I want to ask you to turn with me to the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, chapter 32. We'll read a few verses beginning in verse 40. Jeremiah, right after the book of Isaiah, chapter 32, verse 40. Let me say in the beginning this morning that no matter what situation or circumstance you face today, here's the truth. If God is for you, nothing can be against you. Nothing or no one. If God be for us, who can be against us? Every fear, Every trial, every enemy will not prosper against you.

Most folks today seem to carry a quite suspicion that God is watching and judging and just waiting for him to slip up. But if God is for you, and by His grace you trust in His beloved Son, for salvation, for forgiveness, for perfect righteousness, for peace and rest and eternal life. I love to say it, God is out to do you good. That's right. God's not some distant scorekeeper waiting for his chosen people to fail. In Christ, key words, in Christ, He's out to bless you, comfort you, and save you by His grace. God's people go from broken to blessed. And if God be for us, trials turn into triumph. If God be for you, who? What? can be against you. Because the God of the Bible, the God of creation, is in control over everything. Everything.

In this world, the Lord said, you will have tribulation. You can count on that. But let me tell you what you can count on even more. Be of good cheer, He said. I have overcome the world. Do you believe that? Do you believe He's overcome the world? No matter the mistakes, your mistakes, no matter the setbacks, the heartbreaks that you and I have experienced, those who are one with Christ, trusting in Him, don't face punishment, but mercy. Well, brother, you don't know the life I've lived. Don't need to. You don't know what I've lived. Everything in your life, even the mess you and I have created for ourselves is part of God's purpose for us. God isn't against you. He's for you. He's working all things, even the messes, even the disasters that we create for ourselves for good. Now listen, not by our good, but for our good.

To the same sinner Paul asked in Romans 8.31, what shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? We must stop fearing God's hand and start trusting His heart. In Christ, you are His son and His daughter. Key words again, in Christ. Outside of Christ. I've often told you that God is the ruler and master of all in this universe. Nothing He didn't create. Nothing that He's not over. That He does not rule and reign over. He's only father to some. Is He your father? Are you His son? Are you His daughter? To God's chosen people, Moses said, is He not your father that has brought you out, that being out of the bondage of Egypt? That's what he asked Israel. Is He not your father? He brought you out. That's talking to us too. He brought us out of the bondage of sin. Moses asked, has He not made you? Is He not your Creator? Has He not established? That's Deuteronomy 32.6. Is it not reasonable? to believe that the one who created us can take care of us.

God spoke this world into existence. God made man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. God does amazing and still does miraculous things. Can He not take care of us? Can He not cause bad things to become good things for you? You better believe He can. John wrote in John 1, verses 12 and 13, He gave us power to become the sons of God to them that believe on His name. which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man." How then? But of God. God made His elect people sons and daughters, and being your Father, He knows how to give good things to you, spiritual things, pardon for your sin, life everlasting, perfect righteousness that He requires, that God Himself requires in order to be saved and reconciled to Him. He knows how to give good things. Friends, if God be for you, He's out to do you good.

How do we know that we're His children? Well, listen to what Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 4 verse 6. He said, And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Abba, Father. That is such an enduring term. Abba is an Aramaic word equivalent to our English word, Dad. or Papa, oh, I'm telling you, it conveys closeness and affection and childlike dependence. When my children used to look at me, especially those two girls I had, when they'd look at me and bat their eyes and go, Daddy, oh, my, they got my ear.

Such an enduring term. Father is the Greek word that carries with it a sign of authority, entitled respect, and the role of a protector and a provider. And by using them both together, Abba, or Daddy, or Papa, and Father, the New Testament writers are showing us that God is both intimate, loving, personal, yet authoritative And holy is, Abba Father is just not a casual nickname for God. It expresses a relationship of trust and dependence and love while acknowledging God's role as the Sovereign Father.

When a believer cries to God, Abba Father, they're saying, God, I'm your child. And you're my daddy. You're my father. And I trust you. And I honor you, your authority, and I need your help. I need your blessings. It's saying, I know that you're out to do me good, but help thou my unbelief.

You know, I never once in my life that I can remember any way doubted that my earthly father was out to do me good. Just never did. Because he was. It was obvious. I could see it. I can see that He loved me. I can see that He cared for me. I can see that He would do without so that I would have. How could any of us doubt our Heavenly Father doing the same?

Do we really understand what the word good means? You know, we use it a lot. Sometimes I wonder if we really know what it means. The world misrepresents good to mean whatever feels pleasant and convenient or profitable in the moment. To such, good is defined entirely by personal opinion. They believe that it feels good, that it must be good. Others mistake comfort for goodness. Anything that removes difficulty, suffering, responsibility is called good. That's good. Even if and when it contradicts God's character or purpose.

Some of this world's most comforting things, now listen to me, most of this world's most comforting things are anything but good for us, but to the child of God. That word good, it emphasizes what is right in God's sight, which may not always be easy, profitable, and immediately pleasant, but in the end, but in the end and eternally. The scriptures are unmistakable. God is out to do His people good based on what is good in His sight.

Our Lord Jesus said, I thank Thee, O Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent and has revealed them unto who? Babes, children, even so, Father, for it seemed good in Thy sight. And that's why God does it. It seemed good in His sight. No other reason than it seemed good in His sight. You see, if God before you, He's out to do you. God takes our shortcomings, which are the result of our fallen nature and sin, and He works them together for what? Good. It's God's intention to do so. God's actions prove so. If God before us, His intention is to do us good.

Who's us? Those who love and trust Christ. Look at our text here in Jeremiah 32, beginning in verse 38. And I want you to pay particular attention to the pronouns used here. I'm gonna emphasize them as I read them. Verse 38, and they, who, us, shall be my people, and I will be their God. Who? Us, the trustee. Verse 39, and I'll give them, believers, one heart and one way that they, his children, may fear me forever for the good of them and of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, not the world, but those that love and trust Christ, that I will not turn away from them to do them good. That I will put my fear in their hearts and that they shall not depart from me.

Are you going to depart from the Lord now if you belong from Him? Why? Because He's going to keep you. He's not going to let you. I find such comfort in that. Verse 41, yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the Lord, like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

Now who are these promises made to? Those who love and trust Christ. For what? These aren't the words of a reluctant deity. This is God revealing His heart to do His people good. I don't know where folks get their information from these days. It sure ain't from the Word of God. This is not God reacting to our performance. That's works religion, not grace. You know, I don't find any gospel, I don't find any good news. That's what the gospel means. And a man telling me that if I live this way and if I do this and don't do that, then God, I don't find any comfort in that because I know that I can't do anything that would be appeasing and accepting to God. How is that good news? You're just speaking condemnation upon me.

And doing good is not just God's hobby. That's the way some men preach God. Well, you know, God's too good not to do you good. God's too holy to do you good if you're not perfectly holy and righteous yourself. He's too holy. This is His covenant commitment. God rejoices to do good, yes. He delights to show mercy, absolutely. To the whole world? No. To them who Christ came to save. Are you one of them? Preacher, didn't He come to save everyone? Well, is everyone saved? No. None that He came to save will be lost. Not a single one. There's no one that Christ shed his blood for ineffectually. If he shed his blood for them, they will be saved. Well, what about those that fall away? He never shed his blood for them. John said, they went out from us, but they never were of us. Not all Israel of the nation of Israel are true Israel, the child, the children of God.

And, You know, it's just an amazing thing. I was thinking about this this week. God delights to bless his people more than they desire the blessing. Now, listen, I desire God's blessing, but not as much as he desires to give them to me. If you belong to Christ, God's purpose towards you is settled. When someone genuinely aims to do good, do what's right towards somebody, and they fall short. Most of the time we say, well, they had good intentions. And they may very well have. I'm sure that they do. But God never falls short of good intentions. Never. He intends to do his people good, and he does. He can't fail. You know, we want to do somebody some good and we often fall short because that's what and who and what we are, but not God. And here's the amazing thing. He does so gladly. He doesn't do it grudgingly. He's not irritated. He's not disappointed. Have you ever done something for somebody you really didn't like and you were like, I'll do it. That's not God. He delights to show mercy. He's plenteous and He delights to show mercy. He's not doing something that He doesn't want to do. In, by, and through Christ, God is delighted to do right by you. Freely. Joyfully. Never reluctantly.

Verse 41 says, yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good. It's with joy that he does. You see that? This is God speaking. This is what God himself said. What does the Lord mean by that? Just exactly what he says. I will rejoice over them to do them good. Not I might, not maybe, but I will.

I think about that leper. You know, leprosy was a horrible, horrible disease. And it very well pictures our sin. And boy, it started on the inside and worked its way outward. Doesn't it do what sin does? And he came to the Lord and I'm, I just see him in bad shape here. Because the law of God says you've got to stay outside of the camp if you're a leper. You can't get around people. And if you do even get close to people, you've got to yell out. We all can hear you. Unclean! Unclean! Because it's very contagious. So I just picture this leper in bad shape because he's at the end of his rope. That's where God brings us, isn't it? To the end of our rope, so to speak. And he comes to the Lord because he's heard that this man can help him. And what does he say? Lord, I know you can. I've heard, but if you will, you can make me whole. What did the Lord Jesus say? I will, I will. Not, well, I'll tell you what, you know, come to the tabernacle four Sundays in a row and then we'll talk about it. Or, you know, next service, come down front here when I'm preaching and give me your heart and join the church and get baptized and I will. He said, no, I will. I will rejoice over them to do them good.

God takes things, all things, and works them together for the good of them who love God. Not for the whole world, but to those who love God. God takes bitter things, painful things, even tragic things, and bends them toward the good of his people. Only God can do that. Joseph, I use him often as an example because he's a very good one. He sold into slavery. His own brothers sell him into slavery. Was that something to be happy about? Do you think when Joseph was in that pit that they threw him in, and those folks came by and took him as a slave, that he was singing and whistling? No. It wasn't something to be happy about. I'm sure he's heartbroken. My own brothers did this to me. And he's thinking about his dad at home that loved him. It wasn't something to be happy about, but it led to the salvation of many. And that was something to be happy about. He told his brothers later, he said, you meant it for evil. God meant it for good. Why did God mean it for good? To put me on the throne of Egypt to save much people alive. Paul was thrown into prison many times. And each time, the church grew in number and grew in strength and grew in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ their Savior. Do you think it's joyous to be in prison? It was to Paul. Our trials, friends, are not ruining us. They're shaping us. They're conforming us to Christ.

Satan desires to sift you as wheat. That's what he told Peter. But Christ has seen to it that our faith fail us not. He's gonna sift. That's part of the purpose. But Christ has seen to it that our faith doesn't fail. Sin aims to enslave us. Christ put away our sin. This world aims to deceive you. Christ has overcome the world. That's why we can confidently say, if God is for us, who can be against us? That's not a stretch at all to say if God is for us, who can be against us? Not the God of the Bible.

Now, the God that men declare today, this little puny God, this old man upstairs, you know, this decrepit old man that's, you know, walking the portals of heaven and going, you know, I just want to help somebody. Now, if that God is for you, it may not mean much. But if the God who rules and reigns and works all things after the counsel of His own will is for you, who can be against you?

A shepherd doesn't wait at the destination, he walks with his sheep, doesn't he? He leads them in the paths that are good, even when they don't feel like good paths. He protects us, He's with us. The valley, the low places, the shadow of death never feels like a good path. We get sick, we're weak, we're frail. It doesn't feel good, but it's a needful path. And we can fear no evil, why? Because thou art with me. And I see that time and time again. Every trial, every trouble, every... affliction that comes along, every sickness, no matter what it is, I see just a little bit more how He's with me. Thou art with me. He comforts me with His rod and His staff. And right now, this very minute, He prepares a table to feast before us in the presence of our enemies. Our enemies being Satan and self and sin and this world. And He anoints our heads with oil and what? My cup's running over. But that's not all, of God before us, surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life. And we will dwell in the house of the Lord, how long? Forever, not maybe, but surely God's goodness pursues us. That's a good thing, is it not?

You know, most, so-called Christians, except that God sometimes does them good. Something good happens, they go, thank God, you know, God, God did something good for me. They hope for good days. They fear bad days. And sadly, they assume that God shifts like the weather. Well, maybe this would be a good day. Maybe it'll be a bad day. No bad days. No bad day. Yeah, I don't know about that. I'm telling you, Christ had no bad days. His intentions are fixed. His covenant, His character, His gospel, His son, all declare one thing. If God be for you, who can be against you? What can be against you? What is bad? He's deliberately out to do you good.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 84 verse 11, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. And some immediately say, but preacher, I don't walk uprightly. And I say, that's why you cannot look to yourself. In the same breath that the psalmist said that, he added, O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in Thee. Listen, the only way that you and I can walk uprightly is to trust in the walk of righteousness that the Lord Jesus Himself did for us. There is no other way. We gotta stop looking within. We gotta keep looking to Christ. Because if God before me, who can be against me, I'm going to look to Him. And I'm going to trust in Him.

Now, in closing, I want you to turn with me to the 8th chapter of Romans. That's where the verse is, if God be for us, who can be against us. And listen, I often turn to Romans 8 for comfort. Why? Because it declares to me who God is. And it shows me very clearly what I am, and why I need God.

I discover here time and time again that God will never withhold anything good from me. Verse 28, and we know, who's we? God's people. The world don't know this. God's people do. We know that all things, most things, no, All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

God works all things together for good to who? It tells us right here, to those who love the Lord, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Who is that referring to? To those that love God, who are thee called. It's an open book test.

Now look at verse 29 closely. This is where many, many, many miss the blessing. This is where God's elect find it. For whom He, God, did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He, His Son, might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Now, the believer's salvation is certain because it was God that purposed it. God not only knows in advance, foreknows, that's what the word means, know in advance. Who's going to believe in Christ? But God determined who would believe in Him. It's not God looking ahead in time and seeing who would accept Him and then choosing them based on that. That's works. God not only foreknew who would believe, He foreknew because He determined who would. God was the cause of who believed in Christ.

I'm not going to argue this doctrine with anybody. It's plain as a nose on your face right here from Scripture. There's nothing to be mad about. Everything to be glad about. My mom used to tell me when I'd get mad, well, you can get glad in the same pants you got mad in. Well, we ought to.

Listen, if the Lord had not chose us from the foundation of the world. He had not predetermined, predestinated us beforehand to believe we never would have believed. It's just that simple. Well, that offends my free will. It shouldn't. Because when it comes to salvation, our will is in bondage to our sin. Ain't nothing free at all about our will. It's in bondage. It's subject to our nature. You're going to choose wrong every time if it's left up to you.

Now, to those God foreknew and predestinated, which simply means predetermined or determined beforehand, God conforms to the image of Christ. Salvation, listen, is not just rescued from sin. It's a restoration to the likeness of Christ. Man was created in Christ's image and he fell through disobedience. This is God's restoration to his image. We're being conformed to Christ's image.

As the firstborn, Christ is the source of our adoption into the family of God, making God our Father and us. His children. In verse 30, we see the certainty of God's preordained purpose. Moreover, whom He, God, did predestinate, them He, God, also called. And whom He, God, called, them He also justified. And whom He justified, them He also glorified. Done deal. No wonder He said it's finished. No wonder He said it's done.

Now we must declare the truth as it's written in the scriptures. The first thing this verse tells us is God is a predestinating God. God in his foreknowledge and wisdom and power chose certain people to be saved, not everybody. This is not based on their merit, but upon His grace. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that the whole world might be saved, and that whosoever believed in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. The gospel is that salvation originates with God's initiative, not ours.

Secondly, God calls people to Himself. Notice the chain, the order here. God calls people to himself. The gospel shows that it's God who draws us, calls us and draws us, awakening faith in our hearts, giving us life so that we can believe. Salvation begins with his call. Those who God calls, come. He saves those that he calls. Verse 30 says, whom He called, them He also justified.

Thirdly, we see what true justification is. Well, what does it mean to justify? Well, justification is God declaring a sinner to be righteous on the basis of faith in Christ. Not on something that they do. In Christ, God declares the believer righteous. In Christ, our sins are forgiven. In Christ, we are accepted before God only because of the sacrifice Christ made for us.

And then fourthly, we see our future glorification. God is going to ultimately transform every believer completely into Christ-likeness. What's that? In Christ, I'm perfect. It don't sound right to say. It's true. It's what He says. When we leave this body of flesh in death, God's gonna give us glorified bodies, dwelling places. That's all a body is. When we die and that corpse is there, that's not us. We've left that body. It's lifeless. But God's gonna give us a new body without sin. No sin in this new body. That's why it's called a glorified body. No sin. What a day that's gonna be, huh?

Verse 31, what shall we say? What do you say to these, Lord and Son? Just what I've been endeavoring to say to you. If God be for us, who can be against us?

Verse 32, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, and all here meaning all his chosen people. That's who this apostle is written to. He wasn't written to the world, he's written to the church at Rome. It's written to believers, the elect of God. How shall he not with Him, Christ, also freely... What's freely mean? Free? Doesn't cost you anything. Cost Him everything, doesn't cost you nothing. freely give us all things, all things, all things. God's generosity toward His people is proven, it's guaranteed, and it's secure in the sacrifice of His Son.

Now, all things don't mean you're gonna get a big new house and a new car and a nice fishing boat and all that. It means God's gonna give you everything you need to be reconciled to Him. And that's all that matters. If God handed over now to stay with me, I'm almost done. If God handed over his greatest treasure, that being his own son, he's not about to hold back now the lesser things that his people truly need. Is he? Well, how am I going to pay this bill? You got to see to it. God provides a way. He always does. The greatest gift has already been given. God has paid the ultimate price for sin. That's the gospel, friend. He spared not his own son. He gave him up for those he is for. If God be for us, how then could he hold back anything? All ongoing blessings come through Christ whom God gave, and these blessings come because of His finished work, not anything we did. Past grace secures future grace. Now listen, if God gave Christ to you when you were an enemy, He's certainly not gonna withhold anything from you now that you're one of His. Woody, if your father knows how to give good gifts, what about your heavenly father? We can expect security, not uncertainty. Our standing with God settled. He freely gives us all things. I can't be more plain than that. God was very plain when he said that.

In verse 33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who's gonna slap God's hand and say, you can't do that. Who can stay his hand or say unto him what doest thou? It's Christ that died. Who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Now you think about what Paul is saying here. None can charge me with sinning against the law of God because Christ died to put my sin away. What does that mean? That means that I don't have any sin. No one can condemn me for my sin against God's holy law, not even God. How can that be? Because when Christ died for my sin and put it away, and only a perfect man could, then God raised Him from the dead, showing that His substitution for me was accepted and effectual. So accepted that Christ not only rose from the grave, but He ascended to the throne of God, and even now is sitting at the right hand of God in all power and in all authority. And what's He doing there, Lou? He's interceding for me. He's pleading my case and my cause.

If God before us, Who can be against? Trouble, suffering, failure, even death. None of those things can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. Don't leave that out. Verse 35, what about tribulation? Nope. What about distress? Nope. What about persecution? Absolutely not. What about famine? Nakedness? Nothing. Well, shall peril or sword? Nothing. Nothing means nothing.

Verse 37. Nay, in all these we are more than conquerors. How? Through Him alone. Only good things await if God be for us.