All things work for good

1. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR
GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD
7 MARCH 2021

2. 1. ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT
TO A VARYING EXTENT.
COVID-19 is our global catastrophe. It’s our tragedy at this
moment in time. On Christmas eve 2020, residents of an
Antwerp care home in the Netherlands, were treated to a visit
by a costumed Santa Claus. But the event intended to spread
cheer, turned out to be a super spreader. The Santa Claus
was an asymptomatic carrier & 40 staff & 100 residents were
exposed. At least 26 of tthem have died from Covid-19.

3. 1. ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT
TO A VARYING EXTENT.
117 million have been infected & over 2.6 million families
mourn the death of a loved one killed by Covid-19. Our lives
have been turned upside down, with lockdown, social
distancing, quarantine, hand washing, inability to travel, loss of
jobs, & social isolation. But living with uncertainty didn’t start
with COVID-19. WE’VE BEEN LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY
ALL OUR LIVES.

4. 1. ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT
TO A VARYING EXTENT.
(1) We fall sick (2) Relatives & friends die.
(3) Family members ill with an incurable diseases.
(4) Some loose their jobs or fail examinations.
(5) We and close relatives meet accidents.
(6) Family relationships are broken or breaking.
ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT TO A
VARYING EXTENT EVEN AFTER COVID-19.

5. 1. ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT
TO A VARYING EXTENT
AN UNREASONABLE ANGRY PERSON MAY BE MAKING
YOUR LIFE VERY UNPLEASANT.( Unhappy girl threating
an old man with a steering lock) Job faced unhelpful
friends. When misfortunate hit Job, his friend Elihu said, Job
36:17 “But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked.”
Job 2:9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your
integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like
a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not
trouble?” IN ALL THIS, JOB DID NOT SIN.

6. 1. ADVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT
TO A VARYING EXTENT.
1 Peter 5:8-10 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the
same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while,
perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. SOMETIMES,
OUT OF DIFFICULTIES GROW MIRACLES.

7. 2. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR
GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for
good to those that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose.(NKJ) BUT THERE IS ALWAYS SOME GOOD
THAT COMES OUT OF EVEN THE WORST ADVERSITY
WE FACE.A mother suffering from COVID-19 and in a coma,
delivered her baby by Caesarian section. SORIANO spent 11
days on a respirator in a medically induced coma. She left the
hospital 12 days after her son was born. GOD RESPONDS
TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD. DO YOU LOVE GOD?

8. 2. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR
GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for
good to those that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose.(NKJ) Early in JOSEPH’S LIFE,
(Genesis 37-50) Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into
slavery. In Egypt, Joseph rises to a position of responsibility.
Then, he is unjustly imprisoned and forgotten about by his
friends. God gifts him the ability to interpret dreams, and
through that ability Joseph is once again raised to a place of
honor and power.

9. When drought forces Joseph’s brothers to seek food
elsewhere, they travel to Egypt and encounter Joseph, who
eventually saves them from starvation and grants them a
livelihood in his new land. Joseph experienced lots of bad
things: kidnapping, slavery, false accusations, wrongful
imprisonment, rejection, and famine. JOSEPH LOVED GOD
& GOD WAS WITH JOSEPH. THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE,
NO MATTER WHAT HIS CIRCUMSTANCES WERE,
JOSEPH TRUSTED & LOVED GOD. GOD RESPONDS TO
THOSE THAT LOVE GOD.

10. 3. TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED
ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for
good to those that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose.(NKJ) Philippi is named after the father of
Alexander the Great. It was a Roman military outpost with few
Jews. In Acts 16:9 Paul, in a dream, saw a man of Macedonia
standing & asking that he come over to help them. Paul
responded and so the gospel went triumphantly westward
beginning in Philippi as the first city to be evangelized in
Europe. GOD RESPONDED TO PAUL BECAUSE PAUL
WAS ANSWERING GOD’S PURPOSE.

11. The religious life of those in Philippi was marked by the
worship of the emperor (Julius, Augustus, and Claudius), the
Egyptian gods Isis and Serapis, as well as many other deities.
In Acts 16:16-18 Paul encountered a slave girl with a demonic
spirit which could foretell the future and by which she earned
her masters a great deal of money. Paul eventually rebuked
the spirit and it left her. As a result she also lost the ability to
foretell the future which angered her owners. So they took Paul
and Silas and brought them before the magistrates. Paul and
Silas were thrown into prison after being stripped & beaten.

12. Instead of being negative, Paul & Silas sang songs of praise.
Around midnight there was an earthquake and all the prison
doors flew open. Paul and Silas did not flee, but instead
stayed & shared the gospel with the jailer who subsequently—
both he and his entire family—came to the Lord (Acts 16:25-
34). IF YOU FACE ADVERSITY WHEN YOU DO GOD’S
PURPOSE, FEAR NOT.GOD IS WITH THOSE WHO LOVE
GOD & DO HIS PURPOSE.

13. THE APOSTLE PAUL ENDED UP IN PRISON IN ROME.
Philippians 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brothers and
sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to
advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear
throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I
am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of
the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord
and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. ALL
THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD,
& WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

14. Paul saw this as a wonderful opportunity to tell the soldier about
Jesus. There was no way that the soldier could escape. And it
worked, for in the closing chapter of this letter, Philippians
4:22 "All the saints send you greetings, especially those who
belong to Caesar’s household.“ It tells us that some of these
soldiers became Christians, & the gospel made its way into the
pagan household of Caesar all because Paul was in prison.
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE
THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED
ACCORDING TO GOD’S PURPOSE.

15. 3. TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED
ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE
(1) ALTHOUGH PAUL WAS IMPRISONED, BECAUSE HE
WAS DOING GOD’S PURPOSE, PAUL ACHIEVED MUCH.
Philippians 1:14 And because of my chains, most of the
brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and
dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Paul is
saying, "They have seen how God has protected me through
difficult situations, & encouraged me, & given me strength
beyond my own power."

16. (2) IN ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS, WE NEED THE
POSITIVE MINDSET OF JESUS CHRIST. Philippians 2:3-5
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your
own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mind
set as Christ Jesus: (i) We need to be SELFLESS (verse 4)
(ii)The SAME MIND SET AS CHRIST (verse 5)

17. (2) IN ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS, WE NEED THE
POSITIVE MINDSET OF JESUS CHRIST Philippians 2:6-7
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with
God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he
made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to death - even death on a cross! EVEN IN
ADVERSITY, Paul is saying, we need to be like Jesus (iii)
SECURE (verse 6,7) (iv) SUBMISSIVE (verse 8).

18. 4. FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
SATAN struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to
the crown of his head. Job 2:9 Then Job’s wife said to him,
“Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”0 He
replied, “You are talking like a foolish[ woman. Shall we accept
good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in
what he said. JOB DID NOT SIN IN HIS RESPONSE TO
EITHER HIS GOD OR HIS WIFE. ALL THINGS WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD

19. Job 2:11-13 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this
adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his
own place;…..they lifted their voices and wept; and each one
tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven.
So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and
seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw
that his grief was very great. Job 42: 10 After Job prayed for
his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave
him twice as much as he had before. ALL THINGS WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD.

20. 4. FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those
that love God. IN THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS, PAUL TEACHES
US THAT WE SHOULD LOVE GOD & FACE ADVERSITY WITH A
POSITIVE ATTITUDE. A farmer who was discouraged with his
farm decided to sell it & move somewhere else. He engaged a
realtor to look the farm over & prepare a sales ad. But before
putting it in the paper, the realtor called & read the proposed
ad to him, saying, “See if this meets with your approval.”

21. 4. FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
The ad spoke of a good location, a well maintained house,
sturdy barns, lush pasture lands, a beautiful pond, fertile soil,
& a great view. The farmer listened carefully, & then said,
"Read that to me again, slowly.” So the realtor read it to him
again. Finally, the farmer said, "No, don’t print that ad. I’ve
changed my mind. I’ve always wanted a place like that. I’m
not going to sell.“ HAVE THE MIND SET OF JESUS. OUR
ATTITUDE TO ANYTHING DETERMINES HOW WE VIEW
THAT SITUATION – POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY

22. 4. FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have
the same mind set as Christ Jesus. THE POSITIVE
MINDSET OF CHRIST requires that we be: (I) SELFLESS
(II) SECURE (III) SUBMISSIVE: DON’T COMPLAIN AND
ARGUE.WE CANNOT ACHIEVE THESE WHEN WE HOLD
BITTERNESS IN OUR SOULS. Bitterness is like hanging a
dead albatross (bird) around your necks. It rots . Get rid of it.

23. 4. FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
(iv) FORGIVE & DO NOT BE BITTER Job 5:2 Resentment
kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. HOW YOU HANDLE
ADVERSITY WILL EITHER MAKE YOU BITTER OR
BETTER. Because wrath, revenge and envy are self-
destructive. They cause broken relationships and make a
person bitter. YOUR PAST IS PAST, IT DOES NOT NEED TO
LAST. YOUR PAST CAN’T HURT YOU TODAY, UNLESS
YOU KEEP GOING OVER AND OVER IT IN YOUR MIND.

24. 5. THE CHALLENGE
(1) SOMETIMES, THE ADVERSITY AFFECTS US. We fall
sick, loose our job, meet an accident. OFTEN, IT TAKES
GRAVE ADVERSITY BEFORE WE TURN TO GOD. A man
suffered a heart attack & was asked “How do you feel about
your heart attack?” “I hate it. It nearly killed me” "Would you
like to have another one?" "Certainly not!“ “Do you treasure
your life more than before?" “Yes” “Are you closer to your
wife now than before?“ “Very much” “What about your
relationship with God?” “I pray everyday & thank God that I
am alive. I know that if I die, I will have eternal life”.

25. 5. THE CHALLENGE
(2) SOMETIMES THE ADVERSITY AFFECTS OTHERS.
Daniel Dawhare spent 42 days in the ICU battling COVID-
19. His church prayed for a miracle & Daniel recovered.
Betsy Clemons said. “It’s absolutely wonderful. Thousands
have been as sick as Daniel, but didn’t recover. It’s a
miracle.” OVER 533,000 AMERICANS HAVE DIED FROM
COVID-19. More than were killed in WW1,WW2 and the
Vietnam War combined.

26. (3) ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO
THOSE THAT LOVE GOD. MH 17 SHOT DOWN ON 17
JULY 2014 WITH THE TRAGIC LOSS OF 298 LIVES. Barry
and Izzy Sim were planning to travel to Kuala Lumpur with
their young baby but were told by staff at Amsterdam's
Schiphol airport that there were not enough seats on the
plane. Mrs Sim said that there 'must have been someone
watching over' them as they were switched to a later KLM
flight - just hours before MH17 was shot down by anti-aircraft
missile system operated by 3 Russians & a Ukrainian.

27. (4) FACE ADVERSITY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE:
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together
for good to those that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose.(NKJ) We live in uncertain times.
May be someone is seriously ill, jobless, depressed or
facing broken relationship. WHEN ADVERSITY FACES
OTHERS, GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOU. TIME FOR
YOU TO CALL YOUR FAMILY, RELATIVES & FRIENDS
TODAY THAT ALL THINGS MAY WORK FOR GOOD TO
THOSE WHO LOVE GOD.

28. LET US PRAY
Father God, sometimes I can’t understand how
you can bring beauty from the ashes of my life. I
struggle to trust you with the broken pieces. Help
me believe the promise of Romans 8:28 that all
things work together for good to those that love
God, to them who are called according to His
purpose. I want to trust and to love you. Help me
to daily do the purpose you have for me. Help me
to know who I should call today. I want to be
more like Jesus and use my trials for my good
and your glory. In the mighty name of Jesus I
pray, Amen.