"THE CHILD OF GOD CONFESSES THAT FATHER CAUSES ALL THINGS TO BENEFIT HIS CHILDREN."

Singing: (Psalms and Hymns are from the "Book of Praise" Anglo Genevan Psalter)
Psalm 77:1,2
Psalm 32:1  & 138:4
Psalm 30:3,6,7
Psalm 145:5
Hymn 48:1,2,3,4

Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Does God really work for good in all things? The apostle Paul seems to think so. But ... our experiences lead us to different conclusions. How are we to digest that a brother in the churches was found guilty of crime, and put in prison? This is something new for our church community, something very new and … very painful. Does that somehow work for good?! We’re numb at the news; even those of us who knew something was happening need time to digest this. How could it happen? Is God’s hand - He’s sovereign, isn’t He?- is God’s hand really behind this? And does He really make something good come out of this?

Yes, brothers and sisters, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign. We confess it in LD 10: nothing happens by chance, but all things come from His Fatherly hand. We need therefore indeed to confess that our God guided the events of this past week –and indeed the events of years and years ago- so that the outcome is as it is today. He has acted, and as a result we hurt. He has acted, and in our hurt we need to respond. What do we think of what the Lord has done?

The temptation is so real to look at people, to point a finger at another’s weaknesses and sins. And I readily admit: as soon as one looks at people, one can find a row of wrongs as long as one’s arm. But looking at people, congregation, and apportioning blame and indicating who has to repent of what will help us nothing; looking at people will make us see more sin and so will only increase the pain and continue the frustration, and in the long run it will make us bitter. The God who controls all has given His only Son to the sufferings and hell of the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. That is why it will not do to look at each other’s sins; it is for us instead to look at the God who claimed us as His. And this God says in His Word that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is the promise that I set before you this morning. And this is the promise that teaches us too how we’re to respond to what God has done in our midst.

I summarise the sermon with this theme:

This benefit is made real

1. in everything
2. for those who love God
3. according to God’s purpose

In everything

"All things work together for good to those who love God." It’s a fact that the text does not say who causes all things to work together for good. Yet we understand well that that is God’s doing. He is the almighty without whose will not a hair falls from our heads, and His hand must be seen behind all that happens.

God, then, causes all things to work together for good. What are we to understand by the word ‘all things’? We know the meaning of the word ‘all’, and so are led to conclude that Paul means exactly that: all things, everything. But that’s precisely where our questions come in; surely God is not at work in everything, working "all things" to good? Even the events of this past week – or the events of years ago?

So it’s been suggested that the term "all things" as used in our text refers to those things of which we can see that they work for good. One might think of a promotion or a windfall. Or even a short-term lay off that has as by-product that we can spend some needed time with our children for a couple of weeks. In all such cases we can see that events are working for good. Yet, beloved, the term Paul uses does not allow for this restricted understanding. In fact, the context makes clear just what Paul has in mind with that term "all things".

Paul had written in vs 18 that he considered "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." What Paul meant by the phrase "the sufferings of this present time" is explained by what he writes in vs 19; there he makes reference to creation. That creation, he says, "eagerly waits." And he adds in the following verses why this creation "eagerly waits"; this creation "was subjected to futility", was in "the bondage of corruption", with as result that this creation "groans and labours". Creation "waits eagerly" for deliverance from this futility and corruption.

We recall from last week that Paul’s reference to futility comes from Eccl 1. In that chapter, the Preacher had worked with Gen 3 and the curse of God described there, and so concluded that "all is vanity"; this fallen world all lies under the curse of senselessness, futility. Everything in this life is touched by the fall into sin, everything touched by the curse of God on that fall.

So when Paul in vs 18 speaks of "the sufferings of this present time", he’s not just referring to a job-loss or some setback that’s part of normal life. Rather, Paul has in mind here the entire scope of human existence. This broken life is fraught with hardship, and this hardship comes out in countless ways, including sickness, unemployment, persecution, death, tension, famine, disappointment in each other, etc, etc. All of that –and so much more- is meant by "the sufferings of this present time." So when Paul in vs 28 (our text) speaks of "all things", he certainly includes the "sufferings of this present time" which he described in vs 18. We can’t get around it, then; the phrase "all things" in our text describes not only obviously good things, or bad things that we can see will produce good. Rather, the phrase means exactly what it says: all things, no matter how we experience them. Here is a reference to whatever can happen to us in the course of a lifetime, be it "rain or drought, fruitful or barren years, health or sickness, riches or poverty, indeed, all things" (LD 10). Imagine what you will, even our sins: all things, says Paul, work together for good.

If then all things without exception work together for good, what is meant by ‘good’?

When we in the midst of trouble comfort each other, we tend to draw attention to the future. And we remind each other that one day we’ll see the sense of it all, even if it be on the new earth, where there will be neither grief nor pain nor sorrow any more.

Undeniably, it is good that we remind ourselves and each other of the better future God is preparing for us, for this present life is surely not everything. To quote vs 18 again: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Nevertheless, brothers and sisters, we are to watch lest we end up thinking that present problems do not serve any real purpose now. Notice that in our text Paul is no longer comparing present problems with future glory; no, in our text the apostle tells the church of all ages that today’s problems serve a purpose today. Notice that the apostle uses here not the future tense –"all things will work … for good"- no, he uses here the present tense; "all things work, or even are working for good." Upon authority of God Himself, then, the apostle tells the saints of Rome that the things happening in their lives –regardless of what those things might be- are actively busy to produce benefit for those touched by what is happening. Paul is adamant: benefit lies not just in the remote and distant future; when God touches our lives today, He is today seeking our good.

And this is a truth about which Paul has no doubt. For he begins our text with an emphatic "we know". And how come he knows? That’s because he knows who his God is. This is the God who –chap 3- revealed His righteousness in Jesus Christ, the God who set His Son to a "propitiation by His blood", who sent His Son to take on Himself the curse of God we deserved. This is the God –chap 5- who "demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (vs 8). This is the God –chap 6- who considers sinners to have died with Christ and been raised with Him so that these sinners have died to sin and been raised to a new life in Christ (vss 4ff). This is the God –chap 8- who caused His Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of His own (vs 9, 23). Now Paul says: if this God did so much for the unworthy, is He truly going to let something happen in their lives that serves to no purpose today, that is today still vanity, futile? No, says Paul, "we know" –there’s no doubt of it, for God is God- "we know that all things work together –all things are working together- for good to those who love God." For God is God, and He never drops His own, He never forsakes the work His hand has begun. God is God, and that’s why I’m sure today that He sees purpose in the adversity He sends us in this life of sorrows; He makes no mistake. He is today busy for our good.

I realise: questions remain for us. We’d love to know how all things work for good. Consider the news of the week: truly, what good is there in that?

The Holy Spirit, my brothers and sisters, has not moved Paul in our chapter to explain how all things work together for good. Certainly, the apostle has told us in previous chapters of how much the Lord has done for us in Jesus Christ. So we are assured that the curse that we deserve on account of the fall into sin has been borne by our Lord when He hung on Calvary’s cross. The "sufferings of this present time" continue to hurt much, but the Lord would have us believe that the curse is taken out of these sufferings.

But how, precisely, do all things work together for good? We are not given an answer. Did Joseph, when his brothers sold him into Egypt, understand the whys and wherefores, understand how God was working good out of his misery? Did Joseph, when Potipher put him in prison, understand how God was working good out of his misery? Not till years later did Joseph understand some of the whys and wherefores, understand how God was busy. But at the time it was all a riddle to this beleaguered child of God.

No, congregation, instead of striving to wrap our minds around God’s plan, we are expected to trust that our God makes no mistakes. That’s the import of the last paragraph of the chapter. Paul knows very well that suffering characterises this broken life. Observe only the reference in vs 35 to tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword. How adversities as those work for good? Paul says only: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (vs 31). And vs 32: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" That’s to say: we don’t have to understand God and the way He leads our lives. But we certainly may believe that the God who gave His only Son for us so long ago is not going to drop us now, is not going to desert us. And let that promise be enough. Vs 38:

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That is: God’s love for His children in Jesus Christ shall never be broken by the evils that come upon us in this vale of tears. His love for His own is not breakable, will not cease. We’re not asked to understand the God who gave us so much in His only Son; we’re asked to trust this God. And He in infinite wisdom knows what His people need – both for this life and for the life to come. And that is why He has touched each and every one of us in the particular way He has.

For Those who Love God

We move on to our second point. The gospel that Paul sets before us in our text is profoundly rich. But a question remains. Is it true that the Lord God works all things for good for anybody and everybody? The answer turns out to be No. Listen to Paul; "all things work together for good to those who love God." And not everybody loves God.

But who do? Who are these "who love God"? We would say: that includes all Christians. And we add in relation to ourselves: certainly this gospel is true for all of us, for we’re God’s children by covenant, we go to church, we’ve professed the faith.... Yet, beloved, that is a conclusion we may not make. The phrase "those who love God" describes the believer. More, the phrase exposes the basic inner drive of the believer, describes his heart; this Christian loves God, has his eye fixed on God. So the term at bottom describes the person who does more than say, ‘Lord, Lord’; the term describes the person who maintains a lifestyle with God in the centre. Paul refers to people whose walking with God has become second nature to them, whose service to God is so much part and parcel of them that it is the driving motive of their lives. The term, then, describes those who are ‘Christian’ not in outward appearance but in inner renewal of the heart. In Paul’s words to the Colossians: it’s those who lift their eyes on high to where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God (3:1).

O no, it’s not that Paul speaks here of perfect people, those who never stumble, never fall into sin. The apostle is thinking of everyday people like you and me; the church at Rome was made up of sinners. But it’s precisely sinners who, thanks to the renewing work of the Spirit, are characterised by love for God and therefore make it their business to show it.

"All things work together for good." That’s true for all those whose lives are driven by dedication to God. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may send difficulties, but those with their eyes fixed on God trust that they’re safe with Him – no matter what He gives.

"All things works together for good." That’s not true for everyone, not even for all who go to church. Nor is it true for all who give themselves the name ‘Christian’ or have professed the faith. We –older and younger alike- may call ourselves much, but that in itself will not make us recipients of this promise of God. All things work for good –even sins!- for those who demonstrably and intentionally flee from sin, grieve over their sins, seek God and delight in His will. And make no mistake: as long as we focus our eyes on things of this earth –including the sins of those around or the hurt we experience- we cannot claim to be driven by love for God. And that has consequences in terms of the promise of our text.

"All things work for good to those who love God." We have here then, beloved, both a glorious promise and an urgent warning. God has reached into our lives and touched us dramatically this week. Now He wants us to respond. Very well: think it through. Is your eye fixed on God or men, on the God who directed events as they now are or on the human players in this drama? In truth, beloved: here is need for each of us, younger and older alike, to examine ourselves. There’s no room for looking at somebody else’s sins, at somebody else’s walk with God. The question is: do you love God, ie, is He and His actions the centre of your focus and the guide for how you respond? Or is your focus on people, be it your own hurt or somebody else’s sins?

Yes, God works all things for good - in the developments of this week too- to those who love Him. So: will these events work for your good too? The promise is a call to self-examination!

According to God’s purpose

Finally, I need to say yet something about the last words of our text, the words "according to His purpose." At first glance, these words do not seem to belong to the thought that the apostle has worked out in the earlier part of this verse. And yet they fit very well, in fact, they supply a wonderful comfort.

For: who is it that love God? That’s those who are called. By our own fall, the human race has subjected the world to futility; on each of us lay the wrath of God. That wrath remains on all sinners, so that every person on earth is by nature in bondage to decay, his life makes no sense. But God has called some out of this misery, has adopted them to be His children. These are they whom God has caused to love Him. In other words, to be a lover of God, to be told that all things work for good, is a privilege granted by God’s grace alone. Everything that Paul has written in the first part of this verse is a reality because it comes from God. And where God has been busy, He will bring His work to completion. That’s the point of vs 30:

"whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

It is God who makes sinners into lovers of God, who bends sinners’ hearts so that their focus is on Him. That gracious work of God in sinners’ hearts is for sinners the guarantee that all does work for their good. All things must work for their good because God wants to bring His elected ones to glory. He has firmly resolved to save some from this bondage to decay. Those who have been granted this grace that they may be lovers of Him may then not doubt that all that befalls them in this life does work for good, today already. For we are justified today, glorified today. Note the tense of vs 30: the called are already justified, and the justified are already glorified. Now already - in the midst of the brokenness of this life- the called have the beginning of the eternal joy, now already the called are delivered from the vanity of the world in which we live. And that is why the called, that is why those who love God, are allowed today to sing with Paul that no person nor thing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. News that a husband and father and brother is in gaol may devastate us, yes, we may be confronted with doubts or questions, persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword. But this we know –because God is God- that our Father for Jesus’ sake works all things together for our good. It all happens according to His sovereign and wise purpose, and in it all we remain safe, absolutely safe in the eternal hands of the God who called us and loved us.

It’s an unshakeable fact, congregation, for God has spoken: "all things work together for good to those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose." This is the promise. So: lift your eyes from the hurt and pain around you, and fix your gaze on the God who loves you.

There’s so much we don’t understand. But now I know: I don’t have to understand it. Lovers of God knows that Father holds our hands, leads us, carries us…, and makes no mistakes. We don’t understand; we just trust and believe.  Amen.