Great Truths of the Reformation -4- Who's in Charge Here

Reading: Rom. 8:28-37
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. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

I. Order in the Chaos?

   A.    Some things seem totally Random.

       1.    Did we all just emerge accidentally because of some random construction of molecules in the primordial clay?

       2.    Ecclesiastes 9:11
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

       3.    Yet, nothing happens unless it’s within God’s plan!

           a.    There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord Proverbs 21:30 (NIV)

           b.    The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand... Isaiah 14:24 (NIV)

   B.    Does God Hurt people?

       1.    If God is in control and horrible things happen, doesn’t that mean that God does horrible things?

           a.    This is a big question that deserves a considered response.

           b.    The short answer is “No.”

               (1)  God and the good have enemies who have a certain amount of freedom.

                   (a)  The world (cultural tendencies toward evil)

                   (b)  Our fallen nature (our inborn tendency toward evil)

                   (c)  The Devil and his hosts (personal, evil, spiritual creatures).

               (2)  Yet they are only allowed to exercise that freedom within the boundaries of God’s plan. (e.g. Job 1:9-12).

   C.    What do we do when nothing makes Sense?

       1.    We are usually unable to simply shrug it off as God’s will.

           a.    Don’t call something good when it so obviously bad!

           b.    Don’t attribute the Devil’s work to God!

       2.    Realize that some things are beyond our capability to understand.

           a.    Christianity isn’t alone here.

       3.    Remember that no matter what it is that happens, somehow it will not thwart God’s plans for His people, nor his plans for us.

           a.    Remember that whatever it is, God has the power to turn it toward the benefit of all his people — even the ones most deeply affected.

II.    God turns Everything to our advantage

   A.    God turns Hardship to our advantage

       1.    For a clay pot to become useable it has to go through intense heat.

       2.    Without hardship we’d be flabby characters!

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

       3.    While God doesn’t directly bring bad things into our lives, he sometimes allows them to come when we will get stronger through them.

   B.    God turns our Brokenness to our advantage

       1.    But God comes to meet us and heal us even in our deepest despair:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

       2.    A potter sometimes has to start over.

           a.    Not that God makes mistakes.

           b.    Sometimes we get off track — out of balance.

               (1)  So the sculpture needs to be radically reworked.

       3.    Sometimes the circumstances beat us down.

           a.    God will still always rework us into an even more beautiful vessel.

   C.    God makes us Christ-like

       1.    “...He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son...” (v.29)

       2.    The point of God’s sovereignty, his rule, his decision to select us is to remake us into the image of Jesus.

III.   We can’t Lose!

   A.    We know how it all Ends

       1.    God always succeeds.

       2.    God will triumph in the end (despite real or apparent set-backs in the present).

   B.    Nothing can rob us of God’s Love

       1.    vv. 38-39!

       2.    NOTHING!

   C.    More than conquerors

       1.    Conquerors just win. We can’t lose!

       2.    No matter what, God turns all things to our advantage.

       3.    God is for us who can be against us (v.31)

           a.    Nothing can stop us, since our goal is to be Christ-like in all things; because God has said it will be so. It has to be so.

The Bottom Line:

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