The Process and the End
The sermon emphasizes the importance of patience and trust in God's mysterious ways, even in difficult times, as He works towards a good and merciful end.
John Henry Jowett emphasizes the importance of patience in trusting the Lord's mysterious ways to achieve His ends, even when the means seem contrary to the desired outcomes. Just like how a delicate porcelain is formed through a rough mortar, our afflictions and trials are shaping us for glory, leading us from discord to harmony, opposition to union, and adversities to peace. We must not mistake the process for the end result, as the Lord's ultimate goal is filled with compassion and tender mercy.
Text
"_Ye have seen the end of the Lord: that the Lord
is very pitiful, and of tender mercy._"
--JAMES v. 7-11.
And so we are bidden to be patient. "We must wait to the end of the Lord."
The Lord's ends are attained through very mysterious means. Sometimes the
means are in contrast to the ends. He works toward the harvest through
winter's frost and snow. The maker of chaste and delicate porcelain
reaches his lovely ends through an awful mortar, where the raw material of
bone and clay is pounded into a cream. In that mortar-chamber we have no
hint of the finished ware. But be patient, even in this chamber of
affliction the ware is on the way to glory!
And so it is with the ministries of our Lord. He leads us through discords
into harmonies, through opposition into union, through adversities into
peace. His means of grace are processes, sometimes gentle, sometimes
severe; and our folly is to assume that we have reached His ends when we
are only on the way to them. "The end of the Lord is very pitiful, and of
tender mercy." "Be patient, therefore," until it shall be spoken of thee
and me, "And God saw that it was good."
Sermon Outline
- I. The End of the Lord
- A. Attained through mysterious means
- B. Sometimes in contrast to the means
- II. The Process of the Lord
- A. Leads through discords into harmonies
- B. Through opposition into union
- C. Through adversities into peace
- III. The Means of Grace
- A. Processes, sometimes gentle, sometimes severe
- B. Our folly in assuming we've reached the end
Key Quotes
“The Lord's ends are attained through very mysterious means.” — John Henry Jowett
“The end of the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” — John Henry Jowett
“And God saw that it was good.” — John Henry Jowett
Application Points
- Be patient and trust in God's goodness and mercy, even when you don't understand what's happening.
- Remember that God's means of grace are processes that lead to His ultimate ends, which are always good and merciful.
- Trust that God is working towards a good outcome, even if it's not yet visible.