The Great Eight - Pt 22

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 28-30 ESV).

Our reading today is one of my most often quoted passages. In fact, it is rare that I do not go to these verses at some point in my preaching. The Great Eight is one of the most encouraging and hopeful chapters in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul boldly brushes the word “Hope” with a big red paint brush. Later we will see in verse 37 when he shouts, “No! In all these things we are more than conquerors.” Not just conquerors, but more than conquerors! Tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword are not just defeated; they are more than defeated: they are turned into servants for our good. And, verse 28 is the central jewel of all in declaring this hope. There are so many different translations of this verse. Perhaps the King James Version is the most accurate to the concepts Paul expresses: “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.” However, whatever your version of translation they all mean basically that God is so supremely in charge of the world that all the things that happen to Christians are ordered in such a way that they serve our good. Tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword all work together for the good of those who love God. So the rugged hope of the believer is not that we will escape distress or peril or hunger or slaughter, but that Almighty God will make every one of our agonies an instrument of his mercy to do us good. “You meant it for evil,” Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “but God meant it for good.” And so it is with every calamity of those who love God. God ordained it for our good! This truth then becomes the foundation of this enormous declaration of God’s will and purpose for us. We’re going to take some time to unpack this in the coming days as we continue to study these verses. We will see that, even in the midst of the most terrifying and difficult experiences, God is not just an observer of our plight. He is an active participant and directs all of it to produce our good. Now, that is something to cling to in the fallen world that only produces groanings in my life! Yes, we will still groan; however, now we have the cause to rejoice in our groans!