Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21
•Process
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11
Going through the process really matters because in the process you discover wonder and joy through the slow craft of making an artwork. [An art teacher] mentors [his students] in the promise and the delight of development, engaging in the slow, purposeful work, and in that way, mirroring the Creator’s own craftsmanship.
morning sermon October 23, 2022, Dr. Kelly Kapic
God designed us to be finite. As part of his good design, he made us to be limited in space, time, knowledge, and power, but with those limits comes the ability to grow and to develop.
morning sermon October 23, 2022, Dr. Kelly Kapic
•Time
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6b
God is clearly creating everything with purpose and care, but he is taking his time. . . . God saves us, and He’s really excited, and then we keep living our lives. If you’re like me, you say, “God, I don’t think you realize how much I’m going to cost you because I’m still screwing it up. I still don’t get it. I’m still not faithful in all the ways I should be.” We’ll ask for His forgiveness a few times, and then it’s almost as if we think He will say, “Look, I’ll forgive you once more, but the treasure chest is almost empty.” You see the problem. No. God is faithful, and God doesn’t begin a good work without seeing it to completion. He WILL see it to completion. It is often much slower and much more difficult than we anticipate, but He will see it through.
morning sermon October 23, 2022, Dr. Kelly Kapic
•Efficiency
But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.
Philippians 1:12-13
God’s highest value is not efficiency. It’s love. He’s more interested in beauty than the speed of process. He’s more concerned to lift our gaze and provoke song. He’s more interested in stimulating our imaginations than just getting things done. Creation demonstrates this. God is not wasteful. He is not negligent. He is purposeful and wise.
Think about it like this. When God created the world, it seems super wasteful. Why didn’t he make everything gray? . . . . Why the extravagance of a peacock’s feathers? Why the complexity of an orchid? Why the multi-layered nature of the human voice? Why the transcendent intimacy between a husband and wife? Is it necessary to have so many colors, so much diversity, so much depth, so much wonder? Why? Because God is not driven by efficiency alone. Love, beauty, wonder, worship: those are God’s goals. . . . He is compelled more by love than mere production. When you love someone, there are demands. There are needs, and it slows you down. It’s not efficient. It’s not efficient necessarily, but it’s beautiful.
morning sermon October 23, 2022, Dr. Kelly Kapic