Page 56 - Back to Bethlehem
P. 56

Israel.  He wanted to put on display His heart.  He gave Israel the
        most and the best and the highest, so others could look at Israel and
        see how God felt about them.  So, he blesses us so that the world
        may know.   That’s redemptive.

                  Prayer

        Our Heavenly Father, we thank You again that we can look into
        Your word.  We thank You that we can depend on the indwelling
        Holy Spirit to bring us to Jesus.  Give us ears to hear and take the
        veil away from our heart and eyes.  Show us Jesus again.  We ask in
        Jesus’ name.  Amen


                  The principle, as you know, that we’re going to look at is
        called  redemptive  living.  All  the  principles  that  we’ve  been
        studying are foundational.  It’s hard to put them in order; 1, 2 & 3
        because  they  are  ALL  very  important.    I  consider  this  lesson,
        redemptive  living,  a  great  foundation.    I’d  like  to  first  give  a
        description of what I think God’s word teaches about redemptive
        living.  All things are redemptive because God is sovereign.  After
        we look at that, I’d like to show how things are redemptive when we
        cooperate  with  God.    They  are  redemptive  even  if  we  don’t
        cooperate but in a special way, when we cooperate.
                  When I say that all things are redemptive I really mean
           two things; that God is sovereign and He always gets what He
           wants.    Nobody  can  stop  His  purpose.    His  sovereignty  and
           Lordship are absolute.  He is in perfect control of the world and
           everything in it.  Ephesians 1:11, “…also we have obtained an
           inheritance  having  been  predestined  according  to  His  purpose
           who works all things after the counsel of His will…”  Job. 42:2,
           “I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of
           Thine  can  be  thwarted.”    Psalm  135:6,  “Whatever  the  LORD
           pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all
           deeps.”  Psalm 103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in
           the heavens’ and His sovereignty rules over all.”

                  That’s the purpose; God gets what He wants but we’re
           calling  it  “redemptive  purpose”.    What  is  meant  by  the
   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59