Getting Through Life's Ups and Downs
Facing Your Bends in the Road • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Good morning Wesley Cove Church. Have I told you today that I love you? I do love you.
Have you enjoyed this sermon series we have been in, “Facing Your Bends in the Road?”
Are you ready for a review?
Three weeks ago we looked at Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. We discovered three realities we need to remember, When Life Crashes Down.
What was the first reality...
Remember Jesus always loves you.
Remember we don’t always understand everything.
Remember Jesus is always the answer.
The next week we learned from Joseph that God always has a plan. But it is okay to ask questions of God. When we face a bend in the road we will always ask three questions.
What is God Up to?
Where is God in This?
When is God going to Act?
All perfectly honest questions to ask God.
Today we want to look at the purpose for the bends in the road.
Flora will come and read our scripture for today. Hasn’t she done an awesome job this month?
How many of you like watching home renovation shows? I confess, Ginny and I like to watch this episodes. I especially like the demolition. When they start swinging that twenty pound sledge hammer, I get a thrill watching the old kitchen cabinets come down in a cloud of dust. Seeing them lying there broken into splinters.
nBut, for some of you here, this was not a show on television, but you life. As you were renovating your home. It was your kitchen cabinets with all their memories, now a pile of rubble. You know what is like to have the contract say we will be done in 14 days, and you have watched helplessly as fourteen days grow into two months. You have tried to make due with a hotplate and a microwave, and the counters have been placed on back order.
Have you been there?
Yes!
We know renovations are hard.
I have good news and bad news for you.
The good news is that God wants to change you into the image of his son.
The Bad news is that God needs to put you and me through a complete make-over.
This brings us to God’s purpose for the Bends in the road. The bends in the road, the situations forcing us to change direction are for a purpose.
God is at work in each crisis we face, problem we encounter, and even in the ocean of trouble we are swimming through.
But what is he at work doing?
Here is a hint.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
That is God purpose for your life. For you to be Conformed into the image of His Son. Nothing else matters. His purpose is eternal. Not earthly.
What bring us to this verse, Romans 8:28.
As Flora read, did you notice this verse in found in a section of Scripture that is talking about what? Review is again.
Trouble. Trouble some overwhelming you don’t even know how to pray.
What do we know?
What do we know?
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
God is at work.
For Whom?
For Whom?
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
As Tony Evans points out.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary IX. The Spirit Leads Us to Glory (8:1–39)
Everybody likes the first part of 8:28, where all things work together for the good of those who love God. Most people, though, ignore the second part—which is even more important. God is working in our lives for our good, but not so that we’ll live on Easy Street. Rather, he works for our good according to his purpose.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary IX. The Spirit Leads Us to Glory (8:1–39)
He wants to make us clones of Christ, people who mirror Christ’s character and conduct. Sure, he wants to give us “all things,” but we can only receive them if we are conformed to Christ.
Those who love God.
Those who love God.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary IX. The Spirit Leads Us to Glory (8:1–39)
If believers are not loving God and progressively being “conformed to the image of” Christ, they will not see things working together for good.
You say, Terry, are you saying that God can use bad situations for our good?
Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Called according to His Purpose
Tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword all work together for the good of those who love God.
Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Called according to His Purpose
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.
Remember what Jospeh said his brothers,
“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Those called by God.
Those called by God.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.