Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The hand of God moves in the lives of his people to bring about good even when what's happening is bad. Through the eye of faith, believers can be sure that a better day is coming and we can live triumphantly no matter what comes our way. From the Moody Church in Chicago. This is Running to Win with Dr.
Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, some listeners may say they cannot sense any good coming from the trials they endure. what is your counsel to them?
Well, Dave, I've thought about these things for many years, and I have to tell you this. Oftentimes we don't see the good that God intends when we have these trials. We don't have to see the good that God has in mind. In order to believe that there are trials that are brought into our lives that are indeed for our good. You know, as you go through life, you discover that there are many things that we do not understand, but one of the things that trials always do is.
They lead us back to God. In that sense they are a reminder that we need him for everything. I'm holding in my hands a book that we believe is going to be a tremendous blessing to you because what it's going to do is to help all of us to see beyond ourselves and the opportunities that God gives us that we often miss. But for now? I want you to listen.
Yeah. Um But I remember taking a clock apart. Was one of these clocks that didn't run, which means it was right twice a day.
Something like some people I know. But I took it apart, and one of the things that I noticed in the back before I did, as you tried to get it to run when you wound it up. is that there were some little wheels. It was full of little wheels. I love these little wheels.
But some of them were going counterclockwise.
Some of them were going the same direction as the clock.
Some of them were going faster.
Some of them were going slower. And some of them were going yes. counter The hands of the clock.
Now, if all that you had was the back of the clock to look at, You'd say to yourself, what possible sense does this make? This is just silly. Here you have a wheel that is in opposite purposes. to the purpose of the clock, but actually not. My friend, today you may be having a very, very bad day.
But mark my word. From God's standpoint, it may be a very, very good day. when everything is against you. When one thing falls on your life right after another, and you are coming up for air and you're saying, How can I take all this stress? How can I take all this disappointment?
How could this have happened, which I could have never predicted? At that moment, God may be saying, You know, it's all working against you, but I'm working for you, and I am working for you to bring about good. God can do that. synergizes the confluence of events. I thought I'd use the word again.
Now. I don't know. Maybe if you're a chemist here, you can come and explain it to me later. But I have no idea how God takes Sodium and chloride, both of them poisons. Take enough of either and they'll kill you.
I don't understand how God takes sodium and chloride and brings them together to create salt. without which we could not possibly live. And salt became such a precious commodity in the old world. That's why even today we still have the expression, is he worth his salt? Because salt was used in bartering.
And you have an entire city in Austria by the name of Salzburg. Saltberg. Einfesterburg is unsregut, a mighty fortress is our God. Salt fortress, literally. Because it is there that the people would have to stop.
The boats would have to stop and pay a toll for using the river. And what was really on those ships was salt. I don't know how God does that. And I don't know how God takes sin over here and sin over there and disappointment over there. And a struggling family over here, and then brings it all together, and in the end, makes something good out of it.
I don't know how God does it, but this much I'm convinced of: He does. Because all things work together for good. To them that love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Do you love him? Are you called?
If you do, you're in the circle. and you benefit from this special work of God. We've considered the certainty of God's purposes, its comprehensiveness, its means. He works it together for good.
Now, a word about the result. He works it together for good.
And what is the good to which he works it?
Now, the thing is, first of all, he obviously works it together for our good because we are his children. for our good. And what God wants to do is to bring goodness out of your life, and He knows that He can't do it if life is just smooth sailing, because you're going to become independent, you're going to become self-absorbed, you will not have to trust very much. Your faith will have to be, it will be okay if your faith is weak. And what God says is: I want to develop something in you that only tragedy can.
I'm going to develop something within you that only pain can bring about. I've told you before, you remember about the sculptor who is asked, how do you make an elephant? And he said it's actually very easy. You take a block of marble and then you just chip away everything that is an elephant. And what God wants to do is to chip away everything in us that isn't Jesus.
We do have a hint at the good to which God is working in the very next verse. You'll notice it says God works all things for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Verse 29: for those whom he foreknew, he predestinated. Oh, I'm so excited about The next sermon in the series, I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait. For those whom he foreknew, I can hardly wait to hear what I'm going to say, by the way.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. All right, and that was for emphasis. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. That's what God is after. And because that's what God is after, he won't stop at anything, including crucifixion.
That's what happened to his first son. God says, I'm intending to work it for your good. This past week was for your Good. But also, we have to stress that it is also for God's good. There's a convergence here.
We could even say confluence. There's a convergence here of God's good and your good and they become one and the same because God says what is good for you is good for me because I'm going to be glorified in you. And the trial of our faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire. Might be found unto glory and honor and praise at the appearing of Jesus Christ, the Bible says, as God works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. There is a purpose.
in your tight budget and in your financial stress. And your health stresses, and on and on and on and on. And Goddess says, I'm working it for your good and for my good too. Because for the Christian They become one and the same. You say, well, Pastor Luther, how do you believe these promises?
I mean, you know, this seems too. It seems too fantastic, and I just can't seem to get my mind around it. One of the best things you and I can do, and I've had to learn this by personal experience. One of the best things that you and I can do, instead of constantly praying about what is on our mind, is to thank God. that he has brought it into our lives.
If you begin a life of praise, you're going to think things differently. It's going to take you above the rat race. It's going to help you to see the bigger picture. And that is to be a thankful Christian who genuinely says, God, I thank you for this trial, this difficulty, and this challenge, because I know that you are working all things together for my good and your glory. Your good to me.
True. You say, well, Pastor Luther, what is the bottom line? Where does this all land? Let me give you two bottom lines today. And if you haven't been taking notes, This would be a time for you to begin.
Should have begun earlier, but you can be forgiven for that if you fill out the right form. Give me a copy. One stays here at the church, and the other is sent on to the Lord. But here's the first: number one, for believers. There are no permanent tragedies.
For believers, there are no permanent tragedies. God weaves, overrides. Converges Displays His power and his grace. in such a way That if you're here today within the circle that I've been talking about, there are no permanent Tragedies. And he's able to bring good.
out of the worst situation.
Some time ago, I read about a pastor whose son committed suicide. Can you even imagine anything that is as bad as that? I find it hard to get my mind around anything that would be worse than a child who commits suicide. The pastor was absent from the pulpit for a number of weeks. But then he came back to his congregation and read.
Romans 8, 28. And then let me tell you what the pastor said to the congregation. He said, I cannot make my son's death fit into any passage. or make sense out of it in any way. It is impossible for me to see how any good can come of it.
Yet I realize I see only a part. And then he referred to what he called the miracle of the shipyard, and this is what he said. He said, when you look at a modern ship, it is almost all steel. If you take any individual part, and you take that part and put it in the ocean, it will drown. And we know that to be true because steel doesn't float.
So you take the individual pieces. and they all sink. But Because of how the pieces are put together, he says, when the last rivet. is put into the ship. The ship Floats.
against all odds. And now I continue his own words. Taken by myself, my son's suicide is senseless. Throw it into the sea of Romans 8.28. and it sinks.
I can see no good in it. But when the master shipbuilder has finally finished, Even this tragedy will be built together. to serve gods. Unsinkable. Purpose.
Wow. Takes your breath away. What faith? Senselessness, absolutely senseless. There's no good that can come of this, there's no good outcome that you can have, but.
Even though it doesn't float. Because we serve the master shipbuilder when the last rivet has been put into his purposes. It'll float. All things. Work together for good to them that love God.
Because to the Christian there is no permanent. Tragedy. Tragedy is plenty, absolutely, but they're never permanent. Eternity. is coming.
But there's another lesson that you need to learn, and that is this: to the non-Christian, There are no permanent triumphs. To the non-Christian, there are no permanent triumphs. And now I'm speaking to those of you who are without, outside of the circle that we've been talking about. This promise does not apply to you. Because you don't love God and you are not called according to His purpose, so far as you know.
And for you, there are no permanent triumphs because anything that you achieve in this life will not last, and eternity is coming, and it is a very long time. Time. And you may exist for God's good, but you will never find that you will exist for your own good. Ultimately. best example I know of.
There's a story in the New Testament about Judas. You know, sometimes I think we get a wrong view of Judas. Judas was not the kind of person who'd come into church late, sit in the back row, and then leave when the final hymn was being sung so that he didn't have to talk to anybody. That was in Judas. Judas was the kind of man who was a part of the disciples, and the disciples themselves never knew that he was.
He was an unbeliever. In fact, in the upper room, when Jesus said, one of you shall betray me. To the everlasting credit of the disciples, they all said, Is it I? Could it be me? Because they never suspected Judas.
He's the kind who would volunteer to teach a TMC community and. think that he should be on the deacon board. That's the kind of guy Judas was. But you know, of course. His tragedy, he ended up betraying Christ.
But here's what Jesus said of Judas: this is really. Really mind-boggling. Jesus said, it would have been good for that man. If he had never been born. See Judas.
no matter how much he achieved as a disciple of Jesus, no matter how much money he was able to steal. And you remember, he did do that. Despite all that, Judas. Had no permanent triumphs. And he existed ultimately for God's good, but he never existed for his own good.
It would have been better for him, it would have been good for him. If he had not been born, Now you say, Pastor Luther, so what is this all about if I'm, quote, outside the circle? Here's what I want to tell you today. If you find within your heart that while I am speaking, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to you. And you say to yourself, I want to respond to Christ.
I want to believe on him. I want to be a God lover. I want to be called according to his purpose. That's a good sign that the work of the Spirit is taking place in your life. And I urge you today to believe in Jesus and respond to that call.
And I know that there are some of you who are listening to me today and you know exactly who you are. You know exactly who you are. Because the Holy Spirit has given you a sense of sin, the Holy Spirit has given you a sense of your own need, and you know that Jesus is the Savior. And right now, even as I speak, The call of God. is happening in your heart.
If you trust Christ. Not on the basis of your good works. but to trust what he did for you on the cross and in the resurrection, believing that for yourself that Jesus died in your place to redeem you. And you respond to that. You'll be able to leave here today saying, now I know.
For myself, it's true that all things Work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called. according to his purpose. Let's bow together in prayer. Father, how can we even begin to think about the implications? of someone like Judas.
I pray today, Father, that there are those who have never trusted Christ as Savior, and we don't know who they are because they may be involved in the church. Cause them to believe at this moment. Implant love in their hearts. Show them their need for a Savior. and may they savingly believe on Jesus.
Do that in their lives, and for those of us who have trusted Christ. Oh, we pray that we may leave here with a new sense of optimism and faith, saying, There is something that we don't know, but there's also something we know. And now before I close this prayer. What do you need to say to God as a believer or an unbeliever, even where you are seated or up in the balcony or watching on the internet? or listening by C D or radio right now, You can say Jesus I receive you as my Savior.
I trust you. Tell him that. Help us, Father, today we pray, for we are needy. And grant us your grace and enliven our faith, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
This is Pastor Lutzer. I want to ask you a question. Where are you on your spiritual journey?
Some of you have never trusted Christ as Savior. Many of you listening have done that. You know for sure that you're a child of God, but you're asking this question, what does God want me to do? I want you to think about this. You know, the book of Jeremiah is a very interesting book because here's this young prophet sent to a very needy nation.
But In the call of God to Jeremiah, The Lord said, I am sending you. Let me ask you, do you see yourself as sent? I'm holding in my hands a book entitled Sant. and it's based on the fact that we are sent into this world by Jesus Christ. What this book enables us to do is to witness, very naturally, We don't have to be trained, although that oftentimes is helpful.
and it will enable us to be able to reach people for Jesus Christ right where we are. That's my promise to you. I hope that you receive your copy. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-288. 218. ninety three thirty seven. I endorsed this book some time ago. because what it helped me to do also.
is to see the fact that opportunities to witness are all around us and we don't recognize that God is already working in people's hearts. to bring them Right now go to rtwoffer. Yeah. It's time once again for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. A listener named Jim is trying to work through some issues that go back to his childhood.
Here is his story. Throughout my life my parents heaped guilt on me for many things, and I now find myself feeling guilty about everything. What can I do about this? Jim, thank you so much for asking this question, and I'd like to just give you some insight that I am praying will help you. and set you on a different path.
First of all, we have to distinguish between false guilt and real guilt. Nothing wrong with real guilt if we're guilty, but oftentimes in situations like yours, You're supposed to feel guilty about everything. Apparently that's the way in which your parents treated you. And so along with this guilt I predict that there is also some shame, some sense of failure continually. What you need to do is to realize that what your parents did was wrong, and turn from an internal sense of this false guilt turn to God.
And a couple of things. First, recognize that God has totally and completely forgiven you. You need to realize that. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ. This continual low-grade condemnation is not coming from God.
It's coming from somewhere else, from yourself. and possibly also from Satan.
Now what you need to do is to reprogram your mind. Rather than you thinking of yourself as your parents child and continually the kind of negativity that they pumped into you. Think of yourself as a child of the king. Just like uh you know a computer has to be reprogrammed. Or reformatted, maybe I can use that word.
In the very same way our minds have to be reformatted. We have to think of who we are in Christ. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is wisdom, sanctification. and redemption. Read Romans chapter 8 where we are assured that we are God's children and that we can call him Abba.
Receive from God the strength that you need to think of yourself differently. To think of yourself as a child of God, fully received. Fully accepted. and simply do not dwell on the kind of negativity that your parents put into you. There's hope out there, Jim.
Take advantage of it through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Some Encouraging Counsel from Dr. Erwin Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.
Running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. When believers mature in the faith, they realize that salvation is not a result of our seeking God. Rather, it's the result of God choosing us first.
Next time I'm running to win, why, if God had not done this, none of us would ever have chosen Him. Don't miss a message on You Have Been Chosen Forever. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
