Preaching the Word
The "First Principle" podcasts which are numbered # are a great tool for believers to go over the essentials of the Christian Faith.
The "Mysteries of God's Word" podcasts are an indepth study of Scripture.
The other podcasts are sermons that have been given, some verse by verse and others topical.
It is my passion to be true to God and His Word. To preach in such a way that people can easily see the LORD as our Creator and as our Redeemer. To understand that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever even as we live in a world that is continually changing. Salvation is and has always been through faith alone in the Messiah alone. His name is Jesus the Christ; there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Preaching the Word
Romans 8:28 - When Evil Strikes, God Still Writes The Story - Famous Verses
What does it really mean when Scripture says "all things work together for good"? Diving deep into Romans 8:28, we unpack one of the Bible's most quoted yet frequently misunderstood promises.
This powerful verse doesn't claim everything that happens is good. Rather, it reveals God's remarkable ability to weave even life's darkest threads into a tapestry of redemption. The promise comes with important qualifications – it's specifically for "those who love God" and are "called according to his purpose." This isn't a universal guarantee but a profound assurance for believers committed to Christ's kingdom.
Romans 8:28 offers a perspective to the age-old question: if God is good, why does evil exist? While not providing a complete answer, it assures us that God's sovereignty operates even amid evil's worst expressions. Jesus demonstrated this at the cross when the greatest evil – the murder of God's innocent Son – became the greatest victory over sin and Satan. Similarly, Joseph's journey from betrayal to Egypt's leadership showcases how God transforms human evil into salvation for many.
The beauty of this promise isn't that we'll avoid suffering, but that nothing we experience falls outside God's redemptive capabilities. When we surrender to God rather than fear, we participate in His work of transformation. What's your Romans 8:28 story? Where have you seen God working through difficult circumstances? Share your experience and join the conversation about God's sovereign goodness.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
Grace and peace to you in the name of God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:And today's famous verse is Romans 8.28, which reads and we know that, for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.
Speaker 1:This verse follows passages that talk about how the Holy Spirit intercedes for the believer when we're too weak ourselves to even know what to pray. And we're told here in Romans 8.28, two very specific things about the people this passage is speaking or referring to. First, these are people that love God, or, in other words, these are people that are believers in the Messiah, jesus Christ. The second thing we know about these people is that they're called according to his purpose. About these people is that they're called according to his purpose. Now, the purpose of God has always been about furthering his kingdom and the message of Jesus Christ. So the people this passage is referring to are those who are faithful to the purpose of God's kingdom, to the purpose of God's kingdom. And Romans 8.28 says that all things work together for good. Some other manuscripts say God works all things together for good, or even God works in all things for good. You know one of the most asked theological questions throughout all of history is that if God is good, why does evil exist? And this passage here in Romans 8.28 gives us some insight into the answer. The scripture here isn't saying that everything that happens comes from God, nor is it saying that everything that happens is good. Rather, we're told that everything that happens will work together for good, just as the verses prior to this implied.
Speaker 1:When we are weak, the Holy Spirit of God is interceding for us. You see, god has a plan in the middle of our pain. In God's sovereignty and in his perfect foreknowledge of everything that would ever happen, he has a very specific plan so that everything, even the rebellious and evil things, that God does not tempt anyone, nor can God be tempted. Yet we know that God knows everything. He knows everything that will ever happen, even before it happens. Titus 1.2 also tells us that God cannot lie and he hates false testimony. Yet we see all over our world that God has allowed lies and liars to persist.
Speaker 1:What Romans 8.28 teaches us is that we can be certain, even in the middle of this cursed and evil world, that God is going to use everything to bring his children to a saving knowledge of the truth and to work out their salvation. Our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ, gave us the greatest example of this when he went to the cross according to God's perfect, preordained plan, and there he was crucified at the hands of evil men. Yet in that very moment when evil thought it had won, god glorified his Son and destroyed the power of sin and Satan, and three days later Jesus Christ rose from the grave, declaring the greatest victory in all of creation. Another example of this in scripture is how Jacob's son, joseph, had brothers that just hated him and they wanted to kill him, but they ended up selling him into slavery. Joseph was later tempted and accused of immorality with Potiphar's wife, and then he was unjustly thrown into prison. Yet through all of this, god had a plan to save the nation of Israel by one day exalting Joseph over all of Egypt so that he would be only second to the Pharaoh. And Joseph explained it to his brothers this way In Genesis 50-20, he said as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Speaker 1:You see, when Joseph tells his brothers this, he is very clear that his brothers were indeed sinning against him and they were committing evil. Joseph in this moment is in fact encouraging his brothers to begin trusting the Lord and to stop looking to the things of this earth as their final treasure. But Joseph lets his brothers know that, even though they planned all of that for evil against him, god, in his, his sovereignty, had a greater plan, a plan where he would use Joseph and Joseph's faith in God for a kingdom that cannot be thwarted or put down. You see, my brothers and sisters, when we walk in faith, surrendering ourselves to the fear of the Lord rather than to the fear of men, we can be confident that God will be working all things together for our good, because we have been called according to his purpose. Thank you for joining me and God bless you this week.