Lesson #4. Growing to be like Jesus: GOD’S PART

KEY TRUTH: A lesson that highlights God’s part in His gracious eternal plan to conform believers into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

1. UNDERSTANDING ETERNITY PAST & GOD’S PURPOSE FOR TIME:
   1. NO ONE CAN TRULY FATHOM GOD OR ETERNITY: It is impossible for us to accurately grasp the idea of God or eternity. The fact is, even if you had a thousand lifetimes, you would not be able to find God. That is so because we can only know God SINCE He chose to reveal Himself. This He did most clearly through His Son, Jesus (see Heb.1:1-3; Jn.1:14). The apostle John expressed it this way – No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known (Jn.1:18).
   2. TIME AND SPACE HAVE NO BOUNDARIES: To grasp the wonder of it all, it can be helpful to try to imagine travelling at the speed of light into outer space. You will never reach the boundary of what God has created. That is so because there must be something beyond any boundary. This equally applies to time. Eternity has no boundaries.
   3. GOD’S WISDOM & GREATNESS SHOULD FILL US WITH AWE: Such thoughts should have the same impact on us as it had on Job when God began exposing his limited knowledge of the universe. Job concluded – 2 “I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know (Job.42:2-3).

      IN HIS WISDOM GOD CONSIDERED EVERY POSSIBILITY: God’s wisdom is unimaginably great. Before time and the creation of the world, God had already laid plans to make people in His own likeness to enable them to fellowship with Him. Knowing these people would go their own way, He put a plan in motion to save and transfer sinners into His everlasting family. It is stated that – 4 … He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him (Eph.1:4). In other words, God knew from eternity past that we would need a Saviour. To drive home this truth God reminded Jeremiah – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you and appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jer.1:5).

   4. A MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP DEMANDED A FREE CHOICE: When God in His infinite wisdom and greatness planned His family, He conceived of all the possibilities. To create men and women without a freewill would have produced robots that would have made relationships meaningless. However, He knew that these creatures with a free will would rebel and need a game-changing plan to restore men and women to Him.
2. TIME WAS CREATED BY GOD WITH A BEGINNING AND AN END:
   1. GOD PLANNED TO BRING US TO HEAVEN BY PLACING US IN TIME: Not unexpectedly, God in His brilliance created time for the human race. Time has a beginning and an end. During this limited time God enables us to either conclude we are sinners in need of a Saviour, or He gives people the freedom to reject His existence and Lordship.
   2. SINNERS ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE BECAUSE THEY SUPPRESS THE TRUTH: The book of Romans was written to Gentiles with little understanding of the Scriptures. Yet the apostle claims that – 18 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Rom.1:18-20).
   3. GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN OF THE AGES IS TO GLORIFY HIMSELF THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST: The apostle Paul unveiled God’s counterplan which he described as – 8 … the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 (and) to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph.3:8-11). God has never and will never be caught by surprise. He has always had a plan … even from eternity. He planned to send His Son into time-space history. The closing book of the Bible reveals that people are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world (see Rev.13:8; 17:8; 20:15, 27). He is totally in control.
3. UNREPENTANT SINNERS ARE LOST AND DEAD IN SIN:
   1. GOD ONLY HAS CHILDREN BUT HAS NO GRANDCHILDREN: Jesus told the great Jewish rabbi, Nicodemus that he could not enter heaven unless he was born again (see Jn.3:1-16). John wrote about God’s Son that – 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, those 13 … born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (Jn.1:11-13).
   2. ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF GOD’S HOLY STANDARD: No one can live a single day and not sin in thought, word, and deed. The apostle considered both Jews and Gentiles and drove home the truth that – 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom.3:19-20 & 23). This includes all Christian believers.
   3. GOD’S WRATH IS A PRESENT REALITY FOR THE UNGODLY: Paul explained that the wrath of God (see Rom.1:18) is an obvious reality when he wrote – 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves … 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions … 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done (Rom.1:24, 26. 28). Our world has been given over by God to extreme sexual and selfish pursuits with confused relationships that no longer reflects the dignity He created people to exhibit and enjoy.
4. GOD IS PERFECT AND HOLY AND DWELLS IN A PERFECT HEAVEN:
   1. GOD IS PERFECT AND HOLY: The Bible consistently described God as perfect and holy. Moses wrote – 3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He (Deut.32:3-4). Consequently, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said to His followers – Therefore, You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt.5:48).
   2. GOD DWELLS IN A PERFECT HEAVEN: Heaven is perfect and holy. It is the home of only those that have been redeemed and thus made perfect (see Rev.21:2, 5-8, 27; 22:14-15).
5. GOD’S PLAN TO MAKE A FAMILY LIKE HIS SON, JESUS:
   1. NO PERSON IS PERFECT SO NO ONE IS A CANDIDATE FOR GOD’S PERFECT HEAVENLY HOME: Not surprisingly, there is no place for anyone imperfect or unregenerate in His perfect heaven. How people reason that imperfect people can possibly go to heaven and dwell with a perfect is God is beyond irrational. Peter urged his readers – 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet.3:11-13). No honest person can possibly conclude that they have lived a sinless life or that they have gone even one day without coming short of God’s standard in thought, word, or deed.
   2. GOD’S SOLUTION WAS TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE SINNERS PERFECT: God over-arching plan is to conform us all into the image and likeness of His Son (see Rom.8:29). That is why Peter challenged believers – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet.1:14-16).

      GROUP DISCUSSION: 
      Q.1. How can we know anything about God and eternity past? How much do we know about the heavenly realms and the universe?
      Q.2. Why can unrepentant and unsaved people not enter into God’s perfect heaven?
      Q.3. How did God intervene to make it possible for sinners to join His perfect family?
      Q.4. What makes the creating of time an act of grace on God’s part? What is God’s plan for all who are born into this world?

6. GOD DECLARES SINNERS RIGHTEOUS AND THEN PROCEEDS TO MAKE THEM RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT:
   1. SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IS PART OF A PROCESS: The new birth makes us immediately fit for heaven when God declares us judicially right in His sight. However, we all know that our sin nature is very much alive and we continue to sin in thought, word, and deed until we are taken home to heaven. God’s plan is explained in the New Testament that is summed up this way – 30 And because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor.1:30-31). Let’s look at this more closely …
   2. GOD’S SHOWS HIS KINDNESS IN CALLING ANYONE: God extended His wisdom to reveal our need for a Saviour thus bringing us to faith and repentance through His Son – 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved (Eph.2:4-5 c.f. Eph.2:1-10). God gave us wisdom to embrace the Saviour.
   3. CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SALVATION: Through faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, God gives chosen sinners a right standing in His sight. We are declared to be as perfect as God’s Son even though in practice, we are not! By God’s gracious action, we now qualify for heaven as Paul states – 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands – 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph.2:11-13).
   4. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S SANCTIFYING WORK: Having declared us to be righteous, God now proceeds to make us like His Son in practice by the operation of His Holy Spirit. God is bothered by our sin because it breaks fellowship with Him. Consequently, we enter a process of SANCTIFICATION to become like Jesus. Jesus explained that this life-long transformation is the ministry of the Holy Spirit – 8 When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged … 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you (Jn.16:8-14).
   5. AFTER THIS LIFE, GOD REDEEMS AND TAKES US TO HEAVEN: In the end we will leave this life and be transformed into the perfect likeness of His Son forever, even as we desired. Paul wrote – 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself (Phil.3:20-21).
7. GOD’S PROMISES TO COMPLETE WHAT HE HAS BEGUN:
   1. WITHOUT GOD’S ENABLING GRACE, WE COULD NOT HOPE TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD: Paul encouraged the Philippians Church when he promised that – I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil.1:6). God will accomplish in the end what He set out to do when He brought us to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
   2. THE ONE WHO SAVED US WILL PURIFY US COMPLETELY IN BODY SOUL, & SPIRIT: God promises to present us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who promises to sanctify us completely. The onus is very much on the Lord to do this because we constantly fail. Lest we mistake how such a miracle can take place, the apostle concludes that it is the One who calls us who will bring it to pass – 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thes.5:23-24).
   3. THE ONE WHO SAVES US CAN PRESENT US JOYFUL & PERFECT IN GOD’S PERFECT PRESENCE: It is the Lord who will keep us from stumbling and falling. It is God who will present us blameless before Him. In spite of all our shortcomings and failures we will enter His glory with great joy! Who will accomplish this miracle? None other than the God and Saviour of the world to whom all the glory belongs – 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever (Jude 1:24-25). This is His part. He guarantees to do what we cannot promise for even a single day!
   4. THE GREATEST HONOUR WE CAN GIVE GOD IS TO BECOME LIKE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, JESUS: The reason God saves us is because – Those whom He foreknew (and chose beforehand) He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn (and most honoured) among many brothers (Rom.8:29).

GROUP DISCUSSION:

Q.1. Who benefits when you become more like Jesus? … You –family – friends – others – God?

Q.2. How comprehensive are the promises of God’s enabling grace to help us triumph?

Q.3. Where should the key focus be for the child and servant of God?