Now, one of the prayers that I’ve encouraged you all to pray at the beginning of this year is the prayer of Ephesians 1, where it says that: “God will give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation” “in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding” “being flooded with light, being enlightened that” “you may know what is the hope of His calling.
” “What is the hope of His calling, His purpose for your life.” You were born with a destiny! There is a purpose for which no one else can fulfill but you. And if someone doesn’t fulfill his purpose, it is a loss! It is a loss to heaven. Heaven doesn’t just say: “You know what, it’s just one loss.” No, no, no.
For the Lord, if out of 100 sheep, one sheep is lost, He considers it a loss and He will seek for it. I love this: “Until He finds it.” Hallelujah! That’s how God esteems you. It’s a real loss to heaven if you don’t fulfill that purpose. So God has a purpose for you and that purpose wasn’t something God decides later on as you observe your obedience or your lack of it, then He gives you a purpose.
No, the purpose is from your mother’s womb. When you were there, when God placed you there, you were given a purpose, a destiny if you would for your life. Now, watch this. “And we know.” Do you know it? Not just a theory in your head. Not: “I hope to know it.” “I hope to believe it.” But “we know that all things work together for good.
” Say: “For good.” Say it 3 times! “For good, for good.” Amen. Say: “For my good, for my good.” Hallelujah. Say: “For my family’s good.” Amen. So God is working everything, even though He’s not behind everything, especially when they are bad stuff. Amen. God is a good God but He is working all things for your good. Amen.
And then it goes on to say: “For good to those who love God,” “to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Now, some people might jump on this and say: “Notice it’s only for those who love God.” No, friend. All those who are born again, they love God! And all of us love God the moment we know Him because all our sins are forgiven.
In the new covenant, it says: “All of us know Him, from the least to the greatest.” We all love Him although our love is at varying degrees. God doesn’t say: “When your love is 80 percent there for me, then this promise” “will work for you.” No, no, no. It’s saying every believer loves God. It is a characteristic of people who are born again.
People who have eternal life, people who are saved and redeemed by the work of Jesus. “All things work together for good to those who love God,” “to those who are called according to His purpose.” And the next verse tells us the purpose. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be” “conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus, that” “He might be, that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brethren.
” Notice the purpose is tied up with what God foreknew. It is tied up with predestination, to be conformed to the image of Jesus. And what it means is this. Some people who teach foreknowledge and predestination, these are big words, I know. Maybe some of you are not interested in these things but there are a lot of believers who ask me also.
“What do you think about predestination?” “What do you think about foreknowledge?” So I think it’s a good time for me just to share with you, right, what it means in a simple way. Foreknowledge is actually prognosis. “Fore, before.” Knowledge of the future. You know it before. So God, of course, has foreknowledge.
