What Is God Doing Today? — Randy Amos

As I sat in the front row near the choir, I was happy I didn't have a pink shirt on when I heard they were missing one, for in fifth grade I was asked to be removed from our music class. There was someone throwing the whole group off, and that was me.

I'd like one announcement before we study the Word of God together. Last night we handed out a little magazine we're putting out for believers, and we put a few with permission in the back right as you go down the stairs.

They're absolutely free, and if you would like to be on the mailing list, we'll put them out, Lord willing, periodically. Don't know how often. You just write the address at the bottom, and we'll be happy to put you on the mailing list.

The name of it is Kronos. That's the Greek word, the biblical Greek word for time, and it's different. You want to read the heading of what the purpose of the magazine is. It's allegorical in the front and the back.

It's meant to make you think, and the scriptures are given at the bottom. You might say, I don't understand that. Then we want you to look up the scriptures and see exactly what God says in comparison to how man might have reported it in a daily newspaper.

Then the inside will be teaching from the Word of God to build up the believer in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, so you feel free if you or some friends can use them to help yourself. Now, this morning, as we study the Word of God together, if you'd begin in Isaiah chapter 42, please.

Isaiah 42 and the Servant of the Lord

The prophecy of Isaiah chapter 42. I would like to entitle the message today, if we could give it a title, What on Earth is God Doing Today? What on earth is God doing today? Before I say any more on that, if we could read the first four verses of Isaiah 42, where God is asking us to look at somebody, behold somebody, His servant who will be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 1 of Isaiah 42, Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, that is the nations. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoky flack shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, for he has set judgment in the earth, and the owls of the coastlands shall wait for his law, and God will bless his work.

We asked the question just a minute or two ago, What on earth is God doing today? Maybe it's crossed your mind. You look at the problems, and you look at the world, and you see big problems, don't you?

Somalia and hunger, homeless even in our own country. Bosnia and rebellion and war, the potential of nuclear problems in the Mideast, the Mideast crises and so on. We have to debate on homosexuality and AIDS and abortion and economic problems.

And you might say, If there is a God, where indeed is this God, and what is he doing about it? What on earth is God doing today? You might ask. And then as a believer, you might say, If I understand the Bible right, such as 1 Corinthians 3, 9, that we are called as believers to be laborers or workers together with him, then what kind of work should I be involved in if I'm a worker together with God?

Well, it might help to know what God is doing if we are to be workers together with God. Am I called? Should I go out and change this world? Can this world become Christianized? Am I just wasting my time?

Am I playing church, you might say, when I come to the assembly, involved in worship, teaching, preaching, whatever? Are we ignoring a hurting world that needs changed? Are we playing church? We might ask the question.

Is a mother wasting her time, sacrificing her career to stand behind their husband and raise those children in the fear of God when the world has big, big problems? What on earth is God doing today? I believe you can understand it if you mind will reflect back a couple of months ago, two or three months ago, to when your own country, the United States, went through a governmental change.

Administrations were changed. If you look at that, you will see in the way in which it was changed. Indeed, we'll picture what on earth God is doing today. Before there could be a new government, for better or for worse, there had to be an election.

A man had to be chosen by the people before he could assume power, had to be elected, had to be chosen. We read here, brothers and sisters, in Isaiah 42, that God has a plan someday to bring truth, judgment, that is ruler, leadership to the earth.

And all the world is going to wait for his law where there's a righteous judgment. But according to Isaiah 42, God has chosen his servant. He has elected somebody to do that and he delights in this person and he has put his spirit upon him.

And as you know, your New Testament, that person that God has elected, the one chosen by God to bring truth and to rule on this earth someday, is his servant, his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, you get to the New Testament and God indeed has delighted in him.

God has ignored the men of this world and he has chosen the God-man, Jesus Christ, to reign, to rule the nations with a rod of iron, to use Revelation 2, 27 language. And as God looked at the walk of his son, Jesus Christ, he could say in Matthew 75, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

God delighted in Jesus Christ. He was elected to do this. The man crucified him, rejected him, entombed him and said that's the end of him. God countered, as Acts 2, 32 says, this Jesus that God raised up, wherever we are all witnesses.

God raises him up, exalts him to the very right hand of heaven's throne, and he sits down on the right hand of the majesty on high. God says, behold, look, set your eyes. I have elected one. I have chosen one to bring judgment and truth to the earth.

He is my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He obeyed me. He died for men. I have raised him up. And so just like to be a governmental change or had to be an election, God indeed himself has made an election.

He has made a choice. But now I ask you, when that choice happened back in November of last year, did the new president elect come into power right away? You say, well, no, there's a transition period.

There's a period of months before he does. And so while he's elected, he has no power to rule yet. He has no power to change things yet. And I'd like you now to go to Hebrews in the New Testament, chapter two, book of Hebrews, chapter two.

Christ’s Present Exaltation and Future Rule

The Lord Jesus Christ has been elected, chosen by God to bring forth judgment to the world and to rule in truth. But he is not empowered and thrown on this world yet, his only head over all things to the church and verse eight of Hebrews two, speaking of mankind of whom the Lord Jesus Christ is a head representative, says this, Thou has put all things in subjection under his feet for him that he has put all in subjection under him.

He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.

Verse 10, where it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things and bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvations perfect through suffering. Right now, we do not see all things put under him.

But we see Jesus, who has tasted death and has a goal of bringing many sons unto glory. Our president elect was elected, but he had no power in that transition period. Jesus Christ, chosen by God, but we see not now all things put under him.

He is not ruling the world. That's why there's no peace, no righteousness and so on. He's been rejected by this world. But God has a plan. And so what happens in the meantime? What did our president elect do in that transition time?

You say, well, he formed a new government. He started to go into the society of bankers, lawyers, whatever, and call out people who would be part of his administration and cabinet. And so while he had no power to rule, he was forming a government by calling people out who would rule when the day came.

The Church as God’s Called-Out Government

Brothers and sisters and friends, that is exactly what God is doing on Earth today. He has a plan to change the world, but not yet. But what the Lord Jesus Christ is now doing is forming a body called the church, a government, if you will, that will indeed rule the world someday with him.

For the church of God, the assembly of God is told in verses like 1st Corinthians 6, 2, Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? Verse 3 adds, Know you not that we shall judge angels? We're going to rule the world with a rod of iron, with the Lord Jesus Christ, the elect servant.

That's the grace of God. The bloodwashed people whose sins are forgiven cry out in Revelation 5, 10, they say, Thou hast made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign on the earth. We shall reign on the earth.

The future of the church is to reign in a world of justice and righteousness and peace. What the Lord Jesus is doing now is calling out people out of the sin of this world and calling them to be part of his family and body.

To use his own words in Matthew 16, 18, the Lord Jesus said this, Upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The greatest work that God is doing on earth today is building his church.

You understand the word church from the Greek ekklesia simply means a called out company, ones who have been called out. That's what the word church means. And he is building his church. He is calling people out of a world that's in rebellion, that's in sin, that is appointed indeed for the judgment of God, the punishment of God.

He is calling people by grace who will be saved and become part of his family, the body, the church. He is building his church. That's what he's doing today, forming a group of people that will govern, that will reign in righteousness.

How does he build a church? Well, you get to Acts 2, 47, and it says this, And the Lord add daily to the church such as should be saved. He builds his church by saving men and women and adding them to this spiritual body called the church or the assembly.

You see, you don't go to the church to get saved. He says he adds to the church daily such as should be saved. You get in the church of God by being saved first. And as we were telling the young people last night, how indeed can one be saved if God's activity today is to call people out to be saved and to build his church?

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

And you can only become part of this church by being saved. How is one saved? Well, we reminded them last night of Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 when God's word says this, For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. God does not save men and women and add them to his church by our works, for our works come short. Because Ephesians 2 looks at us as dead and trespasses in sin.

That we are dead, that is spiritually dead to God, cannot relate to God, cannot know God, cannot understand God, cannot live God, but God in our spiritual dead state. So what does a dead man need? We asked last night, according to Ephesians 2, you say, well, a dead man obviously needs life.

And that's exactly what God does. He quickens us. He makes us alive together by Christ. By grace you are saved, Ephesians 2, 5. God gives us his very life into us when we put faith in Christ. He does not save us by works, for a dead man can't perform works.

He saves us by grace, by giving us what we don't deserve. And through Jesus Christ, he takes away our sin. Ephesians 1, 7 tells the believer in whom, Jesus Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.

You say, on what basis? What do I have to do according to the riches of his grace? Forgiveness of sins is based on God's grace, taking away your sins, not on what you did, but on what the Lord Jesus did for you, shedding his blood and love.

But it does more than that. The gospel, by adding you to the church and making you part of this government that's coming, not only takes away your sin, for that really wouldn't change you, that gets you out of hell, but that doesn't change you.

He then gives you life. You see, he makes us alive together with Christ. The unique promise of the Christian gospel, of the true Christian gospel, is this. Listen to Acts 2, 38, as Peter preached, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

And this promise is to you, he went on to say. The unique promise of the gospel is that God himself, through the spirit of life, if I could use Romans 8 .2 language, comes into you and makes you a new creation.

You're no longer dead in your sins, headed for wrath. You are now alive unto God. The way you got alive, a God himself came into you. Listen to the way Galatians 4, 6 put it. And because you are sons, that comes by receiving Jesus Christ, because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out the father.

You see, Christianity is not a school of thought, it is not religious rules, it is not a code of conduct, it is not a philosophy, it is not reformation. Christianity is life, God's life. The unique promise of the gospel, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And when a person trusts Christ alone, the Holy Spirit of God invades their heart. And in the language of 2 Corinthians 5, 17, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away.

Behold, all things have become new. Jesus Christ would put it this way in John 5, 24, you are passed from death unto life. It's life, it's a new life. It's a life that you're now alive unto God and therefore aware of God and serving God.

Calling People Out of the Present Evil World

That's the kind of gospel this is, the Bible presents. You see, that's what he's doing today. He's calling men and women out from this rebellious world. As Acts 15, 14 puts it, have God at the first to visit the Gentiles, that is nations, to take out of them a people for his name.

Or we could use Galatians 1, 4 language, speaking of the Lord Jesus. Who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from out of this present evil world. He is calling a group of people who will repent of their sins, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

He'll forgive you, he'll save you from wrath, and he'll come into you and make you a new person with a new spiritual life, alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what God is doing on earth today, forming a government that is changed, that is saved, and that will rule on the earth someday.

Now, brothers and sisters, if you want to be involved in the greatest work on earth today and if you're involved with your gifts and your calling and telling other men and women how to be saved and witnessing, you don't have to be ashamed that you're wasting your life.

You are involved in what God is doing, for God is building this church and he builds this church by adding to it daily such as should be saved. You don't have to feel guilty that you're playing church.

God is not changing the world yet. He has a plan. He's simply forming the government. And now I take you back to our example. What did the president elect do next after he started to call people to be part of his government?

You say, well, if I remember right, he began to train them. There were economic summits in Little Rock, Arkansas, and so on. He began to indoctrinate them. He began to teach them in his policies. For what good is a government that doesn't know the leader's policies and so on?

Equipping the Church for Ministry

And that is exactly what God is doing on earth today. Once he saves you, once he forgives your sin instantly, once he comes into your life through the Holy Spirit, you are saved. You are a new creation.

You have life. You're alive unto God, saved from the wrath of God and saved from sin. But you know what he does next? He begins to build us up. He begins to train us into his ways. I'd like you to see that if you go to Ephesians chapter four, please.

The New Testament, the epistle to the Ephesians chapter four. Once he saves a person, God then starts to distribute spiritual talents, that is gifts. That is the activity of God from heaven. He gives gifts unto men.

Verse 11 of Ephesians four describes some of those gifts. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Now, why is God giving gifted men to the church?

Why this activity by God to give talent and spiritual ability to people? Verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. You see, for the perfecting of the saints, as some of your translations will have it, for the equipping of the saints.

God wants us not only to be saved, but to be equipped, to be perfected, that is matured, to be able to do something. To be able to do what? Well, the perfected saints, the equipped saints are to get involved in the work of the ministry, verse 12 says.

And why are they to get involved in the work of ministry or in the work of serving? It says for the edifying of the body of Christ. You see, what God is concerned about, his number one goal on earth today is the body of Christ, for the church is his body.

We're living stones. We're alive with the spirit of God in us. Not an institution, but God's church is living people who have been born again. Living stones, so says Peter, build up a spiritual house.

That's the church of God, a spiritual house, people who are alive with the spirit of God by faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what he is now doing is now perfecting us so that we can be involved in the work of the ministry.

The Church’s Wisdom, Welfare, and Spiritual Diet

You see, your body is important to you. You spend a lot of time. If something gets hurt, you run to the doctor, grab an aspirin, whatever. You feel a little hunger, pain, and you say, I have to get to the refrigerator fast, you know, you take care of your body.

And then you get on the scale and you say, oh, my, I got there a little too fast. I got to take some of it off. And we're always given attention to his body. Do you know what God has given attention to today?

It's only natural. The church is the body of Christ. Therefore, the center of his attention is his church, is his body. He cares about the growth of his body. And that's what God is doing on earth today.

In the church of God, he is building it up and we are to be involved in the work of that ministry. Now, brothers and sisters, as you study the New Testament, you will find there are 22 letters of instructions.

We call them epistles, letters of instruction. They are there to tell us what God wants out of our life once we're saved. Did you know he gives no plan to change the world in this present age? He gives no strategy to solve all the problems in our world.

What did you spend 22 letters talking about? Well, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ and his body. And all throughout it are instructions for the growth of the body, the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body.

You will read such things as the intelligence of the body. If we have a body, we're concerned about its education, its intelligence, the wisdom that comes from the brain. And you will see that's what God is concerned about, that we are drawing our wisdom for life from the right source.

You get to a little letter like the Book of Colossians. You know what it's concerned about? Is that you're filled with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, Colossians 1 .9. So you need to have a source.

If God wants you to live a life that has wisdom and understanding so you can walk worthy of God, where do I get this wisdom? What seminary? What church? What philosophy? And God says, well, I'll tell you where you get it.

You get it from the head. That's usually where your body gets its wisdom, isn't it? Well, you get it from the head in Colossians 2 .3 says, in whom Jesus Christ, the head, it taught he's the head, is hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Christ is the head of the church. We are the body. And so we are to get the wisdom for our life from Jesus Christ through his word. God's concerned about the intelligence of the body. Not only that, you'll read all throughout the epistles, he's concerned about the welfare of the body.

You know, something goes wrong with our body, we take care of it. And he's concerned how the body, the love of the body, that we're kind to the body, one another, that is. And you'll read right here, for example, in Ephesians 4, right in front of us, you look at verse 32.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. All throughout, you'll read that love is great and to love one another and be kind.

And when somebody needs forgiveness and ask for it, forgive them, be tenderhearted, seek others welfare above your own. It's only natural that you would want your body treated that way. And that's how he wants the body of Christ treated.

So God's concerned about the intelligence of the body, the welfare of the body. And may I say to you, he's very concerned about the diet of the body. You're concerned about the diet, aren't you? We want the right kind of food and the food we like.

All throughout the scriptures, God will be telling you to be careful what you eat. He'll say, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. First, Peter to to he teaches there are false gospels, false churches and false doctrines out there that through satanic doctrine, they might not even know it.

Give you the wrong kind of food. And he says right here, Ephesians four, he says that you look at verse 14. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slave men and cunning craftiness whereby they lay in wait to deceive.

He doesn't want us to be like children who believe anything they hear, but to know the truth of God so so we can grow into Christ. You see, he's concerned about our diet, that we get the truth of God.

You know what the Lord Jesus said in John 8, 34? He says, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free, free from Satan's deceptions, free from the bondage of serving men and things God didn't ask you to do, free from yourself and free from sin.

Now, if truth sets you free, tell me what error does. Error binds you to men and binds you to Satan and puts you in the wrong direction. God's concerned that we get the truth for truth liberates so we can know God and serve God.

And so that's the type of things God is concerned about. Many other things also that time won't permit. He's concerned with the working of the body that we may grow. Look at verse 15 here of actually look at verse 13.

Spiritual Growth into the Fullness of Christ

First of Ephesians four. Verse 13, till we all come in the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Verse 15, but speaking the truth and love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

You see, just like a child, you're born instantly. A baby is conceived and comes into the world. It's here. It's born. You get saved from your sin. You become part of family, the church of God. Instantly, you're born again.

He comes into your life, takes away your sin by his blood that he shed, comes into your life. Instantly, you're a child of God. That's not a process that happens the minute you receive Christ. But is your baby full grown?

And you say, well, no, there's years ahead until he comes to maturity. While it is true, we are instantly born again. It's not a process that we get saved. The fact of maturing is a process. And he wants us to grow and become fully mature like Jesus Christ.

He's making us like Christ through the Spirit. And so what might be cute for a baby is not cute down the road. Some of you, I know, have new babies and we've had three in our lifetime, my wife and I. And when they're one year old or something, you'll say, that, that, that, isn't that great?

He knows my name. And you're all excited. But in fact, he comes in when he's 12 years old and says that, that, that, we've got a problem here. There's been no growth. You see, while he's my son and born instantly into my family, we want maturity.

God's concerned about the growth of the body. This is where God's energy is today. I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, if you are involved with your gifts and your calling in the church of God, and if I could use 1 Corinthians 14, 12 language, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

You are not playing church. You are doing exactly what God is doing. I will build my church, not only numerically, but spiritually, conforming us to the image of His Christ. You're not wasting time. You're in the very center of God's will.

For His will isn't to change the world today. It's to call people out of it. And to save them, and to indoctrinate, teach us, build us up into Jesus Christ, so we'll be ready and able to reign. So first there's the calling out, and then there's the training.

That's what God is doing on earth today. And if you're involved in the church of God, you're involved in the very center of God's will, for that's what He's doing. But now I ask you, what happened next?

The Rapture and the Church’s Gathering to Christ

If you can remember, first the president-elect was elected, but he had no power. And so he called people out to be part of his government, and then he trained them, and then something happened next. He called them, as Inauguration Day drew close on January 20th of this year, he called them to be at his side at the capital city.

And he called all the members of his administration to join him in Washington, D .C. And may I say that's a picture of what God will do next. When the church is complete, men and women and boys and girls are saved, that are to be saved on a trusted price.

And now are changed and growing by the grace of God. You know what he does next? He's going to call every Christian, whether dead or alive, to be with him in heaven. We call that the rapture. First Thessalonians 4 .16 puts it this way.

The Lord himself shall be sent from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up, raptured, snatched up together, put them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

He's going to call every believer who is saved, and only believers are saved, to be by his side and to be forever with him. First Corinthians 15 .51 puts it this way. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump, we shall be changed. That is bodily, in a twinkling of an eye. He's going to call his church home to heaven to be at his side for inauguration day.

He's going to gather everyone to his side. And then I ask you, what happened next before he came into power? I'd like you to go to Revelation chapter 19. The end of the Bible, please. Revelation chapter 19.

Christ’s Return, Judgment, and Millennial Reign

The scene in Revelation 19 is in heaven. It is inauguration day. Jesus Christ is ready to split open the heavens and descend the planet Earth to judge the sinners and to rule in righteousness and peace for God and to change this world.

And those that are saved are coming with him. But before that happens, verse one says this of Revelation 19. And after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.

What happened next? You remember, there were victory balls of celebration that evening before the inauguration of that day. Those in the new government were having celebration balls. And that's exactly what is happening in heaven.

After he calls us to himself, we're saying Alleluia to the Lord God. Now you look at verse six here of chapter 19. And as I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundering saying Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

It's inauguration day. The celebration at the marriage supper of the Lamb is in verse nine. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

There'll be a victory celebration in heaven as Jesus Christ is ready to descend on a white horse with those that are chosen and faithful with him. The born again family behind him to reign on the earth.

But then there was one more thing that had to happen. You'll remember at twelve o 'clock p .m. On January 20th, the old administration had to be removed before the new administration came into power. The two cannot coexist.

And the rest of Revelation 19 is the removal of the satanic world system and its. He has to remove the old and you will see that he comes with a sword in his mouth to make war, it goes on to say. And the final product will be in verse twenty one.

And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Isaiah 24, one speaks of the coming judgment upon this world for its sin, it says the Lord make up the earth empty.

Isaiah 13, 11, God says, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. God's judgment is coming to this sinful, rebellious world. And for those who want to be saved and believe God, he's calling you out right now to be part of a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the family of God.

He's coming in judgment so that Isaiah 24 will say the earth is going to reel in to and fro like a drunkard. It's going to be utterly broken down and clean, dissolved. It's going to stagger. There's going to be earthquakes, mountains will crumble and islands will sink.

This world will be shaken, it says, and it will stagger off its axis like a drunk person staggers. This is the judgment coming to this world. The old power of sinners and Satan must be removed, as it always happens in government, before the new power can take over.

And it will be violently removed for its end. It is at that point, brothers and sisters, that Revelation 20 will introduce you to the fact of Jesus Christ will be reigning with his saints for a thousand years on planet Earth.

And then you'll see changes like you've never seen. But it will be because that Jesus Christ, the elect of God, the God-man is now in control, the one who's capable of doing it. And his administration by grace is the born-again church who's been transformed by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, ready and able to reign.