The Wonder Of His Love I, The Wonder of Hope

Today's encouragement to keep the hearts focused. Well, take your outline out of your notes, and I'm going to move right into the teaching today. And I have to give Pastor Scott back his outline from the first service, since I didn't have it this morning. And I want you to turn, if you have a Bible, we're going to be in Romans 8. Romans 8 this morning. All right. And all month of December, I'm going to be using Romans 8 as the basis of my Christmas messages, the wonders of his love, lifted out of the great carol, Joy to the World, which we'll sing at the end of the service today. Romans 8 is such an incredible chapter. If you'd ask me, what's your favorite chapter in the Bible, I think this might be it for me. And when you get to the last paragraph of Romans 8, it seems that the Apostle Paul rises to the pinnacle of revelation. Let's read together, shall we, if you'll help us, Donna. Romans chapter 8, and we're going to read verses 31 through 39 of the New International Version. But if you don't have that version, why don't you just read it off the overhead with us. And let's declare the word of God. Here's what we're doing now. When we speak this out loud, we're asking God's word to come alive in our mind and in our heart. How many of you know the Bible says that the word of the Lord will not return void? So when we declare it, it's going to be creating in us a hunger and an understanding of truth. So let's declare it together, Romans 8, 31. What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is it that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died. More than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, 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. Being extremely aware of my need for God right now, I'm going to ask you to pray with me for the Lord just to speak his word through me, and that your heart would be able to receive it. Jesus, these fine people are here not to be entertained, but to be changed. And I pray right now, Holy Spirit, that you would more than make up for what I sense is my inadequacy today, and by your spirit impart truth and life, truth and life, to each one that you've brought into this place, and each one who might be listening by cassette tape. I thank you, Lord, for the hunger that we've been praying and seeing, praying for and seeing in our church. Thank you that even now you'll evidence that as we come to your word, in Jesus' name, amen. It's an incredible passage of scripture, is it not? Now keep in mind, the apostle Paul wrote these words when he was going through the firsthand experience of being on the bottom. The little inserted verse that we read there, for your sake we face death all day long, we're considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Paul wasn't just using poetic language, friends. The man feared not in the sense of being afraid, but his life was in jeopardy day in and day out, as we'll see in a few moments. And so I want to speak with you this morning about three struggles, count them, three struggles that we all face in life, forces so strong that they can stop you dead in your tracks in your walk with God, and literally in some cases, if you don't know how to face them, can knock you off the tracks into the sidelines of your faith. Some of the things I'm going to talk about today, some of you have been struggling with for months and perhaps years. Those three things are very simply, number one, opposition, I trust you're filling in the blanks, opposition, as we'll see in verse 31, number two, accusation, which you'll see in verse 33, and number three, tribulation, which we see spelled out in verse 35. Opposition, accusation, tribulation, three great forces that stand against your walk of faith in Christ. Will they be dead ends in your walk with God, or can they become tunnels? Here in Pittsburgh, we're familiar with tunnels, tunnels that get you through an impassable obstacle. These things, God can use as tunnels to get you through to the other side of his purposes and plan. Let's look first of all at opposition, verse 31. Who is there among us today who doesn't know something of opposition? And friends, if you don't, if you're not being opposed by someone somewhere, and you are intent on living for Christ, the Bible says, hang on, you will experience opposition. In fact, look at the scripture on your outline, 2 Timothy 3.12. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be, underline will be, will be persecuted, not maybe, not might be, but you will be. If you're intent to live a godly life, you're gonna face opposition. And if you're not, then you're not living a godly life. And this is a powerful thing. What am I talking about? Well, I'm talking about the kind of thing where friends find that you've discovered God in your life and now they want little or nothing to do with you. Or we're talking about the kind of thing where romances, which were once hot and passionate, are suddenly now flickering and fading because one of the friends has discovered Christ and has a new value system. We're talking about bosses who pass over employees because they don't agree with their perspective on what God should do in life. We're talking about coworkers that distance themselves. We're talking about professional organizations that don't elevate you to a place of recognition because they're afraid you might use it as a platform to talk about what's really important to you. We're talking about the kind of opposition that the little news girl experienced in the drama today, where people get in your face when you try to do something that's positive for them. But you know what most of all I'm talking about this morning? I'm talking about the kind of opposition that many of you will face, particularly in this holiday season, when you'll sit down around the Christmas tree or around the fireplace with your family or your best friends, and you'll want so badly to be able to share the reality of this God that you've come to know as your personal Lord and Savior. And they won't want to have anything to do with that part of you. And in fact, maybe we'll use the opportunity to be in your face about, well, you got religious now, don't you? Or what is it about that weird church you go to? Or some such thing that you know is a direct opposition to what you stand for and what your life is all about. Holiday times can be the most painful of times, can't they? So what does the scripture say to you today who want to live for Christ in this time? Well, first thing it says is, listen, don't be weird. Don't set yourself up to get opposition from people by unnecessarily provoking them with a holier-than-thou kind of attitude, which is easy to fall into. I mean, you see the sin of your family or friends and you want to point it out to them, but you know what? You got to be very careful about that. Self-righteousness is not very appealing in any form. And beyond that, hypocritical behavior is a sure way to compromise your message. You know, you can stand up and say, I hate the commercialization of Christmas, and then you're out there six nights a week and Sunday afternoon shopping. Or you rail on about, you know, man, I just wish things would be more, you know, just more peaceful. We should have a relaxed time as we celebrate the Christmas season together. And you're going crazy behind the scenes trying to be, you know, a wannabe Martha Stewart or something like that, you know. Ladies, can I tell you, Martha Stewart has scores of professional people that are creating that table that you look at and say, oh, I could do that. And I want you to know, it's easy to lose your testimony trying to be Martha Stewart for the family over the holidays. Know it firsthand. I knew it when I was hacking those walnuts with this hacksaw trying to put this card in on Sunday so our table could look just right. And I'm hacking away with a hacksaw on a wall. I know that wasn't the right tool, but it's all I had. And I slipped that little card in there and I cut my finger on that thing and I'm, okay, and this is what we have to do on. You know, the weirdest thing was not one person even mentioned it. I said to my brother, I said, look at that place card. Isn't that cool, little one? And he said, yeah, big deal, right? Did you do that? Yeah, here's my finger. You want to see? Don't be weird. Don't invite opposition, especially by drawing attention to your spirituality. But that being said, what about opposition that comes from people who just don't understand? Well, here's what the scripture says. Look at verse 31. If God is for us, then who can be against us? Paul wants us to know that although we may face opposition in our workplace or in our families, it may even break our heart from time to time. Listen, it cannot be successful in the ultimate sense in keeping you from the purpose of God. Why? Because God is for us. Say it with me. God is for us. Now say it, personalize it and say God is for me. Ready? God is for me. I'm not talking about some kind of, you know, I'm the center of the world and everything we do in the world is for you kind of, you know, Americanism here. The Bible says that when you're in Christ, God has turned from being against you, which we'll talk about in a moment, to being for you. And friends, some of you need to hear this more than anything else I'm gonna say in the next few minutes. You think God is against you somehow because of your past or because you're not living very well right now. But the Bible says, and I'm gonna show you clearly why in a moment, that God is for you. I don't like it so much. People say God is on my side. I mean, I guess that's okay, but I like it. It's more personal than that. It's not like he's behind your cause, but for you, God says, I'll do anything. I'm for you. We can be certain that the opposition that we face will not, indeed cannot succeed in preventing God's purposes from coming to pass in your life. Therefore, you can encounter such opposition with grace and patience, fully knowing that this opposition, this discouragement cannot pull you down. Why? Because God is for you. You then ask, well, why is it then that it hurts so much when people oppose me, when they make speculation about what I'm all about or maybe even worse than that, make fun? Well, listen to what author Jerry Bridges says in his excellent book, Trusting God. He says, now, God sometimes allows people to treat us unjustly. Sometimes he even allows their actions to seriously affect our careers. Those of you who have bosses who don't understand your faith, listen very carefully for the next few moments. He even allows their actions to seriously affect our careers or our futures viewed on a human plane. But God never allows people to make decisions about us that undermine his plan for us. God is for us. We are his children. He delights in us, Zephaniah 3, 17 says. And if God is for us, who can be against us? We can put this down as a bedrock truth, and I wrote this in your outline. God will never allow any action against you that is not in accord with his will for you. And his will is always directed to our good. Why then do we suffer such disappointment when the hope for favor that we needed from another person doesn't materialize? Why do we struggle with resentment and bitterness when someone else's decision or reaction adversely affects us? Listen carefully, this is insightful. Is it not because it is our plans that have been dashed or our pride that has been wounded? Isn't that it? We want it to turn out a certain way so badly, and when it doesn't, we are crestfallen. We have our feelings hurt. But we need to understand something. God is for us, and therefore he's continuing to work behind the scenes. Those of you who have a boss who seems to oppose you, you think, you know, my whole future is kind of controlled by this individual who maybe hates Christians. Listen to this. Are you dependent upon your boss for advancement in your career? Well, God will move in the heart of your boss or director or whoever it might be, principal, one way or the other, depending on God's plan for you. No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man, this is Psalm 75, but it is God who judges. He brings one up and another down. Your promotion or lack of it is in the hand of God. Your superiors, listen to this now, this is profound, are simply his agents to carry out his will. They are not conscious of doing his will and never intended to, unless, of course, they're Christians prayerfully seeking to do the will of God. But that doesn't alter the result in your life. You can trust God in all the areas of your life where you're dependent upon the favor or frown of another person, because God will move in that person's heart to carry out his will for you. You can say something there. Amen? Why? How can I know that? How can I be so sure? Because God is for us. God can use even the seemingly awful things for your good and for the purposes he's designed for you and even to bless the people around you. What's a good illustration of that in the Bible? One of the best is the story of Joseph. TNT, by the way, the network did a great rendition of the story of Joseph's life. I think they're playing it this holiday season. I recommend it to you. Joseph was, you know, just growing up in a family, he was maybe being a little self-righteous, you could say, but basically following God. And his brothers hated him because they could see the favor of God on him. So they threw him in a well. Now, if you know the Bible at all, you know what happened. Egyptians came along, pulled him out of the well and made him a slave. But he did such a great job and the favor of God was on him as a slave that he was soon promoted to being over a whole lot of responsibility and had a pretty good life going. And then one of the rulers, Potiphar, had a wife who really wanted Joseph in the worst of ways. And she set him up and he ran out of the situation, but nonetheless was falsely accused and ended up in prison. Now, listen, not for a week, for two years. You think he ever had problems wondering if God was for him while he wasted away in those prisons for two years? I bet he did. But in two years, God delivered him and then exalted him over to be second in command of all of Egypt. I mean, what a powerful ruler. And then if you know the story, a drought and famine came and Joseph's brothers came back to him. And of all the people they're standing for, they don't even recognize him. And the Bible says that Joseph broke down, wept in his heart, faced his brothers. And here's what he said in Genesis 50, verse 20. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives, including the lives of his family, his very brothers who had betrayed him. Friends, listen, if God is for you, who can be against you? And the question is, how do you know that for certain? How can you be positive? Well, look at verse 32. 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? The reason we can know it is simple. In a word, if you're filling out the outline, the word is, we can know it because of the cross. Why don't you write that in there, the cross. We can know it because of the cross. Now, last week we looked at the cross from our point of view, from the earthly point of view. And I wanna thank you for your affirmation of the message. I was humbled by that. God used that message in a wonderful way and there are extra copies available if you weren't here last week. But I want us to look at it from God's perspective this morning for just a few moments. It's a measure, you see, of his love, of his for you-ness, if you will. As we said last week, we deserve the punishment for our sin, the divine wrath of God, which by the way, friends, it amazes me how many people told me that they never really had heard before just what that wrath was about. The Bible is full. It's just full of reminders that that wrath, remember I said last week, God's holiness and man's sinfulness collide and the result is wrath. God isn't angry. Someone said, oh, you sound like God's angry. No, he's not angry in the sense of like we would be throwing a fit. No, no, his holiness won't allow sin. Sin comes along and the collision of that creates wrath. But friends, that wrath is real and it comes because of our sin. I was just looking through some of the epistles, just getting a couple of reference points. If you'll put up Colossians 3, Donna, please. Here's one where God's wrath is directly tied to some behaviors that you and I might relate to. Look at this. Put to death, again, Paul writing says, therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. This Christmas season, any greed going around out there? Which is idolatry because of these, look, the wrath of God is coming. Friends, that sin's going to collide with the holiness of God and wrath's going to be poured out. And we need to understand God takes us so seriously. We deserve that wrath, but instead God took the only one who didn't deserve it, that is his son, his sinless son, and poured out the wrath that we deserved on that son as our substitute. We didn't deserve to be spared, but we were. His son didn't deserve to receive the wrath, but he did. And friends, the best picture of that prefigured a thousand years beforehand is in Abraham and Isaac. Are you familiar with that story? Genesis 22, I noted it on your outline. The scripture, I mean, here's where the Bible makes that sense. If you're sort of a skeptic about the Bible, how do you explain a thousand years before Christ on the cross, this being prefigured? Actually, 1400 years. The Bible says that Abraham, the patriarch, took his son, his only son, does that sound familiar? Isaac, at God's direction, up to Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah, by the way, is in the center of Jerusalem. Those of us who went to Israel were standing right there. It's where the Dome of the Rock is now built, that Muslim temple where one day the third Jewish temple prophetically is supposed to be rebuilt, where Solomon's temple was built. But that's Mount Moriah. And the Bible says that Abraham took his only son, Isaac, up there, and they walk up together, and Abraham didn't say anything about what they were going to be doing. Even though he knew, he did say, we're going to come back, he somehow knew prophetically that they were going to come back together. And he got up there and Isaac looked around, he said, father, father, where's the sacrifice that we're going to offer to God? And Abraham looked at his son, Isaac, and he said, son, the Lord will provide. And that's the first time the Bible uses the term Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide. And so Abraham ties up his son, Isaac, and we're not told the emotions Isaac's feeling. He's saying, wait a minute, you mean I'm the sacrifice? Lays him on the altar and lifts his knife up to plunge it down into the heart of his only son. And as he lifts up the knife, I see now, Abraham, that you love me more than anything else. Here is the sacrifice, and there was a ram in the thicket, and you know this story. And God took that knife out of Abraham's hand, and if you will, 1400 years, lifted it up above his own son and plunged it into the heart of Jesus. He who did not deserve to die was sacrificed, and he who did not deserve to be spared. We get uncomfortable when we think about that, but you see, that's the measure of his love. That's how you can know that God is for you, because he did not spare his own son. Look with me as we turn the outline over. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. Look what John Piper says. God did not spare his own son because it was the only way he could spare us. The guilt of our transgressions, the punishment of our iniquities, the curse of our sin would have brought us inescapably to the destruction of hell. But God did not spare his own son. He gave him up to be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and crucified for our sin. Friends, how do we know God is for us? Because he gave his only son. He gave him fully for us. And that measures the wonder of his love for us. You need not question it anymore. You need to not doubt it. And friends, when circumstances seem to be opposed to you, can I say that's the very time you need to hear what I'm saying the most. That's when you need the most to be certain of this. Think about the apostle Paul. How many of you think he went through some times where he wondered about God's love? Do you ever wonder if God is for you? Do you? I wonder if Paul did in verse 23 of 2 Corinthians 11. If you have it, just flip your Bible over there. 2 Corinthians 11. Look at this. Here's what Paul was going through. Look at verse 23. I have worked much harder. I've been in prison more frequently. Listen, if you're a leader today, if you're an elder, if you're a small group leader, if you're a servant of the Lord, listen. Listen to what Paul the apostle went through. And he was supposed to have been God's favored one. I've been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, been exposed to death again and again. Five times I've received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one. Do you know that many times people died from receiving those 39 lashes? One time. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I mean, friends, he's bobbing along in the ocean. He thinks he's gonna die. God is for me? Does this sound like a testimony of someone that God is for? He's probably thinking, if this is if God's for me, I hate to see when God's against me, right? I've been constantly on the move. I've been in danger from rivers. See what word comes out in the next phrase. I've been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentile, in danger in the city, in danger, what word? In danger at sea and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I've known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I've been cold and naked. Friends, God is for us, yet circumstances may not always feel that way. How many of you at one time in the last month have said, God, why did you let this happen? Let me see your hand. Thank you for your honesty. Those of you who didn't, think about it. When something goes wrong in our life, our first reaction usually is, why did you let this happen to me? If you're for me, why did this happen to me? This last summer when I was just nearing my study break, the end of my study break, and it was a great time. And I was excited about coming back and jumping into ministry. And as I told you a few months ago, I re-injured my back pretty seriously. I mean, I was in a lot of pain. It was really distracting. It took a lot of time to get back, a lot of time to the doctors and all these kinds of things. And I have to tell you when it first happened, I spent a couple of days saying to God, I said, why did you let this happen to me, Lord? Why did you let this happen to me, Lord? Have you ever said that? And God looked at me and said, you know, I didn't give you that lousy golf swing. You did that. You did that. I gave you judgment and you didn't use it. And you know what really happened was, it was my pride that caused me to get injured. That's what it was. And friends, so often circumstances start to say to us, God's not really for us. And that's when you need to look at the cross and realize, wait a minute. Look at verse 32 again. If God didn't spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, will he not give us along with him, what? What? What? All things, all things, what? All things that we need to be an overcomer in this life. To be all that God wants us to be in the journey of faith that we've been called to. And so I share with you today, if you're going through a difficult time, know that God is for you. Know that that opposition cannot succeed. And I wanna say just very quickly, corporately, this is true as well. The church of Jesus Christ is gonna be opposed. The church here in Pittsburgh is gonna be opposed. There's controversies. This church is gonna be opposed. People are all around us trying to buy up all the land and just kind of, you know, just keep us blocked in here. And I want you to know something. If God is for North Way, who can be against us? God will have his purposes worked out in this church. He's for us. If we pray and obey and do what he's called us to do, God is for us. Number two, by the way, I'll just relieve your fears. We're not even gonna get to number three today. Number two, the second thing I just want you to see is we overcome accusation through, go ahead, Don. We overcome accusation through justification. Big words, what does it mean? Friends, how many of you, let me ask a question, don't put your hand up, have wondered from time to time that little voice in your head asking you this question, do I really belong to God? Am I really one of his? If I were to die tonight, for whatever reason, would I stand before God and have him receive me or would I just go straight to hell? How many of you have wondered every time you hear an invitation given on the television set or in a service, you put your hand up because you're just not sure. I mean, you just don't know. Well, the reason you don't know, I'm gonna share with you in just a moment how you can know, but the reason you don't know is you've never really fully understood justification. And you see, accusation is what whispers to you you're not good enough, you're not gonna ever get where you think you should go with God. Now, there is a conviction that comes when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, when you're into something you shouldn't be into and you'll hear this voice saying, don't do that. The Bible says that God gave the Holy Spirit to bring some conviction, that's good. Thank God that your conscience is awake. But sometimes you just keep hearing these lies, this accusation, and it's very difficult to know what to do with it. The answer is understanding what God says about justification. What is the gift of justification? In the face of this condemnation, you have to understand, look at verse 33. Verse 33 of Romans 8 says very clearly, it is God who justifies us, who can bring any charge against us. Justification is a simple gift. Now, at Christmas time, we have gifts. Look at this, there's a heavy shoebox, right? Now, if I take this shoebox and I say, Pastor Scott, I have this gift for you, but you haven't been very good. So if you clean up your act and get to work a little bit earlier and stay a little later and spend more time at home, and how do you do all three of those at the same time? And get your act, then I'll give you this gift. Is it a gift? No, it's something he what? He earned. And the problem that many of us face is we try to earn justification. We try to earn God's favor. God says, no, you can't earn it. You can't give me enough money for it. You can't buy it, you can't do it. You have to simply receive it as a gift. How do you receive it as a gift? Well, the first thing you have to do is you have to know, you have to know that that gift is coming towards you. And one of the huge problems in this country is most people don't know that they need to receive that gift. You can walk out of here in the next 10 or 15 minutes and drive down to Ross Park Mall and it'll be filled with people for the fourth day in a row shopping. Millions and millions of Americans don't know their condition before God. They have been basically duped into believing that everything's fine. Born in America, hey, gotta be a Christian, I guess. At least I'm as good as the next guy. And the whole thing that we've talked about around here. But justification doesn't come out of that way. Justification understands that even if you're ignorant of your condition, the Bible makes it very clear that you are dead in your sin toward God. And that the result of that will be the judgment of God. And if you don't know how to come to terms with that, friends, the frightening proposition is simple in Scripture. It's very clear. God says, I've provided a way and you've not accepted it. And you have to suffer the consequence. Being ignorant on judgment day will not be an excuse before God. My brother, my sister's, I'm sorry, my wife's brother-in-law is a very accomplished man. He's an attorney, he's a partner in a law firm and done very well. But like a lot of men who were pretty driven in his career, didn't take real good care of himself but never thought a lot about it. And about three years ago, he was walking up the courthouse steps to litigate another case and found he couldn't make it up the steps. He said, this is really weird. Afterwards told his wife, his wife drove him to the doctor and said, would you check him out? And the doctor looked at him with this very pale kind of expression and said to him, I can't even send you home. You've got to go directly into the hospital. And the next day he had a, I think it was a quintuple bypass. His heart was gonna stop beating and it was so blocked. Now, fortunately he survived. The operation is doing okay today. He didn't know he had a heart problem, but friends, he could have died. You see, and I have to tell you, there's friends that you're gonna see in the next weeks who may not know their condition before God, but unless they come to receive that gift of justification, they're gonna die. Look at second, I'm sorry, Ephesians two. I can't escape the clear, the power of this message. Read it with me, Ephesians chapter two. And maybe it'll come to life to you as it did to me. Read it out loud, would you? As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us who lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts, like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. There it is again. But because of his great love, and I love that, let's look at it again. But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you've been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. You see, justification is simply God declaring you forgiven. God stands on the throne of heaven and says, your name's Stephen, he says, because of Christ in your life, I declare now that you're forgiven and your life now is in his hands. And where we get hung up, where accusation comes in is that we know then we may still stumble and we may still make some mistakes and we may still fail. And friends, we do because we still battle with that nature. But listen, sanctification, the process of becoming more God-like is a process. Justification happens in a minute, happens at a moment. And what you need to know to be able to defeat accusation is whether or not you've been justified. Only you have the answer to that question. Only you kn