SERMON
Community Crusade, First Baptist Church
Heathsville, Virginia
The Rev. Jeffrey O. Cerar, April 15, 2008
Text: Romans 8:28-32
Trusting in God’s Promises
It is a great thrill for me to be here with you tonight. These times when St. Stephen’s gets together with First Baptist Church are powerful and special times. And they carry great significance to the community, who hears about our partnering together across boundaries of race and denomination.
I always enjoy sharing these occasions with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. John Fountaine. May God continue to bring marvelous fruit from the ministry of Dr. Fountaine, and first lady, Dorothy Fountaine, and of the ministers and people of First Church.
What binds us together is the Lordship of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the life to which He calls us. The music may be different, but we are praising the same God. The preaching style may be different, but we proclaim the same Gospel. The shape of our worship service may be different. But we celebrate one Lord and one faith and one baptism, and one God and Father of us all. Alleluia!
I am excited to share with you the message the Lord has laid upon my heart. I want to talk to you about God’s promises tonight. I want to talk about what it means in our lives that we can count upon God’s promises being true. And I will begin by asking a disturbing question:
If Christ died for us, why don’t Christians live better lives? Why aren’t we more like Jesus? As I look around me in the society in which you and I live, I see Christians who are indistinguishable from pagans. If we belong to Jesus,
• Why do so many Christian marriages break up in divorce?
• Why are so many Christians’ lives disrupted by alcohol and drugs?
• Why are Christians so susceptible to pornography?
• Why are so many Christian babies having babies?
• Why do so many Christians seem to worship money?
Do you see where I am going with this? God hates sin. He hates it as much as He loves us. He gave up His only Son on the cross to save us from sin. Why is sin so much a part of Christians’ lives?
I have an answer. And it is just as disturbing as the question: we are more influenced by our culture than we are by our faith. Is that possible? Could it be that we are more influenced by our culture than by our faith? It is painful to say this; but as you look at our culture, you have to conclude that many, many Christians trust more in the promises of the world than in the promises of God.
The message I bring to you tonight is that Jesus didn’t save us just so that we can rest in heaven after we die. He saved us so that we can live beautiful lives that glorify God. He saved us so that our lives can be filled with genuine joy. The way we come to live such beautiful and joy-filled lives is to trust in God’s promises.
Part of the problem is the Church itself. In many quarters, the Church has tried to make the Gospel compatible with the world’s false promises. They preach that God made us in His image, and so we are okay just as we are. God did make mankind in His image. But they leave out the part about how tragically we have fallen from that original blessing. They leave out the part about how God made the supreme sacrifice, sending His Son Jesus to suffer at the hands of evil men, to be mocked and whipped and ridiculed and nailed to a cross and to shed His precious blood. He did that not to set us free from worry so that we could enjoy our sin. He did it to set us free from sin, and to restore us to His likeness.
The Bible tells us that when God set us free from sin, He made us slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:18)
Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:22-23]
If we leave that out of the Christian message then no wonder Christians fall for the false claims of the world about what makes life good. And yes! They are false claims.
Back in January, before the Super Bowl, Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, was interviewed on "60 Minutes.” Tom Brady has what the world defines as the good life. He makes millions of dollars per year. He has fancy cars and big houses. He has three Super Bowl rings. His girlfriend is a “super model.” But on 60 Minutes, Tom Brady said,
Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I reached my goal, my dream… There’s got to be more than this.
“What’s the answer?” Morley Safer asked him.
“I wish I knew,” he said. “I wish I knew.”
Isn’t that stunning? The things the world promises do not satisfy. The world promises that with wealth will come:
• Happiness
• Pleasure
• Freedom
But does Tom Brady sound happy? Does he sound like a man for whom pleasure has been fulfilling? And how free is he? How many people want to take away what he has? And how much does he have to pay people to handle his wealth? And how many of them are tempted to rip him off? And how many would be his friends if he lost everything?
The world promises you that sex will make your life complete. You see that message every time you open a magazine, go on the internet or turn on the TV. You are told that, if you take your Cialis, you will have the perfect sexual partner and be ready for that special moment when it comes. (I still haven’t figured out why they’re telling me to put two bathtubs out in my yard for special moments.) But the truth is, when sex is a controlling factor in your life, you find that it is never enough. And so you start looking for something new. Or somebody new. And so then comes adultery, and divorce and fights over children and property. Some men have children spread over three counties. Some moms have children from two or three men, but no man in the house to be a father to them. Many women in our community have to raise
their grandchildren so their children can finish high school. Is that the good life?
I am here to tell you that the good life is the life we live when we value God’s promises more than we value what the world promises. If we live into God’ promises, our life will be beautiful and joyful. And we won’t be confused, misled, disappointed or eaten alive by what the world promises.
I am going to read to you from Romans Chapter 8. In these few verses, Romans 8:28-32, all God’s promises are summed up.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
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?
I am tempted simply to read you this majestic set of promises three or four times and sit down. If you can embrace those promises and live your life trusting that what God says is absolutely true, nothing will ever be able to overcome you. If you can embrace what God promises, you will not be kidnapped by the shallowness and emptiness and destructiveness of what the world promises.
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? [Romans 8:32]
Here in verse 32, we recognize what God has already done for us. He has done the unimaginable: For us, He has given up His Son. Why did He do that? He did it to keep us from being lost to the death of sin. How much more would His Son mean to Him than we, His creation? And yet, He gave up His Son for us. Therefore, having given us that infinite gift, there is nothing He wouldn’t do for us, nothing He wouldn’t give us.
But you may question whether God gives us all things.
•After all, some of you always wanted a child, but could not have one.
•Some of you wanted to be on the fast track, and here you are living in a place nobody ever heard of..
•Some of you would like to be married to a person who understands you.
•Some of you would like to go back and relive a moment in which you made a tragically wrong choice.
•Some of you would dearly love not to be mistreated or rejected or underpaid because of the color of your skin.
•Some of you would like to be rid of the heart disease, or emphysema which dogs you and slows you down.
Has God given you all things? The world would say, “No.” But God’s Word says He will, and so it is true. This is God’s promise to you, and you can take it to the bank: if God has given up His precious Son for us all—and He has—then how is He not going to give us all things?
To understand this better, let’s take another look at verse 28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Now first, let us recognize that this promise is not for everyone. God works in all things for the good for whom? For those who (a) love Him, and (b) have been called according to His purpose. So right out of the box, we see that God is not going to do this for every person in the world. He is going to do it for those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose. He is going to do it for those whom He chooses, and those who respond in love. That is most of us in this room here tonight. It may be everyone in this room. There may be some here whom He has called, and you have not yet responded.
Some of you may wonder about whether you are saved. You may have accepted that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, but nothing has changed in your life. If that is the case, you should take a serious look at your faith. Saving faith is faith that leads to obeying God. Your life should and must be different when you truly have faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord. Yes, salvation is God’s free gift, which we do not deserve and we cannot earn. But who are we supposed to be once He saves us?
Paul said it wonderfully in his letter to the Philippians: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12) The life that God holds out to those who are saved is a beautiful life. It is a life of joy. It is a life that glorifies God and fills your days with meaning. He has a plan for the redemption of the world, and you and I are part of that plan. That is why He makes such extravagant promises to us. That is why He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
And so, let us read on for a few lines:
For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
[There is that beautiful life I’m talking about.]
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? [Romans 8:29-32]
You see, we are back there again. If God gave up His Son for you and me, whom He called according to His purpose, and who love Him, He will give us all things. Do you grasp what it is saying?
• Maybe we don’t have our health. But God is going to work our weakness and infirmity to our ultimate good. Remember what God’s Word says about our weakness? “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Others, who do not love Him, will be stuck with their weakness and infirmity. But you will find that God blesses you in yours, in some way.
• Maybe we have to struggle to pay the bills and send our kids to college. But Jesus is there with us in our struggle, and He will make a way for all that we need. He will show us how to store up for ourselves treasure in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 5:20)
• We may not get the respect we deserve or desire. We may get ridicule as our regular daily rations. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 5:12) He will take those indignities and those hurts and turn them to our eternal good.
For this is a God who has the whole cosmos in His hands. God turns everything to good for us: Even death, the thing we most fear, becomes the gateway to our eternal glory. Alleluia! If God is for us, who can be against us?
We have a choice. We can look back on what God did for us on the cross as if that is His final promise. Or, we can look instead to what God is going to do for us in the future. We can look to our salvation as the beginning of an incredible life of blessing. We can trust in His promises to take all the things that happen to us, and all the things we do, and work them for good.
My brothers and sisters, the God who created us in His image He expects something Godly of us. That is why His Word talks about growing into the fullness of the measure of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13) As Max Lucado said in his book, Just Like Jesus, “God loves you just the way you are; but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” Where God takes us is a place of beauty and joy. We serve a Savior who has called us to bigger things. And we can trust in His promises.
Are you stuck in a sin or an addiction that makes you ashamed, and keeps you from feeling close to God? His promise is that He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and He will give you a way out. (I Corinthians 10:12) Can you trust that promise more than you trust the world’s promises?
It seems like a whole lot of people are giving up these days. Life is so hard for so many folks. But God promises us a “living hope;” He promises an inheritance that can never spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-4) He promises to shield us by His power. Can you treasure such a promise enough to get past your disappointment with the world?
Have you fallen for the lie of your family or friends that you will never amount to anything? Or have you fallen for the opposite promise that this world likes to motivate us with: “You can be anything you set your mind to be.” Neither of those things is true. But I’ll tell you what is true. The truth is, you can be anything God wants you to be. Jesus promises that you will be the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13) He promises you will be the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14) Can you trust in that wonderful promise?
• Think about what God has done here at First Baptist Church. Could any of you elders have thought when you were children that you would have Brinkley Hall that seats 400 people? Or the First Baptist Child Care Institute? Or the anointed “Crusade Choir,” which has traveled to churches in other Cities to bless people far and wide?
• And look at St. Stephen’s. When I first came to peaceful Heathsville, I never would have guessed that one day 1/3 of our members would have been on missions; and 90% of our members were in weekly Bible study; and that we were willing to risk everything to take a stand for the truth of God’s Word.
And it gets even better. Jesus told us,
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father… [John 14:12]
Do you, like most Christians, find that hard to believe? Jesus said it, and so it is a promise!
• My friend, Jim Conley has witnessed a man being brought back from the dead after being hit by a truck.
• My friend Edwina Thomas has prayed for a man blind from birth and watched God give that man sight.
• I personally have been part of a team that prayed with a child in India who was so severely retarded she couldn’t even sit up at the age of 4. Two years later, my wife, Lynne, was in that same town in India, with a group of people that included one of those who prayed with me that day. And there was this little girl, dancing, talking, singing and praising the Lord.
My dear friends, most of us don’t begin to claim the power or the joy that God makes available to us if we will only trust in His promises. Life will never be easy for the true Christian, because we are in this world, but not of this world. The more like Christ we are, the more we can expect the kind of ridicule and rejection and punishment the world gave to him. But we can live beautiful lives, filled with meaning and joy, for God’s power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
• Not down in the mud, but reaching for the stars.
• Not stuck on ourselves, but reaching out to others.
• Not causing pain and confusion, but leaving blessing in our wake.
• Not operating in lies and deceit, but sharing God’s truth with the whole world.
• Not stuck with what the world says is possible, but asking God for miracles, and watching Him deliver.
If we trust in His promises more than we trust the world’s promises, we will live lives that glorify God.
There may be some here tonight who do not yet know Jesus. And there may be some who know who He is but you haven’t yet put your trust in Him. He has drawn you here tonight to hear this message. He is already at work in you, or you wouldn’t be here tonight. Let me just say to you that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. You have only to open the door to Him. And when you do, you can step away from the hope you have put in what the world promises. You no longer have to pin your hopes on money and cars and fine clothing and exciting night life and handsome men or beautiful women.
• You can pin your hopes on the One and only One who can make a promise and never break it.
• You can pin your hopes on the One and only One who has all the power to do anything He says He will.
• You can pin your hopes on the One and only One who has so much love that He will never leave you or forsake you. That’s one of His promises. You can take that to the bank.
This very night, you can put all the disappointment, pain, dysfunction and chaos behind you and know that God accepts you as you are. And because He loves you too much to leave you there, you will embark this very night on a truly beautiful life, filled with genuine joy and true meaning.
© Jeffrey O. Cerar, 2008
Last updated on April 22, 2008
