GOD BACKSTAGE

GOD BACKSTAGE

Romans 8:26-30 NET.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, ²⁹ because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

A few weeks ago, I was out at Saint Paul’s church getting ready for the food bank items to appear. The main shipment comes in a trailer, and we are responsible for unloading that trailer and preparing the items to be distributed. To unload the trailer, we need a tractor with forks attached to it so we can unload the pallets in the trailer. On this particular day, the trailer had not yet arrived, so several of us men were standing around the tractor talking. There was a little boy among us. I don’t think he was quite school-age yet. The tractor driver noticed this little boy. He saw that this little boy was eyeing the tractor in awe. So, the tractor driver called the little boy over to himself. We helped the little boy into the driver’s seat. The tractor driver was still there, but he wanted the little boy to have the thrill of driving that tractor. So, the little boy sat in the tractor driver’s lap and steered that tractor wherever he wanted it to go. And for a few minutes, the little boy enjoyed driving that tractor in circles around the front of the church. We could all see the little boy beaming. He will never forget the first day he drove a tractor. We all know that that little boy was not driving that tractor. He was turning the wheel but not actually in control of the tractor. Someone else was allowing the little boy to have this experience.

I thought about that story when I read today’s passage. The apostle Paul is talking about all that we go through in the process that we refer to as our salvation. But the apostle Paul is describing these things from a different perspective. He’s describing all of the process of human salvation from God’s perspective. He explains that even though we feel that salvation is a complex process for us, God is backstage, ensuring that what he wants to happen happens.

We have been looking at the book of Romans from the standpoint of how it describes the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, we saw in this chapter that God has a beautiful plan for our destiny. Paul called it the revelation of the children of God. When Jesus returns, all God’s plans for us will be revealed. We don’t know about what God has planned for us. We can only speculate about our future. It is hard for us to see beyond the grave. But we know God has a plan for every believer to be part of his restored, revived, renewed universe.

In today’s passage, Paul describes God’s process to get us from where we are now to where he plans us to be. His point is that we can live with confidence today, knowing that God is involved in every step of the process that will lead us to our final destiny. I want to walk us through Paul’s argument in today’s text to show we can have that confidence.

God is backstage in our prayer lives (26).

Paul says that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. In the spiritual realm, we are so weak that we don’t even know how to pray. Jesus once told a story about two men who prayed. One prayed with pride. This man’s prayer never reached heaven. He didn’t know how to pray. Another man prayed, “God be merciful to me, a Sinner.” That prayer reached heaven. What was the difference between the two prayers? Paul says that we do not know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He makes it possible for our prayers to reach heaven. He makes our prayers worthwhile.

He does this by inexpressible groanings. Now, this is not the first time that Paul mentions groanings. Earlier in this chapter, Paul said That God’s children are suffering presently. He said that we groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. We have a hope of eternal life through the gospel. But that hope is not yet realized. We believe in eternal life, yet our bodies continue to grow old and die. We believe what God promised us, but we have not yet experienced the fulfillment of those promises. And so, we groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption and the redemption of our bodies.

But not only do we groan inwardly, but also the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. The universe itself is crying out in need of God’s restoration. Humans can do all we can for conservation, but we need God for restoration. The universe around us is falling apart; it needs another miraculous touch from its creator. And, because we are part of that decaying universe, we also groan inwardly seeking that restoration. But Paul tells us in today’s text that the inner groaning that we are experiencing is not from ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit within us connecting with our eternal God and causing us to long for his destiny for us.

So, there is a specific way in which the Holy Spirit helps us when we pray. He helps us connect with the one who can make a difference in our lives today and for eternity. We don’t know how to pray. We don’t have the words to say. We don’t have the thought processes to communicate what needs to be communicated. So, God’s Holy Spirit steps in and communicates for us backstage. This is not speaking in tongues. This is divine speech that goes beyond tongues. God can say what needs to be said when no language can express it. This happens when you spend hours just in the presence of God, not knowing what to say. God is there and he is filling in the gaps. He’s saying what you would say if you knew how. His divine presence makes a difference even if you cannot feel it.

God is backstage in our thought lives (27).

Paul calls God the one who searches our hearts. He says the Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the Saints according to God’s will. The text says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for the Saints in line with God. That means that something is going on in our thoughts. We are thinking our thoughts, but behind the process backstage, a God ensures that our thoughts align with his thoughts. God has a plan, and we have a plan. But our plan does not always match God’s plan. But God’s Spirit works within our hearts to ensure that the things we plan will eventually result in what God plans. I’m sure you have experienced times when something turns out right with your life and you don’t know why. You also experienced times when you wanted something to happen and it didn’t happen and then you learned that it was best for you that it didn’t happen. Paul is describing God at work behind the scenes in the thought lives of believers. We like to think that we are the ones who are making the decisions for our lives. But the fact is many things affect the decisions that we make. Many things affect the thoughts that we have. Paul is saying that God is behind the scenes like a driving wind in the sails of our lives. He provides the power to turn our lives in the direction he wants them to go. Even our past failures are part of this process. God knows what we are thinking and how to turn our thoughts in the direction he wants them to go.

God is backstage in our circumstances (28).

When our thought lives are in line with God, that is when we know that all things work together for our good. Romans 8:28 is a proof text, and sometimes it’s used as a life verse. But there are certain things that people think that verse says that it does not say. It does not say that all things are good. It says that all things work together for good. There are a lot of bad things that happen in our lives. We are not being faithful to the scriptures if we say that those bad things are good. But we are faithful to scripture if we say that even those bad things are being used by God for our good.

A good Old Testament example of this principle is the life of Joseph. In the book of Genesis, we read about the life of Joseph. We read that his brothers hated him. They hated him so much that they arranged for him to be taken as a slave and moved to Egypt. In Egypt, his bad luck did not improve. He was wrongly accused and wound up as a prisoner. Even when he helped other prisoners out, they forgot him. But eventually the Lord not only rescued him from that prison but enabled him to become a chief official in Egypt. There was a famine in the land and Joseph was in charge of the food supplies of Egypt. That is when he meets his brothers again. When they discover That Joseph is a chief official in the land, they fear for their lives. But Joseph told them not to be angry with themselves because they had sold him into slavery. He said that God had sent Joseph ahead of them to preserve life (Genesis 45:5). Later, after their father died, the brothers were sure that Joseph was going to take his revenge and have them killed. They throw themselves down before him and proclaim that they are his slaves. But Joseph once again reassures them. He says, “You meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people as you can see this day” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph had several horrible things happen to him in his life. But as he reflected on them, he realized God worked in the background in those circumstances. God had a plan, which was for Joseph’s good and the good of all of his people.

The apostle Paul had several bad things happen to him in his life. But he also learned the truth that Joseph had learned. The truth is that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Our circumstances are not God’s means of condemning us. They are the ways that God is using to accomplish his will. We need to gain the proper perspective about our circumstances. We are not victims of blind luck. We are tools that God uses to accomplish his will. It sometimes hurts when God uses us this way. But everything works out for our good and for those who God wants to bless. He is working in the background. He is working backstage in the circumstances of our lives.

God is backstage in our destiny (29).

God has predestined us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. God’s purpose is for Jesus Christ to have many brothers and sisters. While Jesus is God’s unique son, through the process of salvation, he is making more and more children of God. This is God’s destiny for you and me. We are destined to be divine royalty in God’s eternal Kingdom. But our present reality does not conform to that ultimate destiny. What Paul is saying in today’s text is that God is backstage, ensuring that that will happen. He is not leaving our destiny to chance. He is at work in our prayers, at work in our thoughts, in our circumstances to make us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. That should be a comfort to all of us.

When I lived in the Philippines, I noticed something unusual. Some of the most beautiful exotic landscapes and territories were in places that were hard to get to. The roads were bumpy. The lanes were narrow. It took a long time to get to these places. Traveling to these places puts lots of wear and tear on our vehicles. When we got to these unique places, we were always glad we got there. We were always thankful that such beautiful places exist. But getting there was difficult. In today’s text, Paul says that our lives are like that. Getting to our ultimate destination is a tough thing to do. But our ultimate destination is worth it.

One of the things that the apostle Paul taught the churches he established in his missionary tours is “We must enter the Kingdom of God through many persecutions” (Acts 14:22). When we face difficult circumstances as believers, it is not an indicator that we are doing something wrong. It may be verification that we are doing something right. This life that we are living now is not designed to be perfect. It is intended to build in us a perfect heart. If you know your life aims toward a beautiful destiny, you can sing while shackled to the prison floor. Troubles and trials cannot stop you. You know that God is at work backstage in the circumstances of your life. You know that his purpose is your good and your perfect eternal destiny. The glory you will face in the future is worth the trouble you face to get there.

God is backstage in our choices (30).

Finally, in today’s passage, Paul lists five things that must happen in the life of every human being who will eventually be saved. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be predestined. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be called. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be justified. He says that anyone who will be saved will eventually be glorified. Now, every one of us is somewhere on that list. None of us has accomplished everything on the list. The last item is glorification. I look around this room today and I see a lot of people who are on their way to glorification. But none of us are there yet. But the good news that Paul tells us in today’s text — the news that makes all the difference in how we live our lives today is that we are not responsible for one item on the list. All of the pronouns in Romans 8:30 or third person masculine singular. It does not say I predestined; it says he predestined. It does not say I called; it says he called. It does not say I justified myself; it says he justified me. So, Paul concludes the list by saying that God has glorified us. He did it by his sovereign choice, and eventually, it’s going to show in our lives. Paul has already said that we will know we’re glorified when we see Christ when he returns. He said that God’s glory would be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). This will happen the moment we see Jesus Christ descending from the clouds. At that very moment, a transformation will occur in our lives.

The apostle John discussed that transformation. He said, “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is” (1 John 3:2).

The apostle Paul tells us in today’s text that the creative statement from God that will make this happen has already occurred. From God’s standpoint, your glorification has already happened because God has already decreed it. He has already glorified you. You and I have not experienced that glorification yet, but it is just as sure as our justification by the blood of Christ. We are just as sure that we will eventually conform to the image of Christ as we are that the blood of Christ saved us. Our future is inevitable. Our present path may be bumpy. It may be a long row to hoe. But the result is eternal glory And matchless beauty. This is true not because we work for it but because God has decreed it.

You may be a Christian today, but in your heart, you wonder if you will make it. You don’t like your life. You have such a difficult time doing the things you do. They don’t seem to matter. You wonder if you are missing something. You wonder how to be a faithful Christian if life is hard. But God’s word to you from today’s passage is, “Hang on, brother and sister, because God has this. He is in control. The sovereign God who took Joseph from the prison and made him a Prince is in charge of your life. Hang on, brother. Hang on, sister. He is not through with you yet.”