Show Us the Father | Week 3 | Pastor Kevin Kringel |
Show Us the Father
Week 3
God Is Still Working on You
Today, as we celebrate Father’s Day, you may fondly remember that your dad was handy. Maybe he had a workbench in the garage, or maybe he liked to tinker, build, or fix things. Maybe that is you. You love getting your hands dirty, building, fixing, or creating. Today, we look to our Heavenly Father’s hands and workbench.
Ephesians 2:1-10
(vs. 10) "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)
- We were lost, but by the initiative and work of God, we have been found, and He is doing something beautiful in us and through us.
Main Idea
God is the Master Craftsman. In every season of your life, what He adds, what He removes, and the pressure He allows are part of His loving work to shape you into the image of Christ.
The Father’s work is not random. He has a blueprint:
Romans 8:9 “For those He foreknew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son…”
2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (not a fading glory)
The Master Artisan: Jesus Grew Up in a Workshop
Artisan: "An artisan sees more than raw materials. An artisan sees potential. Where others see a rough block of marble, the artisan sees a masterpiece waiting to be revealed. Where others see a lump of clay, the artisan sees a vessel. Where others see scraps of wood, the artisan sees a table.
The Greek word used of Jesus and Joseph for carpenter is tekton.
Not simply a carpenter in the modern sense, but a builder, craftsman, artisan, master worker.
Think: Out of all the homes God could have chosen for His Son... He chose a workshop.
Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9
Jesus is revealing the Father to us.
And now Paul says: "You are God's workmanship."
I announce to you today:
The Father's shop is still open. The Father is still creating. The Father is still working.
The Workbench: God Adds
Every craftsman begins with raw materials.
Then he begins adding.
Boards.
Fasteners.
Paint.
Support beams.
Hardware.
(God knows how to take all of these pieces and put them together to make something amazing).
The Father works this way in our lives.
God adds people.
God adds opportunities.
A promotion. (Something bigger than you)
A ministry assignment.
A new city.
A conversation.
A chance meeting.
An open door.
God adds responsibility.
Marriage.
Children.
Leadership. (Learning to carry more than yourself)
A business.
A burden for people.
Responsibility stretches our capacity.
God adds gifts.
Wisdom.
Understanding. (more education)
The Holy Spirit is our helper as God adds Spiritual gifts, natural gifts. The Father knows what He has placed in you and how to bring it out.
But every masterpiece reaches a moment where adding isn't enough.
Sometimes the artist must begin removing.
The Chisel: God Removes
Imagine Michelangelo standing before the enormous block of marble that would become David.
Two other sculptors looked at it and rejected it.
Too damaged.
Too flawed.
Too difficult.
But Michelangelo saw something hidden inside.
He didn't create David by adding marble.
He revealed David by removing everything that wasn't David.
That's often how God works.
God removes sin.
Pride.
Lust.
Greed.
Selfishness.
Unforgiveness.
Bitterness.
God removes unhealthy relationships.
Some friendships can't go where God is taking you.
Some influences must stay behind.
God removes seasons.
Jobs.
Titles.
Comfort zones.
Dreams we've outgrown.
Even good things can become obstacles if we hold them too tightly.
God removes false identities.
Fear.
Shame.
People-pleasing.
The labels others gave us.
The labels we've believed about ourselves.
Jesus said the Father prunes.
John 15:1–2 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
Pruning feels like loss.
But pruning is proof that the Gardener believes in the vine (Jesus) and in a better harvest to come through your life.
Some people today are grieving what God removed.
If the Father removes it, it was not to punish you.
Perhaps He removed it because He saw the masterpiece hidden underneath that He was bringing forth.
Maybe today He's whispering:
"I'm not harming your life. I'm revealing who you really are."
The workbench adds. The chisel removes. Sometimes God doesn't seem to add or remove. Sometimes, He simply places His hand on us.
The Potter's Wheel: God Applies Pressure
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Jeremiah 18:1–6 (NIV)
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."
3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel."
Jeremiah watched the potter at work.
When the clay became misshaped the potter didn’t throw it away, he kept working with it.
The Father knows exactly where to place His hand.
Sometimes, He presses our faith.
So trust grows.
Sometimes, He presses our patience.
So endurance develops.
Sometimes, He presses our pride.
So humility forms
Sometimes, He presses our love.
By placing difficult people in our lives.
Sometimes, He presses our dependence.
By allowing situations bigger than ourselves.
And after the shaping comes the fire. The kiln doesn't ruin the pottery.
It sets what the Potter has formed.
Closing: God is forming us into someone. Christianity is not a set of principles and concepts to know but a life to be lived; experiences we have with God lead us to trust Him, all the while we become something beautiful.
The workbench. The chisel. The wheel. Different tools. Same Father. Same loving hands.
You are His workmanship. His masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus.
Altar Call
1. For those that God has been adding and stretching (you are growing, do not be overwhelmed, do not fear)
2. For those grieving what God has removed (Trust the artisan, those things were not meant to be here in this season)
3. For those under pressure (If He’s placed his finger on something, it’s for a reason; if there’s pressure or conviction, allow it to shape you, surrender to it)
Invitation
Maybe today you've realized you've been trying to build your own life apart from God.
The greatest work the Father ever does is not repairing behavior. It's creating new life.
Through Jesus Christ, He offers forgiveness, restoration, and a new beginning.
Will you place your life on His workbench?
Week 3
God Is Still Working on You
Today, as we celebrate Father’s Day, you may fondly remember that your dad was handy. Maybe he had a workbench in the garage, or maybe he liked to tinker, build, or fix things. Maybe that is you. You love getting your hands dirty, building, fixing, or creating. Today, we look to our Heavenly Father’s hands and workbench.
Ephesians 2:1-10
(vs. 10) "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)
- We were lost, but by the initiative and work of God, we have been found, and He is doing something beautiful in us and through us.
Main Idea
God is the Master Craftsman. In every season of your life, what He adds, what He removes, and the pressure He allows are part of His loving work to shape you into the image of Christ.
The Father’s work is not random. He has a blueprint:
Romans 8:9 “For those He foreknew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son…”
2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (not a fading glory)
The Master Artisan: Jesus Grew Up in a Workshop
Artisan: "An artisan sees more than raw materials. An artisan sees potential. Where others see a rough block of marble, the artisan sees a masterpiece waiting to be revealed. Where others see a lump of clay, the artisan sees a vessel. Where others see scraps of wood, the artisan sees a table.
The Greek word used of Jesus and Joseph for carpenter is tekton.
Not simply a carpenter in the modern sense, but a builder, craftsman, artisan, master worker.
Think: Out of all the homes God could have chosen for His Son... He chose a workshop.
Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9
Jesus is revealing the Father to us.
And now Paul says: "You are God's workmanship."
I announce to you today:
The Father's shop is still open. The Father is still creating. The Father is still working.
The Workbench: God Adds
Every craftsman begins with raw materials.
Then he begins adding.
Boards.
Fasteners.
Paint.
Support beams.
Hardware.
(God knows how to take all of these pieces and put them together to make something amazing).
The Father works this way in our lives.
God adds people.
- Spiritual fathers and mothers
- Mentors
- Friends
- Pastors
- Coaches
- Teachers
God adds opportunities.
A promotion. (Something bigger than you)
A ministry assignment.
A new city.
A conversation.
A chance meeting.
An open door.
God adds responsibility.
Marriage.
Children.
Leadership. (Learning to carry more than yourself)
A business.
A burden for people.
Responsibility stretches our capacity.
God adds gifts.
Wisdom.
Understanding. (more education)
The Holy Spirit is our helper as God adds Spiritual gifts, natural gifts. The Father knows what He has placed in you and how to bring it out.
But every masterpiece reaches a moment where adding isn't enough.
Sometimes the artist must begin removing.
The Chisel: God Removes
Imagine Michelangelo standing before the enormous block of marble that would become David.
Two other sculptors looked at it and rejected it.
Too damaged.
Too flawed.
Too difficult.
But Michelangelo saw something hidden inside.
He didn't create David by adding marble.
He revealed David by removing everything that wasn't David.
That's often how God works.
God removes sin.
Pride.
Lust.
Greed.
Selfishness.
Unforgiveness.
Bitterness.
God removes unhealthy relationships.
Some friendships can't go where God is taking you.
Some influences must stay behind.
God removes seasons.
Jobs.
Titles.
Comfort zones.
Dreams we've outgrown.
Even good things can become obstacles if we hold them too tightly.
God removes false identities.
Fear.
Shame.
People-pleasing.
The labels others gave us.
The labels we've believed about ourselves.
Jesus said the Father prunes.
John 15:1–2 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
Pruning feels like loss.
But pruning is proof that the Gardener believes in the vine (Jesus) and in a better harvest to come through your life.
Some people today are grieving what God removed.
If the Father removes it, it was not to punish you.
Perhaps He removed it because He saw the masterpiece hidden underneath that He was bringing forth.
Maybe today He's whispering:
"I'm not harming your life. I'm revealing who you really are."
The workbench adds. The chisel removes. Sometimes God doesn't seem to add or remove. Sometimes, He simply places His hand on us.
The Potter's Wheel: God Applies Pressure
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Jeremiah 18:1–6 (NIV)
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."
3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel."
Jeremiah watched the potter at work.
When the clay became misshaped the potter didn’t throw it away, he kept working with it.
The Father knows exactly where to place His hand.
Sometimes, He presses our faith.
So trust grows.
Sometimes, He presses our patience.
So endurance develops.
Sometimes, He presses our pride.
So humility forms
Sometimes, He presses our love.
By placing difficult people in our lives.
Sometimes, He presses our dependence.
By allowing situations bigger than ourselves.
And after the shaping comes the fire. The kiln doesn't ruin the pottery.
It sets what the Potter has formed.
Closing: God is forming us into someone. Christianity is not a set of principles and concepts to know but a life to be lived; experiences we have with God lead us to trust Him, all the while we become something beautiful.
The workbench. The chisel. The wheel. Different tools. Same Father. Same loving hands.
You are His workmanship. His masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus.
Altar Call
1. For those that God has been adding and stretching (you are growing, do not be overwhelmed, do not fear)
2. For those grieving what God has removed (Trust the artisan, those things were not meant to be here in this season)
3. For those under pressure (If He’s placed his finger on something, it’s for a reason; if there’s pressure or conviction, allow it to shape you, surrender to it)
Invitation
Maybe today you've realized you've been trying to build your own life apart from God.
The greatest work the Father ever does is not repairing behavior. It's creating new life.
Through Jesus Christ, He offers forgiveness, restoration, and a new beginning.
Will you place your life on His workbench?