Part 16
“GOD’S PURPOSE IN MY PROBLEMS!”
Romans 8:28-31
Dr. Randy Deal
August 19, 2007
www.sermonspice.com bolts: Here For A Purpose 1:20
Bolts….Here For A Purpose! And as Pastor Bill taught us last week, GOD HAS A PURPOSE IN OUR PROBLEMS too!
BIG IDEA…When I understand WHAT God’s purpose is in my problems...I will understand WHY He allows problems in my life!
Romans 8:28-31 (NASB) - most familiar passages in the entire Bible. Paul talks about the PROBLEMS of life. Today we’re going to look at God’s Promise in v. 28, His Purpose in v. 29, and His Process in v. 30 and then Our Response to all of this in v. 31.
LET’S JUMP RIGHT IN…OPEN YOUR BIBLES AND TURN WITH ME…
Romans 8:28-31 (NASB)
And we KNOW that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to {His} purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined {to become} conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God {is} for us, who {is} against us?
I. GOD’S PROMISE?
TO WORK EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE FOR GOOD!
Great promises of Scripture!
R. A. Torrey called this verse, "The soft pillow for a heavy heart.”
What this verse does NOT say:
• all things are good! Lots of bad in our world!
• all things work out the way I want them to be good!
• all things end good! Does NOT say all things have a happy ending here on earth. OR DOES IT? WHAT’S YOUR DEF OF HAPPY ENDING?
v. 28 And we KNOW that God causes all things to work together FOR good (NASB)
What it DOES say:
"And we KNOW..." Gk. Eidon (ā’-don) a root word
2. to know of anything, to get knowledge of, understand, perceive, of any fact, the force and meaning of something which has definite meaning, to know how, to be skilled in, to have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to.
5778 Tense – Perfect. The perfect tense in Greek, just like in English, describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus’ last cry from the cross, “It is finished!" is a good example of the perfect tense, in other words, our atonement has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time."
v. 28 And we KNOW
5784 Voice – Active. v. 28 And WE know…
5791 Mood – Indicative. A simple statement of fact!
It does NOT say:
• we hope that God causes ALL things to work together for good
• we wish that God causes ALL things to work together for good
• we want that God causes ALL things to work together for good
• we desire that God causes ALL things to work together for good
• we guess that God causes ALL things to work together for good
It says "we KNOW" with absolute and unshakable confidence!
If going to learn to make it through problems, it’s going to be based on what you KNOW! Not what you think or what you feel! But…what you KNOW!
It may be hard to see how you’re going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this one statement is:
IF GOD BRINGS YOU TO IT - - - GOD BRINGS YOU THROUGH IT! AMEN?
“YOU EITHER GO THROUGH IT, OR YOU GROW THROUGH IT!”
Dr. Randy Deal
Only people I am aware of who don’t have troubles are gathered in little
neighborhoods. Most communities have at least one. We call them…cemeteries!
If you’re breathing, you have problems! That’s life! And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you!
So, you have problems -- no problem! Just tell yourself: "There I grow again!"
Why is it two people can have the same problem: One grows through it and the other is destroyed by it. It’s the difference between what you KNOW!.
Paul says what we KNOW in this verse makes a difference on how we handle the PROBLEMS in life!
Notice: "God causes ALL things to work together for good."
He doesn’t say "almost everything" but "all things". What’s included in "all"?
Financial problems? LOST JOB? HOUSE WON’T SELL? LOST HOUSE?
Illnesses? ALL? TEMPORAL ARTERITIS? BREAST CANCER? THYROID CANCER?
Addictions? ALCOHOL? METHAMPHETAMINE? TOBACCO?
Relationship problems? MY WIFE/HUSBAND LEFT ME/WANTS A DIVORCE?
Any PROBLEM you can think of! “ALL” covers it!
Notice: “God causes all things to work TOGETHER for good”
Our problems don’t often bring good in themselves! Individually a crisis here or there may not bring good, but all things are working TOGETHER!
BAKING A CAKE
A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong, she’s failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!" To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way! Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful…like my cake!”
He’s working it ALL TOGETHER!
God even uses SINFUL THINGS and the RESULTS OF SINFUL ACTS in His plan for good! God takes our MISTAKES and turns them around and brings good out of them. That’s because God is God! God doesn’t cause the mistakes, the errors, the sins in our lives, WE DO THAT, but He will use them, if we let Him.
God never wastes a circumstance! He always has a purpose!
PROMISE = ONLY for believers!
"to those who love God, to those who are called according to {His} purpose."(NASB)
All things DON’T work together for good for unbelievers.
In fact, believer or unbeliever, if we are OPENLY REBELLING AGAINST GOD, and CONTINUING IN OUR SIN, He’s not promising to work all things out for good!
What He IS saying is that if you are a child of God, nothing comes into your life by accident. “Everything is Father-filtered!”
God over reaches everything Satan does and uses it for His own purpose!
Pastor Chip said…“THE DEVIL ALWAYS PLAYS THE GAME, BUT GOD ALWAYS WINS THE GAME!”
Have you ever seen something going so right—and then all of a sudden go so wrong? Have you ever felt like there was a part of you being seduced by something you couldn’t even see? Do you wonder what happened to your zeal and vision and sensitivity? Are you far from where you once were and wonder how you got here? It could be that the devil has taken personal interest in destroying your life and thwarting your ministry. I’ve got a word for you that I think is God’s word for you as well: FIGHT BACK! No, don’t MAKE the devil your focus. Just refuse to let him STEAL your focus!
SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED TO PRAY:
Lord, please untie the ’nots’ in my life--the will nots, the can nots, the have nots, the do nots, the should nots, the would nots, the could nots and the am nots--
that keep me from experiencing the fullness of You in my life. Amen?!
GOD’S PROMISE? TO WORK EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES FOR GOOD!
II. GOD’S PURPOSE?
TO MAKE ME LIKE JESUS!
Verse 28 makes no sense at all unless you read verse 29 because verse 29 is the reason 8:28 is such a great promise! Verse 29 is the purpose behind verse 28.
And since the beginning of time, God’s purpose has never changed.
Genesis 1:26-27 (NASB)
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God…from the very beginning of time, wanted to make man in His image. Today, God’s number one purpose in our lives is to make us like Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:49 (NASB)
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Galatians 4:19 (NASB)
My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--
Ephesians 4:13 (NASB)
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
2 Peter 1:4 (NASB)
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
1 John 3:2 (NASB)
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
God wants to make us like Christ! To make us conformed to image of His Son!
NOT to make us happy and wealthy and to keep us in perfect health!
HOW does He do that? TWO THINGS!
First. His word!
John 17:17 (NASB) Jesus said…
"Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word is truth."
SANCTIFICATION - big term - the process of making us like Jesus.
God uses His Word, the more you read the Word!
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB)
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being TRANSFORMED into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."
As we look at the Lord, as we reflect on Him, meditate on Him we’re changed to be like Him!
Have you ever seen a couple of people who have lived together so long that they begin to think alike and maybe begin to look alike. Ever seen someone who looks like their pet dog? SHOW PICS OF PEOPLE LOOKING LIKE THEIR DOG!
When you spend a lot of time with somebody you start picking up their attributes. God says: the more you spend time with Me, the more you will become like Me.
How do we look at the Lord? We see Him in His Word!
“The more you spend time reflecting on the Lord IN the Bible, the more you’re changed to be like the Lord OF the Bible!” Dr. Randy Deal
His Word build us up…
Acts 20:32 (NASB)
"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
He makes us like Jesus….through His word!
Second. My problems!
ASK THE OHM’S TO JOIN ME UP ON STAGE…
Our difficulties, trials, circumstances, problems, pains, pressures, frustrations. That’s what these verses in Romans are all about!
Last week we learned from Romans 5:3-5 (NASB)…Our problems build our character and give us hope!
And in James 1:2-4 (NASB) we learned…Our problems perfect us and make us complete!
And in 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NASB) we learned…Our problems test us and bring glory to God!
And in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NASB) we learned…Our problems are temporary!
Paul writes, "And we know" because it’s what we KNOW that makes a difference in the way we respond to problems in life!
I’VE GOT RUSS & SAM & HANNAH OHM UP HERE…
Hannah was diagnosed with ALL a few months ago….
A Fathers Heart for his little girl (a journal entry from dad)
In his book , “She Calls me Daddy”, Robert Wolgemuth describes how a father’s first and for most mission for his little girl is to protect her emotionally, physically, and Spiritually. Wolgemuth gives in depth insight as to what fathers need to do to help their girl become a wonderful, well adjusted and healthy woman. His book is a must read for any dad who takes raising his girl seriously.
What does a dad do when circumstances are beyond a dad’s ability and scope to protect his girl from such as a serious illness, or a tragic accident. Then what?
Well, this dad began to experience such a dilemma last June when his girl was diagnosed with Leukemia! That was our Hannah, my girl! I was glad I was leaning on the counter as my wife spoke the word. Hearing that my knees quivered and were weak. How can I protect her now! Leukemia, I have no clue as to how I would protect her now.
Dr. David Jeremiah of Turning Point Ministries from Shadow Mountain Church had a series going about slaying the Giants in our lives. I thought that maybe some answers could be found in this and other options to take care of my girl. Scared, I began to feel helpless with no answers to cling to. Anger after fear is often the pattern to overwhelming circumstances, and my wife and I felt helpless. Sam turned to the Lord, and I Became bitter about all this. For some reason I chose anger. Even in this, I could not protect my baby.
This pattern went on for a few months until working though some of my bitterness with some friends I began to soften my position and decided that Jesus was the only answer, even if I struggled to trust.
One Sunday night at home Hannah and I were watching a Veggie Tales show about “Little Joe”. Little Joe was the parallel of Joseph in Egypt. Not having anything wrong he was put into prison until he explained a dream for Pharaoh. As the story unfolded and it was revealed that Little Joe’s brothers did Little Joe wrong. Little Joe confronted his brothers, especially Jude and reminded him that what he had done was for selfish reasons. He also added that what Jude and the brothers did was for bad, but God meant it for the good that He had planned.
Afterwards Hannah said to me “Daddy, sometimes God lets bad things happen to people so he can use them, huh?” She went on to tell me that the show was saying that God did allow Little Joe to suffer so God could use Little Joe for a big part of his plan. And she began to understand that it was not something she or Little Joe did wrong. Hannah started to see how God does use circumstances and people to do his work even though they may not know it.
How has God used this problem in your life? We began to have a little chat about how I really didn’t see this illness as something to hurt Hannah. But, God has other things He was doing like touching some of her aunts and uncles as well as a grandpa who do not know the Lord. She is beginning to see that her circumstances can be used to help others.
How has this made you more like Christ, Russ? Oh, I must also add that the protecting dad began to hear Hannah and himself discussing all these things and realized he needed to take a different position that is a better example than what he was displaying.
THANK YOU RUSS & SAM & HANNAH…..(EXIT STAGE)
HE USES HIS WORD AND HE USES OUR PROBLEMS TO MAKE US LIKE JESUS!
I wonder which one He has to use the most? Where do you spend more time? In his Word? Or in your circumstances? Hmmm…..
God’s ideal way for us to grow in character is through His word. We read the word and then we act on it. But if we don’t learn that way, God uses Plan B. Our problems!
Which way do we want to learn it? The hard way…through circumstances? Or the easy way…through His word?
HERE’S THE DEAL…If you don’t learn a lesson today, that’s OK! God gives you another chance. It just may be a bigger problem next time. If you don’t learn from that, He may give you even a bigger one!
Here’s what I know about my God….He will get our attention!
SOMETIMES
Sometimes we must be hurt in order to grow,
we must fail in order to know.
We must lose in order to gain,
Some lessons are learned best only through pain.
Sometimes our vision clears,
Only after our eyes are washed with tears.
Sometimes we have to be broken so we can be tender,
sick, so we can rest and think better.
On things more important than work or fun,
Trip near death so we can assess how we’ve run.
Sometimes we have to suffer lack so we can know God’s provisions,
feel another’s pain so we can have a sense of mission.
So take heart my friend if you don’t understand today,
Instead of grumbling, ask God what he means to say.
In order to learn, you must endure,
And learn to see the bigger picture.
In order to grow, you must stand,
Look beyond the hurt, to God’s loving hands
That takes what is good and gives what is best,
And on this blessed thought rest.
As your anxious heart with questions wait,
God’s hand only gives what his loving heart dictates.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
And…If God is going to make us like Christ, He’s going to take us through the things Jesus went through.
Hebrews 2:10 (NASB)
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. to Perfect here means mature.
Like Jesus, our sufferings will perfect us!
Hebrew 5:8 (NASB)
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
Like Christ, we learn obedience from the things we suffer?
God knows every situation we’re going through and He cares and He can change it if He wanted to!
“God is not just interested in what you’re GOING through…He’s more interested in how you’re GROWING through!”
The purpose of Christ-likeness is also found in v. 29 (NASB) that He might be the first-born among many brethren;
God’s not content to have just ONE child in His family. He wants a lot of children in His family!
Through His Word and through My Problems, God’s purpose is “TO MAKE ME LIKE JESUS!”
EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU JESUS?
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did!
The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly looking for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly."
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Sir...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"
Do people mistake US for Jesus? Are we so much like Jesus that people can’t tell the difference?
God’s promise is "TO WORK EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES FOR GOOD!"
Through His Word and through My Problems, God’s purpose is “TO MAKE US LIKE JESUS!”
III. GOD’S PROCESS? Quickly……
Step 1. He FORKNEW me!
v. 29 (TALKING TO BELIEVERS) "For whom He foreknew" (NASB).
Gk. Proginōskō (pro-gē-nō’-skō) 1) to have knowledge before hand
FOREKNOWLEDGE = VERY DEBATABLE WORD that many people have argued about. Calvin said that this means that God chose you in advance. Wesley said God simply knew in advance. There’s a lot of controversy over this word among great Bible scholars. You can believe either way….
But either way…..what he’s basically saying is your commitment, your Christian life, did not begin with your commitment to God. But your Christian life began when God committed Himself to you!!! God knew in advance. God knows everything. There is no past, present, or future with God.
It’s like this, sports fans: You hear the end score of a ball game that I’ve been TEVOING at home. Then when I get home, even though I know who’s already won, I go back and watch the entire game.
It very much like God is watching a DVD of your life. He already knows what’s going to happen. He sees the beginning and the end all at the same time.
Same word is found in…
1 Peter 1:1b-2 (NASB) (AGAIN….TO BELIEVERS)
who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:
We were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. God knew in advance when you would choose Him. And for we believers, He knew that we were going to become Christians, because He has foreknowledge.
He FORKNEW me!
Step 2. He PREDESTINED me!
v. 29 "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined." (NASB)
PREDESTINATION is based on foreknowledge. Don’t get scared of this word, either. It simply means that God made a decision about you ahead of time.
Gk. Proorizō (pro-o-rē’-zō) to predetermine, decide beforehand
God chose in advance!
“The purpose of predestination wasn’t favoritism but Christ likeness.”
"He also predestined {to become} conformed to the image of His Son" (NASB). This verse isn’t talking Heaven or Hell! . The word "predestination" is always used for believers only. It’s never used in reference to unbelievers.
Some believe that God predestined some people to heaven and some people to hell, but then what do you do with…
2 Peter 3:9 (NASB)
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for ANY to perish but for ALL to come to repentance.
Do people perish? Yes! Because God’s will is not always done.
God’s ULTIMATE WILL is always done and that’s what we’re talking about here.
PREDESTINATION’s goal is NOT heaven…it’s Christ-likeness.
Believers are PREDESTINED to become like Jesus!
CLEAREST verse on predestination, without the word in it:
Philippians 1:6 (NASB)
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Predestination means when God saves you He’s going to see you through. What He starts in your life, He finishes!
It’s SIMPLE! God starts the process of making you like Jesus, first by foreknowledge. He knew you were going to be born. He knew you were going to be saved. On that foreknowledge, He predestined you to become like His son!
Step 3. He CALLED me!
v. 30 "and whom He predestined, these He also called." (NASB)
God took the initiative in your salvation! God called you and you responded! You didn’t take the initiative in your salvation, God did!
1 John 4:19 (NASB)
We love, because He first loved us
It wasn’t our idea to be saved! It was His idea!
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NASB)
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
A good example of that is Paul. He had no intention of being saved. He’s on the road to Damascus. God CALLED him…n a very dramatic way!
HE FORKNEW ME! HE PREDESTINED ME! HE CALLED ME!
Step 4. He JUSTIFIED me!
v. 30 "and whom He called, these He also justified." (NASB)
We’ve already spent 3 or 4 weeks on this word "justified" as we’ve studied through Romans. Remember…"just as-if-I’d" never sinned.
God makes us righteous, in perfect standing before Him. It means made right before God. Not because we deserve it but just because of His grace.
And the final step…
Step 5. He GLORIFIED me!
v. 30 "and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (NASB)
The final state! The ultimate triumph!
To be GLORIFIED is to be praised, magnified, celebrated, honored, to be made glorious, to be clothed with splendor, to be rendered excellent, to make renowned, to cause the dignity and worth of someone to become manifest and acknowledged.
He GLORIFIED us!
God foreknew way back before we were born and He’s going to glorify in eternity.
He’s got the past, the present, the future. In the PAST He foreknew and predestined us. In the PRESENT He called and justified us. In the FUTURE we’re going to be glorified!
God’s promise? TO WORK EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE FOR GOOD! God’s purpose? TO MAKE ME LIKE JESUS! How? Through these five phases of His process – FOREKNOWLEDGE, PREDESTINATION, CALLING, JUSTIFICATION and GLORIFICATION!
BAND COMES BACK OUT HERE…….
IV. MY RESPONSE
v. 31 "What then shall we SAY to these things? If God is for us, who is against us." (NASB)
QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF: How do I come to a point in my life, in the midst of my problems, when I can SAY: If God is for me, who can be against me?
KNOW WHO I AM, IN CHRIST, AND SAY IT WITH MY MOUTH!
WE GOTTA SAY SOMETHIN’!!!
Every PROBLEM in life will either be a stepping stone or a stumbling block!
It will either make you bitter or better. The difference between bitter and better is the letter "i". I make the difference. It’s my choice. How I choose to respond.
“Every disappointment is His appointment!
KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW, that He’s using it ALL, for our permanent growth and glory, TO MAKE US LIKE CHRIST, how do we respond?
WHAT WILL WE SAY?
Paul also wrote…..2 Corinthians 4 (The Message)
Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and SAY OUT IN THE OPEN, THE WHOLE TRUTH ON DISPLAY, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.
If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
WE’RE NOT KEEPING THIS QUIET, NOT ON YOUR LIFE. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," WE SAY WHAT WE BELIEVE. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
WE SAY WHAT WE BELIEVE!
THERE’S THE ARMOR OF GOD, YES, AND WE NEED TO KEEP EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF IT ON, BUT THE MOST POWERFUL BUILT-IN WEAPON GOD’S GIVEN US…OUR MOUTH!
Proverbs 18:21 (NASB)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. LET’S USE IT FOR LIFE, NOT DEATH!
THE ENEMY WANTS TO HINDER US FROM EVER LEARNING HOW TO USE OUR MOUTHS FOR LIFE! HE’S SO GOOD AT CONVINCING US TO USE IT FOR DEATH! QUIT LISTENING TO THE LIAR! THE DEVIL IS A LIAR! SATAN SAYS:
YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO FORGIVE!
YOU CAN’T FORIVE!
YOU’RE ALL MESSED UP!
YOU’RE A DISAPPOINTMENT AND A FAILURE!
SEE WHAT YOU DID, YOU’LL JUST DO IT AGAIN!
YOU’LL NEVER GET PASSED THIS!
YOU’RE JUST ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER!
YOU COULD NEVER BE FORGIVEN FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE!
“WHEN SATAN REMINDS YOU OF YOUR PAST, REMIND HIM OF HIS FUTURE!”
GOD PUT POWER AND AUTHORITY INTO THE SPOKEN WORD. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SPOKEN WORD FAR EXCEEDS WORDS WE SIMPLY THINK OR PRAY IN OUR HEARTS! WE NEED TO SAY SOMETHIN’!!!!!
WE SAY WHAT WE BELIEVE!
AND THE MOST POWERFUL WORDS WE CAN SAY? SCRIPTURE! THE VERY WORDS OF GOD! NOT POSITIVE SELF TALK! BUT SAY THE WORDS OF GOD!
WE SAY WHAT WE BELIEVE!
KNOW WHO YOU ARE, IN CHRIST, AND SAY IT WITH YOUR MOUTH!
PRAY RIGHT HERE!
OH GOD….IN NAME OF JESUS, SATAN AND HIS DEMONS BE GONE FROM THIS PLACE….YOUR WORD = AT THE NAME OF JESUS, DEMONS WILL FLEE….SO LORD, NOW THAT THEY’RE GONE, I PRAY THAT WE BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS IN THIS WORSHIP CENTER RIGHT NOW…WOULD BELIEVE YOUR PROMISE…UNDERSTAND YOUR PURPOSE IN OUR PROBLEMS…EMBRACE YOUR PROCESS…ONLY HEAR YOUR WORDS RIGHT NOW, GOD…WE WOULD KNOW WHO WE ARE, IN CHRIST AND BE ABLE TO SAY IT WITH OUR MOUTHS…OH GOD, WE’VE GOT TO GET THIS! AMEN!
ONLY ONE QUESTION LEFT….So…WHO are you, in Christ?
This is who God says I am! These are HIS Words and I BELIEVE THEM!
Hold on and here we go…..(DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOUT/APPLAUD GOD!)
I am created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27)
I am set apart (Lev. 20:24)
I am delivered (Psa. 107:20)
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa. 139:14)
I am thought about by God (Psa. 139:17)
I praise Him! (Psa. 150)
In Christ, I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
In Christ, I am God’s child (John 1:12 )
In Christ, I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15:1-5)
In Christ, I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)
In Christ, I am appointed (John 15:16)
In Christ, I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
In Christ, I am God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1).
In Christ, I am God’s temple (1 Cor. 3: 16 ).
In Christ, I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17 )
In Christ, I am bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19 -20)
In Christ, I am a member of His body of believers (1 Cor 12:27)
In Christ, I am immovable (1 Cor. 15:58)
In Christ, I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
In Christ, I am NOT destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8-9)
In Christ, I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor.5:17-21)
In Christ, I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
In Christ, I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph 1:5)
In Christ, I am redeemed and forgiven (Eph. 1:7)
In Christ, I am seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
In Christ, I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10 )
In Christ, I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
In Christ, I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
In Christ, I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1:6)
In Christ, I have no shame (Phil. 1:20)
In Christ, I press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:14)
In Christ, I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
In Christ, I can do all things because He strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
In Christ, I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14).
In Christ, I am complete in Him (Col. 2:10)
In Christ, I am alive together with Him! (Col. 2:13)
In Christ, I am hidden with Him in God (Col. 3:3).
In Christ, I am unwavering (Heb. 10:23)
In Christ, I am never forsaken (Heb. 13:5)
In Christ, I am heaven bound (Heb. 13:14)
In Christ, I am chosen, a royal priest, a holy nation for God’s own possession, a people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10)
In Christ, I am born of God (1 John 5:18)
And in the book of Romans…
In Christ, I am beloved and called a saint (Rom. 1:7)
In Christ, I have been justified (Rom. 5:1)
In Christ, I am free forever from condemnation (Rom 8: 1-2)
In Christ, I am an heir of God and fellow heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17)
In Christ, I have HOPE (Rom. 8:25)
In Christ, I KNOW that God works ALL things together for good (Rom. 8:28)
In Christ, I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
In Christ, I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom.8:35-39)
In Christ, If God is for me, who is against me?
That’s who I am! Do you know who you are!?
WHEN THE ENEMY CREEPS IN AND STARTS IN ON YOU, WHEN YOUR PROBLEMS SEEM OVERWHELMING, WHEN RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, SAY THE WORDS OF GOD! TELL THE ENEMY WHO YOU ARE! TELL YOUR FAMILY WHO YOU ARE! TELL YOUR FRIENDS WHO ARE! TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS WHO YOU ARE! TELL YOUR COWORKERS WHO YOU ARE! TELL THOSE THAT COME AGAINST YOU, WHO YOU ARE, IN CHRIST! TELL YOUR PROBLEMS…WHO YOU ARE!
HEAR ME…“WHEN YOU’RE SPEAKING THE WORDS OF GOD, IT MAY SOUND LIKE YOUR VOICE TO YOU…BUT TO SATAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE VERY VOICE OF GOD!”
EVERYBODY STAND…HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE….WE MADE A BOOKMARK FOR YOU, BUT DON’T LEAVE IT IN YOUR BIBLE, HANG IT IN YOUR CAR, TAPE IT TO YOUR BATHROOM MIRROR, KEEP IT WITH YOU…
ON THE BOOKMARK IN YOUR BULLETIN OR ON THE SCREEN…
SAY THESE WORDS OF GOD WITH ME:
1. GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS!
2. GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO!
3. I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM! (SAY THAT AGAIN! AGAIN!)
4. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST!
5. GOD’S WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN ME!
BAND STARTS “EVERYTHING” WITH “CHRIST IN ME, CHRIST IN ME, CHRIST IN ME, THE HOPE OF GLORY!...........
