Today we are going to be in the book of Philippians.
Have you ever driven by a building that is under construction? When you first see it starting off it just looks like a big mess. You got scaffolding every where, unfinished walls, piles of dirt, and things just scattered everywhere! Not only that, but sometimes we say to ourselves, “when is this ever going to be finished?? On the outside it looks a bit crazy, but to the master builder, everything is going according to plan. He is not bothered by the mess. Why? Because the builder has the blueprint. The builder knows exactly what it is supposed to look like when it’s finished. What looks like a mess now will one day become a masterpiece.
That is exactly how it feels in our life at times. We look at ourselves and see all the unfinished parts: our mistakes, our past, our struggles, our fears, we look at these things and think to ourselves, “I should be further along by now.”
However, while we see all of the mess, God sees the masterpiece; He sees the end result. Things may look crazy, but God is not bothered by the incomplete construction zones of our life. Why? Because God has the blueprint! He knows exactly what it is supposed to look like when it is finished. To God, everything is going according to plan. While we see the construction zone, God sees the completion.
Here is the cool part: no matter the situation, God does not leave any of His projects half-done. If He started something in you, He’s not walking away from it.
Everyone here is in a process; every person here is a work in progress. We are all clay in the hands of the potter who is molding and changing our lives for the His glory. We are not who we used to be, and we are not yet who God is shaping us to be.
This is the reason why Paul was able to write to the Philippians and say:
Philippians 1:6 - “Being confident of this… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Let’s zero in on the people of the Philippian church. Paul says that He was praying for them, and he said that we was thankful for them. Why? Because they had partnered with him in the gospel, while he was in prison. There were many people who turned their backs on Paul once he was placed in chains for Christ, but not the Philippians. They stood with him all the way through. Wow, those are some stand up people! However, they were far from perfect:
- - Lydia a business woman
- - Jailer who tried to take his life
- - Slave girl who was demon possessed
- - A mix of believers who were divided
- - Those rich and of status looked down on others
So they were far from perfect. But that didn’t phase Paul, nor did it phase God.
Similarly, God is not phased at us when we are not perfect. It doesn’t bother him when you are still trying to figure it out and it seems to be taking you longer than others. Thank God! But why? The answer is found in the text.
- 1. God Began the Work in You
“He who began a good work in you…” - • You are not the reason why you are a born again Christian- there is nothing you did to make salvation possible.
- • God began the work of salvation for your life!
- • The Atonement of Christ
- 2. God is Still Working
“…will carry it on…” - • God is continually shaping us into Christ’s likeness, He is making us more like Him!
- • The Philippians were growing—Paul prayed their love would abound more (Phil. 1:9).
- • They faced internal conflict (Euodia & Syntyche in Phil. 4:2).
- • They faced external pressure and persecution (Phil. 1:29–30).
- • We too are not perfect, we make mistakes, but God knows what He is doing.
- • We are all clay in the potter’s hand.
- • You are not finished yet! God is using all of the situations and circumstances around you and is molding and shaping them for your good.
- 3. God Will Finish the Work
“…will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - • What He began, He will finish
- • We may see a mess in our life, but God sees a masterpiece
- • He is going to complete that masterpiece in our life as well.
- • We will complete on the day of Jesus Christ
- • The final result will be even better than the beginning.
So realize that the construction zone areas of your life are not just a mess, they are a masterpiece in process. You have to allow God to have control in your life and trust Him by following His plan for your life, found in the Bible.
Takeaways
- 1. You are a work in progress
- 2. God is right there with you
- 3. God will finish what He started
