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Simple Christian Truths

All Things for Good

Romans 8:28

FCC |  September 20th, 2015

Introduction: 

Please open your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8. Our verse that we’re going to take a look at is both comforting and perplexing. And really it’s more comforting the less it becomes perplexing. So what I want to do this morning is try to reduce some of the confusion so as to enhance the comforting aspect of this verse. The verse in question is verse 28. Many of us know this verse by heart or at least know essentially what I’m talking about when I say Romans 8:28. So let’s just get right into it. Hopefully you’ve made your way there to the book of Romans chapter 8. Let’s go ahead and begin reading in verse 26 and we’ll read through to verse 31.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

Immediate Context: 

Let’s start by considering the immediate context. Paul was writing to a group of Christians that had several things going against them. There was a standing tradition within the Roman empire of Cesar worship. Essentially Roman soldiers would walk through different cities and different parts of Rome requiring that their citizens cast incense onto an altar that they carried with them and repeat the words Kaiser Kyrios— Cesar is Lord. To refuse that statement would be the same as treason and punishable by immediate death. Let me be clear, this was not like saying the Pledge of Allegiance, this was an act of worship. Worship of Cesar as a god, was a confession of patriotism and was therefore used to weed out traitors. The problem is, Christians refused to worship Cesar even though they were not planning any kind of insurrection. Unfortunately that didn’t matter. When a Roman soldier required of the Christian to say Cesar is Lord and they responded, Iesus ho Kyrios, Jesus is my Lord, The result was always the same, immediate public execution.

Their issues didn’t stop with patriotism—they were also accused of atheism because they would worship only one God, Jesus, and not the Roman pantheon. They would also be accused of cannibalism and neighbors and coworkers would feel as though they were doing the right thing by turning in these Christians who were off eating flesh and drinking blood. What I believe is more important to understand about the context was not what was going on at the time but what was about to take place. The current Cesar Nero, was going to set fire to Rome and then blame the Christians for the arson. Once that happened and the people believed it was the Christians fault, it was open season. There was no need for pretense, there was no need for atheism or for cannibalism, Christians were responsible for the distraction of Rome and they must be put to death. The coliseum was turned over from gladiatorial events to the systematic demise of Christianity. Humanly speaking, nothing that took place within the walls of the coliseum could possibly be understood as good.

Our Context:

But there’s more context merely the immediate context, there is our context. The context of future Christians that would read this, like you and like me. In spite of the fact that there is no Coliseum today, there is no atheism or cannibalism that we are being charged with, we still undergo bad things. Bad things are still happening to us. We get cancer, abortion runs rampant and untold evils take place the world over. And so it is with-in our context we also must understand this passage as well.

Biblical Context: 

But there is yet still one more piece of context that we have to understand before we can get to the actual content. The biblical context. Read with me again verse 26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Paul is saying here that there are times when we don’t know what to pray. In those times when we don’t know what to pray the Spirit prays on our behalf. Now let’s read verse 27; “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” OK, so Paul here says that when the Spirit prays on our behalf, he is praying the will of God for us. And that’s happening because sometimes we don’t know the will of God and sometimes we don’t pray the will of God. This is where I want to bring up something that Jesus said in John 14. In verse 13 of that chapter Jesus says; “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Before we can look at verse 28; before we can look at what is being said there, we must understand this point. Our biblical context is saying; when I don’t know the will of God, or, I am not understanding the will of God properly, or I’m just way off base, and I pray; The spirit then is the one who prays on my behalf. And when the spirit prays on my behalf, the spirit is always praying for the will of God. God has promised us that when we pray according to his will he will give us what we ask. The point is, God’s will is always asked for by his people either knowingly or by the spirit who prays for us when we don’t know to pray for the will of God. Which means, necessarily, for the Christian, for the one who has the Holy Spirit living within them, our prayers are always in accordance with the will of God and are always answered in the affirmative by God. Including the prayer to ask God to do to us that which is necessary for our sanctification.

People often times say, don’t pray for patience because God might give it to you. Or be careful what you pray for. The reality is—it doesn’t matter if you purposefully pray for patience or not for the Spirit of God is praying for that, for you, regardless. And the Spirit of God is praying for more than that for you continuously.

Content: 

So, it’s with this in mind that we come to the actual content of the message and we deal with verse 28. Let’s read verse 28 together again; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The perplexing aspect of this verse is not necessarily associated with the concept of things being good but rather that all things are working together for good. The coliseum doesn’t seem like it’s outcome was good. Cancer, death these things don’t seem like good outcomes. And the reality is that they’re not good outcomes, are leading to a good outcome. But again what is so perplexing is how could we possibly think that the outcome of these things happening could possibly be good. How could the rape of a Christian woman have a good outcome? How could the abduction of a Christian families child and that child’s subsequent sale into human trafficking, how could that have a good outcome? How could, you fill in the blank, how could anything like these things be working together for our good?

There are a lot of places we could go in the Scriptures to try to find an answer for this question, but I believe the answer is found in this same context. You see this passage doesn’t say all things are good. Rape, murder, adultery, envy, strife, and the list could go on, all these things are bad. It also doesn’t say that God is doing all these things for the good of all people. In a real way all things for the lost person are not for their good. The Scriptures teach that the rain falls on the just and on the unjust, that is, the good that falls upon both Christians and sinners is for the blessing of the Christian and further condemnation for the sinner. Likewise the bad that falls upon the Christian is working good whereas the bad that befalls the lost is nothing but judgment.

If you’re here this morning under the sound of my voice and you have never repented, that is you’ve never turned from your sins and trusted Christ alone for your salvation. If you do not trust, if you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to receive rescue and hope, then things are not working for your betterment they are working for your demise. What’s worse, by sitting under this teaching, by hearing the sound of the gospel you are heaping upon your own head more and more condemnation. But if you will turn, if you will trust in Jesus alone, if you will Love Christ more than your desires then this verse will be true of you as well. God will then be working all things not for your judgment but for your blessing. All you must do is repent and believe.

For the Christian here, I don’t have so much of an answer to the question of how it is that the worst scenarios are actually being worked together for your good. The reason why I don’t have the answer to the question is simply because I don’t have the mind of God. The reality is no one can tell you why any particular situation has actually happened and how, it is—being worked in your life for your good. And so if there is any weak point in the Christian faith, it is that it is—faith. Blaise Pascal once said, “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.” We are perplexed by this concept because we do not have the perspective that God has. We do not see now clearly as face-to-face. We now see only as through a glass window dimly lit. The dirt on and, the cracks in this window that we have are formed by our humanity and they distort our perspective. Which makes the ability to see history the way that God sees history impossible. Every once in a while God will pull back the corner of the heavenly carpet and let us catch a subtle glimpse into the reasons why he does what he does, but those times are very few and far between. And what’s more is that He never promises to peel up those corners.

The Greek language is really fun. In a lot of ways the Greek language is far superior to our own. There are many different Greek words that we translate into a single English word. One of those words is the word “know” as in, “and we know that for those who love God all things work together…” You see Paul could have used the word that would be equally translatable to the word “know” but would imply a knowledge that is obtained through learning or experience. But that is not the kind of knowledge that Paul is referring to here. The word to know in our verse has to do with merely remembering. Having a knowledge. Or by implication—receiving a knowledge. We know that no matter what happens to us, no matter what bad thing befalls us, we know—because God has given it to us to know, by faith, He’s working. God is working for our good.

This is why this statement is sandwiched between the Spirit praying for us when we don’t know what to pray, and the statement about how God has foreknown or fore-loved us, predestined us, called us, justified us, and glorified us. Because everything that’s happening to the Christian is being purposefully done by God for our salvation, for our sanctification, and for our ultimate glorification. And I believe that’s why verse 31 is so critical to our understanding of verse 28. Read verse 31 with me; “What then shall we say to these things? …” What auto our response be when hard circumstances fall upon us? What should be our response when the worst possible things happen? What should be our response when good things happen? The answer ought always to be the same, “…if God is for us, who can be against us?”

I don’t care what situation happens to you. It doesn’t matter how rough the circumstance. It doesn’t matter how painful the trial. If you’re a Christian then God is for you! And if God is for you nothing can be against you. If you think your circumstances are bad, and they could never be used for good, that’s when reading verse 32 and on brings to light that God is in the business of taking horrible things and using them for our good.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,  “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let’s pray together.

Benediction: 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.