This past weekend pastor
Dave spoke to us of Romans 8:28 where the apostle Paul writes, “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” (NIV). He helped us see
that, unfortunately, many people have spend-doctored this verse to mean that
all things work together for good.
That’s simply not true, is it? It
sure sounds good and is a great sounding sales pitch for the Gospel; but it
isn’t what Paul said and it isn’t the truth.
The truth is that there are
a lot of things in this world that work against us. There is evil in this world and there are
powers at work seeking our demise. Bad
things happen to good people and evil things happen to righteous people. In Romans 8:22-23 Paul makes it clear, “We
know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Have you ever groaned inwardly in a pain that
would take you down if it were not for God?
Sure you have.
Paul speaks to the church
and lists some of the ways the enemy would take us down if he had the power to
do so: “trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword…death,
life, angels, demons, the present, the future, powers, height, depth” (Rom.
8:35-39). In verse 25 he speaks of “our
weakness.” Verses 26 and 27 speak of how
sometimes we are so overwhelmed in life that we don’t even know how to
pray. In this world life hits us
all. Righteous people around the world
are dying every day because of starvation, filthy water, evil governments, and
a world wide epidemic of man’s inhumanity to man. What happened to “all things work together for
good?”
God’s plan is bigger than
any plan you or I might come up with.
God comes to us! Did you hear
it? God comes to us in this world and
establishes a stronghold in our lives that is so powerful that no force in all
time or eternity can separate us from His love.
In this world “the Spirit helps us in our weakness”
(Rom. 8:25). How is that for good
news? Yes, sometimes we are hit so hard by the enemy
we don’t even know how to pray. In those
times, though, “the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans”
(Rom. 8:27). In Romans 8:31-32 Paul
speaks of life in this world, right now, “If God is for us, who can be against us? 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?”
We are covered by a grace
won for us on the cross of Calvary. The
empty tomb resounds through all time and eternity, “If God is for us, who can be
against us?”
In
2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 Paul speaks a painful yet wonderful truth. He told the church, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but
not destroyed.” Romans 8:28 does not keep us from being “Hard
pressed… perplexed…persecuted… struck down.”
But God’s presence in our lives buoys us up in such away that no matter
how hard life gets it doesn’t have to crush us or leave us in despair or cause
God to abandon us or leave us destroyed.
Immanuel, God with us, is in us and His good, acceptable and perfect will
(Romans 12:2) cannot be undone.
How much is God with
us? Long before Jesus came, David said
it well, “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). Life may take our lives from us, but it can’t
take heaven from us. Life may knock us
down but it can’t separate us from the love of God that has been revealed to us
in Jesus Christ. Death has taken my mom
and dad and two much-loved sisters-in-law but at their death Jesus ushered them
home to the place He had gone away to prepare for them. Romans 8:28 is so true that even at funerals
we say, “O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting? (I
Corinthians 15:55). Today, because of
the amazing grace of an amazing God we live embraced by “goodness and lovingkindness,”
and when the awesome opportunities of this temporal life are over we “will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Last weekend our worship
team led us in some beautiful words to which I say, “Amen.” Because we know we
are safe in the arms of Jesus come what may, we say with eyes wide open and
fixed on Jesus,
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
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