God’s
great grace, His magnificent mercy, and His powerful peace are yours--now and
always, from God the Father. God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In Christ Jesus:
Tell me---
Do you
really believe what God’s Holy Word is telling you this morning?
Can you
really believe what God’s Holy Word is telling you this morning?
Will you really believe what God’s Holy Word is telling you this
morning?
In Romans
8:28 the Apostle Paul makes
one of the most daring…
one of the most outlandish…
one of the most difficult-to-believe
claims in all of Holy Scripture!
And
he makes
this most daring…
this most outlandish…
this most difficult-to
believe claim, not only for himself, but also on behalf of the
entire Christian congregation in Rome.
And more! Some would say, that Paul speaks for us
today when he says:
“We know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to His purposes for them.”
But
…
Do we believe that?
Can we really believe
that???
Will we really believe
that?
Namely…that in everything God causes to work together
for the good of those who love Him?
Are we willing to
join Paul in making this daring…outlandish…difficult-to-believe
claim--- that God causes everything to work together for the good of
those who love Him?
Are
we willing to join Paul in believing this daring…outlandish…and
difficult-to believe claim that that God causes everything to work
together for the good of those who love Him?
Are
we willing to join Paul in living this daring…outlandish…and
difficult-to believe claim--- that God causes everything to work
together for the good of those who love Him
Can we boldly and
confidently proclaim to ourselves and to others? That no matter how bad things seem to be right now for you,
that God will cause those things to work out for good. …for your good?
How about it…those of us
suffering with terminal cancer right now?
How about it…those of us
going through a painful divorce. right now?
How about it…those of us
dealing with unemployment right now.?
How about it…those of us
facing an uncertain future right now?
God
will see to it that all those things will work out for our good??
Is
this just wishful thinking on the part of some preacher standing in a pulpit on
a Sunday morning?
Or…
Is this God’s truth?
Is this biblical truth?
Is this the Gospel truth?
Do we---can we---will we---believe
that God is bringing good out of the bad in
our lives right now?
Do we---can we---will we---believe that God is
bringing good out of the
unemployment and
financial uncertainty in our lives right now?
Do we---can we---will we---believe that God is bringing
good out of the
terminal illness and even death in our lives
right now?
Is God able to bring good out of those bad things in our
lives?
Yes, Paul tells us that!
Yes, Paul claims that God can do that!
Yes, Paul says “All things work together for good to
those who love Him!
BUT
Do you believe that?
Do I believe
that?
Do any of us really believe that?????
INDEED…CAN WE…AND WILL WE…REALLY
BELIEVE THAT???
Before
we go any further in this sermon let me make one thing perfectly clear so that
there is no misunderstanding:
Not
everything that happens to you or me is for the best!
Your cancer is not
for the best!!!
Your divorce is not
for the best!
Your unemployment is
not for the best!
Your death is not for
the best!
Furthermore….
God does not cause your
cancer.
God does not cause your
divorce.
God
does not cause your unemployment.
God does not cause your death.
Cancer is a result of sin in
the world.
Divorce is a result of sin
in the world.
Death is a result of sin in
the world!
ALL
THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO GOD’S PEOPLE ARE NOT THE FAULT OF GOD! They are a result of mankind’s separation
from God because of sin.
But
even then, Paul says, God is at work!
Even when bad things happen
in your life or mine…
even when things go wrong in
your life and mine…
even when things are tragic
in your life or mine..
God is
at work in your life and mine so that we can discover good even in the midst of
all that is bad or tragic!
Now I want you
to really listen to what I am going to say next because it could be the
most important thing you will ever hear short of the Gospel of God’s love for
you in Jesus Christ
God is not merely our protector in the struggles of our life…but
God is active with us in those struggles.
God does not send the bad things of
life to punish us…but God is present in those times of trial to ensure that we
will grow in our faith and have courage and strength to deal with those
struggles.
Let me repeat that:
God is not merely our protector in the struggles of
our life…but
God is active with us in
those struggles.
God
does not send the bad things of life to punish us…but God is present in those
times of trial to ensure that we will grow in our faith and have courage and
strength to deal with those struggles!
Without the daring claim of
Paul, we are left with no word of encouragement for
those of us who suffer tragic human
loss.
Without the gift of God’s
help, many of us would be left with
nothing
but bitterness….
nothing
but despair…
nothing but self-pity…
nothing
but cynicism.
WITHOUT GOD’S HELP MANY OF US WOULD BE
LEFT WITHOUT FAITH!!
But
the question remains for us:
Do we
believe God’s Word to us this morning?
Can we
believe God’s Word to us this morning?
Will we
believe God’s Word to us t his morning?
Do we---
can we---
will we say with voices of faith that in everything God works for
good????
Well…
I
believe we can believe.
I
believe we will believe.
I
believe we do believe.
Most
of us have learned from life’s experiences that, in retrospect, many things
that were bad at one time in our lives have proved to be opportunities for
great good.
·
A job that we did not get turned into a better one
that came along later:
·
A romantic relationship that ended was later replaced
by the love of
our life.
·
A time of illness that was difficult drew us into
closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
·
A personal failure that was painful brought new
spiritual growth and
understanding.
All
of us could give personal examples of some experience in our past that
seemed bad or sad or tragic at the time but later brought blessings to us.
Perhaps
in some cases those experiences were even worth the pain and suffering
for the good they brought.
Each
of us could personally affirm that some things have worked for good,
even those things that have brought us pain.
Perhaps
even some of the things that initially brought us the greatest harm have
provided the greatest gain.
But
Paul is even more daring in his assertion.
He is not just claiming (listen now) that only some things have potential for good---but that ALL THINGS have the potential for good!
Furthermore, Paul does not claim that good may
come out of it but that good will come
out of it-----at least to those who love God.
Listen
now---to what Paul is saying:
God working in us and
with us will bring…
HOPE
OUT FOF DESPAIR….
GOOD THINGS OUT OF BAD!
All of us and each of us could tell personal stories from
our own lives or stories from the lives of friends and family members or
acquaintances---STORIES THAT PROCLAIM GOD WORKING FOR GOOD EVEN IN TRAGIC
CIRCUMSTANCES.
Some of us have seen
difficulty with rebellious teenage children turn into
an opportunity for the family to draw closer
together?
Some
of us have seen personal tragedy that mobilized the love and
support
of family and friends?
Some of us have seen
prolonged illness that offered time to sort things out
and time to get priorities in proper
order?
Yes,
some of us have seen that and experienced that! God causes everything to work together for the good of those who
love Him!
God
causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him,
and are called according to His purposes for them.”
And that’s us!
Now most us believe that good may come out of almost
any situation. Paul here is asking us
to accept in our hearts and minds---yes, in our faiths---- that in everything
that happens to us, no matter how tragic or painful, God WILL WORK WITH US TO
BRING ABOUT ULTIMATE GOOD.
No
matter how tragic or how painful something is that happens to us GOD WILL WORK
WITH US TO BRING ABOUT ULTIMATE GOOD!
We have to believe
that!!
We must believe that.
We should believe that!!
We have to learn to trust in
God…even when our faith is weak.
We have to learn to trust in
God… even when we can see only the deep
darkness…
We have to learn to trust in
God even when we can feel only the immense
pain!
IN
SHORT, TODAY WE ARE ASKED TO BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVEABLE---THAT IN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING GOD WORKS FOR
GOOD!
But there is one important point in this passage from
Romans 8 that we have yet to explore.
It is the one part of this verse that I have never really wanted to
acknowledge---for myself at least. It
is the part which says:
“for those who love God.”
I
never liked the way that sounded! “For those who love God.”
It sounds as if God is
playing favorites!
It sounds as if God is
picking and choosing those He will help.
It sounds as if God is
willing to work for good only with those who love Him.
BUT
IT’S TRUE!
God
does works for good only with those who love Him---not because God is
playing favorites, but because some people refuse God’s help!
The
reason all things work for good ONLY to those who love God is not because God
only offers good to some people, BUT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE REFUSE GOD’S HELP.
Some
people refuse God help.
People reject Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior.
People refuse the power of
prayer in their life.
People refuse to believe…and
for them not everything works for good.
That’s not God’s favoritism
toward some.
That’s people’s rejection of
God love in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Paul daring claim is a matter of choice.
We either believe that
God--because of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior---
has the power to cause good
in the midst of all circumstances
OR WE DO NOT
BELIEVE THAT!
As Christians we have been given so much evidence of
God’s power
to bring good out of evil…
to bring hope out of
despair…
to bring life out of death!
We are people of Bethlehem’s
manger where God became one of us to
identify
with our life and to experience what we must experience!
We are people of the cross
of Jesus Christ at Calvary’s mountain our sins
were and are
forgiven!
We are people of the empty
tomb of Jesus Christ on Easter morning where our
Eternal life was and
is guaranteed!
You and I will be
tested…time and time again.
You and I will suffer….time
and time again.
You and I will be
“shipwrecked”…time and time again!
Yet,
we can always believe in God’s power to bring good out of all things To those
who love Him…
To those who believe in and
accept Jesus Christ..
To those who seek His power
and His grace.
Please…please remember
the words of the Hymn of Preparation we have
sung this morning:
Please believe those
words.
Please live those
words.
“God
moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He
plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
You fearful saints, fresh courage take; The
clouds ye so much dread
Are
big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.
Judge
not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind
a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
Blind
unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God
is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.”
Paul
was right:
“WE
KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, WHO ARE
CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.”
Amen.