Law & Grace | Whose Sermon is it Anyway?

So we are in the second part of kind of sovereignty, the title law and grace for

the sermon today. We ended last week on the idea of God's providence, right?

We were at Lord's Day 12 talking about how God made everything, including you and I,

and how he, as we talked about, sovereign Lord over everything. Just in control,

always. And whether we like that or not, it is true. Just because you're

uncomfortable with that doesn't make God less sovereign. So now we're going to

turn because there were a handful of prompts, and I knew that I knew that I

knew that this was going to happen when we kind of put this out. This idea of

being a good God. I remember as a pastor, even as a youth pastor when I was

younger, we would get these questions all the time. And it was even from people in

church. People that were in church all the time. I remember now I wasn't in

school then, but people, or I wasn't a youth pastor working in the church then,

but I remember like people would still come up to me and say, if God's so good,

then why did Katrina happen? And I'm like 22 years old looking at them like, what?

What are you talking about? Katrina who? And they, and you know, and I remember

going to one of my mentors going, you didn't train us for that. When people

come and make those kind of claims, even people that have been in church all their

life, if God is so good, then why this? And I'll always remember Dave Sanders.

Some of you have met him. They came, they stopped by a couple years ago, and I'm

sure you all remember. He said that God was in the church. That when times like

that happen, God shows up in God's people. That the church elevates. The church

should be more of a witness, even though we should be a witness all the time, but

when tragedy strikes, the church should act. The church should respond. And as

like a 22 year old, I'm like, okay, that's great. That's a good one to have in the

chamber, right? That, you know, that is, that's a great response. So I hope that

the next time someone comes in and, you know, Jim, if God is so good, then why

Katrina? God shows up in the church. And then I run away. No one's asked me since

that. Okay, so it was, I'm glad that I knew that, but we and a lot of you, well

actually four of you, that submitted prompts, this word good really, really

bugs you. And if I'm honest, it bugs me too because of all the junk that is in

the world. If God is so good, then why does, and then insert whatever here.

We're going to talk about that today. And I'm going to start with, I've only got

to meet him once, years and years ago. The Lord called him home six, seven years

ago now, but it was someone that though I never studied under him, I felt like he

was a professor of mine. His name was R.C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministries, he was a

professor for years. He was a pastor. He writes this about God's providence, excuse

me, and God's goodness. One way in which the secular mindset has made inroads into

the Christian community is through the worldview that assumes that everything

happens according to a fixed natural causes and God, if he's actually there, is

above and beyond it all. He is just a spectator in heaven looking down, perhaps

cheering us on, but exercising no immediate control over what happens on

earth. Historically, however, Christians have had an acute sense that this is our

father's world, great song, and that the affairs of men and nations in the final

analysis are in his hands. That is what Paul is expressing in Romans 8 28, a sure

knowledge of divine providence. And we know that for those who love God, all

things work together for good for those who are called to his purposes. Leave

that one up. We love that verse. Romans 8, I hear it all the time. We use it

sometimes as a trump card. We use it sometimes as like an escape clause to get

out of a conversation because we don't know the answers, but we love that verse.

But I think we love it when it's convenient. Let's talk about maybe times

that it's not convenient. I'm trying to look for it. She's right there. Sarah,

would you use this verse? You rooted for Against Michigan every game, and they went

15 and 0. They're national champions, by the way, to the point where you bought

t-shirts for every team that they faced, which now is wasted dollars. But would

you use this verse? That, you know, God is good for all those that have called to

his goodness. I don't think you would. I really don't think you would because she

plans on doing it next year as well. Or how about when you get a speeding ticket?

When you're really in a hurry and you were only going like nine over and, you

know, the police officer cuts you that ticket? Do you say, thanks, officer. God

works all things together for good. I'll see you in court. No, we don't say that.

Or maybe even when it's harder or more awkward, when you go through the

funeral line, where's Bill? Bill's up there usually, right? Did anyone come to

you during the funeral and say, I'm sorry, God works all things out for good for

those who love him and call him to his purposes? I can't see you. No, they

probably don't because it's not something we actually use when it's hard.

Or maybe you know someone that has gone through a divorce or something maybe like

a miscarriage or a stillbirth. I mean, when my sister died a couple years ago,

no one, thank God no one said it because I don't think it would have come off the

same way that they would have sit with me, give me a cup of coffee, put their

arm around me and say, you know, God works all things out for good. Sorry about

your sister. We don't do that. We love to do it when good things happen. You get a

promotion, God works all things for good. Thank the Lord. I got that promotion. You

get engaged. You have a kid. Something. The good and positive things. We love

this verse. But is it not true in the opposite? Is it not true through grief? Is

it not true through mourning? It's tough. But this verse is true no matter the

circumstance we find ourselves in. That God is always good. But that word good, if

we're being honest, we don't like it. God is good when it's negative 15 degrees

outside. I didn't feel that way this morning when Annie and I are running

around my neighborhood. That wind hurt, but God's still good. Yet we struggle

with that. So let's kind of find this definition of good, right? This, this, this,

it's, we get uncomfortable with this word, but we're gonna throw a definition. Good

as an adjective, to be desired or approve of a good quality of life, having the

qualities required for a particular role. The schools here are good. Then we also

see good as a noun. That which is morally right. Righteousness, a mystery, a

mysterious balance of good and evil. Good is a benefit or an advantage to

someone or something. He convinces his father to use his genius for the good of

mankind. That is my quote. No it's not. But we use that. We love that. We use good

in the positive, but when it comes to the negative, we struggle is God still good?

So the conversation that we need to have today, mainly because four of you asked

for it, is the fact that God is good regardless of circumstances. And if a

sovereign and divine and providential God is good, then things in our perspective

should be good. Even in the midst of struggle, there is goodness. But we

struggle with that. Dare I say we might think that God's not good, depending on

what we're going through. But we love this church saying, right, God is good.

This side knows it. We'll work on this side. God is good all the time. But we

don't believe that. We love to say it. 80% of you knew what I was doing, but we

don't really believe it all the time. But then the question really that I got is,

if God is so good, then why is there sin? If God is so good, then why is there sin?

Why do bad things happen? Why are there bad people? Why do tragedies occur? All of

these things. Why do bad things happen? Why is there sin? Why can't the white

socks be good? All of these things that we throw out there, right, if God is good,

then in our estimation, in my lens of life, life should be good. But I don't

experience that all the time. So there's a paradox. I could easily say, well, it

takes faith. But that doesn't always suffice. We don't always, we're not okay

with that all the time. Let's go a step further. It's called the good news of the

gospel. We believe that about the gospel. We call that the good news. It's

attractive. We hope and pray that people around us that don't know Jesus want the

good news because it's good even in the midst of bad. It's good even in the midst

of evil. It's good even in the midst of sin, yours and mine. How attractive would

it be if we shared the okay news of Jesus? Hey, Kyle, I want to share with you the

mundane news of Christ. No one would want that. That doesn't mean anything

because we engage it then in ourselves. Jim, I've been hurt. I've been wronged.

I've been betrayed. There is sin. There is death. There's destruction. There's

evil in the world and in us. How is God good? And we just don't get it or we don't

want to get it or there are seasons that we get it and seasons that we don't.

Rarely do I have people ask for a meeting or a cup of coffee when life is going

very well. No to all of us. It's a great way to encourage your pastor is to talk

and give testimony to where God is good in your life always. But normal times I

get the email, the text or the phone call, can we meet? I'm struggling with this.

My marriage is struggling with this. I have a wayward child and I need to talk

about it. I don't know what I'm doing with life. Who should I vote for?

All of those things I get. I will answer all, I will help with all of those but

the last one. It would be very easy but it might not be the best pastoral

counseling if in the midst of grief or hardship I say, but just know God's good.

Figure it out. That's not very compassionate. That's not trying to work

through it and walk along with you. One of the greatest aspects of my job is that

I get to walk and hurt and work with you in these things and you do with me.

I give testimony to it all the time. The summer that my sister died, it was an

amazing summer to have all of you and I kind of walk through it together.

You barely knew me. I was here maybe a year, not even. And it was amazing how you

uplifted me in a terrible time in such a beautiful way. But if we're going to

build off last week and God is sovereign, God is good, God is Lord, God is D, all

the above, then the bad that we want to project on God, friends, it's not on God.

It's on us. Now I could have just said, God is good, you are bad. See you next

week. Though it's true and I would say I'm bad too, it's part of our depravity.

It is in our nature. And part of God's goodness, as we talked about last week,

God is sovereign and God is merciful. God doesn't enjoy hurt and pain.

God's not a masochist nor is God, as R.C. Sprouls put it, the way the world wants

to see it. God's not just a giant jerk with a magnifying glass and worthy ants.

The world loves to see God that way because they can put God in this negative

box and do nothing with it and not want it in their life at all. But if we are

called to this, if we are called and recognize Jesus as Lord, that not only is

God good and God is sovereign, God is good and sovereign over your sin, over

my sin, that is very prevalent. But the struggle that was prompted is what do we

do and do we really believe this as believers when bad things happen that

God is still good? When bad things happen or, maybe I'll give us the benefit of the

doubt, maybe kind of a series of bad things happen, I look out and I go,

I think we're strong enough and mature enough that if one bad thing happens,

we can probably rest on God's faithfulness, sing the song and be good.

But what about when bad things happen like every other day for a week where it

just seems like the world's piling on, the people around you are piling on you,

your job, maybe your church, all of these things. You're looking out at nothing

good in the world, yet we are to say God is still good. You said it all the time

and all the time God is good. So now we have to look at our sin then.

And I think one of the reasons why I got these prompts is because we're

uncomfortable with our sin because we love it so much. Yes, I said that the right

way. There are times we love our sin. This isn't the first time I said it.

It probably won't be the last because sin is attractive. More times than not,

sin feels good because that's the tool of the devil. The tool of the devil wants

you to sin obviously. He's the great tempter. He wants you to fall because

ultimately he's going to say, you do it enough, God's not going to love you.

At some point, God's goodness on your life will run out and you'll be toast.

That's a tool of Satan all day, every day. He would love for us to believe that.

But when we look at our sin, we get really uncomfortable and if we're being

honest, we love to look at other people's sin. It's real easy. Oh, I'll call sin out

all day on other people. Some people, they put it right there on their Facebook.

It's easy to point out sin. All I'm going to do is I'm going to put a mad emoji

face and there, I got them. They're now judged. We have to reconcile our sin.

Right? Create in me a clean heart, oh God. Renewal right spirit within me.

Though we love to pray, Lord, create in them a clean heart, oh God,

so they are more like me. That's judgmental. That's hypocritical.

And there seems to be doubt that God is in control when we sin.

But that is what we have to look at. That is what we have to work through.

That is what we have to reconcile. Because here's the thing, God's not

surprised by your sin. God doesn't wake up and roll the dice. All of a sudden,

you fall, you sin. God doesn't go, oh, I didn't see that coming.

And if we're honest, we should take comfort in that. I liken it to being a

parent. And maybe one day, I'll liken it to being a grandparent and a lot of you

that are grandparents, you can tell me those stories. But there are going to be

times and there are times where I'm watching my son do something and I know

where it's going. Now, some would say, well, why aren't you going to intervene?

And 50% of the times, I try to. Because sometimes they have to learn.

Sometimes that is part of the ups and downs of life. Now, we're not talking

about anything like life threatening. They're not like on the roof going,

I'm going to jump. But if you've seen our roof, that's not a fatal fall.

Understand that there are times that we see that and we allow our children to go

through stuff. And if I put that on God as Father, we don't like that at all.

Because it's all good, all providential, all sovereign God, blah, blah, blah,

blah. He knows that I'm going to do this. He's not surprised by this.

Then why doesn't God stop me from sinning? Let me turn that around.

Do you want Him to? Well, maybe you can just shoot me an email.

Right? Maybe I don't want that direct correction from the Lord, though myself

and a lot of you have felt that, that God wants us to recognize Him in all things

and cling to Him in all things. But He knows what you're going to do.

But if God is so good, then why would He allow me to do bad things?

Because in order to understand the good news of the gospel, not the okay news,

not the mundane news, is you have to understand the bad news of your sin.

My good friend, Cam Scott, last week came and made his profession of faith with the

elders. And when you come and make profession of faith, especially one that

has grown up in the church, they're really good at pointing out the good news of

Jesus. Cam was able to, he preached to the elders last Monday night about what

Jesus meant to him and why he wants to live for Jesus and all of these things.

But it's not a profession unless he knows the bad news of his sin.

And he was able to articulate that. Because in order to recognize Jesus as

Lord, Jesus as Savior, you need to recognize what you're being saved from.

And he did a fantastic job and we can't wait in a month or so for him to do it

publicly. It's the best night for elders is when someone comes and makes

profession. But understanding the bad news of sin makes the good news of the

gospel of salvation that much stronger, that much more impactful in our lives.

A profession is, I think Jesus died for my sin, but I don't know what kind of

sinner I am. That's not a profession. That's a wondering. That's a thought.

A profession is I am a sinner saved by grace by my Lord and Savior, Jesus

Christ. John Piper writes this about Acts 4, 27 and 28. For truly in this

city they were gathered together against your Holy Servant Jesus whom you

anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples

of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

This is one of the most controversial scriptures pretty much in all of the New

Testament. And Piper goes on and says, so Herod did what God predestined to take

place. Pilate did what God predestined to take place. The shouting crowds

crucify him, crucify him, did what God predestined to take place. And the

Gentile soldiers who drove the nails did what God had predestined to take place.

The sovereign will of God was accomplished at nine o'clock on Friday

morning and it was all sin. Pilate's expediency, Herod's mockery, the soldiers

gambling for his clothes, the hatred of the mob stirred up by the Pharisees,

crucify him, that was all sin, all predestined by God. How does that sit

with you? I had to reread that. There was a part of me that's like, and John Piper

was still a pastor after that? He did. This was years ago when he said it. I

don't know if I've ever engaged it that way. I think because of John Piper I'm

gonna look at Holy Week very, very different this week or this year. And he

continues, so that's why in the text he writes that this is a light on the

theological jungle of problems. The idea of if God is good why do bad things

happen. You are saying that God's sovereign will that always comes to

pass includes sin? Let me ask that question again. Or what John Piper is

saying. You are saying that God's sovereign will that always comes to pass,

God never swings and misses, we still don't like that, that's another sermon,

includes sin? He emphatically says yes. If God cannot plan the murder of his son,

we could not be saved. It is not like Jesus just jumped up on the cross and

died and God said, well I didn't know what was going on, but I will use it to

save people, that's heresy. God planned it for you, God planned it for me, and it

could not happen without sin. You don't kill the Son of God without sin. So when

I say that the sovereign will of God means that God ordains all things that

come to pass, I really mean that it includes everything. And there were at

least three of you that are very uncomfortable with that statement and I

think I join you. That God predestines sin? Yeah. You look at the story of the

Passion Week, so if God is sovereign over sin and salvation comes because of God's

use of sin, God himself never sins, God is holy, we are the sinners, then I think

we need to really pay attention to our sin, not other people's sin. Yet we are

not good at that. We love to judge other people's sin, we love to call it

rebuking or correcting, which believe me, the Bible does say to do that. He does, he

says the Bible is used for teaching, correcting, and rebuking, but there are a

lot of people who love the rebuking side. No wonder Jesus said make sure your eye

is clean before you look at the speck in somebody else. And I'm not saying we're

not called to rebuke, I'm not saying we're not called to correct, we are

totally called to do that. Paul instructs Timothy for the church, but remember,

this is the same Paul that a couple, actually probably 30 years prior, wrote

to the city in Corinth that we must do this in love. And the world today

believes that love means acceptance, it doesn't. But if somebody has air in their

lungs and a heart that beats, I think Paul, and I'm gonna trump Paul, put Jesus,

is calling us to love them, even in the midst of sin. Yet the church has really

confused itself and said, well, if loving, that means I need to accept their life.

Nope. But you still are called to love them. The woman caught in the act of

adultery, if it were me, those rocks would have hit. But that's not how the

story goes. Jesus takes all of the recognition, puts it on himself, stands

up and says, those without sin cast the first stone. And notice, nobody throws a

stone. We are all sinners saved by grace. We talked about this last week. While we

were still sinning, Christ died for us. We've said it many times here at Munster

Church, a stance over somebody is not a stance of Christ. Yet we confuse

ourselves and say, well then if I don't rebuke them, that means that I agree

with them. I have argued with a bunch of you. You don't believe that. I don't

believe that. And just because you rebuke somebody doesn't mean they're any

different. That when Paul is talking to Timothy about rebuking, guess who he's

talking about? Timothy is a young pastor in a church. He is talking about rebuking

fellow believers. Because I'm gonna put it in the scenario of the world like R.C.

Sprouls did. You know somebody who is not, they're not born again, right? They

do not recognize Jesus as Lord and they're living a life that the Bible

might say is sinful, right? Or does say is sinful and we want to go, we want to

whack them with the Bible. We want to throw the stones of rebuke. We want to

correct. If they don't recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior, what does your

correction mean to them? I hate to say it but next to nothing. Well, pastor,

that's how I'm gonna evangelize. I'm gonna evangelize by throwing stones. I'm

gonna evangelize by rebuking people who don't follow this book. Okay? Everything

is permissible but not everything is beneficial. And just because you don't

rebuke them, you don't correct them in a way of standing of judgment, it doesn't

mean you agree with them. It doesn't mean you affirm them. It doesn't mean that

you go, how you're living is fine. No. That Christ has revealed himself to all

of us and we are to follow his word. We are to follow the call of walking

alongside sinners. Because guess what? You are one too. I am one too. That we are

all working on this together. But if they don't claim Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior, the correction kind of falls on deaf ears, doesn't it? And if you're gonna

say that by correcting and rebuking is the way that you're gonna share Christ, I

don't, I struggle with that because I know the messages I'm gonna get this

afternoon. Jesus says he will know that you're my disciples by how you punch

people in the face. No. Okay. That was a little extreme. He will know that you are

my disciples by how you judge their sin in private or with other people. Nope. So

we're gonna miss. He will know that you are, the world will know that you are my

disciples by your love for one another. Parents in the room, in the last month as

one of your kids made you upset. Okay. How many of you stopped loving them? One. I

have office hours on Tuesday. Is that not our response for the world? But I don't

love the world the way that I love, I don't love people the way I love my kids.

Fair. I get that. But are they not deserved of your love? Are they not

deserved of your example? Are they deserved of your rebuke? I'm gonna say

sure. Everything is permissible. You are, you are more than welcome to wear your

sandwich board, ring your bell, go through downtown Chicago and say everybody that

doesn't believe in Jesus is going to hell. Guess what? There are groups that do

that. There's signage that does it. I-65 South, heaven or hell is real. Every time

I drive by that I just shake my head and I go where's the conversation? Where's

the relationship? Understanding it is not our job to condemn people to hell because

if that was our job then it's our job to save them to heaven. I love doing the

first one. I'm bad at doing the second one. And stop doing it altogether. Walking

alongside people with the truth is the way that we're called to live. That is

how God is sovereign over sin. Where is God in Katrina? He's in the church. Where

is God when someone falls? He's in the church. Where is God when this pastor

makes a mistake? He's in the church. Where is God when insert whatever you want?

He's in the church. It's his bride. He has given us what our marching orders are

supposed to be. Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We

understand that the wages of sin is death. But the way of life is the love of

God and the love of people. Psalm 11, 5 and 6 says, the Lord tests the righteous

but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain down

coals on the wicked. Excuse me, fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the

portion of their cup. Leave that up. For some of us, for some of us we call this

evangelism. It's not. This is a rebuke in the Psalms of what God thinks about sin.

This is what God thinks about the one who steals money to the one who is the

abuser. This is the one who, this is what God thinks about the person that does the

hit and run and the person that lied about getting out of whatever. There are

some of you that struggle with the scale of sin. Come on. Is stealing candy in

fourth grade the same as killing someone? It's not. Worldly, you're right.

Heavenly, it's all sin and sin is the absence of God. God is not with you in

that moment of sin, right? Though he's with you always, he's not encouraging you

for that just like he's not there with the murderer. That this is how God feels

about sin and there are over 300 other verses about how God feels about sin and

how the sin of the sinners will be judged. But that doesn't sound good. Let

him rain coals on the wicked. Fire and sulfur in the scorching wind shall be

the portion of their cup. Thank God for his grace. Thank God he is sovereign.

Thank God he will punish the wicked. The wicked will get theirs and we love that.

Understand, you and I are wicked. Wickedness is in our DNA and there is the

paradox. Well, pastor, I've been saved. I've made my profession of faith. Cam,

where are you? Right there. Wasn't that... Thank you, Peyton. I know that that's him.

Didn't you get encouraged by the elders last Monday? And wasn't there an elder

that said there's somebody that doesn't like what's going on right now? And who

was he referring to? Satan. It's one of the reasons why we pray a hedge of

protection around anyone that comes and makes a profession of faith. Because Cam

just made Satan and the world's job a lot harder. Friends, until we're in glory,

there is always going to be that tension. You can be on the side of judgment. You

can take God's job and you can throw the coals and you can throw the fire and you

can throw the sulfur and you can blow the wind and you can throw a cup at

everybody and that's how you can live out your life. And if you call it

evangelism, I will rebuke you because it's not. It's a recognition, I am wicked

but God is good. I am a sinner but God is good. In my weakness, God is good. When

life is going well, God is good. Though we blame God when life's going bad and we

love ourselves when life's going right. It doesn't work that way. And you know

why it doesn't work that way? Because if God is sovereign, if God is good, then

it's not about us because we are not our own then. That if God died for you and me,

then it's not about me. It's not about us. It is about this and never forget that

we are not our own but we belong both body and soul in life and in death to our

faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Friends, He has fully paid for your sins with His

precious blood and my sins. He has set us free from the tyranny of the devil. He

also watches over us in such a way that not a hair can fall from our head

without the will of Him in heaven, our Father in heaven. In fact, all things

must work together for our salvation. All things of Christ, not us. But here's the

assurance and the faithfulness of God. But because we belong to Him, Christ by

His Holy Spirit assures me, assures you of eternal life and makes us

wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him. Jesus loves you.

You have been given life from the life giver. And next week we're gonna talk

about what that means. But until that time, let us be ever on our lips. Great is

thy faithfulness.