Turn back to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. It's been a while since I've preached
from this portion of Scripture. It's been a long while. But I find, and I found comfort
in reading these words this past week. These words are from God. I have God's Word on it, that
everything is working for my good. Absolutely everything. Now, what I read to you in Hebrews
of the early church, if you lived in that day and
saw them, what they were going through, you would not think
how This can be for good. Would you? You wouldn't think,
how in the world can this be for good? If you were sitting
there with Job, you would not think, how can it? His three
friends didn't. Elihu knew something, but there's
other three friends. They're thinking this. Boy, Job,
you've done something wicked, something wrong. Not one of them
said, Joe, this is for your good. This is for your good. Good's
going to come out of it. I titled this message, We Have
a Good End. We Have a Good End. The journey
there is not easy. Running a race, if you run a
marathon, you might, the first two or three miles might be all
right, but I tell you what, you could probably get along About
10, 15 miles, that end feels like it's never going to make
it. You're just not going to make it. It's not going to show up.
Where's the end of this thing? And there's times when you feel
like if you finish it, you're going to be crawling across the
finish line. Our Lord said, with much tribulation
shall you enter the kingdom of God. That's a promise. with much
tribulation, much trouble, much trials, heartaches, shall you
enter the kingdom of God. The journey is hard, and sometimes
it feels like it's long, but we have God's word on it that
it's for our good. It's for our eternal good. It
may not be, I tell you what, it's even for our temporal good.
Our temporal good, it'll be for that too. I started to say it
may not be for our temporal good, but it will be. Because everything
he does is for our good now and forevermore. You know, a lot of times when
the boys were growing up, there was, you know, times I had to
discipline them. People I didn't let them run
with, you know, I didn't let them go places. They didn't understand at that
time, You know, it really didn't matter
if they understood or not. I understood. I knew what was down the road
there. I know what's in that house.
I know where that kind of action will take them. See, I know. And here's the thing of it. My
Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Father, we know this by the Word
of God. We know it by experience. Our
Heavenly Father is good. The Lord is good. My circumstances
has no effect on God. He's good at all times. He's righteous in all his ways.
Everything he does is good and right. And that's what I need
to understand, who he is. And the process of getting there,
I may not understand and I may be tempted to ask why. But the
more we understand who God is, the less we'll ask, why? The
more we understand and know who He is. Now let's look and see
here what Paul has to say. He says in verse 28, and we know. This is something we know. Scripture
says, and all thy children shall be taught of God. This is not
a matter of opinion that things are working together for our
good. This is not Paul's opinion. It is a matter of knowledge,
a knowledge of who God is, as I just mentioned. We know that
God is sovereign. We know that he rules and he
reigns over all things. Do we believe that? Do we really
believe that? Time will prove whether we believe
it or not. Time and the trials of God's sin will prove who and
what we believe. It'll prove it. We know that
He rules and He reigns over all things, and we know this, that
He is the first cause of all things. We know that. Nothing happens unless He allows
it, permits it, or directly does it. We know that. And it is a
knowledge that belongs to faith. See, faith is not just something
that's just blind and just accepts anything. True faith is born
of knowledge of who God is. Who God is. And this knowledge
belongs to faith. A believer takes the promises
of God to him or herself, and he rests on them. in time of
trouble. Lord, you said in your word that
all things are working together for my good, so this must be
for my good. And good is going to come out
of it for me. Has to, because he said so. He
said so. Now, what is it that we know?
First of all, he says here that all things work together for
good to them that love God. The whole Godhead, now listen,
the whole Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
they are set, they are set for the good of every one of His
children. Now think about that. God, the Creator of heaven and
earth, the one who rules over all things, the one who has all
power, all power belongs to Him. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit, they are set for our good. And everything that
moves, everything that exists is for our good. Whatever is
happening throughout this world today is for our good. Do I see
it? I don't see it. Paul said we
look through a glass darkly. We know a part. We preach a part.
I don't know. I don't know much. I do know
this because I have God's Word on it. Whatever is going on is
for my good. And I can take that to the bank.
It's for my good. It's for our good. It's for the
good of the body of Christ. For our good. Every angel, fallen or unfallen, every minister, It's for our good. Now somebody's
going to say, now how can every fallen spirit, Satan, be for
my good? By God's overruling power. The wrath of man shall praise
him. Now how does the wrath of man praise God? by accomplishing
the purpose of God, even though they don't know it. See, God's purpose is not just
done in a day. This thing has an eternal purpose
to it. And there's all these parts and elements that go along
with it. And every bit of it, every bit
of it is for our good. And God overrules, He overrules
even the evil intentions of men and Satan for our good. He's sold into Egypt. He's thrown
into prison. He's lied on. How can that be
for good? How can any good come out of
that? Oh, the only way any good can come out of that is by God's
overruling power. Joseph was sent there. For what
purpose? To save much people alive. Paul
said this. Paul said, the things that have
happened to me, his imprisonments, his being in bonds, being stoned,
the things that have happened to me have fallen out rather
to the furtherance of the gospel. Is that good? You know that's
good. You know that's good. Now, all things do not work out
for good for everyone in general. This cannot be applied now. Don't
try to apply this to everyone in general. It's to them that
love God. It's to His children. It's to His children who are
the call. It's on to those who love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. Now, everything
is working for their good. This is the Word of God. This is not my opinion. This
is not Paul's opinion. This is God's Word. It's His
Word. Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ,
everything is working for the condemnation. of everyone outside of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's working for their condemnation.
Now, in verse 29 and 30, we're going to see five gospel words.
Pink has a message on this, good message on this. He called it
five smooth stones and five conclusions. I'll just point out some of these
as we go along. Somebody pointed them out to
me yesterday, and I wrote them down. But there's five gospel words,
and they're from God. For whom, in verse 29, for whom
he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son. Now, we know that God knows all
things. We know that God knows all persons. He knows everyone's thoughts.
He knows everyone's life. He knows everyone's death. He
knows their time of death. He knows everything, absolutely
everything about every person that's ever been born or ever
shall be born. But this is a special foreknowledge. It means foreordained. God foreordained all that shall
be saved to be saved. Now God foreordained that. He
did not create this world, then Adam would fall, then he
comes up with a rescue plan, and then leave it up to us. Leave
the end result up to us. You've got to be kidding. Who
would want a God like that? God is infinite in wisdom. Is that infinite wisdom? Would
that be infinite wisdom? I think it would be infinite
stupidity. to create a world and then let it fall and then
leave the end result up to them? That's not going to happen. That
is not going to happen. God has taken care of this whole
matter. He has foreordained this whole
matter before He created the first thing. God is a God of order. He has
ordered all things. He has ordered all things, foreordained
all things. Someone said, well, that just
makes me a puppet. Well, I tell you what, if I'm going to be
a puppet, I'd rather be His. You're somebody's puppet, I guarantee
you. You're not your own. You and I are not our own. Not
at all. You're either son of God or you're
son of Satan, or son of darkness. That's who you belong to, one
or the other. The Lord said to those Pharisees, you're of your
father of what? The devil. He said, you're of
your father of the devil. You're either darkness or light.
There's no neutral ground. Not at all. So all things don't
work to everyone's good, but it works to the good of every
one of God's children. It says here that he foreordained some
people to be saved. And whom he foreknew, listen,
he also, this is a second gospel word, he also predestinated. That's not a word to be afraid
of. Election is not a word to be afraid of. It's a reason for
rejoicing. He also predestinated them to
be conformed, what? To the image of his Son. He didn't
only ordain them to be saved, but he predestinated that they
should be made like someone. His Son. His Son. Salvation. Listen now. Salvation. And I used to think back years
ago. teenager, 20 years old, before I heard the gospel, I
used to think this whole scheme of salvation was missing hell
and going to heaven. That's what the whole purpose
of it was about. It's not. It's about being made in the
likeness of Jesus Christ. It's about being made one with
God again. Predestination in the scriptures
has to do with being made like a person, not going to a place.
It's been made like the Son of God. That's what it has to do
with. It has to be made like Him. And
God has done this so that Christ will receive all the glory among
the sons of God, the firstborn among many brethren. He's the
firstborn. He's the one who gets all the
glory. Listen, He is our Lord. He's our king, he's our God,
he's our high priest, he's our sacrifice, his blood is the blood
of atonement, and he is our elder brother. He's our elder brother,
the firstborn among many brothers. That's who he is. Those whom He predestinated to
be like His Son, He also called. You notice all these words here
in this verse are past tense. You know, I had written in my
notes, with God it's as good as done. I got to reading over
that last night. I took a pencil and I just erased
that, as good as. With God, it's done. It's not
as good as done. It's done. Finished. Our Lord said, finished. I finished the work that you've
given me to do. You and I have yet to experience
these things, but with God, it's done. It's done. He called. There's another word. That's
your third word. called every one, every one of
the Lord's sheep, every one whom he's foreordained, every one
whom he has predestinated to be like his Son shall be called, shall be called. Now, there is
a general call that goes out throughout the human race, but only those whom he He calls
effectually. He calls by name. Only they will
come. The rest of them don't want it.
It's not like they want it and He said, well, no, no, you're
not one of them. It's not like God chose this
one and not this one, but this one wanted to come too. No, He
didn't. No. This world hates God. Every man, every woman born into
this world according to the Word of God and experience hates God. There is a natural enmity born
in us against God. And God's call goes out, this
gospel call goes out. And so I don't want that. But
then all of a sudden there's a Zacchaeus up a tree on purpose. There's a Matthew sitting at
the receipt of customs. And the Lord says, come follow
me. And he gets up and he follows him. Why didn't the rest of them
follow him? When he went to the pool of Bethesda and he healed
that lame man, he said, I have no man to take me down to the
pool. When the water is stirred, Our Lord walked up to that man,
healed that man, and walked away. Well, there was a whole hospital
there. What opportunities he missed. No. No, he never misses opportunities. He came to save. He came to seek
and to save the lost. And until he gets a man lost
or he gets a woman lost, you can't find one. You cannot find
one. Those whom he foreknew, those
whom he predestinated, them he called. He called. And those whom he called, them
he also listened. Justified. That's past tense. He's already justified. I tell
you this, if the Lord was not satisfied toward me, He'd never
call me. If His law and justice was not
satisfied toward me, if I were not already justified in Christ,
He'd never have anything to do with me. The only way He could
have anything to do with me, in any way, shape, or form, in
communion, fellowship, is this, he's got to be satisfied. There
can be no blemish. No blemish. Light and darkness can't fellowship
together, can they? That's why we must be born
again. The Lord said to Nicodemus, you
must be born again. Because light and darkness cannot
and will not fellowship together. Those whom he has called, he
has also justified. That's your fourth gospel word. And those whom he has justified,
here's your fifth one. He has also glorified. We are
glorified right now in our head, in our representative, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Right now. Someday we will experience
the full glory of that, the full joy of that, but we are glorified
in Him. We are glorified in Him right
now. And then from this, we're going to draw five conclusions.
I'll point these out as I go along. And he says here in verse
31, what shall we then say to these things? What shall we say
to such things as this? Since God is for us, who can
be against us? Here's the first conclusion. No intimidation. We should not
be intimidated by anything or anyone. If God is for us, if
God is for us in salvation, if He's for us in elected love,
If He's for us in saving us, forgiving us, washing us, making
us clean, if He's for us, who can be against us? Who can be against us? If He
had predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son and He's
already called us and justified us and glorified us, who can
be against us? We should not be intimidated
by anything or anyone. The law can't. It's honor. Justice cannot. It's satisfying.
Satan cannot. He's been judged and cast out.
Oh, he may try to bring some charges. But none will stick. If God does not condemn me, who
can? Who can? Then Paul gives us further proof
that God's for us here in verse Here's further proof. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. Now, if he did that for all of
the sons of Adam, would they not all be saved? Honestly, would
that not be so? If God spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Eternal life. Forgiveness? Cleansing? Since we live in this world and
we are subject to doubts because of remained sin and because of
the troubles that we go through, sometimes we think, is His mercy
cleaned on? Job said, I go forward, I can't
find him. I go backward, I can't find him.
I go to the right, I go to the left, I cannot find him. Has he left me? Has he left me? I want you to turn over to Judges
6. Look in verse 12. And the angel
of the Lord appeared unto him, unto Gideon, And said unto him, The Lord is
with thee, thou mighty man of God. The angel is telling Gideon,
The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of God. And Gideon said unto
him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this
befallen us? Why all these troubles? Why all
these trials? Why all these heartaches? And
where be all his miracles? which our fathers told us of,
saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the
Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Are we not guilty of the same
thing? If the Lord is for us, then why all these troubles?
And the miracles that I read of in the Scriptures, especially
in the Gospels, where are they? Where are they? Well, we have God's Word on it
that he's for us, and all things is working for our good. So Paul
gives this argument in verse 32. Here's another word, another
conclusion. No prevention. God, who spared
not his own son. How shall he not with him freely
give us all things? Nothing can prevent God from
giving us all that Christ purchased for us. No prevention. God did not spare him from humiliation. He did not spare him from grief
or sorrow. In fact, he was called a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. God spared him not from
the cruelty of men. He spared him not from the cruelty
of Satan. He spared him not from the rod of his justice. He spared
him not from death, but delivered him up for us all. God delivered up His Son to all
these things in order to deliver us from all these things and
to give us all All that he is, we have him. God has become my
salvation. He said to Abraham, I am thy
exceeding great reward. I am. People look for rewards
in heaven. The believer is looking for one,
and it's singular, it's not plural. It's one, God. I am thy exceeding
great reward. I am. Now since he did this for
us, since Christ went through what he went through, lived a
life of righteousness for us, died our debt as our substitute,
ascended on high, shall he not, shall he not freely give us all
things? Eternal life, forgiveness, acceptance. You can go on and on and on with
these spiritual blessings. Shall he not? Yes, he shall.
He shall. Shall God not give us the lesser
gift, seeing he has given us the greater gift, his son? Here's another conclusion. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Here's another conclusion. No
prosecution. I cannot be prosecuted. Cleared
of all charges. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? No one. No one can lay anything
to the charge of God's elect. If God does not condemn me, who's
greater than God? None. None. He said in Isaiah, even I am
he that blotted out thy transgressions for mine own sake. He had blotted
them out. They're all gone. There's nothing
to charge me with. They're gone. Paul continues this thought in verse 34. He
argues our full redemption. In verse 34, who can condemn? Who is he that condemneth? Here's
another conclusion. No condemnation. No condemnation. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that's risen again who is even at the right hand of
God who also maketh intercession for us. Who can condemn us seeing
that the Lord Jesus Christ died and fulfilled every requirement
of the law? Now, who can condemn me? The
law can't. Well then, who else can? No one.
No one. But not only did he die, he also
rose again. It says over in Romans, he rose
again for our justification. And not only did he rise again,
he seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession. Making intercession for us. He
sits at God's right hand, in God's presence, communicating. He communicates our prayers,
communicates our prayers for us, and He applies to us the
benefits of His life and death. He applies it. And then we come to verse 35.
Here's another conclusion. No separation. No separation. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? In the last few verses, Paul
asks who shall charge, who shall condemn, and now he asks this
question, who shall separate us? Shall trials separate us? Trials do not separate God's
children from Him. They run them to Him. Trials will make an unbeliever
leave. Those who receive deceit on stony ground, they get offended
because of the Word, because of trials. I'm supposed to be
a child of God. Why is all this happening to
me? And they pack up and leave. But the child of God says, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of life.
You're all the hope I have. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? There's none upon earth I desire
besides thee. Trials run the child of God to their father. Shall trials separate us? No.
No. Paul even points back to the
Old Testament. Let's look back at verse 35 again.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
distress, anybody distressed in here? Anybody going through
trouble? If you're a child of God, it'll
draw you closer. Persecution, famine, nakedness,
peril, sword? No. I just read to you over in
Hebrews. It didn't run any of them away,
and it will not run you away. As it is written, and he points
back to the Old Testament, back there in Hebrews 11, for thy
sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, in
all these things, we're not losers. We are not losers, we are more
than conquerors. Was Lazarus lying at the rich
man's gate? Was he a loser? Who went where when it was over? Lazarus, that poor man, the dogs
licked his sores. But when life was over, he ended
up with the Lord, and that rich man ended up in hell. Now, you
would not have walked by that place. There's no way under the
sun that you or anyone would have walked by that place and
said, I'd sure like to be like that man sitting there with a
dog licking his sores. I'd like to have that man's place,
that man's position. Everybody envied Bill Gates. That's what they envied, the
rich, the affluent. We are more than conquerors.
There ain't nobody envying me. I don't believe there'd be a
soul envying me. But I tell you what, if I'm the
Lord's, if I'm His, oh my, oh my, what I have. What I have. We are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, I am persuaded
that neither death no life, no angels, no principalities. These
are powerful things. No powers, no things present,
no things to come, no height, no depth, no any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, after reading that, do we
not have a good end? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who can be against us?