If you have a copy of God's Word or a bulletin, go ahead and turn with me to Romans chapter 8.
We're continuing on in our series of Romans, and we come to what, if you're a Bible reader, is probably a familiar passage.
If you're here as a visitor, you're probably like, those Presbyterians are always talking about this.
Let me assure you that you're simply getting the next section in God's Word.
As we march through Romans.
Romans chapter 8, verses 28 to 30.
This is the Word of the Lord.
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.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Let's pray.
Lord, we're thankful for Your Word to us.
We need Your help.
We need Your Spirit.
To drive out both distraction.
And to help us understand.
To help us apply Your Word to our hearts.
We pray that we might see Christ through them.
And it's in His name that we pray.
Amen.
Have you ever had a bad day?
Of course you've had a bad day.
But was your day like Alexander?
Alexander and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Now, you might hear some chuckling because it's the title of a popular kid's book and also a movie.
I haven't seen the movie, so I can't speak for anything in it.
But I know in the book that Alexander certainly has a bad day.
He starts out by having gum in his hair.
Because he was chewing gum and he went to sleep.
And then his brothers win prizes in the cereal boxes that they eat.
Or they don't eat a box, they eat a cereal that the box has the prize in.
He doesn't get a window seat on his ride to school.
He gets in trouble for singing too loudly or poorly.
And he forgets a number while he's counting.
So it's not going well for him at school.
Have you had a bad day like Alexander?
Maybe not that bad.
But you've certainly been forgotten.
Like Alexander's friends who forgot him on the playground.
And then his mom who forgot the dessert in his lunch.
How could she?
Maybe you've not been like Alexander.
But you've had unfortunate circumstances.
Like you've had cavity at the dentist.
Like Alexander.
Or like Alexander, your mom takes you to get new shoes.
And you're thinking, yes!
Except they're the ones you don't want.
And they're uncomfortable.
And to cap it all off, you've probably never had to eat lima beans for dinner.
I don't really understand that one.
I love lima beans.
And then you're forced to wear train pajamas.
Oh man.
Maybe you like trains.
Maybe you like lima beans like me.
Maybe you don't really care if you sing poorly or off-key.
Or forget numbers at all.
But you've probably had a bad day.
Right?
You've all had them.
Now whatever those circumstances look like in your life, I can't know.
But the Lord knows.
But maybe you've not had a bad day.
But you've had a bad week.
You've all had those as well.
Maybe a bad season of life.
Maybe a bad year.
You've missed out on success.
You've not gotten the promotion that you were owed that you thought you deserved.
You don't have that relationship yet.
You're not married.
You don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Maybe you've lost someone that you love.
Family.
A friend.
Maybe you've missed out on riches.
Maybe your mom forgot the lunch.
Or the dessert that was supposed to go in your lunch.
Whether they're trivial or great.
You've all had bad days.
Bad seasons.
Bad years.
Maybe you've inherited something.
Not riches.
But you've inherited the misfortune of your family name.
Maybe you've gotten the short end of the stick.
And you wonder how much more you can bear.
Lord, if this keeps going on, I don't know what I'm going to do.
I see no end inside.
I see no relief.
Lord, are you even there?
Do you care?
As I struggle with sin again and again.
Maybe it's suffering.
A bad diagnosis.
Of pain.
Of darkness.
Of fear.
Of failure.
Again, God reminds us that whether it's a bad day, a bad season, a bad year, whether it's trivial or great, that what?
He still reigns.
That's what Paul is reminding us in this text.
He reigns in these circumstances of life.
And he reigns also over the things that are most important.
Salvation.
But he reigns still.
And this morning, we're going to look at this text under those two headers.
If you're a Bible reader, this is a text that you're not unfamiliar with.
You might even have it posted on your mirror.
Because this is one of those texts that is familiar and brings comfort.
And if I'm honest with you, this is a topic about which I am most sure.
Now, as pastors, we get asked all kinds of questions all the time.
Whether it's from our own kids, people on the street, our neighbors.
And I will tell you, there are two things that I am extremely sure about.
One is God's word is true.
And the other is this text this morning.
It's at the heart of this text that God reigns.
First, let's look at the circumstances.
Remember that this verse, even if we have it plastered on our mirror or on a calendar in our kitchen,
those aren't bad things.
But it comes with some context.
There's something that goes before it and something that comes after.
And oftentimes, when we write it on a yellow sticky note or we put it on a scene, maybe in a calendar,
we lift it out of its context and it gets a little difficult.
It also gets difficult because this speaks to something that Alexander knows well,
that our own hearts know well, of whether it's a bad season, a bad day, or life is difficult.
It's something that we all know from experience.
It's something that we have experienced today, this week,
and we experience all the time when something doesn't go well.
And Paul says that as well.
He says about his own spiritual life.
Think about how far we've come in Romans.
As I mentioned, we're marching on in Romans,
and we've come to this point where Paul has been wrestling with his own internal sin,
not the circumstances out there, which we'll get to in a moment,
but the circumstances of life, how creation groans,
how sin affects all of life.
And until that point, when we are transformed, we wait with certain hope.
We wait for glory because we know it will come to pass, as Scott prayed.
And we've been given his spirit until then.
And in the midst of all of that difficulty and darkness and horrible, no good, bad days,
it makes us question the certainty of this hope.
It makes us question, does God really know?
Or is Thomas Jefferson and all those people that helped found our nation,
whether they had faith in Christ or not,
that God sets everything up and then walks away?
Paul has a very different view of that.
He says he reigns over all things in all circumstances.
Look with me at verse 28.
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.
Now, when we look at this verse, there's two things that we have to keep in mind.
There's two kind of distinguishing marks.
The first is our status.
Status before God.
Not in the eyes of this world, but in God's economy.
Paul is clear from the outset that our relationship to God matters.
Love for God is kind of the dividing line in this verse.
He says, for those who love God, right?
All things work together for good.
Paul makes a big point that the condition of your heart and how we relate to him matters.
And that makes sense, right?
Because he spent the last couple chapters marching through the difference
between those who think they're justified by keeping the law
and those that are justified because God has revealed and opened their eyes to the gospel
and they love him in response.
And Paul is pulling forward this idea
that those who trust in God are marked by love for him.
Just as we read in the Old Testament, known by God and loving God are very, very similar.
Think back, even in Romans itself.
We see all this present suffering is transformed by what?
A future orientation to glory.
That only makes sense if we're adopted into God's family.
That future glory, that certain hope transforms what happens in the here and now.
And that's why Paul is calling it out.
There's wrestling with it, yes,
but we can't lose sight of what will happen in the future.
And it only makes sense if we love God.
Now the question is, do you love God?
Well, perfectly, of course not.
But do you love God?
Do you love him because he saved you?
Because you see the beauty of Christ dying on the cross
and the hope of the resurrection,
and in response, you love him?
If so, Paul is talking to you.
If not, Paul is not talking to you.
I know that seems really stark,
but the reality is it leaps off the page at us.
And he's going to qualify it here in a second
and say it's not just love for God,
but something further.
Now that's the first thing that we have to keep in mind
when we're talking about circumstances.
The second thing is the nature of these circumstances working together.
If that's true, that those who love God relate to all these circumstances differently,
then we have to look at how God rules over all these circumstances.
That doesn't change.
So what does Paul say here?
He does not say everything is easy for a Christian.
In fact, he kind of says the opposite.
He does not say success is your watchword.
He does not say that if you're a Christian,
if you put your faith in Jesus,
that you'll be wise and wealthy in the eyes of the world.
That your kids will never disobey.
That you'll be rich.
That you'll be famous.
That you'll be praised in the streets.
And yet, some of us think that.
And yet, that's pervasive in our day.
Because there's a version of Christianity,
and I would argue not Christianity at all.
In fact, Paul's experience is very much the opposite.
He's not wealthy, wise,
prison in all the streets, and all that stuff.
Right?
What does he get?
Not that.
There's a version of Christianity that says
if you put your faith in Jesus,
all of that will happen.
And the witness of Scripture is very much not that.
To be honest, that ceases to be Christianity at all.
But how does that help us for those that love God?
Instead, Paul says that all these things,
good things, fun things, sad things,
hard things, horrible things,
things that we don't want to say have happened,
all of those work together for good.
Now, they might not be good in and of themselves.
We talked about that in Sunday school this morning,
right before worship.
God uses things that are evil
for good,
for your growth and holiness,
for your dependence upon him as a father,
to increase your love for him,
to loosen our grip on this world
and all those things
that our hearts really, really want.
And seeing glory
is more important
than the thing that waits for us
after this world.
Now, if we're honest,
that's something that we see time and time again
in Scripture.
That God uses these things.
God uses difficult circumstances
for his own purposes.
Think of the example of Job as a person, right?
He loses all this stuff,
all these tragedies befall him.
And suffering is not isolated
to the wicked as his friends think,
but it comes home
to him, the righteous.
And that's where his friends struggle.
And that's where we struggle if we're honest.
We can't see through all the suffering
to the question
that our hearts really want to ask.
Why is this happening, Lord?
That example of Job is helpful,
but another one should come to mind
when we think about God
ordering all these things for good.
Think of the example of Joseph.
Joseph, yes, the son of Jacob.
He's thrown or sold into slavery in Egypt,
and he's falsely accused
and thrown into prison.
And instead,
not like the county of Monte Cristo
who wants to get his revenge,
what does he do instead?
He has reason to respond with revenge,
but instead,
God uses all of that evil
to do what?
We get this in Genesis 50.
As for you,
he's speaking to his brothers
who come groveling to him,
thinking that he's going to destroy them.
As for you,
you meant evil against me,
but God meant it for good.
That's not saying
Joseph going to slavery in Egypt
is good,
but in the ultimate cosmic sense,
his grand design,
he's accomplishing his purpose
and using it in Joseph's life
and the life of Israel,
his people.
That even when it's evil,
God uses it for good.
And Paul echoes that same idea
here in Romans 8.
We should reflect Romans 8
when we think about our own lives.
It's not that these isolated actions
are all good
and we just paste over it
with the veneer of happiness
and smiling.
No, we can cry out
that this is not good,
but we have to know
that God uses it
for his purposes,
for the good of those
who are called
according to his purposes.
Now, is that different
than those who love God?
No, it's kind of like
a parenthetical phrase
that he's saying
those who love God
are also those
who've been called
according to his purposes
at the end of verse 28.
Paul's not describing
a different person.
He's describing the same person
called for his purposes.
That's the lived experience
of a Christian.
Loving God
is kind of the subjective
description of it.
But from God's perspective,
he's called them
into his kingdom,
into his purposes.
If you think about it,
that follows the pattern
that we see in the life of Jesus.
He's always calling people.
Now, when we hear
the word calling,
we think,
I'm going to pick up the phone.
Well, I'm showing my age
by even picking up
the phone like that.
Maybe it's more like this, right?
But I pick up the phone,
and what happens?
Either that person answers,
or they hit ignore.
And we think of calling
like that,
that it can be ignored.
But instead,
we need to have the idea
of calling of Jesus
saying to Lazarus,
and come forth,
and calling him
is something happening.
It's not calling
and being dismissed.
It's calling
and it coming to pass.
Just as Jesus calls forth
Lazarus,
his disciples,
he calls them
to follow him.
Now,
I don't know where
that finds you this morning.
If you've got drug in here,
my friend,
and you're like,
man,
those Presbyterians
are always talking
about how God reigns
and calls people.
But again,
this is straight
from the text,
and it's really,
really clear.
There's a call
in each of us,
to each of us,
that cannot be ignored.
There's a call
to put your faith
in Jesus
that we must obey.
And when we do,
all of those things
work together
for good.
Follow the call
of Jesus this morning.
In the call of Jesus,
there's this pattern
of transformation.
And when we look at it,
we see
that lives change.
That Joseph's life,
his circumstances,
don't necessarily change,
but God uses them
to accomplish
his purposes
for his people.
And the same
is true for us
as individual Christians.
We're not called
to ease.
We're not called
to avoid suffering,
even though that's
what we want to do.
But God
transforms it
for good.
And that's why
we can speak
with certainty
that whatever
comes to pass
in our individual lives
is certain
because of God.
And we'll return
to that in a moment.
Now,
that doesn't change
the fact that
that's really
stinking hard.
But Paul means it
as a comfort
in our lives.
So why,
then,
do we struggle?
We struggle
because maybe
we don't believe that.
We struggle
against sin
in our own hearts.
Or maybe we're
like Alexander
where we can slip
into complaining
and discontent.
But when we do so,
we deny
a fundamental truth
of doctrine.
We deny the fact
that God
is reigning
as a king
over all these things.
And what happens
is we get
a view of God
that's not king,
but he's a school janitor.
He's just kind of
cleaning up
all of our messes.
That is not the view
of God
that Paul gives us.
The picture here
is definite,
deliberate,
and ordered,
a king ruling
over all things
and people.
The second thing
we can't forget
is that life
is hard.
Circumstances
and things that happen
are often evil
and the result
of sin.
And the Christian
life is hard.
We know that enough
from what Paul
has said so far.
He struggles
internally with sin,
but he has a sure
and certain hope.
The other thing,
and this is really
popular in our day,
we often want
to avoid sin
because we think
if we're a Christian
we will not suffer.
Paul tells us
that's not true.
But there's this voice,
really it's a recovery
of this voice,
that says suffering
is the purpose.
It's kind of this recovery
of this modern stoic idea.
Suffering is not the goal.
The goal is glory.
There's some truth,
some common grace truth
in this,
that we should work hard
and do things like that
in stoicism
and these other voices.
But suffering
is not the goal.
Paul reminds us
the goal
is glory.
And suffering
is transformed
when we keep
that in mind.
So God reigns
over circumstances,
transforming them
from things
that just seem
random
and inconvenient
or evil.
And Paul tells us
he uses them
for good.
What else
does God reign over?
He reigns
over salvation.
Now I said earlier
that when we lift
Romans 8.28
and the following
verses out,
we often shed
29 and 30.
We don't put
29 and 30
on a calendar
in our kitchen
and we often
don't put that
on a sticky note
on our mirror.
And when we lift
it out of context,
I love this line.
An angry pastor
has argued
that we remove
the teeth
of this promise.
We hold on
to the comfort
but it doesn't
feel comforting
because we don't
bring the oomph
with it.
The oomph
is from 29 and 30.
And we neglect
the great theology
that should hold
us fast
in 29.
This is what
Paul says.
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.
Now you might say
if you got drug
in here this morning,
you Presbyterians,
you Reformed people,
you Protestants
are always talking
about God reigning
in predestination.
Again,
it's here in the text.
Now inevitably,
I won't say
everything that there
is to be said
about this verse.
The good news is
Romans 9-11 does
and we're going
there soon.
This is a movie trailer.
It's a little snippet.
It's a teaser
of what's to come.
That God is working
not just in circumstances,
but in the most
important arena
in salvation
of our souls
and our own lives.
And he begins
this verse
with a reaffirmation
of foreknowing.
If you were paying
attention to our
Old Testament reading
this morning,
we talked about
God knowing.
God knowing
and God loving
are very closely related.
But what did it say
when it talked
about Israel?
God didn't love them
because they were
great and mighty.
He didn't love them
because they would
do the right thing.
He loved them
as one has said
even though
they were deaf,
even though
they were dumb,
and disobedient.
It's not as if
God looks to the future
and says,
man,
you're deaf,
dumb,
and disobedient.
I love you.
And of course
that's what he says
because he loves them
not because of
what they've done
or will do,
but because of
his action.
We are deaf,
we are dumb,
and we are disobedient.
God knows that
and God loves them.
God knows that
about us
and loves us
anyway.
That's what he means
by predestined.
Because if we're up
to us,
the deaf,
dumb,
disobedient ones,
we go our own way.
We trip and fall
over our own shoelaces
in the cosmic sense,
in the big things
of life,
in the little things
of life.
Now what is not
meant by this verse?
It's not meant,
as many have done,
and many tried to do,
in saying that God
sees all these things
in the future
and loves you
because of all these
things that you will do
in the future.
No,
he loves you
even though
you're all those things,
deaf,
dumb,
and disobedient.
He doesn't look forward
and say,
you put your faith
in Christ
and that's why
I love you.
Instead,
he loves you
because he's God
and loves you
and knows you.
He doesn't look forward
and say,
on account of your faith,
because you chose him.
No,
that's not what
this verse says.
There have been many
who've tried to do justice
to that idea
by kind of reworking
the language.
And this is really clear.
And it's really clear
because if we're up to Paul
or up to you
or up to me,
we would fail.
Unless we think
in this broader context,
Paul is talking about
the certainty
that's secured
by God himself
of this future glory.
The future glory
that transforms us
from this earthly body
into one
that is like
the image of his son.
That's what he says.
that Christ might have
many brothers.
The firstborn
of many brothers.
It's secured by Christ
and we're transformed
to look like Christ.
That's the driving point
of verse 29.
That's the driving point
of Romans 8.
That there's a future glory
that's coming
that's been secured
by God himself.
And it doesn't depend
upon you
because
you're not really trustworthy.
I'm not really trustworthy.
because I often love sin
more than I love
Christ.
But what greater privilege
is that
to be counted
as brother
to Christ?
Think about that.
The great hope
that we have.
The certain hope
that will be transformed
into the image
of his son
has been secured
by God himself.
It's not simply
God moving
as a first mover
in the transformation
of his children
and then we pick it up
all along.
What does he say?
In verse 30.
And those whom
he predestined
he also called.
And those whom
he called
he also justified.
And those whom
he justified
he also glorified.
It begins
at his choosing
and then he calls
not like on the phone
for a call
that we can dismiss.
But he beckons us
from death
to life.
What he starts
he completes
and it lands
at glorification
being made perfect.
No more sin.
No more darkness.
No more sadness.
If you notice
in all of this
who does it depend on?
Not you.
Not me.
Not our neighbor.
But it depends
on God.
All of this.
God is the one
who's doing the work.
He predestined.
He called.
He justified.
He glorified.
That's an important
reminder for us
that our lives
are not really
about us.
It's about God.
And a story
of salvation
is no different.
That he is the one
walking out
these purposes.
Because if it were
up to us
we would fail.
my life
my salvation
is not about me.
Your life
is not about you.
It's about God.
The most important
things in our lives
the most important
thing
is God
and the work
that he's doing.
Now Paul
is not saying
this as a corrective.
It's really important
here.
He's saying it
as a comfort.
As a reminder
of the hope
that we should have.
Because when we
deny this
and we think
back to Romans
8 28
and we don't
have God
as reignings
sovereignly
over circumstances
in our salvation
everything that
we walk through
becomes
not just a trial
but a double trial.
We're wrestling
with did I make
a mistake here?
Yes you made a mistake.
That always the answer.
But should I have
done something
differently?
Did I mess up
God's plan?
No!
God reigns supreme
and when we lose
sight of that
we kind of
lose sight
of all
of these things.
But God
has promised
to us
he's called
each of us
to worship him
and follow him
in faith
in the midst
of circumstances
that he's
working together
for our
good
his glory
but he provides
us comfort
in the midst
of that.
Comfort
because he
has secured
that future
glory.
That's the
reminder he
gives us.
Often
in our worship
we remind
our hearts
with the words
of not
the shorter
catechism
but the
Heidelberg
catechism
and ask this
question
what is your
only comfort
in life
and in death
that I am
not my own
but belong
body and soul
in life
and in death
to my faithful
Savior Jesus
Christ.
He has fully
paid for all
my sins
with his
precious blood
and has set
me free
from the
tyranny
of the devil
and he watches
over me
in such a way
that not a hair
can fall
from my head
without the will
of my Father
in heaven
in fact
all things
must work
together
for my
salvation.
God reigns
and he reigns
now.
Let's pray.
Lord we're
thankful for
the reminder
from your word
even when things
are difficult
that you're
working all
things together
for good
for those
that are called
according to
your purposes
Father
me remind
our hearts
in the midst
of discomfort
in the midst
of trial
and suffering
that I
have
that I
have
that I