Biblical Hope in Suffering | How Scripture Transforms Our Hardest Seasons — Romans 8:28–30

Can God Use Our Hardest Days

0:03 Can we really believe that our greatest disappointments, deepest sorrows, and hardest trials are somehow working for our good? In Romans 8, 28-30, the Apostle Paul answers with resounding hope. In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Those He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that Jesus would be magnified among many brothers and sisters. Those he predestined, he called. Those he called, he justified. Those he justified, he glorified.

0:50 Stay with me as we walk through how God is working in everything for our good.

C. T. Studd And Costly Faith

0:57 The stories told of the last days of the famed missionary City Stud, who prior to embarking on his missionary life, gave away a massive earthly fortune. In the early 1930s, City Stud, by then an old man, was living in the Congo. His home was a bamboo with a mud floor and a wood fire burning in the middle. Every night the missionaries would gather around his bed and he would read the Bible. City Stud constantly stated that if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great to make for him.

1:43 This is the only way the dying world can be won. What an incredible example of a life fully surrendered to Christ. Can we really believe that the same God who sustained city stud in a mud floor bamboo hut is working in our hardest moments too? Listen closely as Paul answers this very question.

What Romans 8:28 Actually Promises

2:10 In Romans 8 28, Paul affirms that we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. All things include our present troubles, our aching heads, and our heavy hearts. This verse does not say that God causes all things. Tragedy enters our world because we live in a fallen creation where Satan, human sin, and the effects of the fall bring suffering. When a cowboy applied for an insurance policy, the agent asked, Have you ever had any accidents?

2:52 After a moment's reflection the applicant responded, Nope, but a bronch did kick into my ribs last summer, and a couple of years ago a rattlesnake bit me on the ankle. Wouldn't you call those accidents? replied the puzzled agent. Nah, the cowboy said. They did it on purpose. Friends, we've all had moments that felt anything but accidental. So how can God possibly use them for our good? Paul now answers that question. Christians are often in sorrows, sufferings and trials. Afflictions in themselves are evil.

3:34 However, the Lord uses the evil of sin to bring good to his children by overruling it and substituting his benefits.

Synergy And How God Weaves Good

3:46 The Greek word synergia that is used here for work for good means various elements working together to produce a greater good, often completely different from the sum of the parts. An example of such would be ordinary table salt, which is composed of two chemicals, sodium and chlorine, which by themselves can be deadly. This does not mean everything will turn out okay in this life, or that God will give us whatever we want. It means everything will work out for ultimate good, which may not be fully seen until heaven.

4:28 Tribulations produce a subdued spirit, humility, patience, and Christ-like character. The good news is not that God makes our circumstances comfortable, but that he weaves even disappointments and disasters into his eternal plan. Joyce Jones was a renowned concert organist and retired teacher at Baylor University. At the age of 16, she was a piano major at the University of Texas. For six weeks, due to a sprained wrist, she could not touch a keyboard. Not wanting to waste time, she decided to learn to play organ pedals with her feet, and a new, magnificent career was born.

5:16 What experience in your life may very well illustrate God is working in your life according to his promise. Paul focuses on the truth that the dividing line between the Christian and the unbeliever is loving God. As 1 John 4 19 says, we love because he first loved us. This love shows itself in obedience. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. The Greek word kletus refers to those who have accepted God's invitation. Believers gain a new perspective, trusting God instead of resenting pain because they know he's working good in their lives.

6:02 When the great composer Ludwig van Beenthoven discovered that he was going deaf, he consulted doctors and tried every possible remedy. Despite his best efforts, eventually all hearing was gone. Beethoven made peace with his condition and resumed composing. To everyone's amazement, Beethoven wrote some of his grandest music after he became totally deaf. Beethoven turned deafness into some of his greatest work. But what about us?

Redefining Good As Christlikeness

6:42 What is God's ultimate purpose in allowing our own limitations and losses? Paul tells us that God's purpose is to make his children one day like his beloved son. Suffering is part of the working out of God's intention for us. Most of us have probably heard someone using Romans 8.28 to say, yes, you may have lost your job, but you can be sure of getting an even better one because all things are working for good. The difficulty with this application is that it interprets good from a narrow and often materialistic point of view.

7:24 From God's perspective, good must be defined in spiritual terms. The question believers should ask is if as a result of these tribulations are we becoming more like Jesus? The story is told of a shipwrecked soul survivor who reached a small, uninhabited island. He prayed for God to rescue him, but help did not come. Eventually he built a hut out of driftwood for protection. One day he returned from scavenging for food and found his hut in flames, the smoke rising into the sky. Angrily he cried, God, how could you do this to me?

8:10 The next morning he was awakened by rescuers. How did you know I was here? He asked. We saw your smoke signal, they replied. Let us reflect on the truth that God is working all things for his purpose and for the good of those who love him and who have answered his call.

Foreknown And Predestined Explained

8:31 God is not only working in our disappointments, he has known and planned for our lives from before we were even born. Listen to what he told the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:5, God speaking to Jeremiah, stated, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. God is clearly stating here a divine prior knowledge of Jeremiah's existence. In Romans 8 29, Paul declares that for those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

9:22 For knew means God knew in advance all that would happen. Yet God's knowledge does not cause the events, just as a person's knowledge of past events does not cause them. Those who acted did solve their own free will. This truth is beyond full human comprehension, but scripture clearly teaches it. Paul goes on to state that those who God foreknew, he also predestined. The scripture never uses predestination to mean that God has predestined certain people to eternal condemnation. A person's condemned because he or she refuses to trust Christ.

10:08 What Paul is saying here is that God has predetermined that each believer will be conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus. The Apostle Paul had previously explained in Romans 8:17 that we share in Jesus' suffering so that we may also share in his glory. The prophet Isaiah, writing 700 years before Jesus was born, stated that he was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain. Suffering is part of the believer's allotment. God is in control. He has a plan for our lives.

10:50 In our present circumstances, God is working everything together for our good. Predestination is a comfort for believers in the midst of the everyday events of life.

Why Jesus Is The Firstborn

11:04 An accomplished artist was applying the finishing touches to a bronze sculpture. He kept filing, scraping, and polishing every little surface of his masterpiece. When will it be done? asked an observer. Never came the reply. I just keep working and working until they come and take it away. Are we aware that God is constantly refining us for his glory? The primary purpose in God's predestination is that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren. Previously, in Romans 8:14 to 17, Paul boldly declared that believers are children of God, brothers and sisters with Christ.

11:51 In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the son who had the right of inheritance. This son was not necessarily the first one born. Although Esau was born first chronologically, it was Jacob who was the firstborn and received the inheritance. Jesus is the firstborn in relation to the church. God's ultimate object, therefore, is to glorify his son in the midst of a multitude of believers. In Revelation 7.9, the Apostle John documents that he saw a great multitude that no one could count standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

12:34 This vast crowd was composed of people that were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Notably, they had all experienced great tribulations and were standing before the throne, worshiping the Lamb Jesus. This is the purpose that God has predestinated for believers. Dr. Helen Rose Ver, who served as a medical missionary in the Congo in the mid-1900s, is an outstanding example of how God is ensuring that Jesus is glorified in the believers' life. The missionary committee asked Dr. Helen to move from Ibambi, where she had already set up a successful clinic to start over from scratch in Nibo Bongo.

13:25 Helen was furious at first and determined to fight against such a move. However, after praying about the matter, she peacefully went along with the committee's wishes. By the end of Dr. Helen's first years at Nibobongo, the maternity unit had been improved. Two new brick hospital wards were up and running. Helen had also won the love and admiration of the local Congolese who referred to her as Mama Luca. What if the move that we are fighting is the one that God wants to use to elevate Jesus in us?

Called Justified Glorified Assured Hope

14:04 Paul shows us that this conforming process happens through a beautiful divine chain. Having been predestined, what comes next? Here in Romans 8 30, Paul affirms that God, having predestined believers, calls them to come to Him. God then gives them right standing with Himself and promises them His glory. The general call of God is for all of humanity, not just the elect. The fame John 3 16 passage states, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

14:50 The gospel is available to everyone. However, because of humanity's sinful nature and total depravity, no one will turn to God without God first impressing himself on them. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that the effectual call is God's suffering drawing of a sinner to salvation. This effectual call overwhelms the sinner's natural inclination to rebel, and he willingly places faith in Jesus Christ. The call of God for salvation is initiated by God the Father, is made effective by the Holy Spirit, and results in a proper relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior.

15:38 Each believer is a called one, summoned to escape the darkness and live in the light. This effectual call is like a mother hen's special warning cry that makes her chicks run to safety under her wings. It is God sovereignly drawing sinners to himself. Darcy Clayson was watching TV with her three-year-old daughter Emily one day when a news clip came on about a famous person who had died. Emily's immediate reaction was, is he going to heaven? When told that he would if he had confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior, Emily immediately applied this to herself.

16:23 Emily stated, You know what, Mom? I talked to Jesus on the phone the other day and I asked him to come into my heart. That's great, Darcy said. But how did you know his number? Her reply was simple yet profound. He called me, she declared. Emily's answer revealed a deep truth that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions in the world. Those religions require man to try to get to God. However, in the plan that God devised for man, he is the one who initiates the contact. Through the Holy Spirit, he calls us to repentance.

17:07 Everyone who has accepted Jesus as Savior was called by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul goes on to declare that the call are justified. Believers are justified, declared righteous at the moment of our salvation. Justification does not make us righteous. Instead, God pronounces us righteous when we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers our sin, allowing God to see us as perfect and unblemished. As believers, we are in Christ. So God sees Christ's own righteousness when he looks at us.

17:49 Let us reflect on the unimaginable glorious truth that believers are justified, that is made righteous in Christ. In Romans 8:30, Paul states that those who have been justified are now glorified. Glorified in this verse is in the past tense. The believer's glorification is already an accomplished fact in the mind and purpose of God. Glorification is God's final removal of sin from the life of the saints. At the last trumpet, when Jesus comes, the saints will undergo a fundamental instant transformation.

18:32 1 Corinthians 15 51 states that we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Instead of being mortals burdened with a sin nature, we'll be changed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God's presence. We will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity. As principal of the Bible training college in London from 1911 to 1915, Oswald Chambers often said that the school's initials, BTC, also stood for better to come. He believed that the future was always bright with possibility because of Christ.

Better To Come On Earth And Heaven

19:15 For the Christian, this is certainly true when you think about going to heaven. However, because our hope is centered on Christ, we can also overwhelmingly believe that our remaining days on earth will be better than those of the past. Evelyn Brand's life shows how better future days on earth are possible in the Christian's life. Evelyn and her husband had been stationed as missionaries in India. In 1929, her husband died. Evelyn returned to England as mandated. However, she was able to persuade the mission board to allow her to go back to the Collie Hills region of India to serve as a missionary once again.

20:01 In 1957, Evelyn's son described her as a wrinkled, bent-over old woman of 78. However, she is still a self-supporting missionary, living her dream of reaching the Hill Tribes people of southern India. In 1963, Evelyn's son reported that she was going strong, living by herself in the Kalarian Hills, and still working among the Hill people of India. In October 1974, Evelyn made a trip down from her home in the hill country to see her son. She was then 95 years old, tin and frail. As always, she was fasty and totally committed to serving the poor people of the hill country.

20:50 Evelyn died on December 18, 1974. 45 years after her husband died, Evelyn Brandt's body was buried beside him. In 1927, it looked like it was over, but the best was still to come for Evelyn. What if God wants us to look away from our current circumstances and set our eyes on the glory that awaits us? Let's return to the question we began with, but now with fresh confidence and hope. We started by asking if we could really believe that our greatest disappointments, deepest sorrows, and hardest trials are somehow working for our good.

21:37 As we analyze Romans 8 28 30, the Apostle Paul's statements came to life.

21:52 God determined that those he foreknew would be predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. So that Jesus would be magnified among many brothers and sisters. Those God predestined, He called.

Recap Plus Invitation To Respond

22:08 Those He called, He justified. Those He justified, He glorified. As we have seen in Romans 8, 28-30, God is using even our greatest disappointments and hardest trials to mold us into the image of His Son Jesus. For those who love God and are called according to His purpose, we can rest in this awesome truth. God has everything in control. Our worst season is not the end of our story. In Christ, it is one more part of God's work to prepare us for his glory. Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcast.

23:00 If you are ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life, lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. Growing scripture, discipleship and Christian leadership through the online course found at Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen dot io. Discover the covenant story and learn to see the Bible as one unified story. Go deeper with until Christ is formed in you and grow as a disciple of Jesus.

23:51 Explore leadership is discipleship and learn why true Christian leadership begins with following Jesus. Start studying, start learning, start growing. Join us at Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen dot io.

Declarations And Psalm 23 Closing

24:12 Please join me as we confess words of life over all of our lives. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus.

24:59 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled.

25:34 Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is being spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came.

26:16 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers.

26:52 As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to.

27:28 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living on an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. Let's repeat the 23rd Psalm together. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

28:06 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

28:50 Amen.