Living With God's Goodness

Scripture: Romans 8:28-29

The execution of Timothy McVeigh marked the close of a six-year quest for justice in the Oklahoma City bombing. Many questioned both the validity of the death penalty and the extent of government corruption. But there is one pressing question that still remains for the families and friends of the 168 people killed in that blast: where was God in all that? The Bible tells us that God is good (Psalm 73:1). But if God is good (and He is), then why did even He allow this tragedy to happen?

Over and over again, this same theme plays out in our lives. As children, we get ridiculed on the playground. Parents treat us unfairly (so we think). As we get older, friends talk about us behind our backs and betray our friendships. Moving into the work force we find out that the smartest or hardest worker is not usually the one who gets the promotion. Nor does the hardest worker get to keep his or her job. We marry but find out the person we thought we married is not the person in our dreams. Our health fails. Loved ones pass away. Unexpected expenses threaten our livelihood. There is seemingly no end to the troubles we face. The Bible is right when it says, "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1, NIV).

Before you get too depressed, I do want to encourage you. God has not left us here without hope, nor has He left us without help. Our Scripture passage speaks directly to the issue of finding God during difficult times. More importantly, we will find the good that God provides in every trial and trouble we face.

Main point: Life is not always good but God always works in your life for the highest good, that you might become like Christ.

Outline:

When life is not good, what is God doing?
When life is not good, what good is faith?
When life is not good, how can I be assured of God's support?

1. When life is not good, what is God; doing?

(28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29, NIV)

"In all things God works…" "Works" is from the Greek word "sunergeo" meaning "to work with or work together." From it we derive the English word "synergy." It is an active voice, present tense word. This means: no matter what is happening in your life, God is involved with you -- working on your behalf for the good.

Consider the various parts of your life for a moment, all the things going on:

your health,
your relationships with family and friends,
your church,
your school,
all the life events going on right now.

This verse assures us that "in all things" God is involved and at work on your behalf. If you have a relationship with Him through the LORD Jesus Christ, you can be sure there is not a single area of your life that is exempt from His care and attention.

Yet there are misunderstandings of this verse… let's try to look at a few of them and see what the Scripture is really saying:

What it does NOT say What it DOES say

All things are good.
or
Only good things will happen to me. (good job, nice house, health, wealth, etc). A positive attitude is a good thing. But all things are not good. (e.g. House burns down and the dog runs away).
All things in your life are included in God's work (not just the good things, not only some things)

I will like all things that happen to me. God works for your best as He sees it. Nothing gets to you without first passing through the filter of His love for you and His eternal purpose for your life.

God causes all things to happen. Nothing surprises God. But an attitude of "fatalism" -- what will be will be, or whatever, God will do what God's gonna do is a poor, cynical outlook on the wonderful things that God has planned for you. Such an attitude ignores any personal responsibility you have in life. It also leads you to blame God for the bad things that happen in your life.

When life is not good, it is easy to blame God. And you will be tempted to blame God for evil things that happen. You may also blame God for failing to stop the evil.

It is critically important to understand this truth -- God created people with the unique capacity to love Him. But you cannot love without the ability to choose. Those who love God make a choice to do so. Those who reject a loving God choose to do so. God must allow some unloving choices in this world for people to have the chance to choose to love Him. This is not easy to accept when your child or loved one is sick. Or when you have lost a job.

In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities he wrote: "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It is during the "worst of times" that you must have confidence in God's promise to be at work on your behalf, surely the "best of times."

When life is not good, what is God doing? He is working hard for your best. Even if you are confused by the turmoil, consider that God is always good: "Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His love endures forever (Psalm 107:1, NIV). So as the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "When you can't trace his hand, trust His heart."

2. When life is not good, what good is faith?

(28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29, NIV)

How many times have you experienced this paradox: you love the LORD Jesus Christ with all your heart, you are following Him as best you understand His will for your life … but life is not good. In fact, it is downright rotten. It seems the more you dedicate your life to Christ, the more things happen that knock you down.

I was in the ocean recently with some really great waves. But it wore me out. The waves would crash over you, lift up your feet, and toss you toward the shore like a piece of drift wood. You don't even have time to recover from the last wave when the next one beats down on you. Life gets tedious like this sometimes.

When life is not good, what good is faith? Perhaps a better question to ask from our Scripture passage is simply: "what is the good?"

The Greek word for "good" here is "agathos," meaning that which is practically and morally good. This verse is not talking about what is necessarily pleasing to the eye, "window dressing" as it were (a different word "kalos" would have been used in that case). God is working inside for your good.

Romans 8:28 is a widely quoted Scripture verse, as well it should be. Yet it really needs to be quoted in conjunction with verse 29 to capture the essence of what the Apostle Paul was saying.
for the good …

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29, NIV)

Not only do we know that God is good but here we see that God is good to you and good for you. He works make you "conformed to the likeness of His Son," that is, to make you like Jesus. That is "the good" that God is constantly working to achieve in your life.

Remember the position you already possess in Christ. The Bible tells us that when you turn from your sin and embrace the LORD Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are:

Born again (John 3:3) as a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
Created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24).
Given the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:24-25).
Declared holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4).

Remember your practice in life. You are not always Christ-like but some times you are Christ-like. In every time of life, God is at work for "the good" to make you Christ-like.

How does God work in all things to make you Christ-like?

In Good Times In Bad Times

Think you don't need God? Think again: Temptations to be greedy, lazy, lustful. Know you need God's help: persecution, suffering, loss

Key Verse: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:13-14 NIV). Key Verse: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (10) That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV).

Must learn to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), to overcome the temptations of the world (1 John 2:15-17), and to put the flesh in submission to the truth of God's word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 9:27). Must learn to trust in the promises of God (Psa. 56:4), rely upon the grace of God (John 1:16), and endure trials with joy and perseverance (James 1:2-4).

When life is not good, what good is faith? It is good for making you more like Christ, certainly the ultimate good. God is at work on your behalf to make you like Christ. During the difficult times you can turn away and give in to the flesh -- but this will not make you more like Christ. In fact, you will miss the lessons God wants to teach you.

If there is a lesson God wants to teach you through a difficult trial and you "skip school," what is the likely outcome? God will arrange for "summer school."

The good news is that God never gives up on you. He continues to work for your ultimate good. That is why King David was able to write and why we can join him in saying:

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalms 23:6 NKJV)

3. When life is not good, how can I be assured of God's support?

(28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29, NIV)

Do all people on this planet enjoy God always being at work for their best in all things? No, there are two conditions on this amazing promise:

those who love Him.
those who are called according to His purpose.

Let's look at each one of these. As we look at these two conditions, I want you to insert yourself in these descriptions, asking if these things are true of you…

1. Those who love Him

"love" -- from the Greek word "agapao" meaning the self-giving, sacrificial love for another without expecting anything in return. A deliberate decision of the will. A personal commitment to another no matter the response, the reward, or lack thereof.

Do you love the LORD Jesus Christ? The Bible says, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NKJV). Even your love for Him is a result of His work on your behalf.
How do you know that you love the LORD rather than just saying that you do? Again, the Bible makes it very clear:

(16) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (17) If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (18) Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18 NIV)

2. Those who are called according to His purpose.

God's call is more than an invitation -- it is a summons, a subpoena for you to enter into a personal relationship with Him through our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

God's purpose is that you accept Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior. In so doing, you are forgiven of your sins and granted eternal life.

God's call is universal -- "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16). God's purpose is eternal -- "(11) according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (12) In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" (Eph. 3:11-12, NIV).

Have you responded to God's call? Have you personally committed your life to the LORD Jesus Christ? If not, I appeal to you to do so right now -- God has brought you to this place to hear His call, His summons to eternal life.

Has your love for the LORD grown a bit weak, a bit cold? Have the difficult times led you into despair? Remember God is working for your ultimate good, to make you like Jesus. Let your faith in Him have priority even if things are not all that good for you right now. God is working on your behalf and wants to work with you to help you "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18, NIV). That is His grand eternal purpose with eternal rewards to go with it.

Conclusion

As you endure the trials and tribulations in life:

Remember the LORD Jesus Christ is on your side -- He is not your opponent.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37, NIV).

As you learn of those around you who are going through trials:

Encourage them -- it is so easy for us to fall back into despair and hopelessness. You must take the lead to remind people that God cares by showing them that you care.
Pray for them -- certainly pray for God's help and healing in their situation. Also pray that God will grant them the grace to become more like Jesus.

God will use the good times the bad times, and every time in between to make you more like Christ. That is His unfailing commitment to the believer in Christ. "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" (Phil. 1:6, NIV).