INTRO.- Old preacher Van Havner once said, “I feel like the American humorist Josh Billings who said, ‘I’d rather know a few things for certain than to be sure of a lot of things that ain’t so.”
ILL.- Havner said, “My wife and I were taking a bus trip through the mountains and the bus broke down right in front of a hillbilly grocery store. The woman who ran the store apparently had never been anywhere but the hills.
“My wife said, ‘I don’t believe she knows what’s going on in the outside world.’ I said, ‘Well, don’t tell her. I wouldn’t want her to know. Let her die in peace.’”
Sadly, there are many people who live in this world and in America and yet don’t know what’s going in. They don’t know that there is a loving God who created us and a devil who is evil and out to deceive and damn people to hell.
Romans 13:11-12 “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. “
Many people, including many Christian people, are not aware of how close they may be to eternity and they are not living the way they should. BUT WE KNOW BETTER! We know that eternity is just a breath away and we live according to God’s will as best we can!
I Peter 5:8-11 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
We know that we have a vicious, deceptive, damning enemy in the person of Satan! Consequently, we put up a fight. Some people are simply being sucked down the drain by the devil, BUT NOT US! We are aware of Him and know that the only to resist Him by faith in the Lord. He is powerful but the Lord is all-powerful and greater is He who is in us! (I John 4:4)
And there is whole lot more that we know and it’s because we know the Lord and we study His Word. His Word is the truth and gives us the big picture of what is happening in this world. WE ARE NOT IGNORANT! We know the Lord and we know His Word! We know that God is at work in this world. We fear not.
PROP.- Paul said confidently that we know certain things about our relationship to Christ.
1- We know that God works for our good
2- We know that God conforms us to be like His son
3- We know that God glorifies us in Christ
I. WE KNOW THAT GOD WORKS FOR OUR GOOD
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Isn’t it nice when God works things out for His good and our good? He often does this by using people to bless people.
ILL.- After my son Shane had major abdominal surgery when he was only 8 days old I had no insurance and a $5,000 hospital and doctor bill. However, today it would much larger. What to do? Make payments like most folks. I went to the financial department at the St. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City, MO, and filled out papers. The lady said, “You qualify for Catholic charity. Do you want it?” DID I WANT IT? Absolutely!
After my church I was serving found out what happened there were several people in the church who gave extra offerings or designated some of their offerings to help pay that bill. ISN’T IT NICE WHEN SOMEONE IS WILLING TO COME TO YOUR AID?!
GOD DOES MORE AND WILL DO MORE FOR US. After all, He’s the one who motivates others to do good whether they realize it or not. All good comes from Him.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Oh wow! God works out things for our good. That sure sounds good to me! Has He done that for you? Can you remember a time or several times when you thought nothing was going work out but it did?!
ILL.- When Elaine and I came here to try out for the church we had already been to another state twice to preach and try out for the church. On the Sunday I preached for our church we got a call from the other church saying, they wanted us to come and minister with them. They knew, however, that I was looking at another church but they didn’t know what church or where. I told them I would let them know something in one week. The next Sunday was when our church was going to vote on us or me.
We were hopeful that we would get a good vote, that is, a good enough vote that we could move here. Here we were: considering two different churches in two different states and with different circumstances. One church was much larger, in fact, 3 to 4 times larger. And it was a new church building! Nice and with lots of kids. That part was good but there were some negatives: the town was much smaller than Jonesboro and the church was located about 5 miles out in the country on very windy roads. The people seemed friendly enough, however.
That next Sunday we got a call from JCC, saying “we want you.” What did we do? We accepted the invitation and called the other church and had to inform them about moving here. And we felt and still feel that God worked things out for our good and for His good. We’re here for His good and His glory! We serve for His sake.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Don’t you want God to work out things for His good and your good? Notice then again the two prerequisites for this: 1- We must love Him 2- We must be called according to His purpose (that is, seek His will and His purpose in this life).
Some people, including some Christians, only live for self rather than for God’s glory. You can tell by the things they do, their social lives, how they spend, how they give or don’t give, whether they serve others or not. All these things and more tell on us! They tell whether we’re living for self or for the Lord.
If we live for self or selfish motives then we’re asking for trouble. If we live for the Lord we’ll receive good from the Lord.
In a fight whom would you choose to be on your side? I would choose someone who is bigger than me and can handle himself in a fight. I would choose the bigger and better guy. We’re in a fight with the world, the flesh and the devil. Whom do you choose to be on your side?
Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
II. WE KNOW THAT GOD CONFORMS US TO BE LIKE HIS SON
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
ILL.- Many people children take after their parents either in looks or actions and often, both. For example, perhaps you may remember some of these famous people and their children. Actor Keifer Sutherland looks a whole lot like his father, Donald Sutherland. Kate Hudson looks much like her mother, Goldie Hawn. Charlie Sheen looks somewhat like his father, Martin Sheen. Lisa Marie Presley and her famous father, Elvis Presley. George W. Bush looks a lot like his father, George H. W. Bush.
Likewise, God, our Father, wants us to be like Him in the sense of being conformed to the likeness of His Son. And, of course, like father, like son is so very true when it comes to God and Christ.
Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
He is the image of the invisible God. New Century Version reads: No one can see God, but Jesus Christ is exactly like him. How does God shape us or make us like His son? It’s a miracle of miracles but it doesn’t happen overnight and we can’t accomplish it by ourselves.
Some actors and actresses are very good about being able to transform themselves into the personality of someone else, that is, the person they portray on screen. I think of 74 year old Anthony Hopkins from Wales in “Silence of the Lambs” which is a mystery/thriller. He does an excellent job of throwing himself into a part. Another example would be when he played Brad Pitt’s father in “Legends of the Fall” during WWI and prohibition.
How do actors become another person? They read about the person they are to portray and saturate their minds with that person, that is, his or her personality or character. It’s a matter of intense study and saturation.
I have actually read that some actors have trouble after playing a part when they try to become the person they are really are. They often become so absorbed with their character that they have difficulty becoming who they once were!
If actors can do it, why can’t we? We can but that’s not how God conforms us to the likeness or image of His son. That’s artificial. That’s imitation. That’s on the outside, but God wants to conform us to the image of His Son from the inside out. So how does He do this? How can He do this?
II Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
New Century Version reads: “We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
God is at work in us through the power of His Holy Spirit! How much He is at work in us to change us into the image of His Son is somewhat dependent on us. That is, how much we yield to God and His Spirit in us. We can fight Him off and do our own thing or we can yield and give in to Him and let Him work in us to change into new and better people, that is, in the image of Jesus.
I would say, however, that fighting with God or against God is not a wise thing to do! We need to surrender to Him, read His Word, allow His Word and His Spirit to do a good work in us and slowly we will become more like Jesus. And this is God’s desire for us because there is no one more lovely and loving than Jesus!
Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Can people tell you’ve been with Jesus?
III. WE KNOW THAT GOD GLORIFIES US IN CHRIST
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
I thought we were supposed to glorify Christ, not Him glorify us? We know about being called by the gospel. You were called, weren’t you? Remember those Sunday School when you were small? Or maybe a stirring sermon on hell? Or a godly relative who talked to you about the Lord?
All people are called through the gospel of Christ, but not everyone is listening. There is more gospel preaching today than ever before but fewer people are responding in America. We have gospel preaching on TV, on the internet, Twitter, facebook, email, on the radio, on billboards, at the ball games with ball players who witness for Christ, etc. And yet people are not responding in America.
Why do people not respond to God’s call here in America? I think it’s because of our affluence, our good living, our abundance of material possessions and things to do! The evil one uses America’s affluence to draw them away from the gospel of Christ. Why do people need Christ when they have everything they want materially and do whatever they want? They will need Christ when they see ill health or death on the horizon but by then it may be too late for some to respond to the gospel. They may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
God calls people through the gospel of Jesus. And He justifies through that same gospel when we respond to Christ. When we believe, surrender, submit, and obey the gospel then we are justified. Made clean by the sacrifice of Christ.
Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” When people respond to the Lord Jesus in faith that obeys they will be justified before God. We are righteous through faith in Christ.
II Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Called, justified and then glorified. How does God glorify us when we’re supposed to glorify Him?
II Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
1 Corinthians 9:25 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
ILL.- I have often thought, “Why do we not say ‘Amen’ to the preached Word of God?” Our church is the quietest church I’ve ever served. It could be that the AMEN is coming in heaven so I don’t worry much about it right now. The crown is not given during the race but when you finish the race! I certainly haven’t been crowned yet, have you?
CONCLUSION--------------
ILL.- H.G. Wells (British writer of science fiction) was never particularly religious, but after he had studied the history of the human race and had observed human life, he came to an interesting conclusion: "Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found God and been found by God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end. He may have his friendships, his partial loyalties, his scraps of honor. But all these things fall into place and life falls into place only with God."
And how do we come to know God? Through Jesus Christ His son.
John 14:8-10 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
