Trinity Baptist Church

Back to the Basics

#7: What God Starts, He Finishes

Romans 8:31

 

Some of you are familiar with a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  He was a German pastor whose opposition to Adolph Hitler during World War II finally landed him in jail. Shortly before the end of the war, the Nazis put him to death.

 

His best-known writings include The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. At one point he pondered what it means to live in wartime while still believing in the promises of God. These are his words: “There remains for us only the very narrow way, often extremely difficult to find, of living every day as though it were our last, and yet living in faith and responsibility as though there were to be a great future.”

 

This week I have pondered the paradox of his words. I used to not think very much about the challenges and difficulties of living the Christian life.  But with the increasing threat of Muslim attacks and the apparent disdain that our government and society seem to have for conservative Christianity, more and more I find myself thinking about that.  And while the Christian is to live each day knowing it might be his last, and yet, how else will he live?  Where else do we turn?

 

If nothing else, the Christian faith demands that we live in hope because we believe in the promises of God. We cannot become pessimists and give up. To do so is to deny what we say we believe. There is always a reason for hope.

So where will we find hope in these troubled times? That question brings us to the seventh and last basic in our series of studies.

 

In case you have forgotten them, here are the first six:

 

Basic #1: He’s God and We’re Not.

 

Basic #2: God Doesn’t Need Us But We Desperately Need Him.

 

Basic #3: What God Demands, He Supplies.

 

Basic #4: What You Seek, You Find.

 

Basic #5: Active Faith Releases God’s Power.

 

Basic #6: There is No Growth Without Struggle.

 

Tonight we come to the seventh and it leads us back to God as the source and end of our faith:

 

Basic #7: What God Starts, He Finishes.

 

If you want something to keep you going in hard times and give you some hope, then just remember, “What God Starts, He Finishes.”

 

The promise of Scripture is that, when it’s all said and done, everything we give up for the Lord will seem like no sacrifice at all. And when life tumbles in around us, and others have given up their faith, we stand firm because we know that what we see is not all there is. The best is yet to come.

 

This morning we looked at Romans 8 and tonight I want to return to that text.

 

Romans 8:31

 

This is the question that the people of the world want answered. Is there a God, and if there is a God, is he for us or against us? When Paul says if God is for us, he’s not saying maybe he is and maybe he isn’t. It can be translated “Since God is for us” or “Because God is for us.” There is no truth more fundamental in all of God’s Word than this truth: God is for us. God is not against us. God is not neutral toward us.

 

Because of Jesus Christ, once and for all the question is settled. God is for us. All that God is, all that God has and all that God does, he does on behalf of his people. Even those times when God seems to be acting against us, if we could only look behind the veil, we would understand that God is for us.

 

Name the enemies of the people of God. Can the devil stand against us? No, because he has been defeated. Can the world stand against us? No, because Jesus has overcome the world. Can the flesh destroy us? No, because in Jesus Christ we overcome the pull of the flesh. Therefore, let the people of God be bold. Who dares to stand against us if God be for us?

 

Now, the basic before us tonight depends on several important attributes of God.

 

First, God is faithful.

 

 

That means he does not lie, does not change in his essential character, and he acts in time and space to ensure that his purposes are carried out. He perseveres until that which he has ordained comes to fruition. There are no gaps and no performance failures with the Lord. He is faithful to himself, to his Word, and to all his creatures.

 

In the end, all things in the universe will be seen to have served God’s purposes. No detail will be missing, nothing will be out of place, and there will be no “accidents.” Even the tragedies of life will fit into God’s eternal plan. The fact that we cannot see how this could be true simply demonstrates the Basic:  He’s God and We’re Not.

 

God is faithful whether we see it or not, and he is faithful whether we believe it or not.

 

Second, God is good.

 

This attribute tells us that God is “for” us and not “against” us. He intends to bless us beyond our expectations and he desires to even bless those who rebel against him. “You are good, and what you do is good” (Psalm 119:68).

 

Because God is faithful and because he is good, we can be confident that what God starts, he finishes.

 

Sooner or later, his Word will be proved true, his justice will be vindicated, his wisdom will be recognized and the magnificence of his grace will be displayed  from one end of the universe to the other. His Name will be glorified and we will be satisfied.

 

As we work and wait and hope for that day to come, here are three truths you can depend on.

 

 

The key word here is “eventually.” Remember Joshua?  There comes a time under his administration when the Jews have defeated their enemies and taken possession of the Promised Land. It had been a hard fight that meant some people died in the process. It took blood, sweat and tears to conquer the land and drive the pagan people out.

 

But at last the work was done, the tribes had received their allotment, and the nation was ready to settle down and live in peace. Against that background, Joshua offers this assessment.

 

Joshua 21:43-45

 

Note that although the Lord “gave” them the land, they still had to fight for it. The “rest” came only after long years of warfare. They had to go into battle over and over again, and no doubt some soldiers had to die, and blood had to be shed, in order for God’s promises to come true. It’s not as if the Jews “claimed” the promise and simply moved in with no opposition. They had to fight to win what God had promised them.

 

So it is for you and me. We must fight the good fight, put on the whole armor of God, and be good soldiers for the Lord.

 

 

That means enduring long days and longer nights, facing fears within and foes without, being misunderstood by the world and sometimes by our best friends, living by radically different standards than the people around us, and claiming dual allegiance to two nations—one on earth and the other in heaven.

 

Living for Christ means hard times, bearing the cross, despising the shame, denying ourselves, following him wherever he leads, judging all things by the values of the Kingdom, putting others above our own interests, yielding our rights, refusing to give in to anger and rage, forgiving when we’d rather get even, loving our enemies, laying down our lives for others, bearing one another’s burdens, washing dirty feet, taking on the role of a servant, and sometimes being regarded as fools and the scum of the earth.

 

Sometimes we will be opposed, sometimes hated, sometimes mocked, sometimes persecuted, and sometimes the followers of Christ will be put to death. It happens.

 

The point is, being a Christian does not exempt you from the problems of life. Coming to Christ solves some problems, but it creates others. The problems solved include salvation, eternal life, forgiveness, removal of guilt, provision of a brand-new life, new desires, and new power to serve God. And it means a home in heaven and abundant life while you live on earth. So it’s not a bad deal. Not at all.

 

 

 

And the “problems” you gain are rather small in comparison but they are problems nonetheless. Being a follower of Christ is a wonderful life, it’s the best life there is, and it’s really the only life there is. Apart from Christ there is no life at all. But it doesn’t mean that things will be easy or simple or that life will be a bed of roses. Or maybe it will be a bed of roses but all those roses will have thorns.

 

But the good news is that God fully intends to keep his promises to you. What he did for Israel so long ago, he does for his people today. As we trust and obey, as we fight and pray, as we stand up for righteousness and shine the light in a darkened world, one by one by one the promises are kept. And in the end (and not until then) we will look back and say, “The Lord did it. Not one of his good promises failed. All came to pass.”

 

 

Psalm 138:8

 

The argument here is very simple. Because the Lord’s love endures forever, his purposes for us will endure forever. If God’s love could somehow fail, then perhaps we could doubt his purposes. But since his love reflects his eternal character, we can be sure that God will do whatever it takes to accomplish whatever he wants to accomplish in us.

 

 

Let’s return to Romans 8:29-30.

 

I want you to circle or underline five words in this text:

 

Foreknew

 

Predestined

 

Called

 

Justified

 

Glorified

 

Those five words make up what some theologians call “the golden chain of your salvation”. It is a golden chain of five links. These five words comprehend the entire work of God on your behalf.

 

No other statement in the Bible so comprehensively contains what God is doing to accomplish your salvation. He begins in eternity past and finishes in eternity future. To say it another way, your salvation begins in heaven, comes to earth, and ends up in heaven.

 

Your salvation begins with the first link—foreknowledge. That’s the link that starts in heaven. Then we come to predestination. That’s the link that brings salvation down to earth. Then we come to calling. That’s the link where you are hooked onto the chain. Justification is the link that ensures your righteous standing before the Lord. Glorification is the link that secures your eternal place in heaven.

 

 

 

Those five things are the five links in the chain of your salvation and they are true of every believer and they are true only of believers. If you are a believer, these five links in the chain explain God’s plan from eternity past to eternity future to accomplish your salvation.

 

Notice the tense of the five key words: Foreknew, Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified. They are all in the past tense. But how can “glorified” be in the past tense when our glorification is in the future? How can God speak of our future glorification in the past tense if it hasn’t even happened yet?

 

The answer is this: It is so certain that God speaks of it as past tense even though it is still future to us. In God’s mind past, present, future are all the same. In some sense we can’t fathom, our glorification has already happened. It’s so certain that God can speak of it in the past tense.

 

Let me illustrate: If God foreknew 100 people, then he predestined 100. If God predestined 100, he called 100. If God called 100, he justified 100. If God justified 100, then he glorified 100. It’s not as if God starts out with 1500 people but loses some in the process. It not as if he foreknows 1500, then he predestines 1200, then he calls 800, then he justifies 400, and only has about 60 or 70 left to finally take to heaven.

 

It’s not a declining number. The number is exactly the same throughout. As many as he foreknew in the beginning, exactly that many will he glorify in the end.

 

So let’s suppose the Lord is in heaven counting his sheep: “94 … 95 … 96 … 97 … 98 … 99 … Tolbert, where’s Tolbert? I can’t find him!” No, it’s not like that. Everyone he foreknows, everyone he predestines, everyone he calls, everyone he justifies—all of them will eventually be glorified. No one will be lost in the process.

 

That’s why we, as the children of God can be as sure heaven is our home as if we’d already been there 10,000 years.”

 

Why? Because it doesn’t rest on me. It doesn’t rest on you. It rests on the word of the eternal God. And to miss that is to miss the impact and importance of grace.  Listen:  If God has said he’s going to do it, he will do it. You can book it, you can take it to the bank. What God says he will do, he will do. All of God’s sheep will make it. That’s good news for all us unruly sheep.

 

Some of God’s sheep are sick and weak and some are unruly and a few are downright rebellious. And some of the sheep have been messing around with the goats too much and they look more like goats than like sheep. But fear not. The Lord knows his own, he knows how to find his own, and when the time comes, all of God’s sheep will make it into the fold. Not one will be lost. Not one.

 

Let’s wrap up this study by looking at a few ways we can apply this great truth that what God starts, he always finishes.

 

 

1 John 5:12-13 tell us that eternal life is only to be found in Jesus Christ and that those who believe in him may “know” that they have eternal life. In this world of so much uncertainty, here is something God says you can know. That’s hugely important. Do you want to go to heaven? You can. Do you want to know you’re going to heaven? You can.

 

Many people, even many Christians, say, “I hope I’m going to heaven,” but that is not the language of the Bible. For those who truly trust Christ, there is a certainty that does not depend on them or their works, but on the promise of God who cannot lie. Because salvation is God’s work, when we trust Christ, we can know that we are saved, that our sins are forgiven, that we are right with God, and that should we die tonight, we will go to heaven.

 

 

This is one of those “long-range” truths that helps us when we are down and discouraged and wonder if we’re all that we were truly meant to be. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” All that God intends to do in us and through us, he will do. Even when we are faithless, he is faithful still (see II Timothy 2:13).

 

 

So many things in life confuse and perplex us. Things happen, both good and bad, in such seemingly random sequence, that most of the time we can’t begin to understand the big picture.

But I want you to know, every unexpected illness, every unplanned crisis, every tragedy and burden, every disappointment and grief is all moving toward a very certain end.  It will work together for good.  God will be seen to be good and faithful through it all.

 

It isn’t “good” right now. At least it doesn’t seem good or feel good. Any good that is there must be seen and felt and taken by faith. Death is still the last enemy of the people of God. But death isn’t the end of the story. God will be glorified even through things that seem senseless and even evil to us. We won’t always see how this works out in history, but it is true nonetheless.

 

“For we know,” Paul says. Not “we think” or “we hope” or “we dream,” but “we know,” as if to state a settled fact, that “all things,” not “some things” or “most things” or even “the things that make sense to us” work together for good, to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28 KJV).

 

Because God is good, “it will be good,” and we will see that goodness somewhere down the road, if not in this life, then in eternity. All will be well and God will be glorified.

 

 

How do we maintain our balance living in the world we do?  Psalm 46 points us back to God who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. The word “help” means that he will be for us whatever we need, whenever we need it.

He is the supernatural resource when our strength has come to an end. “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (v. 2).

 

“Nations are in uproar” (v. 6). What a fitting description for the current crisis in the Middle East. What shall the believers do in days of uncertainty? Will we give in to fear and desperation? “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10). Be still. Those who know God remain calm even under threat of Armageddon. We know that God is in control.

 

“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v. 11). As believers, we do not claim any special insight into politics or military matters. And we don’t claim to know all the answers to the Middle Eastern crisis.  But we know this much: Our God is in control. Therefore we will not fear. We will be still and know the Lord is God.

 

 

All of us, if we are honest, wonder from time to time why we seem to make so little spiritual progress. We “conquer” a sin today and then commit the same sin tomorrow. Or we “conquer” a sin today and commit four new ones tomorrow. Sometimes the Christian life seems agonizingly slow: three steps forward, two steps back. Why can’t we make 20 steps forward, take a breath, and make 20 more? Why must the Christian life seem so slow in terms of real life change?

 

 

There are many answers to that question, including the fact that struggle actually makes us grow stronger. We generally do not appreciate victories that come at no cost. What we fight for, we value highly. And even our “defeats” and setbacks and our backsliding teaches us to rely on the Lord alone for everything, and not at all on ourselves.

 

That’s why our study of glorification is so important.  I Thessalonians 5:23-24 tells us that one day we will stand before the Lord and be holy through and through. In that day we will be “blameless” before the Lord, deeply and radically cleansed of sin and profoundly renewed by the grace of God. No part of our being will be untouched. In that day, we will be holy and pure in body, soul and spirit.

 

Most of us have a long way to go and we may despair of ever reaching that happy condition, but “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (v. 24). Our hope rests in the Lord. He called us, he is faithful, and he will do it. Your current struggles cannot cancel God’s faithfulness. He will finish his work in you.

 

 

Hebrews 10 provides us with a crucial ministry of encouragement in light of the Lord’s return.

 

Hebrews 10:24-25

 

Eugene Peterson translates the first phrase of verse 24 as “Let’s see how inventive we can be.” Other translations speak of “spurring” other believers on to spiritual growth.

How? By a kind word. By a phone call. By a note or an e-mail. By a friendly smile. By a kind word of thanks. And especially by meeting together—in Sunday School and in small groups and in fellowship meetings and in Sunday worship services and Wednesday Evening Bible study.

 

Don’t be a Lone Ranger Christian. He’s coming back! The signs are all around us. You can encourage other believers by showing up on Sunday morning instead of staying in bed or playing golf or watching TV or walking your dog. Do that some other time. In these “end of the world” days, when we see “The Big Day” approaching, let’s make sure we come together to worship and to encourage each other.

 

Take time to lift up a fallen brother. Say hello to a discouraged sister. Lift up the arms that have fallen. When a friend falls, pick him up and help him get back in the race for God (Hebrews 12:12-13).

 

 

If you’ve read Revelation, then you’ve read the end of the book.  And guess what?  We win! We win because Jesus wins.  ANd not only does Jesus win, He wins big!

 

Because he is the Captain of our Salvation, when he wins, the whole team wins. The forces of evil cannot stand against him. He speaks the word and they are banished forever. Read it for yourself. Jesus wins! The devil loses! And all those on the devil’s side lose with him.

 

That includes the demons and every worker of iniquity and all the various ranks of evil spirits and all those who have wittingly or unwittingly done the devil’s bidding on the earth.

 

The problem is, right now we’re living in an “in-between” time when Christ’s victory has been secured by his resurrection from the dead, but it has not yet been fully exercised on the earth. The devil fights on even though he is a thoroughly defeated foe. Death still reigns. Christians still suffer and die. Old folks die and little babies sometimes die.

 

And with every life and with every death, there is a reason and a purpose.  They are sometimes hidden in the heart and mind of God. But the faith that leads us to say, “There must be a reason,” is truly biblical faith.

 

Even through our tears and when our hearts are broken, we still believe, and because we still believe, we wait patiently for the end of the story to be revealed.

 

James 5:7 instructs us to be patient until the Lord’s coming. Verse 8 says “be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

 

I’m grateful to have that promise every time I stand at a graveside.  I for one refuse to embrace a hopeless philosophy of life that says the grave is the end.  It is not the final resting place!  I want a religion that answers the problem of death. Thank God, we have a hope that goes beyond the grave, a hope that reaches beyond this life to connect us with the life that will never end. That hope is found in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as Paul said, we do not sorrow as those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). And we do not lose heart because the momentary trials of life are far outweighed by the glory that will be revealed in us.

 

The only thing left for us in times of incredible sorrow is to fix our eyes on unseen realities. The undertaker will not have the last word. Better days are coming, and they aren’t far away.

 

There are lots of things that happen in life that remain a mystery to us.  And at the end of the day, after all our thoughts and prayers and meditations, and even after our deep study of the Word of God, we simply don’t know why some things happen the way they do. Certainly we could imagine that things might turn out differently if we were in charge of the universe.

 

But that observation leads us right back to the First Basic:  He’s God and We’re Not. It’s amazing how often we come face to face with that reality. And that first basic is fundamental to all the rest. If God is God, he must do many things that are far beyond our understanding. That truth does not answer all our questions, but perhaps it will enable us to quiet our hearts and to sleep at night when otherwise we wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.

 

And the things we know are all-important. Nothing is wasted with the Lord. Even the parts of life that make no sense to us today will be seen in the light of eternity to have fulfilled God’s eternal purpose.

 

 

Between now and then, we march on with faith, hope and love, with deep confidence in the God who made us and who loved us enough to die for us so that we could be with him.

 

As Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, we are persuaded, we truly believe, we are completely convinced that neither life nor death, nor angels or principalities or powers, and nothing above or below and or anything else we can encounter in all creation, nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

This we believe. On this truth we have staked our lives. For this we live and for this we will die. In Jesus we have become more than conquerors.

 

Paul said, “I am persuaded.” I say to you that I am persuaded. Are you persuaded? Paul was convinced. I am convinced. Are you convinced? Can you truly say, “I no longer have any doubts? I know that God will keep me safe to the very end?” If you are not certain, it is because you are looking to yourself and not to the Lord. Take a good look at Jesus and you will be convinced. I am persuaded and I am glad that I am. What about you?

 

Let’s pray.