Note: To download/print the document, click on the
title below.
Psalms
71:17-24 O God, You
have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do
not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great
things; O God, who is like You?
You, who have shown me great
and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the
depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every
side. Also with the lute I will praise You— And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the
harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your
righteousness all the day long; For they are confounded, For they are brought
to shame Who seek my hurt. Father,
in the name of Jesus we give you thanks for all you provide us with. We thank
you for the good and the bad, because all things work together for good for
your children. When trials come along we pray that we recognize the good that
follows. We give you all the glory and praise. Amen!
Romans 8:28 NKJV
This
verse in today’s lesson is all about life and how it all works together. There’s
two concepts here concerning nonbelievers and believers. A nonbeliever’s point
of view is usually everything happens for a reason. A believer’s point of view
is living by faith in a loving God who causes all of life’s puzzle pieces to
fit together to form a wonderful complete picture. This verse is probably one
that you hear the most during day to day life. Many times people will say God
has a plan or it will all work out. When people say this they are referring to
Romans 8:28. Many people may not realize they are quoting this verse but they
are. This verse can fill a person with trust, thanksgiving, and steadfastness
in Jesus when times get tough. It will give a person hope by trusting in Jesus
to pull them through life’s trials and tribulations knowing that Jesus is in
control and whatever the difficult time is, good will be the outcome even though
we may not agree with it. We may not agree with it because we can’t see the
whole jigsaw puzzle put together as a whole, we only see one little piece of
God’s plan for us. A true believer will realize this as God’s plan for them and
it will strengthen their faith and trust in God, whereas a nonbeliever may become
angry and curse God for the outcome. We all have probably met someone that is
angry with God for taking a loved one from them and they are bitter toward God.
Maybe someone is angry with God for a promotion they didn’t receive at their
place of employment. There are many situations where people get angry with God
and some people with time will see why things turned out the way they did and
then thank God, but there are others who hold a grudge all the way to the
grave. These people are very difficult, and some you can’t talk to about Jesus,
his love, and what life is all about. Some people all we can do is pray that
God will change their hearts before they pass from this earth.
Romans 8:28
28 And 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 verse starts out with “we know”. What is it that we know? What
is Paul referring to? To get the meaning and who Paul is talking to or about,
one must read a couple verses before and after verse 28.
Romans 8:26-30 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. 27
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for
the saints according to the will of
God. 28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His
purpose. 29
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. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also
called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these
He also glorified.
Paul is talking about Born
Again Christians. What do these individuals know that self proclaiming
Christian don’t know? A true believer places their faith in Jesus and are
living a life under Grace. A true believer is under the direction of an
infinitely wise Being. Their trust is in God and they know God is in control
and all situations will turn out for good. They may not know how it will turn
out for good, but their trust is in God no matter what the outcome. In times of
tribulation they will make claims such as; it is in God’s hands, the outcome
will be God’s will, I give the situation to God, I will accept whatever God
gives me, etc. Self proclaimed
Christians will make statements like; I hope God know what He is doing, I guess
God will take care of it, I don’t understand why God is doing this to me, what
else will happen to me, if it isn’t one thing it’s another, I just got over
that situation and now I have this to deal with, etc. Do you see what the
difference is? A Born Again Christian’s faith or focus is in God will, whereas
a self proclaimed Christian’s faith is in themselves and what they want to
please themselves.
Being a true believer, how
do we know “all things work together for
good”? In a true believers life, good is the result of life situations, because
God is in control and the believers faith is in the Cross of Christ. Sometimes
God uses evil men to bring about good, just like He used Nebuchadnezzar. Albert
Barnes has this to say about all things working together:
All things - All our afflictions and trials; all
the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are
numerous and long-continued yet they are among the means that are appointed for
our welfare.
Work together for good
- They shall
cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our
affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory,
and lying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for
a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit, a humble temper, a patient,
tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and
at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be
afflicted; Psalm 119:67, Psalm 119:71; Jeremiah 31:18-19; Hebrews
12:11.
Albert Barnes Notes on the
Bible, e-Sword.
Psalms
119:67Before I was afflicted I went
astray, But now I keep Your word.
Psalms
119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn
Your statutes.
Jeremiah
31:18-19 "I
have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: 'You have chastised me, and I was
chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the LORD my God. 19 Surely,
after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on
the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of
my youth.'
Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the
present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
“Those
who love God” are
those that Jesus has placed a seal of his approval on. John 6:27 Do not labor for the
food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which
the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on
Him." They
are people that stand out from the rest of society and sometimes society shuns
them because they don’t condone things of the world. They are viewed as being
different from everyone else and will not be seen in bars and night clubs.
Often times they will be off to the side sitting and reading scripture,
meditating on spiritual things, or praying. They are this way because they know
the truth and have chosen to direct their life in this manner knowing a much
better life is coming for them. James tells us; James 2:5 Listen, my
beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Those who truly love God
display a character of true piety (Piety in principle, is a compound of
veneration or reverence of the Supreme Being and love of his character, or
veneration accompanied with love; and piety in practice, is the exercise of
these affections in obedience to his will and devotion to his service. Piety is
the only proper and adequate relief of decaying man.). Afflictions to a true
believer are considered a blessing, but to nonbelievers a hardship. In
nonbelievers, afflictions most often produce complaining, instead of peace;
rebellion, instead of submission; and anger, impatience, and hatred, instead of
calmness, patience, and love. A true Christian welcomes these trials to
strengthen their roots in Jesus Christ, while a sinners heart is often times
hardened.
“To
those who are the called”
is referring to those of us that are called by God and have accepted Jesus into
our heart. All people are called, but not all come to Jesus. God knows
everything and even before the foundation of the world was laid God knew you
and whether you will give your heart to Him or reject Him. When we are called,
the Holy Spirit starts working on us with convictions of things in our lives. It
is our part to heed the direction of the Holy Spirit, but so often our flesh
gets in the way and hinders the Holy Spirit. Without this calling by God we as
humans would never come into His glory on our own. Our flesh and
self-righteousness would block the thought from ever coming into our mind. So
if in the past or right now, do you feel you have been called by God? If so,
what have you done about it? Have you blown the thought off? Has your flesh
hindered the working of the Holy Spirit? Are you still living as usual? If you
feel you are being call now, I encourage you to listen very closely and accept
Jesus as your Saviour. If you feel you have had a spiritual calling in the past
then seek God and ask Jesus to come into your life as your personal Saviour.
Don’t ever feel it is too late. Jesus save alcoholics, drug addicts,
prostitutes, gamblers, thieves, etc. every day when they repent and cry out to
God. If they can do it then you can do it. His mercy endures forever. Matthew 22:14 "For many are
called, but few are
chosen."
“According
to His purpose” is referring to God’s will and not
our will. God called us to do his will, to put our trust in Him for all things,
to be thankful to Him for loving us so much that He called us. God has a
purpose for each and every one of us. Sometimes it is hard to understand what
it is we are suppose to do and the reason for that is because self rises up and
takes control of our life. It becomes a battle for most, but some figure it out
rather quickly, in it being faith, in what Jesus did for us on the Cross and
giving it all to Him. Does this mean that some people don’t have the struggle
anymore trying to figure out what God wants them to do? No because we are not
perfect and we never will be. What I mean is with time and seasoning, a true
Christian will come to recognize the voice of our Saviour. Their heart, mind,
and ears become tuned to Gods purpose for them. When a person is Born Again,
their purpose becomes God’s purpose. James
1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord
has promised to those who love Him.
In closing all things work
together for good in a true Christians life. Take some of the patriarch’s lives
for example. Job lost his property, livestock, his ten children, and his
health, but God blessed him far beyond what he originally had.
Jacob thought he had lost
Joseph, Reuben was disgraced, Judah was dishonored, Simeon and Levi had broken
his heart, Dinah was defiled, Simeon was in prison, beloved Rachel was dead,
famine threatened the family, and Benjamin was commanded to go to Egypt. Through
all these hardships Jacob did not lose faith and God brought him through it
all.
Jesus; In the life of His
own Son, God took the most absolute evil that Satan could devise and turned it
into the greatest conceivable blessing He could offer to fallen mankind,
eternal salvation from sin. Jesus was delivered by the determined purpose and
foreknowledge of God, crucified, and put to death. The only way Jesus could
have submitted to the Father in the face of death was to know that God’s
absolute good purposes were ruling over all.
Romans 8:28, is one of the
great verses in the Bible, and can fill the believer with trust, thanksgiving,
and steadfastness when it is embraced and relied upon in every circumstance of
life.
Trust: Isaiah 46:9-11 Remember
the former things of old, For I am
God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from
ancient times things that are
not yet done, Saying, 'My
counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' 11 Calling a
bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far
country. Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
Thanksgiving:
Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1
Thessalonians 5:18 in everything
give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Steadfastness: 2 Corinthians
4:16-17 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man
is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
As a child of God we have
the privilege of thankfully trusting in God for all things instead of luck or
fate. We can live our life every day never fearing the future and what’s around
the next corner. It is a wonderful way to live having a personal relationship
with Jesus our Saviour, and knowing when He is finished with us serving Him
here on earth we will be with Him eternally in Heaven. What peace, comfort, and
joy this brings to a child of God on a daily basis.
For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a
steadfast spirit within me.
Unless you are Born Again,
you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: What part did Rahab the harlot of
Jericho play in Jesus life?
Answer: If you have followed the genealogy of
Jesus you would discover that she is listed in it. You can form your own
opinion, but here is what I discovered in researching this question, really
makes you stop and think. (Matthew 1:5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,) You ask, how can a harlot be in Jesus
blood line? Normally we think of a harlot as a prostitute, but the word has
multiple meanings as you can see below.
1. A woman who prostitutes her body for hire; a
prostitute; a common woman.
2. In Scripture, one who forsakes the true God and
worships idols. Isaiah 1 (Isaiah
chapter one is all about this definition. Isaiah 1:21 How the
faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged
in it, But now murderers.)
3. A
servant; a rogue; a cheat.
The same holds true for adultery.
There is spiritual adultery and what we normally associate adultery with,
cheating on a spouse. So based on what scripture says, was she an idol
worshipper and not a prostitute? She owned her own house and some commentaries
claim she was an inn keeper. (Joshua 2:1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from
Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially
Jericho." So they went, and came
to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.) I also think she was a believer in
God Almighty and forsaken the gods of her country, therefore God sent the two
spies to rescue Rahab just like he rescued Lot’s family and Noah’s family. (Joshua 2:11 And as soon
as we heard these things, our
hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of
you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth
beneath.)
This week’s Trivia: Who is Abaddon?
