July 26, 2020 SER

Sometimes we pray this verse this verse hoping to put God on the hook. “Lord, I need you to work your good with the broken stuff of my life, and put it all ‘magically’ back together again.”

It is often spoken as a word of encouragement at times of great hardship and loss, “I’m so sorry for your loss, but isn’t good to know that, God Works for the good…” And it’s true. God is working to make things right, even if it doesn’t appear so now, then, in the end, on the Day of Judgment.

Romans 8:28 is a great “life verse” to have in your spiritual pocket, to pull out when you need to witness to the mercy and the goodness of God to both to fellow believers and unbelievers. This verse is an anchor for us to hold on to in all kinds of life’s circumstances.

So let’s spend a few minutes in mining the riches of this verse, and these last verses of chapter 8 of Romans.

We Who are the WE? All believers. You and I who believe, everyone who believes that Jesus is Christ, the son of God, the Savior.

We know that in all things God works for the good. Our knowledge is based on the Scriptures, like, this one in Luke 18, where Jesus declares,

No one is good--except God alone. Luke 18:19 (NIV)

Or this one in the book of James,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (NIV)

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him!

But it is not OUR love for God that gives us confidence. It is God the Father’s amazing love for us in Jesus Christ our Savior that makes it possible for us to know say,

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16 (NIV)

God’s love has found its way into your heart. You know Him and now you rely on His love for you. AND, Since that is true, and you know He is working for your good, because God is good all the time. Therefore,

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)

What do it mean to be “called”? And Who are the called? The “called” are those those who believe. You are the “called”. God is working for your good.

Your call came either through the waters of your baptism or when you heard or read the gospel and believed. Both actions required the Spirit's gracious, powerful presence. How do we know? Because...

"...no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)

And Jesus said, 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' John 3:7 (NIV)

Regarding your call, Isaiah declared,

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (ESV)

Along with Isaiah, Jeremiah and David both make this proclamation regarding the Lord’s calling on your life and mine,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

God’s calling on your life began before you were born…

your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

And here in Romans eight, verses 29-30, Paul talks about the transformation God brings about when He calls you.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30 (NIV)

What does this "call" of God on your life really mean? Paul raises in a rhetorical question,

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:33 (ESV)

God the Father won’t bring charges against you, for He is the judge who justifies you. He has declared you innocent of all charges you’ve broken against His LAW, all through Your Faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus won’t bring charges against you, Paul shouts.

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34 (NIV)

He is the one who died for you. He is the one who is right now at God’s right hand, reining over our broken lives, interceding for us to the Father.

The evil one can’t bring charges against the called, John writes,

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:10-11 (NIV)

When Christ suffered for your sins, and died the death your sins deserved, He ended the evil one’s power to accuse you of sin before God. In truth, God doesn’t see your sin any more for are covered by the blood of the LAMB.

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (NIV)

This is the one died for you. The evil won’t be bringing charges against you on the day of Judgment, for you are called in Christ.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1 (NIV)

In verse, 35, Paul goes on to make a list of life’s worst that can come upon us:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:35 (NIV)

And, even though we will face life’s troubles, we know that God has called us by name and claimed us as His children through Jesus Christ our Lord, and by faith,

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)

Admittedly, right now it doesn’t always seem like we have overcome the world. Suffering, illness, death, marriage troubles, family issues, being “called” doesn’t exempt us from life’s issues, trials and troubles. No, we live in a broken world. Today,

We know in part and we prophesy in part. 1 Corinthians 13:9 (NIV)

And yet, our confidence is not in what WE KNOW, but rather our confidence is in what God the Son has done. And Paul promises that in spite of all that this broken world may bring to our temporal lives, we believe

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)

Nothing can separate us from God’s love us in Jesus Christ our Savior. So, remember, the Lord’s promise spoken by Isaiah,

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:2-3 (NIV)

Every time you come into God’s house look the cross and know this what Christ has done for you. When you confess your sins, know God is faithful to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness for Jesus sake. When come to His table KNOW that the blood of Jesus has covered your sins.

Romans 8:28 is a great life verse.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) 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.

Hold it tightly, use is lavishly, but most of all may its promise and power bless you and keep you, in Jesus’ name.

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