Our text is from Romans chapter 8 verse 28. I read, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Our theme for this reading is God is provident. Paul gives us many reasons in this single verse to put our trust in the steadfastness of God's love as he works all things for the good of those who love him. Beginning with no condemnation in verse one of Romans eight to verse 39 of the same chapter. For those in Christ Jesus, He calls us to look at the following. God is working. God is working for our good. All things, God works for our good. For the good of those who love him, who are described as called according to his purpose. An old woman with a walking stick was sitting in a long bench, comfortably relaxed. And all of a sudden, her walking stick fell from her hand away from where she was sitting. She asked someone to help her get the walking stick, but the person did not give her any attention. So she struggled by herself, moved a couple of steps away from the place where she was sitting, As soon as she moved, a terrible accident took place in that very location she just moved out from. The refusal of this man to help her providentially saved her from a terrible accident. The things that are catastrophic, the things that may lead us into crisis could be God's way of leading us into new dimensions. Should we always accept a yes from God and refuse to identify with God when the answer to our prayer is no? Naturally, that is what we are disposed to do. God has a purpose in suffering. the why of our suffering, we may not jump to conclusion, but we know that God has a purpose in all of it. Someone said, Romans chapter eight, verse 28, is like into a pillow on which to rest our weary heads. So coming to the first point we see in the text, God is walking. We see in our Westminster Shotokakis in question 11, what are God's works of providence? God's works of providence are its most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all its creatures and all their actions. We see the first four statement, holy, wise, powerful, preserving, and governing. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the whole world, one way or the other, one thing we know is that God is working. If God is a God of providence and sovereign, then nothing we know would take us by surprise. If God is provident and sovereign, then nothing ever happens that is senseless. God is walking. We must see the hand of God in this. As Christians, we should ask, why did God allow this to happen? Because God has a purpose. We shouldn't ask like the unbeliever who just say, why did this happen? Then we should ask, including God in our statement, because we know that God is working. God is working out something. Definitely for every plan, there must be a purpose. And God's purposes are supreme. God's purposes are unique. And that is what we need as human beings. The providence of God is displayed as much in suffering as in prosperity. God's yes and no are both positive and affirms our faith. In love, God is working out something for the believer. We must not be dismayed, neither are we to be disturbed. We must look unto Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith. In time like this, he has always had something to say to us. He has not left us comfortless. It is common to me all year that I labor never leading, and I will give you rest. This should be our response in faith as we view the situation at hand. In love, God is working for you and I. He's working for the believer. A very sad and painful situation it is, very difficult to bear. As human beings, we are weak and frail creatures. But God is assuring his love to us in the midst of both sweet and sour providences. We are told in Ecclesiastes 7, verse 14, in the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity, consider, surely God has appointed the one as well as the other. Meaning that God is the author of all things joyful and all things mournful. He's working and he's in control. Many have learned to contemplate the goodness of God in weeping. There will be no need for peace if the soul is not restless. For the believer, God's love is expressed in both joyful moment as well as mournful moment in our lives. See the hand of God. He is walking. The hand of God is behind the scenes. A. W. Toza says, to the child of God there is no such thing as accident. He travels an appointed way. Our suffering is part of the total plan of God and that God can walk through evil to accomplish His plan. God fulfills His purposes even when all always seems dark and gloomy before us. He fulfills His purposes even when He allows suffering comes to us. In Isaiah chapter 53 verse 3, Jesus is described as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Yet he spoke of his joy in John chapter 15 verse 11. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. God is walking. The universe is not governed by chance or fate. God is working in the physical world. God is working in human birth and destiny. God is working in human success and failures, the protection of his people. God is working to accomplish his will in all things. The primary means by which God accomplishes his will is through secondary causes, short as COVID-19. God is working. at him being in the center of all that is happening. The hand of God is behind the scene. And when the believer looks to Christ, he sees that even in the midst of the predicament, even in the midst of the suffering, he's working at something. He's working at something. And that which God is working is for our good. Who knows, maybe God is using this pandemic to do something that we may not know today, but tomorrow, when it comes to light, we will rejoice, knowing for sure that he's working for our good. No matter what it is, no matter what the situation is, God is working. God may be doing this today to draw many to repentance, to draw many to faith in Christ Jesus. God is doing this today, perhaps, to set a foundation for the future that is ahead of us. But we have to look unto him, knowing that there is nothing senseless in whatever he does, or whatever he allows to happen. He has a plan and a purpose for it. All of a sudden, the fooling of the false prophet and teachers has been brought to broad daylight. People who claim to have extraordinary powers to heal are no more to be found. Some started laying hands on people and ended up dead. Many are turning to God in humiliation and repentance during this period. What is more profitable in a man's life? His relationship with God matters most. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. These works of God are beautifully pictured in Christ as he undertook to suffer and die for the sake of his elect people. What seems to be a tragic end of life ended up in the resurrection, which is the greatest Christian hope. Jesus Christ was crucified according to the predetermined plan and purpose of God. Our history and every other history is God's history, not man. God's works are marvelous. He's working at something in history and every other history, God has a plan. If God is not working, he is not in control. Our security in Christ, all the biblical promises will not come to pass. Why? Because if he's not walking and he's not in control, how will he bring those promises to pass? Promises, shortest Philippians chapter one, verse six. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good walk in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. How can he complete such? A promise if he is not at work and in control. He who has begun the good work of salvation will bring it to completion. And every stage in our salvation has been marked out by God. There are no accidents, there are no mishaps. We go or travel an appointed way because the Lord is our shepherd, our shield and our buckler, our present help in time of need. No wonder the Psalmist would say, yet though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for the Lord is with me. Short is the confidence that is required of you and I as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to seek God's promises in a situation like this, where fear and unbelief is knocking at the door of many. The devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He knocks at our consciences, bringing scary situations and schemes before us in order for us to lose our faith. We are indeed in a spiritual battle, and we should look to Christ. We should find comfort in his promises, and we should come to him boldly, knowing that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God is working. The second point I want us to look at is God is at work for the good. God is good. His works express goodness and advances his people's good. Our final salvation is in view here as it is supported by the text in verse 29 and 30 of Romans chapter eight. We see the golden chain of salvation. In verse 30, I read, moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. Whom he justified, these he also glorified. In the words of Stephen Lawson, he says, there are no dropouts in the school of grace, from salvation to sanctification and final glorification. Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Verse 29 of Romans chapter 8. So we see that this golden chain of salvation has been predetermined by God even before the creation of the world. And so God is working on his plans. God is working on that which he has predetermined. without a witness and he has given us the Holy Spirit to remind us of these things so that we can be comforted in times like this we can have our refuge in him our Savior our Lord who loves and cares for us in both sour and sweet providences Many things happening in our lives, we may not be able to define them at the time of suffering. But after a while, we will begin to see the Godward direction to which this pandemic has led the believers. There is always a redemptive purpose to the believer when it comes to the works of God. When you begin to see God in all this and the good that is there for you, There is comfort. There is hope. Lay hold of our heads in rest from the anxiety and panic that has come to us all. The promise of God in the works of scripture and the words of scripture relayed to our souls by the Holy Spirit will rest our weary minds. Look to the cross. Look to the Savior's example of suffering. Every bit of it was for our good. In Isaiah chapter 53 verse 5, gives us a wonderful picture. It said, but he was wounded for our transgressions. Wounds have become a beautiful picture of the atonement. In the words of John McArthur, he says, the cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin. We all like sheep have gone astray. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Look at his life. Every bit of it serves a redemptive purpose. From the day he was born, Up until the day he died he rose again and was Ascended into heaven first Peter chapter 2 verse 22 The Bible says who committed no sin neither was any deceit found in his mouth. He did all this so that he can credit the reward of his righteousness to our own account and In order for you and I to be justified, so that we can stand before God as if we had committed no sin, is a legal declaration before the Supreme Court of God. In order for us to be accepted in the beloved. Look at the beautiful picture that Hebrews chapter four, verse 15, 14 to 15 lays before us. It says, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, that was in all point tempted as we are, yet without sin. See the wonderful picture of his high priestly role. the humiliation of Christ, God taking up human body just so that he can be a faithful high priest acquainted with human suffering and when able to sympathize with us. In our own lives as well, we can see suffering serving the purposes of redemption. Believers are being conformed more and more each day to the image of a son. We know if Jesus, perhaps if Jesus tarries, The battle with COVID-19 is laying a foundation for our future generations. History has proven to be a remarkable providence of God. Sicknesses such as measles, smallpox, polio, yellow fever are no more a threat to humanity because battles of how to cure short diseases have been fought and won. Our covenantal fathers lost a lot of children and babies because of poor medical facilities. Today, women hardly lose their babies in childbirth. All of this we owe to the remarkable providence of God. Look at the development of the print media to electronic media. Though it has a downward side to it, but when it is used to glorify God and not man, it is to the benefit and the enrichment of the believer. Look around you. With our Reformation books coming to us in Africa with a new wave of revival, for many years, short books were not available to us. For many years, some of us do not have the opportunity to read short books. because we don't have the money to get them. But today, most of them are given to us free through the internet by a click. Many know nothing about the rich history of reformation, but today we have it all because of the remarkable providence of God in allowing the development of the electronic media. Most of which are given to us today through the click of the mouse. We have to be grateful to God. looking at Him that He has orchestrated all things for the good of the believer. Our circumstances are orchestrated by God to fulfill a specific role according to God's sovereign plan. We should look unto Him, the author and the finisher of our faith. We should always put our trust in Him in times of joy and in times of mourning. All things work together for good. Come to my third point, where the text gives us very clearly that all things work together for good. This includes the sufferings of verse 17 of Romans chapter eight. And if children then ears, ears of God and joint ears with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. You see, our suffering is identified with Christ. They are orchestrated by God. All things are in view here, both sweet and sour providence is inclusive. This includes their fears of nations. In Psalm chapter 66 verse seven, the Bible says, he rules by his power forever. His eyes observe the nations, human birth and destiny. Galatians chapter 1 verse 15 But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me to his grace to preach the gospel This is Paul talking about his calling Relating it to his birth and destiny knowing that nothing happens by accident or fate but by divine decree and predestination The protection of his people in Psalm chapter 4 verse 8 He says, I will both lay down in peace and sleep. For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Nobody on earth will make you dwell in safety except God. Kevin Young says, he says, no virus can change the number of days that God has written in his book for us. Look at the biography of Jesus Christ, the ultimate example. From his birth, his life, his death, his burial, and resurrection, he travels an appointed way. In John chapter 19, verse 11, Pilate thought he had authority by himself to put Jesus Christ to death, but Jesus told him these words. He said, you would have no authority over me unless it had been given to you from above. What a wonderful statement. For the good of those who love him. This is talking about the believer, because our complete salvation is God's object in this passage. Believers are referred to as those who love God, which is a gift of God to them. The love of God has been shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Romans chapter 5 verse 5. Through salvation this love has been manifest to us. In 1 John chapter 4 verse 9, the Bible says, By this the love of God was manifest in us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him. Let us remember this great love of God towards us in the midst of an evil age. As the book of Jude puts it, it says, keep yourself in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. to eternal life. Keep yourself because the devil wants to take your heart. He's fighting for the affection of your heart. He's trying to bring fear. He's trying to make you feel as if something terrible is going to happen to you. To lose all hope and confidence in the Lord our Savior. Put your trust in Him. Inquire from Him. Look to Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. In moments short such as these, one of the main weapons of the devil is fear. We must resist fear with the word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ has been through all this and more for our sake. He will do it for us in a short time like this. Look to Christ. Look to the Gospel. For all have been set for this purpose. From salvation to sanctification and final glorification. The plan of God will never be failured. This is the appointed way. It shows the immense love of God to undeserving sinners, short as we are. That we go the appointed way and nobody can stop us. Nobody can stop the church, for the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. You might have seen issues coming up in the print media. or the electronic media. You might have seen fearful stories. You might have heard terrible things. But I want to encourage you with the word this morning, that no matter what happens, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. The purposes of God from eternity past, present, and future are going to be accomplished, no matter what the devil does. God is for us. The Bible says, he would never leave us nor forsake us. He would never. He has promised us the presence of the Holy Spirit forever. And that is a great comfort and consolation. When we take the Word, the Spirit of God will bring these things and apply them in our heart. As Christians, we have a great resource. We have a fountain that never dries. We have a place to go where the unbeliever cannot go. But we have that place through the mercy and the grace of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us look unto him. Let us put our trust in him. And let us believe that he will do it for us. The fears that come to us are not the answers. The solutions lie in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's working out something, something good for the believer, something providentially that is going to lead the believer from glory to glory and from faith to faith, if that is the path that we are to tread in this summer. Let us be confident in the fact that Jesus has paid the price. He has gone to the cross, and every bit of his life is a redemptive purpose. Every bit of it is a redemptive purpose. And that is a great example that we see in the Lord Jesus Christ, even in his crucifixion. He said to the ones who crucified him, he said, I laid down my life because I want to lay it down, and I have the power to take it back. He laid down His life and took it back. Because He is not only man, but He is Lord. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the God-man, our Redeemer, our Savior, who has the power to lay down His life and take it back. and he has united us with him through the gospel. When we put our trust and our faith in him, surely we shall see him leading us through the valleys and the shadows of death. Let us be comforted with his words, that all things work together for good to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are called according to his purpose. We are traveling an appointed way, from salvation to sanctification and final glorification. These purposes of God will never be thwarted. It will never be put to void. Because God is in absolute control. God is the king. He is the ruler of the universe. And nothing takes him by surprise. Let us pray. Most gracious and everlasting Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We ask for grace to take care of all your commandments, warnings, promises, and good examples to follow. Strengthen us with might by your spirit in our inner mind, that Christ will dwell in our heart by faith. That in moments like this, in times like this where we are faced with so many fears, issues that are disturbing in our minds, we pray for the consolation and comfort of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. Pray, Lord, Father, that you will revive us and revive their walks in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known and rather remember mercy. Grant us through the Spirit the faith that we need, O Lord, Father, to walk in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Lord, we thank you because you are sovereign, because you have orchestrated our path. There is no accident. There are no fates. We thank you because you are great and loving, the mighty God and creator of all the earth. We come to you because you are great and there is none like unto you. This and many of the masses we ask through your son's name and for his sake. Amen. We are singing from Psalm 23, verse 1 to 6, on page 229 of the Scotch Psalter. The tune is Bay of Harries. I read, the Lord my shepherd I'll not want. He makes me down to lie, in pastures green he leadeth me, the quiet waters by. My soul he doth restore again, and me to walk doth make, within the paths of righteousness, in for his own namesake. Though I walk in death's dark veil, yet will I fear none ill, for thou art with me and thy rod, and staff me comfort still. My table thou hast furnished in presence of my foes, my head thou doest with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me, and in God's house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. In this psalm, We sing about the righteous one's experience of the leading of the shepherd. The sufficiency and provision in Christ is in view here, that there is no fear of want. He makes, he leads, he restores, comfort, prepares, anoint. Let us sing to God's praise. The Lord, my shepherd, I'm not one. He makes me dance to life. In pastures green, he leads me. Leadeth me the quiet waters by, My soul He doth restore again, And me to a God made, Within the box of righteousness, Ye for His own name say. Yet though I walk in death's dark vale, Yet will I fear not kneel, For Thou art near me on Thy road, And doth me comfort steal. My table thou hast furnished, in presence of My head abhors with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy see all my life shall surely follow me and in God's house forevermore. my dwelling place shall be. The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the love of God and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and forevermore. Amen.