SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 7/19/26

Nothing in your life is pointless. Whether it’s the good, the bad, or the ugly, there is a purpose for it all. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 8:28-30
TITLE: Unstoppable Glory
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God is using everything in your story to bring you to His glory.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: “What’s the point?”

“How often have you said, “What’s the point?” not to your bugging spouse but to God? When the heartache, difficulty, and disappointments of life strike, how often is your response discouraged, downcast, or even defiant—Lord, what’s the point?”

“We can all relate, but take heart! Romans 8:28-30 not only tells us what the point is but also promises the outcome. God is using everything in your story to bring you to His glory.”

“Nothing in your life is pointless. Whether it’s the good, the bad, or the ugly, there is a purpose for it all. God is moving you from one glory to another until you reach the glories of heaven. In this work, God is unstoppable. God is using everything in your story to bring you to His glory.”

“Paul begins our passage by admitting that what he is about to say is nothing new. He says—And we know. What follows is very familiar. Romans 8:28 is one of the best-known passages in the Bible. How many times have you used it to find comfort and confidence in your life and to help others do the same?”

“At the same time, Romans 8:28 is one of the hardest truths in the Bible to accept and to believe with joy, peace, and contentment. So what do we know according to 28?
- We know that God is at work in His people
- We know that God’s work is for our good
- We know that God’s work is not aimless; it’s purposeful.”

“We know this. We are grateful for it. We love it. God is powerfully, persistently, and purposefully at work in us—AMEN! Here’s the hard part: Romans 28 says God works ALL things together for our good. Every circumstance in your life, including the really hard things—the miscarriage, the wayward child, the chronic pain, the painful chapter in your marriage, the mystery illness, the unreasonable boss, the hostile neighbor—ALL of it is being used by God for your good, according to His purpose for you.”

“God’s not saying—’I wasn’t expecting that but I think I can make it work.’ There isn’t a single thing in your life that fails to accomplish God’s purpose for you because everything in your story, not just the good things, not just the nice things, not just the comfortable things, but ALL things is part of that purpose. None of it is by chance. None of it is in vain. None of it is pointless. There is always a point, and it’s a profound one because it ALL comes from your Abba Father’s loving hand and He is perfectly used by Him to fulfill His purpose in you.”

“It’s called providence. Without getting technical, it means God has ordained all things and is using all things to bring about His redemptive purposes in and through you. Scripture presents two powerful examples. Joseph and his brothers: Genesis 50:20. What you meant for evil, God meant for good… to save many people. Jesus and the cross: Acts 2:23 and 4:27 say that the horrific death of Jesus was ultimately from the hand of God, according to His purposes. The most horrible thing that ever happened led to the most wonderful thing that could ever happen—Jesus’ death became our life!”

“And now, God is providentially working ALL things for our good. I want you to take note of the word good in 28. Earlier, I said that Romans 8:28 is one of the hardest truths in the Bible to believe. I think that’s because we wrongly define good. What does Paul mean by good? He tells us—read 29”

“Our highest good, the good Paul has in mind here, is being conformed to the image of Jesus as we wait for our full glorification at Christ’s return. That is God’s ultimate purpose for us and our highest good.”

“The preparation for this future glory is called progressive sanctification, or, as 29 puts it, being conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

“Through the gospel, you have been saved. You are now united with Christ, who went before us, paving the way for our adoption into the family of God through his life and death. Now God is working out His gospel purposes in you, causing you to look more and more like the royal child of God you already are. God is making you more like Jesus in your character, thoughts, affections, and behavior. To that end, God uses whatever means He deems necessary to bring about His gospel purposes in you. He knows exactly what we need to move us closer to Him and to conform us more fully to Christ.”

“But God’s sanctifying work is moving us toward something. Progressive sanctification isn’t an end; it’s a means. God is preparing us for His eternal glory. Look at what Paul says next—read 29-30. Scholars call these verses the Golden Chain of Salvation because they explain the stages of God’s redemptive work from beginning to end. I’m going to give you a snapshot of each one.”

“Foreknowledge (29) For those he foreknew…Translation: God foreloved you. That’s what you’ll learn when you study the word know in the context of God and His people, particularly in the OT. This foreknowledge isn’t merely that God knew facts about you. The point isn’t that God looked down the corridors of time and saw you would respond to Him favorably. It’s an intimate, affectionate knowing. In the words of John Murray, it’s a sovereign and distinguishing love. God set His love on you and set you apart for Himself in eternity past.”

“Predestination (29) Those he foreknew he predestined…The verb predestined means to be decided beforehand. The Bible calls sinners to repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a real decision we must willingly make in order to be saved. That said, we can never take credit for our salvation because ultimately, God has our destiny planned out. He fixed the moment of your salvation in eternity past according to His good pleasure. You decided to follow Christ because God had already decided it for you. That’s predestination. God knew you and set His love on you in eternity past, and He began to put His foreknowledge of you into effect by predestining you to salvation.”

“Calling (30) And those whom he predestined he also called…This calling refers to the moment you heard and believed the gospel. In one sense, there is an open invitation for all to come to Jesus whenever the gospel is proclaimed. This calling in 30 is the effectual call that makes grace saving grace irresistible.The moment you heard the gospel and believed, through the Holy Spirit's regenerative work, is the moment you were called to follow Jesus. You believed because God foreknew you and predestined you to believe. So in God’s perfect timing, you willingly believed in Jesus!”

“Justification (30) and those whom he called he also justified…We have talked a lot about justification lately because it’s at the heart of Romans. The moment you placed your faith in Jesus, you were declared not only forgiven but righteous in the eyes of God. By virtue of your faith union with Jesus, you were robed in his perfect righteousness, and that is the lens through which God now sees you. Holy and without blemish!”

“Glorification (30) and those whom he justified he also glorified. Our glorification is what we talked about last week. It is that moment when Jesus returns, we receive our resurrection bodies, and we will be made like him in every way. It is the consummation of our salvation that 1 Thes 4 and 1 Cor 15 reveal. All will be made right in the presence of Jesus, as we will finally and fully be saved! If you’re a Christian, this is where it’s all going. This is the point of the circumstances in your life. The prosperity and pleasures. The sin and suffering. The heartaches and headaches of life. God is using it all to prepare you to enter His glory!”

“Did you notice the tense of glorification? It’s the only step in the Golden Chain of Salvation that has yet to come. Those God foreknew, He predestined. Those He predestined, He called. Those He called, He justified. All of that miraculous and glorious work of God is complete. Yet Paul states our glorification in the past tense. Because it is God doing the work—He, He, He—the work will be completed. The glorification that will be ours when Christ returns is so certain that it’s as good as done. I am sure of this—God will finish the work He began in you (Phi 1:6).”

“Nothing in your life is pointless. God is using everything in your story to bring you to His glory. In this, He is unstoppable. So take heart and embrace His work as your friend, so you will fully benefit as you await your full entry into His glory.”

QUOTES:
John Stott - “On it believers of every age and place have stayed their minds. It has been likened to a pillow on which we rest our weary heads.”

Thomas Schreiner - “God’s unstoppable purpose in calling believers to salvation cannot be frustrated, and thus he employs all things to bring about the plan he had from the beginning in the lives of believers.”

APPLICATION:
So how can we benefit from this precious passage? How can we grow in seeing our trials as friends because through them God is bringing about His gospel purposes in us? 

1. Cherish Romans 8:28-30 as a gift from God because it is.

Imagine a world without Romans 8:28-30. What assurance would we have, and where would our confidence come from amid suffering? In a world without Romans 8:28-30, we would be left to believe that there is no good and that no goodness could ever come from our trials and suffering. In a world without Romans 8:28-30, we would be left wondering whether we are alone in our suffering and whether it’s all in vain. In a world without Romans 8:28-30, we would be vulnerable to believing that our purpose, not God’s, is why we exist.

Are you living as if Romans 8:28-30 didn’t exist? Good news! We have Romans 8:28-30. God has given us this passage as a gift. Give your mind to it. Give your heart to it. Give your time and energy to it by memorizing it. Give your fellowship to it.

2. Embrace God’s gospel work in you as a friend because it is. Read “Perspective in Trials” in The Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent

3. Don’t limit God’s purpose to yourself because it’s much bigger than you. ILLUSTRATION: Imagine I was unjustly fired from my job. As a Christian, you are part of God's greater purposes. He is saving sinners. He is building His kingdom. He is preparing His church for heaven. And yes, God is using your trials and sufferings to conform you to Christ and, at times, to bring about His purposes in others, bringing them to glory. What a privilege!

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
All Sufficient Merit
All Things

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 8:31-39

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE ONE OF OUR BOOKS OF THE QUARTER: