"God's Purposeful Plan For You: God's Predestination” Series

SOMETIMES, we just don’t see how could ALL things could possibly work together for good – I mean SOME, yes. A FEW sure… but ALL?

• We take Romans 8:28 & compare it with what’s going on in our lives and it’s easy to just not believe it!

• So much can be just downright bad & painful.

• The issues of today can so easily and quickly blind us to God’s Purposeful Plan for our lives.

• But His plan of salvation is wonderful.

• IN verses 29-30 there are 5 doctrines we are looking at.

• We covered the first one already, God’s foreknowledge.

• Since God is omniscient and knows all things, we can trust Him in difficult times because nothing takes Him by surprise!

• Today, we look at PREDESTINATION – Read v29

PREDESTINATION… it sounds like a scary word doesn’t?

• Lit., “To determine beforehand” “marking out & appointing.”

IN OTHER WORDS: God in advance, independent of you, but knowing you, chose you… WOW!

• The Lord has predetermined the destiny of every person who will believe in Him.

Ephesians 1:5 (NKJV) 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV) 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

1 Peter 1:20 (NKJV) 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

• Chose me & Called me for what? V29: To be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

SO does that mean we don’t have a choice in the matter?

• Well some have come to that conclusion and have a very stern & stiff view of predestination that I don’t believe is biblical.

• It sounds more like FATE… - That’s not it at all.

• God’s predestination is based upon His foreknowledge.

• Remember 1 Peter 1:1-2 – according to His foreknowledge.

• God who knows all things in advance has chosen those who would choose Him.

• God looked ahead in time and saw who would accept Him and those are the ones he chose, elected, called, predestined.

NOW DON’T LET THE ENORMITY of this glorious truth trip you up and baffle you… it’s a wonderful mystery!

• GOD knows the end from the beginning…

• That’s called God’s omniscience.

• There isn’t one thing that God doesn’t know or needs to learn!

• God knows the whole story before it’s written so in His foreknowledge, He sees the future as if it’s today!

• Theologically we could say, God knows all things both actual & possible, past & present & future, completely, perfectly, simultaneously, and eternally!

• All aspects of the eternal purpose of God are equally timeless!

A SIMPLE PICTURE FOR US MIGHT BE TRAVELING in a blimp, seeing the big picture of a parade down below.

• Those at the sidewalk see one thing at a time pass by them.

• But from up above we see all the floats from beginning to end.

• God knows & sees all and chose us because of his foreknowledge that we chose Him. It’s an incredible doctrine!

• Flip over to 1 Thess 1:4-6

1 Thess 1.4-6 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

• We’re always going to see these go hand in hand.

• God’s choice and our choice. God’s action & our action.

• God’s choice goes with your believing in Him.

NOW: THE DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION has become somewhat of a battlefield in the church today.

• For some it’s become a place for arguments & contentions.

• Usually there 2 errors, 2 ditches that we can easily fall into.

• 2 extremes… now understand me, I say this with great respect because there are good & godly people who have fallen into these ditches, these extremes.

#1 – CALVINISM.

• Calvinism is a doctrine based on the teachings of a man named John Calvin, 1 of the Reformers in time of Martin Luther.

• There are 5 basic points that summarize this belief system.

• The word TULIP is used to help remember them:

TOTAL DEPRAVITY, UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, LIMITED ATONEMENT, IRRESISTABLE GRACE, PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

NOTE: The most troubling extreme is that God has predestined some to be saved and some to be damned.