How can all things work together for good?
TEXT: Romans 8:14-39
INTRODUCTION:
Romans 8 is a chapter of victory for Christians. After hearing about the “Wretched Man” in chapter 7, who tries to overcome sin by his own fleshy power, Paul shifts gears and talks about our victory as Christians in simply following after the Holy Spirit. Letting Him take over in our lives to become our “Resident Boss”.
In the section we will study today, we will be introduced to our inheritance as sons of God. These are things we can hope for and rely on since we are now God’s children. Part of our inheritance as brothers of Christ include:
1. Future Glory -- verses 18 - 25
2. Present Intercession -- verses 26 - 27
3. Continual Good Results (for bad situations) -- verses 28 - 30
4. Permanent Unquenchable Love -- verses 31 - 39
Before we examine our inheritance, we must first see how it is that we were made eligible for this wealth in the first place.
READ - Romans 8:14-17
The key word in this section that explains our eligibility for all this wealth is the word ADOPTION. The Romans to whom Paul wrote had a mental picture of adoption as a very serious step because of Roman Law regarding this practice.
As I just said, Roman adoption was an extremely serious and difficult step because of a Roman law called “Patria Potestas”. This law signified the absolute power of a father over his family. The father was given the power of life or death over his family. In regard to his father, a Roman son never came of age. No matter how old he was, as long as his father still lived, he was under the absolute control of his father.
This caused adoption, into another family, to be a very grave step. The child to be adopted had to pass out of the absolute control of one father into the absolute control of another.
There were two steps in the adoption process. The first step required a symbolic sale of the son to the new parent using copper and scales to weigh the copper.
The “old” father would sell the boy twice and would buy him back twice. Then he would sell the son a third time and this time the “old” father would not buy him back. This broke the “old” father’s Patria Potestas over the son.
The second step of adoption required the new father to go to a Roman Magistrate and present a legal case for the transference of the child to be adopted into his absolute rule (Patria Potestas). When all this was done, the adoption was completed. (Wm. Barclay, Romans, DSB Series p. 105-106)
The consequences of this adoption according to Roman law are just as significant as the act of adoption. There were four main consequences of adoption.
1) The adopted son lost all rights in his old family and gained all the rights of a fully legitimate son in his new family.
2) He became heir to his new father’s estate as a legitimate son and was entitled to the same share as other children who were blood relations to the father.
3) The old life of the adopted son was wiped out just as if he had died and been reborn. All the debts were cancelled.
4) In the eyes of the Law, the adopted son was literally and absolutely the natural son of his new father.
Our relationship to God is the same. Anyone who is willing to be led by God’s Holy Spirit is an adopted son of God.
In Romans 8:29 we see that it was always God’s plan for “Jesus to be the first-born of many brothers.” Because of the adoption into God’s family, we become little brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ and God becomes our “Dad” or “Daddy” in every sense of the word. This is why verse 15 says we don’t “have to behave like fearful slaves, we must now consider ourselves to be not slaves by sons of God.”
We can call out to God the same way Christ did, calling Him “Abba, Father”.
Abba was an Aramaic word which little infants used to call to their fathers. Slaves were never allowed to use that word in speaking to the head of the house. Only a real son could call his father Abba or Daddy or Pappa.
If we are being led by the Spirit of Christ, then the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts to confirm to us that we really are God’s children. Since we are God’s actual children we are also joint heirs with Christ. Everything God ever gave Jesus has become ours, too. We all share together in God’s great wealth.
ILLUSTRATION:
On one of my trips to India, as I was walking around a market place, I came face to face with some proud Brahmans who consider themselves better than anyone, and they will not allow anyone touch them because they belong to the ruling caste. I asked If I could take their picture. They said, "Yes, but don't touch us. We are ceremonially clean and don't want to be defiled."
It hit me, I’m just as high caste as they are. After all, I’m a child of a King. I’m a member of a royal family. As a matter of fact, my position as a son of God makes me a member of a higher caste than even the Brahman caste. I am a family member of the highest order of royalty in the universe.
Let’s look briefly at our inheritance as children of God and joint heirs with Christ.
I. FUTURE GLORY -- Read Romans 8:18-25
Today as Christians we have received a first installment to our inheritance of Glory. This first taste of glory comes wrapped up in the Holy Spirit who God gave us and this first taste of glory makes us hungry for more of the glory that is to come in heaven.
As a matter of fact, all of creation groans in anxious anticipation of that future day when death and decay will disappear. The curse that was placed upon the earth when Adam sinned will be done away with when Christ returns. Rust and decay and weeds will disappear from the earth and everything will be made new.
ILLUSTRATION:
We can begin to appreciate this more when we look at our cars, our homes and all of our other possessions. We watch them grow old before our very eyes. We had a 16-year-old wooden fence at our previous home that illustrates this idea perfectly. After living there for a while, sections of this fence fell down when big winds would blow. I finally came to the conclusion that I was fighting a losing battle with that rotten fence.
I think most Christians, as they grow older and their joints begin to creak and squeak and arthritis sets in, begin to long for the day to come when they will be given new, healthy bodies that will never grow old or get slick. This is one of the precious promises we inherit along with Christ.
II. PRESENT INTERCESSION -- Read Romans 8:26-27
Another precious gift of the Father is a constant intercessor within us who talks to God on our behalf and knows even better than we do what we really need. Let’s face it, some of the things we ask for from God just aren’t good for us. The Holy Spirit who knows our minds and the mind of the Father is able to translate our desires into His own petition for what we really need.
No one needs to go through another person -- pastor, priest or any dead saint. Some have long considered Mary, the mother of Christ, to be the intercessor between man and God. We know that there is absolutely no scriptural foundation for that doctrine. We do have in these verses one of several passages showing the role that the Holy Spirit plays in interceding between us and God. Since the Holy Spirit knows both our minds and God’s will, He is the perfect one to intercede on our behalf.
III. GOOD RESULTS EVEN FROM BAD SITUATIONS --
Read Romans 8:28-30
The “Big Question” here is, just how is God able to cause all things to work together for good? We Christians love to quote this verse to other people who have troubles but how many of us really believe it?
How many of us have put Romans 8:28 to the test or rather have been tested by it? How can God turn tragedy into good?
There are two clues here which are very important. God does not cause all bad things to work out for good for all people.
There are two conditions to this promise:
1. This applies only to those who love God
2. It is only for those who are called according to His purpose
I think there are many people who mistakenly think that they love God so Paul added the second, more specific condition. The second condition clarifies what this love toward God involves.
Christ said “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Really loving God involves conforming my life around God’s perfect will. As long as I stubbornly insist on doing things my way, I am not conforming to His will.
This promise is reserved for the faithful who put their trust in the fact that God can and will make all tragedies into victories. This promise does not mean that nothing bad will ever happen to Christians. The heart of this promise is that God will use the tragedy to produce a good result.
When tragedy strikes, there are three good ways to let the tragedy destroy you spiritually:
1. You can feel sorry for yourself: “Poor me. How could this happen
to such a nice guy as myself?”
2. You can get discouraged: “Nobody cares. Nobody understands.
Into each life a little rain must fall, but this is too much!”
3. You can become bitter: “I never get any good breaks. Life is just a
joke and I’m the punch line.”
When tragedy strikes, many non-Christians or baby-Christians ask the question “Why did God let this happen to me?” The problem is that people who ask this question, know nothing of the nature of God.
God is not some terrible cosmic ogre sitting around waiting to spoil our fun and ruin our happiness. We know from the scriptures (James 1:5) that God is the giver of all good gifts. That is God’s attitude.
When tragedy strikes the proper question is not “Why?”, but “To what end.” What will be the good result from this bad situation? Let’s face it, Romans 8:28 is either the truth or a lie. God claimed to be able to make “all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
God’s greatest purpose, which He has in mind for me, is conformity to His Son. God allows circumstances to enter our lives that work similar to the work of a sculptor chipping away on a stone. These circumstances chip away that temper, trim away that pride, jealousy and rebelliousness. Each Christian is a different creation but God works on us all, for our good, with His son as the perfect model.
IV. PERMANENT UNQUENCHABLE LOVE FROM THE FATHER --
Read Romans 8:31-39
God’s love is the greatest power you can ever know. Can you believe this? If you can trust that no outside force will ever be able to separate you from God’s love, then this truth will change your life. You will be able to live confidently, no matter what tests or trials may come your way.
The Bible doesn’t promise escape from suffering. If it did, then everybody would become a Christian just to avoid accidents, troubles, heart attacks, cancer, etc.
This might be good motive for being “religious” but it is a poor motive for being a Christian.
It is the Christ who dwells within you who enables you to come out as “more than a conqueror” even in your trouble-filled life.
You will be a “conqueror” when you trust in Christ, walk with Him in the Spirit, respond to His love with your own love.
This is the big difference between being a Christian and settling for “being religious”.
