GOD PURPOSED TO SAVE AND PROSPER BELIEVERS
The biblical Word of God says: “The LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?” (Isaiah 14:27). God purposes that whoever believe in the atoning crucifixion of his Son Jesus Christ, and follow him shall be saved eternally (John 3:16; Matthew 16:33). For God purposes to prosper his faithful believers—”to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
GOD PURPOSED TO SAVE THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 20:23; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6).
However, “the god of this world” has attempted to thwart the Lord God’s plan for Jesus to save people of the world from the devil’s control. (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:26).)
The devil used King Herod’s fear of Jesus replacing him as king of the Jews to try to stop the plan of the Lord. In the King’s efforts to prevent fulfillment of scriptural prophecy about God’s promised ruler, Herod order that all male children two-years-old or under in the land be killed. But an angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt. (Matthew 2).
The devil used others leaders who were fearful and envious of Jesus to stop God’s plan by crucifying the Lord (Mark 15:9-15). But what they meant for evil, God used for good. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
GOD PURPOSED TO MAKE BELIEVERS BECOME LIKE HIS SON
ROMANS 8:29. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
JOHN 1:10-12. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:10-12).
JOHN 14:15-17. If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
1 JOHN 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
GOD PURPOSED FOR BELIEVERS TO BE WITH GOD
ROMANS 8:38-39. I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 TIMOTHY 4:8. There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever.
The Word of God says: “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
In completion of his purpose, our Lord God “save completely those who come to God through his Son Jesus Christ, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25)
