Sayings we say, what do they really mean?
"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" "It all comes out in the wash" "You'll always fine someone else with worst problems" "What goes around comes around" "It's all good" "All things will work out in the end" "Time heals all wounds" "Things just have a way of working out" "Everything happens for a reason" "It's all part of the cycle of life"
Why do we say these things? We say them because we don't know what else to say, and we say them because we have to believe that it's all good, that somehow there is a purpose in all this stuff and we try to come with slogans with optimism in all this fear but is it really true? Is it real?
Today we look at one of those deep questions, do things really work out or are we just spinning our wheels, when bad things happen to us is there any silver lining to the cloud? Or is it just bad stuff and we are just out of luck?
Our Personal Security Rests Upon God's Supernatural Activity
Romans 8:28-39
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
1) The Promise: That God Works all things to the Good.
"And we know" What a blessing, some people don't know it. "That in all things" meaning everything, everything in the past all your dumb mistakes, everything in the present, in the future all it is working for the good of those who love the Lord.
What do we say at Christmas time? Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth.
Everything works for the good of those who love the Lord, we will never know how things here are insignificant until we are in heaven. We will never know how our past struggles and tensions weren't even worth thinking about compared to the reward.
For an unbeliever even if they did not have a lot of struggles it still doesn't end well for them.
What is his purpose? His purpose is our good and His glory.
2) The Purpose: What is God's purpose? That we might be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might take those who aren't anything like Jesus and make them just like Jesus. He works all things to the good because his conforming us to the image of Christ and there is nothing better than that. God has already determined that he would work it to the good.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
3) The Provision:
Foreknew? to know beforehand.
Ephesians 1:4-6
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
before the creation of the world God chose us before we chose him.
We will never know why God chooses who he Chooses. It isn't because we are special because we all know we are just as sinful as the people around us.
Apostle Paul - He is on his way to hunt and kill christians. Is he thinking about joining them? No. What happens? God shows up in his life and strikes him down and he becomes blinded and the scales fall off and now he see's what he didn't see before and God chose him because of what he couldn't see.
It's not because we are special. We only become special when he chooses us.
John 6:37,44
37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
Is God picking some to be saved and some to go to hell? No. Why? Because we are already going to hell. We live out our freedom of will,
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
4) The Power: He predestines then he calls, the inward call is what God calls in our spirit when we hear that voice saying "your mine" the outward call is when you hear the gospel. No one comes to Christ without an inward call and an outward call. We hear and respond to the word because of his will already done within us. God predestined you before the foundation of the universe, and then one day you heard his call. When did you experience the call? you were saved before the foundation of the universe but when did you here Him calling?
More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Forget about all the strains, struggles and the questions that you are never going to be able to get the answers to, the bottom line is… God works all things for the good for those who love him and if that kind of God is for you then who can be against you? He is so for you can committed to his purpose that he gave his Son for you.
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Nothing can separate us from Christ.
36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Paul says that is now how it ends you can slaughter us but you can't kill us. Many have been slaughtered like sheep for Christ's sake. You can not kill us, if you do, then you just better us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our personal security rests upon God's supernatural activity, because if our security rests upon our activity then none of it is good because it ends in futility and it ends in death and it ends in condemnation, but for us we are conquerors in Christ.
How do we live in this?
1) Gratitude: All I have to do is say, "God I am grateful" Why me? God says, "I chose you be grateful"
2) Godly: Live like someone you are suppose to be conformed to, Jesus Christ.
3) Gracious: God will not be tolerant of you acting better than others judging others. Share the Gospel with everybody. Be humble, be submissive. Don't look at others like you are better than them.
4) Gallant: Take risk because they all work to the good. Live like conquerors.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
Any errors or miscommunication please refer to me not the pastor, the intent is for you to have the notes for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,
Lorell