The Steady Hand of a Caring God - Part B

Our sufferings, become more manageable in the light of a cross, not a Buddha in repose he experienced that he knows how something so that is Romans eight. To go through some God is with us that is experienced suffering himself for us.

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You can also give online securely skip.com/offer Romans chapter 8 for today's study slipstream and skip. There are certain things in life and of themselves are evil horrible bad terrible not good but in God's chemistry lab when when he puts it in the crucible of omnipotence, and he mixes it just right and give it back to us and it's actually healing helpful.

So Paul can say we know that all things work together God's chemistry now for a moment I want you to compare two worldviews. One is from an Old Testament guy named Jacob. One is from this New Testament guy named Paul the apostle Jacob and Paul had similar experiences bad things were happening in their lives. Jacob had his son kidnapped he thought his son was dead as Joseph.

There was a famine going on in the land. His boys were misbehaving had a lot of bad things happen.

Paul the apostle also had bad things happen to him.

He was falsely accused put in prison. He was in Caesarea prison for a couple years and went to Rome was facing a trial before Nero get all sorts of bad things happen. Jacob, when the bad things happen to him.

This what he said all things are against me when all these things happen to Paul Paul's that all things work together for good to those who love God two different viewpoints. I met a lot of believers who live where Jacob everybody's out to get me things are turning out right or all things work together for good.

What's the difference. The difference is a perspective based on eternity.

Romans 828 must be interpreted from the eternal perspective, not the temporal perspective is you're looking at what's going on around you. I get this. I don't know why God allow this to happen. There is a law of physics that basically says energy in the universe is never lost.

It is always transformed from one state to another state.

I think it's the same way in human experience.

I think nothing is ever lost entirely that God uses it to accomplish his purpose was all of us have heard the story of Jim Elliott the missionary to the archaic Indians that here's a group of missionaries who planned and prayed and strategize and add a hard-to-reach these people down in Ecuador and one day a mission team. Jim Elliott and four others went out share the gospel.

They were all killed. They were all murdered. When that happened and it was pretty significant news. Their sacrifice seemed like a senseless tragedy. It look like a total waste of human life. That's because they were interpreting it, not in the light of eternity. But just temporarily. However, in God's chemistry lab. There was a purpose. You see, each one of those tribes people eventually came to know Jesus Christ, the gospel was planted into that tribal culture and to this day is thriving in the tribal culture. Several years ago I actually met the man who put the spear in the Jim Elliott is a believer he's a leader or he was now he's in heaven now just picture this in heaven right now is Jim Elliott was for the missionaries and the murderers of them all around the throne of God.

Looking back at the event and probably saying it work together for good. Don't you agree. Romans 828 must always be interpreted in the light of the eternal perspective, not the temporal. So the certainty the comprehensiveness the cohesion of God's care. Let's turn that diamond a little bit more.

The culmination of God's care for we know, and we know that all things work together for good. Let's consider those two words for good. Notice what it doesn't say it does not say. And we know that all things work together for our comfort because they don't always certain experiences are very uncomfortable. It does not say. We know that all things work together for our ease are all things work together for our prosperity are all things work together for our physical health.

Know this, though God is always working toward a supreme good as God defines good as God defines good 50 years ago, a young woman at the time named Johnny Erickson is now John Erickson taught was paralyzed in a diving accident in the Chesapeake Bay for 50 years she's been chained to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. She's that ardent vibrant believer in God and God's plan in Jesus Christ.

Her faith is not shaken. She was asked the question why why does God allow suffering. I want to hear her answer would you somebody who's been a quadriplegic for 50 years. Why does God allow suffering. Listen to her short but profound answer she said and I quote God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. That's profound. God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. The Christian is not naïve about suffering and pain and heartache and tragedy. We know what Jesus said. He said the rain falls on the just and the unjust. The sun shines on the just and the unjust alike. Job, who suffered greatly, so the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. We know were not automatically healed. As Christian believers we know that sometimes God calms the storm for us but usually he calms us in the storm. Most typically, he lets the storm raged around us, but he keeps us call Jerry Bridges rights God never allows pain without purpose in the lives of his children. He never allows Satan nor circumstances, nor any ill intending person to afflict us unless he uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good.

The good of conforming us more to the likeness of his dear that last part.

God has a goal conforming us in the likeness of his son. I want you to read for yourself.

Verse 29 for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image. His son, why is this happening to me. God I want to make you more like Jesus. That I want your life to be sweeter and richer and better and deeper so that's the good. I look back on every trial and I believe God had my highest good and minders parts of it I said I still have questions about. I still there some black pixels on the screen for me and I know what's up with that thing. Why did what, why, why, that part of I don't get it all.

I don't get it all but I'm okay with you know you and James that he said we should even get to this point counted all joy brothers when you fall into various trials, who do you know that does that. I'm so happy I'm go to trial. Why would you be excited about that because God is not sum up his sleeve counted all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trial of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work, that you might be complete and entire lacking method God is something going on. I've always loved the illustration of a simple bar of steel bar steel worth five dollars if you make it into horseshoes is now worth $12.

If you take the five dollar bar steel and make it into needles hypodermic needle sewing needles. It's now worth $3500 when you make it into balance springs for fine watches that five dollar bar of steel is now worth $300,000. What makes a five dollar bar is still worth $300,000.

What increases the value I'll tell you what heat beating, twisting more heat, more beating, more twisting and the more it goes through those contortions the more valuable it becomes. I think like us, what makes us more valuable. The trials of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work so that is the culmination of God's care for good. Let's push that diamond a little further, let's look at verse 28 from another angle, the condition of God's care. We know that all things work together for good. Here's the condition here's the audience, not just to anyone and everyone but to those who love God, I know that most of you do to those who are the called according to his purpose.

You see we can take verse 28 and just quote the part of the verse. We like. We know that all things work together for good. Is this not what it says it's given to someone, it is to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. In other words it's for believers.

That's just a simple definition of a Christian. It is the definition of a Christian from two different directions. The human direction those who love God, the divine direction those who are called according to his purpose. God's definition of a Christian is your called according to his purpose are typical definition of a believers we love the Lord.

The fact that we love the Lord is proof that we are called according to his purpose. But it's the same truth from two different directions. He simply describing a believer now. Romans 828. There are so many biblical examples of that principle proven true in so many different lives. I was going to the Scriptures this week and I thought of several examples. I thought of Noah Jacob, Moses asked her Job David. I thought of the senses in the New Testament book of Matthew.

I thought of Paul's arrest and trial. I thought of Barnabas and Paul in their conflict with each other in the book of acts.

All of them you can take an insert Romans 828 you can see it but I would leave you with three examples that show Romans 828 three different ways, all of them very famous examples to out of the Old Testament when out of the new number one Joseph Joseph was a young man who is misunderstood, who was the victim of jealousy from his brothers who had bad thing after bad thing happened to him sold as a slave to the Midianites Midianites sold to the Egyptians placed in a home is the servant falsely charged of rape by Potiphar's wife thrown into Pharaoh's prison left there bad horrible things happen, but when he met his brothers at the end of the story. When they came before him, and he revealed I'm the guy you sold years ago as a slave in their search shaking in their boots like were dead meat. He said this is for you, you meant this for evil but God meant it for good to save many people alive as it is this day.

That's Romans 828 and the book of Genesis you meant it for evil God meant it for good to save many people alive as it is a state. Here's the fruit. Here's why all those bad things work together to be really really good because the truth of the matter is, though they were bad, evil things that happen if Joseph were not a slave. He never would've interpreted Pharaoh's dream which means he never would've been raised up in leadership to be the second most powerful man on earth those bad things that happened were so energized by a loving, caring God. So even Joseph could say I know you meant it for evil but God meant it for good. That's first example 2nd example is when the Jews went into captivity in Babylon.

Babylonians came in a Jerusalem sack.

The Temple destroyed the temple, burned with fire till people took several of them captive, thousands of them captive to Babylon horrible. It was evil.

It was wicked. Jeremiah wrote a letter to those captives. He wanted them to know God's heart behind it all, and he wrote these words. I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of good, not evil, to give you to give you future and hope to give you future note, you know that verse you love that verse.

Do you realize the context of that verse was when all these evil things were happening. God wanted them to know he's got something up his sleeve.

He's gonna working together to give them a future and hope.

So Joseph captivity. The third example which is to be the best example of all Romans 828 is the cross of Jesus Christ.

What could be worse than killing God. That's the worst day in human history falsely accused kangaroo court to put on a cross bleeding staple to a Roman place of execution, yet it was the best thing that ever happened for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. In fact, Peter writing of the event at the crucifixion mixes in one verse, both human responsibility and divine sovereignty. He writes in the book of acts chapter 2 Jesus him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and slain.

Yes, there is a culpability that you have in doing this was wrong what you did. However, God foreordained it. He knew about it. He planted he gave his son and Jesus gave his life and what was so bad happen to be so good for those of us who believe that that's enough faith in him is enough to get us from earth to heaven.

John Stott wrote these words, I could never believe in God if it were not for the cross in the real world of pain how could.

How could one worship a God who is immune to pain.

Then he says many times in Asia.

I've been into Buddhist temples and have looked at that huge statue of Buddha in repose, his legs crossed his hands together. His eyes closed with sort of a a restful little smile.

Obviously, detached obviously aloof from all the pain in the world and he says I see that and then I close my eyes and in my mind.

I looked at the cross and I see Jesus hanging in agony and misery with spikes through his hands and feet and blood coming down his face and he said that's the God for me.

Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of the cross, not a Buddha in repose, he felt he experienced that he knows how something so bad can become something so good for those who trust in him that is that is Romans 828 now there's one final facet. I went to the look at enclosed. I've given you 5 to 6 is the continuation of God's care. I want you to see a big scope. Now look at verse 29 and 30 and will just brief briefly look at it, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he predestined, these he also called whom he called these he also justified and whom he justified, these he also glorified. Now we get a wide panorama of God's care. Now we get that the picture we go from eternity past to eternity future from predestination and election all the way to glorification. These are the five golden links. You might say in the chain of God's sovereign care look at. He foreknew he predestined he called he justified he glorified those five conditions take you from eternity past to eternity future get this four of them are past tense.

One of them hasn't happened yet. He foreknew us. You know us in advance. He predestined us he chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world. He called you.

That was the day of your salvation you said yes you received Christ, he justified you and that happened. We talked all about justification. Look at the last one whom he justified, these he also what glorified will guess what had happened glorified and looking after glorified and having it I'm not glorified you can see this.

This is not glorified, but God writes about it past tense. Why, that's how sure he is that is going to happen.

Your glorification is as certain to God as him choosing you before the foundation of the world and electing you calling and justifying the next step glorification done deal to him, so that is the continuation of God scared and just didn't just stop with the trial you face last week it's going to happen and kill continued to display his care forever. There was a father and a son putting a puzzle together son.

The boy looked at the puzzle.

There were dark pieces and light pieces are big pieces in small pieces and and he was trying to figure it out. He couldn't do it. He quit in frustration. His father came in whistling, smiling, put the puzzle together in no time. Little boy was still frustrated I get.

How could you do it and I couldn't do it. The father said I knew what the picture was like all the time that I looked at the front of the box. I saw the picture in the puzzle, son.

You only saw the pieces right now you might be holding a pretty dark piece of your puzzle to dark pixel on the screen. I know I know why this piece. What is this go. Why would God allow this to happen. He sees the whole picture. Are you okay with that. The question you need to answer. Leaving is our UK okay with knowing that he knows you don't know you can figure it out but he's got the big picture in mind. Are you okay with because Job who lost family and health and bank account was okay with it was an okay with the best stuff but he ended up by saying this, though you slay me I will trust. I don't get it. I don't understand.

I don't know why but I don't need to know why as long as I know you because I know and I know that all things work together for good to those that love God and Lord.

I love you and I trust you and though you slay me.

I that's where we must leave whatever were dealing with today as we leave here today that Skip the message from the series partnership Skip to share how you can keep these messages coming your way to connect you and others to the good news of Jesus for all the wisdom that the Bible does contain it's worthless if you don't apply it to your life. Our desire is that every single listener like you wouldn't just hear God's word but be transformed by and you can help make that possible.

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