Jesus said, He whom thou lovest is sick.
I have good reasons for that.
I've struggled all week about what to preach
tonight.
It's not because I don't have anything to
preach.
That is the absolute sovereignty of God.
To his logical conclusion, you become an atheist.
The God of the Bible is sovereign in
redemption.
He brought his people out of Egypt.
We referred to it in the Sunday School
tonight.
That was a sovereign act when he did
that.
He's sovereign in providence.
He not only creates the world, but certainly
the Bible teaches that he governs the world.
Isaac Watts put it in that Christmas hymn
that we just sang so much at Christmas
time.
He rules the world in grace and truth.
He makes the nation prove the glory of
his righteousness.
Joyce sang it last week.
In those words, I don't have the words
to that hymn, but I know two things
she sang.
He reigns in wisdom and in power.
She sang that, didn't she?
He reigns in wisdom and in power.
Last week we began this little study.
I'll be on this subject because it's the
beginning.
You might want to know why I'm on
this subject at the beginning of the year.
Because we've faced some difficult times this year,
some of us.
In fact, if you don't know how difficult
they may be.
These truths, you can pillow your weary head
and your teary eyes and your broken heart
upon the truth that God is sovereign.
That's why at the beginning of the year,
it's not a hobby with me.
If I had a hobby, it would probably
be that.
It's not a hobby, but it's a good
time to think about the sovereignty of God
a little bit.
Last week we began to consider it from
Psalm 93, when we looked at the meaning
of sovereignty and the mystery of sovereignty and
the message of sovereignty.
Today I want to direct your attention more
to the sovereignty of God in providence.
Sovereignty of God in providence.
And I'm going to read my text.
And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to his purpose.
From the fact that God is a gracious
God, that God is a kind God.
Therefore when we think of his sovereignty, it's
a sovereignty and a gracious sovereignty.
It's a loving sovereignty.
It's a wise sovereignty.
It's a powerful sovereignty.
And it's a holy sovereignty and a merciful
sovereignty.
Now if you could convince me that Bud
Evett had my destiny in his hands, you
couldn't convince me of that.
But if you could convince me that Bud
had my destiny in his hands, it would
be something I'd want to know.
I'd want to know what kind of a
man is he?
Just what kind of a man is he?
Is he a kind man?
What's he like?
Is he a cruel man?
And so when we tell sinners about the
sovereignty of our God, we must be sure
to tell them that he's a gracious being
and that he delights in mercy and that
no sinner, no sinner ever humbled himself at
the sovereign throne that did not find grace
and forgiveness.
My text, Romans 8.28, probably next to
John 3.16, is probably as well known
as any text in the Bible.
And we know that all things work together
for good to them that are called.
To them, I better quote it correctly myself,
we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God.
To them are rather called according to its
purpose.
Though it's a well-known text, there's probably
not a text in the Bible that's more
misquoted and little understood and little believed, and
yet it's one of the most remarkable statements
in all the Bible.
One of the most comforting statements in all
the Bible, in the whole range of Scripture.
Now how is it misquoted?
Well, let me tell you some of the
ways that it's misquoted.
Some people say all things work together for
good.
That's not true.
That's not true, and that's not what the
verse says.
Others come a little closer and they say
all things work together for good to them
that love God.
That's true, but that's not the quote.
That's not all the quote.
That's not quite correct.
Still others get a little closer and they
say all things work together for good to
them that love God.
To them are they called according to its
purpose.
Now that's probably the most common quote when
people quote it, but you know that's not
an accurate quote either.
They missed three very important words.
And we know they're important words.
We know.
You leave off and we know.
And these words have a very important significance,
which I'll touch on later.
Let me quote it before I begin from
the New American Standard.
And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who
love God and those who are called according
to his purpose.
Now with such a great text in the
Bible, with such a great text in the
Bible, it's amazing that there's so little comfort
and hope by the people who claim to
believe the Bible, and especially when God's people
are in a time of difficulty, a time
of difficulty or a time of affliction or
a time of trial when they should be
drawing great comfort from this wonderful verse.
Because it's a verse to put a weary
head.
It's a verse to put a sorry heart.
Why do people receive so little comfort when
they need it most?
I'm going to suggest some reasons.
First of all, they do not take the
verse in its entirety or in its context.
As I've already mentioned, many misquote it.
It does not say that everything works together
for good for everyone.
It says, those who love God and those
who are called according to his purpose.
Now that sends the crowd down immediately.
That means there's a lot of people with
whom that verse does not apply.
It says, to those who love God and
to those who are called according to his
purpose.
We notice immediately there's a limitation on the
statement.
It's a qualified promise.
It promises good for the people specified in
the promise, to those who love God and
to those who are called according to his
purpose.
This immediately emphasizes something.
It emphasizes something that needs to be emphasized,
and it is emphasized throughout all the Bible.
That is, that ultimately there is only one
real division of the human race.
I said ultimately.
Everyone here and everyone in the world is
on one side of that dividing line.
And that is, the divide is all those
who love God and are called according to
his purpose and all the rest.
But there is a division that's throughout the
Bible and throughout all mankind.
That is a division, and the verse divides
it very clearly.
The Bible tells us quite plainly that all
things work together for them.
But the Bible tells us that the rest,
and teaches us very clearly, that the rest
are under the wrath of God.
And this morning you're on one side of
that line or the other.
You either qualify, all things work together for
them, love God and are called, you're either
in that crowd or you're in the other
crowd.
And the apostle had already told us in
the first chapter of Romans, he made it
very clear that the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, against all
wickedness, and men who suppress the truth in
wickedness.
Now that doesn't sound like all things are
working together for good.
If I took you to the Red Sea
and saw the people of God, who love
God and are called according to his purpose,
go through on dry land, and I then
saw, let you see, God pulled up Pharaoh
and buried him in the Red Sea, that
was not working together for good for that
other crowd.
That didn't work together for good for them.
If I could take you to Sodom this
morning, and let you see God pouring out
his wrath and fire on all the Sodomites,
I'll tell you that, that particular thing didn't
work together for their good.
If I could take you to Noah, have
you hear him preach for 120 years righteousness,
and then see that day of his wrath
come, his judgment, what he promised, and see
that flood, that deluge pour out and wipe
mankind away, except those who found grace in
his sight, I say that flood did not
work together for good for everybody.
Nor does this verse teach that.
Some of you ought to quit telling your
unconverted people all things work together for good.
It doesn't all work together for good, and
the sooner you know it the better.
Whatever may be true of the unconverted at
this moment, however prosperous they may appear to
be, however much sun seems to shine on
them, the terrible fact remains that those who
do not love God are under the wrath
of God.
Appearances may seem to contradict the fact, but
they will ultimately, ultimately discover that there is
their own position in their state.
You will note that the verse does not
say all things are good.
It doesn't say all things are good.
Let me tell you, my dear, pain is
pain whether you're a Christian or an unchristian.
And pain is not good.
Pain is not good.
Affliction is never good.
Sorrow is never good.
It's in itself I'm talking about.
And the verse doesn't say that.
The text does not say that if I
love God and I'm a Christian, nothing evil
or painful will happen to me.
That's both contrary to scripture and experience.
Sin is always evil.
Christian or non-Christian, young or old, sin
is always evil.
Original sin is one of the mysteries that
we do not fully understand.
But we are sure of one thing, it's
here.
The old Westminster divine said this about it.
God was pleased according to his Wahai's and
holy council to permit sin having purpose to
order it for his own glory.
Well, our personal sins are always evil.
They're never good.
But they're included, if you're a Christian, they're
included in this promise.
How can good come out of sin?
Well, there's a lot of...
What was the most wicked act that was
ever committed by the hands of men?
The crucifixion of our Lord.
That was the most wicked, sinful act that
was ever committed by sinful men.
And yet the most good that ever came
to this world came through the blood of
the cross.
Sin can show Christians his weakness, his frailty,
and his fallibility.
Self-confidence is always the greatest danger, even
among Christians.
But when a man falls, his self-confidence
is shaken.
John Bunyan put it like this.
He that is down needs fear no fall,
and he that is low, no pride.
You see, when things go well with a
man, he's in danger of pride.
He's in danger of being puffed up.
When he's very prosperous, there is a danger.
Not all people forget God, but there's a
great danger to forget God.
But the moment a man falls into sin,
he is made to realize again that he
is weak, that he is frail.
This does not mean that sin is good,
but rather that God brings good out of
it.
God never makes sin the instrument of good.
Yet, his providence, he makes the occasion of
good for his people.
So there are spiritual benefits that come by
wise overruling providence.
You know, the prodigal son, he knew more
about his father's love after he returned home
than he did before he left.
It was after he was received back that
when his father ran out and met him
and held him in his arms, he knew
something about his father's forgiveness and his father's
love like he never knew before.
Yes, it was wrong for him to leave
home.
Certainly his riotous living was sinful in that
far country.
All was wrong, but nevertheless, when he returned
and God brought him back, he was a
much better man than he was at the
beginning.
And he knew more about sonship, more about
his father, and more about his father's love
than he did before.
It brings the Christian to see his need
of grace.
When a Christian sins, we're talking about our
tempers, and I know something about that.
If anything that makes me feel badly is
after I've gotten mad.
I suppose you think I never got mad.
Well, you've never been around me enough.
But I'll tell you, I hate it.
I hate it.
And it makes me see my need of
Christ.
The sin is bad.
Sin is sin.
But it has some good benefits.
I hope you understand that.
It brings us to see our constant need
of grace, and of watchfulness, and of care.
This does not teach us to entice us
to sin.
No, no.
It is meant to show God as using
even the sinful acts of men to bring
good out of it for his people.
Do you know?
We would never have Psalm 51 if David
had not sinned.
If David had not committed adultery, if David
had not murdered, we would never have Psalm
51.
And I'll tell you what.
I would not want a Bible without Psalm
51.
I would not want a Bible without Psalm
51.
You know what it is?
It's a long cry of pardon and restoration
from a sin.
This Psalm, my dear, is blotted with tears,
and many a sinsick soul, many a tormented
soul, has found the path from a backslidden
life to a fresh view of Christ and
His forgiveness.
David's sin was evil, evil, evil!
But God has blessed the world with Psalm
51 and the rest of the penitential psalms
as far as that goes.
Psalm 32, Psalm 145, Psalm 130.
They're all penitential psalms.
We would not have those psalms if David
didn't recognize his need of repentance and was
restored.
They work together for good.
Well, a second reason why Christians draw so
little comfort from hope in this wonderful verse,
they do not realize the extent of the
promise.
They do not realize the extent of the
promise.
That is, when God says all things, all
things, He means all things.
Not just important things, not just many things,
not just most things.
God has pledged to work all things without
exception for His own glory and for our
good.
All things without exception.
It applies, therefore, to us whether we're a
boy or a girl, whether we're youth, whether
we're a man or a woman, whether I'm
a father, a mother, a grandfather, a grandmother.
It applies to all places, at home, in
the shop, in the church.
It's hard to believe, but it applies.
First of all, be very sure of this.
Note one other thing that's very important.
It does not say each thing is good.
It doesn't say each thing is good.
Therefore, when you run up to somebody in
some catastrophe, a murder or a wreck on
the highway, you say all things work together
for good.
It doesn't say each thing.
It says all things, plural.
And it says God works all things, plural,
together for good.
And again, not one single thing, but all
things.
You see, we do not see the all
things.
We do not see the whole picture.
It says all things.
You know, I don't know much about baking
a cake.
Ann does, and some other people here bake
good cakes.
I don't know much about that.
But I do know that there's a lot
of ingredients that go into a cake to
bring out the finished product.
I don't know all the ingredients.
Maybe Betty could help me.
Or my wife could help me.
But I know there's flour goes in.
I know there's shortening goes in.
I know there's salt goes in.
The sugars go in.
And a lot of things, plural.
Did you ever try to eat a handful
of flour?
Did you ever try to have a cup
of Crisco?
How would you like to go home today
and your wife put out a cup of
Crisco and say, I'll have this.
Or did you ever take a mouthful of
salt?
They're things single.
It's when those skillful people put them together
that they bring out a beautiful cake.
When mother puts them together, puts it in
the oven, then comes out that delicious cake.
All things, that flour that you couldn't stand
by itself.
Well, some of the individual things, the individual
things in our life are ugly.
They're bitter.
They're painful.
And sometimes unbearable.
Read the book of Acts and see all
the things the apostles went through.
Unbearable things by themselves.
And my dear, we cannot explain the individual
things in our lives.
There are many things that we don't understand
looking at them separately.
And we do not know all that God
is doing with these several things.
But the Bible does teach that ultimately, ultimately,
ultimately, when God puts them together, it will
be for His glory and the good for
those who love Him and are called according
to His purpose.
And let me tell you something this morning.
If you demand an answer for each individual
thing or each individual circumstances, all you'll get
is to feel the pain of the jagged
edges of unbelief.
I'll tell you that again.
If you demand of God an answer for
each individual thing or each individual circumstances, all
you'll get is to feel the pain of
the jagged edges of unbelief.
You see, Christians, we do not know all
things.
We do not have all the pieces.
I suppose we've all put jigsaw puzzles together
sometime in our life.
And I suppose we've all had this experience.
You had that piece that you pick up.
A thousand times you pick up this piece
and it won't fit, and it won't fit,
and it won't fit anywhere.
And finally you conclude that some clerk just
got this extra piece in the box by
mistake and that stupid clerk has caused me
all this trouble while I'm spending all this
time putting this puzzle together.
And then at the end, probably the last
piece, there's a little hole and that piece
sits in there.
It sits right in there.
My dear, our lives are a great deal
like that.
I got a lot of pieces that I
can't put together.
They are not in the puzzle yet in
my life.
And I suppose you got some pieces that
aren't in your puzzle yet.
But it's not the ultimate yet.
It's not the end yet.
It's not the end.
So these pieces that we don't get in
our life, ultimately the picture will be complete.
Ultimately the picture will be complete because we
don't see the all things.
But I do believe with all my heart
this morning, I don't think I could preach
if I didn't believe this, that all things
do work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose.
It's just so important that we know that
there's a sovereign God who's not in control.
I wouldn't want to put my head on
the pillow tonight thinking that there's a God
who's not in control.
I really wouldn't.
He controls all the variables.
It's important to see that God controls all
things.
Let me explain why.
Suppose you had some project in mind that
you wanted to do, something you wanted to
build or something you wanted to do or
some goal.
And that goal, that project or whatever it
is had six specific things that had to
take place in order for you to ultimately
complete your goal or your project.
Now there are six variables that had to
be complete that you had to have completely
control of in order for your work to
plan out.
But in the course of your operation, you
were only able to bring five of these
variables under control.
And since you could not bring the sixth
variable under control, your whole plan failed and
therefore you didn't reach the goal.
Now if God were like that, if God
were like that, we would not have such
a statement as we have in Romans 8
.28. This promise could not be certain.
You know, children grow up and most of
you have had children.
And children, parents always want the best for
their children.
They don't always know what's best, but they
want their best.
And other times, you think that they do
know the best for their children and they
don't have the means financially or some other
reason to give them what they would like
to see them have.
Other times, parents know what's best, they have
the means to do what's best, but they
can't get the cooperation of the children.
You know anything about that?
Can't get the cooperation of the children.
Let me tell you something.
God is not like that.
He controls all the variables.
Whether they're six or seven or how many
it is.
And not only that, He knows what's best.
And He has their hearts.
I wish you'd mark this verse.
I found comfort in it.
Proverbs 21.1, it says this, and I
quote, The King's heart is in the hand
of the Lord, and as the rivers of
water, He turns it wherever He will.
You see, He's not like sinful, ignorant parents.
He knows what's right and best and He
has power to perform.
Yes, He has the power to get the
cooperation that He needs for all the variables.
There are many variables and often they seem
to be working in opposite directions.
We would be dishonest if we didn't admit
that.
They seem to be working in opposite directions.
How can this particular thing be working for
my good when it seems to be going
in the opposite direction?
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, one of my, I
think the greatest preacher of my generation, he's
gone now, but he tells of an old
preacher who used a good illustration to try
to, because people are always asking, how can
that work together for good to them that
love God?
How can that be?
He said, I can see the good things.
Somebody came to the old preacher and said,
I can see how, I can see the
good things that are working in the right
direction.
But look at all these other things.
They seem to be working in the opposite
direction.
They seem to be working opposite of that
with my good.
How can you say that all things are
working together for good when they're going in
the opposite direction?
And the old preacher pulled out his watch.
And he says, take the back off of
this watch.
He said, you see these wheels going this
way?
And you see some going this way?
He said, they're working in the opposite direction.
But he said, look at the front of
the watch.
They're moving the hands.
They seem to be going in the opposite
direction.
It looks mad to look at the back
of a watch.
It's a madman did this.
You see, you look at this and see
and you say, this is a madman.
How ridiculous.
Ah, but when you turn the watch over
and you see it's moving the hands in
the right direction.
Well, things do go in the opposite direction
but you can be sure that the great
watchmaker will be going in the right direction.
Our lives are like that.
Look at life.
Ask it first, what's happening?
You say, what's happening to me?
I say, I can see that certain things
are good for me and other things seem
to be against me so much.
Oh my dear, you must think of the
great watchmaker who planned it all.
Don't jump to conclusions.
Look at the ultimate purpose.
Look at the ultimate end.
And if you do so with a spiritual
eye, you'll soon begin to know what God
is doing.
How great.
How could the great apostle say in this
text, and you look at your Bible where
he says, and we know.
Now, I told you, never leave that off.
When you quote that verse, dear heart, never
leave that off.
I'm coming to those three words that some
people leave off.
They just say all things work together for
good.
Don't leave off those three words.
And we know.
Don't ever leave them off.
And we know that all things work together
for good.
Now he had just said, if you look
back in verse 26, he says, we know
not what we should pray for as we
ought.
Now, how can these two statements be reconciled?
He says, I know not.
And now he says, I know.
Well, I'll explain that paradox statement.
You see, the Christian is one who can
be certain about the ultimate, even though he
is most uncertain about some immediate situation.
The Christian may say about this immediate situation,
I don't know.
But I know that the ultimate, so he
could do that.
The Christian, sometimes, he can find final comfort
in the consolation of the Christian.
The Christian doesn't know everything.
He doesn't know all the things.
He doesn't just look at the Christian in
trouble with everything appearing to go on against
him.
And he's so perplexed.
He doesn't even know how to pray as
he ought.
All that he can do is breathe out
groanings that are produced by the Holy Spirit
in the text, you'll see.
He's confused.
He doesn't understand.
We're often in that state.
And yet, at this very point, he can
say, I don't know what to pray for
as I ought.
I don't know which way to turn to
go.
I don't understand the things that are happening
at this moment.
But I know this, that in spite of
my ignorance, in spite of everything that's happening
to me, this is everything else where this
is the final comfort.
You know, it's like in the war, you
know, a lot of times they lose the
little campaigns, but it's the ultimate victory that's
important.
It's the ultimate outcome of the campaign that's
beyond doubt.
You may lose many battles, dear friends.
Christians do lose some battles.
You may fail in many details, but that
makes the ultimate, that doesn't make the ultimate
difference.
It is the ultimate that is guaranteed.
And this is how to reconcile we know
not in verse 26 with we know in
verse 28.
And this is a principle that one has
to constantly be applying in the Christian life
and in the Christian warfare.
I don't know the immediate, but I do
know the ultimate.
Now, coming back to my verse.
You know, two of the apostles' favorite words
is in this chapter, verse 28, notice what
he says in verse 28.
We know and we know.
Notice what he says in verse 38.
I am persuaded.
He likes that.
Now, they are sweet-sounding words in this
generation of unbelief.
They're sweet-sounding to me, because we live
in a generation of unbelief, uncertainty, existential despair.
Surely, this generation is absolutely sure of nothing.
But under these circumstances, the Christian can say,
I know.
I am persuaded.
Well, how could he say that?
He could be sure of all things working
together for good.
Now, listen to his argument.
Listen carefully to his argument.
Here's his argument.
This is why he could know verses 28,
29, and 30.
And that's why he should never leave us
off, because his argument for making that statement,
and we know his argument is found in
verse 29.
This is how he could know.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate.
Don't you fight that word.
You may never understand predestination.
That'll be quite all right.
You don't have to understand it to go
to heaven.
But don't speak against it because it's in
the Bible.
You may not have a right view of
it, and you still go to heaven.
But don't speak against what's in the Bible.
And I've heard Christians, mature Christians, make bad
statements about predestination.
It's a blessed doctrine, if you understand it
right.
And Paul uses it here.
Listen to his argument.
For whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren.
Moreover, now get this, moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called.
Whom he called, he justified.
Whom he justified, he glorified.
My dear friend, here is God Almighty's unshakable,
unbreakable chain of theology.
Unshakable, unbreakable chain of theology.
And if you're in the first link, be
sure that you'll be in the last link.
If you're in the first link, whom he
did foreknow, you'll be in the last link,
them he also glorified.
Verse 31.
What should we say to these things?
That's his argument.
That's why you don't leave those first three
words off.
And we know the reason he knew is
because of God Almighty's unbreakable chain of truth.
That's the only reason he could know.
What should we say to these things?
Verse 31.
If God before us, who can be against
us?
What things is he talking about?
In verse 31, what things is he talking
about?
Why he's talking about the things that he
just mentioned in verses 29 and 30.
The great purpose of God, to ultimately perfect
us and bring us to glory.
We know the ultimate end.
And we can sing with the hymn writer,
when all around my soul gives way.
He then is all my hope and stay.
His oath, his covenant, his blood, support me
in the whelming flood.
Ah, but this promise in verse 28, and
God's unspeakable change, make sure of this promise
to those who love God and to those
who are called according to His purpose.
And I ask you this morning, which side
of that line are you on?
Do you come under that head of loving
God and are you called according to His
purpose?
Let me tell you, God will be glorified,
regardless which side you're on.
God will be glorified, yes, in the destruction
of the wicked.
Just as His love and mercy will be
glorified in the salvation of His people, His
justice and His righteousness will be magnified and
glorified in the damnation of the wicked.
That's what His righteousness and His justice will
be glorified in the damnation of the wicked.
This text should cause every unconverted man or
woman here, everyone to cry out in their
heart and plead with Him to open their
understanding, to open their heart.
Oh God, teach me who Jesus Christ is
and how I savingly put my trust in
Him.
And let me tell you, that is whosoever
will, whosoever will, may cry out.
Whosoever will, let him take of the life
freely.
Now of course, we live in a world
of whosoever wants, but whosoever will, let him
take of the life freely.
And that should cause every unconverted man to
cry out and plead with God.
And it's a proper question.
If I have a care for people's soul,
if I care the least bit for their
soul, I should ask, which side of that
line are you on?
Do you come under the head of those
who love God and are called according to
his purpose, or are you part of the
rest of mankind who are lost and doomed
and damned?
You say, well, I don't know which side
I'm on, preacher.
Well, let me try to help you this
morning.
There's a verse in Proverbs.
I'm going to read from a far country.
You know, we were talking about being in
the Navy, Bill and I this morning.
And I remember, you know, when I was
in the Navy, if I wasn't too tired,
I would go to mail call.
But if I was tired, I wouldn't stand
in line to get my mail.
And most of the letters I got, I
really didn't read.
And some of them I opened and read
halfway through and put them away.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that, Bill?
No.
No, that's not true.
No, sir.
If anyone was overseas, he knows that that's
not true.
Why?
Because that was news from a far country.
That was news from a far country.
Some of those letters, if I could find
them, you'd find some of those letters I
got in the South Pacific, had marks and
tears rolled down my cheeks.
Because those letters represented everything I lived for.
They were from home.
Oh, I did my job the best I
could in the Navy.
I worked.
But my real life was represented by those
letters.
And so with the real Christian, you tell
me your attitude toward this book we call
the Bible.
And I'll tell you whether you have reason
to believe that you are called an elect
of God.
Because let me tell you, that's news from
a far country.
That's news from a far country.
News from a far country.
And our real life, the Christian's real life,
is shared with God and Christ.
And we know that soon all that we
are and all that we have will be
finished and gone.
And for the first time we'll be with
real life.
I suppose that's been brought home to me
in the last eight years more than any
time in my life.
I've never been until the last eight years
with dying cancer people.
And in my last church I had seven
people dying with cancer at the same time.
And I want to tell you I found
out where my real home was.
And some of them were rich, two of
them were millionaires.
It didn't make any difference.
They were dying anyhow.
Let me ask you, let me tell you,
this became good news from a far country.
My dear heart, we're trying to find out
which side that line are you on.
Is this scripture good news from a far
country?
Does this message of the Bible refresh your
heart as cool water to a thirsty soul?
Because it brings to you the grace of
God that helps in need.
Good news of forgiveness, good news from a
far country, good news of forgiveness, because it
brought you the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Well, I'm not quite finished, but I'm going
to quit.
I haven't left you out after twelve o
'clock yet.
I'll try not to do that.
It has to be a special time.
I'm going to quit.
And we know, and we know, why do
we know?
Because of God Almighty's unbroken chain of theology.
We know what?
We know that all things work together for
good, for everyone?
To those who are called, to those who
love God, and are called according to His
purpose.
Let us pray, and Carl's going to come
and lead us in a hymn.
Our Father, truly, Thou art a great God,
and You set Your forth, set forth to
be a great and wise God in creation.
And Your Word sets You forth to be
a wise, a powerful, and a merciful Heavenly
Father.
Today we thank You for this, that for
those who are not on the right side
of that line, by Your Spirit this morning,
Lord, show them which side of the line
they're on, so that they may cry out
for mercy.
And for those of us who are on
the right side, that sometimes we act like
we don't believe it, help us to get
all the sweet juice and the sweet comfort
from that great promise that's meant for us
to have for Jesus' sake.
Amen.