“God Has It All Worked Out”

II Corinthians 4:13-18

13) We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

14) Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

15) For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

16) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

W

e are brought to the knowledge of the truth so that we might promote Him, rather than ourselves. This, of course, is the opposite of what is common in the “religious” world, today. The most “popular” preachers are those who draw attention to who they are, rather than drawing through the truth of God's word.

Among the many gifts that Man has been given by the Lord is that of being transformed from fallible, desperate creatures into children of God, redeemed from the “natural,” nurtured by a supernatural God Who invests him with His knowledge and then, allows him to operate in His world. What we must remember is that our operation in the spiritual world is contingent upon our being “one” with Him. If we “forfeit” that standing, then we have neither “place” nor “right” in that world.

Much emphasis is placed upon “power,” today. We are told that we need to “operate” in the power of God; that the power of God is ours; that we need to “walk in His power.” The problem with this “sharing” is that the people of God really have no idea why that power is given. It is not given simply so that we can “do” things or “get” things. It is not given to us so that we can operate independently of the Lord.

You see, when we accept Jesus Christ, we cease to be beings independent of Him. In that it is we who accept Him, we can continue neither to think for ourselves, nor live for ourselves. His expectation of us is that we “line up” with what He says that He might be free to move and work in our situation according to His will. This means that all will go exactly as He has decreed.

One of the biggest errors that Man makes is in trying to make salvation his own. The fact is that salvation cannot be “personalized” because salvation is not of us, but rather, “salvation is of God.” It is not possible for one to operate in his own understanding and acceptance of salvation and another his own and yet, we all be “one.”

All that the Lord is saying to us, today, is not for those who insist upon operating in their “own” salvation. If we want to realize that which is spoken of in today's scriptures as our own, we must be willing to do things God's way! We have no right then, after following His plan, to take credit for any part of it being ours. All credit for what is God's must go to Him!

Verse 14 of our text, today, addresses the fact that even the raising of Jesus from the dead was done for our benefit. Indeed, all that God does is to promote the plan of salvation. You see, He is not interested in sending us to heaven as sinners. Therefore, He must give us the truth of what is acceptable, as well as unacceptable to Him.

Verse 15 of our text is telling us that when people see us operating in the Spirit and not in the flesh, all attention will be drawn to the Lord. Today, there is entirely too much attention drawn to ourselves and much of it is because we refuse to submit to God. By doing this, we “feed” the human hunger to retain our “individuality.” The problem, of course, is that Jesus represents the “antithesis” of individuality.

Examining verse 16, we are brought to the thought that too often, people “quit” as a result of thinking of themselves. Living a saved life is worth it if only one other soul is saved as a result.

One of the saddest things about the “situation” of today's world involves today's preachers. Many will be “in trouble” when they are called to stand before the Lord for refusing to tell His people the truth! Anyone who aspires to the ministry must first understand that nothing can be mixed with the message that God gives. This means that there is no room for interpretation, personal opinions, likes or dislikes—and no room for error. The only way to avoid error is through the truth. Therefore, no matter how one “takes” truth, the truth must be told. If one will not accept the Word of Truth, not only will he be bound on earth, but he will be bound in Heaven, as well.

How is it possible that “God has it all worked out” for us? When we receive the Spirit of Christ, we “put on” Christ. Now, He is “put on” not through any human means or effort expended on our part. He is accepted by us and through submission, we are “changed.” What we do not do is make” an “agreement” with Him to “do better.” You see, it is not in us to do or be “better.” What it takes for us to be made spiritual beings is “possession”—His of us!