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Romans 8:28-30
“All Things Work Together... For You”
Matins
The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost, 2005
Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
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In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Dear People of God,
I have had the joy, these past few weeks, of meeting most of you, talking to many of you, and even visiting a few of you in the hospital or home. Each visit I hear wonderful stories of your lives, of how the Lord has been faithful to you throughout your life, of how He has kept His promises and never left you or forsaken you.
I've also heard a few of you tell me, “I don't know what's happening, Pastor, but it seems like everyone but me in this church is getting old.” Now, I try not to listen to rumors like that, but I know that we have had the joy of celebrating some wonderful birthdays these last few weeks. 88 years of enjoying God's gifts for Agnar Swanson and Velma Height, 80 years for Luella Dietrich, and today is the 78th for Merle Knauber. All these years, just imagine the wisdom and stories of the Lord's goodness. It is as the Lord speaks about believers in Psalm 91:14-16:
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My Name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will deliver him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
So it is that the Lord has satisfied many of you with long life.
But I also understand that getting older is often difficult and full of challenges. “You see, Pastor,” someone told me, “The trouble with getting old is that your body ages faster that your mind.” You think you can do something, but your body isn't willing, it doesn't cooperate like it used to.
Old age brings plenty of troubles. Creaking bones, sore backs, and often even worse. Some of you have fought long battles with sickness and disease, or are fighting them now. Some of you have suffered the death of a loved one, a husband or wife or even a child. Some of you might even see your own death coming soon.
This life is hard, full of sin, sickness, suffering and death We live in a fallen world, a world in bondage to sin and death. In the words of Luther, this world is “a veil of tears.” Or, as the psalmist says, “the valley of the shadow of death.” And it really doesn't matter if we're young or old, all of us in this life have troubles. All of us will have sickness and sorrow. All of us, sooner or later will die. The world, it seems, is working against us.
And if we add to this the trouble that comes from being a Christian, a child of the heavenly Father, it's even worse. From not only is the world working against us, but so is the devil and our own sinful flesh. Tempting us to sin, mocking our weakness and scorning our faith, the devil never sleeps or rests from his relentless attack against all of God's people. And so as we look around and see ourselves surround by sickness and sorrow, trouble and temptation and pain and death, and take it all together, it really looks like all things are working together against us.
Sin, death and the devil, these three are all working together for evil against those who love God, and are called according to His purpose, all these are working against you. This is the sermon that this world preaches to us, “All things work together against you.” This is what the devil would have us believe, “All things work together against you.”
But this morning we hear a different sermon, a different word, a better word, this promise from God the Father through the Son, inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by St Paul, this glorious and wonderful promise:
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. [Romans 8:28]
All things work together for you, not against you, and not for evil but for your good. That's what the Scripture says.
Now, how can this be? Especially when, as we've just talked about, it seems like everything is working against us? How can everything work for our good when we have these three great enemies, sin, death and the devil always working against us? The answer is Jesus; His cross, and His resurrection.
Picture for a moment Jesus on the cross. There it seems as if all things are working against Him. The cross looks like the devil's victory, like the sinful world's triumph, but there, on the cross, is hidden the victory of God over sin, the devil, and even death.
God's victory is hidden in the suffering of Jesus.
God's victory is hidden in His death on the cross.
It is true that sin works against us, but the Lord Jesus died for our sins. He became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. [2 Corinthians 5:21] Sin no longer rules us, no longer threatens. Jesus has already suffered the punishment for our sins, and now He gives us forgiveness, pardon, freedom; He washes us clean from all sin with His blood in the waters of Holy Baptism.
Sin works against you, but Jesus, the Sin-Forgiver, works for you. And now even the trouble and tribulation and sickness that comes from sin works for your good, to teach you to hope for heaven and long for the eternal day when we will see His face and there will be no more tears.
All things work together for you.
But what about the Devil, he also works against us, tempting us to unbelief, despair and other great shame and vice. But the Lord Jesus has defeated the devil, triumphing over him in the cross. [Colossians 2:15] For this reason the Son of God was manifest, that He mighty destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8] The Lord Jesus has cast the devil from heaven, judged him, defeated him for you and for your good [Revelation 12].
It is true, the devil works against you, but Jesus, the Devil-Destroyer, works for you, on your behalf. He protects you, keeps you safe, leads you not into temptation, but delivers you from evil. And now, when the devil tempts us, the Lord Jesus always provides a way out [1 Corinthians 10:13]. In the hands of our loving Jesus, this tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope. [Romans 5:3-4]
All things work together for you.
Last, death is also working against us, dragging us down to the grave, but the Lord Jesus has destroyed death and overcome the grave. This is the great truth of Easter, of the Lord's resurrection. Death has been swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? [1 Corinthians 15:54-55]
Death certainly works against you, but Jesus, the Death-Annihilator, the Grave-Opener, the First-Fruits-of-the-Resurrection, this Jesus works for you, on you behalf. He has stolen the sting of death, and now instead of the dread of the eternal darkness of the grave, we have the sure hope of the eternal light of heaven, the sure hope of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. It is as we pray in the hymn:
Teach me to live that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die that so I may
Rise glorious at the awe-filled Day.
[All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (TLH 558.3)]
All things, even death, works together for you.
Dear people of God, it is true that there is much working against us in this life, sin, the devil, and death, but the Lord Jesus has conquered these enemies, and He, the Lord of all, is working for you. If God is for us, who could be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things. [Romans 8:31-32]
The Father has given us His dearest treasure, His only Son, for you, and with Him gives you all things.
For we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Amen.
And now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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