The Master’s Puzzle: When Life Only Makes Sense in His Hands - DJ Dickerson

Friends, let me begin by asking this

morning

if you have ever opened a brand new

jigsaw puzzle,

poured the pieces out onto the table,

and just stared at the pile.

I've done that with kids jigsaw puzzles.

You know how big those pieces are?

Well, sometimes, you know, now if you

you're definitely into the jigsaw puzzle

life, you know, there's excitement at

first,

but sometimes after a few moments, that

excitement turns into something else

with all those sometime

puzzle, right?

There's some confusion with all those

pieces.

You got pieces of of different colors.

You got uh jagged edges. You got some

odd shapes going on. Nothing connected.

And there's nothing clear.

Now, if we're honest,

that pile of scattered pieces looks a

lot like life.

Some of you this morning

are holding pieces that don't make

sense.

It could be issues of health and

diagnosis, family struggles, closed

doors, disappointments, a prayer that

doesn't seem to have been answered yet.

And we can make an a very extensive

list.

But you look at that piece and think,

what does this even belong to?

Now, I speak from experience

because I can tell you that early in my

life, I held some pieces that I did not

understand,

did not have a clue.

Because what we're talking about this

morning, in this lesson, is the master's

puzzle.

when life only makes sense in his hands.

This is something that we learn as we go

through life and and I I I I love the,

you know, imagery that I get from

different things. And I use that in a

lot of lessons as y'all quite are aware

uh that the next time you see a jigsaw

puzzle,

guess what? Hopefully, you're going to

think about this lesson and the points

that we talk about. So I want to suggest

to you that the word of God is the

picture on the box. All right? Get that

image in your minds. And until you open

that box and then you study the image,

you will never understand where the

pieces go

because the pieces by themselves, they

don't make sense. All right?

When you pick up a single puzzle piece,

it rarely tells you anything. It does

it. It don't tell you anything. A patch

of blue.

Is it sky? Is it water? Is it clothing?

The fact is you cannot determine its

meaning in isolation.

And that is how it is with life.

You know a verse of 2 Corinthians 5 and

verse 7. For we walk by faith not by

sight.

Right? That's the apostle Paul reminding

us that we see one piece.

God sees the completed picture.

One that of course I automatically a lot

of times go to uh in preparing this

lesson I thought of Joseph. Joseph, you

know, one of the Old Testament

characters, he covers a lot of ground in

the Old Testament

and, you know, a a lot of lessons on on

him for sure. But as we know about

Joseph, he was betrayed by his brothers.

He was sold into slavery. He was falsely

accused. He was forgotten in prison.

And I thought

if you had handed Joseph any one of

those pieces

and asked him what God was doing,

he likely would not have known. I mean,

remember he started out with a vision.

He had a vision. He had a dream, didn't

he?

And those dreams, what

how was that coming TO FRUITION IN HIS

LIFE?

Yet years later, standing before those

same brothers uh who had betrayed him

and sold him into slaver slavery, he

declared this in Genesis 50 and verse

20.

Genesis 50 and verse 20. But as for you,

you meant evil against me, but God meant

it for good in order to bring it about

as it is this day to save many people

alive.

There's a lot of characters in the Bible

that I thought of and I could spend a

whole lot of time talking about. I

thought about Esther. Esther is a good

one, too, right?

that even as Joseph learned something

powerful, the piece that looked dark

may be essential to the design itself.

Now,

when assembling a puzzle, you sometimes

find that dark piece that seems I said,

"This doesn't look like this even

belongs in the box." you know uh but

when you complete the image you realize

it was part of the shadow that gave the

picture depth and beauty. Actually

friends some of the darkest places in

our life may be the very things that

give our faith depth.

Have you ever thought about it like

that?

Again I speak from experience. I know. I

can tell you all about it.

Well, this is a reminder for us

to not judge the whole picture by one

unfinished section.

Now, the Bible is the picture on the box

as I mentioned at the very beginning.

Now, for those who are really into

puzzles, the first thing that a wise

puzzle builder will do is look at the

image on the box. And that image becomes

something. What is that image? It

becomes a reference point. A reference

point for every decision and place.

Right? Now, Psalm 119:105,

Psalms 119:105

the psalmist says, "Your word is a lamp

to my feet and a light to my path."

Here's the point. Without scripture, we

try to assemble life blindly. And

friends, this happens more than we may

want to admit. All right? We make

decisions that are based off of certain

things like emotions and culture or

convenience and then we wonder why

nothing fits

and we're frustrated.

But when we open the word of God, we

learn such vital things. What are those

vital things? Let me give you a few this

morning. Genesis 1:es 26 and 27. We're

backing it all the way up to chapter

one, right? Chap chapter 1 verse one. In

the beginning, God created the heavens

and the earth. Well, you go on down to

verse 26 to 27. What else do we find

here? Then God said, "Let us make man in

our image, according to our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of

the sea, over the birds of the air, and

over the cattle, over all the earth, and

over every creeping thing that creeps on

the earth." So God created man in his

own image. In the image of God he

created him. Male and female he created

them. There's the first part of learning

some vital things is starting right here

is who we are and who'sse we are. And

that is the fact that we were created in

his image.

That's number one.

But then we start wondering, okay, well,

we're made

in the image of God.

What are we doing here? Glad you asked

that question because we're going to

Ecclesiastes chapter 12, 13, and 14.

Ecclesiastes 12 · chapter mention

Ecclesiastes chapter 12, 13, and 14. We

Ecclesiastes 12 · chapter mention

just talked about Solomon just last

Sunday in that lesson. Is the grass

really greener on the other side? We

learned some things about that, didn't

we? All right. Ecclesiastes what what do

we find in chapter 12 13 and 14 after

all the wealth power all that what he

what did he come down to let us hear the

conclusion of the whole manner fear God

and keep his commandments for this is

man's all for God will bring every work

into judgment including every secret

thing whether good or evil.

He just told us why we're here that we

are to fear God and we are to keep his

commandments. We keep the commandments.

We reverence the God who created us, who

sustains us.

That's why we're here.

Well, then there's another question.

Where are we going? Again, I'm glad you

asked that question, too, because John

John 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 28-29. I thought about this.

Do not marvel at the at this for the

hour is coming in which all who are in

the graves will hear his voice and come

forth. those who have done good to the

resurrection of life and those who have

done evil to the resurrection of

condemnation.

This is really important, isn't it? That

we think about these three things. These

are huge pieces, defining things, vital

when you open the word of God is to know

who we are, why we're here, and where

we're going.

Because what the Bible does reveals the

big picture.

I mean, you go through it. We we go

through creation, right? The fall of

man, sin entered into the world, then

you have redemption, and you have

restoration

all the way from Genesis all the way to

Revelation.

That's what the Bible's doing,

the big picture.

So you can see why people are confused

going through life and they haven't even

looked at the box, right? To see

where all the pieces go.

There's no reference point without this.

Now friends, imagine for a moment trying

to assemble a thou 1,000piece puzzle

without ever looking at the box. Has

anybody I No, that's getting a little

tricky when I start asking for hands.

See if anybody's done that.

Maybe. Okay, we maybe tried it maybe.

Right,

you might get lucky. Okay, you might

with a few pieces, but I'll submit to

you there's going to be some frustration

at some point. All right. Uh that's what

happens when someone tries to build a

marriage without biblical principles.

Let that sit in. Okay. How about

bringing up children

without scripture?

You see?

Or go through life without eternal

priorities.

That's exactly what that's like. Just

like the puzzle box, friends. It's not

optional in building a puzzle. It is

with the word of God. It is not

optional, friends. It's essential to

building a life.

And if the Bible stays closed Monday

through Saturday for that matter, you

know what your life's going to be? It's

going to be absolutely confusing.

It is.

We wonder why

we see all the problems that happen in

the world today. Now, it's not nothing

new. Remember Solomon talks about that

there's nothing new under the sun.

There's issue after issue after issue.

Marriages are falling apart. All kinds

of family issues. You we the list could

go on and on. Why is that?

Because we're not using the reference

point when we're putting it together.

God has provided the pieces,

but there's some things that God is

telling us what we have to do.

Now, when I'm putting together a puzzle,

and that's not very often. Now, I I got

one of the I told Ken said, "Where is

one of the puzzles in the house?" Now,

we don't have elaborate 10,000 piece

puzzles. I have not come across those,

right? But there are some kid puzzles,

and I found those. I went through the

closet and found them and it was more

than four pieces. Okay, give me a little

credit here. I pulled out one had a

couple of them more than that. And then

and so I poured out on the table as I

was thinking about this lesson. And you

know what you got to do first

is you got to establish the edges first.

That's me. All right. I got to have some

edges that anyone who has worked a

puzzle knows you got to start with

something like that because as I have

found what they provide is called

boundaries.

Boundaries

because with boundaries you know what

that does? It defines the shape in

spiritual matters. God has given God's

given us some clear edges. And I mean

they're clear. And you know what those

are again? boundaries that shape our

lives.

Let me give you some of these real

quickly. John 8:31 and32. All right.

John 8:31

Then Jesus said to those Jews who

believed him, "If you abide in my word,"

reference point, right? In my word,

Jesus said, "You are my disciples

indeed, and you shall know the truth,

and the truth shall make you free." When

we're talking about reference points and

we're talking about the edges, the

boundaries that shape our lives, you

know what that's saying? That's saying

Jesus, the word has given us right here

boundaries. And that is truth versus

error. There's our boundaries right

there.

What's another one?

First John 1:es 5-7. Look at First John

1 5-7.

Prove all things according to God's

word, not DJs. First John 1, beginning

verse 5. This is the message which we

have heard from him and declare to you

that God is light and in him is no

darkness at all. If we say that we have

fellowship with him and walk in

darkness, we lie and do not practice the

truth. But if we walk in the light as he

is in the light, we have fellowship with

one another. And the blood of Jesus

Christ, his son, cleanses us from all

sin. See, here's our reference point

again. Here's our boundaries. It's not

about just we have truth and error. Then

we have light and darkness. Then we have

something else.

It falls right in line with what we're

talking about from Romans 6 and verse

23. Paul said, "For the wages of sin is

death, but the gift of God is eternal

life in Christ Jesus our Lord." He's

saying, "Here's boundaries, truth and

error, light and darkness, righteousness

and sin."

Now, I think you would all agree with me

that our culture resists boundaries.

Even as kids, right, growing up, did we

tow the line? Did we cross it? Maybe.

I'll be honest. I did. Okay. As kids, we

all we we we do that, don't we? Because

we we we want to resist to some degree.

And you know, we have there's a slogan

that you've probably heard. I mean,

probably the older generations probably

I don't know if you've heard yolo, you

only live once, right? And that falls

into live however you want type

mentality.

But when there are no edges, when there

are no edges, you know what happens to

the picture? It collapses.

It collapses.

So God's commands, even as made known in

the scripture, God's commands are not

restrictions that are meant to harm us.

It's for our good, just as you see in

Deuteronomy.

All of that law that was given, Moses

read to them and said, "This is the law

and it's from God." And what did he say?

It's for your good always. You go read

Deuteronomy chapter 6 and chapter 7 and

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 8. And that's what he's trying

to impress and emphasize in their hearts

and their lives because he says

basically in all of that, you need

boundaries.

I need boundaries.

I need the edges.

because they are structures that are

meant to protect us

because they're for our good always.

I thought about how young Christians how

when they commit to worship faithfully

to purity and conduct to honesty and

speech to integrity they're placing the

edges.

placing the edges.

When a family when a family commits to

prayer and Bible study and faithfulness

in the L to the Lord's church, they're

building the frame. It's the framework

because I'll tell you that without

edges,

confusion reigns.

We have to have edges.

It's not because well DJ's saying that

we have to have edges. You see that the

word of God is TELLING US WE GOT to have

edges

otherwise

it all falls apart.

The picture collapses

because we don't have boundaries.

What about this?

How about stop forcing pieces that don't

fit?

Guilty.

I get so frustrated with a puzzle. We

were we were at an Airbnb one time and

uh they they so basically when you go to

the Airbnb uh they have this puzzle

there for you for the guest and so as

the guests come in and it's a big

puzzle. It's a big one and I'm saying

big. It was big for me anyways. But

anyways, we get there and you're trying

to tell the kids stay away because you

don't want to mess up with somebody

already done. But but they want to get

involved in all of those things. And

Kenzie knows I'm not a really I'm not

really a puzzle person. Uh it it gets

frustrating for me because just all that

just gets kind of crazy in my eyes

sometimes. I may have ADHD or something.

I'm not sure. But want to go and do

something. Well, as I'm sitting there

and they're putting those pieces in, I'm

just like

I feel if I could take a knife, I could

just kind of trim it down and I can make

that fit. I know I can do it.

Now, is that right? No. because it's not

going to make the PICTURE WHAT IT'S

SUPPOSED to be.

Y'all should have really been there.

We have a lot of fun. But we I think we

we can understand that we've tried you

may maybe push a puzzle piece in a PLACE

WHERE IT ALMOST FITS. YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT

be close, maybe close.

We think it should fit because well, the

colors are similar, but if you must

force it, friends, it does not belong

there.

In life, we sometimes force things that

God never designed to fit.

A relationship that contradicts

scripture doesn't fit.

A lifestyle that compromises holiness,

that does not fit. A priority that

replaces faithfulness,

that does not fit.

Here's the thing. Proverbs speaks

volumes on this, by the way. But

Proverbs 14 and verse 12, there is a way

that seems right to a man, but its end

is the way of death.

It looked right to me that I could fit

that there.

But it wasn't.

It wasn't

because that's not the pattern of the

one who created the puzzle to begin

with.

God's pattern is intentional.

And you see that word throughout the

scriptures, don't you? In in our our

daily Bible reading and our plan

throughout the year. You've probably

heard that a lot in the construction of

the tabernacle. And already we've been

studying about that and reading about

that in Exodus. And you know what? Over

and over again, he built it according to

what? God's pattern. God's design. Well,

it's interesting that even in the New

Testament, 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

13, Paul says, "Hold fast the pattern of

sound words which you have heard from me

in faith and love which are in Christ

Jesus."

What he's saying is when we follow God's

pattern in worship, in doctrine, in

daily living, do you know what you have?

You have pieces that connect naturally.

But when we ignore his design, we create

spiritual frustration.

And if you force enough wrong places

pieces into place, eventually the entire

section becomes distorted.

Then you must undo

what you forced to begin with.

Friends, some people

have spent years

undoing what they insisted on forcing.

Trust the designer's blueprint.

Trust his blueprint because it only

makes sense in his hands. We'll give you

an example

of what looked like a a a broken puzzle.

I think really

when I was pondering about the previous

points and building this lesson, I

thought that perhaps the greatest

example of misunderstood pieces is the

cross.

You know, if you think about this for a

little while, as I was, the cross really

did look like a broken puzzle.

Think with me that even to the disciples

it appeared everything had fallen apart.

Their teachers arrested,

their hope crucified on a cross. Their

expectations were shattered.

But

in our study in the book of Acts in our

adult Bible class, what did we read in

Acts chapter 2 and verses 22- 24? What

Acts 2 · chapter mention

what did Peter say?

Men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus

of Nazareth, a man attested by God to

you by miracles, wonders, and signs

which God did through him in your midst.

As you yourselves also know, him being

delivered by the determined purpose and

fornowledge of God, you have taken by

lawless hands, have crucified and put to

death, whom God raised up, having

loosened the pains of death, because it

was not possible that he should be held

by it. You see, what looked like chaos

was sovereign design.

That really when you think about it, it

was the darkest piece in human history.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the son

of the living God. And do you know what

that became?

The centerpiece of our redemption.

This picture

is astonishing

when you're putting it together the way

the Bible says.

If God could take the worst evil

ever committed and weave it into

salvation's plan, do you not think for

one moment that he can handle our

confusions, our times of not knowing?

Let me submit to you that the puzzle is

still in progress.

Philippians 1 and verse 6. I want you to

notice what Paul says here in

Philippians 1 and verse 6.

He tells the Philippian brethren and and

remember he's in jail and he's writing

this this joyous uh epistle there in

Philippians. Philippians 1:6, he says,

Philippians 1:6

"Being confident of this very thing,

that he who has begun a good work in you

will

complete it until the day of Jesus

Christ." See some key words there. I

think there's some key words that we're

looking at

what he's saying to the Philippian

brethren even and even about himself a

as as he would later on say that he had

not already attained nor that he was

perfected already that he was pressing

on to the mark for the prize right that

goal

what he's saying is that your life's not

finished yet here we are today gathered

here in this building. Our life is not

finished yet.

And I you've heard me say this so many

times, hang a sign around my neck that

says, "Work in progress." And Kenzie

would say, "Amen." Right?

We're all works in progress because what

God is still, he's still shaping. He's

still sanding rough edges. He's still

placing pieces.

And sometimes we grow impatient. Would

we agree we we get impatient? Yeah, we

do. Because the image is incomplete

and we're holding a piece of we I don't

know where this goes.

But eternity will reveal what time

conceals. Friends, I have learned

valuable lessons throughout my life that

I, as I mentioned at the very beginning,

I was holding pieces that I had no clue

as to what that piece was going to do. I

don't know what it don't look like it

goes to anything. Somebody has put this

in the wrong box. That's how I felt.

Okay. Now, I think you can agree with

me. People who have lived longer than

me, I'm only 44. I'm trying I'm trying

to say that only. When I get 90, Lord's

willing, I'll say I'm only 90, right?

You've held pieces and you're like, I

don't know. Somebody put this in the

wrong box.

But what I have found in studying God's

word and also in instances of my own

life that again I can attest to every

piece,

every tear,

every prayer And every sacrifice

fits together for God's glory.

I thought I was going to make it through

this sermon without that.

If we could learn this,

sometimes it's hard lessons.

They're painful.

And I know they are

because I've been there.

But don't forget the big picture.

This is the big one.

And friends, the most important piece is

obedience to the gospel.

There is one piece

that must be placed correctly for the

entire picture to change.

is your response to the gospel.

Friends, the Bible reveals so many

things, vital vital things to us as

God's creation. As I mentioned at the

very beginning of the lesson, as Romans

3 and verse 23 even says of all of us,

there is no exceptions. There's no some

have sinned. Friends, that's all of us.

Put your name right in there because

that's you and that's me. For all have

sinned and fall short of the glory of

God.

And what we find as we go through the

creation and the fall of man and all the

way to redemption and restoration, we

see in Romans chapter 5 6-9 where Paul

Romans 5 · chapter mention

speaks of this. He says, "For when we

were still without strength in due time

Christ died for the ungodly. For

scarcely for a righteous man will one

die. Yet perhaps for a good man someone

would even dare to die. But God

demonstrates his own love toward us. And

that while we are still sinners, Christ

died for us. Much more than having now

been justified by his blood, we shall be

saved from wrath through him. Christ

died for our sin.

While we were yet sinners,

he died for all mankind.

And he's saying, "Look at the pieces.

and what are you going to do with them?

He outlines it so well. Faith comes by

hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:1 17. We respond in faith. We

Romans 10:1

don't just say, "I believe that Jesus

Christ is the son of man God." We do

something with it

because our belief moves us into action.

That's what faith does. As James even

says in James chapter 2, faith coup coup

James 2 · chapter mention

coupled with works and obedience, we

recognize our sinful self and we repent

of our sins. We confess Jesus to be the

son of living God and we are going to

that of baptism as we see the pattern in

the book of acts baptized for the

remission of our sins. Romans chapter 6

Romans 6 · chapter mention

and verses 1-6 I'll give to you now.

Romans chapter 6 and verses 1-6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

What shall we say then? Shall we

continue in sin that grace may abound?

Certainly not. How shall we who died to

sin live any longer in it? Or do you not

know that as many of us as were baptized

into Christ Jesus were baptized into his

death? Therefore, we were buried with

him through baptism into death, that

just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the father, even so we

also should walk in the newness of life.

For if we have been united together in

the likeness of his death, certainly we

also shall be in the likeness of his

resurrection, knowing this, that our old

man was crucified with him, that the

body of sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves of

sin.

That's exactly what happens in baptism.

We are buried with Christ in baptism to

rise and walk in newness of life.

We are added to the Lord's church

because when a person when one obeys the

gospel, the scattered fragments of guilt

and shame are rearranged into

forgiveness and hope.

Friends, I want to tell you that's not

emotional assembly. That's not what that

is. That's divine design is what it is.

The fact is and all that we talked about

this morning briefly

is we need to trust

the designer.

We need to trust the hands of the

master. You see the ones who create

puzzles,

whatever companies do that. I haven't

looked at all that. But whatever

companies create puzzles, they make them

and they put them in the box. They seal

them up and they send them out. Here we

are

and we have pieces

and it's not going to make a lick of

sense

until it's in his hands.

He's the designer. He is the creator and

he is the sustainer. Friends, I'm going

to tell you, life may feel scattered,

but I submit to you, as we have seen

briefly from our study of God's word

this morning, your life is not random.

It's not random.

Your trials are not wasted. My trials

were not wasted. Although there had I

had moments that I was wondering, right?

Think about Job. Think about the pieces

he was he was looking at.

But they were not wasted. And your

struggles are not pointless. They're

not. The master is still placed in

pieces. And when you cannot see the

picture, what was our what was our

scripture reading this morning? Proverbs

Proverbs 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. What do we see in the verses

five and six? Trust in the Lord with all

your heart and lean not on your own

understanding. In all your ways

acknowledge him and he shall what?

Direct your paths.

When you cannot understand the peace,

what he's saying, trust his wisdom. And

when you cannot see the ending, you

trust his promise.

Each piece all the way to the very final

piece that's set in place. The image

will not display confusion.

It will display the glory of God.

Because even as Paul told the Corinthian

brethren, God is not the author of what?

Confusion.

Romans 8 and28.

Friends, what Paul beautifully captures

the very idea of the pieces of our lives

fitting together for God's glory. This

is the verse. Look at it. Romans 8 verse

Romans 8:28

28. And we know that all things work

together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to

his purpose. I could preach forever on

that one verse.

The Apostle Paul is simply reminding us

not some things, all things, not random

things work together, not for personal

spotlight, but for his purpose in his

will. And that every piece, Can we list

some real quickly? Joy, sorrow, waiting,

growth, suffering, service, and the list

could go on, is not wasted in the hands

of the master.

For when surrendered to him, the

scattered fragments of our story, they

become a testimony of his grace. Paul

knew it because he used to be solid

parts.

And God arranged the pieces. We

surrendered the pieces. And the finished

picture displays his glory.

That is the master's puzzle.

when life only makes sense in his hands.

I encourage you this morning as I have

been in studying and preparing this

lesson.

I had a lot of information I was trying

to get to you in a short amount of time.

And there was more thoughts that I had,

but I was like better draw that down.

Friends,

I'm going to submit to you in preparing

for this invitation song.

Keep your eyes on the picture. Keep it.

Hold fast to the pattern, his pattern,

and trust the hands that never make a

mistake.

How thankful we should ever be

for the God, our creator, our sustainer,

who gives sense to our lives and

purpose.