Just a Chunk of Coal but a Diamond Someday
Introduction
A little fellow was standing on the side of the road when a man came up, stopped and rolled down his window: "Son, do you know how to get to town?" The little boy said, "I don't know." The man asked, "Well, do you know how to get to Route 20?" Again the little boy replied, "I don't know." The man then asked, "Where does this road go?" The little boy, as before, said, "I don't know." The man asked, "Do you know the name of this road?" As before, "I don't know." The frustrated man looked at the little boy and said, "Son, you don't know anything do you?" The little boy replied, "I know I ain't lost."
There are many things that, I must admit to you, I do not know and may never know. But, of all that I don’t know there is one thing that I do know and that is that I am saved, washed in the blood Jesus, my names’ on the roll, my foots’ on the Rock, and I’m Heaven bound with the hammer down.
Philippians 1: 6 is one of the verses God used in my young Christian life to authenticate the work of salvation in my heart. It was one of the first verses that removed any doubt whatsoever that I was saved, now and forever.
I love the hymn written by J. P. Schofield:
“Saved by His power divine,
Saved to new life sublime.
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For, I'm saved, saved, saved!”
Schofield wrote that song after one of Mordecai Ham's meetings in Gonzales, Texas. Ham was preaching on the subject, "Christ our Refuge." In the audience was a man that had killed 4 men. He listened to Ham explain that Christ is a refuge for sinners, of any and every stripe, and that the Cities of Refuge in the Old Testament are a type of Christ, who is a haven of hope and eternal forgiveness for all who will flee to Him.
Halfway through the sermon, the man jumped up from his seat and shouted, "Saved! Saved! Saved!" Sitting there in his seat, he found Christ as his refuge. Schofield was so inspired that the next afternoon he composed both the words and music for the song.
Note that C. H. Spurgeon said, "Salvation would be a sadly incomplete affair, if it did not deal with the whole part of our ruined estate. We want to be purified as well as pardoned. Justification without sanctification would not be salvation at all. It would call the leper clean, and leave him to die of his disease; it would forgive the rebellion, and allow the rebel to remain an enemy of his King. It would remove the consequence but overlook the cause, and this would leave an endless and hopeless task before us. When Jesus Christ came into my life, I lost 80 percent of my vocabulary. Now when people ask me if I have ever spoken in tongues, I tell them that I've been speaking in tongues ever since I got saved."
At an Amway Convention, in Dallas, Texas, in 1983, a song written by Billy Joe Shavers became an instant hit. Johnny Cash performed the song, “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” and the response was overwhelming.
“I'm just an old chunk of coal
But I'm gonna be a diamond someday
I'm gonna glow and grow
'Til I'm so blue pure perfect
I'm gonna put a smile on everybody's face
I'm gonna kneel and pray everyday
Lest I should become vain along the way
I'm just an old chunk of coal, now Lord
But I'm gonna be a diamond some day”
Paul reminds these Philippians believers that, although they are saved, God is not finished with them yet. The first work of salvation is followed by the further work of salvation which will be fulfilled by the final work of salvation.
I. The Promise On Which We Lean
“BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING.”
The word “confident” is the Greek word peitho. It is a judicial term. It was used to speak of a convincing argument proven by evidence. When all the evidence and facts of the case were presented, there could be no guesswork. There was only one conclusion that could be drawn.
When it comes to God’s work in our lives, all guesswork is alleviated. We are not aimlessly, hopelessly, and foolishly floating around with no direction.
All the evidence of the Word has been presented, and there is only one conclusion that can be drawn. Salvation is not a hope-so, maybe-so; but, a KNOW-SO! We have God’s Word on it, and it is a promise on which we lean.
What is it that we can be so sure of?
A. God INITIATES the MOMENT of Salvation
“BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU.”
This is a not a work done for God, it is a work done BY God. Salvation is God’s work. In the words of Jonah,
“SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.” (Jonah 2: 9)
The way most people refer to their salvation experience leads one to assume that they had more to do with their salvation than God did. I have heard people say, “The day I found the Lord…I came to Christ…I decided to follow Jesus…I gave Him my life.”
But the truth of the matter is that we didn’t find Him, because He wasn’t lost. He found us, because we were lost. We came to Him only because He came to us. We gave our live to Him only because He gave His life for us. We did not just decide, one day, that we were going to get saved.
There was a day when God came to us and called to us, and when we responded to the call, we were saved. But, it had nothing to do with us. It was God who initiated the moment of our salvation.
The Bible is clear to remind us that as lost, depraved, hell-bound sinners we were unjust, unresponsive, unperceptive, and unrighteous. We were dead, defiled, depraved and destitute. Not only could we not go looking for God, but according to Ephesians 2: 2, we were going in the opposite direction of God.
“IN TIME PAST YE WALKED ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, ACCORDING TO THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR.”
But, there came a day even when we weren’t looking for God, God came looking for us; and, He found us as we were, where we were, and for who we were, because He initiated the moment of our salvation.
As it relates to God’s choosing, as far as:
FATHER--HE CHOSE US BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
SON--HE CHOSE US WHEN HE DIED FOR OUR SINS.
HOLY SPIRIT--HE CHOSE US THE DAY HE CONVICTED US OF OUR SINS, AND WE RESPONDED BY FAITH.
That in no way implies that we had no choice in choosing to respond to God’s call of salvation. We are free moral agents, and can reject just as easily as we can accept. But God’s choice is not conditional on our goodness, but on His grace.
If you are saved, it means that the day you chose Him is the result of Him choosing you. If you want to be saved, and wonder, “How do I know if He has chosen me?” My answer is, CHOOSE HIM!
It is God who initiates the moment of our salvation; and, it is:
B. God ORCHESTRATES the MIRACLE of Salvation
“A GOOD WORK IN YOU.”
The word “good” means noble or beneficial. It refers to the benefits of salvation that have been made available through the finished work of Christ.
It includes a right standing before God (justification); progressive deliverance from the power of sin (sanctification); and, the ultimate redemption of the body (glorification).
We remember the church at Philippi was birthed in revival. The first charter members were a business woman, a demonic soothsayer, a jailer, and some prisoners. Not a very appealing crowd with which to start a church.
But, when you think about each one, there is no other conclusion than that God had to be the One to initiate and orchestrate their salvation.
God “opened the heart” of Lydia, a successful business woman. God used an earthquake to rock the world of the Philippian jailor to show him his need for Christ. Neither one of their salvations had anything to do with them. God was the initiator as well as the orchestrator.
So it is with us. It is no accident your salvation happened how it did or when it did. God orchestrated the events that led to your conversion. You didn’t just happen to be in church on that particular Sunday; or, be driving down the road and a gospel song or message was playing; or, be at home on the night that someone knocked on your door to give you a gospel tract.
Those things happened, but they happened because God orchestrated them to happen.
HOW IS THAT 2 PEOPLE CAN SIT ON THE SAME PEW IN THE SAME SERVICE, SING THE SAME SONGS, HEAR THE SAME SERMON IN THE SAME ANOINTING, AND ONE FEEL ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO COME TO CHRIST, AND THE OTHER FEEL SUCH DEEP CONVICTION THEY ALMOST RIP OFF THE BACK OF THE PEW?
It is because when God is at work, nothing just happens. No circumstances are inauspicious or insignificant. God initiates the moment and orchestrates the miracle.
Consider the miracle that takes place at the moment of salvation. We are:
Adopted/Accepted
Ransomed/Redeemed/Reconciled/Regenerated
Heir of God/Joint Heir with Jesus Christ
Called/Chosen/Cleansed/Converted
Made Fit/Made Rich/Made Salt/Made Servant
Justified/Sanctified/Glorified
Translated out of Darkness/Transformed into Light
Predestined/Pardoned/Preserved/Perfected
Forgiven/Freed/Fulfilled
Delivered from Satan/Self/Sin/Law
Access/Assurance/Abundance
Sealed with Holy Spirit/Fruit of the Spirit/Gifts of the Spirit
Robert Capon writes, “Salvation is not some felicitous state to which we can lift ourselves by our own bootstraps after the contemplation of sufficiently good examples. It is an utterly new creation into which we are brought by our death in Jesus' death and our resurrection in his. It comes not out of our own best efforts, however well-inspired or successfully pursued, but out of the shipwreck of all human efforts whatsoever.”
It’s not a work we do for God; but, a work God does for us and in us. We can be “confident of this very thing” that He initiates the moment and He orchestrates the miracle of this “good work.”
II. The Process By Which We Live
Psalm 19: 1 declares, “THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD; AND THE FIRMAMENT SHEWETH HIS HANDYWORK.”
As great and glorious that God’s creation is, the apostle Paul declares that the work God takes the greatest pride in is not His work in creation, but His work in the Christian. The work that He does in His sons surpasses that which is done in the stars. The work that He does in His people exceeds that which is done in the planets.
God’s work of creation ended on the 6th day. However, God’s work in the Christian has not, is not, and will not end. When God saves us, a wonderful process begins to take place. It is:
A. PROGRESSIVE Work
“BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT.”
An important question to ask is, "When God says "you" in Philippians 1:6, is he talking to "you?" Have you been saved? In order to experience this work, you must first have experienced the work of salvation.
We cannot work to attain salvation, and we do not work to maintain salvation. It is God’s work from start to finish. The work He commenced in regeneration will continue with sanctification.
Before a person gets saved, God works ON you; after you are saved, God works IN you; and, after He works in you, He works THROUGH you. When a person gets saved, God deposits all of Heaven into them.
A Christian maid named Betty worked for a ruthless infidel. He constantly ridiculed her faith in God. One day he asked Betty in a cynical voice. "Betty, what does it feel like to be saved?" Betty said, "I don't know if I could fully explain it to where you could understand it, but it feels to me like I'm standing in Jesus' shoes, and He's standing in mine."
James MacDonald said it well, “The Christian life was never meant to be lived solo.” Jesus is standing in our shoes to work in us, for us and through us.
At the moment of salvation, the invisible Jesus, in the person of the Holy Spirit, comes to take up His abode in my heart. The work of the Cross brought about the work of conviction, and the work of conviction brought about the work of conversion, and the work of conversion brings about the work of consecration.
But, it is God’s work, not mine. My only job is to allow Him to do His work in me. It is a progressive work, but it is also a:
B. PERMANENT Work
The word “perform” is the Greek word epiteleo, from which we receive our English word ‘telescope.’ It means to see the finished product. It speaks of completion, and ultimately perfection.
In other words, God has an agenda and He will stick to His agenda. He will not be blown off course, because God never does anything halfway. He finishes what He starts. He commences in order to continue in order to complete.
There are two very interesting words that Paul uses in this text: “begun” and “perform.” They were technical terms for the beginning and ending of a sacrifice.
The words were used in connection with a Greek sacrifice. A torch was lit from fire on the altar and then dipped into a bowl of water to cleanse it with its sacred flame. The people would sprinkle themselves and the sacrifice with the purified water.
Then what followed was called the euphemia, the sacred silence in which the worshipper would make his prayers to his god. A basket of barley would then be brought and some grains of the barley scattered on the sacrifice and on the ground around it. These actions were the beginning of the sacrifice. The term for this was the verb Paul used for “begun.”
The word for completing the whole ritual of sacrifice was the verb "perform" that Paul used. The ideal is that the believers’ life is a process of being a sacrifice to God and the work that God is doing in our life will cease, only when the sacrifice was completed.
Again, God has a master plan that He is sticking to in order to finish what He started. It may involve times of sorrow, suffering, sickness, trouble, trial, tragedy and tribulation. But, the aroma of these things reminds us that it is all a part of the progressive and permanent work God is doing in our lives.
III. The Prospect For Which We Long
In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries.
Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion, on Columbus' monument, is "ne" or "no," making it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond."
Paul shows that there is not a work God is doing in the present, but the work God is doing in the present is but preparation for what will be in the future. For the child of God, the prospects are as bright as the SON Himself.
[6] “BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST.”
I’m reminded of the little song:
“There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,
Don’t judge me yet, I’m an unfinished part.
I’ll be perfect just according to His plan,
Fashioned by the Master’s loving hand.
He's still working on me,
To make me what ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,
Jupiter, earth, the sun and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be;
He's still working on me.”
The work God commenced at salvation and continues through sanctification will, one day, conclude in glorification.
A. We will LIVE with Jesus
“THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST.”
Paul speaks of a specific moment in time. Specifically, he is referring to the day of Christ’s return for His bride, the church.
Stuart Briscoe writes, “It is the inevitable day of divine triumph. This is the day for which the risen Lord has waited at the Father’s right hand, the day for which the saints have labored, the day when the Church will be complete, and Christ will come with great glory.” [1]
This is the day when: “THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, AND WITH THE TRUMP OF GOD: AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST. [17]THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.” (1 Thess. 4: 16-17)
On this particular day, there will be a:
SHOUT: A COMMAND to GET up
VOICE: A CRY to GIVE up
TRUMP: A CALL to GO up
At that moment, the Lord of Glory will step out on the clouds of glory; give a shout of glory, the angel will blow the trumpet of glory to be heard by those who are being changed from “glory to glory,” so that He might take them to their eternal home of glory. All of the sudden, “in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” everyone who has been glory-born will become glory-bound.
History says, “Look Back.” Science says, “Look Around.” Philosophy says, “Look Within.” Fatalism says, “Look down.” But, the Bible says, “LOOK UP!” In John 1, they “beheld His glory,” but in 1 Thessalonians 4, we will BEHOLD His glory.
“What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace.
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me thru that promised land,
What a day, glorious day,
That will be.”
Greatest words in the Bible:
(1) JESUS
(2) JESUS WEPT
(3) GOD IS LOVE
(4) CHRIST DIED FOR US
(5) WE SHALL SEE HIS FACE
We will live with Jesus, and:
B. We will LOOK like Jesus
[6] “BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST.”
Let’s review for a moment. We have learned that God sought us, found us, began His work in us, will keep us; and, now, will perfect that which concerns us until the day He comes to get us.
I again call your attention to the word “perform.” The word was not only a ceremonial word, but an architectural word. It spoke of putting the finishing touches to that which had been made.
“PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST.”
Not only speaks of an EVENT, but an END! God began His work in us because He has a long-term plan. His long-term plan is to make us see and share in the glory of His Son.
The end result of a redeemed life is a person made into the image of Jesus. The finished work of Christ is another person who has been transformed to be just like Him.
These trials, troubles, tragedies and tribulations, sorrows, sufferings, struggles and situations are just parts of the finishing touch. God has a game plan, and His plan is to ultimately make us just like His Son, the Lord Jesus.
God never rolls the dice, plays the lottery, or reads the horoscope when it comes to the lives of His people. He has a plan, a purpose, a process and a program that He is sticking to.
Conclusion
The story is told of a sculptor whose statue of a horse fascinated and caught the attention of everyone. One day he was asked, “How did you take such an ugly, unpretentious piece of stone and make such a beautiful horse?” His answer was simple, “I simply chipped away everything that didn’t look like a horse.”
That is what God is doing in your life and in my life. Through the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, the abandonment of a spouse, the betrayal of a friend, or the life-changing addiction; through it all, God is at work in your life to chip away anything, and everything that doesn’t look like Jesus.
I have learned this, if God was powerful enough to bring you to something; He is also powerful enough to bring you THROUGH something. God was powerful enough to help you descend into the valley; He is also powerful enough to help you ascend onto the mountain.
I think about a painter who saw a beggar whose clothes were tattered, hair unkept, and face dirty. The artist decided to pain the man as he might have looked as a successful businessman with a wonderful family.
When it was finished, the painter invited the beggar to come see the painting. The beggar didn’t recognize himself. He asked, “Is that me?” The painter said, “That’s what I see in you.”For the first time in years the beggar was given hope, and he said, “By God’s grace, I’m going to be the kind of man you see me to be.”
At the moment we trust Christ for salvation, God takes the raw material and begins to shape it into the life that He sees today and what we will be one day. When the final whistle blows, the game of life will be over, and believe it or not, we will be just like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about it. The same God who stepped out from behind the curtain of nowhere onto the platform of nothing and spoke a world into existence is at work in your life. The same God who caused formidable waters to “congeal” like Jell-O to clear a path to cross is the same God who at work in your life.
The same God who sustained 4 million Israelites on manna and water for 40 years so that none died of starvation is the same God who is at work in your life.
The same God who delivered 3 teenagers from their own personal barbeque with a fire so hot that that it destroyed the ones who threw them it, but delivered them that not even a hair on their head was singed, is the same God who is at work in your life.
The same God who opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the deaf, loosened the silence of the dumb, cleansed the disease of the unclean, crashed the funerals of the dead, and resurrected the dead body of Christ, He is the same God who is at work in your life.
The God is the “same yesterday, today and forever.” The God who is the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end; the same God who was dead, yet liveth and is alive forevermore and holds the keys of hell and death is the same God who is at work in your life.
Thanks be to God, I’m not what I used to be, and although I know that I’m not what I should be; I also know, that I’m not what I’M GOING TO BE!
I am confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in me will perform until the day that I live with Jesus and look like Jesus.
Don’t give up on me yet. I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I’m gonna be a diamond someday. Hallelujah!
Endnotes
1) ““Bound for Joy,” Stuart Briscoe, pg. 15.