Date: 03-5-00

Sermon Number: 42

Text: Romans 8:28

"A Soft Pillow for a Tired Head." This title accurately reflects what Christians have thought of Romans 8:28 since the day it was written. When the words of this precious verse are understood it becomes a resting place for the child of God. The words are familiar to most, Romans 8:28. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose".

Before we jump into an explanation of what this verse means we must remember the context in which Paul wrote it. In Romans chapter eight he attempts to convince the believer in Jesus of the permanence of his salvation. He wants all Christians to have an abiding assurance that all is well with their souls.

He has shown, for instance, that for those who are in Christ Jesus there is not now nor shall there ever be condemnation. Since this is true the believer can rest as concerns his salvation and concentrate on growing in grace and knowledge. Further, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit will raise the believer’s body from the grave when our Lord returns. In other words not even death and the grave can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Our souls have been saved and our bodies will be as well. He goes on to describe Christians as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. It is amazing but true, what is Christ’s is ours. We are real sons and daughters to the extent we will inherit eternal life from God. Then Paul speaks of suffering in this life for Christ’s sake. This suffering is an indication that you are indeed a child of God. And since you suffer with and for Him now you will share in His glory in the life to come. This future glory is so marvelous is cannot be compared to the suffering we experience in this life.

The apostle compares our suffering to the labor pains of a woman. He tells us that both we and creation suffer these labor pains which will one day result in our final adoption and the redemption of our bodies. We will see the Lord our God and we will share in His glory.

The apostle then speaks of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in helping us with our prayers. He is always interceding for us with the Father. This is essential since we do not know how to pray or what to pray for. God the Spirit prays for us and with us so that only those prayers that are in accord with the will and purpose of God fall upon His ears. Jesus did not go to heaven and leave us alone like orphans to fend for ourselves. He sent God the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, to teach us His truth and to help us with our prayers.

The text we deal with today includes all that’s been said to this point and takes beyond all that we could possibly have imagined on our own. Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose".

There are two things we must consider as we try to understand this text. One is the providence of God by which He works all things together for our good. Secondly we must determine what the purpose of God is since this promise is made to those love Him and have been CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

We begin with a look at the providence of God and a quote from a book titled "Concise Theology." The section on providence begins with these words from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

"God’s works of providence are His most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving, and governing ALL his creatures, and ALL their actions," (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.11). The author of the book, Mr. J. I. Packer, then writes, "If Creation was a unique exercise of divine energy causing the world to be, providence is a continued exercise of that same energy whereby the Creator, according to His own will, (a) keeps all creatures in being, (b) involves Himself in all events, and (c) directs all things to their appointed end. The model is of purposive personal management with total, "hands-on," control. God is completely in charge of His world. His hand may be hidden, but his rule is absolute."

In the last paragraph of the article Packer says this; "The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate) all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one’s spiritual and eternal good (Romans 8:28)." (End Quote)

"His hand may be hidden, but His rule is absolute". This is a wonderful statement that gets right to the heart of providence and helps us understand our text. Very simply put, if God’s rule is not absolute He is not capable of working all things together for our good. On the other hand if this text speaks the truth and God does work all things together for our good then His rule is and must be absolute. He must be the grand governor of every event in all of creation. Lets take a moment to establish this truth by looking into the scriptures.

We will start with the whole universe and work our way down to the details. That God controls the whole of creation is revealed in Psalms 103:19-22 NASB. "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all. (We do not have the right to limit this statement. God actively rules over everything and everyone. The text goes on to reveal how men ought to respond to such truth.) {20} Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! {21} Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. {22} Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!"

(Ephesians 1:11-12 NASB) " . . also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS WILL, {12} to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory". Our text tells us that while God is working all things in the entire universe after the counsel of His own will He has us in mind. He arranges things and events to do us good!

Turning to Psalms 135:6-14 we find some details as to how God works out His will and purpose in His Creation. "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. {7} He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain; Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries. {8} He smote the first-born of Egypt, Both of man and beast. {9} He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all his servants. {10} He smote many nations, And slew mighty kings, {11} Sihon, king of the Amorites, And Og, king of Bashan, And all the kingdoms of Canaan; {12} And He gave their land as a heritage, A heritage to Israel His people. {13} Thy name, O LORD, is everlasting, Thy remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations. {14} For the LORD will judge His people, And will have compassion on His servants". Here we see that the heavens, the earth, the seas, the weather, the lives of men, the rise and fall of nations are all in the hand of our God. And in the last sentence we see that all this activity has to do with His love for His redeemed people.

Lets take a closer look at the truth that God rules over the affairs of nations. (Job 12:23-25 NASB) "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away. {24} "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people, And makes them wander in a pathless waste. {25} "They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man".

(Psalms 66:7-8 NASB) "He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. {8} Bless our God, O peoples, And sound His praise abroad." Again we must remember our text. For in these verses of Holy Scripture we see God working all things together for our good and His glory. What we must learn to see as we look at history is God doing good to His children.

Consider also that He rules over man’s birth, lot in life, and over ones death. (Psalms 139:13-17 NASB) "For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. {14} I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. {15} My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. {16} Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, (What was all written in the book?) The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. {17} How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Are these thoughts precious to you? Do you rejoice in knowing that God has made you and has ordained your days, the day of your birth, the number and content of each day you shall live, as well as the day of your death? Here beloved is "A soft pillow for a tired head". Here is a resting place for all God’s children.

Next we see that our good Father is the first cause of things seemingly accidental or insignificant. This is seen in texts like, Proverbs 16:33 NASB. "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD." Why does God involve Himself in such a thing as determining the outcome of a roll of dice? Because each and every act a person performs has life long consequences for himself and others, even the small things. God is determined that all things will fall out according to His will for His glory. Therefore He leaves nothing to chance. (Matthew 10:30 NASB) "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered".

God leaves nothing to chance, He governs all He has created with the finest detail.

(Romans 8:28 NASB) "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". If God is for us in this way of whom or of what should we Christians be afraid?

Keeping with this same subject we see that God supplies our needs through the means of grace known as prayer. (Matthew 7:7-11 NASB) "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. {8} "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. {9} "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? {10} "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? {11} "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" If this is true brothers and sisters God must be in complete control of all things. Otherwise He could not answer our prayers. We may not always give us what we want but He will always give us what is good for us.

(Psalms 11:6-7 NASB) "Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. {7} For the LORD is righteous; He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face". Brothers and sisters we do not have to concern ourselves with the wicked. Vengeance belongs to the Lord and He will see that they get what is coming to them.

Having looked at all this support for the absolute rule of God over all He has created I remind you of our text once again. (Romans 8:28 NASB) "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". God can do this because He is infinite in power and wisdom. He is not a disinterested Creator; He is a hands on governor of all He has made including mankind. He governs the lives and lot of both the Christian and the unbeliever. Although each have their unique place in God’s scheme of things He moves both the Christian and the unbeliever toward His central and overruling purpose, the glorification of Himself. That God’s purpose in all that He does is the revealing of His own Glory is easy to prove from scripture.

Consider the words of Isaiah 42:8 NASB. "I am the LORD, that is My name; I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER, Nor My praise to graven images." God will not allow another to take credit for His work! He intends to glorify Himself. (Isaiah 48:11 NASB) "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; (This statement describes the motivation behind everything that God does. He acts for His own sake, His own glorification, as He orders the affairs of men, beasts, and planets. This is His purpose in calling us to love and serve Him. God has determined to glorify Himself by saving and keeping us for eternity. Praise God, we have been saved us for His sake! Since our salvation is interwoven with God’s overall purpose to bring glory to Himself He cannot loose us to the Devil, for then He would have to share His glory with another. The devil would receive praise and admiration from God’s creation for having defeated the will and purpose of God. This cannot and will not be allowed. God will not share His glory with anyone. Therefore, He works all things together to preserve and keep us from the evil one. When a sinner has been saved by the grace and mercy of God he is saved forever. The Christian cannot be lost, no one, and nothing, can remove him from God’s hand! If that were not true God’s purpose in saving His people could be over thrown which would prove that He was no God at all.) "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to (or even share with) another."

God does all things and He does them in a way that brings glory to Himself. Many professing Christians have trouble with both parts of this statement. First they will object to the declaration that, "God does all things", without exception. Most Christians do not really believe this. Secondly, many Christians would be uncomfortable with the idea that God is self-centered rather than man centered. The idea that we exist for God instead of He for us is foreign to millions who name the name of Christ. But the fact remains, "God does all things and He does them in a way that will bring glory to Himself". This is what makes Romans eight twenty-eight so wonderful and remarkable. God has purposed to involve us in reaching His central goal of self glorification. He didn’t have to include us but He did and everything that has occurred or will occur has to do with us. God is presently working all things together for the Christian’s good.

This means that the details of every life and of every soul that God has chosen to save are carefully ordered with purpose. Your ancestors, your parents, your birth, your schooling, your courtship, your marriage, the day of your rebirth and the day of your death, all, in some way, are intended to reveal the glory of God. I tell you that the days of happiness you have enjoyed as well as the days of sorrow you have and shall endure are working together for your good and the glory of God. The disease or event God has determined will take you from this life, as well as the hairs that have fallen from your head both have the same goal. My life, your life, has been orchestrated, designed, and governed to bring glory and honor to the God who saved us. Every word, every dumb thing you have done or said, indeed every sin you have ever sinned has been by design with purpose. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever." Amen.

We cannot exclude that child born long ago who has broken your heart of late. God formed him in your womb and he is as he must be, at least for the time being. The child that you held for just a moment before he died, that too, was by design, it was part of God’s self glorifying plan and His intent to do you good. You must see, you must understand this truth if you ever hope to have peace in this world. You must see your Heavenly Father riding the swollen waves of life’s sea commanding them to rise or fall as it pleases Him. It is God, ladies and gentlemen, working in His creation to will and to do of His good pleasure. God glorifies Himself by saving sinners, by seeing them through all kinds of difficulties, and then by taking them ALL to Heaven without loosing even one.

The saving of sinners reveals a side of God that could not be seen otherwise. In saving sinners God shows Himself to be gracious, forgiving, just, righteous, merciful, compassionate, and loving. This salvation must be permanent or it will fail to bring glory to God. Therefore, "God has orchestrated all things so that the Christian’s final salvation is sure and certain". He has done this in spite of us for His glory.

As for the wicked God’s word declares that, The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, (That purpose is always to glorify God.) Even the wicked for the day of evil". (Proverbs 16:4 NASB) Every person who has or will live and die in unbelief will bring glory to God in life, death, and eternity. While they live God shows forth His mercy and patience toward His enemies. When they die and are damned God will display His wrath, His anger, and His hatred for sin. In the judgment and damnation of the wicked the integrity of God’s warnings and promises of punishment will be proven. He will bring to pass every threat of woe and damnation ever recorded in His Holy Book. These vessels of wrath were designed for destruction, (See Romans 9), and in that destruction they will bring glory to their Creator. The wicked rage against God and His children but in the end they will have served His purpose and done good to His sons and daughters.

In this great truth of God’s absolute, overruling, providence lays the Christians assurance of salvation. So long as we look at ourselves, and the circumstances that surround us, we will tremble and wonder if Heaven will ever be ours. But if we look away from this sin plagued flesh to Him who shed His blood for us. To Him who created and governs all that is we shall find rest for our souls. For He is God and there is no other. He alone does as He pleases in the hosts of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay His hand. God alone reigns with absolute sovereignty. He is right now working all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called to glorify Him".

I contend that the Christian cannot enjoy the peace that passes all comprehension if he does not understand and believe in the absolute, overruling, providence of God. The Christian will not be able to cope with or make sense of things he sees with his eyes and experiences in his life if he does not understand that all things, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, are by divine design, WITH A PURPOSE. That purpose is to bring glory to God, and our final salvation is part of that purpose. Therefore, He orders all of creation to do us good and not harm. Romans 11:33-36 NASB. "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! {34} For who has known the mind of the lord, or who became his counselor? {35} Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? {36} for from him and through him and to him are all things. TO HIM BE THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN."