I want you to take your Bibles
and open them with me to the Book of Romans. I'm going to
read from my text a very familiar passage of Scripture found in
Romans 8, verse 28. Now, let's go to school this
morning. Let's see what we can find out about God's covenant
and God's purpose and God's love. And this very familiar passage
of scripture, you hear it quoted again and again and again. But
I believe that the Holy Spirit will be our teacher, that we
can learn something about this verse, perhaps that we haven't
learned before. Now let me read it with you.
That's Romans chapter 8, verse 28 through 30. We must not stop
at verse 28, but read the next two verses along with this most
familiar passage of scripture. It says in Romans 8, 28, 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. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he, that is, Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Now, the nation
of Israel belonged to the Lord. They were called the people of
God. They were not always faithful.
They turned to other gods, they worshipped idols, they did not
always do those things that were well-pleasing in the sight of
God. Even the choice men of Israel,
such as Abraham and Jacob and David and Solomon, these choice
men of Israel vexed the Holy God and grieved the Spirit of
the Lord God. But they were the people of God,
they were the chosen people of God, the nation of Israel had
the blessings of God upon it, and they were called a special
people unto the Lord God. And the Lord God continually
reminded Israel that he would keep his covenant, he would keep
his promises, he would fulfill his purposes respecting Israel,
and they would enjoy his presence and partake of his blessings,
not because of their faithfulness, but because of his faithfulness,
not because of their love for him, but because of his love
for them. Listen to these scriptures, and
these ought to be marked in your Bible if you have an interest
in Israel, if you have an interest in the Old Testament and the
dealings of God with the nation Israel. And national Israel is
a type of spiritual Israel. And we read in Deuteronomy chapter
7, verse 6 through 8, now listen to this. for thou art a holy
people unto the Lord thy God." And God is speaking here to Israel.
The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself, above all people that are on the face of the earth.
Now listen, the Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose
you, because you were more in number than any people, for you
were the fewest of all people. but because the Lord loved you,
and because God would keep the oath which he has sworn to your
fathers." In other words, God's blessings upon Israel and God's
mercies upon Israel were not because of their love for him,
but because of his love for them. Not because of their faithfulness,
but because of his faithfulness. And he set his love upon them
and chose them and determined to bless them because of his
purpose and because of his promise. And he said over in Malachi chapter
3, I am the Lord, I change not. God does not change in his decrees. He does not change in his purposes.
He said, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob,
ye people of Israel are not consumed. It is because God does not change. Now, who are we? We're not national
Israel, we are spiritual Israel. And as spiritual Israel, we are
the people of God in Christ Jesus. Not a national people, but a
holy nation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a special
people, sons of God, not through a covenant that God made with
Abraham, but through an everlasting covenant, an eternal covenant,
which God made with himself, which he purposed in himself,
which he purposed in Christ before the world began. Now, God does
not dwell among us as he did among Israel in a tabernacle,
but God dwells in our hearts, in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Back in the wilderness, God dwelt with Israel in a tabernacle,
in the Holy of Holies. God manifested his presence.
And that's where the people went to meet God and where God met
with the people and where the sacrifices were offered. But
God does not dwell among spiritual Israel in a tabernacle made with
hands, but he dwells in our hearts by his spirit. And he said, if
any man have not the spirit of God, he is none of his. And then God has not written
his law on tables of stone and given them to us as he did to
Israel. But God has written his commandments
in our hearts, and his commandments, the prophet said, are not grievous. We wait not for an earthly high
priest to go into the Holy of Holies, made with hands, with
a sacrifice every morning and every evening and once a year
as a great atonement, but our great high priest, the Lord Jesus
Christ, has gone, yea, into the very presence of God with his
own blood to make an effectual atonement, a once-for-all atonement,
and to sanctify forever with a perfect sacrifice those who
believe. We do not serve God as Israel
did in a spirit of bondage and fear, but his love is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and we can say, Lord, you know
all things. You know that I love you. Yes,
the presence of God rest upon spiritual Israel. And God has
promised his mercies and his grace. God has promised his love. God has promised to us eternal
glory. But now you listen. The motivating
cause of God's mercy to spiritual Israel, just like to national
Israel, is not because of our love for him, but it's because
of his love for us. Now listen to this scripture
in 1 John 4, 10. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and gave his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. The motivating call, we do love
God. God dwells in our hearts by his
Spirit. We cry, Father, Father. We do
not serve him in bondage nor in fear, but in sonship. And
we know that our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, has gone
into the holy of holies, and he has sanctified, perfected
forever all them that believe. And God will show mercy and grace
to all them who love him. All things work together for
good to them that love God, and to them who are called according
to his purpose, and they're one and the same. Those who love
God and those who are called according to his purpose are
one and the same. But the motivating cause of God's
mercy is not our love for him, but his love for us. Listen to Romans 5a. But God
commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. In other words, we love God because
he loved us. We choose God because he chose
us. We seek God because he sought
us. We call upon God because he called
us. His love preceded our love. His purpose preceded our reception
of him. His covenant of grace concerning
us preceded our repentance and our faith. So the motivating
cause of God's mercies and God's grace is not our love for him. It's his love for us. That's
what he says in Ephesians 2, verse 4 and 5. But God, who is
rich in mercy, For his great love, wherewith he loved us even
when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ."
The believer does serve God. He not only loves God, but he
serves God. But the motivating cause of God's
mercy is not our service, and not our works, and not even our
faithfulness, but his purpose and grace, which was commended
to us and given to us in Christ before the world began. Listen
to this scripture. In 2 Timothy 1.9, he had saved
us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given to us in Christ before the world began. What I'm trying
to say to you is this. That part of the Romans 8, 28,
which is quoted all the time, and we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God. The second part of
that is equally important or more important than the first
part, and to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Almighty God's mercies to Israel was not because of their love,
but his love, not because of their faithfulness, but his faithfulness.
And the motivating cause of God's mercy and God's love to you and
to me is preceded, His love is preceded by His purpose. And
the motivating cause is not our love. God doesn't bless us because
we love Him. He blesses us because He loves
us. And we love Him because He loves
us. God doesn't bless us and show
mercy unto us because we serve Him. He shows mercy to us and
blesses us because he chose to do so. He found the cause in
himself and not in us. Now, that's true. Now, let's
look at this verse carefully and read all the way through.
Let's just don't take bits and pieces of it and depend upon
our thoughts and our own ideas about it. Let's see what God
says. Now, let's look at it carefully. Romans 8, 28. And we know, this
is what we know. We're convinced of this. That
all things work together for good to them who love God, who
are the called according to his purpose. Now let's just take
it a little bit at a time. First of all, all things. What
are we talking about here? All things work together for
good. All things, God the Father, in his promises, in his purpose,
in his providence. All things, God the Son as prophet,
priest, and king. All things, God the Holy Spirit
as the quickener. as the comforter, as the teacher,
all things in heaven, even angels, because they are sent as ministering
spirit to those who shall be the heirs of salvation. All things,
not only good angels, but evil angels. Not only great things,
but small things. Not only good things, but bad
things. All things, not some things,
but all things. All events, such as peace and
war. All events, such as famine and
plenty. All events such as sickness and
health, sorrow and happiness, loss and gain, even life or death,
all things, there's nothing that happens in me or unto me or about
me or involving me as a son of God, as a child of promise, as
a holy nation, as a peculiar people, as a special person unto
God, all things work together for my good. Now, what do we
mean by work together for good? Well, we're not talking about
temporal good. We're not talking about earthly good. We're talking
about eternal good. We're talking about everything
in heaven and earth and under the earth. All things work together
in one plan, in one purpose, laid out by sovereign God himself,
who works these things together for our eternal good, for our
eternal glory, and for the eternal happiness of his people. Now,
we put too much stock on the things of this earth. This flesh
is not our final hope. This world is not our final home. God is working all things together
for our everlasting good, for his eternal glory, and for our
everlasting happiness. The songwriter says, Judge not
the Lord by feeble sense, that is, fleshly sense. but trust
him for his grace. Behind the frowning providence,
he hides a smiling face." All things, everything in heaven,
earth, and under the earth, all things, all angels, good and
bad, all events, peace and war, all things, tragedies or successes,
life or death, sickness, sorrow, whatever it may be, is being
worked together by a sovereign God for the everlasting good,
for the eternal good of his people, those who love him. Now, we do
not love God as much as we should. Nobody listening to me would
possibly say, I love God as much as I should, because the scripture
says we're to love God with all our hearts, mind, soul, and strength. And we don't love God as much
as we'd like to. Do we? And we don't love God
as much as we hope to and expect to someday. But by His grace,
we can say this. We do love Him. Why do we love
Him? Are we different from those who hate Him? The natural mind
is enmity against God, is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be. I'll tell you why we love Him.
The Scripture tells us. And we can't take any credit
for it or any praise for it. We love God because He first
loved us. That's the foundation of our
love. We didn't love God, He loved us. Long before we were
born, He said, Jeremiah, before I formed thee in the belly, before
you came out of the womb, I sanctified you, I set you apart, I set my
love upon you, I made you an object of my affection before
you were ever born. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians
1.15, God, who separated me from my mother's womb, Call me by
his grace was pleased to reveal his son in me Paul hated Jesus
Christ Till he was a man almost 40 years of age He despised the
name and the gospel and the message and the hope of Jesus Christ
But he finally gave his life for Christ. He loved Christ Why
because Christ loved him because he was an object of the Lord's
affection so we can say we do love God And all things work
together for good to them who do love God. We do choose God,
but God chose us. We do seek God. David said, as
the heart panteth for the water brook, so panteth my soul after
thee, the living God. We do call upon God, but because
he called upon us. And we do continue in faith,
but it's because by his grace he keeps us in his faith. Now
watch this. All things, and we've defined
that, work together in one great plan, in one great purpose, designed
and purposed and planned by a wise and holy and sovereign God. Work
together for good, for the eternal good of everybody who loves God
and who is called according to his purpose. Now, God has a purpose,
and that purpose is as old as creation and old. It says in
Ephesians 1-9 that he purposed it in himself. Back before the
world was made, back before man was put in the garden, back before
the morning stars sang together, back before the sons of God shouted
for joy, back before the angels were ever created, God purposed
in himself. And it says in Ephesians 3-11,
he purposed it in Christ Jesus our Lord. He purposed. What did
he purpose? He purposed to have a people.
He purposed to populate heaven with a people just like his son. His purpose preceded his love. His purpose to bless us and to
call us and to reveal himself to us preceded the expression
of his love to us. We are called according to his
purpose. Not according to our designs
and not according to our wishes and plans, but according to His
purpose, which he purposed in himself, which he purposed in
Christ before the world began. Now, if you'll notice, verse
29 begins with the three-letter word F-O-R. We just read Romans
8, 28, which is so familiar, everybody can quote it. And we
know that all things work together for good to them who love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. But this does
not stand alone. It requires the next two verses.
The next verse begins with F-O-R. Far, far whom he did foreknow. Now this verse has to go with
verse 28 because it begins with the word far. All things work
together for good to them who love God, who are called according
to his purpose. Far or because. Why do all things
work together for our good? Whom God loves and whom he calls. Because he foreknew us. That's
the first thing. For he foreknew them. What does
it mean, he foreknew them? Well, it means just this, he
knew them before. A lot of people say that word
is the word foreordained, but that's alright too. God ordains
what he knows, he knows what he ordains. Christ said, I know
my sheep. I know my sheep, and have known
of mine. He always has known them. This is a personal, intimate,
love relationship between Christ and His sheep. I know my sheep. Now, you remember in Matthew
7, verse 22 and 23, something like this is said at the judgment.
Christ speaking to some people said, I never knew you. I never
knew you. Now, what does He mean by that?
I never knew you. Well, He knew their birth. He
knew their lives. He knew their thoughts. He knew
the day of their deaths. He knew their rebellion. He knew
all these things. He knows those things about every
man. But this word, know, here is
a love. I never loved you with a complacent
love, with a genuine love, with an intimate love, with an everlasting
love. He says all things work together
for good to them who love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose, because He knows them. He has always known them. He has foreknown them. He has
known them before. Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. Our God draws us with an everlasting
love which knows no end and it knows no beginning. That's what
that verse is saying. All things are working together
for our good because God knows us and loves us and has set his
affection upon us. And that love is an everlasting
love, it's an infinite love, it's an unchangeable love. It
is a perfect love. Now what's the next line? For
whom he foreknew, or knew before, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son. Now this is God's eternal
purpose, which he purposed in himself, which he purposed in
Christ, which he purposed before the world began, that he might
populate heaven with a people just like his son. Whom he foreknew,
he predetermined," and that's the word predestinate, he predetermined,
he determined beforehand that every one of them should be just
like Christ. Now, there's a book put out years
ago on the design of God in redemption. And it listed several things
about God's design in redemption, the first of which was this.
God plans in redemption to put an end to all things contrary
to himself. He's going to put an end to satanic
power and satanic rule and evil and the last enemy that shall
be destroyed is death and darkness and all these things. God's going
to put an end to everything contrary to himself. God is going to restore
all things that were ruined in the fall. Everything, even nature,
even the animals. God is going to restore the earth.
There's going to be a new heaven and a new earth. The scripture
teaches in Romans 8 that all creation waited for the manifestation
of the sons of God. When God reveals the glory of
his people, he's going to make a new earth. He's going to restore
everything ruined in the fall. Thirdly, he's going to glorify
himself. He's going to give preeminence
to his son. Jesus Christ shall have preeminence. Every knee's
going to bow in heaven, earth, and hell, and every tongue's
going to confess that he's Lord to the glory of God the Father.
But fourthly, God's chief end in redemption is to have a people
like Christ. He has predestinated that everyone
whom he had chosen, everyone whom he had foreknown, Every
person redeemed by the blood of Christ is going to be just
like the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall see him and we shall
be just like him. Now notice the next line. All
things, everything in eternity past, present, and future, God
the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, all things good and bad, all
events, everything is working together for good, for the eternal
good, for the eternal glory and happiness. of those who love
him, who are called according to his purpose, for he foreknew
them, he knew them before, he set them apart, he sanctified
them, he set his love upon them, he made them the objects of his
grace, just like he did national Israel among all the nations. God didn't bless the Amorites,
and the Malachites, and the Hittites, and the Philistines. He blessed
Israel. They were a special people. Not because of their love, not
because of their faithfulness, because of His faithfulness,
and His purpose, and His love for them. I am the Lord, I change
not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. And God foreknew
a people, and He predetermined that every one of them would
be like Christ, and whom He predestinated. Look at that next line. He called.
That's what it says. He called. Now men do not love
God by nature. Men hate God by nature. We love
darkness rather than light. Men will not come to God by nature. No man can come to me, Christ
said, except my Father which sent me draw him. Men will not
seek God. There's none that seeketh after
God. They must be called of God. They must be born of God. They
must be quickened of God. They must be convicted of sin.
They must be called of faith. That's what Paul said, God who
separated me from my mother's womb called me by his Spirit. God called him. Everyone whom
he knew before, whom he predetermined to make like his Son, he in time,
by his Spirit and by his power, called them. And not only that,
but whom he called, he justified them. What does it mean he justified
them? Well, God is love, but God is
just. God Almighty is merciful. But
God Almighty is righteous, and His holy law must be honored,
and His justice must be satisfied. And that's why Christ came into
this world, to justify us. He came down here and faced the
law and obeyed it, that we might have a perfect righteousness.
He came down here in the flesh and died under the guilt of our
sins, that He might satisfy the justice of God and enable a holy
God to be just and justify the ungodly. So he justified them. He didn't do it by hook or crook,
he did it by sacrifice. He didn't do it by erasing sins,
he did it by atoning for sins. He didn't do it by turning his
face away from their sins, but he did it by punishing their
sins in the person of his son. He justified all whom he foreknew
and all whom he called. And now watch the last line.
And whom he justified, he glorified. Eternal glory is meant here.
Not glory on this earth, there's no glory here, this is a place
of sin and darkness and death and evil. But he glorified them
in his purpose, in his mind, and one of these days, in his
presence. And that takes us right back
to the beginning. All things work together for
the good, the eternal good, and eternal glory of them who love
God, who are called according to his purpose. For this thing
started back yonder in the council halls of eternity, and it will
be culminated in the presence of the living God when we're
brought forth from the grave in the image of Christ.