Working for Our Good
A Sermon on Romans 8:28-30
Originally preached Nov. 10, 1961
Scripture
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the …
Sermon Description
This sermon is for those who feel like life is spinning out of control, or question where God is when terribly hard things happen, and wonder if God is against them. In this sermon on Romans 8:28 titled “Working For Our Good,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones considers “one of the most remarkable statements in the whole of Scripture. The ultimate doctrine—written for our consolation and edification.” The apostle Paul wrote, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This promise is not for everybody but for the Christian; all things are working together for their good. God is overruling everything in the whole cosmos for their good benefit. How can this be? How can things that seem to work against the Christian actually be working for their good? In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers the question with six compelling reasons that will reassure and strengthen the Christian’s soul throughout any future seasons of trials and sufferings.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul lays down a proposition in Romans 8:28 that "all things work together for good to them that love God."
- In verses 29-30, Paul proves and demonstrates this assertion.
- The statement in verse 28 is limited to only those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It does not apply to everyone.
- God is the one working all things together for good, not an automatic principle in life itself.
- "All things" refers to everything - good things, bad things, trials, troubles, tribulations, illnesses, accidents, disappointments, and even sin. These things are not good in themselves but God uses them for our good.
- These things work for our good by:
- Pulling us up and awakening us from spiritual slumber and routine. This makes us think and is good for us.
- Revealing our weakness, frailty, lack of understanding, and sinfulness. This humbles us which we need.
- Driving us back to God in dependence and prayer. This helps us discover more about God's character and grow in grace and knowledge of Him.
- Compelling us to realize the temporary nature of this life and think more of the glory to come. This loosens our attachment to the world.
- Through these things, we become "more than conquerors" as God uses them for our good and His ultimate purpose.
- An illustration of a watch shows how opposite and contradictory things can work together for a purpose under the control of the watchmaker. Likewise, God is in control of all things in our lives, even those that seem against us, and is working them for our good.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.