Romans 8:28-30 6.9.19

Leading us to me for being our salvation. God we praise you when we worship you this morning we give you glory and honor that you deserve. We ask you Lord to work in our hearts and lead us and continue conforming us to the image of Christ. We thank you for being our father in Heaven. For leading us to know joy and peace and the riches of Salvation in Christ Jesus. I pray that our hearts would cry out to you whatever. However you may lead us through this world and through this life of difficulties and trials Lord. I pray that you would place in our Mind's Eye of you of Eternity. That could not be shaken or taken away or diminished by any trial of life. So that whatever comes our way that we would be able to cry out to you blessed be the name of the Lord our God.

Lord I pray that in sorrow and in great joy, we would always give thanks to you and we would always worship you we know that this would not be able to be accomplished in our own strength. We are not strong enough to cry out in praise and worship unless the spirit of God within us cries out from the depths of our hearts to the glory of the Lord. God I pray if there is one here who is struggling with sin or the darkness of this world or just struggling with believing in you and wondering whether or not you are God. I pray that you would speak to their heart you would draw them to you and you would lead them to Salvation this morning that all that we sung about this morning and all that. We'll talk about from your word today that it would be the testimony of their hearts as well it together. We would rejoice in our Salvation because you are a God and you've invited us to be your people. Thank you for loving us and leading Us in Jesus name. I pray amen you get you may be seated also like to just remind you that we're we changed a little bit of how we work with our kids. And so at this point all the children have been and worship with us singing songs with us. We'd like to invite the children. If you if you would like to we have some Bible study that it's going to happen in the next few minutes and some games and music. You're welcome to be dismissed for that time.

Church Fellowship now that we are two-thirds of our congregation has left again this morning. You're welcome to to move up. Or stay right where you are, whatever is more comfortable.

Hope you all had a good week. I hope that the Lord has worked in your lives and you've been able to Rejoice this week. We've been walking through the book of Romans. And I know how it is attending church. There's some weeks you miss and some weeks, you know, maybe several that you have been able to be here. I would love to just invite you to read start the beginning of the book of Romans and sit down and just began treating it for yourself. You haven't already some of these Concepts and we've been walking through her pretty weighty pretty difficult. They are hopefully as as I walked through I've stayed as close to the truth as I possibly can as a man, and I know that I've erred and I even reflect on my sermons throughout the week that I preach the previous week and wish that I could go back and read preaching sometimes but my My Hope for you is that you will look into God's word and you will pray. Through the reading of God's word and listening to the preaching of God's word that God would lead your heart and spirit and in truth and I would encourage you especially as we get into some of the more difficult topics that present implications that are difficult to wrestle with I would encourage you to read some of this for yourself and maybe even study some of this and read what other people have to say about it. If if it causes you to have a question in your mind or causes you to say, well, I'm not really sure about that or I'm not really sure what that means. I think typically when we read scripture my hope would be that when you read scripture that you would always Assume that 100% of it is correct that this is God's word is breathed by God. There are no errors in it. Our interpretations of it can often times come with error but always look at God's word and see exactly what see what is presented in his word and first acknowledge that this is what God has said. How should I wrestle with it second would be than the interpretation of it as the preacher is expounding upon the reading of God's word you are free to ask is he correct in his interpretation of this passage of scripture? I don't encourage you to study it for yourself and I would say that if you're not reading it for yourself, it will be hard for you to determine whether or not I'm telling you the truth and it would be really easy for you to say that doesn't sound good. I'm just going to skip out on that particular teaching but I would encourage you if it doesn't sound good to go to the scripture and study for yourself into exactly what it says. So also in Reading God's word. I have learned that. There are numerous passage of scripture. I come to still where it's it's like I hit a wall I read these verses and I kind of a question big? Appears and I go I'm really not sure what this means. I think I know what it means but I'm not sure what this means and a wrestle with it and a study it and sometimes I just have to move on and continue studying God's word and sometimes next week next month 10 years from now it comes to light and there's things that I'm learning now that I read years and years ago and had no idea what they meant. And it's like the next this last time. I read it was like the lights came on and the largest Open the Eyes of My Heart to see its meaning I believe the spirit. Does that one thing I would also like to another thing. I'd like to encourage you about when you read God's word is to never asked. What is this mean to me? That implies that there are different meanings in the Bible for different people. We should always understand that God never changes. There's a big word that meat that's called immutable. He is at the immutability of God. God does not change use the same yesterday today and forever more the things that he wrote thousands of years ago through the hands of men mean the same things today if they did yesterday and always will our culture has changed but there is nothing new Under the Sun. All sin is the same. It just takes different shapes and different forms in the teachings of God's word ever made the same all the way through. So the question we should always ask me to read God's word as what does it mean? And stop there not what does it mean to me? What does God mean when he says this and if my interpretation of its meaning differs from your interpretation, it could mean that we're both wrong. It could mean that one of us is wrong, but there's no possible way. We're both right. So that's that's how we tend to need to look at God's word. So this morning we're going to start looking at some words that often times. We like to skip over or we gloss over or sometimes. We just want to say they're not even in the Bible with the fact is some of these words are in the Bible. We have to at least acknowledge that and I will not make any apology for what God's word says if God says it I'm not going to apologize for it. I will if you disagree with my interpretation of it, you're welcome to come to me. Hopefully after the sermon and you can you can say hey, I'd love to sit down and have coffee. Let's I'd love to share a different person. YouTube on this and we can discuss it would love to I'd be open to that but but at the very least recognize what God's word says and first be willing to say, okay the Bible does say this. So what does it mean? So all that being said this morning is kind of a prequel to the fact that we're about to dive into some difficult passage of scripture. Here's the one thing I love for us to learn from this morning it is that our hope of Salvation rests in the goodness and purpose of God Our Hope of Salvation rests in God's goodness and God's purpose. It will start in Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 verse 28. He says then 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 last we can kind of read that at the conclusion of our discussion about suffering and the spirit of God interpreting for us and interceding for us on our behalf Before the Throne of God and it leads into the sconces come flows out of our hope of redemption Our Hope of glorification that one day God will we have legally been adopted by God in Christ Jesus and one day we look forward to the day where we will see our father in Heaven the Fulfillment of that adoption. He calls that glorification where our bodies will be changed completely our I'm not just our spirits and our minds but our bodies everything will He made knew we look forward to that day. This is our hope we haven't seen it yet. It is coming. And he's saying the spirit of God is walking with us through life and he's transforming Us by the renewing of our minds and then we get to this 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. Guys, we studied about all the things that God has described about salvation itself in the Book of Romans. You have to remember all the rest of this chapters 1 through 8 lead up to this. This isn't exactly the culmination but it's hard to understand this next part without chapters 1 through 8 chapters one is all about the power of God to save chapters 2 and 3. It's all about how sinful we are and how much we need Jesus chapters 4 and 5 are all about God's demonstration of love to his son. Jesus Christ that all who would believe in him would be saved through Jesus Christ and then chapter 6 and 7 and chapter are all about how yes, we've been saved and she's we've been fully Justified. He's just and the justifier he's righteous and he's given us his righteousness. Not because we're good people but because Jesus is a because we have faith in Jesus we can no justification. So we are Justified past tense. So this has been accomplished in us through our faith in Jesus Christ. All this has been done and the spirit of God has given to us walk with us in this life is the downpayment the assurance that the glorification that he's promised is actually going to be fulfilled to the spirit of God walks with us and he is he is interpreting our prayers to God for us and he is Transforming Our behavior in this flesh to match the change that has already taken place in our heart. This is the work of God is taking place in us and then he gets two verse 28. We've studied all this in it. It rests on the goodness and purpose of God it is because of God's goodness and God's purpose all of this has happened and is happening because God is good. And God has purposed to do this before the foundations of the world wherever set God has decided to give salvation of mankind out of his goodness. So one Temptation we're going to have and this is a question. We're probably going to answer not next week, but maybe the week after that when we get into chapter 9 is what happens to all those people who are not saved what happens to all the people who do not have faith in God and who have not been saved by God. What is this mean for them? And our knee-jerk reaction is a is a pull on our heart for compassion and a desire to see them saved and rescued from the fires of hell. It's our knee-jerk reaction is how can a good God allow this?

So before we get to that though, we need to First recognize that God is good. We need to see that the salvation that he has provided is because of his goodness, even though some will not know that salvation and it may cause us to question his goodness. So all of this rest on his goodness the Salvation we share is because of God's goodness. One thing we need to recognize and verse 28 is when it says and we know that God causes all things to work together for good some translations might say and we know that all things work together for good. That means all things are working together with is really that the Greek translations of those words the literal reading of that would be all things are working together with the Salvation that God has purposed in his goodness God's good. purpose of salvation all things are working together with that. Including our sufferings and pain what she described in the first part of chapter 8 when we started kind of talking about why we still suffer as Christians and we share in that that's part of who Jesus is and in being glorified with Jesus. We share in his inheritance. We share in his relationship with the father but we also share in his sufferings and so all that's part of it but for us to love God and those of us who are called by God, they're working together with God's purpose is all part of God's plan. So what we could say is that all things are working according to God's plan. Now that could be our difficult truth to swallow as well. And we look out at the world and we see our lives can we honestly say, you know what everything's going according to plan? That's hard for us to say we kind of want to say God has a good plan for us. But we keep messing it up. God has a good plan for us. But other people keep messing it up, the victim mentality. Everything's kind of mess stop. And the fact is God did create a world. That was good and perfect in his eyes. It wasn't just good. It was very good. But when Adam and Eve sinned and the curse came into the world, everything did get messed up corrupted by sin and pain into the world and which is a pain that we must all suffer all creation groans We Grown with creation, but as those who love God we have this promise that even in that God is working those things together with our salvation. And so in order to understand the depth of that, this is a general statement. We think about the goodness of God and the purpose of God. That's a big word that implies a lot of things kind of vague. The purpose of God lot of books have been written about God's purpose and our purpose in life Purpose Driven everything so there's purpose. So what purpose exactly is it and that word purpose means plan. So there's the goodness of god mentioned verse 28 and the plan of God. It's mention verse 28 implying that God is good and God has a plan and so at the very least as Christians, I think we should be able to rest. Knowing that God is good and God has a plan. That should give us Comfort at the end of every day when we're wrestling through the events of the day and the things that we messed up the things that other people messed up and the things that just are difficult and we trust the Lord that he is good and he has a plant. So what is God's purpose and what good is God working out in us? That's when we get to verse 29 and this is where it gets a little tricky For Those whom he foreknew. He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. So that he would be the firstborn among many Brethren and these whom he predestined. He also called and he's who he called. He also Justified and these whom he justified. He also glorified what shall we say to these thinks. If God is for us who can be against us now, I'm going to have to stop there. I really want to read all the way through verse 39, but I'm about to preach those versus next week because it's going to take away too long or I Cuz I believe verse 31 through 39 or a response even to what I'm going to explain today in verses 28 through 30. So specifically 2930 is the specifics to the general. It's the specific parts of Salvation to guides the specifics of God's purpose. What is God's purpose God's purpose was to Forno and predestined and call and justify and glorify. Is his purpose and it is good. And we have to remember that it is good. And so then he follows that with a series of questions. There's some people say there's about 7 questions and there is really about four major questions that have four major answers and some of them were answered by questions. We'll get into that next week. What shall we say to these things? So let's take a look at the four big are the five biggest. If I big words that are vs 29 and 28, so he says For Those whom he foreknew. He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. So that he would be the firstborn among many Brethren and the reason he predestined he also called and he's somehow he called. He also justified in using he justified. He also glorified to the first one is to be for known what does it actually mean to be for known this is part of our Salvation. This is part of God's work of Salvation in our lives. So the word for known actually means to be chosen He actually means to be chosen now when you look at the word known in the Bible, it does carry with it the meaning of the typical meaning of knowledge. Just just like anything else would to know about something. It's a no instead of information about that thing. It would be to know what is true about it. What is not true about it to understand it to have understanding and to know a person in a similar fashion is the same things to know everything there is to know about that person. So that is that is knowledge. So for knowledge will be pre knowledge meaning that God pre-new something and this is specifically about people so God Prenos information about people but there's more to it than just that if we leave it at that were left to draw some conclusions that probably aren't aren't healthy for instant. We could say that God Before the foundations of the world resetting of that phrase. I keep saying before the foundations of the word world is a Biblical phrase. I'll read a few of those verses in a few minutes before the foundations of The World God has for pre knowledge of the choices that mankind would make in regard to having heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing those who would receive Jesus. He chose them and pretend Destin them for salvation. That's one way we could go with this the struggle that the implications that come out of that line of thinking would be that if God looks forward in time and sees those who would choose him and those who would not choose him and makes his makes his choice based on his knowledge of the future that implies that there was there's an aspect of God that did not know at one time and require that he looked forward in time in order to find out meaning that he would have to look forward in time to learn something new. There is one one man is name is Steven loss and he said God has never look down the proverbial tunnel of time and ever learned anything. Meaning that that would imply that God has to look forward in time and for him to learn implies that he's not complete that that corrupts our understanding and the teaching of his omniscience his ability to know all things. Also it limits him to a timeline and I believe that time is something that is part of the creation of this world. And God is not limited to that is outside of his eternal. He has always existed and always will exist. It's something it's really hard for us to understand because we are created within time. We only understand things as linear. We understand everything is having a beginning and an ending and we God speaks of things having beginnings and endings. It's because he speaking in language that we understand that makes sense to our little clay brains. And so God is speaking in language that helps us, but we can't fully understand all of eternity. But we also need to understand that if if we try to put God on a timeline with us where he is required to look forward to see what kind of choices we might make in the future. It limits his omniscience and his power another implication to that would be that if he has to do that then the Salvation that he chooses to give to mankind is based on the choices that we make he then looks forward and determines who is worthy of Salvation and who is not which makes salvation by works and not by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and kind of contradicts everything that he's already laid out in chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and 8 in the Book of Romans that salvation is not by works. It is by the grace of God. Now this is difficult. I know so so here's another way to understand it the word known in the Bible and its Hebrew tradition and Carries all the way through to the Greek tradition means to love It's about a relationship. It's not it doesn't mean to just simply no information about somebody it means to enter into a relationship with somebody and means to love somebody. In fact in the Hebrew tradition to know somebody was the word they used to refer to the most intimate of things that could take place between a married couple. So to be known means and to be pre known by God means to be pre loved by God. It means God chose us before the foundation of the world to love. That's what that means God chose to love before the foundations of the world. I set group of people now. I know there's a little why did he choose to Only Love a set for a group of people and does not God love all the world and we're going to get into that a little more detail in chapter 9 again work. What are the implications about the people who are not saved as God love them or not. I think I might try to answer that in chapter 9 not going to try to answer that today. So be patient with me, but it does mean to be it does mean to be pre loved by God before the foundations of the world. So here's a Amos chapter 3 says he speaks of Israel. He says you only have I chosen among the families of the earth. Remember Abraham when God selected Abraham Chose him instead. I'm going to bless you. You are going to be the family you were going to I'm going to make a covenant with you and you're going to make a covenant with me and I will be your God and you will be my people and he chose to love Abraham and he chose to bring Salvation through the family of Abraham that became the family of known as the as the Jews later on. And then that's when Paul says later that not all Israel is Israel. Meaning that some of those people that are of the family of Israel. They are part of God's they have come to know Salvation, but some people haven't because they've come to trust in Jesus Christ who is grafted us, but he still grafted us into the chosen family of God. I was kind of a is a lot behind what I just said, but God has chosen a specific group of people, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's limited to an Earthly nationality. It seemed like that for a long time throughout history, but there were even occasions in the Old Testament where it appeared as though God included in the Covenant people those who were not Israelites because of their faith and then especially in the New Testament there were some who were Israelites that were not included in the in the bless those who were saved because they didn't have faith in Jesus as the Fulfillment of all the guy talked about but now there's people that are included because we have faith in Jesus and we're not Israelites. Most of us are not Israelites in this room. We're not Jews. But we get to know the salvation of God because we have faith in Jesus Christ. So God has pre-loved a select group of people in Jeremiah 1 verse 4. He says before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born. I consecrated you that means to be set apart. I have appointed you a prophet to the Nations. Now that's not speaking to a large group of people but he's speaking specifically of Jeremiah he sang before the world was set I knew who you are. I pre loved you. I set you apart and I pointed you specifically with a job to be a prophet to the Nations and then in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 1 Peter says this Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as aliens. That means you speaking to us if we are believers in Jesus, if we if we are in Christ mean if we love Jesus where aliens now that's a whole nother sermon, but that means that we aren't really citizens of the world anymore. We're citizens of the kingdom of God. So now, Temporary residence of planet Earth or of the kingdoms of this Earth and so so we are aliens scattered throughout Pontius. Galatia Cappadocia, Asian Bethania. So we're scattered all throughout the world Christians are scattered all throughout the world every tribe tongue Nation people group. We're everywhere. All right, and then he says to those who resided alien scattered reponses galatia policy age of a senior who are chosen. There's that word known pretty loved by God according to the foreknowledge of God the father and here you're going to see the father Son and Holy Spirit involved in this process according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood May Grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. So implying that it is the father through the spirit and the work of Jesus Christ. That accomplishes our Salvation as the chosen people of God is all the work of God and not the work of man. So he's making this point and then he says in 1st Peter verse 19 says but with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemish and spotless the blood of Christ now, he's talked about Jesus for he was four known before the foundation of the world but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. So now he talks about Jesus being for known before the foundation of the world. So let's think about that means if we are four known before the foundation of the world and Jesus's four known before the foundation of the world then is that a different kind of foreknowledge because it got only looked forward in time and determine whether or not we would believe in him then he did the same thing with Jesus almost as if to say God did not know that Jesus would actually turn out to be the savior. But he looked forward in time and determine that Jesus actually was going to be worthy to be the Savior and so he chose him to be the salvation for mankind, but that would be a contradiction of all that God says about Jesus. So Jesus is eternal and he has been known from before the foundations of the world and determined and pre Love by God to be the salvation of man. Then the foreknowledge of God that he has for us is a very similar kind. So now I realize there's there's room for some disagreement there. As far as what implications does this have about the Free Will of man like our ability to respond to the gospel Jesus Christ. Can we reject it? If it's offered do we have free will and there's a lot of debate that goes on there and I would love to but I really would not love to get into a deep debate on that. But I in fact I'm just going to say I struggle I struggle with an understanding of the the extent of free will I'm just going to put that out there so I'm not going to try to explain it in great detail cuz I probably will walk into some deep errors today, but I will say this if we if it makes us cringe on the inside when we think of God having complete control. Is that not a sign of Pride and Rebellion a desire to rule our own lives a desire to have the freedom to make our own destiny is that not a little bit of an indication that we don't trust God to be good with our lives. So do we trust him to be good do we trust that his purpose is good even in our sufferings or do we still want to hold on to as much free will as possible not to again. I say again. I'm not really sure how much free will we have? I do know this that I'm held responsible for all my actions and choices that I make and I know that's clearly put out the scripture. So whatever to whatever extent this is however deep this is however much of God has control over our mind and Will's we may not fully know but what we do know is that every choice we make we will be held accountable to I'm responsible for And so I'm still to act as though God has given me the choice to do good or do bad or to respond to Christ or not respond to Christ. We see that all throughout scripture when he when he tells us the gospel and he says we need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. We need to follow the lord Jesus Christ and Psalm 119. How can a young man? Keep his way pure by keeping it according to the word of God and there's a lots of responsibilities to put on us to pay attention to our actions. And so there's it is not to solve any responsibility of of man, but to recognize that God is in control. So there's a lot of difficulty there without going too much further into that. We see that God's foreknowledge of mankind. There's a lot of illustration throughout scripture that talks about God's knowledge of man his love of mankind in the relationship as it was Headed by the relationship of a man and a woman he calls his relationship between himself and the church. He says it's a lot like the relationship between a husband and a wife and the way the husband lays down his life and sacrifices and serves her and the way she serves her husband. And so this it's this intimate knowledgeable love that God has for his people and he illustrates that all try. You read the book of Hosea God. He makes a choice to love a woman who did not deserve to be loved and he continued to make that to be faithful to that choice you look at this at the the the Song of Solomon and you see the illustration of God's love for his people through the illustration of Solomon and his and his bride-to-be and in Romans 9 There's one verse where it says that Jacob I have loved and it was a reference to have him having been love prior to the foundations of the world being set God chose to love Jacob. Now, I got to go to read the rest of that verse because I'm going to have to explain it today. So but so let's let's take a let's take a look at the next set. Next were here. I'm not going to be able to explain all of them. Cuz two of them the last two I feel like we've explained a lot in the previous chapters, but verse 29 has those me foreknew. He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. So there's another big word that we often times. Don't wish we kind of wish maybe it wasn't in the Bible and I think some of that too because of what people said about it and I will give you I love the word because it's it's a follow through on God's foreknowledge in his love that he has for mankind people have said things about these words that greatly contradict one another and that's why I would say, please study these words from school. Perspective and I believe you'll come to understand them and love them and be grateful that these are qualities of God because this is the goodness of God. This is the goodness of God's purpose the word predestined to be predetermined and means that God chose beforehand and determined with certainty and a certain outcome and specifically it is for these people those who love God and those who are called according to his purpose or his plants key for love these people and he predestined them but he specific about what he predestined them to this is the only versus only word in this section of verses that comes with an explanation. He said he predestined them to become conformed to the image of his son. What a blessing that if God has chosen to love us from all of eternity that he is determined to also conform us to the image of his son. Jesus Christ meeting. I think if we were to make every effort we possibly could make to try to be holy and righteous and godly people we would always fall short, but because of god good purpose. He has determined by the power of His Spirit through the work of Jesus Christ to fully conform us to the image of Christ. Meaning that we are a workmanship in Christ Jesus and the good work that got started in us. He will bring to completion and it will measure up to the maturity of Christ as we read Ephesians chapter 4, but that's the maturity that we strive for the maturity that is out of the stature and measure of Jesus. That's what he's working out in us and he is predetermined from before the foundation nations of the world to conform us to the image of his son. So that he would be the firstborn among many Brethren. Meaning that Jesus is the firstborn son of God and we're not going to be like Jesus in that we carry with us the the deity of Christ, but we have within us we have been adopted as children of Our Father which makes us Brothers of Christ. I'm more like half Brothers I guess and we are brothers of Jesus meaning we will be honored with Christ. We will be mature to the measure and stature of Christ. We will be conformed to the image of Christ is not that we might be didn't save some of those that He for loved would be are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ. He says Those whom he foreknew. He also predestined all of those people that he for love will be conformed to the image of Jesus.

so there's a scripture in Ephesians chapter 1 y'all going to hear me read from this verse a lot because I feel like it explains so much. I see my feel like I come to it almost in every sermon but he says it's blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ. Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before him and love that's that Holy and blameless is conformed to the image of God. Like if you were to be honest with ourselves, we say how many of us are holy and blameless We all know our sin. We stay. Well. I'm not holy and blameless but in Christ Jesus we are God we are presented to God, holy and blameless. Because of the righteousness of Christ not because of our righteousness that means we have been conformed to the image of God already in the eyes of God. Why because he's Eternal right? He is he is outside of time past present and future. We have already been conformed to the image of Christ in the eyes of God meaning that we can come before God, holy and blameless before him in love that stuff for none. We Are For Love by got their spot. He predestined us to adoption as Sons. He predetermined to adopt us as some to make us Sons through Jesus Christ himself according to the kind intention of his will that's the goodness of God working out in his will that's his purpose that's his plan. We see it. And then he says this to the praise of the glory of his grace. Would you freely bestowed on us in the Beloved? That's us for the love of God in him. We have Redemption through his blood of Jesus blood the Forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His grace that's his goodness again, which he lavished on us? Does christians he has lavished his goodness and his grace and his love on us in this salvation and then this predestination it's a it's a lavishing of God's love upon us and it's going to be made known to us to mister as well. According to His Kind intention which he purposed in him. That's his plan again down in verse 11. Also we have obtained and inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will that's Romans. 8:28. God works all things to do together for good to those who love him to fijians chapter 1 verse 13 verse 11 according to the purpose. According to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will to the end that we who were the first to Hope in Christ will be too praise to the praise of his glory and him you also after listening to the message of the truth. Meaning we've heard the gospel of the truth. The gospel of your salvation having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the Redemption of God's Own possession to his Praises Glory? so again It's in the Bible so I can I can read it and elaborated on a little bit in my interpretation of it might vary from yours, but the fact is being Chosen and loved and predestined by God to be conformed to the image of Christ is in the Bible in more than one spot. And not just a tiny little verse large sections of verses and it's something that even if you choose to disagree with me today, that's okay go read these and studying for yourself and see asked the Lord to give you understanding and I believe you will if the same spirit of God dwells in you who dwells in me. He's not going to lead you to a false understanding and if I'm an error he will eventually correct me one way or the other but I believe that this is all so far. Everything is described has taken place before the foundation of the world and is set and all of eternity. Now the last thing he says in Ephesians 1:3 are in this section uses after listening to the message of Truth The Gospel of your salvation having also believed you were seal. That's why I like to read the next word that you mentioned in Romans 8. He says For Those whom he foreknew. He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that we will be the firstborn among many Brethren and these whom he predestined. He also called he also called so the word call that's that's to be invited meaning that God's not dead. He's not loved us from all of eternity and determine the conformist to the image of his son and left us in a position in this world where we would not be given an opportunity to receive all the gods determined to give to us. Meaning that he has made a way to draw us to him and open our eyes to the truth that we would see it and believe it as he says any fusions chapter one. We've heard the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our salvation, and we believed it. And so this is where God calls and draws Those whom he has loved Those whom he has determined form to the image of his son. He is now if affecting that in the lives of Those whom he's chosen love and so he says he draws them to us in John 6 44 through 48. It says no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day as it is written in the prophets and they shall also be taught everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the father except the one who's from God. He has seen the father truly truly. I say to you he who believes has eternal life. I'm the bread of life. So Jesus is saying no one comes to the father unless the spirit draws men at the Spirit draws a minute and opens the eyes of their hearts to these truths. They will believe and be saved. And so what he saying here is that those means loved he has destined to be conformed to the image of Christ in Those whom he is destined to be conformed to the image of Christ. He has called to Salvation. I believe there is a there is a general knowledge of God in all creation that is groaning for salvation and all and we grown with it. But it is not specific enough to lead people to to Salvation. So God has given us his special Revelation in the word of God and in the the apostles and prophets in the teachings of Christ. He has given us the truth that is specifically explaining to us who the God of this creation is and what the way of Salvation is and so he's given us special Revelation and by the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the reading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through this through these tools that God's given to us and the power of the Holy Spirit to Open the Eyes of the heart of a man or woman to believe these things. That's how God affects his salvation in the heart of a person meaning that without the spirit of God working in a person's heart and without knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There can be no salvation, but there can be no salvation without the spirit of God. This is why we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we know even in all of our pleading that no one will come unless the spirit draws them. What's the spirit opens their eyes. I talk to a lot of people who understand these words. It's like they read them and they study them they know them they can nod their heads to them but spiritually. They don't believe them and they and it's maybe they believe there's some truth in them, but they don't love God their heart hasn't been changed in such a way that they they love God and have that have and fully trust in him believe that he's not just the God, but he's there God. To the point that that it seems that they would know everything but for one reason or another their heart is still darkened and hard to God. And we can logically reason with them we can preach more gospel to them and we should but until the spirit breaks through that darkness and opens their eyes to the truth. They're going to continue to reject God. But we should never quit. Because we don't know if God has has only selected a few for salvation or only love some for salvation. If this is true, we don't know who those people are. God has not revealed to us that and probably never will. It's not for us. It's for him. So I'll were calling in this life in Jesus's words to his disciples in Matthew 28 was To Go Make Disciples baptizing them in the name of the father Son and the Holy Spirit we are too and to be devoted to the apostles teaching. So breaking bread and prayer were to be out sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Fellowship in together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ leading people to Jesus because we don't know who is being saved and who's not we don't know who will reject Christ and who will receive Christ. It's so we preached all as though they might receive Jesus and let the Lord do his work. And trust that God is good. So we'll get into some of that again in chapter 9 cuz I believe chapter 9 about evangelism as well as God's sovereignty together. So we'll get into that some so Those whom he foreknew he predestined Those whom he predestined. He also called and needs to be called. He also Justified and he's who he justified. He also glorified meaning that this justifications we discussed in previous chapters. God is just and he makes us just and right through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is by the sacrifice of Jesus in the sacrifice of Jesus the loan that we can know Salvation and so he has done this enough and he is glorified us with Christ Jesus. This is the complete work of Salvation. So it's hard for us to understand. It's okay to come to this and say I see it. I see these words not really sure. I'm fully ready to understand all these words fine, but the fact is from eternity past to Eternity future to us. Done its complete God has done the work and out of his his eternal goodness and his eternal purpose. He has determined to bring Salvation to Those whom he loves to those who love him and are called according to his purpose God is working all things to the good. So as we finish this morning and love to call your attention to couple of grammatical things about this set of verses that I think really helped first is the words those that he repeats over and over again those those those are very specific the specific group of people. God has called those who are in Christ those who have received Christ those who he has love for me before the foundation of the world to me as determined to save he called those and then another thing to notice is the word he all the way through it says For Those whom he foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to his son so that he would be the firstborn among many Brethren and these who's he predestined. He also called he called he justified. He justified. He glorified all of these things are done by God not by men salvation is in the hands of God and God Alone God is savior. Another word to notice is the word also offer loves me for new. He also predestined. He also called he also Justified he also glorified so and notice the repetition of the words so there's a little bit of repetition. So so when he Those whom he predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, he knows whom he predestined he called and those me call to justify those. We Justified glorified is repetition. Meaning they're all tied together. You can't have one without the other Meaning that if you have one you also have the other if God loved he also predestined. He also called he also Justified he also glorified they're all done together. You can't so which means that if it's if it's a select group of people on this this these people that God is love this these people that that are being saved by God.