If you take your Bibles again,
turn with me to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. We're going to ultimately get
to our text in verse 28. Again, I told you I needed this. It's been a comfort to me. We know you who believe. He said, we know. I tell you,
I know a lot of things, but I don't remember a lot of times. It's
just to remind you what you know. We know that all things work
together for good, specifically to them that love God, to them
who are called according to His purpose. The title of the message
is, It's All Good. It's All Good. Now in this text, of Scripture,
this is intended for the believer in Jesus Christ to be one of
the most comforting and strengthening passages of Scripture in the
Word of God. This Scripture is intended to
persuade us, to convince us who are in Christ that nothing happens
by chance or luck. Nothing happens by blind fate,
but all things are ordained and purposed by the hand of our sovereign
God for this purpose, for our good. That's what it's intended
for. But not only are we talking about
providences and circumstances, He goes further to explain that
these circumstances and providences are moved constantly for our
good. Consider that, that the earth
moves in its orbit for the good of his people. The sun shines,
the rain falls, the storms come. Everything is intended of God
for our good. That's why Isaiah was told to
say this, say you to the righteous, it shall be well with him. And so then this scripture tells
us we know. We know that all things, listen,
work together. Not all things are for our good,
all things work together for our good. It's very important
to understand that. Now, I want us to get the sense
of the context of this text, and you've got to start at where
Paul was suffering. Suffering is the context of this.
You don't need this if you're not suffering. Everything seems
to be going well. Well, of course, yeah, it feels
good. I feel good. Everything's going good. Normally,
we don't go to this text. Usually, you go to this text
when everything's bad, when everything feels horrible, when all is ill. And that's where the apostle
begins. Go back to chapter 7. He is describing the conflict
that every believer faces, the struggle, the difficulty every
believer faces in this life. Verse 24, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Every believer faces this. And
then immediately the Spirit of God springs into action here
and He gives comfort. So when you feel this, and I
know you will and you do, here is the comfort, comes right behind
it, I thank God. Here's how I'm going to be delivered
from the body of this death. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
through a representative, through a substitutionary work of Christ,
this is how I'm going to be delivered. So then, with the mind I myself
serve the law of God. What is this? It is the law of
faith. He's not saying he serves the law of Moses. He's saying,
I serve the law of God, faith and love, but with the flesh,
what? What does the flesh serve? The
law of sin. Paul says, I thank God through
Jesus Christ. We sing that hymn every once
in a while, this robe of flesh I'll drop and rise to seize the
everlasting One day that's coming. This is the experience of every
believer as we journey through this world. We struggle with
this old man of sin. We struggle with the afflictions
and troubles of this fallen world. And often it overwhelms us. It
overcomes us. So that we are made to feel the
distinction of these two natures in us. We're made to feel it. That's what Paul was expressing
here. The new nature which is created
after God in true holiness does long to serve God. It longs to
be righteous. It longs to please God by faith
in Jesus Christ. But the old man of sin only longs
to rebel. So then the believer, unto the
day this old man is laid in the grave, he is going to suffer. If he's not suffering externally,
surely we suffer internally. The struggle, the despair causes
us to despair, oh wretched man that I am. And so then we need to be reminded
of our benefits. How vast the benefits. How vast
are our benefits, you that believe in Christ? We need to be reminded
of this so we don't faint in the midst of this struggle. So we should not faint in the
midst of our providences and our struggles. Let us first of
all remember our union with Christ. Are you struggling? Remember
your union with Christ. in the midst of our struggles,
consider that we are one with Christ. How did Paul illustrate
that? He said Christ is our head and
we are His body. Now how tight is that union?
Go look in a full-length mirror, you can see it. Your head is
permanently, if you're going to live, it's permanently attached
to the body. It's in union with it. The head
controls everything. We are his body. We are in union.
Who puts you there? If you consider your union with
Christ, who puts you in union? 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 30,
but of God are you in Christ? That union was something accomplished
by God, purposed by God, and experimentally accomplished by
God. We are in union, but of God are
you in Christ? who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. He is all our salvation. Who
made Christ your salvation? You do that? You have any part
of that? Well, you need to just make Jesus
your salvation. Nope. No, God did that. Put yourself in union with Christ.
Tell me how you do that. What of God am I in Christ Jesus?
Therefore, this is the promise then in the struggle. Here is
the result of our hope of being delivered from this body of death. Here it is, here is the result,
verse 1, chapter 8, there is therefore now, what? No condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. Union. Are you in union with
Christ Jesus? There is therefore now no condemnation. No condemnation. Wait a second. My conscience
is constantly condemning me. People can look at my life and
they can see it's not perfect. It's not righteous. So they're
constantly condemning me. Satan is constantly accusing
my conscience of it all the time. So I feel like I'm being condemned
when actually there is no condemnation. There's no condemnation. We are delivered from condemnation
of God's wrath through our union with Christ. Why? Christ is the
end of the law. How do we know sin but by the
law? You're not going to know sin except the law. So then Christ
has delivered us from the guilt of the law. How did he do that? By bearing
our guilt. He's delivered us from the power
of the law, from the observance of the law in every part. I am
no longer under the law in any part. Go to Galatians chapter 3. Look
at that. Anybody want to be under the law in any part? Name something
you want to be under. Pick it. Sabbath worship? You think you've got to obey
the Sabbath day? What about tithing? You want to be under tithing?
Anybody? Ten Commandments. Anything? Pick it. Look at verse 10 of
chapter 3 in Galatians. For as many as are of the works
of the law, any of them, what are you under? You're under the
curse. Because whatever you picked,
you haven't done. Whatever it is. For it is written, Curse is everyone
that continueth not in, what? All things. You don't get to
pick. You don't get to pick and choose
which one. You're under one, you're under them all. All things which are written
in the book of the law, not only to think about it, but to do
them. You want to be under the Ten
Commandments, you better get a lamb, you better get a high
priest, you better build a temple, and you better find an ark, and
you better put back the veil, because that's what the law says.
You're under all of it. You don't get to pick and choose.
Christ is the end of the law. Isn't that great? That's magnificent. This is why there is therefore
no condemnation. Look, no man is justified by
the law on the side of God. That's evident. It's not evident
to religion, but it's evident to us. For the just are going to live
how? The just shall live by faith. Listen, and the law is not a
faith. Anybody misunderstand that? Is
that too hard to grasp? Well, I like this part of the
law, but that's not a faith. You're not living by faith. If you're
under the law in any part, you're not living by faith. The law
is not of faith. But the man that doeth them shall
live in them. Listen, Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law by being made a curse. By being
made a curse for us, for it is written, Curse is everyone that
hangeth upon the tree. See, Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness. See, then the cause of our liberty
is because of our federal head. has satisfied the law's demands. Look now back at your text. Paul's
explaining this. This is why there's no condemnation.
Look at verse 3. For what the law could not do
in His weak through the flesh, God sending His Son in the likeness
of sinful flesh and for sin, what did He do? He condemned sin. See, sin didn't
go uncondemned. It's just not condemned in me. God made him to be sin for us
and condemned sin in his flesh. What's the purpose? That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. And who is this us? We who walk
not after the flesh. We're not walking after the obedience
of the law. That's what he means by walking
after the flesh. He's not just talking about walking after sin and lust
and greed. He's talking about walking after
the merits of the flesh. We don't walk after the merits
of the flesh. I'm not seeking to be free from condemnation
based on anything I do in the flesh. We don't walk after the
flesh. We walk after the Spirit. What
is the spirit? It is that law of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus. What is the law of the spirit?
Faith and love. His first John chapter three
in verse 25. I think it is. He tells us and
this is his commandment that you believe on the Lord on his
son and that you should love one another. That's His commandment. That's
our law. We're not lawless. We have a
law. You believe? Do you love the brethren? Are
these hard commandments for you? You that believe, what do you
want? I want to believe more. I don't want to believe less. It's not grievous for me to believe.
It's not grievous for me to love you. I want to love you more. This is the law of the spirit
of life and Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of
sin and death. And see how we shall, how then
shall we be condemned then seeing Christ has suffered for our sins.
He goes, he does this back in In verse 34 of this chapter,
he revisits this, and he says, Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather is risen again, whoever
liveth is at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession
for us. See, who's going to condemn me? There is therefore now no condemnation.
Why? Because condemnation has already happened in Christ. He's
already suffered. Have you considered how unjust
God would be to condemn Christ and then condemn me? Wouldn't
that be unjust? It can't be unjust. He cannot
demand twice payment. This is astounding. For the believer,
it's a wonderful thing to remember in the midst of your struggle.
I feel I'm wretched. I'm sure you are. That's how
I feel. I am. I feel that. But you know
what God says? There is no condemnation for
you. When? Right now. There is therefore
now no condemnation. What about now? How about now? How about tomorrow? What about
the next day? There is therefore now no condemnation. Why? Because Christ has already
been condemned. We are free. Now consider the
grace of God before this. We were people of only one nature. Verse 7, because the carnal mind
is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. We by nature would not and could
not subject ourselves to the law of God. In our minds and
hearts we were at enmity, therefore by the deeds of the law, Paul
said, no flesh shall be justified because we've broken this law
even from birth. We were born sinners. We didn't
become sinners. We were born that way. But the grace of God has sent
his spirit to us. He has given us life and faith
in Christ Jesus, therefore we believe we have the Holy Spirit
who has given us a new heart and has now come and made his
abode in us look at verse 8 so then they there in the flesh
cannot please God in that I love the Word of God. It's not convoluted. It's very simple, isn't it? They
who walk after the flesh, they who try to merit the favor of
God by their obedience, they cannot please God. I don't care
what you do. You can't please God in the flesh.
You can't do it. They that are in the flesh, they
can't please God. But listen, you are not in the
flesh. You are not walking that way.
You're not walking after merits. I'm not trying to merit the favor
of God by my obedience. We walk in the Spirit, and if
so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ
be in you, the body is dead. You found that to be true? You
have any hope in this body, pleasing God? Any hope at all? Tell me
one thing you've done that God says, man, that's good. One thing you've done without
sin. What is it? There's no possibility. We know the body is dead because
of sin, but the spirit is life because of the merits of Christ.
I have life because of His merits. I have life because of His grace.
I have life because of His power. But if the Spirit of Him that
raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you, He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Let me ask you, have you
believed on Jesus Christ? The Word of God is clear that
we could not please God in the flesh but I know this, in Christ
I have pleased God. Because of my union with Christ,
I am accepted of God. I'm accepted of God, solely based
on the merits of Christ alone. So the question is, do you walk
after the flesh, or are you walking after the Spirit? Do you seek
to earn God's favor by your obedience,
or do you walk after the Spirit? Because the Spirit teaches us
this, Christ is all my hope. That's what the Spirit testified.
When Jesus told him, he said, when the Spirit comes, he will
testify of who? He said, he'll testify of me.
How do you know if the Spirit of God is speaking to you? Was
He testifying of you or Him? If He's testifying of you, that's
not the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ testifies
only of Christ. And all our hope is in Christ.
Look at that in verse 15, For you have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear, which is the law, but you have received
the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father, the Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, then we are the children
of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, join heirs
with Christ, if so be we suffer with him, that we might also
be glorified together. Therefore, if you are in Christ,
behold the benefit of this, you are the sons of God. You're in union with Christ.
You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the work of the
Spirit. And the work of the Spirit testifies to everyone who believes,
you are the sons of God. I like this. I think it's in
Galatians. He says, because you are the sons of God, you believe. Isn't that amazing? Not, you believe, therefore you
are the sons of God. No. You are the sons of God,
therefore you believe. When were you a son? When did
this adoption take place? Ephesians 1 tells us plainly
this adoption took place before the world began. Now the experience of this adoption
did take place in time, but I was a son long before I knew I was
a son. Only when I cried, Abba Father,
Did I know I was a son? And consider the benefits of
this, you are heirs of God. I read, I think, I don't know
if I put it in the book, my mind's not working right. Yeah, I did put, Jim Newton said
this, he said, you know, I've read a lot about Popes and he
said the worst Pope is Pope self. Pope self. He said, we're like little children.
And we only feel as though we're sons if we've got a little change
in our pocket. Not considering that we are heirs
of heaven, whether we have change in our pocket or not. You are an heir of God. What else do you need? What else
do you want? God is your portion. You are joint heirs with Jesus
Christ. What is His inheritance? What's Christ's inheritance?
What has He inherited? Okay, better question. What has
He not inherited? All things are His. Therefore,
you are joint heirs with that. You have all things. All things. Now then, let me ask you this.
this great benefit. There's no condemnation. We are
in union with Christ. We've been given the Spirit.
We've been made free from the law of sin and death. We've been
given the righteousness of Christ. There's no condemnation for us. We are heirs of God, joint heirs
with Christ. Now then, those are great benefits.
Does this exempt you from suffering? You know it doesn't. First Peter, I need to move along. First Peter, I'm never gonna
get to the end of this. This is just beautiful. I'm not
begrudging it, I just want to. I wanna get to the text, but
this is good for us. Look at First Peter chapter one
and verse six. He says, wherein you greatly rejoice. What is
he talking about? He's talking about their election. Don't you
rejoice in your election? Redemption. Don't you rejoice
in the redemption of Christ? You're calling. Don't you rejoice
in being called by the Spirit of God? What about your keeping?
You're kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be.
You rejoice in that, don't you? But notice this. You rejoice,
greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be. You are in heaviness through
manifold temptations. The trial of your faith being
much more precious than gold that perishes. Now, I've thought
about this a little bit. The trial of the faith is not
what he's talking about being precious. He's talking about
the faith itself. Faith is precious, isn't it? The faith is what's
precious. Are you in the midst of a trial
and you say, oh, how precious is this trial? Oh, it's so good,
I can't wait to have another one. No, you should rejoice that
you have faith. Faith is precious. But notice this, though your
faith be tried, though your faith is precious, though it be tried
with fire, might be found to the praise and honor and glory
of Jesus Christ at his appearing. Now listen, if you continue in
faith through the fire of your trials, who gets the praise? who gets the glory and honor,
Christ, whom having not seen, you love. In whom though now you see him
not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory. The suffering and affliction
of the flesh is for the proving of our faith. These trials then are for the
purpose of moving us toward love and faith in Christ. Again, you
want to love Christ more. You desire to believe more on
him, trust more. You know how that's going to
happen? Through trials. Through affliction. Endurance. you're going to have endurance
only through affliction. Therefore, back in your text,
he said, for I reckon, verse 18, he said, for I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. In other words,
he's giving you some He's saying, look, these sufferings
are just going to happen. He's telling us to expect them. I reckon that the sufferings
of this world, this time, they're not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. We should always be then
comparing our troubles with the glory that shall be revealed.
Whatever trial that our God has determined we should be going
through should always be compared to what we are going to receive. We should see the suffering of
this present world as very short and limited. It's limited and its pain is
duration. When I thought of this, I think
of Lazarus, that poor man, that beggar that sat at the rich man's
gate. You remember? He had nothing. He was sick all the time. The only reprieve he had was
dogs licking his sores. The only relief he finally experienced
was death. But as soon as he died, his suffering
ceased. How long did he suffer at the
rich man's gate? Let's just suppose it was 80
years. I'll just say maybe he's 100
years old. That man has been experiencing
pleasure and joy for over 2,000 years. See the comparison? The
suffering was short. The glory is long. Always compare
these two. So then the believer, as long
as we are in this world, we should expect suffering. We should suffer
even as our Lord suffered. Is a servant greater than his
Lord? Are you worthy of joy and peace and good times? What about our Lord? What did He experience in this
world? Are we better than Him? So what then is the hope in the
midst of the suffering? Simply this, listen, the Spirit
of God that has quickened us and given us life, that has given
us the righteousness of Christ, listen, He constantly intercedes
for our prayers. How often do you pray and you
don't even know what you should be praying for? We know not what we should pray
for as we ought. Paul says. But this is my comfort, is that
the Spirit Himself intercedes. Look at that in verse 26. He
says, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. We know
not what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groaning that cannot be uttered. For he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints of God according to the will of God. Isn't that
great? So everything we pray, right, it goes up, and all the
stuff that's not the will of God falls off. Falls off. And so everything
that's left that we pray is according to the will of God. Friends, our prayers are answered.
The Spirit intercedes for our prayers because Christ, our high
priest, intercedes for us with God. In Hebrews 4, it says, we
have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feelings
of our infirmities. Listen, Christ understands more of your pain
than you do. He experienced more pain than
you ever will. He's touched with the feelings
of our infirmities. And all points tempted like we
are yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace. What do we do in times of trouble,
in times of affliction? We come boldly before the throne
of grace. We don't come before the throne
of merit. We come before the throne of mercy and grace. Why? We need mercy. Paul said that
we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Therefore, in the midst of all
your troubles, you that are in union with Christ, you who have
no condemnation, you who have been quickened by the Spirit,
you are now suffering. If need be, you are suffering.
Listen, cry unto God for help. And know you will be heard. You
will be heard. I tell you this. He is more faithful
to hear and intercede than we are to pray. I spend a lot of times complaining,
but yet refuse to pray. I know that during our suffering
we are often weak and cold and indifferent, and our hearts and
our prayers are selfish and full of sin, yet lay it out anyway. Lay it out. I like what Hezekiah
did. Remember when they were surrounded
and the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem? And he said, don't
you let Hezekiah give you any hope in your God. We crushed
the northern tribes like they were nothing. You know what Hezekiah
did with his letter? He took it before the Lord, he
bowed himself down and he just spread it out. Help. Help. We have no power, no strength. I am so weak. Lay it out. And leave it there. Don't try
to meddle with it. Leave it there. Leave it there. And so the spirit helpeth our
infirmities in the times of trouble. And so now in our text, the apostle
here answers another objection. He said, well, preacher, of all
things, of our benefits, Even our suffering is from God. If
He always hears our prayers and sighs and groans, then why are
we not delivered? You pray and God doesn't deliver. Listen, believer, our trials
and pains and afflictions are not removed instantly because
God intends to use them for our benefit. That's why we come to our text.
You see the apostle suffering in himself, and the only hope
he has is Christ. The only hope he has is Christ.
You see him suffering outwardly by the afflictions of the world,
by the pains of the body. And this is what he comes to
in our text, and we know. We know. All things work together
for our good, not This is not all things work for
good. All things work together, both good and bad, pain and pleasure,
joy and sadness, even our sin and righteousness, our persecution
and our praise all work together for our good. Because God who
loved us has ordained our salvation, has also ordained all things
in time and eternity in providence and in circumstance in heaven
and in earth for one purpose, our good. Listen to this poem. I like this
poem. My life is but a weaving between
my Lord and me. I cannot choose the colors he
worketh steadily. Oftentimes he weaveth sorrow
and I in foolish pride. Forget he sees the upper and
I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and
the shuttles cease to fly shall God unroll the canvas and explain
the reason why. Dark threads are needful in the
weaver's skillful hand as threads of gold and silver in the pattern
he has planned. Most of us don't know anything
about weaving and quilting and so forth. My grandma used to
make quills. And one side of it, it looked like a mesh. It just colors all over the place. I couldn't make heads or tails
on the bottom side of that quilt what in the world she was making.
But you turn it over and it's a beautiful quilt. This is exactly
how it is. Everything seems a mess. It's
not a mess. Our God is skillfully weaving
every thread of good and evil to work out for your good. John Newton prayed that prayer.
He said, Lord, give me grace and faith. He said, I prayed
the Lord would give me grace and faith. But instead, he said,
He has sent the powers of hell to assault my soul in every part. And he cried out, Will thou pursue
thy worm to death? You know what the Lord's answer
was? This is how I give you grace and faith. The struggles of our soul, the
afflictions of this body are not intended to kill us, but
rather for our good. We know all things work together
for our good. Do you suffer the sin of your
flesh and Satan assault your heart? Remember, you are the
sons of God. You are the heirs of heaven.
We have been given the Spirit of God, whereby we know all things. Don't you know you know all things? Well, that's pretty arrogant,
isn't it? Is that arrogant, really? Listen to what Jesus said. John
said this in 1 John 2. He says, But you have an unction
of the Holy One, and you know all things. You know Christ, do you? You
know all things. You know all things. And you
know this, all things work together for good. Is there any joy and comfort,
any love for Christ? We know this. And these times
we can see clearly that God is working for our good, isn't it?
When everything's going well, we say, Oh God is good! Oh God
is good to me, He's so good to me. I love Christ. Oh, I just
feel that there's no condemnation. What about when you feel there's
condemnation? What about when everything is
going bad? Is there any pain and suffering?
God says, I am He. He said, now see that I am. I
am he. There is no God with me. I kill
and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Neither can
any man deliver out of my hand. Don't you see whether good or
ill you're going through, it is by the hand of God? In these times, we don't see
so clearly that all things work together for our good. That's
why we need the text. Because we who are heirs of heaven
suffer. We need to be reminded that this,
whatever it is, whatever it is, it is by the hand of God and
it is working together with everything else for our good. Now how are
you going to see that except you just believe it? You're not going to see it unless
you just believe it. God says, I'm working both together
for your good. Ezekiel, there's that wheel within
a wheel. You remember that? They probably saw that wheel
spinning. I don't know if you ever, when
I was a kid, I'd take a bicycle, and you're bored, and we didn't
have electronics. Mom kicked you out of the house.
We got nothing else to do. You know, no friends to play with.
I just sometimes put my bicycle turned upside down and just spin
the wheel and watch the spokes. You know, just get busy. I wasn't
a very bright kid. But you know what? I noticed
this. If I ever try to focus on one spoke, that's what made
me dizzy. You try to focus on that one spoke and your head's
going around like this. It's blurry. We look at one providence
and we try to trace that back to God. We don't know how that
that's of God. We don't know why that's of God.
We don't understand. We become dizzy. You know how
you not get dizzy? Don't look at the spokes, look
at the hub. The hub doesn't move. The hub
stays center of everything. Focus on Christ, not the providence. Wheels of God's providence are,
one thing is going to be on top in a minute, it's going to be
on the bottom, isn't it? Isn't that how a wheel works? Something
is on top, it's going to come down the bottom. That which is
on the bottom is going to come to the top. Kingdoms rise, kingdoms
fall. You feel good, you feel bad.
You feel good, you feel bad. You feel strong in faith, you
feel weak in faith. What does that have to do with
the hub? God doesn't change. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. We trust God that all these providences
are going to work together. Remember that happened to Joseph.
I mean, those those boys meant evil to their brother. There's
no doubt about that. They wanted him dead. They hated
him. They hated his dreams. They hated
everything about him, and they wanted him dead. God said, No. I want him alive. They put him
in a pit, they traded him to slaves, and they said, we're
done with him, we're finished with him. And all that while,
God was working over here. Did they know anything about
that? Had no clue what God was doing over there. But that stuff
over there was for their good. All that suffering of Joseph
was for their good. That's a picture of Christ, isn't
it? I didn't have a clue what Christ was doing over here. until
the day I was starving to death. And he brought me like he brought
them to Joseph. He brought me to Christ, starving
to death. You know what I found? I found
my brother was alive. I found my brother was working
all things over there for my good. They deserve that. I don't deserve
any of it. Everything Christ is doing over
here, for my good I don't have to see it but I surely must believe
it all things work together for
our good and so then in the midst of these troubles how do you
know God loves you my brother has cancer how does
he know God loves him A week ago, my brother, Clay
Curtis, lost his dad. How does, in the midst of that
pain, does he know God loves him? The scriptures are clear. 1 John
4, 9 says, In this was manifest the love of God toward us, because
God sent His only begotten Son in the world that we might live
through him here in his love. You wanna know that? Not that
we love God. I'm not gonna see my, I'm not
gonna see God's love for me by my love for God. Stop it. You're
tracing the spoke back to the hub. Ain't gonna find it. Here in his love, not that we
love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. How do I know that all things
will work together for my good? because God sent his son to be
the propitiation of my sins. And Paul goes on to explain in
our text, he goes this, what shall we say to these things?
Listen, if God be for us, who can be against us? Isn't that
a good question? If God is for me, who then can
be against me? What providence is against me? And I'll tell you this, lastly,
For whom does all these things work together for good? Everybody? Henry Mahan was, the Lord saved
him. Ralph Barnard asked him to quote
that scripture. He said, we know that all things
work together for good. And Henry, Ralph Barnard looked
around and said, no, no son, finish the rest of it. And he
had to open his Bible because he didn't know. All things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. You that love God, you only love
God because he first loved you. And you only love God because
you were the called according to his purpose. How were you
saved? Were you saved on accident or
on purpose? Scripture says on purpose. In that amazing, you understand,
election? If you know that, you saved on purpose or accident?
Well, I saved on purpose. Well, you understand election.
You saved on purpose. Therefore, all things God has
purposed for your good. All things. So that we might
say in the worst condition, it's all good. It's all good. I pray God will comfort you with
this. It is His Word, isn't it? Let's stand and be dismissed
in prayer. Father, dismiss us with Your
blessing. Open our hearts and pour in the Word. Give us grace
to receive whatever it is of this You would have us to know
and receive and believe. Give us such faith and love.
for Christ and each other. I pray in Christ's name.