[0:00] I think what I want to do for a little while in these luncheon sermons is to look over some of the promises of God. Romans 10.17 says that faith comes from hearing the word.
[0:18] Faith comes from hearing the word. And that's not just true of the beginning of the Christian life. That's how it works through the whole of our Christian life.
[0:30] Our hope, our confidence, our assurance, the liveliness of our faith, our spiritual strength, our courage, our perseverance.
[0:41] In other words, all the different manifestations that our faith takes, all the faith in action in all of its different forms comes in response to hearing the word and then believing the word.
[0:58] Paul puts it in a different way in Galatians 3. Paul has this question for the Galatians. He asks them, does God give you his spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law or because you believe what you heard?
[1:19] And the answer is supposed to be obvious that you have the spirit. The spirit works in you, works because we believe what we have heard.
[1:34] So all of those things that I just talked about, our confidence, our assurance, our strength, our perseverance, our love, our hope. The spirit works in us to give us those things as we believe the word that we've heard.
[1:51] That's how the spirit works miracles, Paul says. Things that only he can do. Things that only he can do. So die to self that Christ might live in others.
[2:04] That's not natural. That doesn't grow on my natural tree. That is a spirit produced miracle. Patience and affliction.
[2:16] So I'm afflicted and I'm not complaining and I'm not fretting and I'm not agitated and angry with others, but I'm patient and subdued. That is a spirit produced miracle because it doesn't grow.
[2:30] It doesn't come from me. It's not natural to me or wisdom and confusion. That's a spirit produced miracle. The spirit does what natural man can't do.
[2:43] And he does it as we believe the word that we hear. That's what Paul is saying. So he works and we live the Christian life through faith in his word.
[2:56] And I want to be very clear and very specific because I'm not talking about just a general or generic belief that God's word is true.
[3:09] Or I believe some of those doctrines that are found in there. I believe all of them. I'm talking about something very specific, not fuzzy. Fuzzy, blurry hearing of the word produces fuzzy, blurry believing of the word.
[3:27] And then that produces a fuzzy, blurry kind of life. So I'm talking about specifics. When it comes right down to brass tacks, we live the life, we live the Christian life in specifics, in specific situations.
[3:43] And we believe in particular text, particular commands, particular truths, particular warnings, and particular promises.
[3:56] And that's why I want to do this series. Because I need help to live the Christian life. I need help to find hope and comfort and peace and joy and strength.
[4:15] Those things don't come naturally to me. I need help to live my Christian life in particular circumstances. And that actually happens when I ponder and then when I believe particular promises.
[4:33] That's how the Spirit enables me, enables us to do what we otherwise couldn't do. We could never do on our own.
[4:43] And so we're going to look at the promises of God. And today we're going to look at just one promise. And it's a foundational promise. It's a promise that guarantees the ownership, our ownership, of all of the other promises.
[4:58] It assures us that whatever promises that follows this one, that they are ours. It's mine. And the promise we're going to look at today is Romans 8.32.
[5:10] And so I want you to turn there in your Bibles to Romans 8.32. And look at it with me. And as you're turning, as we're looking at this, I pray.
[5:31] Even pray in your seats. Pray for the Spirit of God to open your eyes to see it. That you would believe it. That you would understand it.
[5:41] Pray for the Spirit to assure you that this is yours, believer. This is yours if you're in Christ. Romans 8.32.
[5:53] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things?
[6:05] I hope you're looking at that. Now, what's the promise? What is the promise in that text? You find it at the end, don't you?
[6:17] God will graciously give us all things. All things. Now, all things. What is Paul talking about? What is he saying?
[6:27] This is what the Lord is promising to you. This is where context is king. If you're going to understand what Paul is talking about here, you need to understand the things that he has been talking about.
[6:41] What does the context say? Well, if we were to go up four verses to Romans 8.28, that's a very well-known verse. But look at it. And we know that in all things.
[6:53] Those are our words. God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. What is that purpose that God has called us to? Well, the next few verses tell us.
[7:05] Verse 30. Those he predestined, he also called. And those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified. That's God's purpose for us.
[7:16] That we would experience every one of those steps. Ending in glory. Glory. So the all things is everything that we need to get to that end.
[7:30] To experience glorification. Do you see that? It's everything we need to get to that end. To get to glory. To receive full salvation.
[7:42] To receive the new heavens and the new earth. And a perfected body and perfected soul. To live with Christ. To be glorified. So, it's everything.
[7:54] And he goes on to even say some very surprising things that are ours in a particular way. Well, everything facing us.
[8:06] Everything against us. Verse 35 talks about that. Shall trouble. Or hardship. Or persecution. Or famine. Or nakedness.
[8:17] Or danger. Or sword. Should these things separate us from the love of God? No. As it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
[8:29] No. In all these things. You see those words again? In all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life.
[8:40] Neither angels nor demons. Neither the present nor the future. Nor any powers. Neither height nor depth. Nor anything else in all creation. Will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[8:53] So what are the all things? Well, it is everything. In one way or the other, it's everything.
[9:04] It's death. It's life. It's angels. It's demons. It's natural. It's supernatural. Anything and everything that could stand in our way of reaching glory, God will bend it to serve that purpose.
[9:19] Or anything that would help us to get to glory, God promises that is what he will graciously give you. To serve you. To help you.
[9:31] All things. That's physical. We don't want to be more spiritual than God is in the word of God. All things is something physical.
[9:44] If you need food. You need water. You need money. You need a job. You need friends. You need a house. You need health.
[9:54] You need physical strength. Whatever you need. And how much ever of that that you do need to get to glory, God will give it to you.
[10:06] This is not a promise for health and wealth and prosperity. But it is a promise that you will have enough health, wealth, and prosperity to get you to the end. To keep you from falling.
[10:18] To help you on to glory. To help you on to glory. So the whole physical world is at God's beck and call to give to you if you need it to reach glory.
[10:30] So anything physical. Anything spiritual. Anything spiritual. He promises himself to you.
[10:43] He promises himself to you. You will be mine and I will be yours. I will be your God. And you will be my people. He gives himself as your father.
[10:55] He gives his son as your savior. His spirit as your living counselor. All of God's attributes are for you. Are available to you.
[11:07] Should you need them. In any given moment or circumstance or situation. They are available to you to ask for and to receive. All of God's attributes are available.
[11:19] All of the other promises that we are going to Lord willing see in this series. Are yours. Are for you. Are available to you. So all the grace you need.
[11:33] The love. Are there people that are hard to love in your life? It doesn't come easy. Well there's grace to love them. There's grace to be courageous.
[11:45] We started the adult Sunday school by reading those testimonies. Or those accounts of the martyrdom of Lady Jane Grey and Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley.
[11:57] Going through something terrible. And yet going through it with such courage. There's courage for us.
[12:07] There's strength. Spiritual strength. There's patience. Patience is having strength over your own spirit. To hold yourself in check.
[12:17] Kindness and self-control and wisdom. Whatever you need to live the Christian life. He will give you. He will give you. That's the promise. Now do you see this promise is as generous and as big as God is.
[12:35] It's as big as God's heart for you. Do you believe that? Do you believe that promise? Do you believe that promise? Well, I must confess that too often I haven't believed it.
[12:52] I haven't considered it. So I've been put into certain situations and circumstances. And rather believing that rather than believing that God, he has what I need.
[13:05] And I can trust him to give it to me. I haven't believed it. You know, one way you can know that you're not believing this promise is are you fighting and quarreling?
[13:19] That might be a strange test. You're fighting and quarreling. You're bickering. You're complaining. You're trying to get what is yours. Christian teenager.
[13:30] There's a few of you in here. You shouldn't be arguing and fighting with your siblings. That's what the Corinthian church was doing.
[13:42] They were fighting and they were squabbling with each other. And Paul has to go into that situation and bring peace. Show them a different and a better way to think about things and how to handle them.
[13:56] Well, what did Paul say? He didn't just give them the command, stop fighting. You go in your corner and you go in your corner and don't talk to each other.
[14:06] No, he wants to change the very heart of what is going on. And so this is what he says. So then, no more boasting about men.
[14:18] That's what they had been arguing about. Who was the best? Was it Peter? Was it Paul? Was it Apollos? He says, so then, no more boasting about men.
[14:29] All things are yours. All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas. And then Paul wants us to grasp the generosity of what he's saying.
[14:43] Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours.
[14:56] That list sounds a lot like Romans 8.35. All those things are yours. So Christian teenager, why shouldn't you be fighting with your siblings or arguing with them about whose turn it is to clean up?
[15:11] Or who ate the last piece of cake? Or who drank the last can of Coke? Well, you're forgetting. Teenager, Christian, God has already promised you all things.
[15:25] You're grubbing around for cake like that's all you have. And you're not so poor and desperate as that.
[15:37] That's like two billionaires in a pigsty fighting over $5. That's beneath them.
[15:47] And so what are you doing? God says, I will give you all things. You'll lack nothing. Nothing that you need. I'll give you heaven and glory and all of my promises.
[15:59] I'll give you myself. And so stop fighting over such small things and believe the promise. Or when you worry and fret over whatever.
[16:11] Over physical things. Over spiritual things. Worry and fret when we're so anxious and afraid that we don't do what we should do. We don't have any joy.
[16:23] And we don't have any peace. And we're moping around going through life like orphans. Well, we're not believing the promise.
[16:33] Some people are given to worry more than others. But to whatever degree that we're worrying and it's paralyzing us.
[16:47] We're not believing this promise. Jesus in Luke 12, 32 is talking about this very thing. He's talking about worry.
[16:57] He's talking about worrying about what you'll eat and what you will wear. And all this worry. And all this worry would consume you and keep you from actually living the Christian life.
[17:10] To being generous and kind and considerate to others. You can't do that when you're so consumed and you're fearful for yourself. And Jesus' answer is, there's several things.
[17:23] A lot of, a big chunk of his answer is, he says this, don't be afraid, little flock. Don't be afraid. For your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
[17:37] Again, the generosity and the willingness of God to bless you should put your worries and your anxieties into proper proportion.
[17:48] He's given you heaven. He's given you glory. And so won't he give you whatever you need to get there? If he's promised you that, won't he give you whatever you need to get there?
[18:03] So Jesus' words are, quit worrying and believe. Believe. Now, if we were to look at the wider context in Romans 8, and we're to broaden it out.
[18:20] Romans 5 through 11. Romans 5 through 11 has this one big theme that's shining through all over the place. And it's the theme of hope.
[18:31] And that's the context of that. So there's hope in suffering. Romans 5 talks about that. Because suffering produces perseverance. And perseverance character. And character hope.
[18:42] And hope does not disappoint us. And then he goes on to talk about hope in our battle against sin. And hope because we have the spirit who is at work in us.
[18:53] And hope in 8.32 and following that all of these things that are against us, they cannot separate us from the love of God. And so we always have hope.
[19:03] And then in the next chapters, he's saying we can still have hope because God's purposes never fail. They never fail.
[19:14] And so no matter the challenge, no matter the difficulty or the situation, we can have hope. And we can have hope precisely because Romans 8.32 is true. God will graciously give us all things.
[19:27] In order to get us to glory, he will give us whatever. To get you to glory, he will give you whatever you need. Now that's the promise. Are you believing it? What would it feel like?
[19:42] Just think for a second. What would it feel like? What would it... How would that transform the way you think and the way you act? The way you carry yourself if you're believing that promise in every situation?
[19:58] Are you believing it? Well, there's a lot more to this verse, isn't there? And this is where we're going to end. Because Paul tells us why we can be so sure that this promise is true.
[20:16] Why can we know it's true? Why can we have such assurance? Why can we always pray? Lord, I need... I need this.
[20:30] Help me. Give me what I need. Why can we always pray that and expect an answer with confidence and with hope? Well, you see the foundation, the argument, the logic.
[20:45] I know it's in the afternoon in years eight, but I'm going to ask you to think through this text. Why can we have such assurance? It's because it's right there.
[20:56] Because he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not along with him graciously give us all things? We're meant to feel the weight of that.
[21:10] We're meant to feel the weight of that. The glory of this. He's already given us his own son. His own son.
[21:24] We are meant, again, to feel the weight of that. The glory of that. The goodness of that. He didn't spare his own son.
[21:34] When we needed his son, he did not hold him back. He did not keep him out of trouble. He didn't keep him back from trouble.
[21:45] That's what these words mean. But he gave him up for us all. And so, he opened his hands and he extended to us his own son when that's what we needed.
[22:03] So, Paul, or Peter said at Pentecost, this man, he's talking about Jesus, was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge that and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
[22:20] God handed over his son to wicked men for us. That is why we can believe that whatever you, that's why you can believe that whatever you need, he will give you.
[22:39] Whatever you need, he will give you because he already handed over his son to wicked men for us.
[22:50] And so, see, Jesus nailed to the cross, pinned above the ground, on the cross, hung up, fastened in place to be cursed and to die for us.
[23:07] God gave him up. He did not spare him. It was sort of like Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac.
[23:20] But there was, there is, there was a huge difference. Abraham and Isaac were spared.
[23:34] Abraham was spared the ordeal of actually plunging the knife into his boy's body.
[23:47] Abraham was spared watching the life drain out of his eyes. And Isaac was spared the pain and the agony of being killed by his own father.
[24:03] but God did not spare himself that nightmare. He did not spare himself that nightmare.
[24:16] They went through it, they went through with it for us. And so God, the son, wasn't spared the agony of soul.
[24:29] Not, not a single ounce of justice, of pain, of misery. His father gave him up.
[24:41] So gave him up to the misery of the cross. The pain, physical and spiritual and emotional, the shame of the cross. the nakedness of the cross.
[24:53] The soul withering emptiness of the cross so that he does cry in misery. You've forsaken me. That was something he had never experienced ever.
[25:09] That's what he gave up. And that's what he gave up already to see us glorified. To see us saved. to see us to the end.
[25:20] And Paul's argument is very simple. If he did that for you already, how, how will he not also along with him graciously give you all things?
[25:37] If he did that for you already, why wouldn't he give you anything else? And everything else that you need. If he gave you his very best already, won't he give you everything else?
[25:51] Has logic ever been more beautiful and more glorious than what you see in this verse? Paul's saying, think about it. Think about it.
[26:03] And as we think about it, it opens up to us the heart of God. It assures us. It gives us confidence. So every promise is sealed, guaranteed in the blood of Jesus.
[26:20] And so, it's yes and amen in him. So yes, that promise is mine because Christ is mine. Whatever promise that we're going to read, whatever promise that you read in the scriptures, they're yes and amen.
[26:33] That one's mine because I already have Jesus Christ. He's sure to give me everything I need because he's already given me his own son. Now, this week, you're going to be challenged.
[26:48] And this week, you are going to be put into hard situations. This week, you are going to be put into emotionally difficult situations or physically challenging situations or relationally.
[26:59] You will be tempted. This week, you will run right into the reality that you have needs, that you are needy, that you don't have what it takes. You're a leaky bucket.
[27:11] So what do you do this week? You trust him. You trust this promise. You ask him to fulfill this promise for you.
[27:24] And you fill in what you need. So you believe and you believe with your whole heart that God will give you whatever you need. And then you believe and then you pray. You ask for it and then get ready for God to answer it.
[27:37] because he's promised he will. Watch him come through for you. So trust him. Ask him. And then watch him come through for you.
[27:49] And then what? Well, then we praise him. Then we thank him. Now we're on the other side of our need and we've been filled. And he kept his promise. And so we praise him.
[27:59] We praise him for his love. We praise him for his generosity. We praise him for his faithfulness. We thank him. And then, you know what we do? We do it all over again the next time. Because there's going to be a next time.
[28:12] And that's the Christian life. That's the Christian life. And so brothers and sisters, go in the strength of it. Go in the peace of it.
[28:23] Go in the joy of it. Go in the peace and the joy of God's heart and God's promise to you. Well, let's pray.
[28:37] Oh, our Father, we do thank you that you are so generous as to give us your son. And because you would be that generous, we can be confident and we can be assured that you will give us all things.
[28:50] And so no matter the danger or the sword or the famine or the nakedness or whatever spiritual need that we run into, that whatever it is, that we can be sure that you will give us all things, that we might reach the end, that we might reach glory.
[29:15] And we are looking forward to that day when we will be through all these toils and trials and snares and we are at last at home above.
[29:28] And so yet, while we are here, I pray that you would strengthen our faith and Holy Spirit, my specific request and prayer is that you would help us, you would inflame, that you would create faith in us to believe this promise, to remind us of it, and that we might, as we believe it, we might obey, we might obey whatever you've told us to do.
[29:55] Lord, thank you for your goodness to us. Help us to go in the joy of it and to shine in this dark generation for you as a joyful and a happy people because we have such great and precious promises.
[30:09] In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.