WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.019 Hey everyone, my name's Aidan and I'm a long-time sermon listener and a first-time sermon giver. 00:00:10.779 --> 00:00:14.939 As I said earlier, I've been coming to St. Paul since the beginning of 2021 and this is my first 00:00:14.939 --> 00:00:20.679 time preaching here. And if you've ever heard of my thoughts on preaching before, you know that I 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:25.379 really like slides, so I get ready for a lot of that today. But if we haven't met before, I would 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:31.419 love to get to know you. Feel free to come and chat to me after the service. I'd love to hear 00:00:31.419 --> 00:00:37.500 what you think of my second sermon ever. But we've got an excellent passage to get into today, as Gary 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:45.179 just said. So how about we start by praying. So if you'd like to pray with me. Lord, in an uncertain 00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:53.099 world, you have an unstoppable plan. Please reveal that plan to us in all its glory today. Amen. 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:59.980 All right, I wanted to start today by us having a chat. I reckon sermons are actually a group 00:00:59.980 --> 00:01:04.659 activity. So I want you to find a person nearby, could be the same person you chatted to earlier, 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:09.240 or someone different. Or if you're at home, turn to the people next to you or sit and have a think. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:16.400 I want you to have a chat about where do you think you'll be in five years. You can share as much or as 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:22.359 little as you would like, doesn't have to be deep. But I want you to think about what you plus five years 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:28.099 will look like. What will you be doing? Where will you be living? Still around here? What version 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:36.239 iPhone will we be up to? What do you think your life will look like in 2027? You've got two and a 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:43.060 half minutes, and then we'll come back together. So have a chat. All right, we might start coming 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:49.320 back together. I hope you've been having some interesting chats. I reckon that's a really 00:01:49.320 --> 00:01:55.379 interesting question because it shows something about our attitudes to plans, and specifically 00:01:55.379 --> 00:02:01.480 plans for the future. We're going to talk a lot about plans today because the passage we just read 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:08.599 is all about God's good plan for life. And the first point this passage makes about God's plan 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:16.419 is that it is for good. Have a look at verse 28 with me. And we know that in all things, 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:22.519 God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:27.259 If you've been with us for the last few weeks, you know that in the last couple of chapters, 00:02:27.579 --> 00:02:33.359 Paul has been constructing a framework for how Christians should think about the sin, the law, 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:40.000 and God. And specifically, Paul's argument in these chapters has had momentum, a directed energy 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:45.700 and emotion to it, as if it's been building to something. It's as if Paul's been building a tower, 00:02:45.920 --> 00:02:50.400 starting with the theological foundations and then working its way up. He starts with... 00:02:52.160 --> 00:02:56.920 Oh, don't look. There you go. He starts with, 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:21.439 So if you're just joining us for the first time, know that you've joined us at a fantastic moment, 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:27.719 just as we see the conclusion of all of Paul's reasoning and logic, just as we get to the pointy 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:35.659 end of the tower and the end to the first half of Romans. And the first building block in Paul's 00:03:35.659 --> 00:03:42.159 logical capstone here is God's purpose for a Christian's new spirit-filled life. And that purpose 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:49.979 is for good. Let's look back at verse 28. And we know that in all things, God works for the good 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:56.780 of those who love him. As Christians, I think we understand the idea that we'll end up in a good 00:03:56.780 --> 00:04:01.739 place. Like if you imagine the timeline of your life, we look forward when we get to heaven, 00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:08.759 where life will finally be good. But I'm not sure we really grasp the idea that God is using 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:17.039 every single moment of our lives now for good. And I think there's two parts of this plan that we 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:27.900 don't really get. Firstly, we don't feel the true scale and depth of this plan. Every day, every minute, 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:35.800 every hour, every second, every feeling, every word, every breath. What would it mean for God to use 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:45.900 every one of your breaths for good? If all, and feel the weight of that word with me, if all things are to 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:53.939 be used by God for good, then there is no exception. There is nothing that God cannot, will not, and has 00:04:53.939 --> 00:05:04.379 not used for his plan. Secondly, with the massive scale of this plan, how can it be that all of a 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:11.439 Christian's life is used for good? Given the incredible range of experiences we have, how can we truthfully 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:18.920 say that both holidays and heartbreak lead to the same result? What a claim. And I think we struggle 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:26.060 with this because the concept of good for us is so firmly rooted in the present. To have a good day 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:32.540 means that you are happy today, or at least happier today than you were yesterday. To try and understand 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:37.360 this, I spent the last month listening to a bunch of music, all songs with the same name, 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:42.699 The Good Life. Now, if you're a musician trying to name a song, please don't name it The Good Life. 00:05:42.780 --> 00:05:47.660 There's at least 30 other songs with that title. Anyway, so I've been listening to The Good Life 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:52.420 by various artists, and an interesting theme I found amongst many of them, and especially those 00:05:52.420 --> 00:06:00.220 released in the last 20 years, is that the good life is now. Here's a line from Kanye, and I won't sing it 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:08.280 for you. A, this is The Good Life. This is The Good Life. One Republic says, oh, this has got to be The 00:06:08.280 --> 00:06:14.000 Good Life. This has got to be The Good Life. Summer Kennedy says, it feels like the world is ours. Oh, 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:18.680 yeah, this is The Good Life. And then there's my favourite lyricist, Ben Soule, who writes, 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:24.280 yeah, The Good Life. Yeah, The Good Life. Oh, The Good Life. Yeah, The Good Life. And then finally, 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:29.820 there's the voice of a generation, Hannah Montana. This is The Good Life. Take a look. Have anything you want. 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:39.560 My theory is that in 2022, The Good Life has to be right now, because it can't happen anywhere else. 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:44.240 We're more aware than ever that the oppression of minorities and the discrimination of those 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:50.100 outside the mainstream, and the past, frankly, was really bad for significant portions of Australia. 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:57.560 And the future can look pretty grim, with climate change and global conflict brewing that threatens 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:04.319 the world. The only thing we can do is enjoy today. So today has to be The Good Life. 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:11.459 Yet God's plans, and frankly, I'm amazed by this, aren't just counter-cultural, but culturally 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:18.360 fulfilling. If all things are worked by God for good, it means that today isn't the only good day. 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:21.660 Yesterday was used for good, and tomorrow will be used for good as well. 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:28.660 Now, this verse doesn't say that all things are good or will feel good. The guarantee of the Bible 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:36.540 is that, as a Christian, there is a purpose and intent to your days. And that intent is a good one. 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:44.140 And if God uses all our days for good, then Christians can do something truly revolutionary. 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.860 Any luck? 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:51.039 We can relax. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:52.599 Relax. 00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:55.240 Christians can relax. 00:07:56.419 --> 00:08:01.439 The secular world leaves relaxation for when life is going right. 00:08:01.979 --> 00:08:05.339 But for the Christian, even if life isn't going as you expected, 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:10.240 even if today is really hard, even if your life plan has gone completely off track, 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:14.040 we know that God is using everything for good. 00:08:14.960 --> 00:08:19.840 We are freed from the pressure of needing things to go right because the universe is not run by chance 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:25.420 or dependent entirely on our own actions or run by a distant, uncaring entity or by some 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:26.879 indifferent system of justice. 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:31.480 We are wrapped in the strong, caring hands of our Father. 00:08:32.860 --> 00:08:37.519 When life goes wrong, it can feel like it doesn't matter, but God's plan includes the little things, 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:43.000 the good things, the hard things, the sad things, and all of that plan is for good. 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:48.419 So we can take the pressure off our life and relax by trusting in God's plan. 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:55.439 But God's plan isn't just some vague, general, nice idea of good. 00:08:55.980 --> 00:09:00.340 It's actually a very specific, detailed plan that ends in our glorification. 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:05.079 Now, Romans 8 verse 28 is what I like to call a curly font verse. 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:10.660 It's something you might see in a Facebook post, in fancy writing, or cross-stitched onto the wall of the house. 00:09:11.400 --> 00:09:15.879 It's used as a general encouragement to Christians, a nice and important thing to read in your day. 00:09:16.660 --> 00:09:17.500 But here's the thing. 00:09:17.900 --> 00:09:23.920 If you just read Romans 8 verse 28, you miss out on the details of God's plan. 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:27.879 You know what he's trying to get to, his general aim, 00:09:27.920 --> 00:09:29.759 but you don't know how he's actually going to get it done. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:36.340 That's why you have to read Romans 8 verse 28 with 8, 29, and 30. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:38.700 So let's have a look at it now. 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:41.220 All right. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.620 For those God foreknew, he also predestined, 00:09:45.019 --> 00:09:46.879 to be conformed to the image of his Son, 00:09:47.319 --> 00:09:50.299 that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:52.939 And those he predestined, he also called. 00:09:53.319 --> 00:09:54.840 Those he called, he also justified. 00:09:55.460 --> 00:09:57.319 Those he justified, he also glorified. 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:01.840 In these verses, Paul describes the steps in God's plan. 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:05.879 And he portrays these steps as an inevitable logical progression, 00:10:06.020 --> 00:10:07.940 unbreakable chain of actions, 00:10:08.420 --> 00:10:10.680 where each step naturally follows into the next, 00:10:11.020 --> 00:10:13.000 from foreknowledge all the way to glorification. 00:10:13.800 --> 00:10:18.040 So join me as we dive in and have a look at each section of this chain. 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:24.280 Unfortunately, we have to start with the trickiest verb, foreknew. 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:29.019 Now, the dictionary definition foreknew is to be aware of before it happens. 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:33.019 And if you think of God simply being aware of us in advance, 00:10:33.319 --> 00:10:35.620 you might think of God in the beginning of time, 00:10:35.839 --> 00:10:40.019 looking ahead and seeing whether or not we would freely choose to be a Christian. 00:10:41.079 --> 00:10:42.319 But if this were the case, 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:45.519 it presents a tension with the rest of Romans in the last couple of weeks. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:53.500 How can we choose to be saved if Paul has so fiercely said that we are incapable of our own salvation? 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:56.980 Well, the English word here is foreknew, 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:02.199 but the original work in Greek actually is the sense of a much stronger, more intimate relationship. 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:05.460 It's actually an older Hebrew term that God uses here, 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.620 which means a God-initiated relationship. 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:12.679 Rather than God knowing our choices before we make them, 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:18.620 think instead of God reaching out and loving us in a personal, real way before we even existed. 00:11:19.460 --> 00:11:21.320 God puts his love on us. 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:23.740 He didn't just foresee what we'll do. 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:27.419 He initiated a relationship with us entirely of his own will. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:30.360 But there's a problem. 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:35.620 How can God have a relationship with us before we existed? 00:11:37.180 --> 00:11:40.080 Well, if it's true that God foreknew us before time, 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:43.460 it must also therefore be true that God predestined us, 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:47.480 a word meaning determined in advance by divine will or fate. 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.940 So God, in his complete control over time and space, 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:54.360 determined before the beginning of the universe 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:57.139 that our lives would result in a relationship with him. 00:11:57.139 --> 00:12:01.179 Now, this isn't the sermon to go into the complexity of predestination, 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:02.539 but if you have questions about it, 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:04.259 feel free to come up and ask me about them later, 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:07.779 and then we can go to Steve together and he can actually answer them for us. 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:13.139 But this also isn't the passage to interrogate the nitty-gritty of predestination, 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:15.480 God's will and sovereignty. 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:19.460 Paul mentions predestination here not to explain it, 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:21.299 but to show the consequences of it. 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:26.059 Because there's an issue that arises from God having a relationship with us in the here and now. 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:30.240 How can God have a relationship with us if we're stuck on earth 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.240 and God's in an entirely separate heavenly realm? 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:39.620 Well, that's why the next step in the chain is that God calls us to come to him. 00:12:40.199 --> 00:12:42.039 He summons us to be close to him, 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:46.279 a spiritual calling to live God's way and to come into his presence, 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:51.319 the source of life, grace, mercy, peace, justice. 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:55.300 Although we are not physically called into God's temple, 00:12:55.420 --> 00:12:58.220 the spiritual summons is by no means any less real, 00:12:58.640 --> 00:13:01.160 just as God is real and his relationships are real. 00:13:02.920 --> 00:13:06.120 But if we are to come into the presence of a perfect God, 00:13:06.760 --> 00:13:08.500 how can we come close to him? 00:13:09.040 --> 00:13:10.840 If, as Paul's repeated so often, 00:13:10.920 --> 00:13:13.320 we are stained by imperfection and sin. 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:19.060 Well then, God justifies. 00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:22.980 And if you're looking for details on this step of justification, 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:25.920 listen back to the rest of our Roman series. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:29.060 But the quick summary of this incredible step 00:13:29.060 --> 00:13:32.200 is that God has completely and totally dealt with our sin 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:34.140 in Jesus' death on the cross. 00:13:34.400 --> 00:13:37.100 We are no longer considered sinful in God's eyes 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:40.260 and by faith we can receive this incredible gift. 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:43.759 And finally then, at the end of the chain, 00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:46.399 if we come into the presence of a perfect God, 00:13:47.220 --> 00:13:49.799 what does that mean for us? 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:53.899 Well, it's the simplest step of all. 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:57.860 If we are in the presence of God, we are glorified. 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:01.439 We get to stand in the throne room of the one true God 00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:04.259 as brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ. 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:07.019 There is nothing more glorified than that. 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:13.259 So, what can we do with this unbreakable chain? 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:18.439 Well, I feel like we often picture this chain of events 00:14:18.439 --> 00:14:21.720 as sort of stretched over the timeline of our life, 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:25.039 as if we're going through life moving from God predestining us 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:27.159 to God calling us to God justifying us 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:29.419 and then eventually to God glorifying us 00:14:29.419 --> 00:14:30.639 for some time in the future. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:33.340 But that's not the case. 00:14:34.819 --> 00:14:35.500 Here's a fun activity. 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:38.919 Have a really close look at these verbs in verse 29 and 30. 00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:41.000 There's a secret grammatical connection. 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:43.860 Have you picked it up? 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:47.279 They're all in the past tense. 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:50.519 They've all already happened. 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:55.159 So, it's more accurate to view the chain like this, 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:57.980 happening before we even came into being. 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.419 There's nothing more to be done. 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:04.659 God has already foreknew, predestined, called, and justified us. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:07.799 Ah, but then you might ask, what about glorification? 00:15:08.699 --> 00:15:11.259 Are we already standing in the throne room of God? 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:15.699 Well, as nice as this building is, no. 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:18.879 We're not currently standing in the presence of God the Father, 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:19.919 at least not yet. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:23.860 So then why does Paul use the past tense 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:25.240 when talking about glorification? 00:15:26.819 --> 00:15:29.759 Well, I think the rest of this passage shows 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.779 that he is so sure that this plan will come to pass 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:36.599 that it is as if it has already happened. 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:40.099 He's so confident of God's unbreakable chain finishing 00:15:40.099 --> 00:15:46.199 that he depicts it as if it is already over and done. 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:48.680 But okay then. 00:15:49.660 --> 00:15:52.220 So we're sitting between the justification that has happened 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:54.420 and the glorification that is sure to happen. 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:56.240 What do we do in the meantime? 00:15:56.780 --> 00:15:58.200 Just sit and wait? 00:15:59.460 --> 00:15:59.940 Well, no. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:03.060 Remember that God is working everything for good. 00:16:03.560 --> 00:16:07.200 So there must be a purpose and intent for all your days here. 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:09.840 And the answer is in verse 29. 00:16:10.540 --> 00:16:12.800 We're being moulded to be like Christ. 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:14.879 All right. 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:17.159 Halfway through the sermon, it's time to talk around, 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:18.479 turn around and have a chat again. 00:16:19.099 --> 00:16:21.819 We've already talked about where you think you'll be in five years. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.599 I have a chat with the person next to you. 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:28.179 What's been the biggest change in your life in the last five years? 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:32.500 You've got, we'll say, two minutes this time 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:33.639 and then we'll come back together. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.159 So have a chat. 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:37.419 All right. 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:40.599 Let's come back together. 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:44.820 If you're keen to keep chatting, 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:46.800 please continue those conversations. 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:48.720 Afternoon tea, morning tea. 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:51.080 I think for me, if you're wondering, 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:54.019 the biggest change in the last few years has been a relational one. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:57.460 I got married just over a year ago to the lovely Emma 00:16:57.460 --> 00:16:59.560 and now we live together, as I mentioned, 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:01.159 with a little puppy in Mars Field. 00:17:03.060 --> 00:17:04.940 But yeah, I reckon it's interesting 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:07.860 because my answer and I'm guessing your answer 00:17:07.859 --> 00:17:12.179 shows something about how we view the narrative of our own lives, 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:14.639 where we've been and where we're going. 00:17:15.579 --> 00:17:17.479 And interestingly, the passage we've just read 00:17:17.479 --> 00:17:19.879 has something to say about the exact same topics. 00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:23.359 Verse 29 says that God has predestined us 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.459 to be conformed to the image of his son, 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.879 that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.860 And now here, finally, 00:17:32.040 --> 00:17:35.340 is the good that God uses every one of our moments for. 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:39.320 God uses every instant to make us more like Jesus. 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:41.920 Conforming to the image of something 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:43.280 means to take on its character, 00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:44.880 its properties, its form. 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:47.360 I like to think of it like an iron mould, 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:50.380 where you pour molten iron into a mould 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:52.300 and as the iron cools, 00:17:52.420 --> 00:17:55.040 it takes on the shape and form of the mould. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:58.759 In the same way, Paul says that God 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:00.940 is making us take the shape of Jesus. 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:02.859 Not physically, I'm not going to say 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:04.759 we're all going to look like a man 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:05.839 from the ancient Middle East, 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.079 but instead taking on his character, 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:10.879 his morals, his attitudes, his worldviews. 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:12.099 And if you've read the Gospel, 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:13.700 you know Jesus' traits. 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:17.980 Kindness, forgiveness, mercy, justice. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:20.779 As we go through life, 00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:22.519 Paul is saying that God is making us 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:24.440 more and more like Jesus. 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:26.980 So where does that leave us? 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:28.559 If this is all God's doing, 00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:29.639 what are we meant to do? 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:31.799 How are we meant to respond to this? 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:34.940 I think this creates a fundamental shift 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:37.839 in how Christians view the past and the future. 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:43.000 Come on. 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:45.460 There we go. 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:48.339 When was the last time 00:18:48.339 --> 00:18:50.839 you sat down and thought about your past? 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:54.639 When was the last time you stopped 00:18:54.639 --> 00:18:56.460 and tried to look at how God 00:18:56.460 --> 00:18:57.980 has been working in your life? 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:00.900 It's not always obvious in the moment, 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:02.680 but with the benefit of hindsight, 00:19:02.879 --> 00:19:05.180 sometimes it can be blazingly clear 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:07.379 about how God has used massive change 00:19:07.379 --> 00:19:08.940 in your life to make you more like Jesus. 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:11.420 Other times it can be hard 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:14.740 to see how hardship has grown you 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:16.519 or how a period of difference 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:17.660 or indifference from God 00:19:17.660 --> 00:19:18.680 can be worked for good. 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:21.180 But being able to pinpoint 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:23.259 how God has been working in your life 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:24.779 is an enormous encouragement, 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:26.640 whether it's realizing 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:28.299 that hardship grows faith 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:30.400 or that distance helps make clear 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:32.080 the depth of your need for God. 00:19:33.320 --> 00:19:34.259 So have you taken a moment 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:36.420 on the bus to work or school 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:39.279 or when you just put the kid down for a nap 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:40.060 or in the shower 00:19:40.060 --> 00:19:41.140 in the morning or the evening? 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:42.740 Have you thought about 00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:44.539 what's been going on in your life 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:47.099 and seen how it has changed you 00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:49.220 and thought about how God 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:50.659 might be working in your life 00:19:50.659 --> 00:19:52.139 to make it more like Jesus? 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:55.220 And then there's the flip side of this. 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:57.519 What are you aiming towards? 00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:59.839 What does progress look like in your life? 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:01.399 Who are you trying to be? 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:02.500 Where are you trying to get to? 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:04.220 What life are you trying to achieve? 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:06.680 Where do you want to be in five years? 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.980 The Bible says that God is using time 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:12.839 to make you more like Jesus. 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:15.259 So set a goal for your future. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:16.959 It's only a year's time. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:18.699 On the 10th of June, 2023, 00:20:19.199 --> 00:20:20.659 I want to be able to look back and say, 00:20:21.179 --> 00:20:23.099 God has made me more patient 00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:24.359 than I was a year ago. 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:26.679 Or God has made me kinder 00:20:26.679 --> 00:20:27.619 than I was a year ago. 00:20:27.699 --> 00:20:28.399 Or more generous. 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:29.720 Or God has made me better 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:32.220 at loving those I find hard to love. 00:20:33.159 --> 00:20:34.699 Set a goal such that in a year, 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:36.099 you'll be able to look back and say, 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.799 I think I'm more like Jesus 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:38.899 than I was a year ago. 00:20:41.179 --> 00:20:42.799 Yeah, with all these changes in growth, 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:46.079 how can Paul be so sure 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:48.379 that God's plan will actually happen? 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:50.819 With all these promises of change, 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:51.980 is there any evidence 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:54.139 that this glorification or progress 00:20:54.139 --> 00:20:54.980 will actually happen? 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:58.980 Well, now we come to the top of the tower, 00:20:59.659 --> 00:21:01.279 the pinnacle of Romans 8, 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:02.119 and really the climax 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:03.599 of the first half of Romans. 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:05.899 And here at the top of the tower, 00:21:05.959 --> 00:21:07.179 we actually see there's a telescope, 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:08.500 and this telescope is showing us 00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:09.839 an incredible vision 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:12.519 of God's holy, glorious power, 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:14.000 and we will come away from this vision 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.379 certain that nothing and no one 00:21:16.379 --> 00:21:18.439 can stop God's plan. 00:21:20.459 --> 00:21:21.319 Now, quick warning, 00:21:21.379 --> 00:21:22.220 we're about to get to another 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:23.000 curly font verse. 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:24.859 Romans 8, 38 to 39 00:21:24.859 --> 00:21:26.539 is a beautiful piece of writing. 00:21:27.899 --> 00:21:29.339 An enormous encouragement 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:30.379 to Christians around the world 00:21:30.379 --> 00:21:30.980 that I'm sure has been 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:32.259 many people's iPhone wallpaper. 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:34.900 If you haven't read this verse before, 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:35.779 then oh boy, 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:37.140 you're in for a treat. 00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:38.779 But you, once again, 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:39.680 you are missing out 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:40.859 on the full significance 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:41.940 and weight of the passage 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:43.799 if you don't read the bits before it. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.039 It's such a good verse, 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.539 you've got to build up to it. 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:48.920 So let's quickly go through 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:51.279 Paul's logic for why he's convinced 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.339 that God's good plan for glorification 00:21:53.339 --> 00:21:54.299 will come to pass. 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:56.140 Think of it as the nails 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:57.440 on which Paul is going to hang 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:58.680 an incredible painting. 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:01.480 So Paul's foundation for this belief 00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:03.720 are five unchallengeable questions. 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:05.080 Five questions 00:22:05.080 --> 00:22:07.299 for which there is only one answer. 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:09.580 The first one is in verse 31. 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.560 If God is for us, 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:12.640 who can be against us? 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:14.640 Now, if the question was 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:16.080 who is against us, 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.500 there might be many answers. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:19.500 The world, the devil, 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:20.700 ourselves even. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:22.880 But for the question, 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:24.700 if the one true God, 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.039 the master of all creation 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:27.820 and Lord of space and time 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:29.220 is for us, 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:31.659 then who can be against us? 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:32.899 Well, then the answer 00:22:32.899 --> 00:22:34.799 is obviously no one. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:37.939 I've been really struck 00:22:37.939 --> 00:22:39.819 by the English theologian 00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:40.779 John Stott's comment 00:22:40.779 --> 00:22:44.159 that perhaps the most terrible words 00:22:44.159 --> 00:22:46.480 which human ears will ever hear 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:48.079 are those which God uttered 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.519 many times in the Old Testament. 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:52.079 I am against you. 00:22:53.379 --> 00:22:54.419 How good then 00:22:54.419 --> 00:22:55.759 is the news of the gospel 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:57.559 that God is now 00:22:57.559 --> 00:22:58.299 on the side 00:22:58.299 --> 00:22:59.940 of those he has chosen? 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:03.500 The next unchallengeable question 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:05.079 is in verse 32. 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:07.759 He who did not spare his own son 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.079 but gave him up for us all, 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:11.119 how will he not also, 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:11.859 along with him, 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:13.359 graciously give us all things? 00:23:14.180 --> 00:23:16.440 Again, if Paul had asked, 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:18.339 will God give us all things? 00:23:18.660 --> 00:23:20.500 Look, we might have ummed and ah'd 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:21.059 and said like, 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.000 kinda, 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:23.039 in a big picture 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:23.859 sort of way. 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:24.720 Like, 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:26.500 we have a lot of needs 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.519 and there's 8 billion people 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:27.940 out there, 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:28.440 so like, 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:28.859 like, 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:29.599 maybe? 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:32.319 But the way Paul expresses 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:32.859 this question 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:34.240 vanishes any doubt. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:38.079 This is the God 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:39.259 who has already given us 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:41.140 his most precious possession, 00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:43.480 his own indescribable son. 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:45.059 In comparison to Jesus, 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:46.059 all other gifts 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:47.500 are simple to give. 00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:48.980 So once again, 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:50.079 there is only one answer. 00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:51.779 Of course he will. 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:55.119 Now with the next two questions, 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:56.000 Paul suddenly brings us 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.579 into a courtroom. 00:23:57.420 --> 00:23:58.700 Have a look at verse 33 and 34 00:23:58.700 --> 00:23:59.180 on the screen. 00:24:00.299 --> 00:24:01.400 Who will bring any charge 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:02.000 against those 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:02.980 whom God has chosen? 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:04.660 It is God who justifies. 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.099 Who then is the one 00:24:06.099 --> 00:24:06.700 who condemns? 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:07.839 No one. 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:10.240 Many might accuse us 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:10.900 of misdeeds, 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:12.519 but if God the judge 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:13.519 has declared us innocent, 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:14.839 then there is no charge 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:15.920 that can be brought against us. 00:24:16.619 --> 00:24:17.420 Many might try 00:24:17.420 --> 00:24:18.140 and condemn us. 00:24:18.620 --> 00:24:20.320 But if Jesus has died 00:24:20.320 --> 00:24:21.820 and been raised to life, 00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:23.259 then he has taken 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:24.580 all our condemnation 00:24:24.580 --> 00:24:25.740 and judgment on himself 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.000 so that no one 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:28.940 can condemn us. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:31.180 And with these 00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:32.080 unchallengeable nails 00:24:32.080 --> 00:24:32.600 in place, 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:34.460 Paul asks one final 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:35.539 unchallengeable question. 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:37.300 But this isn't a nail. 00:24:37.620 --> 00:24:38.660 This is the climax 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:39.680 and the conclusion. 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:40.820 This is the painting, 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.019 the glorious vision 00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:42.700 that Paul has been 00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:43.340 building up to. 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:45.659 Paul asks, 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:47.779 who then shall separate us 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:49.220 from the love of Christ? 00:24:50.379 --> 00:24:51.399 And his answer 00:24:51.399 --> 00:24:52.859 is astounding. 00:24:53.980 --> 00:24:54.619 He starts off 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:55.119 by suggesting 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:56.000 possible answers. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:56.579 Trouble, 00:24:57.059 --> 00:24:57.359 hardship, 00:24:57.740 --> 00:24:58.240 persecution. 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:00.339 Yet the previous questions 00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:00.980 have shown us 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:01.759 that no one 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:02.519 can condemn us. 00:25:02.919 --> 00:25:03.679 No one can bring 00:25:03.679 --> 00:25:04.639 any charge against us. 00:25:04.699 --> 00:25:05.399 There is nothing 00:25:05.399 --> 00:25:06.500 God will withhold from us 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.480 and there is no one 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:08.059 who can stand 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:08.879 against his will. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:10.700 So then truly, 00:25:10.840 --> 00:25:12.060 what can separate us 00:25:12.060 --> 00:25:12.940 from the love of God? 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:15.280 And Paul's answer 00:25:15.280 --> 00:25:16.260 isn't just nothing. 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:19.340 His answer is nothing. 00:25:21.040 --> 00:25:21.840 Paul here is trying 00:25:21.840 --> 00:25:23.640 to expand your understanding 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:25.120 of just how certain 00:25:25.120 --> 00:25:26.300 God's plan is. 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:28.080 Imagine your sense 00:25:28.080 --> 00:25:29.000 of God's power 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.800 and control 00:25:29.800 --> 00:25:30.980 as a little balloon. 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:32.560 Paul is trying 00:25:32.560 --> 00:25:33.760 to inflate that balloon 00:25:33.760 --> 00:25:34.740 to push you to think 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:35.500 bigger than you've 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:36.240 ever thought before 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.180 and to better grasp 00:25:37.180 --> 00:25:37.860 what it means 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:38.699 for God to have 00:25:38.699 --> 00:25:39.559 infinite power 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:40.659 and ultimate sovereignty. 00:25:42.879 --> 00:25:43.500 Do you think 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:44.019 that running 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:44.740 to the ends 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:45.379 of the earth 00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:45.939 will hide you 00:25:45.939 --> 00:25:46.339 from God? 00:25:47.179 --> 00:25:47.639 Do you think 00:25:47.639 --> 00:25:48.079 that if you were 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:48.679 at the bottom 00:25:48.679 --> 00:25:49.439 of the ocean, 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:51.299 God wouldn't know you 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:51.839 better than you 00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:52.319 know yourself? 00:25:53.139 --> 00:25:53.659 Do you think 00:25:53.659 --> 00:25:54.679 that if you grew old, 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:55.799 the God who knew you 00:25:55.799 --> 00:25:56.939 before you were born 00:25:56.939 --> 00:25:58.059 could forget about you? 00:25:58.839 --> 00:25:59.359 Do you think 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:00.259 that if the government 00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:01.619 outlawed the Christian God, 00:26:01.699 --> 00:26:02.539 made church illegal 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:03.899 and you could be jailed 00:26:03.899 --> 00:26:04.519 for talking about 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.240 Jesus at work, 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:06.479 do you think 00:26:06.479 --> 00:26:07.099 his power 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:08.279 would be any less? 00:26:09.459 --> 00:26:10.199 Do you think 00:26:10.199 --> 00:26:10.839 that when you are 00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:12.039 lying in a casket, 00:26:12.159 --> 00:26:13.219 God will be any less 00:26:13.219 --> 00:26:13.839 able to show 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:14.659 his love for you? 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:16.579 And most of all, 00:26:16.699 --> 00:26:17.179 do you think 00:26:17.179 --> 00:26:17.839 that anything 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:18.759 you can do 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:20.500 can stop God's love? 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:22.500 If he has the power 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:23.539 to raise a man 00:26:23.539 --> 00:26:24.079 from the dead 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:24.779 and to grant 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:25.539 eternal life, 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:26.359 what power 00:26:26.359 --> 00:26:27.679 do we little people 00:26:27.679 --> 00:26:28.939 have to stop 00:26:28.939 --> 00:26:30.219 such incredible love? 00:26:31.219 --> 00:26:32.519 Whatever conscious 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.259 or unconscious 00:26:33.259 --> 00:26:34.099 boundary you put 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:34.959 on God's power, 00:26:35.099 --> 00:26:35.919 get rid of it. 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:37.460 God is bigger 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:38.660 and more infinite 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:39.539 than you can imagine. 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:42.600 And what do we 00:26:42.600 --> 00:26:43.180 come away with? 00:26:44.620 --> 00:26:45.680 We come away 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:46.759 with a certainty. 00:26:47.620 --> 00:26:48.380 A certainty 00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:49.519 that God's plan 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.560 cannot be stopped. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:51.720 Nothing will 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:52.779 separate us from God, 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:54.100 nothing can stop 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:54.700 God's plan 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.779 from coming to fruition. 00:26:56.460 --> 00:26:57.680 Not even you. 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:00.500 And you may have noticed, 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:01.500 certainty has been 00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:02.340 becoming a bit 00:27:02.340 --> 00:27:03.519 of a scarce thing 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.180 recently. 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:05.980 Do you feel 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.519 like you've had 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.400 plans, say, 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:07.900 in the last, 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:08.140 I don't know, 00:27:08.180 --> 00:27:09.019 two years 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:09.660 that have been 00:27:09.660 --> 00:27:10.240 interrupted? 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:13.000 Holiday plans, 00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:14.200 party plans, 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:15.600 even wedding plans. 00:27:17.360 --> 00:27:17.820 Frankly, 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:18.539 I think Australian 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:19.279 society is still 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:20.060 grappling with 00:27:20.060 --> 00:27:21.519 the two years 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.820 of time we've lost. 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:23.880 And I think 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:24.440 it'll be a while 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:25.060 before we really 00:27:25.060 --> 00:27:25.680 understand how 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:26.360 so many months 00:27:26.360 --> 00:27:27.019 of lockdown 00:27:27.019 --> 00:27:28.279 has permanently 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:29.240 changed Australian 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:29.680 culture. 00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:31.420 Here's another 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:32.140 question for you. 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:33.140 Do you remember 00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:33.540 that week 00:27:33.540 --> 00:27:34.500 in March 2020 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:35.600 when we heard 00:27:35.600 --> 00:27:36.060 that lockdown 00:27:36.060 --> 00:27:36.640 was starting 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:37.020 and we'd have 00:27:37.020 --> 00:27:37.280 to start 00:27:37.280 --> 00:27:37.820 wearing masks 00:27:37.820 --> 00:27:38.180 everywhere? 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:39.759 If we had time, 00:27:39.820 --> 00:27:40.300 I would love 00:27:40.300 --> 00:27:40.759 to hear your 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:41.380 stories about 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:41.880 that week. 00:27:42.560 --> 00:27:43.460 The thing I remember 00:27:43.460 --> 00:27:44.800 is just how 00:27:44.800 --> 00:27:45.920 sudden it all felt. 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:47.140 One week was 00:27:47.140 --> 00:27:48.080 a normal work week 00:27:48.080 --> 00:27:48.860 and the next, 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:49.360 suddenly we were 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:50.640 in challenging times. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.040 I think COVID 00:27:54.040 --> 00:27:54.920 and lockdowns 00:27:54.920 --> 00:27:55.560 attacked one of 00:27:55.560 --> 00:27:56.240 the fundamental 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:57.040 beliefs of our 00:27:57.040 --> 00:27:57.520 society, 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:58.940 certainty. 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:00.300 It reminded us 00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:01.220 just how quickly 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:02.079 our plans and 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:02.879 lives can get 00:28:02.879 --> 00:28:03.500 disrupted and 00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:04.639 taken away 00:28:04.639 --> 00:28:06.159 any confidence 00:28:06.159 --> 00:28:06.980 that would happen 00:28:06.980 --> 00:28:07.359 tomorrow. 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:08.919 I'm not sure 00:28:08.919 --> 00:28:09.180 about you, 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:09.480 but I've been 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:10.019 really uncertain 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:10.539 about the future 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:10.899 over the last 00:28:10.899 --> 00:28:11.419 two years. 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.180 I didn't know 00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:13.019 when lockdowns 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:13.359 would end, 00:28:13.419 --> 00:28:13.740 when they would 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:14.399 start up again, 00:28:14.460 --> 00:28:15.220 if the plans I had 00:28:15.220 --> 00:28:15.839 to see my friends 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:16.519 and family would 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:16.759 happen, 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:17.779 if my wedding 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:18.460 would be able 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:18.919 to go ahead. 00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:21.200 Why else did 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:21.680 New South Wales 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:22.419 watch the daily 00:28:22.419 --> 00:28:23.579 COVID press conferences 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:24.700 with such dedication 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:26.019 except to try 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:26.639 and establish 00:28:26.639 --> 00:28:27.759 some semblance 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.399 of control 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:29.119 over the future? 00:28:30.299 --> 00:28:31.419 And as COVID 00:28:31.419 --> 00:28:32.359 has slowly stopped 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:32.819 being part of 00:28:32.819 --> 00:28:33.399 our daily worries 00:28:33.399 --> 00:28:34.019 and concerns, 00:28:34.139 --> 00:28:34.720 I think we're all 00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:35.460 still pretty shaken 00:28:35.460 --> 00:28:36.440 from the experience. 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:37.579 We know now 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:38.399 that any certainty 00:28:38.399 --> 00:28:39.200 in jobs, 00:28:39.659 --> 00:28:40.279 relationships, 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:41.339 schedules, 00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:42.299 or lifestyles 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:43.579 is all built 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:44.720 on shaky ground. 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:47.059 Well, 00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:47.720 in this uncertain 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:48.099 age, 00:28:48.159 --> 00:28:48.619 there is only 00:28:48.619 --> 00:28:49.940 one real 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:50.579 certainty 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:51.220 to build your 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:51.639 life on. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:53.139 God's good 00:28:53.139 --> 00:28:54.379 plan for glorification 00:28:54.379 --> 00:28:55.759 is so guaranteed 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.159 that Paul talks 00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:57.720 about it like 00:28:57.720 --> 00:28:58.339 it's already 00:28:58.339 --> 00:28:58.740 happened. 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:00.400 It is the rock 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:00.920 you can build 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:01.680 your worldview, 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:02.620 your family, 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.460 your career, 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:04.299 your identity 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:04.640 on. 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:06.099 God is using 00:29:06.099 --> 00:29:06.940 each and every 00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:07.579 moment of your 00:29:07.579 --> 00:29:08.160 life to make 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:08.799 you more like 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:09.180 Christ. 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:10.160 This is an 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:10.960 unstoppable 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:11.460 plan. 00:29:12.620 --> 00:29:13.140 So trust 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:13.500 that it will 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:13.759 happen. 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:14.720 Live with this 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.400 knowledge in 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:15.900 your head. 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:17.200 And as you go 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:17.620 out into the 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:18.120 world this week, 00:29:18.180 --> 00:29:18.700 this is my 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:19.740 challenge to you 00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:20.240 personally. 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:22.420 Every time you 00:29:22.420 --> 00:29:22.880 hear a piece 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:23.319 of troubling 00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:23.799 news, 00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:24.839 any time you 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:25.460 hear a story 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:25.980 that threatens 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:26.539 to overturn 00:29:26.539 --> 00:29:27.240 your life, 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:28.099 remember the 00:29:28.099 --> 00:29:29.599 unique realness 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:30.220 of God's 00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:30.519 plan. 00:29:31.639 --> 00:29:32.180 Whenever you're 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:32.879 feeling shaky, 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:33.960 feeling uncertain 00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:34.599 about the way 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:35.299 your life or 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:35.759 the world is 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:36.059 going, 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:37.559 remind yourself 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:38.079 of God's 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:38.639 unstoppable 00:29:38.639 --> 00:29:39.500 design for 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:39.980 your life. 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:41.079 Put your 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:41.799 trust in His 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:43.399 power and the 00:29:43.399 --> 00:29:43.839 certainty that 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:44.420 can only be 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:45.500 found in Him.