Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 4 Study # 3
May 14, 2017
Humble, Texas
(Download Audio)

<091> Thesis:   Believers can be greatly encouraged by the fact that God has always been "intentional" regarding their "good". Introduction:   We have all heard multiple versions of "God works all things out for good" in settings where the "good" is pretty much invisible. In our last study, we looked into the first of the "qualifying" statements where God's "work for good" is true. Only those who "love God" will find that everything has worked out for their good. This "qualifier" is both cautionary and encouraging. Nothing good comes of not loving God, and nothing bad is allowed to determine outcomes for those who do love Him. This evening we are going to look into a second "qualifier". The way the sentence is put together, the second "qualifier" not only "qualifies" the reality that God works all things together for those who love Him, but it also "qualifies" the concept of "those who love Him". In other words, "loving God" is a result of the reality of this second "qualifier". "Loving God" is not a characteristic of anyone who has not experienced His love. John plainly said, "we love Him because He first loved us". Thus, for it to become a characteristic of a person, His love must be expressed to them in a significant way. This second "qualifier" tells us what He does/has done to express His love toward us: He has called us according to purpose.