In Bible College I took a class that was to teach how to preach. The professor used the 3-point model. There was to be an introduction, three points and a conclusion. If you come to The Way in Middleton, Idaho, you’ll find I don’t follow that model very often, but I did last Sunday. Three Points expressed with nine words conveyed last week’s theme.
Over the next few days I want to look at those three points. The first is “God for Us.” Paul wrote in Rom 8:31-33: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? [Since] God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
God is for us. Paul states that as a given fact. God is for us. Even before Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s goodness, (and passed that rebellion onto every member of the human race) God had a plan to restore us to fellowship. That’s God’s good, good purpose. Because God is immutable (never changes) He is constantly moving toward the fulfillment of His good, good purpose.
I am always humbled remembering God is for me. Whenever we sing the Chris Tomlin song, “Jesus Loves Me,” I cry. I cry especially at the lines “Jesus, He loves me, He loves me, He is for me; Jesus, how can it be, He loves me, He is for me.”
I truly believe that those words, “how can it be” should be emblazoned on our minds. How can it be that God loves us so, so, so much that He would give His only Son for us. Just thinking about Who God is and what we are should keep us from any pride, arrogance or thoughts of exclusiveness.
God for us. How can it be?
