As Sure as God’s Love for His Son

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

God strips every pain of its destructive power. You must believe this or you will not thrive, or perhaps even survive, as a Christian, in the pressures and temptations of modern life.

There is so much pain, so many setbacks and discouragements, so many controversies and pressures. I do not know where I would turn, if I did not believe that almighty God is taking every setback and every discouragement and every controversy and every pressure and every pain, and stripping it of its destructive power, and making it work for the enlargement of my joy in God.

Listen to Paul’s astonishing words in 1 Corinthians 3:21–23, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” The world is ours. Life is ours. Death is ours. Which I take to mean: God reigns so supremely on behalf of his elect that everything which faces us in a lifetime of obedience and ministry will be subdued by the mighty hand of God and made the servant of our holiness and our everlasting joy in God.

If God is for us, and if God is God, then it is true that nothing can succeed against us. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all will infallibly and freely with him give us all things — all things — the world, life, death, and God himself.

Romans 8:32 is a precious friend. The promise of God’s future grace is simply overwhelming. But all-important is the foundation: I have called it the logic of heaven. Here is a place to stand against all obstacles. God did not spare his own Son! Therefore! Therefore! The logic of heaven! Therefore, how much more will he not spare any effort to give us all that Christ died to purchase — all things, all good, and all bad working for our good!

It is as sure as the certainty that he loved his Son!

John Piper 

Christ Is Like Sunlight

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. (Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus relates to God the way radiance relates to glory, or the way the rays of sunlight relate to the sun.

Keep in mind that every analogy between God and natural things is imperfect and will distort if you press it. Nevertheless, consider for example,

There is no time that the sun exists without the beams of radiance. They cannot be separated. The radiance is co-eternal with the glory. Christ is co-eternal with God the Father.

The radiance is the glory radiating out. It is not essentially different from the glory. Christ is God standing forth as separate but not essentially different from the Father.

Thus the radiance is eternally begotten, as it were, by the glory — not created or made. If you put a solar-activated calculator in the sunlight, numbers appear on the face of the calculator. These, you could say, are created or made by the sun, but they are not what the sun is. But the rays of the sun are an extension of the sun. So Christ is eternally begotten of the Father, but not made or created.

We see the sun by means of seeing the rays of the sun. So we see God the Father by seeing Jesus. The rays of the sun arrive here about eight minutes after they leave the sun, and the round ball of fire that we see in the sky is the image — the exact representation — of the sun; not because it is a painting of the sun, but because it is the sun streaming forth in its radiance.

So I commend this great Person to you that you might trust in him and love him and worship him. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of God with all power and authority and will one day come in great glory. He has that exalted place because he is himself God the Son, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

John Piper 

As Sure as God’s Love for His Son

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

God strips every pain of its destructive power. You must believe this or you will not thrive, or perhaps even survive, as a Christian, in the pressures and temptations of modern life.

There is so much pain, so many setbacks and discouragements, so many controversies and pressures. I do not know where I would turn, if I did not believe that almighty God is taking every setback and every discouragement and every controversy and every pressure and every pain, and stripping it of its destructive power, and making it work for the enlargement of my joy in God.

Listen to Paul’s astonishing words in 1 Corinthians 3:21–23, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” The world is ours. Life is ours. Death is ours. Which I take to mean: God reigns so supremely on behalf of his elect that everything which faces us in a lifetime of obedience and ministry will be subdued by the mighty hand of God and made the servant of our holiness and our everlasting joy in God.

If God is for us, and if God is God, then it is true that nothing can succeed against us. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all will infallibly and freely with him give us all things — all things — the world, life, death, and God himself.

Romans 8:32 is a precious friend. The promise of God’s future grace is simply overwhelming. But all-important is the foundation: I have called it the logic of heaven. Here is a place to stand against all obstacles. God did not spare his own Son! Therefore! Therefore! The logic of heaven! Therefore, how much more will he not spare any effort to give us all that Christ died to purchase — all things, all good, and all bad working for our good!

It is as sure as the certainty that he loved his Son!

John Piper 

Why Do You Believe in Christ?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” 1 John 5:5-7

 

PONDER THIS

Only Jesus has the answer to the things that really matter. Only Jesus can meet the deepest hunger of the human heart. Only Jesus is the answer to man’s sin. Only Jesus gives meaning to life and death. Only Jesus can take the sting out of sin, the gloom out of the grave, and the pain out of parting, and give hope that is steadfast and sure. “To whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). He alone has the answers to life and death.

But that brings a question: How do we know that Jesus is who we say He is? Why do we believe in Jesus? Why have I given my life to Him? Why do I serve Him? Why would I be willing to die for Him if necessary?

First, the Holy Spirit said to me, “He is the Son of God.” And once I received Him into my heart, now I have the witness in myself. You could argue with me all day long and never convince me against Jesus Christ. You could bring sophisticated arguments to me, but I have the witness on the inside. And a Christian with the witness in his heart is never at the mercy of a man with an argument in his mouth.

How have you seen Jesus satisfy the hunger in someone’s heart?

What are some things that encourage you about having this inner witness as a Christian?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time to praise God for giving His Spirit as a witness, comforter, and guide so that we never walk alone.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Who Is Jesus To You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Matthew 16:15-17

 

PONDER THIS

The first trial of the Lord Jesus was a mockery of justice. I’m going to put Jesus on trial again today. And I’m going to ask you to decide on a pertinent, personal, present, and pressing decision. I’m going to ask you to answer the question, “What do you think of Christ?” You’re the jury. Look at the Word and see the strong testimony about who Jesus is. Look at Simon Peter, a fisherman who said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Consider Martha, who hosted Jesus many times and observed Him in all sorts of situations. Martha said, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:27).

What about the testimony of Jesus’ enemies? Why did the Pharisees want Jesus crucified? Because, they said, “This Man receives sinners” (Luke 15:2). Aren’t you glad He did? What about the centurion? He helped drive those scalding nails into Jesus’ quivering palms. He watched Him die and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54).

In a very real sense, Pilate represents every man, woman, boy, and girl on the face of the Earth. We are each faced with the same question: What will I do with Jesus? As Jesus was before Pilate, Jesus is before you today. What will you do?

How has your decision to follow Jesus changed the way you live?

What kind of testimonies have you heard about Jesus from others?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down a testimony about who you have seen Jesus to be.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

PRAY OVER THIS

“So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’” John 4:46-48

 

PONDER THIS

When this nobleman heard Jesus was coming out of Judea into Galilee, he went up to Him. At that point in time, he had just heard about Jesus. That in itself is a wonderful thing. Everybody should hear about Jesus. But when it came down to it, all he had was hearsay. He had only listened to other people talk about miracles Jesus had performed.

But secondhand faith is not saving faith. You can’t go to Heaven on your mother’s faith. You can’t go to Heaven on your pastor’s faith, your neighbor’s faith, or anybody else’s faith. You can hear about Jesus and what Jesus has done for others, but that is not strong faith, that is secondhand faith. In Matthew 16:13-15, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” They responded, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But then Jesus asked the pertinent question, “But who do you say that I am?”

This question is for you today. Do you know about Jesus, or do you know Him? Is your faith firsthand or secondhand?

Do you remember having a “secondhand” faith? What was that like? If you know Jesus, how did secondhand faith differ from the firsthand faith you have now?

If you need firsthand faith, will you invest in a personal relationship with Jesus today?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down your answer to Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers