The Divine Alchemist

Oftentimes, when we go through a difficult patch in life, we scratch our head as we struggle through and wonder when it will end. The trial we are in may be brief and severe, or it may be ongoing and protracted. But either way, these times of adversity and affliction can end up being our greatest learning experiences in the school of Christ, where the Master Teacher works all things according to his plan for our good and his glory.

We see this truth in Romans 8.28 which declares, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to his purpose. The title of my message today, friends, is The Divine Alchemist, and I want us to explore this theme of God's sovereignty in all things. There are three aspects from our text in Romans 8.28 that I want us to see today.

1. His Plan 2. His Providence 3. His Purpose In the book of Job we find a man thrust into the midst of calamity and personal tragedy which is unrivaled in the pages of my Bible. Job does not see God's higher purpose behind all of these tragic events, but he has to endure them and live through them. Job wasn't privy to the conversation that occurred in heaven between Satan and God concerning Job, and as Job is buffeted by Satan, who as a thief is trying to rob God's glory, Job wonders why all these things have befallen him.

But as we come to the end of the book of Job, as readers we get a better understanding of the events which have transpired in his life. Although Job is never given an explanation from God for these events, we see the fruits of the principle of Romans 8.28 working out in his life that God has a plan for your life as a reality friend. This plan, design, is a heavenly blueprint for your life, and as it unfolds in your life through your life experiences, in the school of Christ you will experience more of Christ as you become more conformed to his image, as the Holy Spirit works sanctifying grace in you to make you more Christ-like.

God's plan for your life will be revealed to you at the judgment seat of Christ, where Jesus at that time will unroll his blueprint for your life as he touches on all the hidden parts and reveals them to you then from his perspective, by his providence, and then with a smile he will point to that blueprint and exclaim, just according to plan. 2. His Providence That all things work together for good, our text tells us. Our Heavenly Father, who has our best interests at heart, is currently working his plan for us in our lives by his good providence.

And lastly, 3. His Purpose Our text in Romans says, according to his purpose. I'll always remember a story that Stephen Oford related about his uncle in England who was a pharmacist. One day Stephen Oford went to visit his uncle at his shop and he found him in a back room leaning over a long table with various vials and mixing bowls.

His uncle took a colored liquid and poured it in the bowl. Then he added a little white powder and stirred it all together to make a medicine to help someone. And Stephen Oford commented, as I watched him there, leaning over his table, mixing his chemical ingredients together, my thoughts ran to God in his sovereignty, who does the same in our lives.

God, as the divine alchemist, takes a little bit of this and a little bit of that and mixes them together for our good and for his glory. I like that story, don't you, friends? Romans 8.28 declares to each of us that God has a plan, a heavenly blueprint for our lives. That he is working out in our lives according to his plan and his providence for our good and his glory according to his purpose.

Let us pray.