The Purpose of God
Romans 8:28
May 29, 2005
OPEN:
I stood dismayed in the kitchen of our newly acquired country home--I had accidentally submerged my left foot in a tray of fresh wall paint. A few minutes later, as I took off my comfortable, hole-in-the-toe painting sneakers, I regretted that I hadn't brought along another pair of socks. I would have to sport a "Country Orange" big toe in my sandals when I picked up my four little sons from the sitter's.
When I arrived at her home, she suggested that since they were still napping, I do a little shopping and stop back for them later. I don't often get an offer like that, so I wasted no time in heading for the department store.
On the way, I remembered my toe. It would had been embarrassing to explain my clumsiness, my orange toe, and my toeless sneaker. At the store, however, I quickly made my way to the housewares department. There I found that all things really do "work together for good." I was able to perfectly match the new kitchen dish cloths and towels to my Country Orange toe. -- Christine R. Wilson, Eureka, CA, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."
CONTEXT:
Romans 8:26-39
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know [oida] that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, [proginosko, not pro oida.] he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
• This is the same word for know that would be used for “Adam knew his wife.”
30 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. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
TEXT: 28 And we know [oida] that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
I. The Confidence of God’s Purpose “we know”
• At times, divine revelation may be silent.
• But that is not so here!
• There are some things that the believer can know.
A. Some Truths We Can Know
• Our generation denies revealed truth.
• They live in the fog and mist of relativism.
• Nothing can be known for sure.
• More and more consider themselves agnostic.
• But we believers lay our head on our pillow at night in calm assurance that there are some things that we can know.
1. We can know that Jesus Came From God
John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
2. We can know whom we worship.
John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
3. We can know that we have a home in Heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
4. We can know that we will be made like Christ.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
5. We can know that we have passed from death unto life.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
6. We can know that God hears our prayers.
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
7. We can know that true believers are not marked by habitual sin.
1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
8. We can know that we belong to God.
1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
9. We can know how to have eternal life.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
10. We can know that God will keep us.
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
B. We Can Know That God Has a Purpose
“We know” ... “according to his purpose”
ILLUS: Louise Black and Sylvia Moore: “I know that the Lord’s got a purpose in this. I don’t know what it is. But He does.”
II. The Completeness of God’s Purpose “all things”
• I have the assurance that God is in charge of all things.
• If I thought for one moment that the succeeding events my life were the random happenings of chance, I would be a miserable man.
• Good things come, Bad things come.
• But I know that there is a God that is choosing to let them come!
• ALL THINGS
• Temporal things? Yes, but also eternal.
• Revealed things? Yes, but also unrevealed.
• Visible things? Yes, but also invisible.
• Physical things? Yes, but also things immaterial.
• God is working ALL things!
Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
QUOTE: Samuel Goldwyn said, "A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on." No promise, verbal or written, is of any value except in relation to the integrity of the one who makes the promise. Some recall a time when "a man's word was his bond." If we make promises, we ought to keep them. God does.
III. The Coordination of God’s Purpose “work together”
• In the Spanish Bible, the text reads: “todas las cosas cooperan (Cooperate) para bien”
• The Greek is ςυνεργει
• In a beutiful puzzle, there must be pieces that portray the bright blue sky.
• But there are also the pieces that show the dark, shady underside of a tree or interior of a barn.
• We do not like the dark pieces.
• But when the puzzle is complete, my what a picture is revealed!
• The Enlish text tells us that all things work together.
• The Greek text reminds us that GOD works all things. The verb is singular. HE works them.
• That is the utmost comfort!
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
IV. The Comfort of God’s Purpose
“for good”
• Not all is good, but all works for good.
• We cannot see the results of every event.
• We cannot see the future.
• But God does!
• And it is for good.
ILLUS: The athlete in training would not necessarily call it good. The student in Calculus or Chemistry would not necessarily call it good. But on game day, or in the game of life, the preparation will have been seen as good.
A. For God’s Good
Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
B. For Our Good
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Genesis 50:20 (But as for you, ye thought evil against me [NOTE: Joseph]; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
ILLUS: In Enterprise, Alabama, you will see one of the most unusual monuments ever built. It is a monument to honor the boll weevil, the little insect that nearly destroyed the cotton on which the town's economy depended. Why a monument to so destructive an insect? Because before the boll weevil, every family depended on cotton for its livelihood. When the boll weevil struck, they diversified and began to plant peanuts with great success. The inscription reads: "In profound appreciation of the boll weevil and of what it has done as the herald of prosperity, this monument is erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama."
QUOTE: There are, in every situation, two factors: there is what happens, and there is how we take what happens. How we take what happens goes back to what kind of person we are, and what kind of belief we have about life as a whole.
If the whole scheme of life is not a scheme at all but a chaos, if there is no thread of purpose running through it all but only confusion, then our misfortunes are just part of the general mess. But if God is, and if life is His creation, with meaning in the middle of it, then we may hope to discover a pattern which will both give coherence to it all and help to interpret any one event in the unfoldment. -- Sam Shoemaker quoted in "I Stand By the Door." Christianity Today, Vol. 29, no. 18.
V. The Conditions of God’s Purpose
A. Love for God
“to them that love God,”
• In the Greek text, this is the first phrase in the verse.
• So these conditions serve as bookends to the promises.
ILLUS: This is not the “Touched by an Angel” philosophy, that God wants to bless all men indiscriminately.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
QUOTE: It is our business to see that we do right; God will see that we come out right. -- Donald Gray Barnhouse in Revelation. Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 2.
B. Called by God
“to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
• This passage is often misread and misquoted.
• It is not to those called according to his purpose.
• Many interpret this as some obedience to God’s leading in the choice of a career.
• But that is not the case.
• It is to those who are THE called according to His purpose (prothesin = God’s plan)
• As the Bible Knowledge Commentary reminds us:
“Called” means more than being invited to receive Christ; it means to be summoned to and given salvation —Bible Knowledge Commentary
Romans 1:6-7 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: [7] To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• These promises of comfort and assurance are to the genuinely born-again child of God.
• We urge you as did the Apostle Peter:
2 Peter 1:10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; For I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
NOTE: Contrast the carnal attitude of Jacob and the spiritual attitude of Paul.
• Jacob said, "All these things are against me" (Genesis 42:36).
• Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).
—Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary
QUOTE: Paul ... says that all things work together for good, but only to them that love God. If a man loves and trusts and accepts God, if he is convinced that God is the all-wise and all-loving Father, then he can humbly accept all that he sends to him. A man may go to a physician, and be prescribed a course of treatment which at the time is unpleasant or even painful; but if he trusts the wisdom of the man of skill, he accepts the thing that is laid upon him. It is so with us if we love God. But if a man does not love and trust God, he may well resent what happens to him and may well fight against God's will. It is only to the man who loves and trusts that all things work together for good, for to him they come from a Father who in perfect wisdom, love and power is working ever for the best. —Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)
