We're bringing this message.
It's Saturday evening. We're going to go ahead and preach it so we can get it on
to Free Grace Radio. Being unable to assemble tomorrow
as we normally do on the Lord's Day, we will certainly miss our
gathering together and being with our regular church family,
but hopefully Many of you can listen at home and hear this
message. I'm turning to the book of Romans
and chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. Next to John 3.16
and Psalm 23 and possibly the model prayer, this is probably
the most familiar verse in the Bible. We hear it quoted often,
but more often, partly quoted, and more often yet, misquoted. The verse reads as such. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
call according to his purpose. I have listened as have most
of you to the news reports this week concerning the coronavirus. I've listened to the president,
the vice president, the governor, and several other government
officials. And then of course, the beloved
news media who comes on to tell us, explain to us what they said. But the statement I kept hearing
over and over was something like this, what we know now, this
is what we know so far. We'll know more later, but what
we know now. I'm not being critical. I realize
that knowledge of the situation is most important before they
can tell us a lot. And they're saying, basically,
we don't know a lot. I'm glad Paul the apostle never
began this verse. And we think. And we hope. And we guess. But it's clearly,
and we know. Paul is saying, this I know. This was a man who knew some
things. not only by education, but by
experience. He'd said back in the fifth chapter,
in the third verse, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. He'd experienced a great deal
of tribulation and it wrought patience in him, endurance. He'd said in chapter six and
verse six, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with
him, with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin. He'd said in chapter six
and verse nine, knowing that Christ being raised from the
dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. He
says, I know that. chapter 7 and verse 14 he says
for we know that the law is spiritual but I am carnal sold under sin
I know that chapter 7 verse 18 he said for I know that in me
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing I know all these
things Now he goes into chapter 8 and says, here's something
else I know. And we know, we're sure of this,
that all things, how many things? All things work. I emphasize the word work. There
is no unemployment in things. All things work. Individually,
no. But all things work together
for good for everybody's good. No, for good to them that love
God. A lot of folks stop their quote
with all things work together for good. Some go on to include who this
good is for. them that love God. But very
few finish the verse and define who it is that loves God. It's
them who are the called according to his purpose. For people who
do not know the Lord, this verse is of no value. It is not good
news. But for God's child, it's precious,
telling us that all God is doing, He's doing for our ultimate good. We don't see it all. We don't
understand it all. We see very little. We understand
very little. But in the context of this passage,
the all things refer specifically to the all things God does in
respect of his redemptive purpose. The verse concludes with the
words according to his purpose. That's what it's about. So what
are the all things that work together for good to the Lord's
people? Verse 29, God's foreknowledge
for whom he did foreknow. His predestination he also did
predestinate. His calling, verse 30, moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called. His justification,
and whom he called, them he also justified. Glorification, and
whom he justified, them he also glorified. Five things. often referred to as the golden
chain of salvation. A chain, as you know, is only
as strong as its weakest link. But in this golden chain of God's
salvation, there are no weak links. It's his power that's
involved, not ours. So the Apostle Paul, knowing
God's purpose is fixed from eternity to eternity. has no problem speaking
of all these things in the past tense, as if it were already
complete. He knows in God's purpose, it's
as certain to be done as if it were already done. And some of
it is, and it all shall be. So number one, the first of the
five things is foreknowledge, verse 29, for whom he did foreknow. Some wish to limit this foreknowing
to God's previous knowledge of all that would happen. He does,
of course, have prior knowledge of all that happens or ever will
happen. But that's not what is meant here. The know in foreknow
is not a mental knowing. but it is an intimate affectionate
knowing when in Genesis 4 1 we read that Adam knew his wife
Eve and she conceived she never conceived because he
knew her name or knew what color her eyes were what color her
hair was or knew what kind of food she liked. He knew those
things about her with a mental knowledge, but with a heart overwhelmed
and affection irresistible. He knew her in an intimate relationship,
and she became with child because Adam knew her intimately. He had set his love on her, and
express that love in an intimate relationship. Paul says concerning
our God, for whom he did foreknow before he created anything, before
he hung the stars, he set his love on a people with an intimacy
that could never fail. He said through the prophet Jeremiah,
before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. I loved thee. And later he said in Jeremiah
31, three, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Nothing or no one will ever make
it in. And that's how Paul closes this
chapter with a list of things, nothing, or no one shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. In God's foreknowledge, his eternal
love to those he loves never fails and never ends. In mercy and grace, he'd said,
I love Jacob before there ever was a Jacob. And I hate Esau
before there ever was an Esau. And God, because he is God, was
just in both, and nothing can ever change it. Jacob was never bad enough, and
he had some bad, but he was never bad enough to turn God off. Esau
was never good enough, and he had some good, but he was never
good enough to turn God on. Some choose to explain this first
line of verse 29 by changing the word whom to what. God foreknew with a previous
knowledge what would happen. But no, the word is whom. This is about persons, people,
the people God had loved passionately from eternity, whom he foreknew. The next word is predestination,
for whom he did foreknow, set his love on eternally. He also
did predestinate. To destinate is to determine
a destination. And the predestinate would be
to determine that destination beforehand. God's children are predestined not to go to heaven only. That
was fixed in his foreknowledge, his eternal love. The term predestinate is used
in the New Testament only in reference to God's children.
God didn't predestinate men to hell. Adam did that for us all. And it was on the basis of his
election to disobey God. We were all in him. God has predestinated
his children on the basis of his election from eternity, regardless
of what Adam does. But what has He predestinated
us to? What is the fixed destination
God has decreed, unchangeable for His people? It's to be conformed
to the image of His Son. To be conformed to the image
of His Son. The little words to be are in
italics. meaning they were added by English
translators. It literally means whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate, conformed to the image of his
son. It's as good as done in the mind
and purpose of God. God chose for himself a family
from among Adam's race before Adam even had a race. And he's
decreed, he's predestinated that every one of his children, his
chosen ones, shall be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus
Christ. That he, Jesus Christ, might
be the firstborn among many brethren. We don't look like him when we're
born into this world, B-O-R-N. But we'll look like him when
we're born, B-O-R-N-E, into his presence. He has promised that.
John said in the epistle, it does not yet appear what we shall
be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like
him. for knowledge, predestination.
Number three is called, verse number 30. Moreover, whom he
did predestinate, them he also called. The calling referred
to here is a personal and effectual call of the Spirit of God, a
calling that changes one's life. Paul had identified these believers
at Rome to whom he's writing back in the first chapter, chapter
1 and verse 6, among whom are you also the call of Jesus Christ. He's not talking about a general
call to believe on Christ. That's important. We're to preach
the gospel to every creature. But left to oneself, no one comes
to Christ. But in this preaching of the
gospel to every creature, Paul tells the Corinthians, God is
faithful by whom you were called, not just in general, but affectionately,
personally called under the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord. An effectual call, meaning a
call that has an effect in the lives of people. Christ said
to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, remember this line,
it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. That sharp point
of the ox goad is very effectual. The stubborn old ox says, I'm
not going until he feels that goad. And
then He says, I'm going. And so if you are one God has
loved from eternity, if you are one predestinated to be conformed
to the image of His Son, then you're one who has been or shall
be affectionately called. You'll be given a new heart for
the Lord to live for His glory to quit your hellishness, to
stop your selfishness, effectual, a new creature. People say, but what if I have
to quit my job? Quit it. You didn't think I'd say that,
did you? God's bigger than any job you've got. Don't misunderstand me. Don't
quit your job because you want to. Don't put that on me. I'm
talking about if God gets a hold of you, you'll want to be where
He wants you, whether you like it or not. But what if I have
to forsake my friends? If God calls you affectionately,
they'll forsake you, and you won't have a problem forsaking
Him. being affectionately called,
being one of Christ's sheep. It's 10,000 times bigger than
just a ticket to heaven. It involves God's eternal love,
His foreknowing, His intimate love. It involves predestination,
His predetermining that you would be like his son, someday in the
very image of Christ. And it involves effectual calling
unto what? Peter said, 1 Peter 5, 10, but
the God of all grace who had called us unto his eternal glory. That's what we're called unto.
That little word unto means as far as. He's called us as far
as his eternal glory. It's a fixed thing. It's a certain
thing, effectual calling unto his eternal glory. I'm not telling you to straighten
up and fly right. God will take care of his youngins. He feeds, he clothes, he teaches,
he disciplines his own children. That's not my place. He hadn't hired me to raise his
young'uns. He does it affectionately. I know a lot of people say, well,
that's just not me. Well, if it's not, you can and
will go on like you're going Live like hell till you get there.
That's the bottom line. Don't accuse someone big as God
is, wanting to change you, but you just haven't let him yet.
If he wanted to, you would. This ought to scare us to death,
but it don't. Many had rather believe a lie
and be damned. The fourth word is justified.
And whom he called, them he also justified. God don't justify us in our sins. Don't get that idea. We're justified
before God in Christ from the penalty of our sins. We're not
exempt from the penalty of our sins because Christ was exempted. We're exempt because he paid. We don't walk into God's presence
because we slipped in or bluffed our way in. We walk in justified
in being there. We are made accepted in the beloved. And the fourth word is glorified.
And whom he justified, them he also glorified." There's the
word whom again. That's four times in these two
verses. Whom he did foreknow. Whom he
did predestinate. Whom he called. Whom he justified. He's talking about people. Not
Adam's race in general. Not self-made religionists. But
his elect. whom he foreknew, predestinated,
called, justified, and glorified. John 17, 22, Christ prayed and
said to the Father, and the glory which thou gavest me, I have
given them. Glory is not a place, it's a
position in Christ. pure, clean, sinless. This religious world hoops and
hollers about, oh, when I get the glory. They're talking about
a bunch of material things. Oh, when I get the glory, glory
land, hallelujah boulevard, my mansion next door to Jesus and
all that stuff. But to be in glory is to be in
God. and to be in God is to be in
Christ. That's the only glorification
that's worth anything. Yes, we're destined for the throne,
but not a throne apart from Him to execute our foolish ideas,
but we're destined for the throne in Him. So there we have it,
this golden chain for knowledge. predestination, calling, justification,
and glorification of God's children. I trust you have an interest
in these things today, living for God's glory and living in
anticipation of His return and our being conformed to His very
image when we shall experience the fullness of salvation and
be given a body fashioned like unto his glorious body. Blessed
be his holy name. Again, I urge you to spend time
this week in God's word and in prayer for all God's children
and to our local congregation. I ask you to pray for the pastor. Pray one for another that the
Lord will protect us in this trying time. in our country and
for all who may be infected with this virus, that the Lord would
be pleased to wake us up as a nation to get our attention, cause us
to turn unto him and look unto him. Bless his holy name. Thank you for listening.