What God Wants to Do in Your Life
Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I. Introduction
A. What Do You Want to Do with Your Life?
1. Most have hopes and dreams
2. Some have plans and schemes
3. Some have selfish desires and some long to help others
B. What Does God Want to Do in Your Life?
1. A more important question
2. One that has both temporal and eternal dimensions
3. What is the answer to this question?
II. Body
A. GOD WANTS TO BEGIN A WORK IN YOUR LIFE
1. "He who began"
a. This is surprising but true
b. God wants to work in the lives of sinners
c. Here is amazing grace ready to work in us
2. This is the opposite of what we naturally want
a. We want to reach for the stars
b. We want to achieve financial success
c. We want to climb higher
3. God wants to reach down
a. To meet and change a sinner
b. To seal an individual as His own
4. God invites you to become His child by faith
John 1:12
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
5. He wants to start His work of reconstruction in you today
B. GOD WANTS TO BEGIN A GOOD WORK IN YOUR LIFE
1. "He who began a GOOD work in you "
2. God's work in us may not seem good at the beginning
a. Begins with making us aware of our sins
Romans 3:10-23
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
b. We learn that our good works are worthless
Isaiah 64:6
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
c. We learn that we have earned only death
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. Grace brings us hope
a. God loves us; Christ died for us
b. We move from conviction to conversion
4. Faith in Christ brings many good things to us
a. Forgiveness of sins
b. Justification
c. Assurance of heaven
d. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit
e. A purpose to live: the glory of God
C. GOD WANTS TO PERFORM A PERMANENT WORK IN YOUR LIFE
1. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
2. Paul was "confident" this good work would last
2 Timothy 1:12
12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
3. Summarizing God's good work in believers:
a. God begins His work
Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
b. God continues His work
Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
c. God completes His work
Philippians 3:20-21
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
III. Conclusion
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Hebrews 3:13-14
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Testimonies & Encouragement
Baptism