God in Control
A Sermon on Romans 8:28-30
Originally preached Nov. 17, 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
Where is God when bad things happen and why do they happen? How should the Christian respond when the devil comes accusingly and harasses them? In this sermon on Roman 8:28–30, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pastors the listener through a myriad of troubles, explaining why they occur, how God uses them in the lives of His children, and how they can know that all things truly are working together for their good. Sometimes a Christian doesn’t know what to pray for in those situations but, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds, “the Christian is one who can be certain about the ultimate even when he is most uncertain about the immediate.” Listen to this sermon “God is in control”, as he declares promise after promise from God’s word and cites examples from church history which will encourage the soul to trust God in the midst of dark times. Because God is in control, the Christian can be assured that even though they may not understand, they can still walk confidently, trusting that He is working all things for their good.
Sermon Breakdown
- The statement “all things work together for good” is limited to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It is not a general optimistic statement.
- The word “all” means everything - including trials, tribulations, illness, accidents, disappointments, and even sin and backsliding. God overrules everything for the good of His people.
- God permits things to happen, sends things upon us, withholds blessings from us, and grants us spiritual illumination to see what is happening - all for our good.
- We can be certain of the ultimate outcome even when uncertain of the immediate circumstances. We may not know what to pray for but we know all things work for good.
- The knowledge that all things work for good is an absolute certainty based on:
- The clear teaching and promises of Scripture
- The experiences of saints recorded in Scripture (e.g. Job, Jacob, David, Psalm 119)
- The experiences of saints throughout church history
- We will consider how we can know this truth personally and why it must be true.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 8:28-30
What does "all things work together for good" mean according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "all things work together for good" means that God overrules everything for the good of His people. It doesn't mean that all things in themselves automatically work for good, but rather that God takes everything—including trials, tribulations, illness, accidents, disappointments, and even our sins and backsliding—and turns them to the ultimate good and advantage of believers. He emphasizes that there is no limit on the word "all" in this promise, but it applies only to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
How does God use even a Christian's sin for their good?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when a Christian falls into sin, God eventually uses it to show the believer their weakness, frailty, and fallibility. Sin shakes a believer's self-confidence, which is always good. It makes them realize what weak, frail creatures they are. Additionally, when Christians truly repent, they experience God's forgiveness in a deeper way. Like the prodigal son who knew much more about his father after returning home, a Christian can gain a deeper knowledge of God's grace through the process of repentance. The experience brings Christians to see their constant need for grace, watchfulness, and care.
What are the ways God works things for our good according to this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several ways God works things for our good: 1. He permits things to happen to us (God's permissive will) 2. He sometimes does things to us and sends things upon us (chastening) 3. He withholds or withdraws His blessings from us (creating periods of dryness) 4. He grants us spiritual illumination and understanding to see what's happening to us
Each of these methods, even the difficult ones like periods of spiritual dryness, ultimately work toward our spiritual growth and deeper knowledge of God.
How can Christians be certain about God working all things for good even when confused about present circumstances?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out an interesting contrast between Romans 8:26 ("we know not what we should pray for as we ought") and 8:28 ("we know that all things work together for good"). He explains that the Christian is someone who "can be certain about the ultimate when he's most uncertain about the immediate." The believer may not understand why specific trials are happening or even know what to pray for in those moments, but can still be confident that God is working everything toward their ultimate good. The devil tries to make us focus on confusing particulars, but we must keep our eyes on God's guaranteed ultimate purpose.
What evidence supports that all things work together for good for Christians?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents three lines of evidence: 1. Clear teaching in Scripture, especially the promises in Psalms, Matthew 6 and 10, James 1, and Hebrews 12 2. The experiences of saints recorded in Scripture, like Job, Jacob, David, and Paul, who all testify that God's difficult dealings with them ultimately produced good 3. The unanimous testimony of saints throughout church history who have found that testing times became healing times and growing times
As he says of the saints in trials: "They've never known God as they knew Him when they were in the furnace of affliction."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about periods of spiritual dryness in a Christian's life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that sometimes God withdraws the sense of His presence from believers, creating periods of spiritual dryness and barrenness. This is one of God's ways of doing us good—it makes us desire Him more, seek Him more, and long for Him more. He shares a pastoral example of counseling a woman going through such a period, where simply helping her understand that God sometimes withholds His face from His children for their ultimate good provided immediate relief. The joy that comes when such a period ends is so wonderful that "it was almost worthwhile having the rain and being drenched with the showers to get the experience of the period of clear shining" afterward.
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.