Love Worth Finding

Adrian Rogers: This morning when I had my oatmeal, in that oatmeal, there was some salt. Salt is what? Sodium chloride. Chlorine, deadly poison. But put together, they make salt, necessary for life. And so I want you to see how God takes the situation of your life, the circumstances, and God, by the chemistry of the cross, makes these things work together for your good and for His glory.

Announcer: Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the profound truth of the gospel taught in the practical messages of Adrian Rogers. As we just heard from Pastor Rogers, the chemistry of the cross is this: that God can work bad situations for our good and His glory.

Romans chapter 8, verse 28 reiterates the certainty and completeness of this ironclad, rock-ribbed promise of God: He works all things together for His glory and for our good. If you have your Bible, turn to Romans 8:28 now as Adrian Rogers begins part one of "The Chemistry of the Cross."

Adrian Rogers: Take God's word and find Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8. And we're going to see a very familiar verse, and He will mix it with a brand new freshness for your heart and for your mind today. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28.

One time I took an old high school friend to breakfast after we had been part for many, many years. After breakfast, I said, "I'll get the tag." And I picked it up and I meant to sign my room number on the tag. But often someone will ask me to inscribe a Bible, and when I inscribe a Bible, I just inscribe the Bible many times, Adrian Rogers, and then put a verse of scripture under it.

Sometimes it's Psalm 34, sometimes it's Romans 8:28, sometimes it's Romans 1:16. But often I'll sign Romans 8:28, which is our text for today. And so I said, "I'll sign the ticket," and I meant to put my room number, but rather than putting my room number, I put a scripture verse there, Romans 8:28. And I went up and handed it to the cashier and she looked at it.

She said, "Mister, we don't have a room 828." I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. That's not the room I'm staying in, but that's a verse from the Bible." But come to think of it, it's a wonderful room to live in. And here's what it says. I want you to see what it says right here, Romans 8 and verse 28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to his purpose." What an incredible verse that is.

If you go to the pharmacy, you need some medicine. That pharmacist will take bottles from his shelf sometimes, and powders and other things that may be by themselves noxious poison. But he mixes them together and makes medicine for us. And so many times God does the same thing.

He takes situations and problems and things that in themselves look like they're bad and hurtful and harmful, and then God mixes these together in the crucible of His love and the crucible of His wisdom, and the result is medicine for our soul, something good and something wonderful.

This morning when I had my oatmeal, in that oatmeal, there was some salt. Salt is what? Sodium chloride. Chlorine, deadly poison. But put together, they make salt, necessary for life. And so I want you to see how God takes this situation of your life, the circumstances, and God, by the chemistry of the cross, makes these things work together for your good and for His glory.

Now, having said that, I want you to look at our text very carefully because we're just going to camp right here in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. And as we think of the chemistry of the cross, the very first thing I want you to think about is the certainty of it. Do you have that? The certainty of it.

How does that verse begin? Look at it. It says, "And we know that all things work together for good." We know that all things work together for good. No ifs, ands, and buts about it. This is a promise of God. It is ironclad. It is rock-ribbed. No stutter, no stammer.

You can say, "I don't care what happens. I don't care how bad it may seem, I know that I know that I know that this is going to work together for God's glory and for my good." F.B. Meyer was a preacher of another generation, but he said something so wonderful, I copied it down. And this is what he said.

He said, "If any promise of God should fail, the heavens would clothe themselves with sackcloth. The sun, moon, and stars would reel from their courses. The universe would rock, and a hollow wind would moan through a ruined creation the awful message that God can lie."

But friend, He can't lie. He cannot lie. And He says that all things work together for good to those who love God. And so the very first thing I want you to get in your heart and in your soul today is the certainty of it. Do you have it?

Second thing, not only the certainty of it, but I want you to see the completeness of it. Look at that verse again. "And we know that all things work together for good." Not most things, not some things, not even almost all things, but that big little word, I thank God that it is there. We know that all things, hallelujah, all things work together for good.

Now, let's just think about those all things. Now we know that the sweet things work together for good. Oh, the many sweet things that happen in our lives today, and they just make me want to be a better Christian. They ought to make you want to be a better Christian.

For the Bible says in Romans chapter 2 and verse 4, "The goodness of God leads us to repentance." The goodness of God. God is so good. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. It will surprise you what the Lord has done. The sweet things, you say, "Yes, I can understand that."

But now wait a minute. Not only the sweet things, but the sorrowful things. Do you have a broken heart today? Where you say, "Is that good?" No, I don't think a broken heart is good, but I'll tell you this: it will work for good. It will work for your good.

For example, think about how God dealt with the people of Judah. And God carried the people of Judah away to a strange land. It would be as if the Russians had subjugated the United States and took us and put us in Siberia. Would we say that's good? We'd say, "No, that's not good."

But put in your margin Jeremiah chapter 24 and verse 5 where God is speaking about how He carried His people away. And God says, "I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans... for their good."

Now, if you and I were to wake up this morning in Siberia, we would say, "This is terrible." But it may be that God would have done it for our good. As a matter of fact, I think God is getting ready to do some terrible things to America for our good. We have been cursed with blessings. I think we're about to be blessed with cursings.

We don't know how to handle our blessings. And it seems like the more that God blesses us, the more arrogant and more sinful that we get. And it may be that God will have to do something to America for our good, just like He did to Judah for their good.

I was thinking about David also. David, who was a man after God's own heart, but David had a tendency to stray from God, to get away from God. And you know what God did for David? God afflicted David, and God made David sick. And I want you to see what David wrote in Psalm 119 verse 71. Do you have it?

Psalm 119 verse 71. He said, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Have you ever said that? "Oh God, thank you for this sickness. Thank you for this suffering. Thank you for this adversity. Thank you for this problem. Thank you for this heartache. Thank you for this thing I'm going through."

Takes a lot of faith to say it is good for me that I have been afflicted. And David said, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes." Did you know that affliction is sometimes the best teacher? And we never see as clearly as when we see through eyes that have been washed through tears.

And when we get on our back, it's then that we begin to look up into the face of God. And a sickbed can often teach more than a sermon. And then look at Joseph. Joseph loved God with all of his heart. But you know what happened to Joseph? Joseph was put in the pit by his brothers.

He was sold as a slave. He was cast into prison and languished in prison for two years, and he'd not done anything wrong. But his abasement made him ready for his advancement. And he became the prime minister of Egypt. And this is what he said to his brothers in Genesis chapter 50 and verse 20.

Listen. "But as for you, you thought evil against me." Do you have somebody who's doing you wrong? Do you have an enemy? Just keep on loving God because listen. "But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good." You see, all things work together for good.

Your enemy trying to do you harm. And here's Joseph cast in a pit by his brothers. He was sold as a slave, languishing in prison, suffering, being blamed for assault and rape and all of these terrible things. The devil is saying, "Look what I'm doing to Joseph."

But God was saying, "You just don't understand the chemistry of the cross. You meant it for evil," Joseph said, "but God, God meant it for good." There was a king whose name was Manasseh. And Manasseh had difficulty serving God. God just couldn't get Manasseh's attention.

And if you're taking notes, write this down because this is a blesser. Second Chronicles chapter 33, verses 11 through 13. Now, listen to it carefully. "Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria." Now the Assyrians were cruel and wicked people.

Now Manasseh is the king. Now listen. "Which took Manasseh among the thorns, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers." When? When he was in affliction.

"And he prayed unto him, and he was intreated of him." That is, God heard him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord, He was God. His iron chains did him more good than his golden crown.

And I want to tell you, friend, that was a greater blessing to him. And God may sometimes have to pull you from your throne, just like He did Manasseh. God may have to put you in a prison that you will seek God. Now, what am I saying? I'm saying the sweet things work together for good.

The sorrowful things work together for good. The satanic things work together for good. Well, you say, "Why doesn't God just kill the devil?" Did you know that God uses the devil? That may be a surprise to you, but Paul had an affliction. That affliction was called a thorn in the flesh.

And then Paul called it a messenger of Satan. But he says, "There was given to me a messenger of Satan." Who gave it to him? God gave it to him. You say, "I don't understand this." Well, you see, all things work together for good. And God rules in the heavens, and even Satan unwittingly becomes the servant of God.

I think I have an illustration that fits perfectly here. Years and years and years ago, I heard of a poor woman who lived in a threadbare apartment and she loved God with all of her heart. She had a landlord. The landlord didn't love God at all.

As a matter of fact, he took great joy in ridiculing her because of her faith and her trust in the Lord. And this poor woman, this widow, was living from hand to mouth. And the time came that she had no food in the house. And she prayed to God.

And she said, "God, I don't have any food. I don't have any groceries. Oh God, you promised to meet my need. Lord, I ask you, give me some groceries." The old landlord was listening through the paper-thin walls. He heard her pray. He thought he would cure her from her religious superstition.

So you know what he did? He went out and bought a bountiful basket of groceries. And while she was away, he went in with his passkey, put this basket of groceries there on her table, and backed out and waited. He was listening.

When she came in, there was a squeal of delight. "Oh Jesus, thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. Thank you, hallelujah. Thank you for an answered prayer." She rejoiced and did a little dance there in the room, and then knock, knock, knock. She was knocking at his door.

"You, you say there's no God. You say that God doesn't answer prayer. Look over there. You see that basket full of groceries? Let me tell you about that basket full of groceries. I didn't have anything. I was down to nothing. And I prayed and asked God for groceries. And now look what God has given me."

His lips twisted in a cynical smile and he said, "You poor old deluded religious fanatic and fool. I heard you pray for those groceries. I heard you ask God. I bought those groceries. I put them there on your table. Here's the receipt for those groceries.

I knew that you would say that God did it. God didn't give you those groceries. I gave you those groceries. You Christians are always ready to give God the glory and the credit. I'm the one that bought those groceries. What a fool you are."

She said, "No, you're the one who's wrong. I'm the one who's right. And you listen to me, sir. I asked God for groceries, and I got groceries, even if God did send it by the devil." Now you think about that. You think about that.

There is a God who rules in the affairs of this world, and God is over all. The satanic things work together for good. But not only the satanic things, now listen, this is going to be hard to believe, but sinful things work together for good.

Now, no Christian should willingly, deliberately sin. Because if you're bound to sin, you're bound to suffer. But even that suffering will work together for your good. The Bible says that God makes the wrath of man to praise Him.

And the Bible says where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound. The illustration I'm thinking about is Simon Peter. And before the crucifixion of Jesus, Simon Peter had boasted that he would go with Christ both to prison and to death.

And Jesus prophesied, said, "Simon, before the cock crows, you'll thrice deny that you know me. But Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith fail not." And then He said, "And Peter, when you're converted, strengthen your brethren." And Peter denied Jesus.

And Jesus was betrayed by that denial. Peter cursed and swore. A terrible thing. But God arched the rainbow of Romans 8:28 over what Peter did. And did you know that his bitter weeping—the Bible says he went out and wept bitterly—but Jesus forgave him, Jesus restored him, and in a very odd sense, a strange way, even that disobedience was used to strengthen Simon Peter.

"When you're converted, strengthen your brethren." Isn't that amazing? How God could take even that sin and use that sin to help strengthen me and to strengthen Simon Peter. You know, the Bible says no chastening for the present time seems to be joyous, but grievous.

Peter wept bitterly. But afterward, afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. That's what the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 12. And what am I saying? Friend, listen to this.

The Bible means it when it says that all things work together. The sweet things, the sorrowful things, the satanic things, the sinful things, the simple things, the smallest things work together for good. It's amazing how God sits at master control.

Pharaoh has decided that all the Jewish babies are going to be put to death. But God takes a little baby, puts that little baby in the bulrushes, and Pharaoh's daughter comes by and decides she wants to bathe in the Nile. Can you imagine this princess who could bathe in her marble tubs?

Maybe she remembered the little swimming hole where she used to play as a kid. She decides she's going to go down to the Nile. And then the Bible says this, "And the baby wept." Lo, the baby wept. Ever heard a baby cry?

A baby cried, and God took the cry of a baby and brought Pharaoh's mighty kingdom crashing down. The smallest things. God, God is the sovereign God. The certainty of it, the completeness of it. Now I want you to notice a third thing as we look at Romans 8:28.

I want you to notice the cause of it. How does this happen? "And we know that all things work together for good." Literally, some translations give it this way: "And we know that God works all things together." And put that with Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11.

The Bible speaks of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Now, if you think that what I am saying today about all things working together for good to those who love God, if you think that's far-fetched, do you know why you think it's far-fetched?

Because you just don't believe in a big enough God. You see, we know that God is the one who is working all things. That's the cause of it. And sometimes we get our eyes off of that.

Announcer: And with that we'll conclude today's portion of Adrian Rogers' message. Don't miss part two of "The Chemistry of the Cross" next time. Do you have a prayer request you'd like to share with us? At Love Worth Finding, it's one of our great honors to come alongside you and pray with you and for you.

Our prayer team is committed to praying for each request we receive. And if you can, go to our website homepage at lwf.org/radio and scroll down to our prayer wall. This resource is one of our favorite ways to keep the ministry and the community praying continually for one another's needs.

Thank you for joining with us in praying for one another. We can't wait to hear from you today. Well, remember the chemistry of the cross today, that God can work bad situations for our good and His glory. There is a God who rules in the affairs of this world and is over it all.

Thank you so much for studying in God's word with us today. This program has been brought to you by Love Worth Finding, a nonprofit ministry showcasing the powerful preaching and teaching of Pastor Adrian Rogers.

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We love reading this testimony from a long-time listener who shared this: "I was young and in a rough patch with my marriage. I was in a really bad car accident that left me in bad shape and had a lot of depression and anger. I discovered Pastor Rogers in the early 2000s and would watch him on TV every Sunday. He gave me hope."

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Pastor Rogers said, "One of these days, the Lord Jesus is going to step from heaven, pull back the shades of darkness, open the door to the morning, and flood the world with the sunshine of His second coming."

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