Transcript:

Good evening.

The greatest book in the world is the Bible and that of course is because it is God's book but as I'm sure you know the Bible itself is one book which consists of 66 individual books and in light of that we might ask what

is the greatest book in the Bible and the answer would be at least for the many the book of Romans. Many saints have said that if they were stranded on an island and could only have one book, Romans would be their book of choice. The book of Romans is again at least for the many the greatest book in the Bible. But what about the greatest chapter in the Bible? Is there any one chapter in all of Scripture that stands above the rest? I'm not alone in thinking that there is in fact if you were to take a survey of among Bible literate Christians asking what is the greatest chapter in the Bible I am confident that time and time again you would find the answer to be Romans chapter 8. If the Bible were a mountain range Romans would stand the tallest and its eighth chapter would be its peak and it's to that peak that I ask you now to turn.

Although my text tonight is verse 32 with an introduction like that I cannot but read the whole of the chapter for us. So that's what I'll do.

Romans chapter 8 verse 1 says, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those

who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has

set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, weak

as it was through the flesh, God did, sending his son in the likeness of

sinful flesh and as an offering for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, so that

the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according

to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh

set their minds on the things of the flesh but those who are according to the

Spirit the things of the Spirit. For the mindset on the flesh is death but the

mindset on the Spirit is life and peace because the mindset on the flesh is

hostile toward God for it does not subject itself to the law of God for it

is not even able to do so and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God

dwells in you but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not

belong to him. If Christ is in you though the body is dead because of sin yet the

Spirit is alive because of righteousness but if the Spirit of him who raised

Jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will

also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So then brethren we are under obligation not to the flesh to live according to

the flesh for if you are living according to the flesh you must die but

if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will

live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God

for you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you

have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba Father. The

Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if

children heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we

suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him for I consider that

the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory

that is to be revealed to us for the ancient anxious longing of the creation

waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was

subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope

that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption

into the freedom of the glory of the children of God for we know that the

whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now

and not only this but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the spirit

even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons

the redemption of our body for in hope we have been saved but hope that is seen

is not hope for who hopes for what he already sees but if we hope for what we

do not see with perseverance we wait eagerly for it in the same way the

spirit also helps our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we should but

the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and he

who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he

intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God and we know that God

causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who

are called according to his purpose for those whom he foreknew he also

predestined to be conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the

firstborn among many brethren and these whom he predestined he also called and

these whom he called he also justified and these whom he justified he also

glorified what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who is

against us he who did not spare his own son but delivered him over for us all

how will he not also with him freely give us all things who will bring a

charge against God's elect God is the one who justifies who is the one who

condemns Christ Jesus is he who died yes rather who was raised who is at the

right hand of God all who also intercedes for us who will separate us

from the love of Christ will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or

nakedness or peril or sword just as it is written for your sake we are being

put to death all day long for we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered

but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who

loved us for I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor

principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor

depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of

God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let's pray.

Father we thank you for this text. By your spirit we ask you to help us understand all these truths and of

course that will not happen tonight but we can come to understand a little bit of it and so we ask you to help us and we expect you to help us. Comfort your

children this evening in Jesus's name I pray, amen.

Romans chapter 8 verse 32 although it is not a traditional Christmas text I would

submit to you it is a true Christmas text and I say that because of what we

see in it first we see who God gave his own son second we see for whom God gave

him for us all third we see how God gave him freely and fourth we see what God

will give with him all things and tonight we will consider each of these

four sites and I trust that by doing so we will be greatly comforted and

encouraged first let's consider who God gave the first half of verse 32 says he

that is the father did not spare his own son but delivered him over for us all

we will never fully fathom these words how wondrous they are but we can

certainly try and tonight we will beginning with the words he did not spare

what exactly do those words mean do they mean that all the vials of God's wrath

were poured out on the Sun even to the last drop is that what they mean

although it is true that Christ was not spared one tear one groan one drop one

sigh one shame one circumstance not anything that justice could demand as

satisfaction for man's sins I do not think that is what is meant here what

then do the words he did not spare me will I invite you to turn back with me

to Genesis chapter 22 Genesis chapter 22 that chapter needs no introduction we

will parachute in just as Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife

to slay his son Genesis chapter 22 verse 12 it says he said that is God said do

not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know

that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me

it is my suggestion tonight that Romans chapter 8 verse 32 is a clear echo of

this text supporting this is the fact that in the Septuagint which is the

Greek Old Testament the word withheld is translated with the word spare the exact

same Greek word used in our text this means then that when the Apostle Paul

wrote he did not spare his own son he meant God did not withhold him he did

not refrain from giving or granting him as the Apostle John wrote for God so

loved the world that he gave his only begotten son with that understood let's

focus our attention on who it was that God gave our text says it was his own

son you should know the word own is a very important one it means the father's

proper son who is nearer and dearer to him than all the angels who are his sons

by creation as well as all of the Saints who are his sons by grace as I've shared

before God did not merely give the best of men he did not merely give the best

of angels he gave heaven's best he gave his best he gave his only begotten son

that is his one-of-a-kind son his unique son how wondrous is that we often marvel

at Abraham don't we for not withholding his son his only son but brother sisters

understand this Isaac was a stranger to Abraham compared to who Christ was to

the father the Puritan John Flaval wrote no relation in nature is so intimate

strict and dear as that of the fathers to the son our children he said are not

so much our own children our bodies are not so much our own bodies as Christ was

God's own son and yet though he were so dear to him his other self his express

image his own dear son he spared him not God spared not his son oftentimes I am

asked as I'm as I'm sure all pastors are why did God create man knowing he would

fall some people cannot seem to get past that to them it is an insurmountable

difficulty but do you want to know what I can't get past I can't get past why

God created man knowing he would send his son that to me is infinitely harder

to comprehend how could the father not think the son too precious a gift to

give for the salvation of men souls none can answer I mean just consider a

few of the reasons the father had to withhold his son one was his

incomparable excellence his incomparable worth and the excellency of his person

the more rare and excellent something is the more reason there is to hold on to

it that being said consider who the son is the son is very God of very God he is

co-equal co-essential and co-eternal with the father to borrow the language

of song of songs Christ is chiefest among ten thousands one has said

eternity alone can reveal the value of Christ there was no greater reason for

the father to have withheld his son than this one yet the father sent his own son

in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin a second reason the

father had to withhold his son is the singular and infinite love between them

in Scripture Christ is called God's beloved son Christ himself tells us that

when the father marked out the foundations of the earth then he was

beside him as a master workman and he was daily his delight rejoicing always

before him there is no love like the love between the persons of the Trinity

all other love relationships are faint reflections of that love relationship

the father has for eternity loved the son and the son the father they have

from everlasting to everlasting delighted in one another one preacher

wrote we can only love to a finite degree of which humanity is capable but

God loveth beyond all degree the heart of God is filled with fathomless oceans

of eternal affection and this affection has been fixed upon his son Christ is

infinitely more dear to God than your own son can ever be to you because of

the greatness of the heart of the father who loves his son who has been ever with

him and ever his delight who has never offended him who takes his share in all

the father's plans and who said and says it ever I delight to do thy will oh my

God and yet that stopped not the father's hands from delivering the son

over first to become a man and then into the hands of men one last reason the

father had to withhold his son is that he had no equal or advantageous exchange

the Puritan Thomas Manton explained Christ is more worth than a thousand

worlds what could God gain that might be an equal recompense for Christ all the

world sent against God is nothing less than nothing now no man gives much for

what is but little esteemed but God gave his own son to recover the

perishing world of mankind those three reasons and many many more are why I

said I can't get past why God created man knowing he would fall after all God

did not deliver his son over to some honorable honorable position or

profession maybe then I could understand but God delivered him over to

humiliation God delivered his son over to become also a man to be wrapped in

frail human flesh he delivered his son to be born in a manger and depended upon

mere mortals he delivered his son to cry and sweat to grow tired and sleep to

hunger and thirst God delivered his son to be slandered he delivered his son to

become a curse by being hung upon a tree brothers sisters this is how we know God

loves us this is the proof the greatest proof of his love whenever the the

clouds of affliction cover the son of God's love where you can no longer fill

its warm rays remember he was willing to part with his son the incarnation and

crucifixion of Christ is how we judge the father's love we really could spend

all night considering who God gave but let's move on to consider in the second

place for whom God gave him for whom God gave him verse 32 says he did not spare

his own son but delivered him over for us all the word for is another important

word not only does it mean for our good but in our stead in other words God did

not withhold his son but delivered him over to be our substitute second

Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 he made him who knew no sin to be sent on our

behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him God gave

his son to bear our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin

and live to righteousness for by his wounds we were healed now it needs to be

clarified that the words for us all do not mean for everyone without exception

but for the elect that is who the Apostle Paul was speaking of here and

this is clear from the immediate context for example in the very next verse Paul

asked who will bring a charge against God's what elect the elect is who he was

writing of if you're wondering who the elect are they are everyone who

savingly believes in Jesus Christ if you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

you are one of the elect now this is where our text becomes really

comforting and encouraging if we are true believers we are the elect and if

we are the elect that means the father did not spare his own son but delivered

him over for us specifically in other words the father had our faces in mind

and our names in his heart when he in the fullness of time sent forth his son

born of a woman born under the law it was so that he might redeem us in

particular who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons

maybe I could say it like this if you are a Christian the first Christmas took

place for you specifically particularly and not for you in some general sense as

I just said but for you in a very special and specific sense and those who

are maybe the humblest among us may be tempted to think well maybe that's true

of you Christian maybe that's true of Monty or the other elders and maybe for

those who have it all put together but I'm the least of all the Saints for any

who's thinking may be along those lines let me again read what the Word of God

says it says he spared not his own son but delivered him over for us all you

know what the word all means don't you it means all from the least to the

greatest every single Christian is for whom God gave the son

excuse me you know oftentimes we can equate whether rightly or wrongly the

value of a gift with how much we are valued right if someone gives us a gift

of little monetary value will conclude that that someone does not value us all

that much however if we are given a very expensive gift we'll consider that to be

how much the person who gave it loves us well consider what God has given us us

specifically us particularly God has given God to us and for us this only

becomes more wonderful when we remember who we were miserable sinners which of

us though there is infinitely less love in our hearts than God's would give one

of our children even the most disobedient of our children to die for

our best friend I'm bold to say none of us would we love our children too much

to make such a sacrifice and yet God gave his son his only son to die for his

enemies us as Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says but God demonstrates his own love

toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us now that

we've considered for whom God gave his son let's consider third how God gave

him the second half of verse 32 implies that God gave him freely the words

freely give mean to give graciously or bestow out of grace they stress the

freeness of the Father's giving God gives nothing grudgingly not even his

own son how completely other he is than us we grudgingly give a stick of gum

again we often marvel at Abraham for his giving of Isaac but consider that he was

commanded to do what he did he was obligated to do what he did but

brothers sisters it was different with God God was under no obligation no one

commanded him to do what he did what he did he did voluntarily out of the depths

of his love he willingly delivered Christ over for us all I have to borrow

the words of Charles Spurgeon here Spurgeon said the father gave his son

but who asked him to do so not you certainly for even after the father had

given Christ you despised the wondrous gift who asked him no one of the whole

human race the thought never crossed any created mind angels did not throw

themselves down between justice and the sinner and in a seed for him I have

never read of any burning seraph crying to God spare the guilty Lord spare the

guilty give up thine only begotten son to die and let the guilty live I cannot

perceive Spurgeon said anyone proposing to the Most High to make so tremendous a

sacrifice the father did it according to his own sovereign will unswayed by

anything outside himself that self-sustained almighty being deigned to

give this matchless manifestation of his inflexible justice and infinite love to

the sons of men it was his own conception freely welling up from the

deeps of his own loving heart truly as the Apostle John said God is love in the

last place let us consider what God will give with him what God will give with

him the second half of verse 32 says how will he not also with him freely give us

all things that of course is to say he certainly will God will give us every

physical and spiritual thing that is good for us one man wrote all things

that are for our real advantage of what nature so ever they may be ordinances

providences death the connection between both of the worlds whatever belongs to

our happiness and will further us to the kingdom of glory that is what God is

engaged for as Psalm chapter 84 verse 11 says no good thing does he withhold from

those who walk uprightly I would have you know that this is the whole point of

tonight's text our text is another one of Paul's arguments from greater to

lesser if God gave us the greater gift of his son when we were his enemies he

will give us he will certainly give us every lesser gift now that we are his

children and for any of us to think otherwise is ridiculous if a certain

rich man gave each of us millions of dollars would we doubt he'd give us a

penny we would have every confidence that he would give us the lesser since

he had already given us the greater right and that is Paul's argument

because God did not spare his own son but graciously delivered him over for us

all we can be certain that God will give us every other grace necessary for

living the Christian life both physical and spiritual it's an encouraging text

is it not the encouragements hit us one after the other like waves hitting the

shore in closing I want to apply our text to prayer that is after all what we

are about to do as a church body I would submit to you that when we come to God

in prayer we ought to call to mind the truth we have considered tonight far too

often times when we come to God in prayer we draw a rather inaccurate

picture of him with our minds as if he were angry with us or wrathful or at

best unwilling to grant us our requests too often times we come to him uncertain

he will give us anything that should not be God loves us and desires to do us

good again the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ are proof of that

the father spared not his son for us he delivered the son over for us if he did

that what will he not do for us it is ludicrous to think that God would not

give us anything that is less in value than his son which by the way is

everything every other thing is but dross and dung in comparison to Christ

if God gave his own son for us all without us asking him to will he not

give us everything that is to our good when we do ask for them especially when

we are persistent as Christ commanded us to be as we learned a few weeks ago I

would actually counsel you to use the language of Romans chapter 8 verse 32 in

your prayers as you petition our Heavenly Father for your various

physical and spiritual needs say to him father you did not spare your own son

but delivered him over for me and will you not also with him give me now what I

need the last thing I will say is remember God only gives good gifts if

you ask for a good thing and do not receive it it may be because it would

not be a good thing for you bad things are not good gifts and sometimes good

things are not good gifts and we can be thankful that our father is all wise and

knows what is truly for our good amen let's pray

father what can we say to your gift in response to it I trust we can start by

with Paul saying thank you for your indescribable gift help us to live in

light of your love for us help us to call these truths the mind when we seek

you for our various needs we ask you also to forgive us of our inaccurate

ideas of you of our suspecting some sort of ill will in your person please

increase our faith according to the truth in Christ's name I pray amen