A Treasure You Must Not Miss

Message Summary:

In this transformative message, Chuck Swindoll invites believers to step into a new year with a “treasure” that is often quoted but rarely fully claimed: the promise of Romans 8:28. Chuck observes that many people approach life with a sense of frustration, irritation, and disappointment, treating each new season as a mere repetition of the old. However, he argues that the Holy Spirit provides a “Resident Dynamic” that allows us to view our lives through the lens of God’s providence. By exploring the “synergy” of God’s work, Chuck demonstrates that even the most bitter ingredients of our existence are being blended by a Master Chef into a final product that is ultimately for our good and God’s glory.

The core of this teaching centers on the “Golden Chain” of God’s redemptive plan—a series of five unbreakable links that span from eternity past to eternity future. Chuck emphasizes that our security does not rest on our feelings or our circumstances, but on the settled conviction that God is the active agent in “all things.” This study is designed to stabilize the believer’s faith, moving us away from a “victim mentality” toward the realization that we are being intentionally shaped into the image of Jesus Christ. The goal of this message is to help the listener claim this treasure, ensuring that they walk in the assurance that God’s plan is unfolding with perfect precision, even when the daily script of life seems chaotic.

Message Key Facts:

• The Synergy of “All Things”: Chuck uses the vivid illustration of a cake to explain how God “works all things together.” He notes that while raw flour, bitter vanilla, and a raw egg are unappetizing on their own, a skilled baker knows how to blend them into something delicious. Similarly, the “all things” of our lives—the tragedies, the delays, and the triumphs—are being blended by the Spirit to produce a result that is “good.” He emphasizes that the “good” God intends is not necessarily our Earthly comfort, but our spiritual maturity.
• The “And We Know” Policy: Chuck points out that Paul begins this foundational promise with the words “And we know.” He argues that this is not a guess or a wish, but a settled, dogmatic conviction (oida). This knowledge acts as an internal anchor, allowing the believer to remain calm when the “rattling tests” of life occur, because they are convinced that God is the primary actor in every scene.
• The Two-Fold Condition: Chuck clarifies that the “treasure” of Romans 8:28 is not a universal promise for everyone, but a specific promise for two groups who are, in reality, the same people: those who love God and those who are called according to His purpose. This highlights the intimate relationship and the sovereign initiation of God in the life of the believer.
• The “Golden Chain” of Five Links: Chuck unpacks the unbreakable sequence of God’s redemptive work in verses 29 and 30:
  1. Foreknew: This is not just God knowing facts ahead of time, but an intimate, elective love from eternity past.
  2. Predestined: God “marked out the boundaries” for our lives beforehand, with the specific goal of making us like Jesus.
  3. Called: The “internal pull” of the Spirit that eventually brings a person to their knees in faith.
  4. Justified: The legal declaration of righteousness, where our sins are removed and Christ’s purity is credited to us.
  5. Glorified: Chuck highlights that Paul uses the past tense here, even though our glorification is in the future. In the mind of God, our ultimate completion in heaven is so certain that it is spoken of as if it has already happened.
• Conformity as the Ultimate Goal: A major highlight is Chuck’s emphasis on verse 29—that we are predestined to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” He posits that the “all things” of life are the tools the Spirit uses to “chisel away” everything that does not look like Jesus, making us “firstborn among many brethren.”
• The Harbor Pilot of Providence: Revisiting his central series analogy, Chuck describes the Spirit as the “Pilot” who navigates the ship through the “variegated” waters of a new year. When we are prone to wander into unbelief or bitterness, the Spirit reminds us of the “Golden Chain,” stabilizing our theology and providing the “quiet calm” that comes from knowing the Pilot is the one who causes all things to work together.

Message References:

• Romans 8:28–30: The primary text. Chuck walks through the promise of providence, the purpose of conformity to Christ, and the five links of the “Golden Chain.”
• Genesis 50:20: The Old Testament parallel. Chuck links the story of Joseph (“You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good”) to the “all things” of Romans 8:28.
• Romans 11:33–36: The “Crescendo of Truth.” Chuck previews his next message, highlighting that God’s ways are “inscrutable” and “unsearchable,” requiring us to trust His character when we cannot track His hand.
• Lamentations 3:21–24: The “Minor Key” of faithfulness. Chuck notes that we can step into a new year with confidence because God’s “compassions fail not” and are “new every morning.”
• Psalm 139:23–24: The prayer of surrender. Chuck encourages the listener to invite the Spirit to “search” them as they claim the treasure of God’s providence.
• Ephesians 1:3–6: The parallel teaching on being “chosen in Him before the foundation of the world,” which supports the “Foreknew” and “Predestined” links of the Golden Chain.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll