Crucial Wisdom For Christian Life Series

Crucial Wisdom for Christian Life

The Book of Romans

Romans 8:28-30

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - July 31, 2016

(Revised January 18, 2021)

MESSAGE:

*Christians: Would you rather be foolish or wise? -- Wise of course. And what about our children? Don't we want them to be wise, too? No doubt about it.

*A lot of people are writing about wisdom these days. If you type the word "wisdom" in a Google search, you will get over 400 million results.

*There are books on Jewish wisdom, Quaker wisdom, Amish wisdom, Irish wisdom, folk wisdom, and more. We can get books on wisdom from taxi drivers, cowboys, football players, bumper stickers, and dogs.

*People are seeking wisdom from every possible source, but the best wisdom of all comes from God's Word. The Bible is filled with wisdom for everyone who will receive it. And in tonight's Scripture, God gives us crucial wisdom for living in this fallen world. (1)

1. FIRST: GOD GIVES US WISDOM ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS.

*We find this wisdom in vs. 28 where Paul said, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

*Everybody in the world faces problems, setbacks, and disappointments. But God says even the bad things will work together for good to those who love Him.

*Notice that He doesn't say that all things ARE good, but all things WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to those who trust in Jesus Christ. This truth can be most difficult for us to see when we are in the middle of hard times. But God is at work both day and night in every situation we face. And ALL THINGS, even the bad things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

*Wayne Kraiss told a story that helps us understand. It happened when Wayne was a young pastor in Wheaton, Illinois. He went to visit an elderly lady named Amelia. She had come to our country from Europe years before.

*When Pastor Wayne saw Amelia, she was bedridden and very sick, so of course, he prayed. But after the prayer, Wayne was very disappointed, because there was no instant improvement in her condition. Amelia saw the troubled look on her pastor's face and said, "Well pastor, this must be one of the 'all things.'"

*Wayne asked Amelia what she meant, and she said, "When I was a little girl in Germany, one day I asked my mother what it meant that 'all things work together for good.' My mother was baking a cake, and without directly answering my question, she handed me a spoonful of baking soda.

*It tasted awful! Finally, I asked her what she was doing, and she said she was answering my question. Then she said, 'Amelia, I don't want you to ever forget that things taken by themselves are not always pleasant. But when they are mixed together and fired in the oven, you love the results.'" (2)

*Christians: Some of the things in our lives may taste terrible right now. But in the end, everything will work out together for good. You see, God cares for us so much that He wants to bring blessings out of our burdens. He wants to bring good things out of our grief. He wants to bring hope out of our hardship.

*Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that bad things are good. If I have a wreck tomorrow, that will be bad, and that's that. But God brings good out of bad things every day.

*The best place to see this truth is on the cross of Christ. It was the cruelest death of all, and the darkest day in history. But Jesus rose again from the dead! And God turned the cross into something wonderful for everyone who will believe in Jesus.

*God wants to bring blessings out of your burdens. It's true for the cross. And it can be true for the troubles in your life. That's why in vs. 28, Paul said: "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is God's truth, but it truly is hard for us to see in the hard times.

*I think of my dad. When I was in college, he lost all of his money. Even worse, he was betrayed by some people who were supposed to be his friends. Because of that loss, Dad couldn’t keep paying for me to go to school. I had to find another way. And that was how the Lord led me from Georgia all the way to Louisiana, (about the last place in the world I wanted to be).