COINCIDENCES OR GOD-INCIDENTS? Romans 8:1-11; Ephesians 1:1 THE SERMON TODAY IS ABOUT A TRUTH OF GREAT IMPORTANCE!

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1 COINCIDENCES OR GOD-INCIDENTS? Romans 8:1-11; Ephesians 1:1 THE SERMON TODAY IS ABOUT A TRUTH OF GREAT IMPORTANCE! A TRUTH WHICH IS AT THE HEART OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH. A TRUTH WHICH DEEPENS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EVENTS THAT OCCUR IN OUR LIVES. LET ME ASK YOU: DO YOU BELIEVE THESE EVENTS ARE MERE COINCIDENCES, CHANCE HAPPENINGS, OR A TWIST OF FATE? OR DO YOU BELIEVE THEY ARE DIRECTED BY OUR SOVEREIGN GOD AND ARE A PART OF HIS DIVINE PLAN? WHAT I LIKE TO CALL GOD-INCIDENTS! YOU SEE, YOUR ANSWER REVEALS A GREAT DEAL ABOUT YOUR FAITH; ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, YOUR FAITH JOURNEY AND HOW YOU FACE EACH DAY! HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED A TIME WHEN YOU FACED A MAJOR DECISION AND AFTER MAKING THAT DECISION REALIZED THAT GOD HAD BEEN INVOLVED? OR LOSING YOUR JOB AND AFTER A LONG WAIT FOUND A BETTER, MORE FULFILLING JOB AND REALIZED GOD HAD BEEN WORKING IN YOUR SITUATION? OR RUNNING INTO SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN ON YOUR HEART AND MIND AND WHOM YOU HADN T SEEN FOR A WHILE? IT WAS NOT JUST CHANCE. OR YOU CALLED SOMEONE AND THEY TOLD YOU THEY WERE ABOUT TO CALL YOU BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO TALK TO YOU? OR FOUND YOURSELF FEELING DOWN, DISCOURAGED AND RECEIVED A NOTE OR CALL WHICH ENCOURAGED AND LIFTED YOUR SPIRIT? HAVE YOU HAD EXPER- IENCES LIKE THAT? HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THEM? JUST COINCIDENCES? OR DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE EVENTS THAT OCCUR IN YOUR LIFE BOTH 1

2 GOOD AND BAD ARE DIRECTED AND GUIDED BY GOD AND ARE A PART OF HIS GOOD DIVINE PLAN AT WORK? QUESTION DISCUSSED IN A CLASSROOM. THIS IS NOT A PHILOSOPHICAL IT S A BIBLICAL, PRINCIPLE THAT REVEALS WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND HOW YOU APPROACH AND REACT TO EVERY SITUATION IN YOUR LIFE! WHEN A PERSON SURRENDERS HIS/HER LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST, ACCEPTS HIM AS SAVIOR AND LORD, AND BEGINS TO LIVE A FAITHFUL, OBEDIENT LIFE, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN LIFE IS GOD WORKING OUT HIS PLAN! THE EVENTS ARE NOT ACCIDENTAL OR COINCIDENTAL! THEY RE DIRECTED BY GOD! Ps 139:16 SAYS: YOU SAW ME BEFORE I WAS BORN AND SCHEDULED EACH DAY OF MY LIFE BEFORE I BEGAN TO BREATHE. EVERY DAY WAS RECORDED IN YOUR BOOK! WHAT A PROFOUND TRUTH THE UNBELIEVER CANNOT KNOW? Eph 1:11 SAYS: ALL THINGS ARE DONE ACCORDING TO GOD S PLAN AND DECISION; AND GOD CHOSE US TO BE HIS OWN PEOPLE IN UNION WITH CHRIST BECAUSE OF HIS OWN PURPOSE, BASED ON WHAT HE HAD DECIDED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. REFLECT ON THOSE PROFOUND WORDS! PAUL TELLS US HERE IN Rom 8 THAT THOSE WHO LIVE AS THE SPIRIT TELLS THEM TO, HAVE THEIR MINDS ( THEIR WHOLE BEING ) CONTROLLED BY WHAT THE SPIRIT WANTS. THE BELIEVER KNOWS HIS/HER LIFE IS GUIDED BY GOD. CONVERSELY, PAUL WROTE IN vs 5: THOSE WHO LIVE AS THEIR HUMAN NATURE TELLS THEM TO HAVE THEIR MINDS GUIDED BY WHAT OUR 2

3 SINFUL HUMAN NATURE WANTS. BUT PAUL SAYS THAT S NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE WITH A BELIEVER WHO IS SEEKING TO LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD! ALAN WALKER, AN AUSTRALIAN EVANGELIST, IN HIS BOOK BREAKTHROUGH WRITES OF AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED IN A MINISTRYTO NEEDY CHIL- DREN. THERE WAS LITTLE SPACE IN THE BUILDING FOR CHILD CARE. EVERY WEEK THEY HAD TO TURN AWAY CHILDREN. THEY PRAYED EARNESTLY ABOUT THIS. ONE DAY A WOMAN CALLED TO OFFER A LARGE HOME SHE AND HER HUSBAND WOULD SELL FOR A LOW PRICE. ESPECIALLY WANTED IT TO BE USED FOR NEEDY CHILDREN. THEY BUT WHERE WOULD THEY GET THE MONEY TO BUY IT? BUSINESSMAN CALLED WALKER AND SAID: A FEW DAYS LATER A WEALTHY FOR SOME MONTHS NOW I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT A HOME FOR PEOPLE IN NEED, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN. CAN YOU SUGGEST SOMETHING? THE HOME AND THE GENEROUS DONOR WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER! COINCIDENCE? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! OF GOD! IT WAS THE GRACIOUS, PROVIDENTIAL, MYSTERIOUS WORKING A STEP OF FAITH GROUNDED IN THE TRUTH OF GOD S WORD. WHAT A REASSURING TRUTH THIS IS FOR US AS BELIEVERS! TRUST GOD TO WORK FOR GOOD IN EVERY PART OF OUR LIVES. WE CAN EVEN IN THE DIFFICULT AND HARD TIMES WE CAN BE CERTAIN HE S DIRECTING OUR LIVES ACCORDING TO HIS GOOD DIVINE PLAN! I VE SEEN THIS TRUTH CONFIRMED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY 3

4 PERSONAL AND MINISTERIAL LIFE! IT S BEEN CONFIRMED WITH EVERY PASTORAL POSITION TO WHICH GOD HAS CALLED ME. I WAS CERTAIN THAT S WHERE GOD WANTED ME TO BE, INCLUDING MY CALL HERE AT HPC. I VE EVIDENCED IT ALSO IN MY MINISTRY LIFE. I VE RUN INTO SOMEONE WHO NEEDED A LISTENING EAR BUT I HAD NOT INTENDED TO BE IN THAT PLACE AT THAT MOMENT. I VE VISITED A MEMBER IN A HOSPITAL ONLY TO REALIZE THAT GOD PUT ME THERE TO MINISTER TO THE OTHER PATIENT AS WELL. PERSON SAY, I VE CALLED SOMEONE IN THE CONGREGATION AND HAD THE YOU MUST HAVE KNOWN I NEEDED TO TALK WITH YOU. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I M SAYING? GOD S PROVIDENTIAL LEADING HAS BEEN EVIDENT IN LEADING ME IN EVERY SITUATION OF LIFE, INCLUDING BRINGING ANN AND ME TOGETHER! AND ALSO TO SEE GOD MEET THE NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE IN CHURCHES I VE SERVED! WHAT A PROFOUND TRUTH! I COULD GO ON AND ON! COINCIDENCE? TWIST OF FATE? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! IT WAS GOD WORKING TO ACCCOMPLISH HIS SOVEREIGN PLAN WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO ALLOW HIS SPIRIT TO LIVE IN AND GUIDE OUR LIVES! GOD PUTS US WHERE HE WANTS US TO BE TO DO HIS WILL! NEVER BY CHANCE! Vs 5 SAYS: THOSE WHO LIVE BY THE SPIRIT HAVE THEIR WHOLE BEING CONTROLLED BY WHAT THE SPIRIT WANTS. WHAT A LIFE CHANGING TRUTH THAT IS! AND THIS TRUTH APPLIES ALSO TO THIS 4

5 CONGREGATION. IF YOU RE WILLING TO TRUST GOD TO LEAD YOU DURING THIS NEW TIME IN YOUR CHURCH S LIFE, HE WILL! SEEK AND FOLLOW HIS LEAD!! YOU MIGHT ASK: WHAT S THE BIG DEAL? WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND ME TO LEARN THIS TRUTH ABOUT LIVING UNDER THE DIRECTION OF GOD S SPIRIT? PAUL MAKES THAT CLEAR IN vss6-8. HIS POINT IS THAT EVERY PERSON LIVES UNDER THE CONTROL OF SOMEONE! YOU AND I CHOOSE WHO WILL RULE OUR LIVES! IT S EITHER YOUR OWN WILL, OR THE WILL OF ANOTHER PERSON, OR SATAN. OR IT S YOUR WILLINGNESS AND DESIRE TO LIVE UNDER GOD S DIRECTION AND TRUSTING IN HIS PLAN! WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE? WHEN WE CHOOSE TO LIVE ACCORDING TO OUR OWN WILL OR SATAN S WILL, WE LIVE IN OPPOSITION TO WHAT GOD DESIRES AND TEACHES. WE LIVE SEPARATED FROM GOD AND HIS WAY. LIFE FILLED WITH DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS! LIFE THAT IS BROKEN; I HOPE NONE OF US WOULD CHOOSE THAT WAY. YOU SEE, THERE S A MUCH BETTER WAY! THAT BETTER WAY IS CHOOSING TO LIVE UNDER THE SPIRIT S CONTROL! HIS FULL CONTROL! TRUSTING IN HIM. LIVING THE WAY GOD S WORD TEACHES US TO LIVE WHEN WE CHOOSE TO LIVE LIFE GUIDED BY HIS WILL, WE FIND LIFE FILLED WITH JOY, PURPOSE, AND PEACE! EVERY PERSON HAS TO MAKE THAT DECISION. WILL YOU LIVE FOR YOURSELF UNDER YOUR OWN CONTROL, DETERMINING YOUR OWN 5

6 DESTINY AND FACING THE TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW OR WILL YOU ALLOW GOD TO GUIDE AND EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE THAT THE EVENTS WHICH OCCUR IN YOUR LIFE ARE NOT ACCIDENTAL NOR COINCIDENTAL. THEY ARE IN THE GOOD, SOVEREIGN PLAN OF GOD AND DIRECTED BY HIS SPIRIT WORKING HIS WILL IN US. THE CHOICE IS YOURS!! 6