"Who can be against us?" (part 4) 7/25/10
The key passage for this series is …
Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Part #1) He has Predestined us.
***Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in the matter of salvation.
The point is Predestination is based upon God’s foreknowledge.
Rom. 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined …”
How does God elect or choose individuals to salvation?
It’s by His foreknowledge. (seleh) Foreknowledge of what??(selah)
Foreknowledge of who will believe in Christ!
BESIDES TEACHING ON PREDESTINATION, WE ALSO LOOKED
AT SEVERAL OTHER VERSES IN ROMANS ABOUT THE WILL OF GOD FOR OUR LIFE & THE HOLY SPIRIT’S INVOLVEMENT IN HELPING US TO PRAY. CD
2 wks ago… #2 He has called us….3 aspects of His calling.
#1) is the character of our calling…it’s a holy calling.
#2) is our specific call to ministry.
PLUS God also gives a specific geographical calling…
#3) is our Call to be in the Family of God.
I shared a lot more in part 2…get a CD if you missed it.
Last week #3) Rom 8:30 …whom He called, these He also justified;
A simple definition of justified…(JUST AS IF I’D… NEVER SINNED)
We looked at several verses that put “Justification” with “Faith”.
And then we studied the life of the Father of Faith…Abraham.
Like Abraham, when we face insurmountable odds, we need to cop an attitude of faith and give the glory to God. Get a (CD)
#4) Rom 8:30 “..and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
The Greek word that’s used here is DOXA.
Noun, doxa …(Bible dictionary)… the state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ. Sounds future tense…?
But our text definitely puts it in the past tense and not just a blessed hope for our future state of being in heaven.
He has glorified us!
But…“doxa” is used in a lot of other ways…
Including… to honor, do honor to, hold in honor…
And.. to make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor.
This passage made me think of Eph 2 and a message I preached 3 years ago…“FROM JUNK YARD TO SHOW ROOM.” …(share a little of it)
SEE, GOD HAD SOMETHING IN MIND WHEN HE CREATED YOU.
YOU’RE NOT AN ACCIDENT…AND YOU’RE NOT YOUR OWN.
THE CREATOR MADE YOU AND HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE.
EPH 2 does BEGIN WITH OUR PAST….PAST TENSE…..
Eph 2: 1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST DESCRIPTIONS GIVEN IN SCRIPTURE OF WHERE WE ALL CAME FROM…messed up resume.
THOUGH WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND TESTIMONIES, PAUL LUMPS US ALL TOGETHER AND GIVES
AT LEAST 5 THINGS, DESCRIBING OUR PAST CONDITION.
#1) “…who were dead in trespasses and sins…”
OF COURSE IT’S SPEAKING OF BEING SPIRITUALLY DEAD.
WE WERE VERY MUCH ALIVE PHYSICALLY…before we got saved
OUR BODY WAS ALIVE BEFORE WE KNEW CHRIST.
OUR SOUL WAS ALIVE…OUR MIND, WILL AND EMOTIONS.
BUT THE “GOD CONSCIENCE” PART OF US WAS DEAD….
OUR SPIRIT WAS DEAD….
DEAD, (NEKROS)…A CORPSE….SPIRITUALLY WE WERE UNRESPONSIVE, LIFELESS AND COLD CADAVERS. WE WERE INCAPABLE OF KNOWING GOD…LET ALONE, LOVING HIM.
#2) “…you once walked according to the course of this world..”
(NIV)…. “THE WAYS OF THIS WORLD.”
AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE SO UNIQUE, AND SUCH INDEPENDENT THINKERS…BUT, WE WERE ALL ON THE SAME COURSE, THE SAME PATH WITH MULTITUDES OF SINNERS...
EVERYONE MARCHING IN LOCK-STEP HEADING DOWN THAT BROAD ROAD, AND THE WIDE GATE THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION.
#3) WE WALKED… “according to the prince of the power of the air” AND PAUL ADDS, ITS…
“…the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…”
THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR IS A SPIRIT!
MAYBE YOU WEREN’T “DEMON POSSESSED”…BUT WE WERE ALL PAWNS IN HIS HANDS….LEAD AROUND LIKE A SLAVE.
I WAS BOUND UP IN DRUGS…BOUND UP IN ALL KINDS OF EVIL DESIRES. THE “PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR” LED ME INTO ALL KINDS OF BONDAGE. (SELAH)
#4) “…we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”
THAT’S HOW WE LIVED…THAT’S WHAT CAME NATURAL TO US.
THE DESIRES OF OUR LOWER NATURE, THE FLESH, THE CARNAL MAN, THE OLD MAN, OUR SINFUL NATURE…DICTATED WHAT WE DID, WHAT WE SAID, WHERE WE WENT & HOW WE SPENT OUR $.
#5) “…and were by nature children of wrath…”
PAUL IS SPEAKING OF THE WRATH AND JUDGMENT OF GOD.
WHICH COULD REFER TO THE FUTURE JUDGMENT, BUT THE FACT IS…OUR SIN BROUGHT A LOT OF WRATH AND CURSES ON OUR LIVES AND FAMILIES…THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH…
SEE…THERE’S A DECAYING PROCESS BUILT INTO SIN…
AND WE WERE HELPLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WAS OUR NATURE…TO SIN!
I DON’T CARE IF YOU HAD THE BEST EDUCATION, LIVING IN THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD…..OR IF YOU WERE RAISED ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS…..THIS IS WHO YOU WERE!
“…YOU were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
THAT’S THE COURSE WE ALL WERE ON…BLINDED, AND DRIVEN BY THE SPIRIT OF SATAN…AND THE APPETITES OF OUR FLESH… AND ALL WE HAD TO LOOK FORWARD TO WAS, THE WRATH AND JUDGMENT OF A RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY GOD. We were HOPELESS
THEN VERSE 4 BEGINS WITH…“BUT GOD!” “PRAISE THE LORD!”
EPHESIANS 2: 4 – 6… “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
1…WE WERE DEAD…. BUT GOD!
2…WE WERE LOST, CONTROLLED BY SATAN, THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR………BUT GOD!
3…OUR LIVES WERE CONSUMED BY OUR FALLEN NATURE AND THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH ……BUT GOD!
4.WE WERE ON THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, WE WERE HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION AND WRATH AND DAMNATION…BUT GOD! selah
PAUL HASTENS, HE’S A GOD… “…who is rich in mercy…”
HEY… WHEN IT COMES TO MERCY…HE’S LOADED. (SELAH)
NOTICE, THE STRUCTURE OF THE SENTENCE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HIS MERCY AND COMPASSION IS BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT “LOVE” FOR US. (SELAH)….. “JESUS LOVES YOU!” (AGAPE define)
SO NOW, BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE… (PRESENT TENSE) …
“and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
(TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND SAY)… “HUH?”
SEE, PHYSICALLY WE CAN TRACE OUR HISTORY BACK THOUGH OUR GRAND-PARENTS, AND GREAT GRAND-PARENTS….AND SO ON… ALL THE WAY BACK TO ADAM. RIGHT?
SO….WE WERE ALL “IN” ADAM the bible says….AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WHEN HE FELL…WE INHERITED A FALLEN SIN NATURE…
BUT, IN 1974….WHEN I RECEIVED JESUS, I WAS REMOVED FROM THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS AND TRANSLATED INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS SON ….NOW, I AM IN CHRIST…
AND GUESS WHAT?... I HAVE A DIFFERENT PAST.
NOW…(PRESENT TENSE) I TRACE MY LINEAGE BACK 2,000 YEARS TO A CROSS, OUT SIDE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
A CROSS WHERE JESUS DIED…AND BECAUSE I AM IN CHRIST,
I WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM…(GAL. 2:20)
SEE, I NOT ONLY DIED WITH HIM…I WAS BURIED WITH HIM.
AND WHEN HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD, I ROSE WITH HIM.
AND WHEN HE LEFT THIS WORLD IN HIS GLORIFIED BODY AND TOOK HIS SEAT AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER…
IN CHRIST…. “I’M THERE!”
RIGHT NOW! PRESENT TENSE…WE ARE SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS. (GLORY)…THAT IS OUR POSITION.
NOW, THIS PASSAGE DOES GO ON TO SPEAK OF FUTURE.
BUT IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT GOD IS GOING TO DO IN US!
HE’S ALREADY DONE IT. HE HAS GLORIFIED US!
BUT INSTEAD, IT’S WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONE IN US.
He has predestined us…He has called us…He has justified us …and He has (past tense) glorified us.
Because of what He has done...V. 7 says what He’s going to do. “…That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
HE’S GOING TO PUT ON A SHOW FOR ALL ETERNITY!
AND IT’S YOU AND ME…THAT HE’S GOING TO PUT ON DISPLAY.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CAR SHOW…
MOST OF THE OWNERS HAVE PUT FAR MORE MONEY IN THERE CAR THEN THEY’LL EVER GET OUT OF IT.
BUT THE TIME AND CARE TO DETAIL BRINGS THEIR CAR TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD CALLED…. “SHOW ROOM” QUALITY.
GUESS WHAT?… THROUGHOUT ETERNITY…GOD IS GOING TO PUT YOU IN HIS SHOW ROOM. ….(SELAH)…Why?
TO SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE. (repeat)
“THIS WAS ONCE A RUSTED OUT HEAP THAT I RESCUED FROM THE JUNK YARD OF SIN…IT WAS BROKEN DOWN, A WORTHLESS PILE OF JUNK…GOOD FOR NOTHING BUT SCRAP AND THE FIRE.
BUT I BOUGHT IT, AND CLEANED IT, I REMOVED ALL THE STAINS OF SIN AND FASHIONED IT INTO THIS GLORIOUS CREATION.” (PTL)
PAST TENSE…YOU WERE DEAD.
PRESENT TENSE…IN CHRIST…HE HAS GLORIFIED US AND SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES.
FUTURE TENSE…GOD IS GOING TO PUT YOU ON DISPLAY, SHOWING THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE.
NOW COMES ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE….EPHESIANS 2: 8,9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
TO UNDERSCORE WHAT HE’S ALREADY SAID…
PAUL WANTS TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR….“IT’S GRACE!”
NO ONE IS GOING TO GET TO HEAVEN AND BOAST ABOUT ALL THEY DID TO GET THERE.
NO ONE EARNS THEIR SALVATION.
NO ONE CAN BE GOOD ENOUGH TO DESERVE HEAVEN….
WHY?…BECAUSE THE SIN ISSUE IS BEYOND ANYTHING THAT YOU OR I CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT …He paid a debt He did not owe… amazing grace how sweet the sound
NOW…V.10 TIES ALL THIS TOGETHER WITH A CHALLENGE.
AND IT’S A CHALLENGE TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY.
EPH. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
“WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP…”
THE WORD IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK IS “POIEMA” (POY-AY-MAH)
IT’S WERE WE GET OUR ENGLISH WORD… “POEM”.
WE ARE HIS POEM…A POEM ENTITLED “BETH”….OR ETC.
INSTEAD OF WORKMANSHIP, SOME TRANSLATE IT…
“HIS MASTERPIECE”.
LIKE A SCULPTURE, HE HAS CREATED A NEW CREATION.
(TELL SOMEONE) “YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE.”
BUT…V.10 TELLS US THAT WE HAVE A CAUSE…
WE WERE CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS….FOR “GOOD WORKS.”
NOT WORKS TO GET SAVED…BUT…GOOD WORKS THAT…
“God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (SELAH)
IN THE DIMENSION OF THE REALITY OF AN ETERNAL GOD…
WHO PREDESTINED US ACCORDING TO HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE,
THE GOOD WORKS WERE PREPARED FOR YOU, BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH…
GOD KNEW YOU AND PREDESTINED YOU, CALLED YOU, JUSTIFIED YOU, AND BECAUSE YOU ARE IN CHRIST, SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES…THE WORD TO DESCRIBE US IS DOXA!
GLORIFIED! to honor, OR adorn with luster, clothe with splendor.
LET ME ASK… “ARE YOU WITH THE MULTITUDES HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION….OR… ARE YOU ON THE PATH OF LIFE?”
THE PATH OF LIFE BEGINS BY FIRST GOING TO CALVARY. (SALVATION)
LIKE I SHARED 2 WEEKS AGO…EVEN THOUGH THIS IS DONE, PAST TENSE, WE NEED TO WORK IT OUT THROUGH OUR LIFE.
OUR SOUL…MIND, WILL AND EMOTIONS.
THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF GOD AS THE POTTER, WE ARE THE CLAY…
SEE IT AGAIN?… HE’S FASHIONING YOU INTO A MASTERPIECE!
A FAMOUS ARTIST, WHEN ASKED HOW HE MADE SUCH BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURES…SAID…“I simply remove all the stone that doesn’t belong there…and what is left is my creation.”
MAYBE YOU’RE GOING THROUGH THE FIRE RIGHT NOW….
AND THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE ANY RHYME OR REASON…
LET ME REMIND YOU OF THE 3 HEBREW CHILDREN…shadrack etc.
(you know story) THEY REFUSED TO BOW…THROWN IN THE OVEN.
HEY CHURCH…The only thing that was destroyed in the fire was the ropes that bound them up.
GOD KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING…HE’S THE MASTER SCULPTURE.
LET HIM FASHION YOU…IT’S ALL GRACE… “change my heart o God”
Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Part #1) He has Predestined us.
***Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in the matter of salvation.
The point is Predestination is based upon God’s foreknowledge.
Rom. 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined …”
How does God elect or choose individuals to salvation?
It’s by His foreknowledge. (seleh) Foreknowledge of what??(selah)
Foreknowledge of who will believe in Christ!
BESIDES TEACHING ON PREDESTINATION, WE ALSO LOOKED
AT SEVERAL OTHER VERSES IN ROMANS ABOUT THE WILL OF GOD FOR OUR LIFE & THE HOLY SPIRIT’S INVOLVEMENT IN HELPING US TO PRAY. CD
2 wks ago… #2 He has called us….3 aspects of His calling.
#1) is the character of our calling…it’s a holy calling.
#2) is our specific call to ministry.
PLUS God also gives a specific geographical calling…
#3) is our Call to be in the Family of God.
I shared a lot more in part 2…get a CD if you missed it.
Last week #3) Rom 8:30 …whom He called, these He also justified;
A simple definition of justified…(JUST AS IF I’D… NEVER SINNED)
We looked at several verses that put “Justification” with “Faith”.
And then we studied the life of the Father of Faith…Abraham.
Like Abraham, when we face insurmountable odds, we need to cop an attitude of faith and give the glory to God. Get a (CD)
#4) Rom 8:30 “..and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
The Greek word that’s used here is DOXA.
Noun, doxa …(Bible dictionary)… the state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ. Sounds future tense…?
But our text definitely puts it in the past tense and not just a blessed hope for our future state of being in heaven.
He has glorified us!
But…“doxa” is used in a lot of other ways…
Including… to honor, do honor to, hold in honor…
And.. to make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor.
This passage made me think of Eph 2 and a message I preached 3 years ago…“FROM JUNK YARD TO SHOW ROOM.” …(share a little of it)
SEE, GOD HAD SOMETHING IN MIND WHEN HE CREATED YOU.
YOU’RE NOT AN ACCIDENT…AND YOU’RE NOT YOUR OWN.
THE CREATOR MADE YOU AND HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE.
EPH 2 does BEGIN WITH OUR PAST….PAST TENSE…..
Eph 2: 1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST DESCRIPTIONS GIVEN IN SCRIPTURE OF WHERE WE ALL CAME FROM…messed up resume.
THOUGH WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND TESTIMONIES, PAUL LUMPS US ALL TOGETHER AND GIVES
AT LEAST 5 THINGS, DESCRIBING OUR PAST CONDITION.
#1) “…who were dead in trespasses and sins…”
OF COURSE IT’S SPEAKING OF BEING SPIRITUALLY DEAD.
WE WERE VERY MUCH ALIVE PHYSICALLY…before we got saved
OUR BODY WAS ALIVE BEFORE WE KNEW CHRIST.
OUR SOUL WAS ALIVE…OUR MIND, WILL AND EMOTIONS.
BUT THE “GOD CONSCIENCE” PART OF US WAS DEAD….
OUR SPIRIT WAS DEAD….
DEAD, (NEKROS)…A CORPSE….SPIRITUALLY WE WERE UNRESPONSIVE, LIFELESS AND COLD CADAVERS. WE WERE INCAPABLE OF KNOWING GOD…LET ALONE, LOVING HIM.
#2) “…you once walked according to the course of this world..”
(NIV)…. “THE WAYS OF THIS WORLD.”
AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE SO UNIQUE, AND SUCH INDEPENDENT THINKERS…BUT, WE WERE ALL ON THE SAME COURSE, THE SAME PATH WITH MULTITUDES OF SINNERS...
EVERYONE MARCHING IN LOCK-STEP HEADING DOWN THAT BROAD ROAD, AND THE WIDE GATE THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION.
#3) WE WALKED… “according to the prince of the power of the air” AND PAUL ADDS, ITS…
“…the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…”
THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR IS A SPIRIT!
MAYBE YOU WEREN’T “DEMON POSSESSED”…BUT WE WERE ALL PAWNS IN HIS HANDS….LEAD AROUND LIKE A SLAVE.
I WAS BOUND UP IN DRUGS…BOUND UP IN ALL KINDS OF EVIL DESIRES. THE “PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR” LED ME INTO ALL KINDS OF BONDAGE. (SELAH)
#4) “…we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”
THAT’S HOW WE LIVED…THAT’S WHAT CAME NATURAL TO US.
THE DESIRES OF OUR LOWER NATURE, THE FLESH, THE CARNAL MAN, THE OLD MAN, OUR SINFUL NATURE…DICTATED WHAT WE DID, WHAT WE SAID, WHERE WE WENT & HOW WE SPENT OUR $.
#5) “…and were by nature children of wrath…”
PAUL IS SPEAKING OF THE WRATH AND JUDGMENT OF GOD.
WHICH COULD REFER TO THE FUTURE JUDGMENT, BUT THE FACT IS…OUR SIN BROUGHT A LOT OF WRATH AND CURSES ON OUR LIVES AND FAMILIES…THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH…
SEE…THERE’S A DECAYING PROCESS BUILT INTO SIN…
AND WE WERE HELPLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WAS OUR NATURE…TO SIN!
I DON’T CARE IF YOU HAD THE BEST EDUCATION, LIVING IN THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD…..OR IF YOU WERE RAISED ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS…..THIS IS WHO YOU WERE!
“…YOU were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
THAT’S THE COURSE WE ALL WERE ON…BLINDED, AND DRIVEN BY THE SPIRIT OF SATAN…AND THE APPETITES OF OUR FLESH… AND ALL WE HAD TO LOOK FORWARD TO WAS, THE WRATH AND JUDGMENT OF A RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY GOD. We were HOPELESS
THEN VERSE 4 BEGINS WITH…“BUT GOD!” “PRAISE THE LORD!”
EPHESIANS 2: 4 – 6… “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
1…WE WERE DEAD…. BUT GOD!
2…WE WERE LOST, CONTROLLED BY SATAN, THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR………BUT GOD!
3…OUR LIVES WERE CONSUMED BY OUR FALLEN NATURE AND THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH ……BUT GOD!
4.WE WERE ON THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, WE WERE HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION AND WRATH AND DAMNATION…BUT GOD! selah
PAUL HASTENS, HE’S A GOD… “…who is rich in mercy…”
HEY… WHEN IT COMES TO MERCY…HE’S LOADED. (SELAH)
NOTICE, THE STRUCTURE OF THE SENTENCE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HIS MERCY AND COMPASSION IS BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT “LOVE” FOR US. (SELAH)….. “JESUS LOVES YOU!” (AGAPE define)
SO NOW, BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE… (PRESENT TENSE) …
“and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
(TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND SAY)… “HUH?”
SEE, PHYSICALLY WE CAN TRACE OUR HISTORY BACK THOUGH OUR GRAND-PARENTS, AND GREAT GRAND-PARENTS….AND SO ON… ALL THE WAY BACK TO ADAM. RIGHT?
SO….WE WERE ALL “IN” ADAM the bible says….AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WHEN HE FELL…WE INHERITED A FALLEN SIN NATURE…
BUT, IN 1974….WHEN I RECEIVED JESUS, I WAS REMOVED FROM THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS AND TRANSLATED INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS SON ….NOW, I AM IN CHRIST…
AND GUESS WHAT?... I HAVE A DIFFERENT PAST.
NOW…(PRESENT TENSE) I TRACE MY LINEAGE BACK 2,000 YEARS TO A CROSS, OUT SIDE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
A CROSS WHERE JESUS DIED…AND BECAUSE I AM IN CHRIST,
I WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM…(GAL. 2:20)
SEE, I NOT ONLY DIED WITH HIM…I WAS BURIED WITH HIM.
AND WHEN HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD, I ROSE WITH HIM.
AND WHEN HE LEFT THIS WORLD IN HIS GLORIFIED BODY AND TOOK HIS SEAT AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER…
IN CHRIST…. “I’M THERE!”
RIGHT NOW! PRESENT TENSE…WE ARE SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS. (GLORY)…THAT IS OUR POSITION.
NOW, THIS PASSAGE DOES GO ON TO SPEAK OF FUTURE.
BUT IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT GOD IS GOING TO DO IN US!
HE’S ALREADY DONE IT. HE HAS GLORIFIED US!
BUT INSTEAD, IT’S WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONE IN US.
He has predestined us…He has called us…He has justified us …and He has (past tense) glorified us.
Because of what He has done...V. 7 says what He’s going to do. “…That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
HE’S GOING TO PUT ON A SHOW FOR ALL ETERNITY!
AND IT’S YOU AND ME…THAT HE’S GOING TO PUT ON DISPLAY.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CAR SHOW…
MOST OF THE OWNERS HAVE PUT FAR MORE MONEY IN THERE CAR THEN THEY’LL EVER GET OUT OF IT.
BUT THE TIME AND CARE TO DETAIL BRINGS THEIR CAR TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD CALLED…. “SHOW ROOM” QUALITY.
GUESS WHAT?… THROUGHOUT ETERNITY…GOD IS GOING TO PUT YOU IN HIS SHOW ROOM. ….(SELAH)…Why?
TO SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE. (repeat)
“THIS WAS ONCE A RUSTED OUT HEAP THAT I RESCUED FROM THE JUNK YARD OF SIN…IT WAS BROKEN DOWN, A WORTHLESS PILE OF JUNK…GOOD FOR NOTHING BUT SCRAP AND THE FIRE.
BUT I BOUGHT IT, AND CLEANED IT, I REMOVED ALL THE STAINS OF SIN AND FASHIONED IT INTO THIS GLORIOUS CREATION.” (PTL)
PAST TENSE…YOU WERE DEAD.
PRESENT TENSE…IN CHRIST…HE HAS GLORIFIED US AND SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES.
FUTURE TENSE…GOD IS GOING TO PUT YOU ON DISPLAY, SHOWING THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE.
NOW COMES ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE….EPHESIANS 2: 8,9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
TO UNDERSCORE WHAT HE’S ALREADY SAID…
PAUL WANTS TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR….“IT’S GRACE!”
NO ONE IS GOING TO GET TO HEAVEN AND BOAST ABOUT ALL THEY DID TO GET THERE.
NO ONE EARNS THEIR SALVATION.
NO ONE CAN BE GOOD ENOUGH TO DESERVE HEAVEN….
WHY?…BECAUSE THE SIN ISSUE IS BEYOND ANYTHING THAT YOU OR I CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT …He paid a debt He did not owe… amazing grace how sweet the sound
NOW…V.10 TIES ALL THIS TOGETHER WITH A CHALLENGE.
AND IT’S A CHALLENGE TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY.
EPH. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
“WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP…”
THE WORD IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK IS “POIEMA” (POY-AY-MAH)
IT’S WERE WE GET OUR ENGLISH WORD… “POEM”.
WE ARE HIS POEM…A POEM ENTITLED “BETH”….OR ETC.
INSTEAD OF WORKMANSHIP, SOME TRANSLATE IT…
“HIS MASTERPIECE”.
LIKE A SCULPTURE, HE HAS CREATED A NEW CREATION.
(TELL SOMEONE) “YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE.”
BUT…V.10 TELLS US THAT WE HAVE A CAUSE…
WE WERE CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS….FOR “GOOD WORKS.”
NOT WORKS TO GET SAVED…BUT…GOOD WORKS THAT…
“God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (SELAH)
IN THE DIMENSION OF THE REALITY OF AN ETERNAL GOD…
WHO PREDESTINED US ACCORDING TO HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE,
THE GOOD WORKS WERE PREPARED FOR YOU, BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH…
GOD KNEW YOU AND PREDESTINED YOU, CALLED YOU, JUSTIFIED YOU, AND BECAUSE YOU ARE IN CHRIST, SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES…THE WORD TO DESCRIBE US IS DOXA!
GLORIFIED! to honor, OR adorn with luster, clothe with splendor.
LET ME ASK… “ARE YOU WITH THE MULTITUDES HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION….OR… ARE YOU ON THE PATH OF LIFE?”
THE PATH OF LIFE BEGINS BY FIRST GOING TO CALVARY. (SALVATION)
LIKE I SHARED 2 WEEKS AGO…EVEN THOUGH THIS IS DONE, PAST TENSE, WE NEED TO WORK IT OUT THROUGH OUR LIFE.
OUR SOUL…MIND, WILL AND EMOTIONS.
THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF GOD AS THE POTTER, WE ARE THE CLAY…
SEE IT AGAIN?… HE’S FASHIONING YOU INTO A MASTERPIECE!
A FAMOUS ARTIST, WHEN ASKED HOW HE MADE SUCH BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURES…SAID…“I simply remove all the stone that doesn’t belong there…and what is left is my creation.”
MAYBE YOU’RE GOING THROUGH THE FIRE RIGHT NOW….
AND THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE ANY RHYME OR REASON…
LET ME REMIND YOU OF THE 3 HEBREW CHILDREN…shadrack etc.
(you know story) THEY REFUSED TO BOW…THROWN IN THE OVEN.
HEY CHURCH…The only thing that was destroyed in the fire was the ropes that bound them up.
GOD KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING…HE’S THE MASTER SCULPTURE.
LET HIM FASHION YOU…IT’S ALL GRACE… “change my heart o God”