It is God's intention to redeem all he permits by using it to make you more like Jesus: more obedient, prayerful, holy, forgiving, and servant-hearted.  How can you cooperate?

First, become the child of God.  You cannot be like Jesus your brother until you have his Father as your Father.  If you do, here's what God has already done for you:

He "foreknew" you, knowing before time began that you would be here.  He "predestined" you, choosing you to be like his Son.  Then he "called" you when the Spirit convicted you of your sin and led you to faith in Christ.  He "justified" you, cleansing you from all your failures and mistakes so that it is "just if I'd" never sinned. And he "glorified" you as the child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v. 30).  Become the child of God today.

Second, make his purpose yours.  Decide that you will measure success by Christ-likeness, not by performance or possessions or popularity.  Not your church by buildings and budgets and baptisms.  Measure your life and congregation by the degree to which we are more like Jesus than we were last month and last year.  Make this your North on the compass, your non-negotiable mission in life.  The next time someone asks you what you want to do with your life, say "I want to be more like Jesus."

Why?  Because your Father knows what is best for you, and he says that this is your highest and best purpose in life.  Being like Christ is what you were made and redeemed to do.  I have found this fact to be absolutely true in my life.  When I am seeking to imitate Jesus, there is a peace and purpose to my life which is missing every other time.

If I preach this sermon to perform or impress you, there's no joy in it.  If I preach to serve you like Jesus, there's joy in every moment.

When I submit to the temptations of the enemy, there's dissonance and pain in my soul.  When I obey God's will like Jesus, there's victory in Jesus.

When I judge or criticize those who hurt me or disagree with me, there's bitterness in my spirit.  When I forgive like Jesus, there's release and freedom.

When I do my work in my ability, I become tired or bored or dissatisfied.  When I seek the Father's presence like Jesus, there's power for all he asks and more.

So become the child of God, and make his purpose yours.  Third, ask how every experience can make you more Christ-like.  This is how God redeems all he permits--by using it to mold you into the image of Jesus.  Ask how he is doing this with everything that happens to you, and choose to cooperate with him.  When people hurt you, choose to forgive like Jesus.  When you're tempted, choose to be godly like Jesus.  When you're hurting, choose to trust your Father like Jesus.  Ask how you can be more like Jesus, and you will be.