God’s Purpose for Us Romans 8:28-30, NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “God’s Purpose for Us,” which is based on Romans 8:28-30. Please repeat after me: God’s Purpose for Us, God’s Purpose for Us. The God whom we believe in and serve is truly a good God. Our God is full of love and forgiveness. He always pours His grace abundantly upon us. How good is our God? He sent His one and only Son Jesus to earth to save us, while we were still sinners. He loves us enough to let Jesus die on the Cross. Since He loves us so much, pouring His overflowing grace upon us, we must give constant thanks to God. “Lord, I give my thanks to You! Thank You, Lord!” Jesus did not only save us but He also wants us to be blessed by God, and to enjoy His grace in the Lord. 3 John 1 says, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” The Lord wants us to enjoy spiritual and physical blessings by believing in Jesus. He also wants everything to go well with us. I pray that you will enjoy His blessings. Our good God does His great works through our lives. He wants to abundantly fill our lives with good things. First, God works for the good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In all things God works for the good! It is not that only good things happen in the course of our lives. Sometimes, bad things do happen. An unexpected problem may occur. We sometimes fall into huge trouble, leaving us unable to sleep, weeping through the night, giving up all things to dead ends, and feeling hopeless without knowing what to do. We may have an accident or be faced with another unexpected disaster. We should not be dismayed even if such things happen. We do not have to collapse with sighs into hopelessness, and give up all things. We are in process, and this stage is only a step in the “all things that God is working for the good of His precious children”. Good things and bad things will work together to our benefit. When we look back in retrospect, we will see that we have had many problems and hardships. However, God has made all things work together for our good. We are always living in His abundant grace. We will see the light of hope at the end of the tunnel of hopelessness. We will have the dawn of joy after the night of sorrow. Therefore no matter what happens, do not give up. Do not step backward. There are some people who give up their lives in hopelessness, thinking they are finished. We should never do that. It is time for us to rise up again. It is time for us to march forward with faith. Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh. In other words, he had a disease. People must have laughed at Paul, saying, “You raise the dead. You heal many diseases. You found churches wherever you go. You have written many books of the Bible. Can’t you heal your own disease?” Scripture does not say what his disease was. Based on his own writing, we can see that he had terribly bad eyesight. Since he was blinded by such a strong light on his way to Damascus, we suspect he had some problems with his eyes. Some scholars say that he might have had epilepsy. We do not know exactly what disease Paul had. Since this disease tormented Paul so much he pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him. Paul ardently prayed to God to remove this disease from him. He pleaded with the Lord God to take it away from him three times. However, this disease was not taken away from him. Instead, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” In the sufficiency of God’s Grace, the Lord told Paul to march forward with faith, not being discouraged in hopelessness. The thorn was actually a blessing to Paul. He could have become proud because he did so many great things for the Lord. Paul could boast about his work, saying, “I have done a great job. Wherever I went, I have founded many churches. I have raised the dead. I have performed many miracles.” Because Paul was human, he could have been proud when he did great things or when he was praised by people. The Lord kept Paul broken through the thorn in his flesh. Consequently, through his thorn, Paul became a servant of humility, prayer, and power, spiritually seized by the grace of God. Sometimes, it is good for us to be afflicted because we learn the grace of the Lord through our suffering. Whenever I kneel down before the Lord in prayer, God pours His grace upon me. He says, “You need to stay broken.” We certainly need to stay broken all the time. Our ego is so strong that we cannot help boasting about ourselves, insisting on our own ways. A couple fights very often when each of them has a strong ego. Neither of them is willing to yield; but women tend to win their quarrels over men more often because they argue better. However, happiness does not lie in winning. Winning does not bring us joy. It is a grace for us to be broken. We will enjoy happiness and blessings when we are broken. Due to the thorn in his flesh, Apostle Paul became broken and thus achieved great works. He is remembered as a great worker for the Lord. Unexpected problems, hardships, or pain may happen in the course of your life. When you have problems in your home or in your work place, or when you have a disease in your body, kneel down before God in prayer. Try to understand the will of God in your difficulties, stand firm, and march forward with faith. All things will work for our own good! All things will work for our own good! March forward with absolutely positive faith. Nothing happens out of coincidence. All things will be put together and work for our own good. Joseph was a perfect example for this. When Joseph was 17, he was a dreamer. However, his brothers were angry with him and his dreams and they sold Joseph as a slave to Egypt. Thereafter he was falsely accused and put into prison. While he was in prison he interpreted the dreams of two officials of the Egyptian king. Joseph thought he would surely be released from prison soon after the chief cupbearer was released. The chief cupbearer had promised to talk to the king about Joseph, and Joseph believed him. However, when all went well with the chief cupbearer, he did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. People are apt to forget the favors they have received. The chief cupbearer, overjoyed with his position of serving the king, totally forgot about Joseph. Two years later, when Pharaoh had a dream and demanded its interpretation, the chief cupbearer finally remembered Joseph. What about Joseph during those two years? Joseph thought he would come out of prison shortly after interpreting the dreams of the two court officials. Every morning he prepared himself for his release from prison, anxiously waiting for his release. But nothing happened. He would have asked the prison warden: “Is there any news for me?” The warden would have replied, “No. Are you expecting somebody?” “The chief cupbearer promised he would get me out of here.” “Well, then, wait a little more until he calls.” A day passed. A week passed. Then a month and a year passed. Joseph must have been restless all those days even though the Bible does not say anything about Joseph’s waiting. But Scripture does say that the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Hallelujah! Then when Joseph was 30, God lifted him high. Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, the strongest country of those times. Instantly, Joseph’s teardrops, sorrow, pain, and agony were all behind him. Indeed, all things worked together for the benefit of Joseph. If Joseph had not been sold as a slave to Egypt, if he had not been put into prison, and if he had not interpreted the dreams of the officials, he could not have become the prime minister. In all things, God worked for the good of Joseph. Do not be dismayed. Never give up. Wonderful things will happen to you when you keep your faith and move forward, focusing on the Lord. Joseph invited his father to Egypt. All his family moved to Egypt. His father was 130 years old. After his father died, his brothers were afraid, saying, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, asking for his forgiveness. Joseph said to them in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Hallelujah! You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish His work. Hallelujah! How wonderful! Reuben Archer Torrey was a co-worker of D. L. Moody, a leader of the Great Awakening. His son, Reuben Archer Torrey, Jr., went to China to serve as a missionary. In 1945, while he was working on an assignment, he got into a big car accident. When he woke up from this trauma, he realized that he had lost one of his arms. Since the car accident was so serious and his injuries were endangering his life, the doctors had to perform surgery without his consent. This was a terrible shock to Torrey; but he did not complain to God about it. He rather thanked God for sparing his life. Even though Torrey was working hard as a missionary, helping the Chinese government, he lost his arm in the process. Instead of blaming or complaining before God, he gave thanks to Him. He prayed, “You have given me two arms and I have used them so far. Now I thank You for taking one away.” He did not know why God took one arm away from him but gave thanks to God, believing that something good would come from it. However many people thought he was crazy, laughing at his attitude of thanksgiving to God. After the war, he retired as a missionary and came back to the States. Then in 1952 Torrey went as a missionary again, this time coming to Korea. He now understood why God had him lose his arm seven years ago in the car accident in China. God was preparing him for his work in Korea. He saw many wounded soldiers who lost their arms and legs during the many battles between North and South Korea. Even many civilians lost their arms and legs. He witnessed the total devastation in Korea, not only with so many dead people around him, but also with improper treatment for the wounded soldiers. Torrey then realized that God had called him to a ministry for the wounded. He started to help many wounded people. He established a Rehabilitation Hospital in 1952, and continued to labor until he established a Rehabilitation Hospital in Taechun, Taegu, and Chungjoo. He made artificial legs and arms for them. Torrey was the one who first introduced artificial legs and arms to Korea. Torrey proclaimed the gospel while ministering in the hospitals providing his patients with artificial legs and arms. His service touched many people. Many Koreans experienced the love of God through Torrey. At first Torrey, did not know why God had him lose his arm. But after he lost his arm, he left China and went back to the States to learn how to make artificial legs and arms. He then came to Korea with this skill, established a rehabilitation hospital, and provided many people with artificial legs and arms. He thanked God! He continued to work in Korea and then went back to the States in 1959. He was called to be with the Lord in 1980 at the age 93. His son, Reuben Archer Torrey III, was also a missionary in Korea. He has known with his Korean name, Dae Cheon Duck. He founded the Jesus Abbey in Kang-Won Province and sacrificed his life for Korea as a missionary. The three generations of the Torreys did a precious job for the Lord. Now the fourth generation Ben Torrey is ministering at the Jesus Abbey. When we encounter hardships, we are likely to blame or complain to God, “Why did this horrible thing happen to me? Why should I suffer from this problem?” Some even blame God, saying, “Why did You let me be born in a poor and wretched family? Why should you make me suffer from hunger all the time? Why didn’t You provide me with good education or some strong skill or ability? Why should I be under-privileged?” All your current sufferings will in God’s timing prove beneficial to you. Never complain. Never blame others. Your dark past will turn into a bright future. The sad wounds from your past will change you into a glorified and renewed person. When we march forward, trusting in God who works for our good in all things; He will pour His grace upon us. Second, God chooses us and encourages us to conform to the likeness of Christ. God works for our good in all things. Moreover, He encourages us to conform to the likeness of Christ. Romans 8:29 says, “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.” God has chosen us and loved us before all creation. He has chosen us because He wants us to conform to the likeness of Jesus. This is the love of God. He loved us even before we were born. When a baby is conceived, the parents give full attention to their baby. The mother speaks good things to her baby. She listens to good music. She eats nothing but right and nice things. She tries to fill her mind with good thoughts. Why does she do this? She does this because she wants her baby to grow in those things which are good and wholesome. She reads the Bible to her baby. She sings praises and prays for her baby. The baby has been loved greatly before it is born. The same is true with God. He loved us before He called us. He takes interest in us and watches over us. He has led us to this point. This is the love of God for us. God knows our wounds. He knows our pain. He knows our sorrows. He knows our dark past. Despite all things, He loves us. He has renewed us. He has led us to this point. He will use us to manifest His glory throughout our lives. Then why did God choose us? Romans 8:29 says, “…to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” What is the unique goal of our Christian life? It is to conform to the likeness of Jesus. We need to try to become like Jesus throughout our lives. This process is called Sanctification. The moment we believe in Jesus until we go to heaven, we must imitate Jesus. Our inner self must become like Jesus. We must think, speak, and act the way Jesus would. Why do we have so many problems in our community these days? It is because Christians fail to become like Jesus. They say that they believe in Jesus. They worship the Lord at the church. However, some people fight on their way home from church. I am sure there is no such person here! It is better fighting on their way back home than fighting on their way to church! When I was pastor of a church in the United States, a deacon and his wife skipped a Sunday worship service. They had never skipped Sunday services before. That evening I called them. They were not out. They were home. I asked the deacon why they had not come to church. He said they had been very busy. So I believed them. Sometime later, the cell group leader came and told me what really had happened. On that particular Sunday the deacon and his wife got into a quarrel on their way to church. The deacon got very upset so he turned the car around and drove back home. They should have come to church and worshipped the Lord. They should not have quarreled, but they did. They skipped church service. They were upset, feeling terrible the entire week. What good did it bring them? Why do such things happen? That is because people fail to conform to the likeness of Jesus. We must change after believing in Jesus. We must be renewed. Our languages and actions should change, too. Fighting does not bring anything good. I want all of us to be united by the love of our Lord. Thomas A Kempis wrote a book called The Imitation of Christ. The title of this book suggests that we are to imitate Jesus like a replica. We must be the mirror of Jesus. These days companies make fake goods so well that it is hard to tell the difference between the genuine and the fake. We must similarly be such a good imitation of Jesus. We must imitate Jesus in everything. We must learn His character, His language, His actions, and all the things He does. This is what Christians should do. The nickname “Christian” was first given at Antioch. Acts 11:26 says, “…and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Why was the nickname “Christian” given to the people 2000 years ago at Antioch? They gathered and talked about nothing but Jesus Christ. They kept saying, “Jesus is Christ. We must imitate Christ. Christ. Christ. Christ!” So the people around them said, “They are followers of Christ. They resemble Christ. They care only about Christ.” That was why the believers got the nickname “Christian.” I pray that you will be imitations of Jesus Christ. I want you to have the same attitude as Jesus. Philippians 2:5 says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” We must try to conform to the likeness of Jesus. More than anything, we must have the same characters as Jesus. Galatians describes the character of Jesus. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The nine fruit of the Holy Spirit indicates the character of Jesus. We must examine ourselves and check how much fruit of the Spirit we are bearing in our hearts. Do we have love? Do we have joy and peace? Are we patient? Are we kind? Are we good? We must be good people. Some say that we need to be wicked since the world is wicked but it is very wrong. We must be good no matter how wicked others are. Are we faithful? Are we doing our best in everything we do? Are we gentle? Do we practice self-control? We must show the character of Jesus in every aspect of our lives. We must be good and loving. Goodness overcomes wickedness in the end. A good person is a hundred times better than a harsh person. I pray that you will please God throughout your life. Here lies the problem. Although we are Christians, we still have the nature of our old self. We lose our temper and overturn things too easily. We get touched by the Spirit at church but, very shortly we cannot control ourselves and ruin things. This shows how weak we are. We need to try to conform to the likeness of Jesus. We know our weakness. We know what our problem is. Therefore, we must look at ourselves in the Lord and pray to Him, “Lord, make me be broken in You. Break my ego. I am nothing.” I want you to be broken and humble in the Lord. When we are broken and humble, God will receive glory through us and fill our lives with His blessings. I pray that we will be united by the love of Jesus Christ. Only the love of Jesus can change and renew us. “Lord, change and unite us by the love of Jesus.” We will be changed in His likeness when we stand before Him. 1 John 3:2 says, “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.” We should try to conform to the likeness of Him while living on earth. When He appears, we will change like Him, giving glory to God. Let us love one another. Let us forgive one another. We should never quarrel or fight. If you have time to quarrel, do what you should do. I pray that you will love each other, pray to God, preach the gospel, and work hard to conform to the likeness of Jesus. Did you read the article on the cover page of Joong-Ang Daily News yesterday? We had a tragic riot in YongSan a year ago. The widow of a dead rioter, a deaconess of her church, and the father of the dead riot policeman took each other’s hands and forgave each other. They understood each other. They held hands and prayed together. I went to their previous meeting. They talked it out and filled the gap between the two sides. The widow could not sleep for a year. She was paranoid whenever she saw a policeman. A riot police died of the burn sustained in the process of riot suppression. His mother lost her mind and has been treated in a mental hospital. Their pain was beyond description. The love of Christ united them. The government could not solve this problem. Neither could Seoul City. No one could solve it. The Korean Church and the pastors worked hard to heal their pain. Finally, they could bury their dead a year after the riot. They are being healed now that all things are behind them. We must beautify this world. When each and every one of us changes into an imitation of Jesus, the world will become beautiful. There are many problems because we have not changed. Our country is going through a difficult time because we have not changed. There are ten million Christians in Korea. If there were ten million little Jesus’, wouldn’t this country become beautiful? We need to be united together by the love of Jesus. “Heavenly Father, unite all the politicians together by the love of Christ. Unite all the churches by the love of Christ. Unite all our neighbors by the love of Christ. Scatter all the conflicts and confrontations. Bind us together with Your love.” Even though we are not living in the historic era of faction, we have so many cliques and divisions in society. We should be ashamed. We must ask the Lord to change us by His love. When we become like Jesus, such problems will not exist anymore. Third, God leads us throughout our lives. Romans 8:30 says, “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” God takes care of our lives. He predestined us. He cleansed us by washing us with the blood of Jesus. He justified us. And He leads our footsteps until we go to heaven. When did He choose us? He chose us before creation. Ephesians 1:4 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” It is not an accident that you are here today. It was not your will which has brought you here. We have come to this place right now in accordance with God’s predestined plan for us. Everything should be ascribed to the grace of God. Now that sinners like us are saved and have become the children of God, we must give limitless thanks to the Lord. Acts 13:48 says, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” There were those who were appointed for eternal life and they believed. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” God chooses us, justifies us by the cleansing work of the blood of Jesus, and sanctifies us so that we will live for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” We have been washed by the blood of Jesus. We are renewed. God justifies us and binds us together in the Lord. John 17:22 says, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” “Lord, make us one in You. Unite us with the love of Jesus Christ.” Moreover, the Lord guides our lives. He sends us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, so that we will walk with the Spirit. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I urge you to live victoriously, being inspired by the Spirit. “Lord, fill us with the Holy Spirit. Bless us in the Spirit so that we will hold on to You throughout our lives, taking steps to victory, miracle, and blessing.” The Lord made a promise to His disciples as He spoke about the Spirit. John 14:18 says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Lord said that He would not leave us as orphans. We are not orphans. We are new creations. We belong to the Holy Spirit. Instead of Jesus, the Holy Spirit stays with us forever and guides our footsteps throughout our lives. Rev. Hyng-Joo Chun is a Methodist pastor serving a church in the States. I went to his revival meeting and was deeply touched. One day, his brother, who was running an orphanage in Taegu, visited him. His children were happy to see their uncle and became a little hyperactive. Their father yelled at them, “Go over there.” The children began to cry. Children are well aware that their parents would do anything to stop them crying when they have a guest. Crying is their weapon. Their father yelled at them again, “Why are you crying? Stop it,” and gestured as if he would hit them. The uncle said, “Let them cry. Orphans never cry.” While he was running an orphanage, he found out that the children did not cry even if they fell and hurt themselves. What is the use of crying if there is no one who cares? They do not cry even if they are very ill. Children cry if there is someone who cares. Since there is no one who really cares, they do not cry. We have our Heavenly Father. Even though there is no one who really cares about us, if we come to God and cry, He will wipe away our teardrops and hold us, saying, “I love you. Do not be dismayed. Do not despair. Do not feel sad. I will never leave you. I will be with you. I will take care of your life.” Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.” Let us commit our ways to the Lord. Let us commit our thoughts, plans, and dreams to the Lord. Let us commit our problems, difficulties, sorrows, and wounds to the Lord. People do not understand us. Sometimes, they despise, trample down, hurt, and turn away from us. Nevertheless, our Lord of love never turns away from us. He opens His arms to us and calls us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” When we seek Him with tears, He will hold us and wipe away our teardrops. He comforts us and gives us new strength, saying, “I know how hard it is. I know your pain.” He will hold us in His arms, comforting, healing, and forgiving us. I pray that you will have absolute faith in God who is with us and leads our ways through our lives. I also pray that you will live victoriously by trusting in God. This is my earnest prayer for you in the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, You promised that You would not leave us as orphans but come again. We thank You for coming to us through the Spirit and dwelling in us. We believe all things will work together for our good. Even though we have hard, sad, painful, and agonizing times, we believe they will work together to achieve something good. Bless us so that we will remember Your grace. Make us Your disciples, imitating our Lord Jesus Christ. Pour Your grace upon us so that we will trust in the Lord, following His will throughout our lives. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen. 2