Every Believer is on a Pre-ordained Course Towards Transformation
Romans 8:29-30
December 10, 2023
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Romans 8:29,30)
A. We are almost finished with studying the first HALF of the Letter of Paul to Romans!
1. We are finishing the last bits of Scripture in chapter 8 – one of THE greatest chapters in one of THE greatest Books in the Bible for the Christian!
2. In January we will pick up in Chapter 9 of Romans, and by the end of 2024, we will prayerfully finish the remaining 8 chapters of this marvellous Book of the Bible!
B. But for NOW, we have two verses to look at and ponder (Romans 8:29,30)
1. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
C. They are why a Christian can believe and trust verse 28 to be true!
1. You ought to know Romans 8:28…
2. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
3. Memorise it, ponder it, and thoroughly believe it!
D. Because of God doing FIVE big things in the life of a believer…
1. Foreknowledge
2. Predestination
3. Calling
4. Justification
5. And glorification
E. Big, Biblical words that Christians need to fully understand and rest on!
F. They are the reasons we have confidence, and they and describe the unfailing journey that every Christian is on, thanks to Jesus Christ
II. Message
A. #1 God’s Foreknowledge
1. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, ...
2. This is one of the characteristics of God – omniscience – all knowing
a. He knows everything all at once – seriously!
b. And God knows the entirety of time – all at once
c. Because He is outside of time, looking in!
3. He literally sees the end of everything before anything ever starts
a. Isaiah 46:9,10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
4. He Knows The Future
a. In the first 12 chapters of Genesis God lays out the entire future of mankind
b. God actually describes 2,500 years of future world kingdoms and rulers and battles and empires to a pagan king named Nebuchadnezzar – all in a small book by Daniel!
c. Daniel describes future world events with such precision that many atheists become believers after they discover what the Bible has predicted!
d. Do you realise that:
1) Jesus knew who would betray Him
2) He knew Peter would deny Him
3) He knew the Jewish leaders, and the Roman rulers would crucify Him
4) He knew He would rise up again three days later
5) God tells us about a mark, number, name going into everyone’s forehead or right hand to control people’s ability to buy or sell
6) God describes a coming world leader who will be absolutely loved and worshipped as if HE is the Messiah – only he will be the antichrist!
7) God knows the future! The future is laid out like a roadmap to Him
8) To God, everything is heading towards an end – God’s conclusion
9) THAT is why I can trust Him to tell me what to do every day!
5. He knows you!
a. Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
b. He knows where you have been, what you’ve gone through and where you are headed
c. He knows what you can be if you would trust Him and do things His way
d. Thankfully, NOTHING anyone does surprises Him
1) He knew you would mess up before He ever saved you
2) He can handle any failures, weaknesses, disasters, because He already has allowed for everything we could possibly do wrong, when Jesus took our place in death!
3) And He is committed to working everything that is off course, back on course!
4) He is called the Captain of our salvation for good reason! He is not only in control of the ship of our life, but also all the storms!
6. That’s why we are able to say, God knows what He is doing, and that we can TRUST Him - Because He knows how to work everything together for good
7. So, Foreknowledge means:
a. God ALREADY KNOWS the future
b. God guides world events towards His perfect will
c. Works with the free will and the sinfulness of men
d. He knows who will choose to be saved, and who will walk away!
e. And He chooses to work on and with those that follow His Son – predestination!
B. #2 Predestination
1. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren...
2. For some people ‘predestination’ is a scary word
a. People have argued forever that it means some people are chosen to go to hell, and some are chosen to be with God in heaven
b. Predestination is a word for Christians only, not for unbelievers
c. It doesn’t kick in until a person believes the Gospel
d. It is God’s reaction to our choice to trust Jesus Christ
3. Predestination means:
a. Pre-determined, pre-ordained… God’s choice for a Christian
b. You and I are NOT going to remain the same now!
c. God has predetermined that every believer will be CHANGED / TRANSFORMED into the likeness of Jesus
d. Hey… This world is not our home anymore – we are headed, destined for heaven
e. But God has chosen to change not only our destination, but is committed to changing our nature – to become just like Jesus Christ!
f. Psalm 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
g. And for most of us, God needs to do a LOT of perfecting!
4. The facts:
a. God wants all men saved (1Timothy 2:3-6)
1) Doesn’t force anyone to believe
2) But His WILL is that all men, women and children would be saved!
3) 1Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
b. Not willing that any one perish in hell (2Peter 3:9)
1) 2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
c. God gave His only begotten Son to save the entire world! (John 3:16)
1) Not just some elect, special people that God liked
2) No! The WHOLE WORLD!
3) John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
5. So, no one is rejected from God’s invitation to be saved – all are invited
a. But only those that accept what Jesus has done, get a new destination AND a new life
b. They get predestined – redirected from future ruin, to future glory!
1) God calls, summons all sinful men to repent of their sinfulness and believe the only good news that there is – believe in Jesus’ death for them
2) Most won’t believe
3) But SOME will believe the truth
4) And THEY ARE THE ONES that are sanctified / cleansed by the Holy Spirit
5) And they become Saved from hell and are headed to heaven
6) And are guaranteed in heaven to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!
c. Ephesians 1:13,14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
1) Notice that it all started with… “Ye trusted” (believed)
2) After ye HEARD the word of truth – the Gospel
3) You were THEN sealed with the Holy Spirit
4) Until the day of redemption – the day we get picked up and taken in heaven!
5) It all begins with someone hearing, and then believing, then being sealed (secured)
6) NOT the other way around like John Calvin imagined!
6. What are Christians predestined to become?
a. To become LIKE Jesus (Romans 8:29) … he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren…
1) God is committed to making them become like His Son, Jesus
2) Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
3) Through life – suffering, and being successful
4) Through troubles and triumphs
5) Through obeying God’s words, and reaping when you disobey them!
6) Through your husband, your wife, your kids, your parents, you lack of parents, your pastor, your boss – the list is endless what God uses to transform you and me
a) He uses big things and small things
b) If only you would open your eyes and notice everything is a gift from God!
b. The change will be glorious – It will be glorious – when we are transformed at the Rapture, and Resurrection
1) When we step into eternity and into the presence of Almighty God!
2) We usually think of HEAVEN being glorious (and it will be), but God says WE will become glorious too!
a) Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
b) 2Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory
7. In simple words, ‘predestination’ means:
a. God already knows who will believe on Jesus – trust Him
b. And He chooses those that choose His Son
c. And is committed to making them become like His Son, Jesus
d. By working on them every day until death brings them home!
e. Now you know why the Holy Spirit won’t leave you alone anymore and won’t let you get away with sins and bad attitudes and when you are fighting against God!
f. Because… God won’t let you go! You and I belong to Him! Hallelujah!
C. #3 Calling
1. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called….
2. Review
a. God knows who is going to believe
b. And makes sure they are on track to become more and more like Jesus
c. The question is HOW does God do that?
d. By firstly CALLING us
3. Meaning of ‘Calling’
a. To Summon us (it is serious like being summoned to a court hearing)
b. To a perfect purpose - to a new way of living, reacting, loving, giving, thinking, in this present evil world!
c. God’s calling gives every believer a new, eternal PURPOSE
1) Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
2) And you thought your only purpose in life was to work a job, pay the bills, raise kids, and come to church!
3) It is infinitely HIGHER
4) God’s calling is to every broken, messed up, sinful person, to live like Jesus did, love like He did, give, serve, help like Jesus did!
5) Whatever you are doing with your life, God calls you and me to go higher!
4. We are called according to HIS purpose, not according to our abilities or feelings
a. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
b. Paul’s purpose was to be an apostle! (Romans 1:1) Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
c. Jeremiah’s purpose was to be a prophet and preach to rebellious Israel (Jeremiah 1:5) Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
d. All Christians are re-purposed, called to be SAINTS – NOW, not just in heaven
1) 1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
e. Called to walk with God, and fellowship with Him every day
1) 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
f. But most of all, To confound, confuse, defeat the world in our weaknesses, and our inabilities!
1) 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
5. And by-the-way, God doesn’t change His mind
a. Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
b. Just because you fail at things
c. Or because you find things hard
d. Or because you have other plans
e. Ask Jonah if God changes His calling for us!
6. So, yield to God’s calling on your life, no matter how hard it may be
a. 1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
b. Loving your enemies, forgiving the unforgivable, serving the unworthy
c. Staying married
d. And turning this world upside with the words of this Book!
e. You may say It is not fair
f. What do you mean it is not fair - it is BRILLIANT!
1) Every designer, manufacturer, engineer, makes thinks for a purpose
2) To take a watch and make it a doorstop is cruel
3) To take a car and make it into a chicken coop… is sad
4) To take a beautiful life and make them a drug addict, or sexually abused… is just wrong
5) We were saved for a greater purpose than just working a lousy job, or being in bed with someone different every weekend
g. The moment you and I got saved, we were CALLED to do something for God!
h. The greatest achievement a Christian can accomplish is to find out what God called them to do, and then do it!
D. #4 Justification
1. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: ...
2. It means making a sinful person perfectly righteous – as if they had never sinned
3. From the moment we believed, we became righteous before God
a. Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith [NOT OUR WORKS] is counted for righteousness.
b. Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience [ADAM’S] many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [JESUS] shall [SO] many be made righteous.
4. How?
a. 2Corinthians 5:17,21 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new… For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
b. When Jesus died on the cross…
c. He died under the wrath of God as if He was every sinful man, woman and child who ever lived (all in one)
d. And made it possible so that God could now declare every sinner ‘righteous’ if only they would believe!
e. That is no small task!
E. Review
1. God knows who is going to believe
2. And makes sure they are on track to become more and more like Jesus
3. The question is HOW does God do that?
4. By calling us
5. And JUSTIFYING us - God makes broken, sinful people righteous and brand new!
F. #5 Glorification
1. Here is the final word – “glorified”
2. Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
3. From the moment you and I believed the Gospel, God committed Himself to elevating us to a glorious place of… sonship – He will bring us “into the beloved”
a. Jesus is beloved of God – precious – the Son of God (Matthew 3:17) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
b. And because of Jesus, anyone can walk right up to Almighty God and call Him Abba, Father, Daddy, and be welcomed, and loved like God loves Jesus!
1) Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he [JESUS] hath made us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED.
2) Welcome, loved, drawn all the way into the very closeness of the family of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
3) One day, every believer (both the faithful, and the rebel) will be welcome as sons and daughters instead of as sinners and rebels!
4) We will be glorified and made like Jesus!
4. Jesus shows us a glimpse of the glory to come
a. Matthew 17:1-5 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
5. Glorification is the final work of Christ
a. Changing every last bit of us into the likeness of Jesus!
b. Listen to young King David in Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
c. David saw heaven, and saw what HE would be like when he got there!
d. Paul saw it too!
e. Philippians 3:20,21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
III. Conclusion
A. So, put up with the troubles, and the suffering of your life
1. Seriously! Stop all the complaining, and the giving up, and the quitting
2. We have a sure hope as believers – that everything is going to work out for good
3. All because we believed the Gospel!
4. 1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
5. I know you don’t like to hear me say that, but it is our life now, but not forever
6. Remember 2 Corinthians 4:17… For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
B. Trust God is going to make EVERYTHING work together for good
C. It is a sure thing – a guaranteed win!
D. But this promise is not for everyone
1. Not everyone is headed to heaven
2. Not everyone is in the family of God
3. Not everyone is being changed for the better
4. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
E. Only for sinful people who accept Jesus Christ as THEIR Lord and Saviour!