[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, October 20, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
God Who Works for the Good (Romans 8:26-30)
2024. 10. 20. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 20
본문: 로마서 8:26-30
제목: 선을 이루시는 하나님
설교자: 손진국 목사
Today, I want to start with this story.
One morning, a couple was having breakfast when the wife noticed the neighbor woman hanging laundry. She said, “What’s that laundry? The stains are still there. She doesn’t know how to wash! She should use better detergent,” and clicked her tongue. The husband just looked outside and said nothing. From then on, every time the neighbor hung laundry, the wife criticized her for not doing it properly.
One morning, a month later, the wife was surprised to see clean laundry hanging outside. She exclaimed to her husband, “Honey! The neighbor did a good job washing today. I wonder who taught her?” The husband replied, “Yes, I got up early this morning and cleaned our window.”
What do we feel from this story? There could be many things. What I feel is (1) how often we tend to blame others for our mistakes; (2) how self-centered we are; (3) how we are weak beings who make many mistakes and failures.
As we acknowledge that we can blame others, are self-centered, and make many mistakes and failures, let's look at today's passage.
[Rom 8:28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
From today's passage in Rom 8:28, we can understand that God is the one who works all things for good in our lives. I want to share how God works good in our lives.
1. The Spirit Helps Our Weakness.
To work good in our lives, God sent the Spirit to help our weakness. [Rom 8:26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
What is our weakness? Our main weakness is that we do not know what to ask of God or how to ask it. Why is that? It is because we do not know what we truly need in our lives. This is the greatest weakness of humanity.
Therefore, in the "Four Spiritual Laws," there are two contrasting pictures. The first picture shows me sitting on the throne of my life while Christ is outside. Because I am managing everything in my life without knowing the whole picture, I often fall into frustration and confusion.
On the other hand, the second picture shows me getting off the throne of my life and instead placing Christ there, entrusting everything to Him. Since Christ is in control of all things, I can live a life aligned with God's plan.
When we believe in and accept Christ as the Lord of our lives, the one who actually comes into us is the Spirit of Christ, and He helps our weakness, enabling good to be accomplished in our lives.
Who is the Holy Spirit? In John 14:16, we see another name for the Holy Spirit: the Advocate. [John 14:16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever. Here, it refers to another Advocate. Jesus is the Advocate, and now He is sending another Advocate. The meaning of Advocate is from the Greek word parakletos (παράκλητος), which means ‘intercessor,’ ‘comforter,’ or ‘defender.’
In fact, parakletos is a legal term. To explain this term, there was a good rich man who diligently worked to accumulate wealth but lacked the knowledge to manage it. So he heard from a knowledgeable friend, “I will be your agent to manage your wealth,” and entrusted all his wealth to that friend. However, a few years later, this friend suddenly came to the rich man's house with his belongings and shouted, “This house is legally mine. Get out!”
It turned out he had cunningly registered all of the rich man’s assets in his own name.
Eventually, a trial was held, and on the trial day, news spread that the good rich man had been defrauded by his friend and lost all his wealth, causing a crowd to gather in the courtroom.
On that day, the rich man, who lacked knowledge and eloquence, could only tremble and say, “I was defrauded by my friend.” The spectators began to jeer and scoff.
In contrast, the defendant, the fraudster, spoke eloquently, saying, “Honorable judge and dear audience,” while clearly explaining the circumstances of the case. Most spectators began to nod in agreement. At this point, the outcome was predictable.
Finally, the judge asked the good rich man, “Do you have an Advocate?” This is a phrase used in the Greek courtroom.
The rich man, after looking around, pointed to the most respected elder in the village whom he had known for a long time as his Advocate. The elder stood up and approached the rich man, saying, “Don’t worry. I will take responsibility.” The word ‘parakletos,’ which originally means Advocate, includes the idea of ‘beside.’ The village elder, standing beside the plaintiff, began to argue.
“I have known the plaintiff for a long time. The land and properties that the defendant claims as his are undoubtedly the plaintiff's. The friend has cunningly taken the plaintiff's wealth.”
He argued for the plaintiff in a logical manner. Then the atmosphere in the courtroom changed. After the Advocate's argument, murmurs of “The defendant is a bad guy” could be heard.
After the Advocate’s argument, the judge delivered the final verdict: “Return all properties to the plaintiff and imprison the defendant.”
We are weak beings who do not know what to ask of God, who do not know what we truly need in our lives. Yet, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, comes and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Therefore, we must remember that when we have made mistakes or when we face despair after losing a loved one or encountering a life-changing problem, it is at those moments when we cannot pray with human words that the Spirit helps our prayers. Thus, we must not stop praying when we do not know how to pray.
Furthermore, there is no need to feel that we cannot pray just because we do not know what to pray for. The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. [Rom 8:27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. God, who knows the hearts of men, understands our emotions, thoughts, and true desires. The Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God’s plans and purposes for this world and all humanity. In other words, the Spirit enables us to pray prayers that please the Father.
This is the role of the Advocate. Isn’t it amazing? The Advocates mentioned in the Bible are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. One Advocate, Jesus, protects us from all accusations before God and intercedes for us, while the other Advocate, the Holy Spirit, persuasively intercedes for us before God the Father in our uncertain and difficult lives. And God the Father knows and hears all of this. That is why we have joy. When we pray, the Son Jesus intercedes for us in heaven, while the Spirit in us intercedes for us on earth, and the Father hears all of this, fulfilling His will in our lives. Hallelujah!
There is an old hymn that goes like this:
When you are weary and cannot pray, / And your tears flow like rain,
The Lord knows your weakness, / And He cares for you with love. Someone is praying for you. When you are alone and your heart is breaking, Someone is praying for you.
When you are weary and cannot pray, remember that someone is praying for you. That someone might be your brothers and sisters in faith, and even if there is not one person, do not forget that the Holy Spirit in you and our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven are always praying for you.
[Application] Do you realize that you do not know what is truly best for you and have you given the place of authority to the Lord? Do you believe that even when you are weary and cannot pray, the Spirit is praying for you?
2. He Works All Things Together for Good.
[Rom 8:28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Who are those who love God? They are those who are called according to His purpose—believers.
Do you believe in Jesus? If so, you are one of those who are called according to God’s purpose. Does this mean that only good things happen to such people? No. Bad things also happen. But remember this word today. This scripture delivers an amazing truth that alleviates fear and worry in moments when countless people throughout Christian history lose the meaning of life amid failure and despair, and it restores peace. It is the truth that all the good and bad things that happen in my life, as a believer in Jesus, ultimately work together for good. No matter how many bad things I encounter, they are simply materials that contribute to bringing about good in my life. Those who believe this are truly blessed.
In the southeastern United States, there is the state of Alabama. In the town of Enterprise, there is a monument with the inscription: “In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the Herald of Prosperity, this monument was erected by the Citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.”
This is a monument built in gratitude to the cotton pest. The background of this monument is as follows.
Originally, Alabama was famous for cotton production. When it was time to grow cotton, many workers from surrounding areas came to Alabama, and many African American laborers worked harshly in the cotton fields. However, one year, numerous pests suddenly appeared and began to devour the cotton.
Due to these pests, that year's harvest was completely ruined, and there was no cotton to harvest. The workers who had come because of the cotton also scattered to different places. The following year, the pests returned, eating all the cotton again, ruining the crops. As the poor harvest continued for two years, the residents faced hardship. Many fell ill and starved, and the atmosphere was filled with despair.
During this time, a pastor and the congregation in Alabama gathered to pray, and they received today's verse, Romans 8:28, as a revelation.
They believed that God had allowed these trials—pests coming year after year, causing them to be impoverished and starved—not as a punishment but as a means for God to work together for good.
With this faith, they stopped blaming God and the cotton pests, and instead, they thanked God and prayed in the midst of their trials. Then, an idea arose in their hearts: since the pests would consume the cotton, they decided to plant peanuts instead on the vast land. They began to plant peanuts, and in the fertile soil, they thrived, experiencing a bountiful harvest that brought them prosperity.
Eventually, with industrial advancement and the invention of nylon, people started to wear good clothes made of nylon, rendering cotton unsellable. While cotton farmers in other states went bankrupt, those in Alabama became wealthy peanut farmers. One of those peanut magnates was former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Numerous stories like this appear in the Bible. Joseph, who received all his father’s love, was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. There, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet, Joseph’s heart held the belief that, regardless of his circumstances, God was with him and that God’s goodness would be fulfilled. As a result, Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt and saved the nation of Israel.
Daniel was thrown into the lion's den due to his faith in God, and Mordecai faced a crisis where he and all the Jews were to be executed. In their dire situations, instead of despairing or blaming others, they believed in God, who knows all, and moved forward in faith, receiving God’s salvation and greater blessings while fulfilling His will.
There was a widow during a long drought who had only a handful of flour and a little oil left. She planned to make a final meal with it for her son and then die. But then a strange man came and asked her to prepare the food for him. Some might think that sharing one loaf of bread isn't a big deal, but in this situation, it was not trivial. It was as if someone were asking you to give up all your possessions. How absurd would that request be? Even more absurd was that he claimed to be a prophet of God. Wouldn't that make you resentful towards God? Yet, despite the dire circumstances, the widow acted in faith, believing that God knows and understands her situation. She chose to give her last portion to him, not acting on her impulses but suppressing her desires and emotions in faith. As a result, her family received enough flour and oil to survive the ongoing drought.
We encounter similar situations. Sometimes, it seems unreasonable, and nonsensical events keep occurring. Some people we meet behave in ways that seem excessively hurtful to us. In such times, remember today’s verse:
[Rom 8:28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Beloved believers, remember that God is good. For us believers—those who love God and are called according to His purpose—all that happens is known by the good God. No matter how bad things may seem, God is aware and will use those circumstances to bring about good. Believe in this and act in faith.
God transforms evil into good, makes the bad good, and turns difficult relationships into loving ones, ultimately working all things together for good. May all of you become faithful believers who praise and give thanks to Him in the name of our Lord.
[Application] When faced with difficult situations, what is your attitude? Do you blame and resent the situation or others, or do you trust in God who will bring about good and act in faith?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.