all things for good part 3 (1)

7/30/2019 All Things for Good Part 3 (1)

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All Things for Good, Part 3

Toate Lucrurile Lucreaz spre Bine, Partea 3

23 Iunie 2002|deJohn Piper|Text biblic:Romani 8:2832|Subiect:Regeneration / New Birth

Serii mesaje:Romans: The Greatest Letter Ever Written

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. 29 For those whom Heforeknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that

He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined,He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He

justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,

who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over forus all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

The promise in verse 28 that all things work together for good for those who love God and arecalled according to his purpose is so sweeping and so unbelievable and so weighty that Paulknows he must put a very deep foundation under it to hold it up and to help us believe it, whensometimes almost everything in our lives seems to say the opposite. In fact, all the rest of chaptereight can be seen as Pauls effort to do just that. Everything is an effort to help us understand andbelieve that all things will work for good for those who love God and are called according to his

purpose.

A Message for Believers and Unbelievers

This is a message for believers. And like every message for believers, it is a message forunbelievers. For believers it aims to put unshakeable rock under your faith, and for unbelievers itaims to win you into that faith because of how much rock there is under it. For believers it aimswhere I ended last Sunday to motivate you with truth to take risks in the cause of evangelismand missions and racial justice and all the perils of loving people. For unbelievers it aims to enlistyou in that same cause because you were made for it, and following Christ in the path of risky

love is the only life that will satisfy depths of your soul and honor your Maker.

So I hope you will l isten to this third message on Romans 8:28, and if you have missed the othertwo, you may go back and listen to them on tape or on-line.

Review of Parts One and Two

Two weeks ago I spoke on the words, "to those who love God." "All things work together for goodto those who love God . . ." If you dont love God, you cant bank on this promise. And we talkedabout what it means to love God.

Last week we focused on the promise itself "all things work together for good" ALL THINGS,not just some things. Not just the easy things or the good things, but the hard things and the badthings. Malcolm Muggeridge, the Christian journalist who died in 1990 spoke for almost allserious, Biblical Christians, who have lived long enough to wake up from the dream-world of
http://resource-library/series-index/romans-the-greatest-letter-ever-writtenhttp://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/43_The_Sovereignty_of_God/96_All_Things_for_Good_Part_2/http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/43_The_Sovereignty_of_God/95_All_Things_for_Good_Part_1/http://resource-library/series-index/romans-the-greatest-letter-ever-writtenhttp://resource-library/topic-index/regeneration-new-birthhttp://resource-library/scripture-index/romanshttp://resource-library/author-index/john-piperhttp://resource-library/date-index/2002


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painlessness, when he said,

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the timeseemed especially desolating and painful, with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I cansay with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five yearsin this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, hasbeen through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. In

other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthlyexistence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo . . . the result wouldnot be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal or trivial to be endurable. Thisof course is what the cross [of Christ] signifies, and it is the cross more than anythingelse, that has called me inexorably to Christ. (Homemade, July, 1990)

So I pray that as we look at the third part of this text you will see in it the cross of Christ and bedrawn to him and to his fellowship of suffering in the cause of saving sinners.

Called According to His Purpose

The third part of the text is the phrase: "to those who are called according to His purpose." "Allthings work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to hispurpose." So there are two things that must be true of us if this promise is to be ours. It does notcome true for everybody. It comes true for those who love God and are called according to Godspurpose.

These are not two groups of people. This is one group of people with two things true of them: 1)they love God; 2) they are called according to his purpose. Why does Paul mention these twothings instead of just one of them? Here is my suggestion.

If he had only said that all things work together for good for those who love God, it would havesounded like the promise rests on pretty flimsy ground. My love for God is a flimsy ground for thispromise. It is an experience in my heart. And my heart is notoriously fickle and variable andweak. To make such a massive promise rest on such a fragile human experience alone would beto make a mountain rest on a marshmallow.

So Paul says, this promise does not just rest on your marshmallow heart, it rests on Gods callingand purpose. "All things work together for good . . . for those who are called according to hispurpose." Here we have Godswork, not myexperience. Gods call, not my consciousness. This

is solid. This is divine. This is powerful and deep and strong.

But what if Paul had only said, "All things work together for good for those who are called"? Thenwe would want to ask, How do I know if I am called? We would want some sign that God has infact done this great and powerful and wonderful thing: he has called me.

So Paul gives both. He tells us the objective, solid, divine work of God that makes the promiseunshakeable: he called us according to his purpose. Andhe tells us what happened in us whenGod called us so that we can know it has happened: we love God and all that he is for us inJesus Christ. So we have two things that must be true of us if this promise is to be ours. Our love

is subjective, and Gods call is objective. Our love is our act, and Gods call is his act. Our love isan effect, and Gods love is the cause.

In other words, the call of God according to his purpose is part of the massive, deep,unshakeable foundation Paul is laying in Romans 8 that keeps this promise from falling and


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makes it believable. You are not the key here. God is the key here. His work will keep thispromise true for you, or it wont be true for you. Because your love is too fragile and uncertain. ButGods call is not fragile and not uncertain. And it not only brought your love into being but willkeep it in being so that the promise of Romans 8:28 will be true for you forever.

So lets see what the Bible has to say about this calling that guarantees our enjoyment of thispromise forever? I think we can sum up the most important things about this call under twoquestions: 1) What happens when a person is called? 2) What is the effect of this call long term?

1. What Happens When a Person Is Called?

God calls a person to Christ by bringing them into contact with the gospel of Jesus Christ andthen making their dead hearts alive so that they hear the gospel as irresistibly true and beautiful.

Gods almighty call and my call on his behalf are not identical. When I preach, I call you all tohear the gospel as true and beautiful and embrace Christ as your treasure. But at that momentnot all are "called" the way Paul is using the word in this verse. My call is general. Gods call , in

and through mine, is specific. My call offershope. Gods call, in and through mine, createshope.My call offerslife. Gods call, in and through mine, giveslife. My call commandsthat you loveGod. Gods call, in and through mine, grantswhat it commands.

Where can we see this in the Bible? Several places (1 Corinthians 1:22-24; 2 Timothy 1:9; etc.).But lets stay here. The next two verses are the most important. Verse 29 starts with the ground orreason we can be sure that all things work together for good for those who are called. Itsbecause "(29) those whom He foreknew, He also predestinedto become conformed to the imageof His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (30) and these whom Hepredestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He alsojustified; and these whom He

justified, He also glorified."

All of that is written to give us the reason for why all things work together for good for the called.What does he say? He says we can be sure all works for good for the called because the calledhave been predestinedfor this! Therefore it is sure. Specifically he says in verse 29 they arepredestined to be like Jesus and to have him as a great older brother, and (at the end of verse 30)to be "glorified." In other words, predestination stands behind your call and makes it sure. WhatGod predestines happens. Thats what it means to be God.

This is why Paul added the words in verse 28, "according to his purpose" "All things work

together for good . . . for those who are called according to Gods purpose." Gods call does notcome without a purpose. And Gods purpose is expressed in the word, "predestined." Hepredestined us to be like Jesus and to have Jesus as our strong and loving older brother. Andthen he carried his predestination through and made it happen to us by callingus. Verse 30a:"Those whom he predestined he called."

And not only that, read on. In verse 30 he says, ". . . and these whom He called, He also justified;and these whom He justified, He also glorified." In other words, all the called are justified, and allthe justified are glorified. This is because when God predestines something to happen, ithappens. And God predestined our final Christ-likeness and our being with Christ, and that

means our glory. And so he undertakes to bring to pass what he predestined by calling us andthen justifying us and then glorifying us.

What do we learn from this? We learn that Gods callinghere is his sovereign action to bring usfrom the spiritual deadness of unbelief and hostility to God to the spiritual l ife of faith in Christ and


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love to God. We know this because all the called are justified. But only believersare justified.And so Gods calling secures the faith that it commands. It is effectual. It guarantees the effect offaith and love. Gods call is his omnipotent, creative word, like the word Jesus spoke to Lazaruswhen he was dead: "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43). The call created the life and Lazaruscame out.

We can confirm with a key text on Gods effectual call in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, "Jews ask for

signs and Greeks search for wisdom;23

but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling blockand to Gentiles foolishness, [in other words, everyone is hearing the preaching and being called

in the general sense, but that is not what "call" means here or in Romans 8:28) 24 but to thosewho are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Some from the Jews and some from the Gentiles are "called" when Paul preaches. And whathappens when they are is that they see Christ crucified no longer as foolishness and no longeras a stumbling block but as divine power and wisdom. Thats what I meant earlier when I saidthat Gods call comes through the gospel and makes dead, hostile hearts alive so that they hearthe gospel of Christ crucified and risen as irresistibly true and beautiful.

All things work together for good for you if this has happened to you. And nothing can stopeverything from working for good for you because, just as God took the initiative to call youomnipotently to himself from the dead so that you love him, so he will take the initiative to keepyou spiritually alive and finally glorified in the presence of Christ. Everything will work for you toget you there.

That leads to the last question.

2. What Is the Long-Term Effect of This Call?

The effect is absolute eternal security for all who are called. You see it in verse 30: "These whomHe predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whomHe justified, He also glorified." All the called are justified, and all the justified will be glorified.There are no dropouts. This is why all things work together for good for those who are calledaccording to Gods purpose. His purpose is to save us utterly by his own almighty grace ofinitiative and power.

But someone may say, with fear, but what if I give up? What if I stop believing? What if my lovefor God grows cold and dies? The answer is: it will not happen for those who are called. And the

reason is NOT that it doesnt matter if your faith fails and your love dies. The reason is that theGod who calls, keeps. The God who, by his sovereign grace, called you (see Galatians 1:6, 15; 2Timothy 1:9), will, by that same sovereign grace, keep you believing and keep you loving.

Listen to the link between Gods calling and keeping.

Jude 1:1, "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who arecalled, loved by God the Father and keptfor Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 1:8, "[God] will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our

Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship withHis Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

In other words, God will confirm you to the end because he called you. That is what Godsfaithfulness means. God called you according to his purpose to save you, and God always does


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what he purposes to do. That ishis faithfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify youcompletely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be keptblameless at the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who callsyou is faithful; he will surely do it."

God is faithful. Therefore, if he called you, he will keep you.

So now we have begun to see the magnitude and magnificence of the foundation underneath thepromise of Romans 8:28. The foundation is not merely your love for God. It is the eternal purposeof God, the predestination of God, the effectual calling of God, the justification of God, and thesure glorification of God.

Everything will surely work together for your good, not because you have the moral power tokeep loving God, but because the one who called you is faithful and will work in you to keep youloving God.

Therefore I end where I did last week: Go take some risks in the cause of evangelism and

missions and justice and love. Because no matter what the cost, it will all work together for yourgood. He who called you is faithful. He will do it.

End

See the following texts for additional insight on the callof God and the purposeof God.

Uses of the word "call"

2 Timothy 1:9, "[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according toour works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us inChrist Jesus from all eternity."

Romans 9:11, "Though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything goodor bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because ofworks but because of Him who calls."

Romans 9:23-26, "And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels

of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called,

not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

25

As He says also inHosea, I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, "MY PEOPLE," AND

HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, "BELOVED." 26 AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THEPLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, "YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE," THERETHEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.""

1 Corinthians 7:18, 21, "Was any man called when he was already circumcised? Heis not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He isnot to be circumcised. . . . Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but ifyou are able also to become free, rather do that.

1 Thessalonians 2:12, ". . . so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God whocalls you into His own kingdom and glory."

1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal li fe to which you


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were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

Uses of the word "purpose"

Romans 9:11, "for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anythinggood or bad, so that God's purposeaccording to His choice would stand, not becauseof works but because of Him who calls."

Ephesians 1:11, "Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestinedaccording to His purposewho works all things after the counsel of His will."

Ephesians 3:11, "This was in accordance with the eternal purposewhich He carriedout in Christ Jesus our Lord."

2 Timothy 1:9, "[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according toour works, but according to His own purposeand grace which was granted us inChrist Jesus from all eternity."

Desiring God

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Resurse asemntoare

Cum Ajungem s Cunoatem Pcatul(Predici)Chemai s fii ai lui Hristos i prea iubii ai lui Dumnezeu, Partea 1(Predici)Chemai s fii ai lui Hristos i prea iubii ai lui Dumnezeu, Partea 2(Predici)
http://resource-library/sermons/the-called-of-christ-the-loved-of-god-part-2http://resource-library/sermons/the-called-of-christ-the-loved-of-god-part-1http://resource-library/sermons/how-we-come-to-know-sinhttp://www.desiringgod.org/

all things for good part 3 (1)

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