28 And we know that in all things God works for the good(A)of those who love him, who[a]have been called(B)according to his purpose. God allowed it to happen, but when Job said these words, as the rest of the story shows, he was not yet enlightened about the true nature of where his calamity came from and what God’s will actually was for his life — which was for good, and not for harm. Your email address will not be published. A.J., yesterday I removed myself from a "personal growth" seminar (led by Christians). This confirmed for me that God was not the author of calamity, but that God was with us in all of life's calamities.Thanks for being an extended part of my flock! God and his will are always and only for what is good, and true, and beautiful, and loving, and holy. Many of them are sorta true, to a point, in the right light, in the right context, but as we’ve seen, they just don’t quite cut it, because God offers us so much more. We worship a God who brings resurrection from crucifixion, who defeats death with new life, who overcomes sin with eternal life. My immediate response was that it doesn't say that, but it opened the door for a deeper conversation on how to handle suffering as a Christian and how we view God's role in our lives and the lives of all those living in a fallen world. He too took the Hippocratic Oath: “Do no harm.” >>. Things do happen for a reason. I made many mistakes when I was young because I was an idiot. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Look around - and you don’t have to look far - to places where people are hurting, and you’ll discover that God is also hurting in those places. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good, for those that love God and are the called according to His purposes. God is with us! Honestly, I don’t know why we say things like “Everything happens for a reason.” Perhaps it numbs us to the pain that is present in the lives of so many. God is not the author of evil. They don’t call him the Great Physician for nothing. After what the leaders of this seminar put me through I am desperately seeking God's truth and comfort in my convictions. We’re focusing in on spiritual myths – we’ve also called them spiritual urban legends. This, after several terrible things that happened to them and their extended family, they couldn't sanction worshipping a God that was a jerk like that. God is not a masochist, deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on God’s self, nor is God a sadist, getting a kick out of the pain of others. Period. The phrase “everything happens for a reason” leads us to a place of mistaken identity about who God is. I found myself saying "Amen!!" "Everything happens for a... That's NOT in the Bible! But - and here’s the dangerous part - it too easily allows us our minds to make God the author of suffering and the perpetrator of evil. We said sure, and enjoyed our date night at the opera instead of the Melting Pot and just between us, I got off cheap this week! When faced with difficult circumstances, I often hear people say, “Everything happens for a reason.” I can understand why we want that to be true. You have made it to the midway point of this sermon series. Thank you! Yes, it is true, “Everything happens for a reason”. But, these seats shouldn’t go to waste. For one thing, God must have screwed with Ashley’s memory so she would forget to call and make the reservation. Though this is not in the same realm as God's decreed purpose, we can say that certain things occur because other things have happened. So right on, and what so many people need to hear! “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”‘ – Rom 8:28. He doesn’t just allow things to happen because. — not because God likes to hold [contradictions] like life and death together in some sort of mysterious unity, but because God is in the trenches with us, fighting the very same evils we fight in this world, like disease, decay, death, suffering, sorrow and sin. I have to go back and read the other sermons in this series - loved the two I did read. As I stared at my baby in the casket — who did not even resemble herself at that juncture — I was so thankful that the God of the resurrection had a better plan for her than that cold comfort that “It’s all God’s will.” I believe in a God whose. Given the common use of so many of these sayings and the implied theology they represent (which seems absolutely contrary to who God is and how God is revealed in Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience), I felt it's important to untangle these sayings and perhaps give us all the opportunity to say and think something better in their place.This topic is pretty near and dear to me, for reasons that should be abundantly clear to both of us. Yes, we live in a world where bad stuff happens. . Everything we do functions as an investment into our future. Most of these sayings are little morsels of worldly wisdom, passing themselves off as Godly wisdom. With the YouVersion Bible App, you can read, watch, listen, and share on your smartphone or tablet, and online at Bible.com. Everything that happens in your life is ALL part of God’s plan. It’s a great story - go home and read it this afternoon! According to Job 1, it was not God, but the Devil who took away Job’s children, health and wealth. And so, if everything happens for a reason, that’s great for us, but from our friend’s perspective, God is sortof a jerk, and honestly, Ashley would prefer to have her memory instead of stumbling into this good fortune! However, Joseph’s disposition toward his brothers is summed up in the verse we read earlier from the 50th chapter of Genesis: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20a). So no - the evening didn’t go exactly as planned, either for us or for our friends. (C) Read full chapter. They had tickets for that night’s performance of Madama Butterfly, but he had gotten ill and they wouldn’t be able to use the tickets. Footnotes. In fact many of these things people believe seem perfectly reasonable… almost Biblical. Thanks for this sermon. Perhaps it gives us the illusion that we understand and are in control of things our feeble human minds will never understand. through this whole sermon. Thank you for posting this. Besides, the name “Myth Busters” belongs to some other group, and I don’t have the budget for pyrotechnics they do. It seems to me that the Bible is not clear on the subject. Christin - Glad you were able to "join us" in the series, and particularly for this message! That's NOT in the Bible! 3 A time to kill, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to build vp. “Everything Happens for a Reason” Romans 8:28. 2 A time to be borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to pluck vp that which is planted. I am a youth pastor and just had one of my kids ask me tonight why the Bible says everything happens for a reason. Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good. I just did a search to find out more about this and your sermon came up. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. No matter how bleak the situation, God can and will work to bring good out of it. Love is the framework from which God operates. Yet even though God didn’t do it, God can still work in it, and use it, and if there is any good to be found, God will find it. Congratulations! Many of them are sorta true, to a point, in the right light, in the right context, but as we’ve seen, they just don’t quite cut it, because God offers us so much more. View Chapter Simple answers and platitudes don't begin to do justice to the complex world in which we live. He ends up providing an invaluable service not only to the people of Egypt but to neighboring countries as well, ensuring that everyone has the food they need. 1. Otherwise, all bets are off. Romans 8:28 Context. The Bible Doesn’t Say That “Everything Happens for a Reason” Romans 8:28 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. Romans 8:28 German Bible Alphabetical: according all And are been called causes for God good have him his in know love of purpose that the things those to together we who work works NT Letters: Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together (Rom. Even in the worst we might go through, no matter how much we hurt, God is there with us, loving us with the calm assurance that in life, in death, in life beyond death, we are not alone. In a nutshell, Joseph is the favored of 12 sons of Jacob, who spoils him and causes the other brothers to resent him. Friends you may have made in the past may no longer be around. One view makes God a monster. In fact, keep your comments PG-rated, but turn to the person next to you and wish them a “Happy Hump Day.”. He wrote the following earlier this week, just two weeks after his 32-year-old daughter die, completely unexpectedly, of a pulmonary embolism. As I stared at my baby in the casket — who did not even resemble herself at that juncture — I was so thankful that the God of the resurrection had a better plan for her than that cold comfort that “It’s all God’s will.” I believe in a God whose Yes to life is louder than death’s No — not because God likes to hold [contradictions] like life and death together in some sort of mysterious unity, but because God is in the trenches with us, fighting the very same evils we fight in this world, like disease, decay, death, suffering, sorrow and sin. (3) The words “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away,” from the lips of Job, are not good theology. "When God shuts a door, h... That's NOT in the Bible! Most of these sayings are little morsels of worldly wisdom, passing themselves off as Godly wisdom. And you know, Myth Busters might have been a more accurate title for this series, but we’re into it now and it’s already been published. We are not going to get to enjoy the fun thing we have planned. There are several different reasons we should consider: sowing and reaping, original sin, and divine providence. It is not a quotation from the Bible, although some people think it is. Whatsoever You Do to the Least of These You Do Unto Me, And the Lion Shall Lie Down with the Lamb. God does not cause all things. Like my brother's suicide was God's plan, or it was God who caused a drunk driver to plow into a car with a mother and her baby?! I felt God's love and presence through the concern and care of so many people. That’s not the role God plays in the story. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”‘. BESIDES romans 8:28, can anyone find any verses from the bible that prove everything happens for a reason to be a fact? These myths or legends are based on false understandings of scripture and they always lead you down the wrong path. Rather, God is found in bonds of friendship and an act of generosity, and in redeeming good out the jaws of brokenness. However, as happens to so many of us, my beloved wife got distracted by the cares of the world, and forgot. They said, “OK, clearly our day is not going to go as planned. When we ask in harmony with God’s will, we must “ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). is an ordained United Methodist pastor with over a decade of leadership experience in the local church. "This too shall pass" (Ro... That's NOT in the Bible! God is not inflicting pain on God’s children, God is not tempting us, God is not testing us. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Period. 1 To euery thing there is a season, and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen. According to Job 1, it was not God, but the Devil who took away Job’s children, health and wealth. God does not terminate sweet children’s lives with pulmonary embolisms. Romans 8:28Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who. That’s the starting point - the reality that God is Love is the trump card in our understanding of God. Romans 8:28. Who Is the Author of Evil? We decided well in advance that we would go to the Melting Pot in Huntersville, and Ashley would make the reservations. Moderation In All Things, Is It In the Bible or Not. I know that Romans 8:28 talks of something similar but I'm curious if there is one that is more specific. Did we want them? What does all this mean? The real story here is not about how everything works out, it’s that we have some amazingly kind and generous friends who were thinking of others even when their day wasn’t going so great. Do you see how different that is than simply saying “Everything happens for a reason”? All these demonstrate that everything does happen for a reason, not just by happenstance or by random chance. Additional file: 2009-12-13 Everything happens for a reason (Romans 8) - Alan Yeater.doc Player needs JavaScript and Flash turned on. Take out your sermon notes as we look at and beyond today’s phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.”, However, on Thursday afternoon, two friends of ours called. In fact. "Everything happens for a reason" (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20) We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. I give it to you, and if there’s anything good to come out of this, please find it.” Saying “everything happens for a reason” keeps us from this honest, raw, and healing place with God. New Living Translation “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to … Someone dies because God has a greater plan. Even so, God is not found in the orchestrating of events that cause Ashley to be forgetful and someone to get sick all for the purpose of sending us to the opera. I was saddened that one of my adult children after having attended an MB church for a few years, left because of the Calvinist theology that God is behind all that happens to us.