Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People? | Part 2

From the Love We're Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler, here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love We're Finding.

Kerry, today Adrian Rogers picks up part two in a message, Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People? Now, we're in this series that's called Foundations for Our Faith, and we encourage our friends to go to LWF.org, and you can binge listen to the entire series and catch up and to continue where we are today. Everything's at your fingertips, right? LWF.org, it's there.

Go and take advantage of all of that. Romans chapter 8 is where we're going to pick up today in our text. And I remember Adrian Rogers saying more than one time that if he was stranded on an island, that the book of Romans would be the book he'd like to have. And if there's only one chapter, it would be Romans chapter 8.

It would be. Hey, nothing can separate us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. And, you know, we don't live by appearances and explanations. We live by God's promises. And I'm also honing in on the fact that our job is not to observe other people.

Our job is to be obedient. Well, you know, God's eternal purpose is to make you and I more like Jesus, and we can rest assured that His promise is going to be fulfilled. God will always complete the work that He begins, even when we face the harshest, cruelest times of life.

Well, that's true. And I think also for us as we look at, you know, why do good things happen to bad people? You know, for the unbeliever, this is as good as it gets, right? Our joy is to come. And so I think we continue to keep our eyes fixed upon Him. And as Dr. Rogers would say, we never demand to understand.

Well, and Adrian Rogers also said we don't live by appearances or explanations. We live by promises. Amen. Amen. You know, it's hard to claim the promises of God. Well, we don't stand on the commandments of God. Kerry, it's our privilege to hear from our Love We're Finding friends, and we get some wonderful responses as they hear the programs.

And I think you've got something now. I do, as Pastor Rogers has been one of my favorite preachers since I started listening and watching about 20 years ago. God continues to use His messages to share Christ's love worth finding. I am so thankful for His love for the Lord and love to see the lost saved. He's part of the 20 year club.

20 year club. You know, think about that and love to see the lost saved. What a great indicator that He's been born again because He has a passion for the lost. Well, I also think that the programs are influencing His being a disciple, as you say. And that's one of the things that the resources at LWF.org can provide.

And we've got a tremendous offer this month. We've got a great heart bound new journal entitled Good Morning, Lord. And it's inspired by the Bible study method found in Adrian Rogers teachings. And this devotional points you to scripture, to prayer and to praise every day.

You know, a lot of folks say, hey, how do I go about having a prayer time or how do I journal? Go get Good Morning, Lord. Get a copy for yourself. Get a copy for somebody else and enjoy. Go to the website LWF.org or you can call 1-877-LOVEGOD and get your copy.

Get two copies, one to give away. Here with part two of a message, why do good things happen to bad people? Here's Adrian Rogers. Sometimes you'll know that God will engineer by His providence circumstances that look evil to us.

But they're not evil. God just has that wonderful plan. Somewhere years ago I read about a boy who had a twisted foot. And the boy had to walk on the side of his foot. And he was handicapped. His father, who was a loving man, took that boy to the best orthopedic surgeons and specialists.

But they said, no, we can't do anything. All of his life he will walk on the side of his foot. Well, that father would not give up. He began to study.

He took his self-prescribed course in orthopedics and medicine and began to study about bones and ligaments and sinews. And he decided he was going to straighten his boy's foot even if the doctors would not. And he worked and built a box. And in that box he put some screws that went into that box that could be tightened from the outside and padded those screws on the inside and put that box on that boy's foot and began to tighten those screws until the boy cried out in pain. And he said, son, I love you.

Just trust me. That night the boy went to sleep with that wooden box on. The next day he got up and the father tightened the screws a little more. And the boy would cry out in pain.

And the father would comfort him. And the boy had to go around with that big box on his foot. But there came a time when the father said, son, I'm going to take the box off of your foot now. And he took the box off and the foot was straight. And that father had through love and tenderness and yet causing the boy some pain had straightened that foot.

And the boy put his arms around that father and said, father, I love you. Thank you. It hurt. It was painful. But thank you.

Thank you for what you did. That father had a purpose in what he did. Sometimes the things that God does, they don't seem to be good to us, but they are good. And Joseph, 17 years, he was suffering. His brothers had sold him into slavery. You remember the caravan of Ishmaelites came and bought young Joseph.

He's carried into Egypt and there he's lied upon by Potiphar's wife and he languishes in prison, but he finally becomes the prime minister of Egypt. Let me read a really great verse for you. Genesis chapter 50 and verse 20. Joseph is talking later to his brothers, but as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. It was God that brought that caravan of slave traders. It was God that caused the famine in Israel and it was God who overruled the lie of Potiphar's wife. Friend, listen.

Listen to me very carefully. Don't read Romans 8, 28 to say that all things are good. All things are not good.

There's some terrible things in this world. The point is not that things are good, it is that God is good. That it is God that is good. As a matter of fact, put in your margin Ephesians 1 verse 11. It says, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Here's the first thing I want you to write down.

Put this down. Look, I am graced with his purpose. I'm going to be like Jesus. Number two, I am guided by his providence. God is working all things together.

That word working is the Greek word that we get our English word synergy from. There is a synergy of divine energy where God is working all things together for good. Robert Ketchum said, God is too good to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. Now, here's the third thing I want you to write down.

We're trying to answer the question, why do good things happen to bad people? Well, number one, I'm graced by his purpose. He's going to make me like Jesus. Number two, I am guided by his providence. He is working all things together for my good and his glory. Number three, write down, I am guarded by his power. I am guarded by his power.

Look in verse 31. What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Now, there are a lot of people who would like to be against you. Don't get the idea that this world will honor you if you serve the Lord Jesus.

This world will break your neck if it can. But just remember this, if God be for you, if God be for you, and that word for literally has the idea there of God being in your place. He died for you.

He died as your substitute. It doesn't only mean that if God is on your side, it literally means if God is in your place. If God be for you, if God is your substitute in the Lord Jesus Christ, if he is in your place, who can be against you? Think about it.

Whoever comes against you is really coming against the one who stands for you. Satan wants you to doubt. Satan wants you to have questions in your mind. Did you know that Satan loves to put questions in your mind? Did you know Satan loves to ask questions, insinuating questions? The first time as we see him in the Garden of Eden, as he crawls his slimy, corroding path unto the pages of history, he says to Eve, yeah, hath God said?

It's a question. It was a question there that was to inculcate doubt in the heart and the mind of Eve. Hath God said? Why, he even has the audacity to ask God questions, insinuating questions.

Huh. Does Job serve God for naught? Now, I'd like to ask the devil some questions. I'm going to give you five questions right now out of the Word of God, five questions the devil cannot answer. Now, what we're talking about is this, that we are guarded by God's power. And when you see these five questions that Satan cannot answer, then you're going to say, thank God, hallelujah.

No matter what happens, I know that God is watching over me. All right, look, here's the first question in verse 31. What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? That is question number one. Write down no intimidation.

No intimidation. Remember, God is in our place. Jesus died for us. And so when Satan comes to intimidate us, he's literally coming against God himself. Isaiah 41, beginning in verse 13. For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, for I will help thee.

Now, watch this. Fear not, thou worm, W-O-R-M, thou worm, Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Now, that's a pretty good partnership, God and a worm. Friend, I tell you what, I'd rather be a worm with God on my side than be a bull elephant all by myself, hadn't you?

He said, don't be afraid, little worm. I am with you. God is with you. Now, listen, devil, I want to ask you a question. If God be for me, who can be against me?

That's the idea. If God is in my place, I may be a worm, but he's the Almighty. Second question I want to ask the devil, and it's found in verse 32. Look at it. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Devil, I want to ask you that question.

Put down, dear friend, not only no intimidation, no deprivation. I mean, listen, if God gave Jesus, I don't have to doubt any more promises. I mean, if he loved me enough to give his son, I want you to see the logic of what Paul is talking about.

Paul has great logic. He says, listen, for if he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up freely for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Now, friend, if he would give the great gift of Jesus while we were sinners, what's he going to do for us now that we're his children? If he gave the great gift when we didn't even ask, what will he give for the asking?

I mean, if he gave Jesus, would he withhold anything else? If you were to say to me, Adrian, can I have your son? I want to take your firstborn, Steve. What do you want to do with Steve? Well, I want to lie on him, beat him, abuse him, strip him naked and nail him to a cross.

That's what I want to do with him. No, you can't have my son. No, you can't have my son. But suppose I loved you enough for whatever reason, I said, yes, you can have my son. And then you said, can I have his basketball and his bicycle also and his blue jeans?

I say, are you kidding? If I'd give you my son, do you think I'd withhold a basketball, a bicycle and the blue jeans? Friend, he who spared not his own son, how shall not also with him freely give us all things? I mean, if God gave the first gift, the best gift, everything else comes with Jesus and there is no intimidation. If God before us, who can be against us?

There is no deprivation. Now, here's another question I want to ask you, Mr. Devil. Here's the third question. It's found in verse 33. Look at it. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Write down no incrimination.

No incrimination. You know, the devil would like to blame you. He's the accuser of the brethren. Now, it doesn't say who would like to charge us.

It literally means who is qualified to do so. Satan will try. Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 says he is the accuser of the brethren. But friend, how can we be condemned?

Who can lay any charge against us when Colossians tells us that he took all those things out of the way and nailed them to the cross and when he died, he said, Pay it in full and God will never bring us into double jeopardy and blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. So now watch. Look at it. No intimidation. If God before us, who can be against us? No deprivation.

If Jesus died for us, how shall not also with him freely give us all things? Watch it. No incrimination. Who is he that can lay any charge to us?

Nobody. Nobody can lay a charge against any child of God. And then here's another question I want to ask Mr. Devil. It's found in verse 34. Who is he that condemneth? Paul is full of questions, isn't he?

I love these questions. Who is he that condemneth? Write down no condemnation. No condemnation. Now, there are a lot of people who try to condemn you.

Have you ever been told to go to hell? Live long enough. Somebody will tell you that.

Come up close. I want to tell you something. You don't have to. You don't have to.

Why? Because this verse begins, this chapter begins, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. We have been saved. You see, the only one who would be qualified to condemn us is the one who died for us. And the Bible says he ever lives to make intercession for us. And certainly the one who died for us and makes intercession for us is the only one who could possibly condemn us, and he is not going to condemn us because it's very clear here in the Word of God. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Do you know if somebody tells me to go to hell, you know why I'm not going? Because there's one with a nail-pierced hand at the right hand of the Father praying daily for me. He ever lives to make intercession for me. All right, now here's the fifth question the whole devil can't answer.

And I love these questions. Who shall separate us? Look, if you will, in verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Devil!

What can separate me from the love of Christ? Satan says, oh, I'll tell you what can do it. Tribulation can do it. Distress can do it. Persecution can do it. Famine can do it. Nakedness can do it. Peril can do it.

Sword can do it. I say, devil, you're bluffing. Nothing can do it. He doesn't say these things are not going to happen to us. They happen to Paul. They may happen to you. But these things don't separate you from the love of Christ. They draw you all the closer to the Lord.

Now, you think about these five questions. I'm talking now, dear friend, about the fact that we're guarded by his power. There is no intimidation. There's no deprivation. There's no incrimination. There's no condemnation.

There's no separation. And God's people said, amen. He said, listen, folks, this is why good things happen to bad people.

It is called the grace of Almighty God. Now, let's move on to the last of these four truths that I want to write upon your heart. Number one, I am graced by God's purpose. Number two, I am guided by God's providence. Number three, I am guarded by God's power. Number four, I am gladdened by God's presence. Look, if you will, in verse 38 and 39. Paul dips his pen in golden glory right here. I mean, this... Romans 8 is the heart of the whole thing, friend, and this is the climax of the heart right here.

Look at it. For I am persuaded. Here he is. Here's the old apostle Paul. He's coming to the end now, folks. Nothing has ever been written in all literature more glorious than this. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No matter where, the darkest night, the most lonely road, death can't separate me from his love.

Life can't separate me. Angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, death, and in case you left out anything, nor any other creature. Friend, when you have sorrow and sickness, he's there.

He's never stopped loving you. Paul does not say that these things will not happen. He's saying, no, in all of these things, not in the absence of all of these things, but in all of these things, we're more than conquerors. Not that we kick a field goal the last three seconds.

Super conquerors in all of these things. We have some people right now who have a malignancy, gnawing away at their body. I want to tell you some things that cancer cannot do. Cancer cannot cripple love. Cancer cannot shatter hope. Cancer cannot corrode faith. Cancer cannot eat away peace. Cancer cannot destroy confidence. Cancer cannot kill friendship.

Cancer cannot shut out memories. Cancer cannot silence courage. Cancer cannot evade the soul. Cancer cannot reduce eternal life. Cancer cannot quench the Spirit of God. And cancer cannot lessen the power of the resurrection. That's how limited cancer is, friend.

I want to tell you, death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor death, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Isn't that great news? You know, the Indians, when a young boy would come to the age, it was time for him to become a brave, to go from a little boy into a young brave. They, in some Indian tribes, they would do this. They would take that boy out into the deep forest with the wild animals and predators. And they would draw a circle on the ground out there in the middle of the forest. And they'd take that little Indian boy out there and they'd put him in that circle. And they would say, Son, you are to stay in that circle by yourself in these deep woods all night long. And then they would go off.

The little boy would be there in the circle. He could hear the coyotes, the hoot owls. He could hear the screeches of the wild creatures out there. And he's there surrounded by all of that danger, by himself in that circle, forbidden to leave that circle. The little Indian boy would get on the ground and just tremble and quiver and whimper and cry.

Until finally about two in the morning, they would drop off to sleep out of sheer exhaustion. In the morning when the sun would come up, that Indian boy would look up and there standing outside that circle with a drawn bow would be his father who had been there all night long watching over him. And friend, there's a circle. It's the circle of God's grace. It's the circle of God's love. God means you no harm.

He wants to grow you. But I tell you, standing outside that circle is Almighty God, our Father, watching over us. Aren't you glad that good things can happen to bad people like we are? That we're graced. We're graced with his purpose.

He's going to make us like Jesus. We're guarded by his providence that all things are working together for good to those who love God. Oh, precious friend, we're guarded by his power.

There are five questions the devil can't answer because of the power of God. And we're gladdened with his presence for there's nothing that can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Glory, hallelujah.

That's a wonderful truth to cling to today, isn't it? Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Now, if you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus Christ, how to place your faith fully in him and what he has done for you, let us offer you an insightful resource on our website. It's our Discover Jesus page. There you'll find answers you may need about your faith. We have a response section. You can share how this message can help you. We have a response section. You can share how this message or others have made a difference in your life or share your testimony as well.

Simply go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Let us hear from you today. Well, as you study the book of Romans, specifically chapter eight as we've been in today, remember this, nothing can separate us from God's love. Adrian Rogers said, we live by promises or consequences or explanations. We live by promises. We hope you'll join us next time on Love Worth Finding.