God Works for Our Good

Introduction

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena

I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon

So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Romans 8:28

If you forgot your Bible please use the one in front of you and if you dont have a Bible at all, please take home the one in front of you as a free gift to you

Opening

We are in a new sermon series called He Holds the Future

And it really is a continuation from our Easter Sermon that Jesus is our Living Hope

And becaue he is alive and reigning, we can trust in him and find rest in him

We can rest in knowing that God has a good plan

And we can rest in knowing that he provides

And we trust and believe that whatever happens in this life, God is with us

And so we can live with our sights set on him, we can live with heaven in view

Illustration

It is not out of line for us to think about the future

And I believe it is almost natural for us to want to know the future

But what happens when we dont just stop at curiosity?

What happens when we want to be certain?

And, an underlying concern about the future that we have, is, is it good?

We want to know that there is something good in store for us

The world, when desperate to know the future, turns to - palm readings, crystal balls, cards, horoscopes, etc.

These attempts to try to know the future are folly and many of them are demonic in nature and I want to encourage each of you not to engage in these things

Sinply put, These methods and actions are not of God

But, what if

If I were to stand here and tell you that I could guarantee good for you - would you believe me?

If I told you that the purpose of God guarantees good for you - would you believe me?

For the Christian who believes in God, to those who put their faith and trust in Jesus alone for salvation

God has a promise for you - a promise for you to lean on and to trust in

A promise that tells you that you dont need to know the future

You dont need to know how everything is going to happen

But to know that God is with you and working for your good

That is a promise every believer has and that can be a promise to you by putting your faith in Jesus

So now we are going to look at this promise in context

If you are able to stand, I ask that you please do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it as you follow along,

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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 8:27–28.

This is the Word of the Lord - You may now be seated

Background

Romans is written by the Apostle Paul

And in Romans chapters 1-9, we find Pauls most detailed explanation of the gospel

gospel - The good news of Jesus Christ

Before Time - Redemption - Reconcilliation

Church

And we know

In our exodus series we talked about the confidence we can have with God

That we can have confidence in things of this world but the things of this world can fail us

But God will not fail us

The Apostle Paul is confident in what he is writing

He doesnt wish what he is writing is true,

He doesnt think what he is writing is true

Paul is confident with full assurance in what he is writing to the church

And he is writing to the church so that the church can be confident as well

That as the church evaluates the present time - the now

It is evaluated based upon the assurance of the future

Christ is the assurance of that future

And that future is eternal glory in heaven

Unified with God the Father

This is why we gather

If we did not assurance, if we do not believe in the promises of God, then whats the point of spending an hour and a half or more of our day off to do the things that we do

But, because we have full assurance of a future glory, because we have hope, because we have been loved by God

It is our conviction - that we should sing praises to Him, we should study his word together, we should celebrate and do life with one another

The way we live is dictated by wether or not we trust and believe in God’s assurance and promise for us

It is dictated by wether we believe or not that God loves us

Maybe you are here today and you dont have full assurance in God’s promises

Maybe you are here today and you need reminding that God is for you

We are going to evaluate some biblical truths that we see now, in light of the assurance of an eternal future with God

So that we will know and believe with full confidence that God is

Love God

For those who love God

Evaluation of Love

Do you believe that God loves you?

Do you believe in his gospel?

Do you love God?

Do you posess biblical love?

What is crazy is just how much love is talked about in the world

And its not just talked about but it has made its way into songs

If we were only to look at songs “What is love?” - “I was looking for love in all the wrong places” - “I will always love you”

Just those three song asks what is love, imply that love is something to be found, and that it should be a lasting thing

So we have our own outlook on love

Some of the things we see now in the world is that love is:

subjective - love can mean one thing to you and can mean something completely different to me

optional - love whenever, however, whoever, but you also have the option to opt out of that love (an eye for an eye)

emotional - There is an emphasis that It is something you feel, and because you feel it, it has to be love

watered down - “I love that thing”

As a church - we believe that there is a true love, a true design and intent as to what love is and how it should be displayed

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Gospel Presentation - Trinity of God living in perfect love

And out of that perfect love - comes goodness

God creates the world - Genesis God says over and over and saw that it was good

God creates man - God loves his people

God gave man dominion - and a command

And as long as man was obedient to God’s command - perfect love and goodness was in this world

But man failed - brought sin into the world

Man is driven out of the garden - separated from God Spiritually

It wasnt God who seperated himself from man

It was man who failed

Through that fall - everyone born after Adam and Eve are born fallen and in need of Savior

In need of someone to save them and reconcile them to God

Trinity of God - Before time, before the creation

Knew that out of perfect love and goodness - God would create man

Knew that out of perfect love and goodness - God would send Jesus the son to die for man

Out of perfect love and goodness - Jesus would willingly come and live, die, conquer death and the grave

Out of perfect love and goodness - The Holy Spirit changes the heart of God’s people and guides them through life

God’s people would hear the beauty of the gospel - the beauty of God’s perfect love and goodness

And then profess their faith and trust in him

Once this relationship is established, not only do we know God’s love through the cross,

We continuously know God’s love as we walk through life

Even when we sin, when we push him away, when we fail in life

God’s love doesnt cease

God’s love is still sacrificial

God doesn’t opt out out of love

God doesn’t seek vengence out of love

God’s love is more than just an emotion

And if this is God’s definition and demonstration of love, then this should be how we view and demonstrate love as well

Most importantly, how we view and demonstatrate it back to him through faith

Love for God and others is a primary evedince of your faith

Matthew 22:36–40 ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

All things work together for good

Rather, all things work together for good,

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.

For the good of the believer, for the one who does trust in Jesus

Evaluation of Good

What do you believe is good?

What does God say good is?

Do you believe that God knows what is good for you?

Earlier I asked the question - would you believe me if I said, that the purpose of God guarantees good?

Don’t read into the question of whats not there

I’m not saying that nothing bad will ever happen to you

I am not saying that you wont have any hardships

What I am saying is that in your life, God guarantees good for you

And this also means that God will turn bad things and hard circumstances for your good

Here is something I want you to think about, when you identify a problem or hardship in your life,

When you have that moment where you say to yourself, man this bad or man I am in trouble

God is already working out a solution

Your problem or circumstance is not a surprise to God

God saw it coming, God allowed it to happen, and God is going to work it out for your good

I remember vividly a time that I was suppossed to have dinner with a friend

And at the time I was in a financial bind

And he agreed to have dinner at a place that had good food but wont kill my pocket book

As the time was drawing nearer to the date, I was behind financially and I wasn’t sure if I would even have to pay my bills

At the time I was working overnight as a stocker at HEB and covid was still a huge thing

And so of course I am anxious about paying my bills but also I was anxious of having to cancel the dinner

And it was during this time that God was just doing a mighty work in me and in my relationship with him

And as I continued to pursue him, trust in him, pray to him, etc. my circumstance was drawing me closer to him

And the Lord provided me with a $500 bonus COVID check from HEB - they are just trying to take care of their employees

And this is what chapter 8 is all about

Life in the Spirit

Heirs with Christ

Future Glory

This chapter brings us hope as we live that God is working through the Spirit, working in us, and working for our good

God’s Purpose

Evaluation: Purpose

Do you believe you have a purpose?

Do you know God’s purpose for you?

Do you know God’s work for you?

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.

Not according to our purpose but to God’s purpose

God has a purpose for his people

For those who love God, God has a purpose for you that you didnt come up with, HE DID

And if I wasnt clear in the last sermon, when Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness

Jesus is ultimately pointing us to walking with him

Sanctification - incrementally grow closer to God, closer in his likeness, and fully glorifying him and enjoying him

As you live, wake up, eat breakfast, get the kids ready go to work (or bingo), or shopping, or whatever you do

As you live - you are to be walking with Jesus

The good that God has prepared for you isn’t necessarily to your material benefit

The good that God has prepared for you may not be the kind of good that you desire

But the good that God has prepared for you is so that you would conform more into his likeness and image and carry out his purpose

Love

Relationship - John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Obedience - John 14:15 ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Service - 1 John 3:16-18 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Charity - 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God knew you before all of time, created you, called you, and he has good works for you to do

Good works that have been planned for you since the beginning of time

And so, of course God is going to work for your good

He will remove, fix, sustain, restore, bring you out of your circumstances so that you will be able to keep walking out the purpose that he has for you and the good works that he has for you

Remember I had a dinner with a friend, the Lord provided me with a check, and I was able to go to dinner with my friend

Well if I am being honest I was still contemplating not going $10-$15 for a dinner when your tight is still $10-$15

But something just kept telling me to go and so I did

And, unbeknown to me, my friend, was going through a hard time

And I was able to encourage him with a listening ear, with scripture, with prayer, and with my time

Best $10-$15 I have ever spent

But that was possible because of the Lord

Because God had a good work for me and he promises to work out good

Application

Know that God is good and full of love

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

Know that God has good for you

What are the current struggles? - pain (body), unemployment, grief, evil

If you have put your faith and trust and Jesus you can know that somehow God is already working it out for your good

Believe it. Trust Him. Rely on Him. Go to God in prayer and give him your needs

Faithfulness journal - How God has met your needs, how bad situations turn to good

Growth is God’s faithfulness - love, relationship, obedience, service, charity

Share his faithfulness with others

Dont beat yourself - Dont wake up every morning trying to figure out the exact work God has prepared for you

Often times you wont even recognize it as it happens

Know that God is working things out for you which is ultimately his glory

God doesn’t share his glory

It is his glory and his alone

The command given to Adam and Eve is a command that at the heart of it Adam and Eve place God in the first position and listen to God - And by disobeying God they put God in the second position

He creates us out of love and goodness but its for his glory

He redeems us out of love and goodness but its for his glory

He sustains us out of love and goodness but its for his glory

He will one day glorify us, call us home to an eternity with him, for his glory!

This is the hope - this is the faith - this is the love that we live out daily to God’s glory

That as we live, we know and trust that the future is entirely in God’s hands

That we may not be certain exactly how tomorrow might exactly play out

But we know that God has good for us and are certain of our eternity

Are you certain of your eternity?