Romans 8: 26 - 28 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Now, because the Holy Spirit indwells us and because we have a great sickness, a great weakness, and the Holy Spirit helps us in this weakness, we can claim the promise that all things work together for good. This is a wonderful promise--it doesn’t say many things, it doesn’t say most things, it says all things. But now, of course, this promise of all things is addressed to those who love God. Of course, the important question is--do you love the Lord? Are you counted among those who love the Lord Jesus Christ? This verse is for those who love God.
We would like to have you turn to Romans 5: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
You see, it is the Holy Spirit’s work. When you are saved, the Holy Spirit sheds the love of God, abroad in your heart. This is an experience I’ve heard some people pray for. Oh, that the love of God might be shed abroad in my heart. It was when God saved you. This is an experience that is the work of the Holy Spirit when you are saved. He comes into your heart and sheds the love of God there. Without this you wouldn’t be saved. Then notice another wonderful verse about the love of God, it is in Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? “...who shall separate us from the love of Christ? God’s love is not fickle.
There are two realms that attempt to separate us from the Love of Christ--the first is the natural forces in vs.35. Then secondly, supernatural forces in vs. 38, 39. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But we will study more about this later on.
1/ Accidents do not happen to the believer. The believer is not living a haphazard experience. All things, do work, together, for good, even go back to the children of Israel--God was working out a plan in their lives. Isaiah 54: 17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. It is true God used the weapons of the Gentiles to chastise the children of Israel, but none of these weapons, these folks who used these weapons ever prospered. Then you learn in the Book of Job that the devil could not touch Job or Job’s family, or Job’s property, until he received permission from God. God was working out a plan in the life of Job. The devil said to God, You have a hedge about him, take down that hedge. He wasn’t permitted to touch him until God let him do it.
2/ When you study the Gospels, you will realize that the devil was so subject to the Word of Christ, that his demons could not even touch a herd of swine until they secured permission from the Savior. Matthew 8: 28-32. And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
Remember, this is the Maniac of Gadara. Vs. 32 He said unto them--Go, Go, into the herd of swine, and they could not do it until He permitted them to.
3/ You remember, Job went through what the world would call great catastrophes in his life, and did they work together for good? His farms were destroyed by fire, bandits came along and took his cattle, his children were killed in a storm and a fire. Fire also burned away the dross in the soul of Job. He went through terrible physical agony, but what was the final end of it all?
Job 42: 6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. He saw himself for what he truly was.
Then notice, Job 42: 8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
Here we have the three so-called friends of Job, and God tells them, take seven bullocks; seven rams, and go to My servant Job. Here intercession of Job has reached the point where he can pray now for his friends. Notice vs. 10. And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends, also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Truly, all things, did, work together for good for Job.
4/ Notice the 28th vs of the 8th Chapter of Romans. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Again--all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Notice, the last part--called according to His purpose. All things do work together for good, because God does have a purpose. But how the world and much of the spiritual world, the church world, is ignorant of God’s purpose. Things, as we said before, are not happening in a haphazard fashion, but God has a purpose. Let us notice something about this purpose of God. Ephesians 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Here Paul tells the church at Ephesus, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here it is called an eternal purpose. God has a great plan, a purpose. Notice, it concerns Jesus Christ, our Lord. So, Christ stands at the center of the eternal purpose. Let’s go on the notice some more Scriptures about God’s purpose Ephesians 1: 9-10. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: He says in the 9th vs. …which He hath purposed in Himself, and then 10th vs. …the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might gather together in one all things in Christ--there it is again. It has to do with Christ--it all centers in Christ Jesus.
So, we can see that God’s great plan for the future, then, is to unify all things in Heaven and on earth in Christ--to center all in Him. How much now in Heaven and earth is out of center. Alienated from God and His Christ. This includes not only the majority of mankind under their rulers, but the great host of heavenly angels under the leadership and ruler-ship of Satan their Prince.
Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. …where he says, the believers wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in the heavenlies. But remember, with God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus, this is only a temporary situation. However, someday the Heavens and the earth will be occupied only by those who love and adore Jesus Christ. This is brought out very clearly in another portion of Scripture. Colossians 1: 20 And having made peace through the blood of His Christ, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.
Go back to the verse before this, Colossians 1: 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him (in Christ) should all fullness dwell; But in thinking about this, we should be careful to realize that a reconciled Heaven and earth does not spell universal reconciliation.
5/ Let’s compare what we have here with what is found in Philippians 2: 9, 10 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;Here we have the subjugation group. God hath exalted His Son, that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Notice, this subjugation includes all in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth. But when it comes to His eternal purpose, the reconciled throng, they will be found only in Heaven and on earth.
6/ How was it conceived? The eternal purpose was conceived in the heart and mind of the Godhead alone in eternity past. Notice, concerning our part in this eternal purpose. II Timothy 1: 8, 9 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, For it says Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling. Notice, we were saved and then called. And then it goes on to say, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. This eternal purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. God decided all of this in ages past. Long before there was a world. It was in eternity past, and we have no part in it, other than permitting God to make us part of it by receiving Christ as our Saviour.
7/ You will notice that this eternal purpose was hidden in God. Notice, Ephesians 1: 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: So, this mystery of His will and hath purposed in Himself.
So, this mystery of His will and His purpose are the same thing. It was a mystery. It was a secret. It was hidden in God, but now it has been revealed. It should no longer be a secret--no longer a mystery. God has made known His will, His purpose. Notice, one church, and its relationship to this mystery, this will, this purpose. I Corinthians 2: 7, 8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Here we read, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, in a secret--even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained for the world. Notice, this wisdom of God, this hidden mystery, was concealed according to the 8th vs from the rulers of this world, from the wisdom of this world, for Paul says, they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory if it had been revealed to them, if they had known it. They didn’t know that all things are to be centered in Jesus Christ, that He is all in all, and so they crucified Him--they did away with Him.
8/ But now in the church at Corinth, this was about all that Paul could tell them. Why couldn’t he tell them more, rather than just about this very meagre part of this mystery, this will, this purpose of God? The answer is given to us in the very next chapter--I Corinthians 3: 1, 2 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
All they could get, were just the milk of the Word--they were just babies, they were satisfied with baby truth, and with milk. But, oh, how the church is like that today. These people were interested in sectarianism--they wanted to follow men, they didn’t want to follow God’s program.
9/ You will notice that God has an eternal purpose--part of this eternal purpose is known as a secret, as a mystery. The secret part, the mystery part was hid in God--it was not revealed until the Apostle Paul.
Let us turn to a Scripture that gives us the clearest picture of this in the entire Bible, Ephesians 3: 1-9 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
First of all, Paul says he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ--notice, for the Gentiles. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you-ward, how by revelation, was made known unto me the mystery. In other words, Paul said, I am preaching this mystery--the mystery of God’s will--this part of God’s eternal purpose, and I want you to know how I received it--I received it by revelation--God Himself made it known directly to me.
10/ Ephesians 3: 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; In other ages it was not known. Then in the 6th vs that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel--in other words, they were co-heirs, co-members, co-sharers of a promise of being part of the body of Christ, and then in the 8th vs. He says, that I should preach among the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ. The word, unsearchable means, untraceable. In other words, not to be traced. The fact that Jew and Gentile would be on the same plain is unheard of up to the time of the Pauline Epistles. Just go back, and you will get a clear explanation of this in Ephesians 2: 11, 12. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
The Gentiles were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world. Notice, the Gentiles were nothing--they were uncircumcised, but now they are fellow-heirs, they are of the same body--they are co-members, co-sharers. This is unheard of --Ephesians 2: 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; The middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile has been broken down.
Not one of Israel’s prophets knew one thing about the dispensation of the mystery, about the dispensation of the joint body, and then you go to the Gospels and see if it is not the same story. Matthew 10: 5, 6 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
When Jesus Christ sent out the twelve, He said, go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, go not to the Gentiles, and then Matthew 15: 21-24 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And here, Jesus Christ told the Syrophoenician woman, I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. There was a difference here.
So, the mystery of God’s will, of His eternal purpose was not made known at this time. But, praise God, it is at this very hour.
11/ Notice, our commission, Ephesians 3: 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. This is so clear and so beautiful. We hope that you appreciate it--you have been called according to this purpose, and because of this you can say all things work together for good.
REF: 05/09/1965 / 293 - GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE - 10/1/2019
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