All Things Work Together For Good - Short Homily

If you are a follower of the Christ, ...... you know.... .....that your life should be filled .... Filled to overflowing ... with joy.

You probably also know ...... that you should experience joy ..... in spite of .... The circumstance.

The Scriptures clearly teach us.... that the joy of the Lord ..... is ... our strength.

And that joy ......is present ... no matter ..... the circumstance.

A Joy ... that if properly nourished ...and properly nurtured, ....can overwhelm ... even the greatest of grief.

When Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:

He says, .....I pray ..... "they may have the full measure of my joy.... within them." (John 17:13)

And in the proceeding Chapter, he says to his disciples, "You Will Rejoice. And no one will take away ....your joy" (John 16:22)

No one ..... No person... No thing ....can take away ....your Joy!

Beloved..... What a Promise!

Jesus is speaking these words to his disciples, ..... who are going to be .....persecuted.

They are going to be robbed .......tortured, ..... put to death.

Yet Jesus promises to give them A joy ..... A joy that will withstand ......all of that.

Nothing.....not disease ..... persecution..... alienation .....loneliness ..... torture or even death..... will be able to take this gift of Joy ....away from them.

Beloved ... Do you have that kind of joy?

Are you experiencing ... that kind of Joy?

You should be..... You can be!

In Romans 8 Paul speaks about living..... in a suffering world.

He speaks of A world ... that is marked by brokenness ..... trouble ..... persecution and .....how His followers are to live..... in such a world.

Then From Our Text ...... Paul offers two major principles .....for finding joy ..... in a suffering world.

Paul tells us that if we follow Christ, ...... (1 Finger) our bad things ......which are bad things .... Work together for good, (2 Fingers) and our good things .... which are transforming ... cannot be lost. REPEAT

Beloved.....Those are ... reasons.... for joy.

(One Finger) First Principal.... Our bad things which are bad things....work together for good.

Romans 8:28 says: BIBLE "We know that ...all things ..... work together for good .....for those who love him,..." END

The Scripture speaks to.......All Things.

All Things.....The Good... The Bad .... The Ugly.

All things ... happen to followers of the Christ.

All Things ... happen to those who love him.

Remember the words from our Lord....BIBLE Your Father who is in heaven .....makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, ......and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. END (Matthew 5:45)

Circumstances ..... that befall a believer ....are no worse ..... and are no better ..... than they are.... for anyone else.

It is extremely important for us to understand this ... if we are going to fully experience ..... His relentless .... and unwavering ... joy.

Terrible things happen.... Ugly things happen ..... even to those ..... who are in Christ.... To those who ... love God.

Many Christians openly teach......and sadly most Western Christians implicitly believe.......

That if you love and serve God, .....then you will not have as many bad things happen to you.... As those ..... who are non-Christians.

But....that is not true!

That is not what the Scriptures teach us.

Horrible things ... can and will happen .... to followers of the Christ.

And believing in ....and loving and serving God ......will not stop them ..... from happening.

The same things that happen to everyone else in the world.... will also happen ... to those ....who love God.

In our Text.... Paul is clear... He says "All things" and he means ...... all things.

Paul goes on to state, BIBLE What shall separate us from the love of Christ? (7 Fingers) Affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? END (Romans 8:35 DLNT)

Beloved..... These are not good things.... These are terrible things.

Paul is saying these things will happen to those who love God..... and they can happen ... to us.

Hardship...distress...persecution... famine... nakedness peril and sword ..... will befall believers.

It is imperative .... that we understand this.

But Praise God.....when good comes forth.... when spiritual joy ... is at hand .... It is because of ..... God.

God making .....all things come together ... for Good.

Notice ... Paul does not say, ......"Things ...work together for good."

Things on their own...... (Slow) never work together for good.

Rather, if good happens, .....if good appears .... it is because ..... God is working it ... together.

Earlier in Romans 8, .... Paul discusses how things of the world .....fall apart .......

They fall apart..... because the world is burdened with evil ..... and filled with sin.

Things ..... are subject to decay.