Popular Christian Slogans

  • God has a plan
    • Alternates
      • It’s the will of God.
      • Everything happens for a reason.
    • The rest of the story:
      • Do you believe that you have a choice?
        • Some passages sounds as though God pre-programs everything, but the context reveals that the subject is the righteous.
          • Proverbs 16:1  The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
          • Proverbs 16:9  The mind of man plans his ways, But the Lord directs his steps.
          • Psalm 37:23  The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
        • The Bible often calls on the reader to make a choice.  A few examples:
          • Joshua 24:5  Choose you this day whom you will serve
          • 2 Samuel 24:12  Choose for yourself one of them
          • Proverbs 1:28-29  …and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
          • Isaiah 7:14-15  …refuse evil and choose good.
          • Isaiah 65:12  …and chose that in which I did not delight
          • Isaiah 66:4  …and chose that in which I did not delight
        • The Bible describes those who choose to be directed by God
          • Proverbs 25:12-15  Who is the man who fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
          • Proverbs 21:29  The wicked man shows a bold face, But as for the upright, He directs his way.
          • Proverbs 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge Him  And He will make your paths straight.
          • 2 Thessalonians 3:5  May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
      • How do you know if you are following God’s plan or your own?
        • This is one of the purposes of the church, to admonish one another.
        • The Scriptures provide guidelines, but we are good at self-deception.
      • Can God’s plan not happen?
        • The plan for Jesus did not depend on the choices of people
          • God still had risk because Jesus had free will (fully human).
          • God controlled His risk by limiting the predictions
            • Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
            • Forerunner (Malachi 3:1, 4:5 – 6, Isaiah 40:3 – 4)
            • End of prophets and unclean spirits, disciples scattered, Jewish Christians about one-third, Jerusalem destroyed (Zechariah 12:10 – 14:21)
            • All nations (Amos 9:11 – 12, Isaiah, 65:1 – 2, 59:20 – 21, 52:15, 49:6, 11:10)
            • Pouring out of the Spirit (Joel 2:28 – 32)
            • The church = “My people” (Hosea 1:10, 2:23)
            • New creation = Christians (Hosea 13:14)
            • Jesus received the eternal Kingdom (Daniel 7:13 – 14)
            • End of prophets, destruction of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25 – 27)
            • Eternal Kingdom built by the power of God through the lowly (Ezekiel 17:23)
            • The new covenant only for believers (Jeremiah 31:31 – 34)
            • The kingdom will be beyond imagination (but now is understood) (Isaiah 64:4)
            • Kingdom of priests (Isaiah 61:6)
            • Jesus will suffer injustice (Isaiah 53:5, 9)
            • Israelites respond out of a corrupt system (Isaiah 52:11)
            • Israel’s small response (Isaiah 1:9, 8:12, 10:22, 28:11, 29:10)
            • The poor get good news (Isaiah 35:5)
            • Children, not servants (Isaiah 8:17 – 18)
            • Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4)
        • God’s plan for Israel changed according to several variables.
          • God first intended for Israel to invade the Promised Land after about 2 years in the wilderness, but they balked at Kadesh Barnea.
          • God told Moses on several occasions that He had decided to wipe out Israel and start over, but Moses argued Him out of it.
          • Many prophets gave Israel a choice – change and see prosperity or keep going and face adversity.
          • Hezekiah prayed and received another 15 years of life.
        • God wills for all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth
          • People can choose not to be part of the plan.
          • The message will not die out because we choose badly.  God promised that the church would persist.
    • Does God have an Individual Eternity Plan (IEP) for each person or just one big plan that is the same for everyone?
      • We know there is one general plan that is the same for everyone.
      • The individual plans have not been revealed, so we do not need to know.  But if the individual plans exist, how can we follow them if we do not know what they are?  The simple answer is that we make choices based on godly character (as provided by the Spirit) and don’t worry about it.
      • Whether there are individual plans or not, God can build from where you are.
  • Every good thing is from God (James 1:17)
    • How do I know if it is “good” or just something I want?  If I thank God for what I like, will I be attributing to God things that God does not want for me?  For example, we like comfort, but those comforts often distract us from our mission.
    • Can God call something “good” when we think of it as undesirable?
    • So, thank God when we have evidence that it was caused by God.  The rest of the time, be comfortable not knowing how it happened.  Trust that God will make things work out despite our misconceptions.