God @ Work Series

GOD IS AT WORK V28 – 39. MORE THAN CONQUERORS

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE LAKES – THE PEAK DISTRICT - SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK YOU BEGIN YOUR WALK IN THE VALLEYS THE SCENERY IS GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL BUT YOU CAN ONLY SEE WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU AS SURROUNDING TRESS OR THE VALLEY ITSELF HAVE HIDDEN WHAT’S OVER THE OTHER SIDE. YET GRADUALLY YOU MAKE YOUR WAY UP THE VALLEY RIDGE ONTO THE MOUNTAIN AT TIMES ITS A STRUGGLE, YOU CONSIDER GIVING UP, YOU DIDN’T REALISE IT WOULD BE SO DIFFICULT. YET EVENTUALLY YOU REACH THE SUMMIT. AND THEN IT HITS YOU, YOUR BREATH IS JUST TAKEN AWAY AS YOU TURN 360 DEGREES – THE AWESOME PANORAMIC VIEW BEFORE YOU. THE BLUE OCEAN TO THE WEST - THE OUTLINE OF THE MOUNTAIN TOPS AND THE VALLEYS TO THE EAST, THE DENSE FOREST OF LUSH GREEN TRESS TO THE NORTH AND A SPECTACULAR CASCADING WATERFALL TO YOUR SOUTH – NO LONGER ARE YOU BLINKERED TO JUST WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU THE PRESENT VIEW HAS MADE THE PREVIOUS STRUGGLES WORTHWHILE YOU STAND IN AWE OF WHAT’S BEFORE YOU.

AS WE HAVE GONE THROUGH ROMANS WE HAVE BEEN TREATED TO SOME AWESOME THEOLOGICAL TRUTHS WHICH ARE A PRACTICAL REALITY IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER WE HAVE BEEN TOLD OF THE WONDERFUL PRIVILEGES WE HAVE AS JUSTIFED BELIEVERS: PEACE WITH GOD ROM 5:1-11 – UNION WITH CHRIST 5:12 - 6:23 – FREEDOM FROM THE LAW 7:1-25 – AND LIFE IN THE SPIRIT 8:1-27 AND OUR AWESOME FUTURE GLORY ROM 8;18 -27 BUT WE HAVE ALSO HAD TO FACE UP TO SOME REAL PROBLEMS ALONG THE WAY FOR ALL HAVE SINNED ROM 3:23 AND THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH ROM 6:23 THE ONGOING CONFLICT WITH SIN ROM 7 SUFFERING ALONG THE WAY ROM 8:18 – YET HERE WE ARE AT DIVINE HEIGHTS! INDEED PAUL WANTS US TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AROUND. HERE ARE BREATH IS JUST TAKEN AWAY AS HE OPENS UP THE WHOLE PLAN AND PURPOSES OF GOD FOR US FROM ETERNITY PAST TO ETERNITY FUTURE , FROM HIS DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF US AND OUR PREDESTINATION, TO HIS IMMENSE LOVE FOR US THAT NOTHING WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM NOW ONTO ETERNITY.

1. GOD IS AT WORK IN THE BELIEVER V 28 -30

WHAT IS GODS GOAL FOR US? V28 TELLS US THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM, WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. WHAT IS THAT PURPOSE? THE ANSWER IS GIVEN IN V29 WHERE HE ELABORATES HIS PURPOSE V29 TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON. SO GODS GOAL IS THAT WE WILL BECOME LIKE JESUS.

V28 GOD IS AT WORK FOR OUR GOOD IN ALL THINGS. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO US THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE DOWN RIGHT UGLY IN OUR LIVES GOD IS WORKING OUT HIS PURPOSES TO MAKE US LIKE JESUS IN ALL THINGS

ITS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE, PAUL IS NOT SUGGESTING SOME PIOUS OPTIMISM AS SO MANY LIBERAL CHRISTIANS SPEAK ABOUT THAT GOD IS AT WORK IN ALL THINGS FOR THE GOOD OF EVERYBODY AND EVERYBODY WILL BE SAVED IN THE END.NO WAY! THE SCRIPTURE UTTERLY REFUTES THAT MAN MADE IDEA - GODS GOAL OF CONFORMING PEOPLE TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS HIS SON IN ALL THINGS IS ONLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE V28 WHO LOVE HIM . AND WE CAN ONLY LOVE HIM IF HE HAS FIRST LOVED US.

GODS GOAL IS TO SAVE A PARTICULAR PEOPLE AND WE SEE FIVES STEPS OF GODS WORK BEFORE US FOR THOSE V28 WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED , V29 WHOM GOD FOREKNEW, ITS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO V29 HE PREDESTINED, ITS ONLY FOR THOSE HE HAS V30 JUSTIFIED, IT IS ONLY FOR THOSE HE WILL V30 GLORIFY.

A. GODS FORE KNOWLEDGE: TWO MISGUIDED ERRORS PEOPLE MAY FALL INTO HERE 1. THAT HERE IN ETERNITY PAST GOD FORE SAW OUR CHOICE IN CHOSING HIM AND SO PREDESTINED US TO BE HIS - THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT BECAUSE GOD FORESEES EVERYBODY, PAUL IS ACTUALLY SPEAKING ABOUT A PARTICULAR GROUP (THOSE WHO LOVE HIM )

THE 2ND PROBLEM IS IF GOD PREDESTINES PEOPLE BECAUSE HE FORE SAW THEY WERE GOING TO BELIEVE IN HIM THEN THE GROUND OF THEIR SALVATION IS IN THEMSELVES, IT MAKES SALVATION WORKS RELATED.(I CHOSE GOD)

CONSIDER WHAT JESUS SAID JHN 15:16. YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME BUT I CHOSE YOU AND APPOINTED YOU TO GO AND BEAR FRUIT. EPH 1:4 FOR HE CHOOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

GODS FOREKNOWLEDGE ( THE HEBREW VERB ‘TO KNOW’ EXPRESSES MORE THAN MERE INTELLECTUAL COGNITION IT DENOTES A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF CARE AND AFFECTION. THUS GOD ‘KNOWS’ PEOPLE HE WATCHES OVER THEM PSALM 1:6 FOR GOD WATCHES OVER THE WAY OF THE RIGHTOUS INDEED ISRAEL ALONE WAS KNOWN BY THE LORD AMOS 3:2 YOU ONLY HAVE I CHOSEN (FORMED A COVENANT WITH).