you would open your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8. We come back today to Romans 8, 28. And today we consider the implications of this promise. The truths undergirding and supporting this pledge. Romans 8, 28. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Precious God in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the precious promises. We thank you for this promise. God guide our time today by your Holy Spirit. Keep us from error. Grow us in truth. We pray in Christ's name. To the edification of your church, they mean. Today we consider implications. The implications of this verse, so I want to define what we mean by implications. There are actually two meanings, To understand one meaning of implication, I have an example, a story. I have a friend who said he asked his boss if he might do something, whatever, what the thing is doesn't matter, but boss, can I do this? And the boss replied, sure, you can do anything on your last day. And that statement from his boss is one big implication. The boss didn't say no. But he implied that if my friend were to go ahead with what he proposed, that it would be his last day, that he would be fired. So even though the boss didn't explicitly come out and say no, he communicated nonetheless. He implied if you want to keep your job, then no. An implication. Implication, we could say something is implicit. We could say that information is implied. This means that something is communicated without being directly stated. Information is passed indirectly. Maybe there's hints given. Maybe strong hints are given, but the thing is not said straight out. Implications can be things that are said without being said, or implications can also be those outcomes or consequences of a particular action. To illustrate, if you build your house on the sand, the implication is that it will have a great fall. And if you build your house on the rock, the implication is that it will have a solid foundation, that it will stand strong. As we look at Romans 8, 28 today, considering implications, we consider both those things that are said without being said and those things that are natural consequences of what is stated. So, Some of the things that we will discuss, some of these implications, we've already mentioned. Today we'll cover them in a bit more detail. We'll be reminded. It's never bad to remind us of things. So we have before us in Romans 8, 28, an explicit statement. The promise. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. So before we dig into implications, maybe we should ask the question, should we dig into implications? Is looking at implications something that we as Christians should do? I mean, didn't God write the scripture? I mean, it is from his mouth. Aren't we told in scripture that not one jot or tittle, not one word will pass away, that it's the word of God. Preachers like myself make such a big deal over having a literal translation, a word for word translation. So if word for word is so important, should we even think about implications? If we consider implications, couldn't we be wrong about implications? If things are not said, and then we go ahead and say them, couldn't we miss it? I remember in my first ministry post, a man came into my office stating, he didn't say it this way, but here's what he said. I've got an implication from scripture. His implication from scripture was God wants me to be happy. And this thing that is sinful makes me happy. Therefore, God is okay with this thing that is sinful. That was his, that was his logic. And he started with this implication. God wants me to be happy. Now we know that God works for His glory, and even this very verse before us shows us that God works for our good. We know that joy is a fruit of the Spirit that cannot be robbed from us, but I don't think God working for our good and the joy in the Spirit is the same thing as God wants me to be happy, especially when we say sin is gonna make me happy. So this man had implications, and they were certainly wrong implications. They led him down a wrong path. So we can get off. We can go astray when we seek after far-reaching implications from scripture. This is why the church is so important. We should not, Christians, individual Christians, We should not have a private interpretation. That thing, well, the Bible says to me, I don't know what the Bible says to you, but the Bible says to me, and it's my interpretation. We should not have an interpretation or an understanding of scripture that is developed among a brain trust of one. We need the wisdom, the aid, and the correction of the church. First and foremost, that is in our local congregation. Look around, we need one another. We need to be able to say, hey brother, I'm reading scripture and I think it says this. Have you considered that? And we need to be able to say, brother, sister, I don't see that. We need one another. We also need not only the local New Testament church, the local congregation, we need the historical church. We need the creeds and confessions of the church to help us that we might be kept in check. But when we find clear implications, clear, undeniable implications Those implications from Scripture are as much the Word of God as the explicit statements of Scripture. Now someone may wonder, could that be? In the first chapter of our confession, the Second London Baptist Confession, we read this, the whole counsel of God is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture. Expressly set down, those things that are explicitly stated. The words themselves, it says this. And necessarily contained are the implications, the undeniable implications. Those implications which cannot be disputed And they are both the whole counsel of God revealed to us. So Christians, when we think about scripture, we not only have to think about what does the Bible say, but what does the Bible imply? As we come to our text today, I think the first implication gives us boundaries for other implications of this text and other implications that we may draw from any text of scripture, the first implication is found in the phrase, and we know. That's the explicit statement, and we know. And by the way, that'll kind of be the pattern for today. This is the statement, and now what's the implication? So we begin with this one, the explicit statement, and we know. And we've said a few things that are implied by this. Well, this implies that we can know things. And this implies that all Christians do know certain things. And we've even said that this knowledge, and we know this knowledge, is a knowledge that does not come only from observation and testing, so much as it comes from faith. This is a knowledge from faith. Again, the Second London Confession says, by this faith, that is by saving faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word that is in the Bible. Christians believe whatever is revealed in the Bible for the authority of God himself. And the Christian also apprehends an excellency therein, an excellency in the scripture, above all other writings and all things in the world. The Bible is not just another book. Now I was taught in a seminary class, not at the greatest seminary, the International Reformed Baptist Seminary, but at another place. The Bible is a book and we should just read it like a book. And there's some things that are true about that. We do read our English Bibles left to right, top to bottom. Page one through page whatever. I mean, there are some things. But the Bible is not just another book. We hold it higher. So the explicit statement and we know implies that this truth, along with all of the scripture, is held by a Christian in higher regard than any other writing. And all our knowledge of this sort finds its source, its root, in the Bible. So as we consider implications of this particular text or implications of any other text, we must know this. The implications that we see in Scripture must not contradict or conflict with any other text of Scripture. And it must not conflict with any other necessary implications of any other text of scripture. Now, this is called the analogy of scripture or the analogy of faith, that nothing is to contradict with something else. If you draw an implication from scripture and it contradicts another text of scripture or another implication of scripture, something's wrong. Something is wrong. So let us consider the implications from this text. We read God works all things. That's new American standard. I think the English standard, the King James, New King James, all things work. And here's the implication. There is Providence. there is providence. The second London confession in chapter five states, God, the good creator of all things in his infinite power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and all things from the greatest even to the least. This is what we mean when we say there is providence. God upholds, directs, and governs all things and all creatures. Now if God is not sovereign over all things, or if he is not actively working in all things by his providence, then the promise of Romans 8.28 makes no sense. It only makes sense and it only is a promise to us if God is ruling and overruling in all things. So this is the first implication. There is a providence. The first chapter of Hebrew tells us that God upholds all things by the word of his power. Colossians tells us that he is holding all things together. Why don't things fly apart? Because God is holding them together. We learn in the book of Job that God tells even the oceans, even the seas, you come this far and no farther. And you thought that was just a random spot that we call the beach. That's God's boundary line that he said here and no farther. In Isaiah 46, we see God declaring the end from the beginning because he is sovereign. He determines the end from the beginning. And let's just say, and all the means to get there, all the steps in between. He determines the end from the beginning. Isaiah 46 says, and from the ancient times, things which have not been saying my purpose will be established. I will accomplish all my good pleasure. Truly. I have spoken. Truly. I will bring it to pass. I have planned it. Surely I will do it. God. is sovereign, God works his providence. Psalm 135 says, whatever the Lord pleases, he does in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all the deeps. Brothers and sisters, things don't work by themselves. We say things like this. Things will work out. They won't. Things don't work. There is no karma. There is no force. Things don't work. God works. There is a providence. Whatever works in the world, God works. God is the ruler. God is the actor. God is the activator. God is the power behind whatever you see working. He is working. Romans 8.28 implies and scripture affirms there is a providence. Next week, I don't have these numbered, so I have no idea how many there are. Plenty. We read All things work for good to them that love God. And the implication is the blessed condition of every Christian. Every Christian. Christian, what do you have to complain about? Well, if I talked to you before, maybe plenty. But let's ask. What do we really have to complain about? All things are working for your good. What do you really have to worry about? All things are working for your good. What do you really have to fear? Some of us are controlled by fear. What do you have to fear? God is working all things for your good. Psalm 112 verse four. Don't miss this. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright. Christian, even in your darkest hour, there is light. Light dawns in the darkness. we've just looked at over the last few weeks, the best things work for your good and the worst things work for your good. The refiner's fire brings no harm to the gold, it only purifies it. Maybe you've heard some positive-minded person in the world say this, pain is only weakness leaving your body. I don't necessarily believe that. I think sometimes pain is like a torn rotator cuff, a torn meniscus. The world can't say pain is only, but Christian, do we see that we have a blessed condition implied in this promise. God is working all things for your good. Who can be against you? Paul will ask later. Who can be against you? Who can harm you? The worst pain you will ever go through is directly working to remove sin from you, to pull your heart away from this world, to fix your heart on the age to come on the kingdom with Christ? Christian, we have something to decide. When we feel the heat of the fire, will we curse the flames or will we trust this promise and its implications? Will we believe what our flesh is telling us? What our feeble minds may think? Or will we believe the promise and the implications that we are in a blessed condition? Another implication of Romans 8, 28 is that we are encouraged to become godly, to be more godly, to follow after Christ, to pursue holiness. What could motivate us to know the Bible and to know the God of the Bible? This is the God who is working for our good. What could motivate us to know His commands and to obey Him? What can spur us on to love our neighbor, to seek peace and pursue it? What more than the promise that God is working for our good? So let us be pursuing godliness. If Romans 8, 28 implies that we should pursue godly behavior, the godly behavior of Christians. If Romans 8 28 implies that we Christians are in a blessed condition, then does it also imply the miserable condition of the wicked? If all things work for the good of the godly, then what of the wicked? Even evil works for good for the Christian. Then even good. Works for evil. To the unbeliever. Every mercy of God. Let me speak to you. Who is an unbeliever? Every mercy of God. is a witness against you. Every common grace is a testimony to your sinful pride. Every gospel word from the mouth of the preacher is sweet to the ear of the Christian, sweet to the ear of the elect sinner, but for the lost person, that gospel word is a word of condemnation. A word of judgment. As much as Romans 828 implies encouragement and blessing to the Christian, it implies judgment and misery to the unbeliever. Unbeliever, don't stay in that state. Repent of your sins and run to Christ Jesus in faith today. We read that God works all things together for good, and the implication is that God is all-wise and all-powerful. Our catechism calls God's works of providence his most holy, wise, and powerful. Who but God can take the worst things imaginable and overrule them to turn out for our good. Who can do this? Only God. There is a mythical tale of something called a philosopher's stone. Maybe you've heard of it. It's said to have the ability to turn even a common metal like lead into gold. If that sounds too good to be true, guess what? It is. There is no such thing as a philosopher's stone turning lead into gold. But for the Christian, Romans 8.28 and its promise implicitly teaches us that God is able to turn our common and even evil experiences into gold. God is able to turn our sackcloth and ashes, those things that come from mourning, God is able to turn them into beauty, into a crown of beauty, a garment of praise. He is all-wise and all-powerful, and He is able to make beauty from ashes. We read that God works all things for our good, and the implication is, this is gonna be a tough one. We have no cause for discontent. How often, Christians, do we complain? Do we murmur about our condition? Now, I'm not just preaching to you. I've been there. I will never forget when Brother Earl, an older pastor, said to me, son, don't question the providence of God. We say, whoa, it's me. Look at how bad things are for me right now. and we're discontent. Now, I want to point out something for us. There is a discontentment that is good. There is a discontentment that is good. Never be content with your sin. Never be satisfied with your level of sanctification. Never say, I am content in my holiness. Have you ever heard someone say, my prayer life, it's fine, I'm content with it. I hope that there are things that we believers in this life are never content with, but it makes us look forward to the day when we will be. What a day that will be. So there is a discontent that is good in this life. But there is a discontent, Christians, that we have no business being in that we have no cause for. Listen to the scripture, Hebrews 13, five, keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. You see what, see that promise. I will never leave you nor forsake you implies that you should be content. And the promise of Romans 8, 28, God is working all things together for our good, leaves us with no room for discontent. Matthew 6, 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Everything you need will be provided. God provides all your needs according to his riches in glory. Seek his kingdom. Don't be discontent. 1st Timothy 6. 6. Now there is great gain in godliness. Boy, if there was a period there. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment. What does that tell us? It tells us that we can pursue godliness, pursue holiness and be discontent and mess the whole thing up. There's great gain in godliness With contentment, he continues, for we brought nothing into this world and we take nothing out. Think about that. Everything you own, everything you value today, what'll happen in 100 years for all of us, in 50 years for some of us, and even less time than that for others, it's gonna belong to somebody else. Philippians 4, 11 through 13. Now I'm not speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I'm in to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Have you ever thought about that favorite verse of ours? I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me is in the context of contentment. Christian, how can we be discontent with the very things that God is working for our good? this may be the sin that is most enticing to us. But if God is working all things for our good, then the implication is that we have no cause for discontent. I gotta pick up the pace a little bit. Along with the implications that there's no cause for discontent, we should see an implication that we should be continually thankful. Thanksgiving, Christians, we should know that Thanksgiving Day for the Christian is what? Every day. Every day. Every day. And in everything, 1 Thessalonians, in everything give thanks. In everything give thanks. You know, we like those verses that say this is the will of God and it just lays it out plainly. Let me read the whole verse in everything. Give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Thankful hearts. Philippians 4, 6, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Even when we are making requests of God, our hearts should be filled with and our mouths should be expressing thanksgiving. If God is working all things for the good of the godly, then the godly should be thankful. Lastly, we read God is working for our good And the implication is that if God seeks our good, then we should seek his glory. Consider God's zeal for his own glory. Now, we only have time for one text, and we'll read from Isaiah 48. You don't have to turn there. Listen to this as God speaks. For my name's sake, I defer my anger. For the sake of my praise, I restrain it for you that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you not as silver. I have tried you in the furnace of affliction for my own sake, for my own sake. When God repeats himself. Verse 11, for my own sake, for my own sake, I do it. For how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. God is zealous for His own glory. So, Christians, what should we be? What does the Scripture command us? 1 Corinthians 10.31 Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Everything. Colossians 3, 17, whatever you do in word or deed, that pretty much covers it. Word or deed, do all it says in the name of, what does that mean? To the glory of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to him through God the Father. So as we're meditating on Romans 8, 28, the crown jewel of biblical promises, I hope that we're also committing it to memory so that we'll have instant recall, that we can pull it up in our minds and consider it. As we consider this verse, as we meditate on it, let us meditate on what is explicitly stated and let us meditate on the implications of it. God, we thank you for this promise. We thank you for the confidence that we might have in you, that you are working all things for our good, for those who love you. God, we pray that you would continue to guide our study, guide our minds as we see next time who it is that this promise is for. Help us to consider Those who love you. In Christ's name, Amen.