Some Things We Know

I want you to open your Bibles
with me today to the book of Romans. I'm going to speak to
you from Romans chapter 8, a very familiar passage of Scripture.
Romans 8, 28. And I'm going to be speaking
on this subject, some things we know from Romans 8, 28. Some things that we know. Now, I enjoy preaching. And I
enjoy listening to messages on things we know from the Scriptures. I don't receive any comfort or
any assurance from speculation, do you? Or man's imagination. My confidence and assurance and
faith rest upon His Word, upon His Word of truth and His promise. I want to preach the things I
know. the things of which I'm 100% certain. We had a preacher's class in
our church years ago, and I used to tell the younger preachers,
don't take your doubts into the pulpit. If you're not 100% convinced
and sure of what you're preaching, don't preach it. And the things
I'm going to talk about today from Romans 8, verse 28, are
some things I know. Some things of which I'm 100%
certain and sure. And that's the way the text begins.
Look at it, verse 28 of Romans chapter 8. Paul says, and we
know. And we know. This is not a matter of opinion.
It's not a matter of uncertainty. It's not a matter for debate.
The Apostle Paul says, I know this. And we know just as surely
as we know God is God. I know this. We know. that all things work together
for good to them who love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. We know that. We're certain of
that. Absolutely sure. We know that all things... What do you mean, all things,
preacher? Well, I mean all things in heaven. The Father, the Son,
the Holy Spirit, the angels. You know, the angels are ministering
spirits. Ministering spirits. who minister
to the heirs of salvation. And all things in heaven, Father,
Son, Holy Spirit, the angels, even those who oppose, even the
evil spirits, even principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness,
spiritual wickedness in high places, all of these things in
heaven work together for our good. And all things on earth,
all good events, all bad events, all successes, all failures,
all people, friends, or enemies, all things past, present, or
future on this earth work together for good to them who love God,
who are called according to His purpose. I know that. I know
that all things... And it says here they're working
together. They're working together. All
of these things and all of these events and all of these happenings
and experiences, not separately, But all of these things are working
together, all of our lives, from the cradle to the grave, in the
wise decree and purpose and design and plan of our Heavenly Father. One is not without the other.
One event is not without the other. They're working together
for our good. What does this good mean? Well,
it's certainly not our temporal good. It's not our earthly good. but they're working together
for our spiritual good, our eternal good. You see, my friends, for
me and for you, for children of God, the design of God is
not especially our earthly good because these things fade away.
The fashion of this world fade away. They're all temporary.
They all have to be folded up and put away like an old garment.
So the design of God is our eternal good, not our temporal good.
The design of God is our eternal happiness, not our present joy. The design of God is our eternal
health, and not our present comfort, and our eternal wealth, and not
these earthly toys. Let me give you an illustration.
Now you listen carefully to this, and you hold on now and listen
to what I'm saying. And we know that all things,
heaven and earth and under the earth, past, present and future,
all of our lives work together, not for our temporal, earthly,
temporary good, but for our eternal happiness, eternal joy, eternal
glory, eternal good. The thief on the cross who died
at the side of our Lord, had a most terrible life, I'm sure.
A life to be coveted by no one. It's hard to say what kind of
person he was or what kind of life he lived or how unhappy
and desperate were his circumstances. He had a terrible life that ended
in being executed. But everything in his life brought
him to this point. when he met Jesus Christ. And I'm saying that it all worked
for his eternal good. Because my Lord turned to him
and said, today you'll be with me in paradise. You know anything
better than that? Now Pharaoh had a much easier
life on earth than Moses. But where's Moses and where's
Pharaoh? And the rich man's life was much better than Lazarus,
who laid at his gate with sowers. But where's the rich man and
where's Lazarus? And the Pharisees put the disciples
to death. And the Pharisees lived to be
old, respected, successful men on earth, and died and perished. And the disciples went to be
with the Lord. You see what I'm saying? All
things. That's the reason the Apostle
Paul found contentment in whatsoever state he was in. Because he knew,
in prison or in palaces, abounding or being abased, that everything
was working together for his eternal good. What's the rest
of this? All things. And we know. These
are things I know. I can't explain them. I just
know them. I know that all things work together
for the eternal good to them who love God, who love the Lord,
to them who are called according to His purpose. Now, all things
do not work together for good to all people. Cain's rebellion
brought Cain condemnation. Pharaoh's rejection brought eternal
judgment. Matthew 7, many, our Lord said,
will say unto me in that day, Lord, we preached in your name,
prophesied in your name, did great religious works in your
name. I never knew you. Depart from me. So all things
didn't work together for their good by any means. But it plainly
says, this is what I know and what you know. I know that all
things work together for good, eternal good, to them who love
God, who love God, who believe God, walk with God, who received
God. You know, Paul ended his first
epistle to the Corinthian church this way. This is the way he
ended the letter to the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 16,
22, Paul said, if any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let
him be anathema, maranatha. Let him be accursed, the Lord's
coming. if he doesn't love Christ. So
all things do not work together for the eternal good to people
who do not love Christ. All things work together for
the eternal good to those who love Christ, who love God. Ephesians 6, verse 24, Paul ended
the Ephesian letter this way. He said, Grace, grace, peace,
joy, be with all them. who love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity. So all things work together for
good to them who love God. Listen, to them who are the called
according to His purpose. Now, there's a sense, the old
timers used to talk about two calls. They talked about the
general call, the general call. They talked about an effectual
call. An effectual call. And this general
call that they preached about was a call which is extended
to some degree and in some measure and in some way to every son
of Adam. Every son of Adam, there's a
sense in which every son of Adam has some light in reference to
God. He's made aware of the glory
of God. For example, there's the knowledge of God taught by
nature. The power of God, the glory of
God is revealed in the things that are made. So men are without
excuse. Then there's the knowledge of
God taught by conscience. Men have consciences that accuse
or excuse them. There's the knowledge of God
taught by the law. There's the knowledge written
in the heart. There's the knowledge of God which is revealed in providence. Things don't just happen. Things
don't just happen. The world is not held together
by chance. God is in charge, and men are
made aware of that to some degree, and there's the knowledge of
the preached word. People hear preachers. God's
always had a preacher. He's never left himself without
a witness. That's a general call. But this is not what we're talking
about here. And we know. that all things are working together
for the eternal good to them who love God, to them who are
thee called, thee called, thee called, called according to His
purpose, called on purpose, called by His Spirit, not by might,
He said, not by power, but by My Spirit. Paul wrote in II Timothy
1 about this call. God had saved us. The word saved
is delivered. God had delivered us. And God
had called us with a holy calling. A holy calling. Not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose. Isn't that what we read in Romans
8? All things work together for good to them who love God, to
them who are called according to His purpose. not according
to our works, merit, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was given to us in Jesus Christ before the world began. These people for whom all things
work together for their good, they love God. They do. They believe God. They walk with
God and they're called. They're called. God calls them. Christ said, I know my sheep.
I know them. I call them. They're called according
to His purpose. They're called by His Spirit.
They're called by His Word. They're called by His Gospel.
The Scripture says it's a high calling. It's a holy calling.
It's a heavenly calling. And it's not according to works.
It's according to His purpose. His purpose. His purpose. Now look at verse 29. Now, that's
verse 28. Now look at verse 29. Some more
things we know. And verse 29 begins with a little
three-letter word, far, far. Paul said in verse 28, and we
know that all things work together for good to them who love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose, far, because
God's not left this matter of salvation and His eternal kingdom
and the glory of His Son and the population of the new heaven,
new earth to the will of men. He hasn't left this thing to
chance. God has not left salvation and eternal life and the glory
of Christ and the population of heaven to some kind of a toss
of the dice. If salvation were dependent upon
us, heaven would be without people because it's impossible with
men. But God has a purpose. And these people are called according
to his purpose for, listen, whom he did foreknow. Whom he foreknew. Whom he foreknew. That word is
in the Bible five times. Foreknew, foreknowledge, foreknown. Five times. Foreknown. And every time it means this.
It means to know before. Foreknow. Whom he foreknew. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God. The people who crucified Christ
carried out the foreknowledge of God. God knows the future. How does God know the future?
Because God brings the future to pass. Why don't I know the
future? Because I have no control over
the future. If I could control the future,
I'd know the future. I don't know what's going to
happen in the next five minutes, or the next ten minutes, or the
next day, because I have no control over it. But God foreordains. God foreknows because God foreordains. You see that? It's the same word.
Whom He foreordained. Whom He foreknew. Whom He ordained
to eternal life. That's how God knows who's gonna
believe. Christ knew from the beginning
who would believe and who would not believe. How'd He know who
would believe? Because He gives them faith. Thy people shall
be willing in the day of thy power. God knows the future.
because God controls the future. He chose us. He foreknew us because
He chose us. Ephesians 1.4 says this, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's blessed
us with all spiritual blessings according as He foreknew, foreordained,
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Paul,
writing to the Thessalonians, said this, I'm just bound to
give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning foreknew you, ordained you, chosen you,
called you to himself. He foreknew us. He foreknew. He said, Jeremiah, before you
were formed in the belly, before you came out of your mother's
womb, I knew you. I knew you. I knew you. I know my sheep. All right, let's
watch this second word here in verse 29. For whom He did foreknow,
whom He foreknew, He did predestinate. Predestinate, to be conformed
to the image of His Son. You know, my friends, heaven
will be populated by the people who love God, who are called
according to His purpose, and who are just like Jesus Christ. They love what He loves. They
enjoy what He enjoys. They desire what He desires.
They hate what He hates. They're just like Him. God has
predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Everybody
in heaven will have on a wedding garment. That's the righteousness
of Christ. Everybody in heaven will be like
Jesus Christ. That's what Scripture says. We,
the Beloved, it does not appear what we shall be, but when He
shall appear, we shall see Him as He is, and we shall be like
Him. This word, predestinate, occurs
in the Word of God four times. It's in the book of Ephesians,
the first chapter, twice. It's in the book of Romans, eight,
twice. And every time, it says we're
predestinated to be like Christ. You see, election has to do with
people. God chose people. God chose us
in Christ. Christ be my first elect, he
said, and then chose us all in our head. Christ is the first
elect and God chose us in Christ. Predestination has to do with
what those people are going to be. Every step of our lives are
ordained by God to make us like Christ. God has predetermined,
predestinated everyone whom he chose to be like Christ. Heaven
will be populated by people just like the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what predestination means. I hear people talk about, well,
do you believe in predestination? Yes. You believe God predestinates
people to hell? No. The scripture doesn't teach
that. Every time the word predestination
is used in the Bible, it has to do with one blessed thing,
and only one. We're predestinated to the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ. We're predestinated to be conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ. Anyone who doesn't love predestination
doesn't love Christ, because God has predetermined that everybody
who knows Him is going to be like Christ. The believer is
concerned with three things. He's concerned with a commitment
to Christ, that which I've committed to Him. He's concerned with a
communion with Christ. He wants to walk with Christ,
to know Him and the power of His resurrection. And thirdly,
He wants to be conformed to Christ. He wants to be like Christ. And
that's what God Almighty has predestinated for everybody whom
He saves. They're going to be like Christ.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated to be like Christ. And every
step we take, they're ordered by the Lord. And someday we'll
be like Christ. Look at his third word. Whom
he predestinated, he called. He called. He'll call you if
you're his. He'll cross your path. He'll
confront you. He said, I'm the good shepherd.
I know my sheep. I'm a known of mine. As the Father
knoweth me, even so I know the Father. I lay down my life for
the sheep. Other sheep I have which are
not of this foal here, them I must bring. I must, and they'll hear
my voice. They'll hear me. There'll be
one foe. There'll be one shepherd. Well,
how do they hear his voice? They hear his preacher preaching
his gospel. They hear his spirit who reveals
his gospel to their hearts. Over there in Ephesians 1.13,
it says this, listen, In whom you trusted after you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom you believed,
After you believe you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, you heard,
you trusted, you believed. You were sealed in Christ by
the Holy Spirit, whom he predestinated. He called them. Powerfully, powerfully
called them. They're here. I'm preaching.
You're listening. It's a gospel of redemption.
And then whom He predestinated, He called. And whom He called,
them, them, all of them, He justified. Justified. Boy, I could camp
here for a long time. Here's the reason we love God.
Here's the reason all things work together for our good. Here's
the reason we're called. Here's the reason we're going
to be like Christ, because we're justified. Justified. Justified before God. Justified
in his sight justified we have no guilt We have no sin. We have no condemnation. We have
no judgment There's no judgment to them who in Christ no condemnation
who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect Over there in
1st Corinthians 6. It says this listen Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God neither
fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners. They're not going
to inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you." That's
right. Such were some of you. But he
says, you're washed in the blood of the Lamb. You're sanctified. by God, by the Spirit, by Christ. You're justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're that way no more. You're in Him. Justified. And then here's the top stone.
Watch this now. And we know all things in heaven
and earth, past, present, and future work together for good
to them who love God, to them who are called according to His
purpose, He's always known them, foreknew them. He predestinated,
predetermined that they're gonna be like His Son. He has and will
call them and continue to call them because Jesus Christ has
justified them. That's right, by His obedience
and by His blood whom He called, He justified every last one of
them. Not a one that's not justified and sanctified and them also
He glorified. Actually, these words in the
past tense, did you notice that? Whom he foreknew. You see, the
purpose of God is as good as done. The promise of God is as
certain as the act of God. And what God decrees, He knows
the end from the beginning. He declares the end from the
beginning. So He says already about people that are not even
born yet who are going to be saved. He said they're already
saved and glorified and justified. I'm going to call them. I'm gonna
give him faith. I'm gonna bring him to repentance
and bring him to myself. But he's already glorified. We're
seated with Christ in the heavenlies. That's what the Word of God says.
Seated with Him in the heavenly. We know these things. We know
these things. How do we know? Well, the character
of God. He's able to do all that He promised.
He's able. The Word of God. His word shall
not fail. He said, My word will not return
void. It'll accomplish that whereunto
I sent it. It'll not return unto me void
or vain. The works of God, the invisible
things of God are clearly seen, but the things will remain, even
His eternal power and Godhead. I'm convinced that what God has
ordered, He'll accomplish because of what I've seen thus far in
my 60-some-odd years. And then the servants of God
that I've read from the past all give testimony to the God
of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, and David. You might, after I leave
you today, read those six questions that follow these two verses,
Romans 8, 28 and 29. Paul follows with six questions
that are born out of these things we know. What shall we say to
these things? Verse 31. What shall we say to
these things? What's your response? Mine is
a response of joy and happiness, thanksgiving. Well, if God be
for us, who can be against us? What does it matter who's against
us if God be for us? He that spared not his own son,
how shall he not with him freely give us all things? If Christ
purchased it, it's mine. If he bought it for me, it's
mine. If he paid the debt, she's paid. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. It's
God that chose. It's God that redeemed. It's
the highest court. My case has already come before
the highest court in the universe, and I've been set free. Who is
he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
is risen again, who is ascended, who's interceding for us. Who
can separate us from this love? No one. Some things we know. You want this message? Send two
dollars. Here's the address on the screen.
Just a moment. And we'll mail it to you. Some
things we know. And next week I'm going to preach
on the way up is down. Both of these messages will be
on this tape. God bless you, everyone.

Some Things We Know

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Some Things We Know

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