God's Plan For Your (Eternal) Life

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>God's Plan For Your (Eternal) Life</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id590.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Discovering the Will of God: Tuning In"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id592.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prayer and the Will of God"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God's Plan for Your (Eternal) Life" (Celebration of Communion)</B></div> <div> <B>March 5, 2006, Berean Bible Church </B></div> <bR> <div>      As we discuss the will of God and decision-making, we struggle to understand <I>how</I> God can carry out his determined plan while people make a variety of choices, both good and bad. I cannot explain <I>how</I>, but we must again reaffirm the mystery that God is able to bring about his plan, even through the choices of fallen, sinful people.</div> <div>      Chuck Swindoll wrote in <I>Come Before Winter and Share My Hope </I>(p. 143f), "Scripture assures us that 'when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son ...' (Galatians 4:4). At just the right moment, precisely as God arranged it, in keeping with a plan we might dub 'Operation Arrival,' enter Messiah. Micah said it would be in Bethlehem, Judah. It was. But I thought Joseph and Mary were of Nazareth, Galilee. They were. Aren't those places miles apart? Yes, in those times days apart. Then ... how? Well, you see, that's just a small part of the plan, nevertheless amazing. Especially when you consider Mary was almost 'term' in her pregnancy. To get them down south in time required fairly good roads-unheard of prior to the Roman takeover. And they certainly needed to be forced to travel ... hence a required census from Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) that forced Joseph to register in person in the city of his family roots, Bethlehem (Luke 2:4). But before a Savior could be born, there also needed to be some natural means of common communication- a familiar tongue that would quickly spread the news. No problem. Thanks to Alexander the Great, the father of koine Greek, that language was ripe and ready for rapid dissemination of the gospel message through the pen of the evangelists and apostles from then on. Thanks to good roads, a decision in Rome, and a bothersome census, it happened at just the right place. At just the right time ... with an articulate language as the perfect verbal vehicle. A little baby that the world hardly noticed arrived. Rome was too busy building and conquering. Augustus thought he was hot stuff prancing about the palace demanding that census. In reality, he was little more than a wisp of lint on the prophetic page ... a pawn in the hand of the Commander of 'Operation Arrival.'"</div> <div>      God orchestrated the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that our sins could be forgiven, so that we could have an eternal relationship with an all-powerful, set-apart, gracious and compassionate God.</div> <div>      I ask that you ponder with me two different sections of the Scriptures, as we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord in Communion.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Acts 2:14-47&tniv=yes" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch"><U><B>Acts 2:14-47</B></U></A></div> <div>      God sent his Son, Jesus, who came willingly to die in our place as the sacrifice for our sin. It required God's “sovereign” power to bring this about. <I>Sovereignty </I>is described in Acts 4:24, where it says, “Sovereign Lord, you <I>made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them</I>.” That God is sovereign means that he is able, all powerful, and in control, and this was demonstrated in the creation.</div> <div>      God had been working out his plan all the time, and he used sinful, wicked people in the process, and he could the job done (vs. 22-23). God was orchestrating this thing the whole time, and at just the right time, Jesus came into the world, to go to the cross, to purchase deliverance for us.  Romans 5:6-8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Romans 8:28-39&tniv=yes" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch"><U><B>Romans 8:28-39</B></U></A></div> <div>      Note especially verses 31-32. If God has done all <I>this</I> for us already, won't he keep going in his kindness? Of course he will. And we can trust him, whatever comes our way. God has the power to keep us in his love, for all eternity (vss. 38-39). No success or trial has the power to keep us from the love of Jesus Christ. So we can fully trust him to work out his plan for our salvation and eternal life, and we can also fully trust him to lead us and guide as we walk the journey of faith on earth.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2006, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>