I know what the bible says, but I believe this,

1 Cor 12:12-27 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves [4] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

That’s not the first time you’ve heard this. Just as importantly as our salvation being an individual, personal matter – Scripture does tell us in Philippians 2 to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that we, the church have been justified by faith.
As Romans 5:1 says – working that salvation out is for me to do and for you to do. But the point of the 1 Corinthians passage is to show us that our salvation is also, in a sense, a “we” matter. “We” are the church. As a corporate body. The question I want to raise here, for you, knowing that as a Christian, if you are one, that your salvation came from God and God alone, how much do you trust Him. Just how much? How much do you submit? How much do you believe He is sovereign? That God is truly, presently, actively in charge of all things, governing His creation in the same way He has since he created it? Listen to what God had to say to His people in Isaiah 46, verses 8-11: “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”

Do we, Christians living under the New Covenant, believe that? Really? How about Psalm 115:3?: “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases.”
How about Isaiah chapter 14, verses 24-27? “24 The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, 25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”

How about Proverbs 16? The first 9 verses: The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. 3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. 4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. 5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. 6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. 9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

That’s all Old Testament, right? Doesn’t apply to us because we’re under the New Covenant – we’re not under law, we’re under grace…oh, yeah?

Where are those passages annulled or made not applicable in the New Testament? Let’s go to the New Testament. Romans 8.
Some Christians get nervous when you start reading from Romans. There are some, as Peter referred to them in 2 Peter 3, some “things that are difficult to understand” in Paul’s letters. Here’s one.
Romans 8:28-30. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [7] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined He also called, and those whom he called He also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
We like verse 28. God works together all things. All means all, right. But for whom – for those who are called according to His purpose. Then it says those whom he foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of His son. As soon as you mention predestination to some people they throw up their hands and object. Immediately.

But to flat out say they don’t believe in any form of predestination, then they have to blow off Romans 8 and 9 and Ephesians 1, for starters. Maybe your belief in predestination isn’t the same as mine, but you better have SOME form or you aren’t believing the whole Bible. Paul goes on in Romans 8 with what is called the golden chain of salvation, then goes on to talk about the assurance of the Christina’s salvation and then in Romans 9 addresses the salvation of the Jews. Paul even addresses some objections he knows will come up during the course of his teaching. In verse 14, he knows there will be an objection, so he asks the rhetorical question, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part?” In verse 19, Paul says this: “You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” What was so objectionable? Saying that God loved Jacob and hated Esau. Saying that God will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy. Both times using the Old Testament passages to prove his points. I could go on. Go back and read Romans 8 and 9. Several times. Try to read it and come away not understanding God is absolutely sovereign. Absolutely. Over everything. He does as He pleases.

Is God sovereign. They all say, “Sure He is.” But then you ask a few questions – is He sovereign over this? Well, sort of. How about this? No, because my God is a God of love and He wouldn’t do that. I bet if I went around this sanctuary and asked this question: “Is God sovereign over your choices?” I‘d get some pretty differing answers. I know there are those here who disagree with me. That’s OK. But here’s what I believe. That Almighty God, in His sovereignty, created us and has the right, the authority and the ability to do whatever he wants to with us. He created us as creatures with the ability to make choices. I believe He also created us and ordains, as the Westminster Confession of Faith says, “whatsoever comes to pass.” Even my own choices. You might say that makes me a robot. No, it doesn’t. Scripture shows, time and time again, how God prophetically says what will happen and then it does happen and it happens through the free choices of humans. Like my friend likes to say, that’s a hard teaching. But read the Bible. Is not our God mighty enough to make us creatures who have free choices and that He can ordain or decree those free choices and do it in a way that does not violate His won standard of holiness, justice and righteousness? Making a point about the fall of man. The consequences of Adam’s sin. Everybody agrees that the Scripture made that point. But then one guy says this, and pay attention to what he said – he said, “I know the Bible says that, BUT I believe………….” I know what the Bible says, but I believe….” You laugh. It’s not funny.

a verse from Proverbs 16:4. 4The LORD works out everything for his own ends-- even the wicked for a day of disaster. “I know what the bible says, but I believe……..”

My point is this – are you ready and willing to submit to and believe all the Scriptures? Even the hard ones? Are you ready to understand that being a Christian is not about that book you can go to Wal-Mart and buy written by a guy with more white teeth than I could ever dream of and who says you can have your best life now and get the best parking space and get the hot blonde wife and never be sick a day if you just have enough faith.
Jesus didn’t come and die so I could get the hot blonde. Jesus didn’t come and die so I could get out of my job. Jesus didn’t die so I could bench press 300 pounds and be as healthy and active as I was when I was running track in high school.

Jesus came to give glory to His Father. That’s why He came. And He came to give glory to His Father by coming to save people who deserved the just condemnation of the pits of Hell for our sin and rebellion against Almighty God. Jesus came to fulfill the Law by obeying the Law perfectly and by dying a horrific, bloody, public, shameful death on the cross. And He did it willingly. Jesus came to provide redemption for our sorry rear ends and He did it out of love. For His Father. And for His people.

Matthew 1:21 says He came to save His people from their sins. He came to do the will of His Father and John 6 says that will was to save those who the Father gave him. That’s how Jesus gave glory to His Father. How about us? Do we think otherwise? That our Christianity is all about making our ride through life a smooth, sweet one and Heaven is just icing on the cake? Do we perform acts of Christian service so we can get mainline the Holy Spirit? Do we serve Missions on Keryx weekends or Emmaus weekends or go on short-term missions trips to get our next Holy Spirit high? If that’s true, are we any different than those people out there who run around looking for the next high or the thing that will satisfy their own lusts of the flesh? Isn’t that humanism? Isn’t humanism sin? Then don’t veil our humanism in Christian clothing. Paris Reidhead was a missionary to Africa back in the 40’s. He thought he had God all figured out. He wrote a sermon is called “Ten Shekels and A Shirt.” ( you can download a recording) It’s from Judges 17 and 18. What this man found in Africa is that the people there did not want Christ, they wanted what they wanted. Plain and simple. Just like in America today where Americans choose to live in the filth they desire. It is no wonder that we have a 50% divorce rate. Selfish, I want what I want, Me, Me, society. We leave destruction in the wake of a self centered society.