ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD…

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: ROMANS 8:28




INTRODUCTION:


  1. R. A. Torrey called this great verse a "soft pillow for a tired heart."
  2. "We know" is used five times in the book of Romans, and "know" is used thirteen times. It refers to what is the common knowledge of the Christian, the things of God which the Holy Spirit makes real to us.
  3. Spurgeon would not argue about the deep things of God – he used to say, "I do not need anyone to tell me how honey tastes; I know."
  4. Here in this great verse the apostle Paul reminds us that "all things" are working together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Gen.45:8; 50:20; Ps.37:23).
  5. According to the Bible, it is not possible for any man to be at complete rest until he is aware that all things are happening according to a divine plan.
  6. We must have confidence in the fact that God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake.

 

I. ALL THINGS ARE WORKING

    1. God is always working (cf. Ps. 121). Even when you and I are sleeping, He is busy working.
    2. My pastor, Rod Bell, likes to say that with God there are no accidents, only incidents.
    3. I heard a true story about the San Francisco earthquake. A Christian lady walked out into all of the rubble and destruction and smiled. A friend asked her, "How can you smile at a time like this?" She replied, "I rejoice that I have a God who can shake this world!"
    4. The apostle Paul had the same mindset (cf. Acts 21:13,14).
    5. We need to remember – it is, "ALL things" – not "some things" or even "most things."
    6. "All things" means good and bad, happy and sad, encouraging and discouraging, sweet and bitter, easy and hard, prosperous and poor, healthy and sick, alive and dead, etc.

 

II. ALL THINGS ARE WORKING FOR THEM THAT LOVE GOD

    1. All things are not working together for good to them that ignore God, or those that hate God, but only to them that "love God."
    2. This restriction must be carefully noted because the Bible says wickedness and sin work wrath. Of the worldly man who deliberately turns his back on God, it can truly be said that all things are against him, whether he realizes it or not.
    3. But for those who love God, all things will work harmoniously for good as the result of God’s marvelous providence.
    4. Do you love God?

 

III. WE ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO "HIS PURPOSE"

    1. Our lives are not the haphazard result of the moving of blind chance. All that comes to pass in our lives is according to the eternal plan of our all-wise, all-powerful and all-knowing Father.
    2. And the Bible calls God our heavenly Father because He loves us and cares for us. And just as an earthly father has plans for his children, God has a great plan for all his children.
    3. His ways are perfect and need no help or assistance from us. It irritates me every time I hear that foolish program on the radio about sending money to help God get the Jews back into the Promised Land. God is able to get them back without any help from us. Our job is to get the Gospel out and try to win souls.
    4. So, we must understand that God has a plan and He will accomplish it with out any help from us. Donald Grey Barnhouse tells of visiting an ancient monastery in Spain, just outside Madrid, where the kings of Spain are all buried. The architect who designed the church building, made an archway that was so flat the king was worried that it would fall on his head, and so the king ordered the architect to add a column that would uphold the middle of the arch. The architect remonstrated that it was unnecessary, but the king insisted and the column was built. Years later the king died and the architect then revealed that the column was a quarter of an inch short of the arch, and that the arch had never sagged in the slightest. Today tourist guides make a point to show visitors that the arch has stood for centuries without any help from the column, thus proving the rightness of the architect.
    5. God is a perfect architect and His world keeps turning without any help from you and me. His perfect plan is unfolding. All you and I have to do is stick with His program.
    6. If you are saved, you can rest assured that God has a purpose for your life. He is directing your life and He is directing our church and all of its varied ministries such as our Christian school and Spanish department.
    7. God is pursuing a definite purpose leading to a definite end, and you can live in quiet assurance that all is well with your soul, even though you may be passing through some deep waters.

 

CONCLUSION:


Story behind "It is Well With My Soul." (101 Hymn Stories by K. W. Osbeck)



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