To God's Good

Matthew 24:9-14 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
 
YOU say to a friend, “You must trust Jesus for your eternal life. Without him, you will perish into eternal Hell. Confess your sins to him in prayer, and confess to the world Jesus is your risen Lord and Savior. Be saved out of eternal torment into eternal life.”
   “That sounds wonderful,” your friend replies. “But, I hear Christians are beaten, jailed, persecuted and killed. If Jesus is Savior, why would this happen? Is Jesus really Lord?”
   Faithfully you reply, “Yes, these troubles are hard to understand, but 2,000 years ago Jesus, the Savior, prophesied these persecutions would happen. The reason they occur is that God has allowed Satan to do evil against mankind for a time. We don’t understand all of God’s ways, but we do know the Bible repeatedly shows us God moves all things to his eternal purpose. In fact, the Bible says in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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?  
   “We know this is true because the Father even caused Jesus, his own Son, to come to earth as a man that he would be killed on a cross. In this way Jesus became the eternal sacrifice to save people from sin’s punishment. This is the gospel, the good news of salvation. Now, the Father awaits the gospel to be spoken in the entire world that all whom he has chosen will be saved. When his plan is complete, the Father will end all sin, and those saved in Jesus will live with him forever.
   “Now, my friend, aren’t you glad Jesus waited until I told you of his salvation? Are you ready to confess Jesus as your Lord?”