And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to His purpose. A lot of times when someone is
going through a hard place in life, and others are compassionate
and caring, we'll say to that person, well,
you know, Romans 8.28 is still in the Bible. And sometimes that is not so helpful to people.
Sometimes it's kind of offensive because it's as if you're scolding
them for being sorrowful and sad. Well, the verse has to be
carefully looked at and applied in its right manner. This verse is so full and exhaustive,
it says so much. I dare say there's anyone here
this morning without a measure of discontentment in some way. Maybe even sinful worry over
some problem, some situation. Physical, financial, family, maybe all
three. Not a week goes by that I don't
talk to people and not a Sunday goes by, but what some of you
don't share with me some situation or request prior for some person, but we need to carefully look
at this verse. Now, as a believer, Satan cannot
convince you to deny God's word. He can't do it, but he will work
and do his very best at making you ignore it. and conclude that it works for
most people, but it just won't work for you. You're a special
case. You're an extreme. You're odd. You're different. You're worse
than anybody you know. See, that's his strategy. But you see, my word is my opinion. Your word is your opinion. God's
Word is far more than an opinion. God's Word is unquestionable
truth, undebatable truth. And by the way, truth is not
relative. Truth is absolute. I'll just throw this in. That
is a deceptive strategy. Concerning so many moral issues
in our day, people say, well, what's right for you may not
be right for somebody else. Hold on. If it's some, if it's,
we're talking about somebody's opinion and what somebody thinks
that statement may stand. But when we're talking about
God's word, when we're talking about God's truth, it's not relative
to your situation or yours or yours. God's truth is absolute. If it's wrong for me, it's wrong
for you. If it's right for you, it's right
for me. So God's word is not relative. It does not change
and alter and vary with the situation. God's truth is absolute truth.
Every time and all the time. I want to do a little word study
and get a clear picture in this verse of the word good for a
little bit this morning. as it's used here. All things
work together for good. Before we do that, I want to
mention five things as we focus on this verse of scripture and
just kind of go along through here. Number one, Paul begins
this verse with a word of continuity, and that's important. The word
and, and. You never just take a verse of
scripture without considering the context that it occurs in,
appears in. And the word and, it means along
with what's just been stated. Now we're fixing to state an
agreeing statement, another statement in agreement with what's just
been said. He had just said that we're not in this by ourselves.
Verse 26, we don't know what we should pray for as we ought. We know what we want, but we
don't know how to pray as we ought. Big difference. But he says the spirit of God
intercedes for us. And look at the latter part of
verse 27. He intercedes for us, not for
what we choose for ourselves. The Holy Spirit don't say father,
he or she wants this. No, no. He intercedes for us
according to the will of God. So we see the continuity flowing
into this verse 28. Then there's the word. of certainty. Paul says, and
we know. It's not we think, or we guess,
or we hope, but we know. Well, how do we know? We don't know with the carnal
mind. With this fleshly mind, we usually
conclude in our minds that all that happens to us, God must
be against us. That's how we think naturally.
So we don't just know with our minds, but with a conviction
of the heart, something put in our hearts by God himself, that
his word is true. He cannot lie. That his children
are more precious to him than we are to ourselves. I have a problem in two areas.
I can't convince myself that I love the Lord like I should.
And I'm right about that. I don't love the Lord like I
should. But then we have another problem. I can't convince ourselves
that He loves us like He says He does. But He does. He does. Then there's the chief consideration
of this verse, the clear statement that's enlarged upon all things
work together for good. Not some things, but all things
pleasant and unpleasant, painful and pleasurable, all things.
A lot of times we hear just this
brief part of the verse quoted. Someone say, well, you know,
the Bible says all things work together for good, but it's bigger
than that. It's bigger than that. And then there's, fortunately,
there's the constructiveness that Paul speaks of. All things
work together, not separately, but together. We see things and
events in this life as going against the grain, as working
against each other. But no, in the mind and purpose of God,
all things work together. That is the wisdom of God, who's
declared the end from the beginning. By Him, all things come together. cooperate together, communicate
together for good. You say, I just don't see it.
Well, I'm glad you don't think you're that big. I don't see
it either, but we read it and believe it.
And then a fifth thing, there's the select company for
whom this is declared. All things work together for
good to who? To them that love God. And who is that? That really
loves God. He goes on to tell us. To them who are the called according
to his purpose. That's the only ones who can
love God. You see, this puts the ball in
God's court, where it's always been, and declares that really it's
God who determines who loves Him and who doesn't. You say,
now why would God do that? Well, because by nature none
of us love Him. By nature, all you love is you, me, myself,
and I. Takes an intervention of God,
sovereignly working in our hearts. We love him because he first
loved us. That's the order. Sovereign grace. See, no one falls in love with
him by any human will or human work. But Christ is born in us
by the Holy Spirit, whom God has sent. And it's Christ in
you that loves God. Left to yourself, you wouldn't
love him. You couldn't love him. And this morning, if you do love
him, you say, I don't love him like I should. I know that. But
if you do love him, you need not wonder if you're his. You
couldn't have a heart for him if he didn't have a heart for
you. Now let's look at this word good just a few minutes. And
we'll not keep you too long, but we want to eat a little in
this book before we eat anywhere else, okay? In the book of Romans, there
are five Greek words translated good. And I'll quickly give you
the first four and then zero in on the fifth one. In chapter
3 and verse 12, we read the statement, there is none that doeth good,
no not one. Paul is quoting the Old Testament.
That statement occurs several times in the Old Testament. But
Romans 3.12, he says it, there is none that doeth good, no not
one. And of course, the context of
that chapter, Romans 3, is concerning sinful nature, all humanity,
Jew and Gentile. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. And Paul is not saying that no
one does anything useful or worthwhile or helpful or good in any way. He's not saying that. But the particular word he uses
there means of moral excellence. There is none of Adam's race that is of moral
excellence. No, not one. Nobody does anything
good enough or of moral excellence enough to affect his or her own
salvation. You say, well, I've been told
if I'd walk down the aisle and say, yes, I accept Jesus as my
Savior, And if I'd just be that bold in front of all the people,
then God would smile and say, boy, are you willing to do that?
No, that's not it. Nobody does anything good enough
or of moral excellency enough to affect his or her own salvation. So far as merit in our own salvation, there is
none. that doeth good. No, not one. The second word, chapter 11,
verse 24, Paul talks about the believing
Israelites as the good olive tree, not good in themselves. We just read, there is none good
Jew or Gentile. But the word used there in 1124
means cultivated, not cultivated by oneself, but cultivated by
the Lord. The olive tree spoken of as wild
is uncultivated. God's left it alone. If you've got a garden and you
don't cultivate that thing for two or three years, it'll be
wild. See? God's left it alone. But true believers, both Jew
and Gentile, are part of the good tree. Cultivated. Cultivated. Of course, that's
the only good part about any of us is God's cultivating us. His doing. And the third word
translated good in Romans is in chapter 14 and verse 21. Let me read that verse. Romans
14, 21. It is good neither to eat flesh
nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth,
or is offended, or is made weak. It is good. Now, The word good in this verse means
it's a good thing not to be deliberately offensive to a brother in such
a simple matter as drinking wine or eating meat. There was a problem
at Corinth of whether it was right to eat
meat that had been sacrificed to the idols. They'd bring their
Animal sacrifices offer them to their idol gods. And then
the meat would be taken and sold in the meat market, sold for
food. People take it home and eat it. And there was a controversy
over this. And Paul said there in Corinthians,
he said, there's nothing wrong with the meat. You know it and
I know it. It's good. But he said, if it
offends a brother, I won't do it. in his presence. I can leave
it off. It's not something I have to have. What he's simply saying, and
I'll bring this a little more up-to-date, personal level, my
appetite for a steak should not be more important to me than
the fellowship of a brother in the Lord. Now I laugh at those
guys that don't eat meat. I'll take their part, you know. But he's talking about in that
sense, the fourth word, chapter 16, verses 17 and 18, another
word Paul uses. Now beseech you brethren mark
them, which cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine,
which you have learned and avoid them. For they that are such
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. And by good
words, see the word good, and by good words and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple. He's here talking about false
religionists deceiving the people. And the word good he uses does
not really mean good, he's saying They are successful using persuasive
words, convincing words and fair speeches to deceive people. Their words are not really good
words, but he's saying they do a good job of making it sound
good. And they're persuasive and thereby
deceive the hearts of the simple. We have those four different
Greek words. translated good used in those
passages. But the fifth word is the one
we're coming to use here in Romans 8 and verse 28. And this is the
one I want us to see clearly for a few moments. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called, according to his purpose. The word for good here means
of true and everlasting benefit. Now that's important that you
get a hold of that. Of true and everlasting benefit. Now, you get in a car wreck and
break your back and both arms and your neck, and you're laying
up there in the hospital tied up, and somebody comes in and says,
you know, the Bible says all things work together for good. Well, that does not mean that
at the present time it's good for you to be there in pain.
No, no. But listen to this word, good,
of true and everlasting benefit. God's not looking at what happens
to you today for today. He's looking way down the road.
He's bringing things to pass for your true and everlasting
good. Now this word belongs to the
Lord's people only. And we know that all things work
together for the true and everlasting benefit of them that love God,
them who are the called according to His purpose. I say this belongs
to the Lord's people only. Why? Because there is really
no true an everlasting benefit to those who die in their sins. This is God's good here. This
is His true and everlasting benefits to His people. Notice Paul does
not say, and we know that all things work together for the
safety of them that love God. No. You run a red light and you're
going to get the soup knocked out of you just like anybody
else would. He does not say, and we know
that all things work together for the perfect health of them
that love God. In other words, you ain't never
supposed to be sick. This fellow preaches that. He does not say,
and we know that all things work together for the financial prosperity
of them that love God. Health and wealth, he don't say
that. He don't say that. Some of the greatest of God's
saints, Paul said, I've been hungry, I've been cold, nakedness. Others, God's pleased to bless
and prosper financially. But all that's in God's hands,
see. Paul is not saying we know that
all things work together for a life without hardships, without
trouble, without sorrow, and without disappointment. No, he
don't say that. He does say, and we know that
all things work together for the true and everlasting benefit
of them that love God. That's God's good to his people.
true and everlasting. Let me just show you this quickly,
this word in Romans. It sheds much light on these
verses. This good we're talking about,
it's a good we don't possess in our flesh. Romans 7, 18. Paul said, I know that in me,
that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." What
is he saying? He's saying, for I know that
in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no true and everlasting
benefit. This mess of a sinful body we
live in is not an asset. It's a liability. Responsibility. My flesh is concerned with what
I want now, for my comfort now, my pleasure now, my enjoyment
now, my acceptance in this life, my success in this life. What we want is not of any true
and everlasting benefit. But God, our God, He thinks more
of you being conformed to the image of His Son than you being what you want
to be. I'm glad He thinks more of us than that. You parents
think more of your children than to let them do anything and everything
they want to do, don't you? You want to know what makes us
the sorriest society on earth? It's a gang of young'uns that's
never been told no about nothing. That's about where we're at in
this country. God thinks more of us than we
think of ourselves. God gives a true and everlasting
benefit to his people. All right, now chapter 7, verse
19. This good we're talking about,
it's a good that we don't perform in our flesh. Paul uses the word
here in chapter 17 verse 19. For the good I would, I do not. He's saying I am aware by the
Spirit of God living in me that there is a good, there is a true
and everlasting benefit, a good I'd like to perform But I wind up not doing that. I do something else. See, this
just fits with how we are. And then thirdly, this good is
a good that we don't pursue. You say, oh, I do. Really? Look at chapter 13 and verse
1. Chapter 13, verse 1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of
God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Now that verse really
gets to me when I look at the politicians in our country. There is something in my flesh
that really wants to argue with the Lord and really don't like
it that God said the powers that be are ordained of me. Seems like most of what they're
doing is not good. And it's not good in the thing
itself. But verse four of that same chapter says that that God hating politician is the minister of God to thee for good. And of course the thee
here is God's people. You say, well, they cut my benefits.
That law caused my insurance to skyrocket. The politicians
are not doing me good. But here it is. They are ministers
of God to thee, not for your present enjoyment.
Taxes go up. They do things we hate, but they are ministers of God
to thee for thy true and everlasting benefit. They're doing just what God put
them there to do. You say, I don't believe that. I don't like that. You better
go back and read the book of Exodus. The Bible says that God
raised up Pharaoh to give his people hell, God
raised him up to do exactly what he did. Paul said that in the
ninth chapter of Romans here. Read Romans 9, you'll find that
out. God raised up Pharaoh to be the devil he was, just to persecute God's people,
to drive us to cry to God, to cry to him. When would you ever
call on the Lord if everything went the way you want it to?
You'd forget He existed. God is this big in the good and
the bad. All things work together. Maybe not to make you happy today
or tomorrow or next year, but all things work together for
the true and everlasting benefit of His people. This is going
to be good for you forever. Well, finally, this is a good we're
talking about, even though we don't possess it in ourselves,
in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Even though we don't perform
it, the good I would, I do not. Even though we don't pursue it,
we despise the powers that be that God's made of ministers
to us. But there is something about
this good, we must prove it. We must prove it. Chapter 12,
read this couple of verses in conclusion, Romans 12, 1 and
2. I beseech you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that he is on the basis that God has
been so merciful to you, that you present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this
world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove, that is, that you may have it worked out in your
heart and life, that you may prove what is that good, that you may prove what is that
true and everlasting benefit. It's acceptable. It's perfect. It's the will of God. It's not acceptable to my flesh,
everything that comes and goes, all things, no. It's not perfect in our eyes,
everything that happens. that good, perfect, acceptable
will of God. God is really saying to us, I couldn't do better for you. The true and everlasting benefit I've given, I couldn't have done
better for you than exactly what I've done. You say, oh, if the Lord would
just give me this or give me that, I wouldn't have to worry
about this and I wouldn't have to worry about that. God just
fix this and fix that. Oh, hey. That's usually how Romans 8,
28 is quoted. That temporal good, that that
that would spoil us, that would just give us What we want all
the time that that would just ease the pressure and take away
all the problems. That wouldn't be of any true
and everlasting benefit, but oh, it's the hardships. It's
the, it's the things that go against the grain. All things
work together for the true and everlasting benefit of God's
children. I read once. a story about an oak tree, the
mighty oak, with roots that go deep, deep,
deep into the earth. And we sometimes have these storms
around here. And I'm afraid of these tall
pines. I mean, they'll go. They will go. And poplars. But oaks, sometimes one will
come up, but you don't worry about them quite as much. The
mighty oak. And the reason is, in this story
I read, they have such a root system. Pine don't. Piper don't. But that oak goes deeper and
deeper and deeper. And the bigger the tree gets,
the heavier it gets above ground, the more stability it has below
the ground. Those roots grow and they go.
And in this story that I read, it said when that tree is young,
And even in the hard ground, I'm not talking about good topsoil,
I'm talking about that hard red clay in South Carolina, hard
ground. For that root to be able to grow and go on and grow strong,
that ground has to be loosened up. And the storm serves that purpose. The wind, the rain, the storm,
the rock in that tree, It rattles that thing plum under the ground.
Everything makes just a little bitty hair of a space for that
root to grow a little more and grow a little more. And so it
is in life. It's the storms. It's the troubles. It's the all things that God
uses to do a work right in here to bring about true and everlasting
benefits to his people. Bless his holy name. So think
about these things. Next time you hear this quoted
Romans 8 28, let's stand together.