All Things

Our Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you again for gathering us together this morning.

And we thank you that you speak to us day by day and week by week in your word.

We confess that we need your help, that we are finite and faltering people.

We're plagued by our own sin, our own imperfections, and we need your help.

We ask that you'd send your Holy Spirit in a special way.

That you'd be at work speaking clearly to us in your word.

You'd help us to understand it, to believe it.

Most of all, that you'd set our eyes on Jesus Christ.

You'd grow our love and our affection and our obedience to him.

And we ask all of these things in his mighty name. Amen.

I heard a story years ago about a seminary professor who told his students,

when you become a pastor, when you graduate, and you're in a church,

and you're preaching your sermon on a Sunday morning,

and you look out to the back of the church, I want you to imagine that I am standing there.

And as you get near the end of your sermon, my arms are crossed,

and you hear me say,

so what?

So what?

Why does any of this matter?

You've said all these things, pastor, and why should we care?

Paul, the apostle, the preacher, the pastor,

at the very end of chapter 8 is asking that exact thing.

So what?

That's the meaning of the first half of verse 31.

What then shall we say to these things?

What are we supposed to do?

What's our conclusion?

What is the point of all of this?

What's the takeaway?

What's the bottom line of chapter 8?

What's the bottom line of verse 1,

that there's no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ?

What are we supposed to make of verse 6,

that if we set our minds on the things of the Spirit,

we'll have life and peace?

What are we supposed to do with verses 9 through 11,

that every Christian has the Holy Spirit

that gives new heart and new power?

So what about verse 23?

That you're going to receive a new body full of disease and pain.

Or verse 28 from last week,

that God works everything for good in the lives of his people.

How do we put all of those things together?

How do we summarize them?

How do we keep them from being all these different facts

that just float around in our mind?

How do we respond to the great salvation

that we have in Jesus Christ?

Another way to put it is this.

Why does any of this matter

on Tuesday morning at King Soopers?

So what?

Thankfully, Paul doesn't leave us hanging.

He tells us right away.

That's the second half of verse 31.

If God is for us,

who can be against us?

That's it.

It's one sentence.

It's a question,

although it's not really a question, right?

It's a rhetorical question.

Paul's actually making a point.

He's not looking for us to answer.

And the point is this.

No matter what happens in this life,

if God is for us,

and by the way, he is,

in the end,

we can't not win.

No matter what we face or endure or suffer in this life,

if God is for us,

and by the way, he is,

we know that the end of our story

is glory with him.

No matter what,

no matter what,

you can't not win.

That will be the last word on your life.

Now, Paul is not saying,

when he says,

who can be against us,

he's not saying,

we'll never have opposition.

Of course, there's all sorts of things

that can come against us.

What he is saying is,

none of those things will be successful.

So when he says,

who can be against us,

he's really saying,

who can successfully oppose you?

Who can conquer you?

Is there any force that can come up against you?

No.

Any force that opposes you is laughable.

God is so big,

he's so great,

that there is no threat

that can enter into your life

that is actually a credible threat.

No, when compared to God and his power,

it fades away.

And it's not just that God is so big,

although he is,

but Paul's point here is that

this big God is for us.

That's the main point, by the way, of chapter eight.

Paul's telling us the summary,

summing it all up in one sentence.

And as we've looked through chapter eight,

the point is not that God is so great,

although yes, we know that he is.

The point is that God is for his people.

You already saw one way last week,

verse 28.

He's for us,

and so he's weaving together

all the events of our lives

so that no matter what happens,

ultimately it's for our good.

Not just 28, though.

It's what the whole chapter's about.

Verses 26 and 27.

God is for us because he's for us.

The Holy Spirit is crying out.

He's praying on our behalf

with groans too deep for words.

Same reason we have the promise of verse 18.

We have a glorious future

that allows us to persevere

with everything that happens in the present.

Why do we have that glorious future?

Why does God show it to us,

remind us of it?

Because he is for us.

So the point is this.

Whatever you face in this life,

the world, the flesh, the devil,

sickness, disease, slander, pain,

poverty, destruction, or war,

none of those things get the last word.

If God is for us,

who can be against us?

It doesn't mean you won't suffer in this life.

It does mean whatever you face

fully, finally, ultimately,

will not, cannot win

if you are in Christ.

God is for us.

Who can be against us?

This week and the next two weeks,

we're going to finish chapter 8

and we are going to see

three different ways

over these three weeks

that God is for us.

three reasons

that we can't not win

in the end.

This week, we're just going to look

at the first of those three reasons,

which is the second half

of verse 32.

He who did not spare his own son,

but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him

graciously give us all things?

Now, one pastor illustrates

verse 32 this way,

and I've told you guys this

a couple times.

Imagine that there's a young man,

he's madly in love

with a young woman,

he decides it's time for them

to move forward,

and so he goes to the jewelry store

and he buys her the best diamond

he can afford.

And then he gives it to her.

She says yes.

If he gives her that ring,

will he not also give her

the box it came in?

If he gave her something so great,

why would he hesitate

to give her something small?

That's what Paul's saying here.

God gave you his only son.

Is there anything

he would hold back from you?

Another pastor illustrates

it a different way.

He gives us a scenario.

He says,

imagine you win

a free Rolls Royce.

Kids,

a Rolls Royce

is a very expensive car, okay?

Imagine you win

a free Rolls Royce,

and you go to pick it up,

and you're so excited,

you get the car,

but they refuse

to give you the key.

They wouldn't do that, right?

That's absurd.

Of course,

that would never happen.

You would never gift someone

a car and say,

you know what?

We're so glad

you can have the car.

We're going to keep the key.

No, the car includes

the key.

In the same way,

it would never happen

that God would give you

his beloved son

and then hold back

anything else

that you need

to follow after him.

God isn't trying

to cut a deal.

God is not looking

to save 10%

on your salvation

by buying in bulk.

God is not going

to Costco

to get your redemption.

Okay,

he's not trying

to cut corners.

He did not give you

his son

so that he could

then leave you

to figure out

the rest

on your own.

No,

if he gave you

his son,

he will give you

all things.

now in context,

I have to clarify

what all things

means.

God is not promising

to give you

a Rolls Royce.

Paul is talking

here,

remember what we

just saw last week,

he's talking about

your salvation,

that what God

has determined

to start,

he will absolutely

finish.

So God is going

to give you

all things

necessary

for your life

as a Christian.

God is going

to give you

everything you need

to make it

to the end.

He's not going

to hold back

what you require

to make it

to glory.

The Apostle Peter

in 2 Peter chapter 1

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

says it a different way

which helps us

understand what Paul

means by all things.

He says,

his divine power

has granted

to us all things

that pertain

to life

and godliness.

Do you need

something

for life

and godliness?

God has promised

to give that

to you.

Do you need

something

to make it

to the end

still trusting

Jesus and following

him?

God has promised

to give

that

to you.

whatever you need.

If he gives her

the box

or the ring

will he not

also give her

the box?

If you get

given a Rolls Royce

of course

you're going

to receive

the key.

He who did not

spare his own son

but gave him

up for us all

how will he not

also with him

graciously

give us

all things.

Years ago

I read

about

this concept

from the history

of the church

called

arguing

in prayer

which is that

when we pray

to God

there's a couple

things that we do.

We remind him

of his promises

the things that he said

he's going to do

and we remind him

of what he says

that he loves.

And so when we bring

our prayers before

and we filter them

through that

and we say

okay am I praying

for something

that God has said

he's going to do

for me?

Am I praying

for something

that God says

that he desires

he delights in?

And then we tell him

hey I'm praying

for this

I'm not praying

that you know

I would just have

a comfortable life

no I'm aligning

myself with the

Lord's prayer

that your kingdom

would come on earth

as it is in heaven.

And you've said

you love this

so do it.

And so after I read

this you know

every time

that I preach now

throughout a number

of years

I ask that God

would send his spirit

to be with us

as we're here together

on Sunday morning

in a special way.

I ask him

that he'd be at work

to show us Christ

that God would

make him more beautiful

than he was before.

I pray that God

would be at work

changing our hearts

and our minds

and our lives

that he would honor

his promise

in Isaiah 55

that his word

will not return

to his void.

And then I tell him

I remind him

that he's made a promise

in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

He gave us his son.

Will he not also

give us all things?

God you promised this.

You said it goes along

with our salvation.

We need it.

So do it.

We need it for life

and godliness.

You can do the same thing.

Lord we need wisdom.

We're trying to raise

our kids to love

and follow you

and you said

you would give us

all things.

Honor the promise.

Do what you said

you would do.

We're not asking

for a sports car.

We're not asking

for a fancy vacation.

We're asking for life

and godliness.

Lord we need your help.

We have this impasse.

We're both Christians

and we cannot figure out

how to get along.

We need the wisdom

and the humility

and the repentance

that we don't have

within ourselves.

And you said

if you gave us your son

you would give us

all things.

Honor the promise.

We need it

for life

and godliness.

Lord we want to grow.

We need more

of the fruit of the spirit.

We need more

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness,

and self-control.

And you know what?

All of those things

pertain to life

and godliness.

And you made a promise.

You said

that because you gave us

your son

you will give us

all things.

So do it.

Honor the promise.

You gave us the ring.

Give us the box.

You gave us the Rolls Royce.

Of course you're going

to give us the key.

You gave us your son.

Will you not also

graciously with him

give us all things?

That's God's promise to you.

He said it clearly

and explicitly

here in his word.

So what?

Why does it all matter?

It matters because

if God is for us

then nothing

can be

against us.

It raises another question though.

Why are we so confident

that God is for us?

What's the proof?

I focused

on

the last half

of verse 32

that he would

give us all things.

Of course there's also

the first half.

He who did not

spare his own son

but gave him up

for us all.

When it says

did not spare

it is saying

that God

did not go

easy on Jesus

when he hung

on the cross.

God did not say

you know

I'm going to

I'm going to

put the weight

of sin on you

but we're going

to make it

a little easy.

You know

we're going to

we're going to

tilt the scales

a little bit.

No.

When Jesus

hung on the cross

he bore the full

the entire

weight

of our sin

our rebellion

against God.

And he gave

him up for us all.

That all is speaking

about the audience

of the letter.

Remember Paul's

writing this

to the churches

in the city

of Rome.

By extension

he's writing it

to the entire

church

throughout history.

God gave

Jesus up

for us all

that is Christians

throughout all

time

and space.

And he gave up

what was

most

valuable.

It says

it doesn't say

he who did not

spare a random

person.

No.

He who did

not spare

his own

son.

If you're a

parent

is there

anything

in this world

that you love

more than

your children?

he who did

not spare

his own

son.

The most

intimate

relationship

that is the

relationship

enjoyed by the

persons in the

Trinity

suffered

the most

intense

separation.

The most

intimate

relationship

suffered

the most

intense

separation.

If God

was willing

to do that

and he was

and if God

did that

and he did

he will

do

everything

else.

And he'll

do it

because of

Christ.

he who

did not

spare

his own

son

but gave

him up

for us

all.

How will

he not

also

with him

graciously

give us

all

things?

Let's

pray.

Our

Father in

heaven we do

praise you

and thank you

for your

love.

Love

beyond what

we can

fully

comprehend

or understand

or imagine.

We ask that

you would

remind us

of that

this morning.

That it

would give

us the

deep

security

confidence

joy that

Paul talks

about here.

That we

would live

life knowing

that because

you are

for us

nothing

can be

against us.

We ask

all of these

things in the

mighty name

of Jesus

Christ.

Amen.

Amen.