Good morning.
Morning, morning, morning.
Will you please turn to the book of Romans? Romans 8. We will read from Romans 8:28-30.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestinated, them He also called;
and whom He called, them He also justified;
and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Let us have a short word of prayer.
Dear Lord, we thank Thee for bringing us together at this time. We believe that there is Thy purpose in it. We want Thy purpose to be fully realized.
So, Lord, at the very beginning of this conference, we humbly commit it back to Thee and say, “Lord, take it in Thy own hand. Bless it and use it for Thy own glory, that all Thy purpose, even before the foundation of the world for this time, will be fulfilled for the glory of God.”
So, Lord, at the very outset, we lay everything at Thy feet, trusting Thy Spirit to be in charge. Move among us, touch our hearts, open our understanding, and enable us to allow Thee to work out Thy full salvation in each and every one of us. Unto Thee be the glory. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Thank God for bringing us together again at this time. We believe God has a purpose in gathering us. So we look to the Lord that, in spite of all the weaknesses of men, God is able to fulfill all that is upon His heart.
We know the Lord is coming soon. If I am not misunderstanding the signs, I sincerely believe that He will come in our time. We are living at the very last of this age. The Lord is coming soon—sooner than what we probably would expect.
Should He come today, brothers and sisters, are we ready for Him?
Our Lord is ever ready to return. You remember, the day before He left, He told His disciples, “I am coming back to bring you to Myself. Where I am, there thou shalt be also.” And this promise has been prolonged for two thousand years.
It is not because the Lord does not want to return. I suppose the Lord is very anxious to return, to receive His own to Himself. But the problem lies with us. His people have not been ready.
But, brothers and sisters, as time has gone on and we have come to today, I believe in our hearts we do sense that probably our lifetime is the time of His return. Now, if this is the case, the question is: are we ready? Have we been prepared for His return?
If the Lord should come today, brothers and sisters, will this auditorium be emptied, or will there be some who will be left behind? I believe this is a very serious question.
So, brothers and sisters, as we gather here this morning, our expectation is that the Lord will return in our time. May every one of us here be ready for Him.
Even before there was anything, there was God. In the beginning, God. God alone existed, and God is a Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
To use a human way of speaking, may we say that there was a consultation among the Godhead. God was going to create, and He created for the sake of His beloved Son. He wanted to give everything to His beloved Son.
But being God, Who knows the end from the beginning, He realized that there would be problems. And while God was thinking about it, the Son stepped forward and said, “Father, if it is Thy will to create, go ahead. I am ready. I am willing to offer Myself as the sacrifice, so that Thy will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
It was on that basis that God began to create.
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the highest of His creation was the angels. Man had not yet been created. Among the angels, God created an archangel called Lucifer, the brilliant light.
As we read Ezekiel 28, we know that he was created almost perfect—not quite, but almost. He was gifted with talents from God. He was the archangel over the throne of God. He was supposed to lead the other angels in worshipping God and fulfilling God’s purpose.
In the beginning, he was all right. Everything seemed to run accordingly. This archangel, Lucifer, the brilliant star, was able to lead the other angels in worshipping God.
But as his greatness began to increase, he began to look into himself. Now, brothers and sisters, it is always a problem when we look into ourselves. Because if you look into yourself, what will you see?
Do you look into yourself and see that you are so brilliant, so good, that you begin to be proud of yourself? Or do you look into yourself and see yourself as nothing, and then become despondent? That is the way it always is.
So when this archangel looked unto God Himself and fulfilled His purpose in leading the angels in singing praises to God and fulfilling God’s purposes, he was all right. But unfortunately, he began to look away from God unto himself.
Brothers and sisters, it is always a danger when we look off God and unto ourselves. What will you see if you do that? You will either see yourself as so good, so complete, that you begin to be proud of yourself; or you will see that you are nothing and become despondent, despairing, and negative.
So while this archangel, Lucifer, was serving God and leading the angels in worshipping God, he was all right. But unfortunately, he began to look into himself.
Brothers and sisters, be careful. Instead of looking into yourself, look away from yourself and look unto God. That is the way it should be. We should always look away from ourselves and look unto God. May our eyes be fixed upon God and not upon ourselves.
For the moment we turn our eyes upon ourselves, there can be only one of two results. One result is that we become proud of ourselves: “Look how wonderful I am. How gifted I am. How high I am.” And because of pride, we fall.
Or we look into ourselves and see that there is nothing within us in comparison with God, and we become despondent. So, brothers and sisters, do not look into yourself apart from God. Look off unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith. That is the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, Lucifer the archangel turned his eyes away from God and unto himself, and that was his downfall. Let us beware. Never look into yourself outside of Christ.
If you do, there can be only two results. One is that you become proud of yourself, and pride is the beginning of the fall. Or you look into yourself and despair of yourself, failing to fulfill the purpose of God in creating you.
So unfortunately, one day Lucifer, the archangel, began to turn his eyes away from God and began to look at himself: “See how wonderful I am, how gifted I am, how high I am.” And that began the downfall of Lucifer.
Because of what he did, he was driven out of the throne of God, and all that were under his rule came into ruin.
Most likely, this planet earth was, in the beginning, given by God to Lucifer to rule over it for God. So when he failed, all that were with him failed with him.
Not only did a third of the angels follow him and fall with him, but even the earth over which he had dominion fell into ruin and was covered with water. That is to say, it was under curse, under judgment.
That is what we find in the beginning of the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That was the very beginning. When God creates, He always fulfills it. He never does anything halfway and leaves it undone.
So when we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” they were complete. The heavens and the earth were filled with the glory of God. The angels were glorifying God in His creation, and Lucifer was to lead in worship and service. God had given him a very high position.
But unfortunately, he became dissatisfied. So, brothers and sisters, we need to be careful not to be dissatisfied with what God has provided for us. Where He has put you, and what He has made you, is the best for you.
Let us be contented. Let us give ourselves to God and let Him work out all that He has ordained, that God may be glorified. That will keep us safe and sound. But as soon as we begin to be dissatisfied, we cease to glorify God.
Lucifer began to look within himself instead of unto God, and that was the beginning of his downfall. So, dear brothers and sisters, be careful never to look within yourself without looking fully to God.
Because once you do that, you will either be proud or dissatisfied. That is what happened to Lucifer.
Now, God knows everything. He knows the ending from the very beginning. When He was thinking of creation, we must remember that God created for His beloved Son. That is the only reason for creation.
God loves His beloved Son. He wants to give everything to His Son. But God, being God, knows the end from the beginning. He knows what will happen in between. And it was during that time, if we may use a human way of speaking, that the Son stepped forward and said, “Father, go ahead. If You plan to do that, go ahead. I am willing to be the Lamb, to offer Myself for the salvation of man.”
It was on that basis that God began to create.
So when you read the Bible in Genesis 1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” remember that God never did anything half done. When He created, He created complete.
The first verse in the Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth. Do not think that what follows is the description of that creation. No. What follows is that what He had created had fallen.
Because it had fallen, He had to restore it to be inhabited. And in that restoration, He created man.
Brothers and sisters, we have no idea how long that harmonious condition in heaven continued. But unfortunately, one day, when Lucifer began to look into himself, tragedy came.
Is that not a great lesson for us? We are told never to look into ourselves outside of Jesus. If you look into yourself outside of Jesus, there can be only one of two results, and both are tragic. One is that you become proud of yourself; the other is that you debase yourself below what God has created you for.
But thank God, even when Lucifer fell, God did not give up. Indeed, there was judgment, and the judgments were swift and complete. Lucifer and the third of the angels who followed him were driven out from heaven, and the dominion that was under his rule went into ruin.
But thank God, God did not give up. What He has purposed, He will fulfill in spite of all problems.
So here, in Genesis 1:2, we find that the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the deep. Remember, this is not the beginning of creation; this is the beginning of re-creation.
The Spirit of God brooded in love over the face of the deep, over judgment. Out of that, the earth was restored in six days to be habitable.
There, on the sixth day, God created man. Brothers and sisters, this is something very special.
God never created anything according to His own image and His own likeness. He created out of His power and skill, but not according to Himself. But here God did something very special: He created man in His own image, according to His likeness.
The image here, I believe, does not refer to outward features. The image here refers to inward reality. When God created man, He created man according to what He inwardly is.
As God is triune—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—He created man in three parts. We have the spirit, we have the soul, and we have the body. That makes us man.
The spirit is the faculty to commune with the spiritual world. The soul is the power to communicate with oneself. The body is the ability to communicate with the world around us. That is the way we were created.
We were created with a spirit, and the purpose of God’s creating us with a spirit is because God is Spirit and He wants us to commune with Him. That is God’s purpose.
I always remember when the Russian cosmonaut went into the air and came back. He said, “I looked around, but I did not see any God. Therefore, there is no God.”
No. God is Spirit. How can a human being try to see God with his naked eyes? Of course, he could not see God, but God saw him.
Man is created with a spirit. Brothers and sisters, that is very special. Because God is Spirit, the reason why He created us with a spirit is because He wants to commune with man.
Only the spirit can communicate with the Spirit. You cannot communicate with God with your soul. You cannot communicate with God with your body. You can only communicate with God with your spirit, because God is Spirit.
God created man with a spirit because He wants man to communicate with Him. But He also created man with a soul, that man may know his own self. We know what we are because we have a soul. And He created us with a body so that we can be in touch with the world around us.
So, as the order of God’s creation of man is concerned, the spirit is the highest part of man because it has the ability to communicate with God. The soul comes next; it communicates with yourself. The body comes last; it communicates with the world around it. That is the order.
But unfortunately, because of sin, that order was disrupted.
You remember when God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden. God came to the garden and communed with them. We do not know how long that continued.
But after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, when God came to the garden, they hid themselves. They knew they were naked before God.
On the one hand, God judged them. But on the other hand, God provided redemption for them. God clothed them, but they were driven out of the Garden of Eden. That is the story of man.
Brothers and sisters, man has been driven out of the presence of God because we are sinful and unfit for God.
But thank God, God did not give up. You know, God never gives up. When He makes a plan, He always fulfills it. So God began to work, and He sent His beloved Son into this world.
So the Bible tells us:
Whom He foreknew, He also predestinated
to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
One day God sent His own Son into this world to become a man. Then we find in Philippians 2 that He, Who was one with God, emptied Himself to become a man.
Now, brothers and sisters, He could not empty Himself of His deity. Why? Because that is impossible. That is what He is. He is God. But He could empty Himself by laying aside all the rights of His being God and taking up the form of a man, in obedience to God His Father in all things.
That is the life of our Lord Jesus.
When you read the Bible, you find the temptations that came to Jesus. Satan tried to tempt Jesus to act on His own. After He had fasted for forty days, He was naturally hungry. The enemy came in and said, “If You are the Son of God, You can make that stone food to eat.”
But our Lord said:
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then Satan took Him to the height of the temple and said, “Jump down, because God has promised to support You and will not allow Your feet to touch the stone.”
But our Lord said, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Satan showed Him the whole world and said, “If You bow to me, I will give all to You.”
And our Lord said, “Get thee behind Me. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God only.”
Brothers and sisters, throughout His life, as you read the Gospel of John, He never did anything on His own. He never said anything of His own. He never went anywhere on His own. His whole life was, “My Father’s will.”
That is the life of our Lord Jesus. So Satan was defeated on Calvary’s cross, and there our Lord saved those who believe in Him.
So what the Bible says here is that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Whom He has foreknown, He has predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He should be the firstborn among many brethren.
Thank God, this is where salvation began to come to us. God has called us, not because we sought God. It was God Who sought us.
Even before we knew Him, He knew us. Now, this is a mystery. We can only believe. How can a sinner seek God? That is impossible. A sinner can only flee from God. He cannot seek God and get saved. That is the wonderful mercy of God.
So, brothers and sisters, as we review our own story of how we came to the Lord Jesus, it was a miracle.
You know, before I believed in God, I came from a Christian family. I knew the Bible. I knew salvation. But I always had the feeling, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, but I am not a sinner. I am good. So let Him save them, but I do not need Him.”
That was my feeling before I believed in the Lord Jesus.
Then, when I was fourteen years old, I became sick—sick unto death. There was no medicine at that time. It was typhoid fever, and at that time the only way was to see whether you could pull through.
I was in bed for four months, almost dying. My pulse became irregular. But God had mercy on me and healed me.
When I was healed, it was natural, because of my background, that I was grateful to God. I wanted to do something to repay God’s mercy. Now, it was a foolish thought, but that was my thought at that time.
That was the beginning of my seeking God. And then I found that it was not I who sought Him, but it was God Who was seeking me. So finally, by the grace of God, I was saved.
So, brothers and sisters, here we find that whom He has foreknown, He has predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He should be the firstborn among many brethren.
Now, what is the good will of God for us who believe in the Lord Jesus? Probably we think that just to be saved is enough. But that is not God’s mind.
In God’s mind, just to be saved is not enough. He has to save us to the uttermost. He has to conform us to the image of His beloved Son, and that is the will of God.
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought of that? When you first got saved, were you satisfied because you were saved? Probably you were. But God never was.
When He saves you, He must save you to the uttermost, that you will be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. So, dear brothers and sisters, how far away are we still from being conformed to the image of His beloved Son? Think of that.
If that is the case, how much we must seek God while there is time. Can we just sit back and say, “Thank God, I am saved. That is all. Now I can do whatever I like because I am saved after all”?
But that is your thought, not God’s thought. God’s thought is that He will save you to be like His Son. Anything that is not of His Son, He will get rid of in your life. Everything that is of His Son will be added unto you.
Because His beloved Son is to be the firstborn among many brethren, that is the purpose of God.
So, dear brothers and sisters, do not be content with being saved. Press on. There is much yet to be done.
The Holy Spirit Who dwells within you is pressing on, that you may be conformed in everything to Christ. That is the purpose of God, because He wants to bring many sons into glory.
So the Bible says, “Whom He has called, He has justified.” That has happened to us. “And whom He has justified, He also has glorified.” This has not yet happened.
So, brothers and sisters, do not be content with just being justified. You have to be glorified. That is God’s purpose. He wants you to be like His beloved Son, because He wants His beloved Son to be the firstborn among His many brethren.
How much more in our lives still needs to be purified? Brothers and sisters, can we just sit back and wait? No. As long as He allows us to live in this world, let us press on.
As the Spirit of God within us leads us, let us all cooperate. No matter what sacrifice you think you have to make, it is worth it.
So, brothers and sisters, my last plea is this: let us not sit back and just wait. Let us positively press on.
As the Holy Spirit within us leads us, let us cooperate. No matter what sacrifice we have to pay, it is worth it.
The Lord is coming. Let us be ready for Him.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we want to thank You for saving us. We thank You because You want to save us to the uttermost.
Lord, if You are not satisfied with us yet, do not allow us to be satisfied. Allow us to really give ourselves in such a way as to allow Thy Holy Spirit to do His perfect work in us.
So, when we see Thy face, there will be nothing to regret. Oh, dear Lord, bless Thy people this morning.
Prepare each and every one of us for Thyself, that when Thou shalt come, we shall gladly join with Thee and glorify You because Your purpose is fulfilled. Amen.
In Your name, amen.