God's Goal for My Life

Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles for Wednesday, August 10 believers often ask what God's plan for my life to really understand that you need an eternal perspective as we listen to Dr. Stanley explain God's goal for my life. A person has no goals in their life will drift weeks will go by months and years of more these days you'll turn around look back over your life and say what about been doing, how is my life slipped away and you'll ask yourself the question, what about accomplished what about really and truly achieved in my life and you will come up very disappointed. No one should live without goals but those goals should be goals that fit into God's perfect plan for your life. Not only should you not have goals but we should ask the question what God's goals for my life.

Well, there probably may be many goals that you and I could fit into that category.

But there's one ultimate primary goal that God has for your life by life and every single one of his children and I want you to turn around most familiar passages of Scripture and all the word of God is found in one of most glorious chapters of the word of God that is Romans chapter 8 someone you turn there if you will.

And let's read three verses in this eighth chapter of Romans thinking in terms of God's goal for your life and mine and you recall that in the 28th verse, the one that we usually quote when everything is going good one will usually quote with some questions when everything is not so good begins by saying, 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 whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren and whom he predestined, these he also called and whom he called these he also justified, in whom he justified these he also glorified.

Now what is God's goal for your life in my life's about us as well that's easy. God's goal for my life is to save me and get me to heaven.

While that is a good goal and I'm certainly grateful that that's one of God's goals, but God's goal for your life in my life is taken almost to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Now let's look at that verse for just a moment and ask a couple questions. It literally mean by conformed when he uses this word, it means to be made like that is something is conformed to its made like it. It's shaped like so we think about the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. We probably think about things like this, let's say that you bought 1/4 and there is an image on the corner. George Washington all right when the sun reflects in a Lakewood sates is smooth on ripple Lake and you can see the reflection of the son of the lake or his a stone statue that's an image of somebody. All of these are created images, but they don't relate to what we're talking about here because we're talking about this kind of image when somebody says that your son, you look just like your dad or someone says that your daughter you look just like your mom. That is a derived image that is an image that came from someone else. That is, you inherited something from them.

That is a part of you and that is very evident someone remind you that when you and I were save. The Bible says that we were born again. That is, by the grace of God. You and I were born again into a new family.

The family of God by being born again as sins were forgiven.

The Bible says that you and I became children of God, and we are now a part of the family of God. Now, when God did that. What he did is he sent the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of ours the life of Jesus Christ and Jesus says I'm abiding in you and your abiding in the so that all of us who believers have Christ living on the inside of ours and through the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is to live through is the very life of Jesus, so that you and I are now to bear the image of the son of God. Our character is to be like the character the Lord Jesus Christ outwardly out conduct in our conversation, and countless should reflect that you and I are the sons and daughters of God. You see, because you and bear the image of Jesus Christ himself. You and should still live our lives that it would be very evident and easy, at least to another Christian to be able to detect that will not like the world are characters, not that of the world. Our conversation is not that of the world are conduct is not of the world. Why because we not only bear the image of the heavenly that is of Christ. God is in this very moment in the process of making others like him think about that God is in the very process at this very moment in the life of every believer of making us like Jesus that does not mean that is improving this and cutting out the other. But rather than listen carefully because here's the whole key and this is where we had to hold differences of opinion. There are those who believe that they become more and more like Jesus. When they do more more good works and to give more more money and they say more more prayers the removal Scripture do all these things, which is not true as the other whole viewpoint, which is the biblical viewpoint and that's this that because Jesus Christ is living on the inside of me having received by faith and salvation through the presence of the Holy Spirit day by day as I submit to the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ of the Holy Spirit is able to express more and more of his analyte inmate through me out with in every area of conduct conversation character so that we are not becoming by self effort more and more like Jesus. But listen because he's living on the inside and will bring in body, soul and spirit, mind, will and emotion into subjection to the indwelling presence, the more we bring all of this in subjection to him, the more of the barren life in image of Jesus Christ is evident to those people about. So what that does. It takes the responsibility off of us to get better and better and better which we can't and it leaves it where it ought to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit to express. There was a life that only he can express. So we say that the goal of God for every single believer is the conformist of the likeness of Christ. I want to explain that and I'm going to ask you at the end. Several questions when we say that we are being conformed the likeness of Christ. What is a two things. First of all, the inner man is being conformed now the outward man the physical being is going to be conformed later someone eternity will to second Corinthians chapter 3 second drink in chapter 3, and Paul says that he and a very beautiful way and there's another principle in this verse that I want to bring out the start of verse 16 second Corinthians 316 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty look at this, but we all, with unveiled face beholding as in the Mira the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, justice from the Lord, the spirit that is moment by moment, day by day. God is in the process of so transforming ours on the inside that we are expressing more and more outside the image of the Lord Jesus Christ is something I want to remember what you and I focus on the most is what we become like what we focus on the most intensely we become like what we think about most.

We become like that sort.

Paul is simply saying here is, as we behold him.

That is, God is transforming us to the likeness of his son, that's his goal.

That's God's ultimate goal to make us like him that initially how intent God is on this look if you will, in Romans 828 and let's look at this in the light of God's goal, he says. First of all, and we know that is it will burst certain there's no speculation about this is not about about what your theology is or when you go to church or what your denomination is not how you feel about those things. None of that has anything to do with this. This is simply the word of God and the word of God says we know this is a divine truth.

What is we know that God causes all things to work together for good. Alright so first of all, here is a certain we know something and what is the certainty we know is what I want you to see what's this, remember that God's goal is to conformist is like Jesus. We know this, that God has put his arms around every single thing every circumstance in our life. We know that God is working all things, that is, every single thing. Nothing slips nothing slips out the bottom over the top through the cracks. God is engineering every single event in our life to do what to apply to his goal shape is in the likeness of his son. Sometimes it's sifting sometimes it's chiseling sometimes it's a sword sometimes it's us all sometime. It's a hammer sometime in so far sometime in sandpaper.

Whatever it is God's working in your life in my life and what he saying is this, this is the way we are to interpret every single thing that happens, God has his hands on it is not out-of-control. It's under his control and he's going to spare that in the direction of shaping and conforming us of the likeness of his son. That is his goal. It was his goal in eternity past is his goal now is his goal of returning the future and nothing is going to stop God from accomplishing that goal in the life of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. That's God's goal. He's up to shaping me in the likeness of his image, and he's not concerned about my ease company pleasure. God is concerned about the finished product. Now somebody is as well, but what about all this hurt and suffering a heart ache and misunderstanding that I can't figure out why does God allow these things in my life and why does God allow me to be strong and equipped and hurt the way I am unanswered question while you discipline your children you say well it's because I love them. Give God the same privilege. You say it's because something about that future. That's exactly what God is think about you say I'm thinking about the end product. How the going to grow up exactly right because that is exactly what God has in mind he's interested in our character. He's interested in the finished product.

He knows what his goal is, and he knows what the finished product is looking like. And so, what's happening here is what he's doing.

He's corralling every circumstance, moment by moment, day by day he's engineering and governing and guarding and directing the circumstances in such a fashion, they come out for our good. Every single time.

That's how intent God is on conforming us to his likeness on ask a question.

If God goes to such minute intricate sovereign detail in his whole scheme of things in his personal interest in intervention in your life in my life, moment by moment, day by day to conformist likeness of his son is his goal. Surely you and I ought to seriously consider that our goal, our number one goal in life would be to be conformed the likeness of Christ.

It's his elicited tears and he's all wise.

He must know something that we don't know how much he knows we don't know. So look at that verse. He says we know that God is working all things together for good to those who love the Lord to those who call the court's purpose and once again isolate the difficult hardships and troublesome tearful times, sorrow and loss now is nothing good about that.

Nothing good about this.

Nothing good about that. That when you put it all together. And when God gets through with it. Even the worst fit so perfectly into his plan. He can say I am working everything for your good in order to accomplish my goal now God's goal in your life in my life is taken for most of the likeness of his sons order to do is start we got saved he started in eternity past, he foreknew us he predestined us he called us he justified us all divine links on a divine chain welded together by the hand of a sovereign God that he will know how blessed assured God wants us all to be listened. His next word love this listener what he says. He says whom he predestined these deals are call, whom he called these he also justified, whom he justified to look at this, whom he justified, these he also glorified a look at this eternity past foreknown predestined eternity present. Called and justified all past tense glorification is that moment in time when God completes his whole redemptive plan for us, which not only deals with the inner man the sole misprint but also the alum and the body we are made in the likeness of Jesus Christ outwardly and substance of body and my friend. If you have a problem with eternal security. What in the world you going to do that verse. He didn't say I'm going to glorify you. If you do certain things God says you have been foreknown predestined you have been called. You have been justified declared righteous, and because all those things that link in God's divine chain welded by the sovereign hand of God is that he says you have already been glorified. That is as far as God is concerned. It is a finished deal. It is a finished contract. It's all done in the mind of God and the issue is that the timing is such that it has not come to completion on our behalf, but in the mind of God.

It's all done now we can go through anymore versus here but verse 31 and 39. You know what those verses say they're just a reaffirmation of just what I've said and that is nothing shall be able to separate us in the love of God, why is the reason watch this because in this divine chain link number one. He foreknew us link number two. He predestined us link number three. He called us link number four. He justified his link number five. He has already glorified us. I think about this God's great eternal purpose, not dated purpose.

Eternal purpose eternity past return of the future. What is it his goal is to bring you and me in the inner man in the likeness of Christ, character, conversation, conduct in the alum and one of these days in the likeness of Jesus Christ now will ask a question if that is the goal of an all wise sovereign, omnipotent, loving God. If that is his goal for your life. What is your goal for your life.

Don't you think it's wise to consider that on your goal list whatever is presently number one should be getting right now become number two and you should run to the top of your list of goals to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Can anybody give me a reason that should not be the first goal of your life.

Think about it one last time. I will repeat in eternity past before you ever thought in the mind of your parents before you ever conceived in eternity past before Genesis 11 God foreknew you, God predestined you as time came, God did what he called you he justified you and now as God works in the eternity future. He sees there will be a moment in time. What is to him on already divine reality.

He Artie knows the split second when your body is going to be conformed to the likeness of the body of Christ, the friend I don't how you can turn down that kind of a God when he loves you enough to have done so much and think about it. How else could he have expressed your worthiness. His value of you his love for you. His desire for you than the place you on the same level not equal to, but on the level with the Lord Jesus Christ to make you like him.

The understand why at the judgment is going to be rejection because my friend you got to stumble all over Grace and wade through it up to your nose to get the hell God has done everything in his infinite power to get your attention. The tell you I love you I love you I love you I love you if you die and go to hell, it'll be because you chose to reject the infinite love of a loving, thank you for listening to God's goal for my life. If you like to know more about her family were in touch ministries that my intent steno energy back after the presentation in touch ministries Atlanta, Georgia