Chosen, Part 2

Today on Senate life with JD Greer.

You don't show your righteousness by never falling, you show your righteousness by what you do when you fall forward just demonstrates that you're not perfect but didn't back up again demonstrates that you believe the gospel, and you understand that your righteousness is a different Christ you disappointed yourself again you messed up in your marriage. Fall flat your face. So what get up and believe the gospel light with dressdown. If God is already chosen people will be saved and why do we keep sharing Christ the people as pastor J continues in our new lead incorruptible series. He shows us that while predestination contains some of the greatest paradoxes they can gain confidence and disciple making from knowing we were saved to bring other people to Jesus and feel empowered to say to him. Yes, God use me for your purposes let's follow along in Ephesians chapter 1 God shows you not because you have chosen to reject God and the Lord is not willing that you should perish, you want you to come to repentance and he said if you will just come. Are you chosen are you in one since you're the one that has the power to decide that if you choose to repent and believe in Jesus than your chosen, the choice is entirely yours, Paul continues verse five and love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ adoption was another beautiful concept adoption means we want part of his family, but he made as part of his family. We were his mostly good, but wayward kids we were rebels, members of a traitor race and he said I'm going to choose to make you mine and he does that joyfully. The word translated purposes a purpose in verses five and nine is the Greek language with kind intention God and just plan and execute the process of our salvation he had enjoyed the process they cost him everything else in the blood of Jesus to accomplish it.

But he enjoyed every second of get several friends or family who have adopted you one of the things a bill tell me is when you walk into that adoption place and you see your child for the first time, sometimes overseas, even if the child is got all kinds of physical or emotional problems. There's this sense in your heart. No one ever begrudgingly adopts. I met a lot of really generous people, but I have never known somebody who was willing to sacrifice one of their own kids. Biological kids in order to obtain another what God is saying is I chose to adopt you, even though it cost the life of my son and I didn't begrudgingly adopt. I enjoyed the kind intention that was in my heart. I walked into the orphanage of sin. I went up to the sons and daughters of the enemy race who were deformed and defiled by sin and love welled up in my heart and I said I'm going to make that when mine verse 13, 14 Paul finishes his explanation of what God did when he saved us. Verse 13 in him you also, we heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation you 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. But what you notice in this chapter we see the whole Trinity involved in the process of our salvation. The father purposes. The sun redeems. Now we see the Holy Spirit seals. Our salvation is an affair of the entire Godhead. Specifically, the Holy Spirit, Paul says, is the one who ensures to us that God is gonna finish what he started. That's why in verse 14 Paul calls him the guarantee of our inheritance. What is referring to is the concept of earnest money when you're trying to give somebody a promise that you can follow. They want to deal one time to give them what we call earnest money which means only give you this money. That's my assurance to you that I'm a come back and close this contract because of adult and you can just keep this money and it's a sizable enough amount of money that you can be assured that I'm a come back and not leave it on the table so Paul takes the concept is a what a God give you his earnest money he put part of himself and do you how do we know he's going to complete his work in us and take us to heaven focusing sortie for the best part of heaven and us having of the Holy Spirit.

In some ways like like like the moon. The moon we see you when you go outside at night and you you look up every night virtually.

This son virtually disappears. We can't see it. It's been a observant orbit which you can look at the moon what you're seen in the moon is the reflection of the sunlight, which is a promise that in a few hours at something to come back up what got the Holy Spirit in our hearts, radiating from our hearts is like the presence of God that assures us that Jesus is gonna come back and finish what he started, is one of the phrase I want to make sure that we see before I close this section of our message is until you learn this truth. A lot of the rest of this is not to make sense. It's the repeated phrase verse six to the praise of his glory. Again verse 12 verse 14. Why does God do things the way that he doesn't why God set up the path of salvation this way the praise of his glory.

He saved us the way that he did to demonstrate his glory. That's not the only place by the way in the Bible where were taught that, but not by far on Ezekiel 36 letter this� In Israel. This is what the sovereign Lord says not for your sake people of Israel that I'm a do these things for the sake of my holy name which you are profaned among the nations where you have gone one for your sake. It was for my namesake. That's what I was really after that Psalm 23. For a verse I memorized with my seven-year-old son the other night for his one is that he leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. It was for his namesake that he did it handful really quick thoughts, and I can't spend a long time here, but first divided pinpoint the primary corruption the sinners had in our thinking. It is our unquestioned assumption that we are the center of the universe the whole universe exist for us and the most important thing is our well-being, our good even when we think about God. We think about it in terms of how he can complete so we can help us know I can take is that having you are not the center of the universe. Even your salvation was pursued in a way to bring glory to God. Second, until you understand this, the God's glory is a center of everything up and that God doesn't really make sense to you. Your life is not to make sense what God does not make sense. You never to find fulfillment until you live for his glory told you God is like the sun in the middle of our solar system, our world only thrives with the sun at the center our lives only thrive with God at the center third.

That means that there's a lot more at stake here in your salvation than just you God is bound up the glory of his name in your salvation, and so even when you falter. He's going to pursue his work in you for the sake of his name. That's good news that's also by the way, why God sometimes often saves who we think are impossible. People people you would be never could be saved because God likes to do some things were only he can get the credit right for some of you will God save you the Angels like what is the outlook on and I was II just showing off a little bit. I just showing off right raise your hand if you think that applies you really like that was me bagels like I didn't see a government that's what God does believer. Here's what Paul wants to thunder in your soul as you read this first chapter you are chosen according to the purpose of God by the power of God for the glory of God and that is the greatest most empowering was life-giving truth in the universe is he is supposed to fill you with four things. This is the why of why he told 1. It's supposed to give you assurance during struggle assures retry.

We know salvation began of the purpose of God. We also know that what got started. He's going to finish. Don't listen every God seeking Christian I have ever known. Struggle sometimes whether or not they could actually be saved. You look in your heart and you think cannot really be a Christian and still think that from time to time, could I really be a Christian had this kind of doubt cannot be really a Christian and struggle with that. I certainly thought that if God did not choose you because of your goodness he's not depending on your goodness to keep you safe. One thing I've learned over and over. My flesh is evil. Like Paul said there is nothing good dwells in my flesh. And if God took his mercy away from me and his spirit for even a second. I would turn away.

See I got this assurance that what got started to me. Philippians 16 he's going to complete all way to the day that is done I have a pastor friend who went into a just a very a terrible more moral failure. Just embarrass himself embarrasses church remember it.

Are you genuinely repentant release. As far as I can tell he told me not to honor.

He said you know is this idea that God chose me has become the sweetest doctrine in all of my life is that after how badly I messed things up.

I realized this whole thing were about me holding onto that.

I would surely perish. I think that when I let go. He didn't know. I know some of you may say this point. Why do you know your chosen AMI maybe my lack of progress in my spiritual life is proof that I'm not chosen.

My wife was raised in an environment where they talk about the stuff a lot of issue repressed material and they can. One thing it was the five points of Calvinism and so she said you know I just I just one eye. She saw the reason I struggle so much in high school and college and is I must not be chosen then I must be just, you know, kind of somebody is not saved in the midst of a environment where there's a lot of Christians.

Here's how your you know this is how she came to know if you recognize Jesus as Lord, if you recognize that he is Lord and you want to submit to him. That is the evidence of the work of his Spirit in you first convince 12 three no man can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit which we can understand is Lord you want to submit to them that income from you that came from him. If you even want to be safe. If you want to be reconciled to God. That is the evidence of God working in you say yes to and that's all that it takes described it before, like like waking up in an ambulance. That's what that's what the Bible does it like wakes you up in amulet you wake up in an ambulance and EMT are the Dr.'s look to you as you regain consciousness and says you been in a terrible accident. You'll remember that here you are revived yet to come in out there sticking pokey with veins and the doctor says we saved you and all I need you to do is lay there and will take it from here will keep you alive and will restore you back to health. That's essentially what conversion is. You don't wake up in God so you better get the fix in yourself and if you'll do it now, you meant nuts. That's not it.

You wake up and he says that you're in a really bad way your you're all torn up but I'm saving and if you'll just submit to it. If you'll just lay there and let me do it, then I'm going to transform and and I'm gonna bring you healing so it gives you assurance during struggle. Number two. It gives you strength after failure.

This truth gives us the power to get back up again after we fail is again under the what God started he's going to finish and I can be sure that even if not today was consumed by defeat.

I know that God's decree for my tomorrow is victory go to this verse, for he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Why they chose you that you could be holy and blameless before him.

That's why I chose you didn't choose you to drag you on up in that it shows you you want to do these things and you we are his workmanship from Ephesians, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand Lord is predestined that we should go and walk in them. He predestined that I would be somebody whose life would be filled with good words in my life would resound to the praise of his glory.

This, and that means the burden of pics of my life is not on me. God's already decreed it and he's already supply the power for see. I know that I'm talking to a lot of people in our church. You feel so defeated my regular my last time I ever going up to fix my marriage. How can I be bold and fruitful as a witness. You challenged us this year of disciple making for each of us to read somebody I just don't see Honda to be able to do that possess the wrong picture of the Christian life. The good works that God has for you. He's already predestined for you and already provided the power for you. Don't walk in it. You can be confident in his plan to use you because that's why said he chose you.

I chose you and ordained you, that you would go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit would remain. You just gotta say yes and let me do it through you. He saved you to bring other people to Jesus through you go back here again real quick and make sure you understand this is why the Scriptures teach us that were chosen. It's not to unravel the mysteries of how God is working your past is to give you confidence about what he wants to do in your future. You shouldn't sit around pondering why God saved you instead of your nonbelieving friends you should understand that he saved you for the sake of your nonbelieving friends. He chose you to bring forth fruit and you get out you got that a lot more you would respond that I was there when were done, backup. You should not sit around pondering why God saved you instead of your nonbelieving friends you should understand that he saved you for the sake of your nonbelieving friends. He chose you to bless them. That's why said he did finally call this means when you fail miserably.

As a Christian and you will sometimes need you at the strength to get back up, I am not sure this promise with you before but this one didn't want my favorite verses from the book of Proverbs Proverbs 2411 I love this out of keep busy for me once every three months. The righteous man falls seven times and gets back up again. Seven. I told you seven in the Bible's number of completion in Hebrew, which means it was my cousin seven times as likely do it continue like this. Imagine you're walking in the mall behind somebody who fell 7 times since it first on your walk in the May fall in the year I got you, and in that unit to get back up and then they take another 370 fall again when you people get your phone on your pocket you like trying to get on right 1/3 time you're posting it for time for time at this point you're not laughing more you study your worried that I got fall seven times. That's all he does is fall we talk about righteous people as if they are people who don't fall. You don't show your righteousness by never falling, you show your righteousness by what you do when you fall falling just demonstrates that you're not perfect but didn't back up again demonstrates that you believe the gospel, and you understand that your righteousness is a gift from Christ so you messed up you failed you disappointed yourself again.

You messed up in your marriage if on flat your face. So what get up and believe the gospel number three open trials under the God's working in every area of my life to make me a son that is for the praise of his glory, and I know Paul tells me blows my mind until they literally got is harnessed. Every molecule in the universe to that in his lectures for you. He works all things according to the purpose of him who works all things, or the counselors will all things all things, even in those areas where I feel victimized, or I feel hurt. Why does feel unlucky.

Paul tells me that God is been working for my good. I had a test on whether not actually believe this literally right in the middle of writing this point what was my Mac computer which I was sworn by people who know that he would never crash never and right in the middle writing this point and say good like 25, 30 minutes. By the middle of it. You see the little wheel of death, and I lost 25 or 30 minutes and I was so angry I cannot tell you my twin brother diminishes down the drain and I had this thought is it really all things God is working and I was. I only believe that this is from Satan right here.

This had to be from Satan see what this verse tells me is that even random computer crash.

I got a sovereign God who guides every faulty electronic circuit.

I can still be mad at Steve Jobs but my God is sovereign. I hope in all my trials number four confidence in disciple making people say will God Artie chosen those who will be saved. We do share Christ. That's a great question. Ironically enough for Paul to thank the God chosen some miserably are mine was why he had the confidence to go and share Christ. This is the key to understanding why he puts this truth right here in the beginning of the book of Ephesians is right on time. Going to Ephesus. He stopped in the city on the way were he was get a lot of opposition to God tells them the vision, acts 18 91 preaching was in this one preaching Paul. I know everybody. Suppose you go on preaching because I have many people in the city noticing a Christian. It I forgot many of you may have chosen a much people in the city, not to you.

Here Paul Weldon where are the guy can really use some support.

Right about now. Paul kept on preaching knowing that soon they would come that God had chosen many more people motivated Paul I heard a missionary one time say that when he first became a missionary.

He did not know how he could be a missionary. If you believe that God had chosen people, but after serving on the mission field for many years working with people who were just completely against the gospel.

He said I don't know how I could go on being a missionary. If I didn't believe in God, chosen some.

I certainly felt that when I was a missionary when I was there just seemed like after a year nobody was listening, people's hearts are so hard unless I believe that God could change somebody's heart and that he had promised to be convinced people would never believe and I would just give up the idea that God chooses some to salvation but discourage sharing Christ.

It empowers it.

You say why share their with their chosen that's one of those things were were not really supposed to try and figure out the secret things all that I know is that the more that I share Christ. The more people can sleep seem to keep getting elected. That's what I know in the best short explanation and answer this with you before what is your best short expiration of this it's almost kind of silly, but this is exactly the way that you need to think about it how old theologian and AAI to visit the God of the date of July yes he does.

You think that you think others that you not. Yes, you answered as you pointed that I record no place in the Bible. He has continued to anything really changed that day. Note what you eat to live, what happens if you donate, you die