Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast,
where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to
this podcast.
I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen
you in the word of God.
Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has
for us here today.
If you have your Bibles, I would love for you to turn there
with me.
Romans, chapter eight.
And today we're going to be looking at just one verse as our
main text.
This is probably one of the most quoted verses in all of the
Bible.
I would say that it is also one of the most misused verses in
all of the Bible because of many.
People'S way that they apply this to their life or at least maybe
try to hope that this means that everything is going to go well
for them, everything is going to go the way that they expected.
And some of you know where I'm.
Going to turn Here it's Romans 8:28.
Romans 8:28 is a verse that you hear all the time.
It's a verse that you might see on a card.
It might be a verse that you've heard preached before.
But what I would like us to do this morning is to look at Romans
8:28 from a biblical perspective.
Context is key.
We have to understand what comes before the verse and what comes
after the verse.
We have to understand in the bigger picture what the whole word
of God has to say.
Because to take one verse out of context means to have one belief
that is off from what God intends us to understand, believe,
and live in.
And so in Romans 8:28, we see that this verse basically says, and
we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to.
Them who are called according to the per.
According to his purpose.
And so the Bible says here that.
All things work together for good.
Now, many of you might think, well, you know what?
I've looked at my life and I don't think things are working for
good.
How can this verse say that all.
Things work together for good?
I'm a believer, but my life isn't that good.
It must mean this is where a lot of people turn.
A lot of people say, well, that must mean that this isn't true
or that God is not consistent.
You know, anytime we get to a place in scripture that in some way
is confusing, or we think that there's an inconsistency, let me
just tell you here this morning, it's not the Bible.
That'S inconsistent, it is we who are inconsistent.
And so when we come to a verse that's difficult to understand or
even maybe difficult to apply, we don't look at the Word as the
problem.
Try to get the Word to fit into our way of thinking.
We have to understand that the Word.
Of God is perfect, that God is.
Perfect, that he never lies, that he's consistent in a world of
inconsistency, and recognize that we are the ones who are inconsistent.
And recognize that we need to grow in our understanding of him
and His Word so that we can come in line with the truth of the
Word of God.
So this morning the question is, do we believe that God's Word
is true?
Well, we know from passage after passage that the Bible claims
that it is perfect.
The Bible says that it is not going to contradict itself.
And we know that through various aspects that the Bible is
consistent, that it is directly the Word of God.
Therefore, we have to understand that God and His Word
are the consistent truths in a world of inconsistency.
I want you to think about that phrase this morning.
We live in a world of inconsistency.
We look at the world from a perspective of a limited human being.
Therefore, we see things happening.
And we think because we're humans and because we're limited,
that things are out of control, that.
That things are chaotic in many ways.
On the circumstantial level, they are.
But on the bigger picture of God's plan, everything is under control.
God is sovereign.
God is completely powerful in every way to look at the inconsistency
of this world and make things consistent with his character and
with his goodness.
And so we have to understand that before we get any further, because
in the Christian life, we have a lot of expectations.
If we read verse 28 here in Romans chapter 8 with a selfish expectation,
what would it read like?
It would say, and we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to,
to his purpose, meaning this.
Everything's going to work out for me.
If I love God, everything's going to happen the way that I expect
it to happen.
Well, point number one is that this verse is not talking about our
expectations.
This verse is talking about God's reality.
And so when we see here that it says all things work together
for good, it doesn't mean that, hey, I have wants, I have desires,
I. I have expectations.
Therefore God must do these things or he's not consistent.
It just means that God is going to take all of our flaws, all
of our issues, all of the inconsistency in this world and make
those things good because of his power and because of his all
knowing nature and because of his eternality.
And what we can see here in this case is that this verse is not
talking about all things good going the way that we expect.
It also is sometimes misquoted this way that this isn't talking
about God making our life good, it's just he's good.
And then we have to just be.
Miserable in this world.
And so a lot of people will read this and they'll say, and we
know that all things work together for his good, meaning I
have to suffer in this world, but eventually he gets the glory.
Well, that's not what this says, although we know that God will
work all things out for his good.
His good is our good, therefore it's good for us.
So, so how do these things reconcile?
Because many of you say, you know what, Pastor Josh, I know that
you're.
Saying that all things work together for good.
I know the Bible says all things.
Work together for good, but the way.
That I see things right now, I don't see things working together
for good.
And we're going to talk about this verse, we're going to dig deeper
into this verse.
But anytime we have a confusing moment, anytime we come
to a place where we're confusing, thinking that maybe this
isn't what we expected it to be, we have to come back and say,
where do I need to grow?
And we need to ask God for wisdom to allow us to grow into a
place of spiritual maturity where we.
Can see the bigger picture.
And so I want you to see that here this morning.
So I want you to see point number one.
We must defer our expectations to God's.
Outcome, to God's reality.
Expectations are a very confusing thing because.
Sometimes we think that something should be a certain way,
but at the end of the day, it doesn't happen that way.
And we think that God doesn't love us.
This same thing could be seen even within a marriage.
I know when I first got married I had expectations of what
a marriage would be or should be, or how my wife should act or
how I should act.
And many of those expectations were built upon lies.
Maybe it was because I watched a TV show and this is what happened.
And so I thought that's what should happen.
Or maybe I watched another couple and I thought, well, that
person does this, so that should happen this way.
Sometimes in even a human relationship, we can put unfair or
what we would say, even inappropriate expectations upon something
that.
Really shouldn't be the case.
And that's the same thing we do with God.
Sometimes we look at God and we say, God, you must fit into my
box.
You have to work the way that I work.
You have to answer my prayers the way that I'm asking.
And ultimately, what we see here is that verse 28 is not about
getting the things that we want.
It's about deferring our expectations to God's outcome and
being good with that and understanding that God is good.
What we think about is when it says in the Bible, trust in the Lord
and lean not into thine own understanding.
In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he'll direct our paths.
It's essentially saying this.
We acknowledge that God is good.
And then as God allows certain things to happen in our life, and
as sometimes we make mistakes in our life, God can make those things
good.
And ultimately he will make those things good.
If we go a little bit further, we have to understand that that doesn't
necessarily mean that life will be smooth.
Sometimes people think that, well, if I have faith, everything's
going to be okay.
And there's a movement today called the Word of Faith movement
which essentially says this.
If you have enough faith, you will get what you want.
Well, I want to take you to a passage of Scripture that teaches
something completely different.
Because what does Romans 8:28 say?
This is a promise not for people who are living in sin.
This is not a promise for those who are living in rebellion
and ultimately living unsaved lives.
It's for those, as it says there, to them, that love God, to
them who are the called.
The called are those that are believers, those that have answered
the call from God, the gift of grace.
And so it says here that this is for Christians.
And so if Christians have enough faith, won't God just give
us everything that we want?
Won't he save us from every trial?
Well, not in the circumstantial.
Here and now I want to take you to a passage of Scripture that
speaks to that.
It's in Hebrews chapter 11.
Most of you know Hebrews chapter 11 as the hall of faith.
Hebrews chapter 11 gives us the definition of faith in verse
one.
Then in verse six, it tells us why faith is so important.
And so verse one, faith is believing.
In something that we don't see.
Verse 6 tells us that it's impossible to please God without
faith.
And then we see later on in the chapter many examples of individuals
in the Old Testament who had faith and.
Were spared in certain ways.
So, for example, you have Abraham, you.
You have Moses, and you have Jacob, and you have Joseph.
All these characters that we are aware of, that God spared them,
not in every situation, but he spared them from.
Certain struggles and gave them hope and victory on this side
of heaven.
And that sounds good.
And that's where we usually end.
But later on in the book of Hebrews, it talks about how there
are individuals who did have faith but then faced a lot of difficulties.
And.
And actually what we see is here, on this side of heaven, they
didn't have victory.
I want you to see something very quickly with me, Hebrews chapter
11.
And I want you to go to verse number 35.
Verse 35.
We see all the examples of all these people were having the victory.
Rahab perished, not right.
And.
And that was all led up to where it talks about Gideon and Samson
and David and Samuel.
But then we see verse 35, it says, women receive their dead, raised
to life again.
Well, that's a good thing.
But then we see there that there is a break.
And it says, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance
that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Meaning there were going to be some that were tortured and eventually
killed, and God did not spare them in that time.
God did not take them out of that torture.
Why?
Because there's a better blessing that is to come.
Further on it says, and others had trial of cruel mockings.
By the way, these are people with faith.
These are people that are being honored here in Hebrews, chapter
11 says, and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment.
Further on it says, they were stoned.
They were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword.
They wandered about in sheepskin and goatskins, being destitute,
afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy.
They wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves
of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise, meaning God did not give them what they were
asking for by allowing them to get out of that trial in that very
moment.
Verse 40.
God having provided some better thing for us, that's glorification.
That's being with him one day.
And they without us should not be.
Made perfect or complete in him.
And so ultimately, what we see here is that there are individuals
that walk this earth that have faith in God, that God does in that
moment answer their prayer and give them what we.
Would consider to be good circumstances.
But others that trust in God don't see those good circumstances
coming to pass.
Here on this side of heaven.
And does that mean that God loves one more than the other?
No, because ultimately the glorification which we've been talking
about in Romans chapter 8, glorification being with him, united
with him.
Remember Romans 8:18.
Go back.
What does he say?
Remember, this is Paul writing, who did face persecutions,
who eventually was martyred for his faith.
He, he says in Romans 8:18.
For I reckon, I believe that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory.
Which shall be revealed in us.
So, number one, we must defer our expectations to God's outcome.
But number two, we must see it from the eternal perspective.
The big picture.
If we are Christians that are basing our confidence and our faith
and our peace in circumstances of today, we are seeing things from
the narrow focus.
And what God is saying here is this.
It's bigger than what's happening today, it's bigger than
what's happening tomorrow.
It's bigger than my doctor's appointment.
It's bigger than someone betraying me.
It's even bigger than someone persecuting me.
Why?
Because there's a bigger picture of a blessing that we have
as believers in Jesus Christ.
And we have so many Christians today who walk around and say, well,
the Bible says all things work together for good.
But my, my back is really hurting me today.
Therefore, maybe God doesn't love me.
Or maybe in a more serious note, and we'll get to real stuff
here, that, that God loves me.
How could he take someone from me?
How could he allow someone that I love to pass away?
And those are hard things for us to reconcile.
But again, there is a bigger purpose.
There'S a bigger plan.
And again, Christians are told that we are not living here as our
eternal destination.
Our eternal destination is with our Lord.
In heaven for eternity.
We're just pilgrims passing through.
And so to see it from such a shortsighted principle means this.
We miss out on the bigger picture of what God has blessed us
in the glory that is to come.
So if I have a bad day today, someone comes up and says, how's
your day going?
I could answer in a few different ways.
I could answer in my circumstantial earthly.
Material focus and say, well, my day.
Is pretty terrible today.
I, I, I, I missed every single light.
I hit every red light coming into work.
I was late, you know, I didn't.
My coffee was cold.
I, I, someone betrayed me.
Someone lied to me.
I could say all those things and say, my day is terrible.
Or I could say, no matter what comes on in my life, no matter what
goes on around me, I have Jesus as my savior, so it's a good
day.
That's.
That's what he's talking about here in Romans 8, 28.
Because all things.
And, and.
And a lot of people think this.
A lot of people think that if God is in complete control, that
he is the author of everything that's going.
On around us, that.
That he's actually the author of evil.
If God is completely sovereign, he is ordaining this evil
to happen in my life.
That's not what this is saying.
Actually.
Most of the struggles that we face in our life is because of bad
decisions or sinful decisions that we make.
So.
And a lot of people argue, well, that is not showing God's power.
Actually, it shows God's power even more because God can take all
of our bad decisions.
Okay, now that's crazy to think about, because I know how many
bad decisions.
I've made in my life.
And I look out there and I could only assume that some of you
maybe have maybe about half of my.
Problems that I've had.
And if we add all those problems up just in this room, think
about how God can make all things good out of all of our bad
decisions.
He can take our ashes and move that to beauty.
He can take the sin of this world and his sovereignty and make
that good for him.
That shows his complete power.
Because with.
With love comes a choice.
And if God made us robotic to say, well, I must do this or I must
do that, and I don't have a choice in the matter that there's
no love there.
What if.
What if I told my wife as.
She comes into the church today, honey, you better show that
you love me.
You better tell everyone that you love me, or there's gonna be
big problems when you get home today.
Is that love or is that forcing her?
No, that's forcing.
That's.
That's not love of a choice.
And so God gives us all the love of choice.
But with that, that choice of love comes also the opposite of that.
If God gives us a choice for love, he also gives us a choice to
not love and to walk in rebellion.
Therefore, that's why we see sin in this world.
God is not the author of sin.
We see that in the book of James.
God is not the author of sin.
But God does allow that choice to happen.
Because to understand good, there must be evil.
Because if everything was robotically Good.
We would not understand the opposite of that.
And so with that choice comes this, that I can make bad decisions
in my life and cause.
Or maybe it's not my decision, maybe it's a decision of somebody
else.
Ultimately, it was the decision of Adam and his sin.
And the world has been marred by sin.
And so God is so powerful to take all of our bad decisions, all.
Of the hardships of this world, all.
The sin in this world, and make.
That good for his purpose and for his kingdom.
That's an amazing thing to think about.
And so I want you to think about number two.
We have to see things in Romans 8:28 from the big picture,
the eternal perspective.
We don't know what is next.
God isn't done.
That's the other thing to think about.
A lot of times we think about it from the narrow focus and from
the here and now, but we don't know about this circumstance in our
life.
This actually might be something that God is going to use
for the furtherance.
Of the gospel, the furtherance of the kingdom.
There's a lot of stories that we could tell.
I was listening to a pastor and trying to remember all of the
analogy that he was giving.
So this is not original to me, and if I mess this up, forgive me,
but there was a guy who was living in a town and he had a horse,
and he was a poor man.
And everyone in the town thought, hey, you know what?
You could sell your horse to us and you could make some money
and you could have some type of wealth.
And he said, no, I don't want.
To sell my horse.
God's blessed me with this one horse.
I'm okay with that.
And.
And they said, but if you could.
Just sell us your horse, you can make money and you could, you
could have everything you wanted.
He says, I have everything I want here.
This is what God has blessed me with.
I don't need to know what's next.
One day the horse runs away and they come to him and they say.
See, we were right.
You should have just sold us a horse.
You lost the horse.
Now you lost all of your possessions.
You're all by yourself.
You have nothing.
And he says, well, that's only part of it.
We don't know what comes next.
And so later on, his horse comes back with 12 more horses.
And he says, okay, I've got.
And they say, oh, well, we were wrong.
You were right.
See, now you have more.
And he says, no, I just have.
12 more horses that came.
But I don't know what Tomorrow's gonna bring.
So one day the horses are out there in the.
In the field, and three of them run away.
And they say, well, you lost a little bit money, but I guess you're
okay.
The next day, more left, and there was only one horse left.
They say, see, we were right.
You should have sold all those horses.
And he goes, no, it's just the here and now.
I don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring.
One day his son's out in the field.
And they.
They said, well, you still have that one horse.
You should sell it back to us.
That horse is going to be bad for you.
He goes, no.
And all of a sudden what happens.
Is his son's out in the field working with the horse, and the horse
stomps him and breaks both of his son's legs.
They said, see, you should have sold us the horse.
And he goes, we were right.
And he goes, no, no.
He goes, that's just what's happening now.
I don't know what's happening tomorrow.
Just a portion of it.
Then the next day, his country goes to war, and his son, because
of the broken legs, doesn't have to go fight in the battle that
he would surely die in.
He says, hey, look.
And they say, you're right.
And right.
You see how it goes.
You see the silliness of the story.
The silliness of the story is that.
Everyone has an opinion of the here and now, but we don't know what.
God's going to do next.
We don't know what the blessing is.
Going to be tomorrow.
Because today's bad circumstance might be tomorrow's
good circumstance.
We don't know that now.
It might.
It might not be.
And you might say, I don't.
I can't see anything good happening from this.
Well, I myself might not see what's happening good, but God might
have a.
Bigger purpose and a bigger plan.
I can.
I can tell you through various things.
That have happened in my life in.
That moment, I thought it was the worst.
I thought it was over.
I thought my life was just going to end because of that bad
situation.
And I was talking to a pastor.
Friend of mine, and I remember we.
Were taking a walk, me and this pastor.
We.
We would take walks and we would just talk about all the.
The struggles that we were going through.
And I was talking to this pastor, and I said, you know what?
It's just so bad right now.
I just can't.
I can't face tomorrow.
I can't.
I can't do what God has called me to do.
And he says, you know what the irony of all this is?
He says, you're crying today about a situation that you're in,
and we're going.
To come back to this very same.
Point in a year from now and.
That problem is going to be resolved and you're going to have
another problem that you're crying about.
I said, yeah, I know that's.
And that was the reality of things.
And so, so, so often what we.
Do is we look at the situation.
Or the circumstance that we're in in that very moment, and we think
that that's the end all, be all.
But what the Bible says is that we don't know what's next.
And God isn't done.
God is not done with his work.
I, I want you to see another passage of scripture.
It's in First Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, chapter 13.
And, and I think that this is a good illustration of what we're
talking.
About here now, First Corinthians, chapter 13.
For most of you, you know that this is the, the passage of scripture
about love.
And, but, but Paul is talking about more here.
He's talking about putting away the childish.
Things at the end of this chapter.
And really what he's saying is, is.
Grow up in your spirituality.
Put away the spiritually immature thoughts, put.
Away the spiritually immature actions.
And he goes on to explain the principle behind this.
And, and many times the reason why we're so stuck in the circumstance
is because we are in spiritual immaturity.
Immaturity leads to a small focus.
Some of you that have children understand this.
We were coming back from Thanksgiving and the plane flight
and everything was going fine.
And Michael looks up and he's just like, dad, I'm like, what's
wrong, son?
He goes, I don't want to go.
To school on Monday.
I said, yeah, I know.
It's okay.
He's like, school is just so, so, so long and it's so hard.
And I'm like, mike, it's, you only have a few more weeks and it's
going to be Christmas break.
It's like, it's only be a few years and you're going to be graduating.
You're going to wish you were in school.
And he's like, no, right?
Because, because of his immaturity and because of the lack
of experience, all he can see is the here and now.
I'm going to be stuck in school for another week.
But as his father, I understand the bigger picture.
That son, no this is.
This is only a short amount of.
Time you're going to pass through this.
It might be hard now, but you're.
Going to get through it, and then you're going to see other issues
that come along.
I wish I could go back to school, and that's the only thing
I had to worry about.
But.
But the reality here in First Corinthians.
Is he says, put away the things of spiritual immaturity.
He says, when I. Verse 11, First Corinthians 13:11.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child,
I thought as a child.
But when I became a man, I put away childish things.
And so we could take this passage of Scripture to the physical,
and like.
As men, we need to mature and we need to move on.
And that certainly would be applied here.
But I think even on the more spiritual level, it's talking about
focusing not on the spiritual immaturity, but on the.
The eternal perspective.
Verse 12, he says, for now we see through a glass darkly, which
basically says, I'm.
I'm looking through a window that's darkened and I can't see everything.
I can see a little bit, but I can't see everything.
But then face to face, now I know in part, but then shall I know,
even as also I am known, and now abide with faith, hope, charity,
these three.
But the greatest of these is charity, meaning this.
I can see through the window.
I can't see everything, but one day I will be able to see the.
Big picture, the way that God sees it.
But until then, I'm going to trust.
In him and the things that he.
Allows in my life and the things.
That he brings me and the things that he puts me through.
I'm going to trust in him for that.
And I think it's how all of us could understand this.
And maybe as we grow in our spiritual maturity, we can see more
and more of the picture in the window.
But at the end of the day, all of us are limited in seeing what's
next.
None of us know what tomorrow brings.
None of us know what the news is going to be next year, next decade.
We don't know that, but God does.
And so instead of fretting and stressing and being worried and allowing,
all the circumstances of today caused us to not do the things that
God has called us to do tomorrow.
What do we do?
We should just trust in the one who has it under control.
And so back in Romans 8:28, he says, and we know there's that confidence
There, as a believer, we have to have confidence that God is good.
And we know that all things, not just some things, not just the
things that make sense, not just the things that are going my
way, but all things.
All things good, bad.
And by the way, let me pause here.
This is not God saying that every.
Circumstance you have in your life will be good.
He just says that all things, good.
Or bad, easy or difficult, will be working together for the
good.
Not just his good, even though his good is the ultimate purpose,
but also for ours to them who are the called according to his purpose.
So how do we know that God's.
Plan is good for us?
How do we know that God's plan is better than our plan for ourselves.
Or for the world's plan for us?
Well, it's a very simple thought.
Our God is a good God.
His.
His character is good.
He's not just.
He's not just good.
Sometimes like.
Like we would walk around today and.
Most of you would look at someone that's your friend, that
is a.
What we would call a good person and say, they're good.
Are they completely good?
Well, no.
No one's completely good.
That's right.
And the question that a lot of people ask us, why would God allow
bad things to happen to good people like this?
This person is a good man.
How could God allow the sickness to.
Come into his life?
This person's a good person.
Why would God allow them to go through such a trial?
Well, let me tell you something on the theological level,
and I know this is going to sting.
It stings me when I say it.
But the Bible says that there is none good, no, not one.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
None of us deserve what we have in Jesus Christ.
That's the point of Christianity, that that's the point
of salvation is that none of us can earn it.
None of us deserve any good.
Every good gift comes from God.
In Thanksgiving season, we think about all the good things that
we have.
That is a gift of grace.
What does the Bible say we deserve?
For the wages or the payment of sin is a hard life.
No death.
And this isn't popular preaching.
This isn't something that's going to cause me to say everyone's
going to love me one day.
Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
But I got to say it.
The Bible says what we all deserve is death.
Physical death and spiritual death.
But then, because of the love of our Heavenly Father, he sent his
only begotten Son so that we might have life and so that we can
love Him.
The Bible says we love God because we're good people, because
we were born in America.
No, we love God because he first loved us.
And so if you go back to Romans 8:28, it says that these things
that work together for good, this gift of grace is only for those
who love God.
Well, how do we love God?
We experience his love to us, to them.
Who are the called.
Folks?
We are called for a specific purpose.
We're going to talk more about that.
In verses 29 and 30.
This isn't a deterministic way of thinking.
This isn't saying that only certain people are called and other
people aren't called.
No, the Bible says, for whosoever shall.
Call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The gift is extended to all, but only those who receive the gift
and stand in the truth of God are part of the called, part of the
ones who are called for the purpose of the glorification of our
heavenly Father.
Again, this promise is not for everybody.
If I was to walk up to someone this morning and say to them.
Hey, God loves you and he wants what's best for you and everything
is going to work out for your good.
And they're sitting there going, well, I.
Don'T even believe that God exists.
I'm my own God.
I worship this or I worship that, or I don't worship any God.
And I tell them, hey, well, it's okay, God's going to work it
out for your good.
That's not what this verse says.
This verse is for the family of God, for the children of God.
I hope you see how Romans 8 builds.
Because what does Romans 8:16 say?
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are
the children of God.
He's talking to people that are born again believers.
What's happened is in this world, we've said this with universalism,
that God loves everybody, in which he does by the extent of giving
grace to everybody and the gift of salvation.
But that doesn't mean that everybody is a child of God.
Therefore it doesn't mean that everyone gets to receive this type
of promise and.
Principle of all things work together for.
Good to them that love God to.
Them who are the called.
And so this is, this is something exclusively for those who
have trusted in.
Jesus Christ as savior.
So if someone comes up to me and they say, well, I don't believe
Jesus is God.
I don't believe that he can save me, but I want things to work
out good in my Life.
And can.
Can you give me some type of promise?
I'm going to tell you that I can't give you any promise other
than the fact that there will be inconsistency, there will be pain.
There was someone that said, well, I don't believe in God because
there is a world of pain out there.
And I said, okay, well then don't believe in God.
Is there still pain?
Well, yeah.
The truth is, is that all of us are going to deal with pain.
The beauty of being a Christian, the beauty of walking
with Christ, is that we all go through pain, but we have someone
that we're going through it because that's going through it with
us that can handle our pain, that can handle our struggles, that
can handle our sorrow.
And so in Romans 8:28, it's a.
Promise to those who are in the family of God.
And so I want you to think about this.
How can we know that God is good?
How can we know that God's plan is right for us?
Well, the Bible says that he is the author.
This is Hebrews chapter 12.
He is the author and finisher of our faith.
So if our God is good and he's the author, meaning he's the one
who created us, he's the one who initiated salvation.
And then it says finisher or sustainer, the author and finisher
of our faith.
And so our faith is not in our goodness.
Our salvation is not in our goodness.
Our life is not in our goodness.
The Bible tells us that we have been given new life in Christ
and He is the author and finisher.
So God being the author and finisher of our faith, is a good
God.
Therefore we can know that his plan.
Is what's best for us.
But ultimately we see this.
It's God's plan and purpose for us that is good.
Again, it's not every circumstance that's good.
It's God's plan and purpose for us.
And ultimately the plan and purpose for his glory.
The plan and purpose for his kingdom.
The plan and purpose for reaching loss for Christ.
That is what is good.
But we know that God has not come to make our lives miserable.
I mean, I could go to verse after verse that speaks to how God
wants us to have a rich and abundant life.
And you could go to John 10:10.
That'S a wonderful verse that speaks to the fact that God is not
just wanting us to walk in a life of being miserable.
John 10:10, it says, the thief cometh not, but for to steal and
to kill and to destroy.
I am come this is Jesus.
That they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
God has called us to have a wonderful life.
But the wonderful life is not about getting everything that I want.
The wonderful life is walking with our Savior and knowing that
no matter what I do, no matter what happens around me, no matter
where I live, no matter how much I'm persecuted, no matter how
many times I stumble, that God has got me and that he's preparing
me and that he's sustaining me, and that ultimately I will be
with Him.
But that is what is good, and that is what the product of this.
Type of faith looks like.
And so, since his plan is always.
Good, he is always good.
Christians can take confidence that no matter what the circumstances,
no matter what our environment is around us, that God is actively
taking care of us and will ultimately make all things right
according to his good purpose.
With this knowledge, we.
We can live a life of spiritual contentment and joy and
peace.
Now, I want to take you to.
Another passage of scripture to kind of conclude our thoughts,
because what does this look like?
So what does the life of a.
Christian who Trust in Romans 8:28 look like?
Well, for many people it's taught that.
If I trust in Romans 8:28 and I have just enough faith, everything's
going to be okay.
That God's not going to allow my children to go through pain, that,
that in the country that I live in, we're going to have victories
and we're going to have successes and that God's going to
make my bank account big and that my health is going to be completely
perfect.
No, that's not the outcome of living a life trusting in Romans
8:28, we go to Philippians chapter four and we see exactly what
it looks like.
Because the same author of the book of Romans, Paul, that says,
look, the.
The sufferings that you face now are nothing in comparison to
the glory that you have in heaven.
We know that all things work together.
For good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose.
And by the way, his purpose, not.
Our own, but Philippians chapter four.
We read it this morning.
This is the natural, or may I say supernatural outflow of a Christian's
life who was walking with the confidence to know that God is going
to make all things right, that God is going.
To make all things good.
Because there's a lot of times in our life that we say, yeah, I
quote Romans 8:28, But I'm miserable today.
I don't know if God's going to handle this.
And we might even.
Maybe we don't say it, but we.
Might even doubt if God is going.
To make all things good.
Well, that type of believer is not going to be walking according
to Philippians chapter four.
It's going to be the complete opposite.
But look at it with me in.
Verse four in Philippians chapter four.
This is Paul.
Now again, where is Paul?
Paul is in prison when he writes this.
Paul is not in a resort on.
The banks of the Mediterranean Sea and living the good life.
So Paul says, I. I know that what God is doing right now for me
is going to work together for good.
Therefore, rejoice in the Lord always.
And again I say rejoice.
You ever heard a Christian that say, I just don't have a reason
to praise God today?
How dare we say that?
Job says, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
You know, sometimes it's easy.
Sometimes it's very easy.
Genesis, Jehovah Jireh.
God will provide.
When is it easy to claim Jehovah Jireh?
When you're being provided for?
When our son went through surgery and we were praying through
different things and we there's Jehovah Rafi, which is God.
God heals.
It was so easy for us to.
Claim that God is a healer when.
Our son was healed.
It's so easy to claim God's love when we feel the love.
But that's not when we're to rejoice.
What does he say here?
Rejoice in the Lord when it's good.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
And again I say rejoice.
We say Jehovah Jireh.
When our bank account isn't what we.
Expect it to be, we say that.
God is the healer, even when we don't necessarily see the healing.
Why?
Because we're to rejoice in all senses of the word.
Why?
Because he is ultimately going to heal.
He is ultimately going to provide.
And so it's so easy for us in abundance to praise.
But are we willing to be like Job and say, the Lord gives and the
Lord takes away?
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Can we worship him in the midst of the struggle?
Because that's the true test.
The true test of our inner peace and our inner joy is when things
get tough, are we willing to worship him?
And he says, rejoice in the Lord always.
And again I say, rejoice.
Why?
Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.
When we have this type of praise.
When we have this type of worship, when we have that type of
testimony that says, hey, even though I'm going through this trial,
God is good.
What happens is that the world knows that the Lord is at hand.
Our moderation, our lifestyle is made known unto all.
That's when the testimony resonates.
If I came up to you and said, hey, you know, God just gave me a
million dollars, praise God for that.
He is so good and he's providing for me.
And, and, and you're sitting there going.
Well, I could have used a million dollars.
I don't have.
I don't have enough money to pay for my next meal.
What's going to happen?
The thing is, is that it's not.
About the circumstance that gives us the praise.
It's about letting the Lord be made known.
And so it's yes, God is going to give us abundance.
He's going to talk about that here in a moment.
But I want you to see that it's worshiping God in the blessings
of materials and in the blessings of the spiritual in the
midst of having nothing.
And he goes farther here.
He says, be careful or anxious for nothing.
So he says, this the result of.
Living the life of saying, God's going to make it all good.
We know that all things work together for good.
What's the result?
He says it in verse 6, be.
Careful or anxious for nothing.
That word careful just means anxious, having anxieties.
He says, be careful for nothing but in everything.
So don't ever get anxious about anything but in everything.
What does it say?
By prayer and supplication.
With thanksgiving.
Let your request be made known unto God.
Bring it all to him.
Why?
Because he's in control.
He's the one that cares for us.
He's the one that has the good plan.
Instead of struggling with the things that we cannot control, we
get over to the one who can control those things.
We say, lord, I don't understand why this is happening.
I don't understand why I have to go through this.
I don't understand why I got this news.
I can't reconcile this with anything right now.
But I know you are good and I know you're going to take care of
me.
And it says, with thanksgiving, let your request be
made known unto God.
I give it over to him.
How freeing is it to know that.
I am not in control?
God is in control, folks.
All of us today would realize, hopefully we should realize that
in comparison to God, we are so insignificant.
Our power is limited, our wisdom is Limited.
Our resources are limited.
And how silly would it be for us to say, I've got it under control.
God, no, we give it over to him because eventually, whether you
find out.
Early or later, you're going to be overwhelmed by the circumstances
of this world.
And he says, give it over to him.
And what's the result of that?
What's the result of living with this type of confidence that
all things are going to work together for good?
And the peace, verse 7.
And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It's a type of peace that the world can't understand.
It's, it's, it's a, it's a peace regardless of the circumstance
in our life.
It's a peace that passes all comprehension in this world, and
it's only found through Jesus Christ.
He goes further to say this.
In verse eight, he says, then we.
Set our minds on the things that are proper, right?
Because if we're always in doubt that God is good, if we're
always in doubt that God's plan is right, we're eventually going
to set our minds on the things that are not of God.
And that's why we find ourselves falling into traps of sin.
And, and he says, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report.
If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these
things.
He says, you want to have pure thoughts.
Think about the goodness of God.
Dwell upon what he has done for you.
Dwell upon what he is going to do for you.
And he says, those things which you have both learned and received
and heard.
And seen in me.
This is Paul speaking.
Do, and the God of peace shall be with you.
Speaks of the presence of God, the provisions of God.
Verse 10.
He speaks of how they gave him.
He says, but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at the last,
your care of me have flourished again.
Meaning he's thankful for these people that have given him
goods to support him.
He says, wherein ye also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
And then this is verse 11.
Verse 11 is the, is the culmination.
Essentially.
He says, not that I speak in.
Respect of want, just I don't need to tell you what I'm struggling
with.
For I have learned.
This is not something that naturally happens.
We learn this in our spiritual maturity.
In whatsoever state, I am therewith to be content.
Meaning this, whatever's happening in my life, I'm Content?
Why?
Because I have Jesus.
I have salvation.
Now.
I'm preaching this to you not as someone who's accomplished this
in my life.
There are still days that I wake up and I'm not content because
I want something more.
I want something different.
I want.
I want to have more material blessing.
But what does he say here?
He says, there.
There will be days.
He goes, Verse 12.
I know how to be abased, which means torn down, pulled down to the
lowest state.
Paul understood that.
And I know how to abound, meaning, I know how to be lifted
up.
I know how to succeed.
I know how to have all this type of blessing everywhere and in
all things.
I am instructed both to be full.
He says, there's been times where I've been full.
I'm Vince.
Some of us at Thanksgiving understood that feeling.
Be full.
And then he says, and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need.
He says, I've been in both at the same time.
I can be content in both.
Why?
Because of the blessings of God in my life.
Because He's a good God.
Because he has an ultimate plan for my life.
And then we get to another verse.
Philippians 4:13, another verse that gets highly misquoted.
I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
That doesn't mean that I can do whatever I want and God will just.
Bless me because I'm a Christian.
Very similar to Romans 8:28.
Romans 8:28 is not about just loving God, and He gives me everything
I want.
Philippians 4:13 is not just about, hey, just doing whatever I
want to do and God will bless it.
No, it says this in verse 13.
Again, context.
Struggles, blessings.
Whatever God has for me, he has.
Given me the strength to do it.
If God is allowing me to go through this trial right now, he
has given me the strength to overcome this.
In his power and his provisions.
So we really kind of see Romans.
8:28 and Philippians 4:13 as, as we would call, like, verses that,
that cross across the pages.
And what we can see here is this.
Romans 8:28 speaks of the provisions.
All things work together for good.
Right?
All the circumstances that I have, he's.
Going to provide for me.
Good.
And then Philippians 4:13 speak of the power.
I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me.
And so God gives us the provisions of goodness in our life,
no matter.
What the circumstances are, to say that he is good.
And then he gives us the power to utilize those gifts for his kingdom.
And so I want you to think.
About that here this morning, that we must defer our expectations
to God's outcome.
We must see the eternal perspective, the big picture.
We have to understand that we don't know what's next, but God is
not done working yet.
We have to understand that our God, the author and finisher of our
faith, is good.
And we must understand that it's God's plan and purpose for our
lives and not our own plan and purpose.
That's what it means to rest in.
The knowledge of God's goodness.
And then, then, then we can say, and we know.
And this takes faith.
This takes complete, in utter faith.
Because it's not what we see.
Because what we see is in this.
World, pain, suffering, struggles.
But we take.
Remember what faith is he just talked.
About in Romans 8.
It's believing and having hope in something that we don't see.
So it takes faith to know that all, all things work together for
good.
Not all things are good, but all things that happen in this world,
God will make for good to them that love God to them who are the
called.
I want you to see this last phrase here, and then we're done.
According to his purpose, not Josh's purpose, not so and so's purpose,
but it's good in his purpose.
And what's his purpose?
This.
His purpose is to extend the gift of grace so that so many people,
so that all people.
He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance.
Meaning this.
The purpose of this life is to glorify God, worship him by proclaiming
his goodness and his gospel to all those around us.
My struggles can point people to Christ.
My inadequacies, my infirmities, as Romans 8.
Says, can point people to Christ.
I'm gonna.
I'm gonna tell you something this morning.
It's very hard to say, but.
But we're gonna say it.
Our losses can point people to Christ.
Because when we stand in the truth of God, what better testimony
is it than we sit here and go, in my pain and my tears and my brokenness,
God is still good.
How.
How much more does that preach than.
Someone who has everything and goes, you know what?
I need a third private jet just.
To make my life better.
That.
That's not the gospel.
That's not Paul.
That.
That's not what it means to walk in faith.
What it means to walk in faith is I praise him in the good.
I know how to abound.
I know how to be abased.
I know how to be full.
I know how to be Hungry.
How many of us would say, today, no matter what's going on
in my.
Life around me, God is good.
I'm not going to fret.
I'm going to be as Paul says.
In Philippians 4, 11, I know how to be content.
Whatever circumstance I'm in, I'm going to be content.
It doesn't mean you have to like.
The bad things going on around you.
This doesn't mean that you celebrate pain.
This doesn't mean that you celebrate loss.
Biblically speaking, there's a time for mourning, there's a time
for sadness.
There's a time to recognize evil around us.
So it's not justifying evil around us by any stretch of the imagination.
It's actually condemning that and knowing that God is going to
address that evil around us.
But until then, we keep trusting in Him.
Now, will God answer your prayer?
He might answer your prayer in the affirmative.
That's not my job to say.
You might be praying for God to.
Work a miracle in your life, and he works that miracle in your
life.
But I have to say the other side of the coin, you might be praying
for something for years, and he doesn't give you what you expected.
At the end of the day, God still is a God of miracles.
He's still a healer.
He is still the same God, the.
Part of the Red Sea.
He's still the same God that made.
The sun stand still there in the book of Joshua.
But at the same time, God has.
A bigger plan and a bigger purpose than our expectations.
And so if God doesn't answer the prayer the way that you're praying,
it, it doesn't mean that he stopped loving you.
It just means that there's a different plan and purpose.
And I pray that all of us can see that and understand that and
rest in that.
Here this morning.
It's a difficult passage.
It's still.
It's still because of our experience, is still a passage that
many of us will struggle with at some point in our life.
But at the end of the day.
What we do is we look to it and we say, not a question of why
does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
It's the other way around.
And I'm just going to say this.
This morning, the true question we should be asking is,
why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?
Because that's what he's doing.
He's allowing beautiful things to happen to.
People that don't deserve grace.
That's essentially what grace is.
Grace is getting something that we don't deserve.
And so as a Christian, if I see everything as a blessing, if
Thanksgiving.
Is every day of the week, every day of the year, and I say.
Wow, I didn't deserve to wake up today.
I don't deserve this family that I have.
I don't deserve this job that I have.
I don't deserve this day at all.
But at the end of the day, this is.
If we see it that way, every day is a blessing.
If we see every gift is a.
Blessing, we're a lot more willing to live in that life of contentment
and.
Joy and rejoicing in worship.
Folks, if you can only worship on.
Days that things are going well.
It's like Paul says, and this is.
I'm preaching to myself.
But it's like Paul says, get rid of those things that are childish.
It's childish to only be happy when things are going good for me.
Like, my kids are only happy when they get candy.
But dad sees the bigger picture and says, son, it's not good
to have candy.
Thanksgiving, we went to this candy store and there was these big
candy.
It's called Candy Barrel.
And they filled up their candy and they're eating candy.
And I'm like, guys, don't get used to this.
This isn't every day.
You're not going to go home and.
Go to Candy Barrel and fill up your candy every day.
Why?
Because I understand as the Father, the.
Bigger picture of the.
The problem with that same thing with God.
Sometimes God allows to us to understand this.
But there are certain times where we.
Can'T understand why God isn't doing this for us.
But we just have to trust that he's dad and he knows the bigger
picture.
And I'm going to trust in his goodness.
He's never going to fail you.
The Bible says that he will never leave us nor forsake us, that
nothing.
We're going to get to this in Romans 8.
And I'm just wanting to get there so bad.
Nothing can separate us from his love.
And that's why we have to say, okay, it's okay.
It's okay.
Today we're going to make it through.
There's days where you just cry all day.
That's okay.
He's there with you and you're crying.
He's there with you in your questions.
It's okay to ask God questions.
It's not okay to question God's goodness, but it's okay to
ask God questions.
And sometimes he gives us answers and sometimes he doesn't.
And we say, okay, Lord, I don't.
Know the answers, but I give you, I give you the glory.
Remember, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be
made known.
Come to him this morning.
You're struggling with that verse.
I don't see how it's working together for good.
The first thing you gotta take care of is your eternal destination.
If you've got that taken care of, it's then understanding how God
meets you in your daily walk, in your daily struggles.
But for many of us, it's a matter of faith.
It's a matter of trusting that God.
Has the best plan for me.
And also to know that God is not the author of evil.
There's a lot of people that, that will say this because of whatever
happened.
God must not love me because he did this to me.
Just know that God did not author evil.
Evil is the absence of God.
But again, evil must be there because of the good.
Hate must be there because of the love.
And what we have to understand is that we have a choice.
Do we have a choice to trust in God or we have a choice to question
God?
Well, we have a choice to do both.
The question is, is what are we going to do here this morning?
Are we going to trust in Him?
Are we going to give the glory to Him?
There's times of abundance, that's when we give him praise.
There's times of brokenness, that's when we give him praise.
And I don't know where you stand this morning.
Some of you, you might be in.
That day of abundance.
For some of you, you might be in that day of brokenness.
Either way, the day of blessing and the day of brokenness
is still a blessing in Jesus Christ.
And so here this morning, you might need to come to him.
Just say, lord, give me the strength, give me the faith, give
me the hope that I can look to you in the midst of everything in
my.
Life and say, I know that all things work together for good.
Help me see the bigger picture.
So I'm going to ask if you're able to stand with me here this morning,
every head bowed, every eye closed as the music plays Today a
time of response.
We only went over one main verse that we know.
Can you say that for your own testimony this morning?
Do you know that all things.
All.
Things work together for good?
To those who love God, to those who are the called according
to his purpose.
Is the expectation my purpose or his purpose?
Well, if it's my purpose, I'm going to see all the flaws.
But if it's his purpose, I'm going to trust that he has what's
best for me.
Some might say, well, how does this hardship in my life work out
to the bigger picture?
That's above my pay grade.
I don't know how all of that's going to work.
But we trust that God's got it all under control.
And when we trust that, it allows.
Us to live with peace and contentment.
And hope and joy and worship and all the things that God has called
us to do in our lives.
And so here this morning, maybe you.
Need to start with just faith in Him.
If you haven't trusted in Jesus Christ as your personal savior,
if you're living in the Bible says the wages of sin, today is the
day that you can trust in Him.
He sent his only begotten Son for you to die on the cross.
The conquered death through the resurrection.
As the song is playing here, just as I am, we come broken to be
mended.
We come wounded to be healed.
We come desperate to be mended.
And so ultimately here this morning, how, how many of us are
willing to.
Come to him in brokenness and say.
I need you Lord, for salvation.
But maybe we've done that.
But maybe for some of us, we need the Lord sustaining power and
grace in our life to see his plan.
In the midst of the inconsistency.
And so this morning, think about this.
Are we willing to trust in the.
Consistency of our Lord in the midst of a world of inconsistence?
For some of us, we need to do that here today.
So in this time of invitation, you can come forward, some have already
come.
You can kneel here at the steps, or you can kneel in your pew
and you can ask the Lord to help you see his plan and purpose
in your life.
Because he has a plan and purpose for your life.
And sometimes we have to just be open and ready to follow that
plan and purpose.
His plan might be for you to.
Have a good circumstance.
His plan might be for you to have a difficult circumstance.
But at the end of the day.
It'S all for his glory.
May we give him his glory here.
This Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation, working
hearts and lives.
We thank you for all that you do for us in Jesus name.
Amen.
As the music plays, some have already come.
Follow as the Lord leads here this morning.
Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church
podcast.
I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you.
If you would like to find out more information about our church
or this sermon.
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Thank you so much.
God Bless.
Have a wonderful day.