Mystery #1: We are Chosen, Part 2

JD Greer why was it God shows you because you had better heart, more natural spring… You make a great Christian had you know you were chosen so that God could glorified his grace in you anything Scripture says God chooses you because you are weak like author and legend Katie Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly, but events now. I don't know about you but I often find myself slipping into a pattern of trying to please God.

There's so many good things to do and so many needs to meet were plagued by guilt when we missed church or fall back into an old saying or don't give money to that person we saw a need and we feel like we got a make it up to God for today pastor Judy Greer reveals that thankfully that's not how salvation works. It's part of our new teaching series called the street and cleared. If you missed any of the lasting programs you can find them right now.

JD Greer.com. Now here's Pastor Janie in Ephesians chapter 1 what forgiveness over trespass. According to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight focus real quick on network redemption number seven for just a minute here for Jesus takes over. The father planned our salvation that Jesus comes and accomplishes it. Jesus came to earth and redeemed us, that will be pure prison two weeks will do all message on this what Paul is trying to show you that Jesus came and purchased your salvation. Its entirety all at once see a lot of people think salvation is basically forgiveness is a God, I'm sorry for my sermon this is okay okay God forgives you, but it is so much more than forgiveness. Imagine if when you became a Christian.only for date you. That would last until you send again and then you would need to be forgiven again relationship with God would always be hanging by a thread. And the only times you would be sure that you were going to heaven would be when you were at the moment. Some which for me would last about 15 second intervals that I would need to be saved again that were the case, none of us would ever make it to heaven. This is not what Jesus did Jesus do not forgive us, redeemed us he paid the full price in its entirety and settled the score for our salvation to reverse nine make it known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which is set forth in Christ, having been predestined according to the purpose of the works all things according to the counsel of his will so that we were the first to hope in Christ, might be the praise of his glory.

What else God is doing. Paul says God is now working everything for his good plan in our lives which he has purposed for all eternity. He works all things should exit most of you believe me on the works say all all things according to the purpose of his will.

Every molecule in the universe.

God is employee. Now, for his great purpose and you these Ephesians are people who are consumed with questions about faith. Always wondered if the gods are displeased with them or their unlucky bosses for you. There's no faith. God is a good purpose for you since time began working everything now accomplishing it. What about bad luck I been really unlucky in my life I get this break got overlooked here pulses all things for his purpose.

All things are good, bad luck, here's a very intriguing verse from Proverbs 1633. The lot is cast in the lap of dice are thrown in other words, it's every decision is for the Lord. That means that God exercises a certain amount of control even over what looks to us like dumb luck.

What about where others have mistreated me truly God was behind that sure I'm not saying God was in the person mistreating you God was happy with it but I'm saying this verse assures you that God controls everything and employs everything even bad things for his good purpose.

In the Old Testament. Joseph was a guy who really suffered at the hands of others.

The end of his life. He recognizes that God was using. Even his victimization unjust victimization to accomplish his good purposes. So what about my own stupid bad decisions.

I've really screwed myself up. And now I'm suffering for my own bad decisions, sure, there are consequences for our choices. See if you're walking with God. Listen, God works all things, even your mistakes for his good purpose. Jacob was a guy who made some really dumb decisions in the Bible you know the story, some of which greatly displease God, some of which really cause some hardship in his life but God used, even those dumb choices to establish his good purpose. All things listen. This does not mean that God calls evil things good God takes delight in them happening simply that God sovereignly uses all things good and bad for his good purposes in your life like as my watch. I can see this from where you are but my watch the back of it is open. It's clear you look. Moving to the different machinations of the watch what's intriguing to me is that I can look at their sillies wheels turning, and some of them turning backwards, but I look about what's happening on the front and it's all progressing perfectly keeping time, so even the backwards motion of the will somehow work together to produce the forward motion of keeping time. That is what is happening here. There are some backwards things going in your life but somehow God's incredible plan is working. Even the backwards motions so that every movement is progressing the work of God in your life you so why did God allow me to be divorced. What I get overlooked what he my parents help me out more. I can't answer every question and I'm not trying to minimize your pain. God weeps with you, but I can tell you you're walking with God. God has a goal he is pursuing in you and every movement in your life is working toward that goal. Yes, predestined you to be someone brings him glory.

Every molecule in the universe is hardest to bring that end about verse 13 in him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory is here for the Holy Spirit takes over is the one who brings salvation about in your heart and that investment by God himself, and you is the guarantee that what got started in you, he will finish so Christian, you are chosen and here's what I share with you. See what is important about this is not you figure out how choosing works. What's important is that you embrace what it means for you this great truth should produce five emotions and five spiritual fruits in your heart to give them to you briefly. Here's the first thing this to produce, and you never want assurance because salvation begins in God and is accomplished by God. You can be sure that what God starts, he will finish you sometimes are most discouraged about where I am spiritually or how bad my heart still is. I think about things. I still struggle with temptations. I'm still weak to buy just pitiful lack of self-control.

These thoughts and emotions that I have like everybody knew that that I thought if anybody knew, I felt like that how can I possibly be saved. Think about the fact got started this great saving work in me. He saw me when I wasn't seeking him what he started to finish. Thank God. God is always been more committed to my salvation that I have been every God seeking Christian I have ever known struggles at some point with their salvation is what happens. The closer you get to God the more you servicing your heart and wishing your heart. You see what pitiful record is maybe maybe I'm just wanted people. The Bible talks about the religious on the outside but on the inside I'm never really been transformed every God seeking Christian, I know think that at some point I have is this understanding that delivers me from that figure. What got started to finish the I used to think when I first came became a Christian I thought that I was the one doing everything I got interested in God. I made a decision for Christ.

I started to really see God and growing in my faith. The farther I get away from a decision some 20 years now.

The more recognized God was the one who is seeking me what got started.

He will finish. Jesus explained it this way. John 637 all that the father gives to me Jesus that will come to me this is the will of the one who sent me that I should lose word.

Nothing thing of all that he is given me this question what you think of a shepherd who lost a few sheep during the day he leaves one with 198, you're missing to is that yeah I understand you will understand how stubborn the sheep were free will. You know I'm I can intervene with that side, you know that one clinical pledge in one of the lessons on the blood no mineral good Shepherd brings his sheep back and saves the sheep even from themselves. The good Shepherd starts with 100 the morning.

He ends with 100 in the evening Jesus. John six says is a good Shepherd.

He loses not only starts with the fact that you keep yearning to be free of sin and the fact that you keep coming back to God is proof that Jesus is seeking here's number two. This puts power into your life. What I mean by this that this truth give me power to get back up again after failure see if I know that what God start to finish. I can be sure that even though today was consumed by defeat God's decree for my tomorrow is victory.

Ephesians 210 says it this way, God predestined us for good works. He predestined that I would be someone whose life would be filled with good works and that I would be the praise of his glory, not an embarrassment to his kingdom. Listen, that machines get this. I'm pretty sure you don't say it. That means that the burden of fixing your life is not on you. God's already degraded God's only supply the power for missing many of you feel so defeated, get over my last B what a Christian ought to be fixed by marriage refill I got is left is a set of instructions and I get to it when they got to never do this with the one picture the Christian life, the works that God has for you.

The good works. He's already predestined for you to provide the power for you to do them. The burden doesn't lie on me to fix my own life at the Gilbert God's promise to do it through me. So when I face a battle.

For example, with temptation or be in the right, husband. I can say God is already declare that I will have victory in this battle is already provided the power I need to win it so I can go into this battle, trusting that the power I need to win. It is already there. What I'm saying is this, if you feel like I can't win this battle. You're right. But God has predetermined that he will make you victorious.

It so you should not go into the battle, feeling like you have to win it, but believing he will win it through you because he's already predestined you are so discouraging you feel like you'll never be victorious as a Christian, but you realize what a yearning to be victorious come from to come from the Spirit of God that is at work inside you and what God starts to finish his pre-appointed victory for you. That's what he's yearning in you for. He's calling you forward will battle his word. One summer, you wonder if you have what it takes to be a Christian at all the things I like this are scarred by mistakes and failure. I just don't have what it takes to be a child of God I got an illustration for you say you suddenly wake up in an ambulance, you have no idea how you got there but you notice all these tubes and wires sticking out of you and EMT standing over you, says you're a terrible wreck.

We got your life support saving your life and you were going to be just fine. All you have to do at that point is simply consent to the rescue.

Now you can start pulling wires about how it off right now I'm did now you get to say okay okay I consent that's what's happening in your salvation.

God is waking you up and saying to you, I'm saving you might think that you are beyond hope.

But I am mighty to save.

Just consent and belief for some of you that's happening right now. That's why you're here, you set the consent to what God has been doing and is doing in your life right.

Here's the third thing it produces in you.

Humility. She according to Ephesians 1. You're all we did was wake up in the ambulance. You may think you became a Christian because you considered red study and ponder decided to follow Jesus, but according to one reason you did those things is because God was seeking you. You are a Christian by grace alone, and not because of anything you have ever done. Why was it God shows you.

Was it because you had a better heart, more natural strength in God, but you make a great Christian so we had to have you know you were chosen, Paul says, so that God could glorify his grace in you. If anything, Scripture says God chooses you because you are weak.

Paul said in verse 2127 God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong and the weaker people. God could most easily put his grace and his power on display God's preference is to turn fools and the Christians because when God saves a full little talk about how good or strong before was they talk about God's power and grace at work in them to the fact that God shows you demonstrate that you were most likely a bigger fool in his eyes and other people, you have less potential, not more. Number four. Hope hope to bravely face your trials. I know that God is working in every area of my life to make me a son. The praise of his glory and his harness literally every molecule in the universe to that in even in those things where I feel victimized herd and I'm alone and unlucky. God is working bright good and I don't have to ever do anything to him or for him to make him work for my good. Like the Ephesians that they had to do Artemis and the cacophony of God in the spirit beings already done that and I know that in him.

God has permanently and irrevocably willed my good that shatters the idea of fate or karma number five boldness in sharing the gospel. People say of God is already chosen those who will be saved why we witness a question for Paul, though, the fact that God had chosen some was why gets this. Yet the confidence to witness at 89 Paul's preaching in the city was getting a lot of opposition to God appears to vision it says go on preaching as I got many people in the city support Time preaching, knowing that soon they would come see they were so against him that unless Paul knew that God work in the hearts given up for the missionary say one time that we first became a missionary. He did know how he could be a missionary. If you believe the God chosen people, but after serving on the mission field for many years. He said I don't know how I could go on being a missionary. If I didn't believe God to people's hearts are so are. I certainly felt this when I serve as a missionary place, my thinking will never believe and I to persuade him, but I knew that God had chosen people of every tribe and tongue to be his children and he would do it the idea that God chooses some to salvation doesn't discourage sharing Christ. On the contrary, it empowers you simple but why share of their chosen Jim this is one area where you lose your mind try to teach you before. Think of it like this has got a point of the day that you will die.

Yes anything you do really change that they know what you eat to live, what if you don't eat I will die if you don't eat you die with that me today got rewarding for you to die. Quit asking stupid questions and just eat because eating is the preordained way that God has set for living, sharing Christ with people and pray for them is the way that God has preordained a R chosen. You see, the more I share Christ more people keep getting elected. So why go share the gospel got authority like a dumb salvation because prayer and sharing Christ is the means by which God brings his plan about disliking for you like that makes my head hurt. Of course it does. It's a paradox, but attention we live with. I share Christ with people I could talk to me and I pray to God to receive Jesus. What it all to him. Those are the five things that will be true in your life if you believe this doctrine don't just consent to this doctrine okay is the fact that I believe this doctrine reflected in my life.

Do you live with the hope that God is working in everything for your good or do you struggle with depression. You fight temptation with the confidence that comes from knowing God is one the battle do you feel defeated. Do you share with the boldness of knowing that God is drawing some or you opinions you keep his mouth shut all the time you're afraid people will reject you don't believe this doctrine in bracelets and live it that one last thing. Some of you. The thing I know you've been here the whole time Chuck will help by notifying chosen using I can get analyst on chosen John 112 says to as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become children of God. If while I am talking you. You have a desire to believe on Jesus. That desire is from him and I urge you to act on it you would not have that desire. If God were not working in your heart.

She hears all God brought you first develop a conviction of sin, we begin to lose your taste for sin and then you begin to see the beauty of Christ, and to desire it for you were just indifferent to Christ didn't care what all the sudden you begin to be droll to get appetite for him. If that's happening to you. God is working in you is drawing you.

The fact that you're here today shows that God is drawing you that you met a Christian who invited you to date the back that you have a suite maybe was a Christian you work with what is not an accident that shows you that God is seeking you. You are waking up this morning and the ambulance just believe and consents what God is doing. I can say without hesitation that the choice is entirely yours right now because Jesus said, whosoever will make you will you make you whether your chosen is entirely in your court. The irony is you have the opportunity opportunity to choose right now whether or not you exploit it again.

Okay urology of the day, no matter where you are, whatever stage of life.

God is drawing is waking up in the ambulance. See it and believe it all yesterday.

Right now Singh's consent, maybe saying you believe me that I'm in charge of everything alive even though it looks like it's all believe me that I would victory over struggle you're having, or maybe just believe, you have come to say yes to one. There's the question, are you willing to say yes you can bring into clear to the Lord, you will trust. He is working in your life even when things seem out of control. He will lead you to think. If you receive him as your Savior. You're listening to Senate life with pastor, author and theologian Janie Greer if you missed any part of the first two messages in this series, you can find them free of charge on our website along with the message transcripts for further study visit Jenny clear.com gain greater clarity and mystery of God's length. We've created an exclusive new resource based on our current study here in the program is a personal Bible study called mystery and clearly questioned in insightful commentaries will help you walk. Verse by verse through the book and you're welcome to request a copy of the book today when you donate to support this ministry suggested level of $25 or more.

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