All Things Work Together Series

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

ENGAGE

I’m going to begin this morning with a quick poll.

What do you think is the most popular verse in the Bible?

[Wait for answers]

There was a time when it would have been really hard to prove which of those answers was right. But thanks to platforms like Bible Gateway and the YouVersion App, we actually have some empirical data that we can use to answer that question.

For the last several years, the most popular verse on Bible Gateway has, not surprisingly, been 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.

(John 3:16 ESV)

The next four most popular verses seem to shift order from year to year, but they are all consistently in the top 5:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

(Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13 ESV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

(Psalm 23:4 ESV)

…and one of the verses we’re going to study today – Romans 8:28. We’ll read that in a moment.

On the YouVersion App, the most popular verse worldwide last year was Joshua 1:9:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

(Joshua 1:9 ESV)

But in the United States, the most popular was Romans 8:28.

So that means that most of us in this room are probably familiar with that verse. In fact, I know that many of you could probably quote it word for word.

TENSION

But even though it is one of the most well-known Bible verses, I would suggest to you this morning that it is also one of the most misquoted, misunderstood and misapplied verses in the entire Bible. And unfortunately I say that based on my own personal experience. There have been times, especially as an immature Christian, where, with the best intentions I applied that verse in a way that was completely inappropriate. So this morning, what I hope to be able to do is to help all of us develop an understanding of that well-known verse that will allow us to apply it appropriately in our lives and in the lives of others.

TRUTH

One of the main reasons that Romans 8:28 is misapplied is the same reason a lot of verses are misapplied – it is taken out of context. It needs to be read in the context of all of Romans 8, but particularly along with verse 29. So will you read those 2 verses out loud together with me:

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 those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

(Romans 8:28–29 ESV)

I think that one of the reasons that verse 28 tends to be misused is because as a human I have a natural tendency to think this verse is all about me and what is good for me according to me. But what I hope that you’ll see this morning is that this passage is a whole lot more about God than it is about me. And therefore, this is the big idea that we all need to take away from this passage today:

God’s purpose is bigger than

my problems

Perhaps one of the reasons that we tend to approach this passage from our own perspective rather than from God’s perspective is because of the way this verse gets translated in various English translations. We’ve already read verse 28 in the ESV, so let’s compare it to a couple of other popular translations:

KJV:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The wording here is actually very similar to the ESV, although there is a significant difference in the order of the words, which we’ll talk about in a moment.