WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE RECEIVE CHRIST

I had to pass on my notes about these things after I heard a great sermon on Moody Radio just yesterday by Pst. Jack Graham.

Other notes come from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV), and I am more and more excited about the way God has devised to save us, whole and secure in Christ! Come with me on this “Spiritual Journey”…

Romans 8:29

For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Some believe that before the beginning of the world, God chose certain people to receive the gift of His Salvation. Ephesians 1:11 states, “predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity to the purpose of His Will.” Still others believe that God knew who would respond to His purpose and plan beforehand (predestination).  One thing is sure: God’s plan to save you cannot be thwarted, no matter the evil plans and attacks of Satan.

What is clear, above all else, is that God’s purpose for His people was not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundations of the world were ever formed. People are to serve and honor God. If you have believed in God, you can rejoice that God has always known you. God’s love is eternal, His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide you and protect you until you one day stand in His presence.

We have always been destined to become His children! What a beautiful thought. Even in eternity past.

To be conformed means to make similar, or the same. To give one thing the characteristics of something else. God is about the business of making us like His Son, each and every day, no matter how much a day brings. Because He is faithful. My husband is fond of repeating that Jesus said that all that He did on this earth we would all be able to do, even greater things, as a matter of fact. What an exciting promise! This speaks to the power of the Holy Ghost, and prayer. We should not be getting away from these concepts, but embracing them, in this age of technology and war, disease, and depravity, sickness, of spiritual need, and lack. What Christ has done, we can do also! God renew our faith, and refresh our anointing! Make us blessed to be a blessing, until all the families of the earth are blessed! Amen, and amen.

To be called means to make a request or demand; to designate or name, a divine summons; an occupation or vocation. There are many people who are operating in their calling today. There is a sense of joy to those who have found their calling in life. What would I think if I saw, for instance, my husband, Pst. T, driving a truck for a living? Or an effective, proficient nurse sitting behind a desk, doing secretarial work? This would be a waste, would it not?

Another connotation of “calling” is to be called to a way of life, such as Christian living, or ethics. Jude 1:1 speaks of this, encouraging the called to true doctrine and right conduct. This is very important, as well, in the areas of calling.

2 Peter 1:10 states: Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The things he was referring to were faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. I heard it taught that all of these traits are to be added in order. I’m not trying to sound like a religious fanatic; I’m trying to inspire you to right living and to seek God with all our hearts. Make that calling sure!

2 Peter 1:3:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

The power to grow doesn’t come from within us, but from God. Because we don’t have the resources to be truly godly, God allows us to participate in the divine nature  in order for us to live for Him. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit empowers us with his own moral goodness.

Justification is the act, process, or state of being declared right with God. Galatians 3:11 states: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The Righteous will live by faith’” Trying to be right with God by our own effort doesn’t work. Good intentions such as “I’ll do better next time”, or “I’ll never do that again” usually end in failure. Paul points out Habakkuk’s declaration in Habakkuk 2:4 that by trusting God—believing in His provision for our sins and living each day in his power—we can break this cycle of failure. Trust in the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

We don’t go to God because we are sinless, but forgiven—by the One who made His sinless life a sacrifice for us. Trust in that forgiveness.

Isaiah 53:11 States: “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”

There will be an enormous family of believers who will become righteous, not by their own works, but by the Messiah’s great work on the cross. They are justified because they have claimed Christ, the righteous servant, as their Savior and Lord. Their life of sin is stripped away, and they are clothed with Christ’s goodness.

Glorified is defined as exalted, to give honor and praise. We are assured of Heaven, beloved, because we’re already there! Romans 8:18 states:  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19) The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”  Glorification is the ultimate state of the believer after death when he or she becomes like Christ.

1John 3:2 states: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (Vs. 3 also says,) Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, as he is pure.”

The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. This process will not be complete until we see Christ face to face. But knowing this is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves, or to keep morally straight, free from the corruption of sin. God also purifies us, but it takes action on our part to remain morally fit.

And what a wonderful, wise, and excellent Creator we love and serve! Knowing that He can impart all of this to us, simply because He loves us, is more than the human heart has seen in this life—anywhere, from anyone we may know! God is truly worthy of our worship, our dedication, and our cooperation to be ushered into the Kingdom by His miraculous Son, Jesus Christ!