Title I need time
Contents
Life of Purpose 4 Months 26th Sermon
Title: I need time
Text: Philippians 1:6
Christmas is over and we are on the last Sunday of the year. The weather is cold winter. By the way, we can eat summer fruits as well. It's amazing that summer fruits can be eaten even in winter. The cartoon world I saw as a child has now come true, and it has become a better world than that. Even so, there is one thing that doesn't change. Even if we can eat summer fruit now in winter, it must have a growing period to become an edible fruit. You need at least one season. No matter how much the world gets better and the world becomes more accessible to children, the truth that it takes several decades for a person to become an adult does not change. Then how much time does it take for a child of God to become like Christ and develop that character?
1. Differences in perspective
This is the difference between God and us. We worry about how fast we will grow, but God is focused on how strong we will grow. We rush because we see it from the perspective of this world, but God never rushes because He looks from the perspective of eternal life. However, it does not mean that you just wait patiently. You make a detailed plan and go ahead.
During the Korean War, General MacArthur conducted the Incheon Landing Operation. After firing cannons and cannons near Yeongjong Island and Wolmido Island to shake the enemy base and weaken the defense, the Marines landed and secured a bridgehead. After that, using Incheon as a bridgehead, they began to neutralize the North Korean army's waist and were able to advance north.
This is a strategy that God likes to use to make us Christlike.
God tells us, “I am standing at the door and knocking. So open the door.” But not many people open the door on the first knock. Most people resist and defend. Then God weakens us by giving us problems that we cannot handle. In doing so, he enters our hearts and establishes a bridgehead in our lives.
The moment we confess our commitment, we think we've given our whole life, but in fact, in many parts of our lives, we don't recognize God. Yet, God is not sad. Since God has secured a bridgehead, he gradually expands the territory little by little until he conquers our lives. Wars ensue, and suffering follows. But the results are beyond doubt. You are fulfilling what God has promised. “We are sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Christlikeness is our final destination. Until we arrive at that destination, we must continue to fight to become one with the faith and the knowledge of Christ. We are obsessed with speed. But God cares more about strength and stability than speed. We want to change quickly, take shortcuts, and find solutions on the spot. We want the power to remove all temptations and set us free from all suffering with one morning prayer and one Sunday worship service. But true maturity is not a one-time outcome, no matter how powerful and moving the experience may be. It is done gradually. It will be done for a lifetime. The whole of life is a process of becoming like Christ.
2. Long hours of patience
God can transform us instantly. But slowly, little by little, you change. God did not allow Israel to enter Canaan immediately after the Exodus, but led them for 40 years. You led me to the promised land little by little. Jesus was very careful in raising his disciples. You persevered for three years. So why does God take so long to change us?
1) We take a long time to learn.
To fully understand something, we have to relearn it 40-50 times. When we meet the same thing, we say, “Again! I have already learned it!” But because it has not yet become mine, God is putting me in the same situation again so that I can learn again. Israel's history shows how quickly we forget lessons we learn from God, and how quickly we return to old habits. We are in need of repeated learning.
Habits take time to establish.
Our character is the synthesis of habits. We cannot claim to be kind unless we become accustomed to doing it unintentionally. You can't be honest unless it's a habit to always be honest. Our habits are our character. Therefore, there is only one way to cultivate the habit of imitating the character of Christ. Keep practicing. As I said last week, repeat, repeat, repeat. Therefore, a lot of time is required. If we keep practicing something, we eventually become good at it.
2) We have a lot to forget.
There are many hidden things in our lives that have melted away. Some I know and some I don't know. They do not change easily and do not disappear because they have been in me for a long time. This is not what many people expect for a quick solution. It is unrealistic to hope that most of the problems and bad habits we have are not built overnight. There is no medicine, no principle, no prayer to heal the wounds of years in an instant. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to take off the old one and put on the new one.
3) We are afraid to humbly accept the truth about ourselves.
Growing up is scary and painful. Truth sets us free, but it also makes us miserable. There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss. And there is no loss without pain. Every change involves loss and suffering. In order to experience the new, you have to let go of the old way. We are quite afraid of losing our old ways, even if they have defeated us. Because even the shoes that fall off are comfortable and familiar to my feet.
The fear of what we will encounter when we honestly accept our flaws in character keeps us living in denial. People sometimes build their identities around their flaws. “It’s mine!” “You are like that,” he says. We subconsciously worry, “Who will I be if I let go of this habit or hurt?” This fear slows our growth.
Only when God shines the light of truth upon our mistakes or failures can we make an effort to correct them. So we cannot grow without being humble or unwilling to learn.
3. Don't rush.
1) Believe that God is at work in our lives even though we may not feel it.
Spiritual growth is sometimes boring. It goes very little at a time. Just as there are deadlines and times in everything under the heavens, there are seasons in the life of faith. We grow a little (spring), maintain that state, grow up (summer, fall), and be trained to go to the next level (winter). Through this gradual process of change, we grow.
I must pray for my change. But do not be discouraged, knowing that this is a gradual change. A slow but continuous flow of water rounds the corners of the rock. Over time, a small seed will grow into a large tree over 10m tall.
2) Record the lessons learned.
It's not a diary of events, it's a record of what you're learning. Write down all the lessons and lessons God has shown us about ourselves, our neighbors, and our relationship to Him. Scan them again and remember them (using the weekly sermon on the homepage). The reason we need to chew the cud is because we forget it. Recalling your faith journal is an excellent way to avoid unnecessary pain and hurt.
3) Don't be discouraged.
The prophet Habakkuk was desperate that God was not moving quickly. At this time, God said: “This vision has an appointed time, and its end will come quickly, and it will not be false; though it delays wait, it will not delay, it will surely come” (Hab 2:3).
God's dream for us will surely come true. It will be completed at just the right time, without a single day delay. Don't despair even if it seems slow. It comes slowly and steadily.
Look behind us. Even if we are not where we want to be, we are not where we are. Please be patient. God has not yet finished the work concerning me. So keep moving forward. The snail reached the ark with great tenacity.
Be patient with God and with yourself.
We feel frustrated in life because God's time schedule and ours do not match. God is never in a hurry. God is precisely on time. God uses all of our lives to prepare us for life in the eternal world.
There are many examples that show that God used a long time to become like God and to grow as a leader in the kingdom of God. Moses prepared it for 80 years, and David also lived a life of refuge and wilderness for more than 10 years. After experiencing God on the road to Damascus, Paul also went through three years of trial in the wilderness. Also, during the ministry of Moraza, I received refinement in one way or another.
There is no shortcut to maturity. There is no secret to instantly becoming holy. Mushrooms bloom overnight, but the oak that grows them must grow for decades. Likewise, great souls grow through time of trouble, typhoon, and pain. So James said, “Perfect your patience This is so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in anything” (James 1:4).
I pray in the name of the Lord that we all continue to be Christlike through more patience as we trust in God.