God’s Great Plan

Philemon 1
By: Alexander Rico

As we look over this letter of intercession written by Paul the apostle to Philemon, a slave owner to a converted slave, Onesimus; we begin to see an awesome picture of purpose. We as Christians know and understand that our lives are not a mere accident or happenstance, that God has a purpose and a plan in everything that happens to us. Yes, even the trials and tribulations that have come upon us are for our betterment and ultimate blessing. Senior Pastor, Greg Laurie, once said “I’m thankful that the word, ‘oops’ is not in God’s vocabulary. God’s actions are deliberate and well thought out.” These difficulties, tribulations, and trials are controlled by God; and, each one we go through has meaning and purpose in our lives to work out into Good. Sure, we cannot see it in the midst of the trial; yet, as soon as we look back we can see the overall picture and how the trials we went through work into the blessing we receive in the end. I mean, look at what the scriptures clearly indicate to us; that, “all things work together for good…” notice how it does not say, “all things can work for good, or all things should work for good…” It is through that statement that we read of a promise made by God. A promise that everything will work out to good! And, the best thing about God’s promises is that you can take them to the bank!

Many times, we question why things happen to us, why a loving God will allow us to go through awful trials, why He will allow us to suffer in tribulations. The answer can best be found in a song I am most assured we have all heard at some point or another. The title, “Refiner’s Fire”; and, it is in that song that we sing of God placing us into the fire to be purified and made holy or more like His image. Julius Palmer, who was burned at the stake in England once said, “We shall not end our lives in the fire, but make a change for a better life.” It is in that fire that we are changed and made more into the image God desires us to be; an image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Think for a minute, think back to when you were first saved and imagine if God had not given you trials. Do you honestly think you’d be the person you are or in the position/place you are today? Or, do you see yourself living a different life and ending up down a different road? Behind every situation there is a valuable lesson to be learned. Trials are not simply God sitting in heaven going, “ah, there’s Alex! I think I want to use a plague to entertain myself today…” Nope, instead He loves us enough to use situations to guide us and mold us. An example of this is the ministry of Paul. When we look upon his life we see blessing, after blessing, after blessing. Many of you may now be thinking, “Wait, wasn’t Paul knocked off his high horse, persecuted and imprisoned?” Yes, but you are missing the whole picture! See, it was having been knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus, that he was saved; and it was during that time of persecution and imprisonment that Paul was able to not only grow; but also, to further the ministry. Think about it, when did he write most of the epistles we have to date? During his time behind bars, right? See, out of a trial came a blessing. Look at the Children of Israel, they wandered in the desert for 40 years, yet what transpired out of that? The blessing of freedom and the formation of their own nation, eventually! Joseph sold by his brothers into slavery; rose into a position of authority. Job, a man who was under heavy tribulation, as Pastor Dennis mentioned just yesterday, was greatly blessed through the and; yet, we read in chapter 42 verse 12, “now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” Sure, he had it rough; but, because of his faithfulness to trust God through all that was occurring in his life, God blessed him with longevity.

When I personally look back upon my life, I can see where God directed every little move. Each decision made, was one that moved me into the direction that placed me here today. I am most assured that each of us have similar stories. As we look back upon our lives, we can see where things snap together, and make the picture we have now.

Some of you may not know this, but my family went through a financial hardship; and we almost lost not only the house but also cars, and the ability to eat; and, it was really through that trial, that moment in our lives that brought us to the point in which we broke down and said, “you know what, our lives are in shambles, our whole world is demolished and pretty soon we will have nothing; but, we greatly desire God, who is greater than anything we can have here on earth!” and so that New Years Eve, we rang in the new year with a new life to go along with it, a life in Christ! Had we not gone through that time of tribulation, we would have never came to Christ.

And, there are many others that we have not even looked at that can better prove this point. However, I personally believe the greatest one is noted here. We read as I mentioned earlier, of a man named Philemon (slave owner) and his slave Onesimus, who is a convert. Did you catch that? At this point Philemon was perhaps trying to desperately figure out the reason for Onesimus’ running away. We do not read here of any past crimes or history for this type of behavior, so why did he do it? Well, Paul actual points out to us a probable cause. Paul said in verse 15, “For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,” in other words, in running away he met up with the apostle Paul and was converted or saved and grafted into the family of God. Just like my family and me, as I had shared earlier.

That is God’s greatest plan, ever; our salvation; the eternal plan! When we look back at the New Testament gospels, then to the Old Testament prophecies; we see how everything was worked out together to form the ability we have today to have that new life and relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. God’s plan It’s almost like watching a game of chess; every piece was carefully placed to fulfill its purpose. Nothing in the death of Christ merely happened by accident. It was all planned from the time that Adam and Eve fell to the birth of a child to a virgin, Mary, and her husband, Joseph. And, because of Jesus’ planned sacrifice we can all have purpose and meaning in our lives and a new life through Him! If you feel today, while hearing this, that you are in need of a Savior, and that you want this free gift of eternal life then the first step is to cry out to him, and ask him to come and be the LOVE, and the LORD of your life.

The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9,10, That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart, God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!! For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved!!

So, what are you waiting for? By all means, please join me in this simple word of prayer asking Jesus into your heart, mind, and soul.

Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner, I take this time to confess all my sins to you, and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart, my mind, and my soul. Lord, take complete control, and be the LORD of my life. In your son’s precious holy name, AMEN.

If you prayed that prayer along with me, I’d like to announce that today, the moment you prayed that prayer accepting Christ into your life the Bible says, … there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner represents. (Luke 15:10)

Just like that, you are forgiven, and adopted into God’s family, no questions asked, no strings attached; although, there are several things that you should do to continue to grow in a relationship with the Lord.

Read the Bible – This is God’s love letter to you. It also provides us with a foundation for relationships with others, and tells us about attitudes, motivation and truth. It is important to know, and enlist the principles in the Bible into your life; they keep you on the right way and allow us to make sound judgments concerning people and doctrine.
Pray – In any relationship communication is important, priority factor. God desires to communicate with each of us. Prayer is not just a forum for requests. God wants to hear our feelings, hurts, ambitions and joys. Through this he is able to change and refine those parts of us that need it.
Have Fellowship – Get plugged into a church or local group that studies the bible. As we begin to share with others what we have learned from the Bible and prayer, we encourage others to grow and ourselves. Fellowship as God planned it is not a clique or special club designed for gossip. We must be careful to keep our conversations with others honest. It’s best described as a fire. One coal alone dies down quickly, but a mound of coals burn white hot, just as one Christian alone will struggle to stay ‘on fire’, while a group together keeps each other hot.
Witness – Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Mark 16:15). Jesus gave this as a command, not an option. God has chosen all Christians to be agents of His gospel. We are either missionaries or mission fields. That does not mean that everyone should travel to different countries, but it does mean that no matter where go we should be prepared in life and in word to be ambassadors for Christ. Pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:9)

May God continue to bless you now, as you grow in your new life with HIM!