherits the promises. It is in learning to slow down in our fast-paced, I want it now culture that we will experience the depth and the fulness of what God has for us. That even in trials and difficulty, we can be assured that God is wanting to impart to us the fullness of Himself.

Isn’t that what the Apostle Paul told the church in Philippi last week that Pastor Josh led us through, Philippians 3:10–11 “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

It is counter cultural to embrace and lean into difficult times, sitting with the difficulty, then just wanting to do anything and everything to fulfill our desires that situations and circumstances might change.

Burger King says "your way, right away" and so we have an expectation and a draw to go there.

The Bible says "God's way, in God's time - the path of patience and trust."

The pull is to have it our way, right away, often times sacrificing what is right, good, true, and holy, for what we can have in the moment. Let me tell you from experience, it takes more than it gives, it leaves more empty than fills, and it can leave us more disillusioned and jaded than it does fulfilled. It is through patience and having the mind of Christ that we start to experience the fullness and richness that is the love of Christ.

Let’s be encouraged by our text this morning. If you have your Bibles or on your devices, please turn with me to Philippians 3:15-21. If you are able and/or willing, would you stand with me as I read God’s word this morning.

This is the word of the Lord

Let us pray

Thank you. please be seated.

Spiritually mature

Agree on these things… what things?

The things he previously mentioned in Chapter 3 that Pastor Josh covered last week.

Rejoice in the Lord, put no confidence in the flesh (our achievements or human effort), but remember that salvation is a gift of God.

That is in Christ-likeness that we experience the fulness of God.

God is faithful

If you disagree with Paul… that’s OK. God is faithful to show you.

Confidence in God… not in Paul, not in me, take what I say and weigh it with who know God is, what the scripture says, and be open to what is happening in your life. God is faithful. He loves you more than I do, He will lead you.

God will show you that you are wrong… and I am right :)

Hold onto those things we know are true

Hold onto what you know to be true. Whatever you’ve learned to be true, hold onto it.

Often times in difficulty, when life is disorienting and upside down, it is what we do know to be true that helps us when we encounter circumstances that we don’t know.

Chuck Smith, “When we encounter those things we don’t understand, we rely on those things that we do understand.”

The Philippians are experiencing the difficulty that Paul had when he was first among them (Acts 16) (Philippians 1:29-30)

It doesn’t help us to regress and throw everything away to go back to the place that was so dark and helpless that it drove us to Christ in the first place.

Often times when life was hard as a younger Christian, I would think about the pre-Jesus days and how fun it was, carefree, self-indulgent I was. It wouldn’t be till talking with friends that I would remember how lonely, empty, sad, insecure and frustrating those times were really were.

One of the great lies is things are better over there. Wherever “over there” is… it will be better. It’s just not true. It’s a lie. Why? We’ll get there in a moment.

Spiritual example

Paul says “follow me”… pattern your life after mine.

How good it is to have examples for us. My life is filled with wonderful mentors, disciplers, teachers, etc.

Many have lived an example of what to do!

Many have lived an example of what not to do! This can be just as important.

A wise person learns from their mistakes, but a wiser person learns from someone elses.

Be a consumate learner. Watch, learn, pay attention to the choices people make, be a student of their lives and see the benefit or potential pitfalls you might avoid in how they live, lead, and love (or not love) well.

We only need to look at the previous chapter to see that Paul is even himself following Jesus. Paul is not setting himself up to be super Christian… but he is saying, follow me as I follow Christ.

Is that you Christian? I’m speaking to those right now who name Christ? Can you say, follow me as I follow Christ?

It doesn’t mean you are perfect… but it means you know what grace, forgiveness, love, patience, and kindness are.

I meet with a counselor regularly. Counseling is a gift. Often times we come to counseling when things are not well, but let me tell you it’s helpful even when things are going well. I say that to bring you to an interaction I had with my counselor on one occasion (this is free therapy right now)… I was frustrated with myself because I regretted my actions when dealing with one of my children… I was wrong, I was angry with myself with how I reacted, and in tears I apologized to one of my children. I was lamenting this and my counselor helped me with perspective… what I had done in apologizing, admitting I was wrong, asking for their forgiveness, was more healing and helpful than the offense that I had created.

We are not perfect. This is not the standard that we are able to achieve here on Earth. We are though called to follow Jesus. That means we are realistic about what we can do and not do. So we learn to apologize when we make mistakes, we take others needs into consideration, we look to serve rather than exert power/authority, we realize it’s better to give than receive.

We should pray that we like Paul can encourage others to look at our lives, habits, and ways of life and say if you need some direction, follow me… imitate me as I seek to imitate Christ.

It is exactly what Pastor Josh led us through in Philippians 3:12–14 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Follow Jesus.

Our goal is to follow Jesus. Be conformed and transformed into his image.

For this, it means that like Philippians 1:29–30 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” and 3:10-14 (what we just read).

In doing things like Jesus, in the way of Jesus, we begin to be formed into the image/likeness of Jesus

Hebrews 5:8 “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way of Jesus. They way that God would have us to walk with Him. This as opposed to how what I want, would the adversary the devil would want, what and how I want things my way, right away. Think consumer mentality.

This is not mine, but most of this has been what I’ve been thinking about having heard theologian Tim Mackie (Bible Project) work through something he’s been thinking about. See if you can follow me here.

The Creation Story and the Fall is mapped on most of the Bible… over and over, rinse and repeat, in some sort of fashion or way (Gen 1-3). This is helpful for me… and I hope you too… it’s a lens we can see the story of scripture.

God made Adam and Eve and it was VERY GOOD (Gen 1:31)

Gen 2 is the story of the making of Eve and God placing them in a garden called Eden. It’s paradise, it’s all that they could want and more.

God set them up in the garden to cultivate the garden, to love each other, to know God, experience God.

One of the ways that God was going to lead them, teach them, mature them was providing a tree that they were not to touch… this is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17)

Gen 3 is the account of Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating from the tree…

If we look at the interaction between Eve and the serpent we see that...

The tree is good to eat. The tree is made to make one wise.

That the deception of the serpent was to take and to eat that God was not telling the whole truth. “You won’t die”… “You’ll be like Him”…

You see it wasn’t that God wasn’t afraid they will know as He knows (the NT tells us we will know as He does when we are in His presence (1 Jhn 3:2)), but that God wanted to teach them through a life with Him.

The serpent’s lie was take now what God wants to do through patience and time… in fact he’s provided it for you, just take it. Quick, fast, selfish, and opposing God’s word… they take, eat, and their intimacy with God is severed, it dies. They are ushered out.

Fast forward to Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4. He’s hungry… fasting 40 days in the wilderness (the anti-type)… so Adam and Eve in a lush garden where every tree was desirable, here Jesus is in the anti-garden with nothing to eat.

The tempter comes… the adversary the devil (not a name, a title)… says turn these stones into Bread… Jesus quotes scripture Deut 8:3… man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that… The adversary wants to give Jesus the easy way out… just take it… God doesn’t want you to suffer “If you are the son of God” take what you think you need. But Jesus does not give into the temptation… OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD FOREMOST.

He then goes to the temple (this in the Bible we see is an image of the garden… the temple is filled with garden imagery in it’s symbolism and the actual things in the temple), and the adversary again twists scripture when the harm and potential pain of falling from the temple… are you not the Son of God… he won’t let anything bad happen to you!!? **Beloved of God, let this sit with you when you are in difficult situations… the presence of trials is not the absence of God’s love or favor… but it’s that the power of God would be demonstrated through you.** Jesus again, OBEDIENT to the revelation of God’s word and God’s plan as difficult as it might be.

Lastly he takes him to see the kingdoms of the world (a high mountain… also garden imagery … think high places where people worship)… worship me and you won’t have to go to the cross. I will give people to you. He was subverting God’s plan… take the easy way out… but Jesus knew they only way to redeem us from grip of sin was through his life and inevitable death on the cross. OBEDIENT to worship the LORD alone.

Hebrews 5:8 “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered”

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Peter wanted to keep Jesus from this as well… you remember what happened shortly after Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ? Jesus began to tell them that he will suffer and die, and Peter said, “NOT SO!”… you remember, Jesus responded, Matthew 16:23 “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.””

This phrase “Get behind me Satan” is the same phrase that Jesus uses with Satan in Matthew 4:10 “Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”” … literally “Away from me Satan.”

Peter in the garden again would take out his sword to attack the servant of the high priest as they arrest him and Jesus tells him to put the sword away… that’s not how God’s Kingdom will come, by the sword.

So we see in Philippians 3 that all these things that Paul had acquired, as if it added something to him that God would love him more and find him more favorable… he counts as garbage… rubbish.

It’s the patient slow fermenting of our faith that God uses to teach and lead us. To shape and to mold.

We want the quick and now, but it is in patience and being with Christ that we are formed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit by the grace of God for the glory of God.

Warning against the enemies of the cross

The enemies of the cross want you to have it in the here and now. Take all that you can by any means that you can, no matter what it does to those around you.

Paul warns against this behavior.

Their God is not YHWH, it is their appetite for more, for power, for money, for indulgence… their mind is set on earthly things. It is take, take, take.

This is where power struggles come from. This is were arguments and disagreements come from.

Savior’s likeness

Citizens of heaven: not caught up in the ways of this world.

We eagerly AWAIT (patience, long-suffering) a Savior, the LORD JESUS CHRIST… **HOPE** “who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under his control

He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His.

He will do the work

He will empower

Conclusion

We want to reach out and grab what is ours now. We want to believe the enemy of our souls that God is with holding good things from us.

Rather God is allowing us and giving us space to trust Him that he will form us.

Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Revelation 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

**The idea is if they recant, they will be set free…

Let us be obedient to Christ as He was obedient to bring to us salvation. Let us trust and believe that in His good and perfect time He will bring us all things that we need for life and flourishing.

Part of this is learning what is real and what is true… the world will want to inundate us with lies that we think we need.... while all the more important to stay in God’s word and allow Him to lead us, teach us, and show us what we need.

What is most important in life? Allowing God to work in our lives at the pace that He knows is best. May we not be hurried or rush to take the “fruit” that is right in front of us. May we seek to be obedient to His word, His leading, and choose Him above all else. In doing so we obtain the resurrection, the life to come, and those who look at our lives might see the hope that our minds are fixed on, that they themselves would taste and see that God is good.