Last week, we introduced our new section, as it were, that we referred to as God is in control. Now, we must need to remember that this section falls under a much larger section. I apologize for the raspiness. I've been sick all week, so I'm a lot sick. As Ray Stevens says, I wasn't sick. I was overcome by a multitude of symptoms. Falls under a much larger section, and that being Paul's working out for us a full assurance of our ultimate, final, complete salvation, and subsequently our deliverance from everything that sin has ever done to us. Now, we know this by that first word used there, and, so he's just continuing, he says, and, and what? And he says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." This is another proof of the certainty of our final salvation. And while connected with all the other proofs that we've looked at thus far, this is something that is altogether greater and higher than anything that we have looked at thus far. This is for those who are called according to his purpose. Possibly one of the most remarkable statements that Paul ever made. it is also one of the most comforting in all of scripture and the one on which i have leaned for the majority of my life uh... this is doctrine this is not literature this is not philosophy but it is doctrine and more than that it is a doctrine that directly addresses me okay there's very few places that we see that but this directly addresses those who are his okay It addresses you specifically and it is written for our consolation and our edification. So we will look at this statement itself and then we can consider how we know that it is true. He says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. So the first thing we see is that this statement is not universal. There is a limitation placed on it. All things do not work together for good for everyone. The good that is being worked out is only for those specified in this statement, not to anyone else. It is to the one's loving God that all things work together for good, which is our reminder of a plain fact emphasized in the entirety of Scripture, and that is that there is only one real division in the human race. that we are all on one side or the other of this dividing line. All other divisions or distinctions are ultimately irrelevant. This statement is true only of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. As far as the rest of humanity is concerned, we are told quite plainly that all things do not work together for their good. In fact, they are under the wrath of God, where there is not much good to be found. Temporal grace, to be found for sure, but that which leads to no ultimate good. Now, plainer than ever, but the truth has remained from day one that none but Christian people have any consolation in this world, then, now, or in the future. Here and now is our opportunity to tell the world that the only way to experience any consolation cannot be found in conservative politics, that their only hope is to believe the gospel, to be conformed to God's way and manner of life and living. The sweet promises of the gospel are only for God's people and none other. It is extremely important that we as Christians grasp this truth. Otherwise, we give lost souls this vain hope that everything happens for a reason and it's for their good. That's not true. It's only for those that love God. This is where we see that the limitation of the statement is inevitable. All things work together for good. There are some translations that add a statement to this, and that is that God works all things together for good to them that love God. Um, it is God that works all things together. Now we know that the addition does not make the slightest difference. Okay. Some translation translations say God does it. Others leave that phrase out, but we know that it doesn't make any difference. We were already aware that it is God who works all things period. Okay. Things don't work without God. That's plain as we can put it. Things do not work in and of themselves. It is God who acts everywhere and in everything. It is God who controls everything because God is in control. God made everything. He sustains everything. He controls everything. By Him, all things exist and consist. Now, to adopt the other view would leave us, as Paul says, of all men most miserable. that all things work at random, with no difference between persons for any reason, how sad would life be if that were the case? Were the universe working automatically and not under the control of God, there would not be the slightest difference between what happens to the Christian and what happens to the non-Christian. We would all be subject in the same way to the things of life. But the whole purpose of Paul's statement here is that There is this wonderful difference between those who love God and those who do not love God. God is overruling all things in such a manner that they turn out for the good and the benefit of His people. So what exactly is meant by that statement, this most comforting statement that we can ever know about ourselves? That as a Christian, all things are working for good for you. that God is overruling everything in the whole cosmos for your good. If you know that, there is no way that you can be depressed lest you either don't believe it or you have forgotten it. So if we know for a fact that God is working everything together for our good, depression is a long way from that. The only way that we can get depressed about anything is to either not believe it or to just forget it for the moment. You can't know it and to be depressed at the same time. So we're going to work it out. Paul says all things. Does all mean all? There's a lot of debate about that. A lot of places in the scripture. Does all mean all? Some scholars say that all things means trials and tribulations only. John Calvin was one that believed that all things meant trials and tribulations only. Now, I prefer, however, being more knowledgeable than John Calvin to believe that all means all, okay? And that's all that all means. That he also means the good things, the favorable things, as well as meaning things that appear to be against us, things that appear to be bad for us. things that are discouraging, disheartening, and overwhelming even. That all means all, okay? Because in the end, it amounts to the same thing. Or as Joseph told his brothers finally, y'all remember what Joseph told his brothers? He says, you meant it for what? Evil. But God meant it for good, okay? So all means all. we can say then that all things are working together for our good good things bad things trials troubles tribulations illnesses accidents disappointments even failure anybody here ever fail that's the only thing I'm successful at is failure okay uh... God can and does make all work ultimately for our good it is only in the case of Christians that we can demonstrate exactly how this happens. Trials and troubles and tribulations and failures, yes even sin, are not good in and of themselves and it would be foolish to pretend that they are. They're bad. So how can we justify the statement that all of them work together for good? The answer is that they are used by God and thus overruled by God and employed by God that they turn out for our good. It is imperative that we grasp that the all things are not good in and of themselves. There is nothing inherently good about suffering, but rather the results brought about by God as a result of that suffering. We do not want to be like some of those masochists of which we read, that bring about their own suffering as if it were an end to itself. That's not Paul's goal here. This is about God working, not us working. If things working were good in and of themselves, then they would be as much benefit to non-believers as believers. But it is not so. It is what God does with them that makes them good. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Now, it's easy to show how the good things work together for our good. That's always easy to see. That's obvious. Our problem is to demonstrate that those things that seem to be against us also are working for our good. Simply put, it is these things that stop us and wake us up. That is always a good thing. There is that state in the Christian life, especially in the first world. All are familiar with that phrase, right? First world. You know, free countries. There is a problem in the state in the Christian life, especially in the first world countries, where everything just comes and goes and the wheels of life are just turning along and having no obvious spiritual battles to fight. We begin to neglect the world and the things of God and live for the TV and the social media and the politics and all the nonsense that goes along with it. This is a very dangerous time or state for the soul to be in. This is when the adversary takes advantage of us. But when a trial or tribulation comes upon us, it has the effect of slapping some sense into us and refocusing us and waking us up to what matters. This is for our good. The worst state to be in is a state in which we merely take things for granted without thinking them through and go on with our routine and our daily life. It is a blessing for us to have our routine of life upset occasionally, no matter the actual cause of the interruption, because it turns our thoughts back to the one who is our rock. It is these trials and tribulations that come to us and reveal to us and remind us of our own smallness and weakness and frailty. Now, we as prideful men are not always aware of that. The devil loves those who exude self-confidence, those who believe that they can live their Christian life on their own. Stated on many an occasion, during Sunday school, it seems that every thought that I have, because of my past life, seems that every thought that I have is a constant reminder of just how much I need Jesus Christ. Okay? Carnal confidence is a terrible place to find oneself. And sometimes the correction that God uses to humble us While always for our good, it can be very painful indeed. Humility will forever be our greatest safeguard in our spiritual life. Humility is our best friend. Pride is our worst enemy. Being human beings, which one do we lean towards? Yeah, okay. So, when we are brought low and humbled, it is always good for us. And anything that humbles us is working for our good by God's grace. Humility is the only place from which we will learn that we will never cease to need the gospel of Christ, that we will never cease to need the forgiveness of God, need to be ever repenting and seeking God's mercy and grace in our lives. It is humility that turns us from a life filled with grumbling and complaining to a life filled with gratitude towards God for all that he has given us. It is often only through suffering that we really get to know the love and the grace of God, his kindness and his compassion, tenderness and patience. We know so little of them because we know so little of how holy God really is that he would even consider us? What is man that you are mindful of him? How is it that God would even consider us, much less love us and give his son to die for us? It's only through suffering that we learn of his readiness to forgive and to restore and to help us and to lead us. Like the father welcomes home his prodigal child. This world is too much with us. Our business, our profession, our family, our affairs, all of these things monopolize our time and monopolize our attention. Half our spiritual troubles arise from the fact that we become lost in these things that have nothing to do with God and are so prone, we're so prone to live for those things. These are the things that stand between us and the knowledge of God and of eternity. It is often trials and tribulations that are needed to teach us that we have to be more detached from earthly things. It is very difficult to detach yourself from this world when you are well and healthy and strong. But when you're lying on a sickbed or faced with the loss of a loved one, or your world is crumbling around you, it is not quite as difficult to redirect our focus. You're made to think about life and its true nature. Reminded that your life is but a vapor at best. All of this is for our good. Every death, every calamity, all reminders that it is glory that we are waiting for and where we are going. All being worked together for our good. Sometimes for our immediate good, but still more for our ultimate and final good. So all means all, and it is not confined to trials and tribulations, but it is an all-inclusive term. So we have to say that it includes even our falling into sin and our backsliding. Now, we have to approach that statement very carefully. Make sure that we understand that this does not happen automatically. To fall into sin, to be a backslider, is always bad. But because of our relationship to God, even these can be worked together by God for our ultimate good and help to produce our final glorification. God says in Isaiah 45, seven, he says that I create evil. All right. Who creates evil? God just told us that he does. Okay. Some of the newer trade translations say calamity create calamity, meaning that he creates the evil consequences of sin. but also includes the further notion that he controls even evil and can use it to promote his great and grand purpose of bringing his people to their final glory. Now, again, treading very lightly, our confession says that God is not the author of sin. We all agree with that, correct? We have to look all the way back in chapter one of our study at what is the definition of sin. Anything that is not of God. Anything apart from God's will. So what we call sin doesn't necessarily mean that the same is sin to God. God can use evil to bring about his will. And we have record of that a multitude of times throughout scripture. We think it looks evil. God using it for his purposes means it is not. What? Evil. Okay. And it happens in this way. He makes use of sin to show the Christian his weakness, the Christian's weakness. Okay. Back to what I said before, my every thought because of the life that I've lived, is a constant reminder of my never-ending need for Jesus Christ. Now, could God, is God able to remove those thoughts from me? Well, of course He is, no doubt. But I also have no doubt that had He done so, and were He to do so even today at 63 years old, I would do little more than it would do little more than to make me even more prideful and more self-righteous than I already am. Y'all get that? Anybody feel that? John Bunyan said, He that is down need fear no fall. He that is low, no pride. When things are going too well with a man, He is in danger of pride, and pride is an abomination. Pride brings about a holier-than-thou and a puffed-up attitude. But the moment that that prideful man falls into sin, he is made to realize again what a weak, frail, poor creature that he is in reality. Now, this does not mean that sin is ever good. God forbid, was Paul's response when he was accused, remember what Paul said, when he was accused of teaching that sin was good, God forbid, meganoita, was Paul's response to those who accused him of saying that. This is only meant to show that God can use even our sin to do us good, which is even greater in that we all know that our sin is the only thing that we bring into our relationship with God. The only thing we bring. God can even use that for our good. So this is our glimpse into the many faceted grace of God. Even our defeats can be turned to our good. God takes hold of even them and uses them to bring us nearer to himself. giving us a knowledge of himself that we would never otherwise have had. If all really means all, then even our falling and our failing has to be included. Now, God works these things together in a couple of ways to bring about our good. One way is that he permits things to happen to us for our good. Now, he could have stopped them, but he does not. He permits them or allows them to take place. This is still an activity on God's part. An apparent negative one, but still an activity on the part of God. Most classic example being that of Job. God allowed the devil to try and to test his servant Job. It was not God who actually brought about the various things that happened to Job, but he did permit the devil to do so. It is a very important part of our understanding of the life into which God has brought us. We must be allowed to face and to experience certain things and certain hardships so that we can, in the process, learn from them by our very experiences. So God not only allows things to happen to us, he sometimes does things to us directly. and sends things on us for our good. Now, this is the point where many people get into trouble, as we discussed on last week. They think that God would never do such a thing, that the devil is responsible for all of the bad stuff that I don't like, and God is responsible for all the good stuff that I like and agree with. The children of Israel show us many examples of God not only permitting many things to happen to them, but also God Himself raising up enemies against them, and sending hornets to trouble them, and death and diseases against them, and doing so quite deliberately, and doing so for their good, because they were His people. Now, our most applicable example as a church is given in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 where we read our instructions for partaking of the Lord's Supper. He says, Whosoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have even died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world." So these Corinthians had been guilty of sinful behavior. and then going in and partaking of the Lord's Supper and as a result he says many of them had become sick and weak and some had even died now that doesn't mean that they lost their salvation if they ever had it Paul says he wonders about them some of them he didn't he questioned it okay if they even had it but that their death their actual death was a direct result of some particular failure that they refused to repent of. Now, this by no means tells us that all illness is a result of sin, okay? But sometimes God will send an illness into our lives for that very reason. But it will always be for our good if we belong to him. So God may permit things to happen to us. God may visit trials and circumstances on us himself. And thirdly, God may simply withhold or withdraw his blessings from us. He may, as it were, turn his face from us so that we no longer feel as if we can find him. This is the method that God often uses for the good of his children. Remember David said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord what? You won't even hear our prayers. We're living in sin. He's not listening to us. Simple as that. This is the method that God often uses for the good of His children. It is His way of bringing us to conviction and to repentance, to cause us to seek for forgiveness and for restoration. It is one more way of God working good for us in our lives. So, how do we know that Paul's statement here is true? because he in fact asserts this to already be something that all Christians are aware of. You see, he says, and we know. So if I look at you and I say, and we know, that means that I think you already know, right? Okay? Paul says, and we know that all things work together for good. Paul assumes that we already know this. Well, do we know this? I mean he told us two verses ago that we don't even know what to pray for. So how can these two statements be reconciled? The answer is one of the paradoxes of Christianity. That we can be absolutely certain about the ultimate end even when we are totally uncertain about the immediate. This, I would say, is our final comfort and consolation as Christians. We don't know everything, but we do know the one thing. Though we be in trouble with every single thing, apparently being against us, if we find ourselves in that position, that everything is against us. So put upon that we don't even know what to pray for. confused and not understanding. Yet even at this very point we can say, I don't know which way to turn, I don't know which way to go, I don't understand why these things are happening, but I do know this. In spite of my ignorance, in spite of my circumstances, all of it is working together. God is taking every circumstance, day after day, and God is working those together for my good. That is the final comfort and consolation of the Christian. Now it is essential that we draw and hold on to this vital distinction. The fact that we do not understand our present circumstances should never be allowed to disturb us with regards to the ultimate. This is where the devil will most often attack us. He preys on our circumstances. be they good or be they bad. The devil loves for us to get focused on our circumstances. Whether they be positive or negative because too much of either can cause us to lose our focus on the one that bought us. Too positive and we begin to trust in ourselves. Too negative and we lose faith in God and begin to doubt His provision and His love. Focusing on our current circumstances rather than our ultimate goal will always, always, always lead to serious troubles. I do not understand the mind of God fully, but I do know the purpose of God with respect to me, and that purpose cannot fail. Christians are not promised exemption from troubles and trials. Quite the opposite. They're guaranteed to us. But more than that, our ultimate and final victory is also guaranteed to us. So, heard rumors about our upcoming sermon series on Matthew. That's still a thing, right? Okay. Now, that's my favorite book, by the way. I taught a lot of lessons. preached a lot of sermons on Matthew back in the day. Do you know what the book of Matthew is? The book of Matthew is a legalist's dream. It's a legalist's dream until you figure out what it's talking about. It's not prescriptive, it's descriptive. It's a description of what salvation looks like. It's not a prescription of do this and live. so it's a legalist dream until the legalist figures out just how far he falls short of what jesus is teaching there you have no idea how you can stretch it and make it be about you there's one teaching there in chapter six that draws a picture for us of god's working together of all things for our good good red-blooded americans uh... can't really wrap their minds around this one because it goes against everything that we stand for it goes against the american dream it goes against the chicken in every pot in the car in every driveway you know that's that's that's the american dream but here it is anyway matthew chapter six turn with me if you want to starting with verse twenty five matthew chapter six we're starting with verse twenty five He says, therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Now, if you've ever turned on your television set, what is it a hundred percent about being anxious for your life? okay every show every commercial every advertisement everything on the television set what are you going to eat? what are you going to drink? what are you going to put on your body? that's all it is that's all it's about starter children at this big teaching them that's all that matters is not life more than food and the body more than clothing Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Wherefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all of these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. sufficient for the day is its own trouble that is the total antithesis of the american dream god is in control except them stinking liberals are going to try to take it all away from us them illegals are going to try to take it all away from us Russians, Ukrainians, the Chinese, the bankers, the Bilderbergs, the Goldman Sachs, all of those people are... God can't stop them. Gotta get politicians to stop them people. God gives, and only God can take away. It's as simple as that. God gives and only God can take away. Being worried and anxious about the immediate can do nothing but cause us to forget our ultimate. It can do nothing but steal our joy in the ultimate. We're worried and anxious about the immediate, about the circumstances. What are we not thinking about anymore? We're not thinking about the ultimate. Okay. So that's not all. We could spend a long time on that all, all right? We're going to stop with the all for the time being. And we're going to focus on what might be arguably the most important part of this statement that Paul makes to us. That he makes to us. Or is it really made to us? Who is it to? Well, for practical purposes, it is written to a very, very specific group of people. His interest is always primarily pastoral. Paul was a pastor. His interest is primarily pastoral, okay? He was writing to Roman Christians in order to help them with their problems and their struggles. And he is addressing their brain and their understanding as well as their heart and their will. And so the way to know for certain whether this is written and applicable to us is to discover whether we conform to the description that is given of the people to whom this does apply. For it certainly applies to certain people only. And the first thing that we are told about such people is that they what? God. Okay? Now, why describe Christian people in these terms? Why not say, all things work together for good to them who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Is that not true of us? Do we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Absolutely. Paul uses this description very frequently. He describes Christians as people who love God. In 1 Corinthians, he says, no eye has seen, and no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has in store for those who what? Love Him, okay? The first and greatest commandment that Jesus said, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. This is the greatest contrast that can be made between the Christian and the non-Christian. The number one trouble with the non-Christian is that he is a God hater. Not just that they don't believe in God, but they hate God. These are the only two alternatives to be found in Scripture. You either love God or you hate God. There is no middle ground anywhere to be found. So Paul's expression here is to help bring out the contrast between the natural man, who is an enemy of God, and the Christian who loves God. Paul is especially concerned to show that the Christian goes beyond simply believing in God. James tells us that the demons, even the demons do what? Believe and tremble, okay? And so in evangelism, it is not sufficient to ask a man whether he believes in God. Everybody believes in God. we already been told that all those but chapter three of the thing is they know they just refused to worship him as well but you can believe in god and still not be a christian withholding this great promise made here from applying to you if you're not a christian this great promise here no longer applies to you never did apply to you okay something further is required We don't like that word required. That gets into legalism. Something further is required, okay? A more thorough test is needed. It is one thing to be religious. It is quite another to be a Christian. Profession of faith. John MacArthur says, what does your profession of faith mean? Absolutely nothing. What's it worth? Absolutely nothing, okay? Profession of faith means nothing as a basis of proof. Anybody can say words, okay? Even an adamant profession of faith, accompanied by many great words, is no grounds for proof, as Jesus taught us in Matthew 7. Again, back to Matthew, all right? Being a pastor or a teacher carries no weight. as we have seen many famous supposed men of God fall by the wayside over the past few years. It's a sad fact that the great majority of people you know personally, their only relationship to God is for an hour on Sunday morning, if that. Many supposedly saved at some revival or crusade which were led to repeat a prayer followed by some preacher declaring them to now be a child of God which becomes the sum total of their assurance. That's the only thing they know about their Christianity or their relationship. I repeated a prayer when I was 12 years old. God nor his word is rarely if ever consulted in activity or in entertainment or life or leisure or marriage or child rearing uh... the stuff that professor christians watch on the t.v. is appalling the idols we create out of thin air are too numerous to count jesus said you shall love the lord your god with all your heart all your soul all your mind and all your strength there's that word all again does all mean all love is all inclusive Does all mean all? All your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. Does all mean all? Absolutely. Jesus says you can't love God and mammon. You can't love God and something else. You can't love God and anything else. Because, turns out, no matter what you say, you're only going to love one of them. Okay? The other one you're going to hate. Love is all-inclusive. When you love, every part of you is involved. Love is totalitarian in all its demands, all of its responses. That is a picture of our relationship to God. That is a picture of what it looks like to love God. Heart, mind, soul, and strength, all included. And so Paul's use here of the term love puts the emphasis at the point at which our profession of faith is tested most thoroughly. All things work together for good to them that love God. Nobody else. So it is imperative that we are quite clear in our minds as to what love is and what love includes and represents. All things work together for good for those that love God. This is not merely a sentiment or a feeling. This is not emotional. That's one of Satan's most loved snares. So many people think that they love God because of some emotional experience or the feelings that they get when they listen to a certain song or the emotions brought about by a vibrant teacher or preacher. That's not love. Love includes emotion, but emotion is the smallest part of love. Love is so much greater, so much deeper than emotion. You can experience emotion. and believe that you are loving God, but then later prove that you don't love him at all. Jesus' teachings about love are very clear about what love looks like when it is pure and when it is holy. There is very little emotion involved. John 14, 21, whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who what? Loves me, okay? There is no value in talking about love unless we are keeping the commandments. Now, not every one of them, every second, of every day, of every year, because nobody has ever done that. Nobody has ever done that except Jesus. It's not going to happen. But as a style of life, as we've talked about on many occasions, you are a keeper of the commandments. This is one of the tests of love. There is no such thing as a theoretical love. Love is practical. To love God means that our true desire is to please God and to live to His glory and to keep His commandments and to be like Him. These things we must never forget when we are considering whether we are to be numbered with those who love God. Allah, I believe, chose this term because it is all-inclusive and leaves no uncertainty and nothing up for debate. Just making statements and this and that and the other thing, you can debate those things. Love is something you can't debate. Love is obvious. It's obvious if you love God. It's obvious if you love your wife. It's obvious if you love your church. It's obvious if you love your brothers and sisters. It's obvious. It can't be debated, okay? He takes us right to the heart of the matter. and so that we may be quite certain as to where we stand. Trials and tribulations will very soon show us whether or not we love God, much as they do a spouse. The pernal idea of love revolves around what somebody does for me or how they make me feel. And if that someone ceases to do for us or ceases to make us feel a certain way, then we move on to someone who will give us a reason to love them. For man in the flesh, love is entirely self-serving. It is entirely directed inwardly. It is the same with God. So many claim to love God as long as He is greasing the skids, as it were, making life pleasant and easy for us, opening the windows of heaven and pouring out His blessings on us. But what happens when that changes? Are we more like Job or are we more like Job's wife? Job suffered so much at Satan's hand, and yet he never once denied or denounced God. Now, where did he gain that strength from? Trials and tribulations make you strong. We know that he is rich, he had all this stuff, right? What trials and tribulations did he ever have to go through? Well, from first glance, we would have to say that it was from being married to who he was married to for all those years that toughened him up. It was his love for God. It was his love for God, okay? His gratitude toward God. Despite his wife, despite his so-called friends, Job loved God. And God caused all of these things to work together for Job's good and for his own glory. Job's wife, on the other hand, denounced God almost immediately. No love, no gratitude. Now, those who love God do not cease to love God. Christians do not fall out of love with God like carnal men fall out of love with a spouse. Their love for God does not stem even from themselves. Where does our love for God come from? You thought I was going to use this as a way to prove that Romans 8.28 is our reward for those that love God properly. We know better. We cannot love God on our own. We do not have the ability to love God on our own. In fact, all we have for God is hatred on our own. Our love for God is like everything else that we have. It is a gift of God. Get to Matthew and get to chapter 5 and the Beatitudes. All of those things are gifts from God. Blessed is the man. Blessed with what? The things that God gives him. He didn't have it to start with. It's a gift of God. Our love for God is like everything else we have. It is a gift from God. First John chapter 4 and verse 19. He says we love God. Why? Because He first loved us. If you love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. Now, that's our command to do that. Ain't nobody ever done that. Anybody that says they've done that is a liar. Jesus Christ is the only man who ever loved God with all of his heart, all of his soul, all of his mind, and all of his strength. That's what we're shooting for. If we focus on God, we might get there eventually. If we focus on mammon, guess where we're never going to get? Okay? Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your might, and all your strength. His absolute proof, His absolute proof, that He loved you first. And that come what may, because He loved you first, come what may, good, bad, or indifferent circumstances. Good, bad, or indifferent circumstances. God will work all things together for your ultimate good. Let's pray. Father God, we love you so much because you loved us first. Grant us grace put away the things of the world, to get rid of the distractions, to focus on you and our ultimate good. Because that's what you're focused on, Lord, our ultimate good and your ultimate glory. Be with us as we go through the remainder of our service this morning. May everything said and done be for your praise and glory. In Christ's name, amen.