Two years ago, I went to visit
my good friend, Brother Jim Sly. He was in the hospital over in
Lexington dying, and he knew it, and I knew it. We had a good
visit. Just a few days after I left
his room, the Lord took him home. But I sat down before I got home
and wrote down Brother Jim's last word to me, because I didn't
want to forget it. He said, Brother Don, don't ever
quit telling the story. Don't ever quit telling sinners
about Christ. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. He's so
good. He's so good. The Lord is so
good. Tell it every time. Don't ever
quit. And I pray that God will give
me grace to hearken to that wise counsel from a man leaving this
world. We have a lot of friends going
through heavy, heavy trials. Our hearts ache for them. Some
of you are going through some real difficulties, enduring heavy trials of faith. Our Heavenly Father has been
pleased in His wise, unerring, good, adorable providence to
put you in the furnace of affliction, and He sustains you there. I am astonished at how well he
sustains you. I'm just astonished. You're comforted in the midst
of great heartache by the sweet knowledge of his wise, adorable,
and good providence, by the blessed assurance of his goodness and
grace in Christ, and by the peaceful confidence that he who is God
our Savior does all things well. And your sweet composure, my
dear friends. We've been together now for 24
years and I've seen some of you go through some difficulties.
Some nobody but you and I and our God knows about. But your
sweet composure in such trials as both honoring to our God and
to the gospel we believe. And more encouraging to me and
to your brothers and sisters who observe it than words can
ever begin to tell. Some of God's saints seem to
have trials one on the heels of another. I've had so little
experience with these things. But I know some folks who have
constant experience with it. And I'll tell you what I've observed.
Usually, not always, usually, those who have the most trials,
the heaviest burdens, the greatest difficulties, bear them with
the greatest composure, with the least apparent pain, unruffled, undisturbed, with
the least obvious sorrow. And that makes me get a little
perturbed with myself and with others, you and others, who grumble
and complain about hanging toenails in trippy faucets. I just get
a little disturbed. when men and women gripe about
everything. I spoke to Brother Merle this morning asking about
his legs. And he came and sat down and
I said, I really want to know. Because I know if your legs were falling
off and I asked you how those legs were doing, he'd say, oh,
they're doing all right. They're doing all right. Somebody else
comes in and says, well, how are you this morning? You better
run because you're going to spend the day listening. Children of God, learn. from
faithful men and women to be quiet under the hand of God. Be quiet under the hand of God. If you stop and be quiet, you
might hear God speak. And far better to hear Him speak
than hear me speak. Well, in recent months, I've
tried to help a lot of people. And I've been thinking a lot. One more time about God's great
good providence. When trials and temptations assail
our souls, nothing is more helpful, nothing more comforting than
the blessed knowledge that our God rules all things. He is the God of providence. Now I thought it might be profitable
for us, one more time, to look at two words. I've looked at
these with you before, about seven or eight years ago, maybe
more. I brought a message to you entitled All Things, as I
have this one. But don't imagine I'm just rehashing
things with you. I spent the whole day yesterday
working over this message. And I believe God's given me
a message for you. These two words, All Things, are used together
in the scriptures over a hundred times. Almost every time, there
are a few exceptions, but almost every time they are used in connection
with our great God and his good work of grace and providence
for us. Now, obviously we can't look
at all of them, but we're going to look at 19 texts of scripture
And if you want to follow with me through the scriptures, you
can. If you want to just get you out a notepad and write down the references,
you can look at it later. And if you write down the references
and read them, you'll have my message wherever you file it.
Let's begin in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 18. 2 Corinthians
chapter 5 and verse 18. Now I know that what I have to
say this morning, what God says to us in his word in these 19
passages, Oh, if the Spirit of God will bless it to your heart,
will thrill the soul of every believer, minister comfort and
peace and joy to your hearts. And I pray that these texts of
Scripture, as I weave them together and show you their message, may
be blessed of God to you who believe not. Oh, may He cause
you. as you hear the word of His grace,
to believe on the Son of God and live forever. Here in 2 Corinthians
chapter 5 and verse 18, the apostle tells us, all things are of God. All things. Now when God Almighty
says all things, it doesn't mean some things. are all good things,
are most things, he means all things. The apostle is here speaking
about God's saving work, all the salvation of our souls specifically. But this which he declares, all
things are of God, must not be limited merely to that which
we experience and know in time and even in eternity about God's
saving grace. When Paul says all things are
of God, how far would it take that? If you understand what
this book teaches, what this book teaches, now I'll give you
a challenge. You take a statement like this,
and what I'm about to say concerning it, and throw the whole Bible
at it. Just the whole book of God. Throw
the whole thing at it. And if it swallows it up, it's
from God. If it bumps it off, it's not. Now this is what I'm telling
you. You take this statement, all things are of God, just as
far back as your mind and heart will allow you to go into eternity
past. And just as far forward as your
imagination can go to eternity future. Just as high as heaven. Just as low as the deepest depths
of hell. Take it around the world through
all time. through all your experience,
past, present, and future, and you will just begin to get some
idea what's included. All things are of God. All things. All things. When all has been considered,
and all has been done that shall be done, When all history is
over, write this title over the heading, All Things Are of God. All creation is of God. The Lord has made all things
for himself. The scriptures declare, Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for
Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are
and were created. In his wise, orderly disposition
of providence, all things are of God. Listen to this. Of him,
that's the source. And through him, that's the means
of work. And to him, that's the end, are
all things, to whom be glory forever. That's what the apostle
says, Romans 11.36. And in the salvation of our souls,
all things are of God. Specifically, as I said, this
is what Paul's talking about here in 2 Corinthians 5. However
you look at it, whatever's involved in it, the salvation of our souls
is God's work. Salvation is of the Lord. Now listen carefully, listen
carefully. Whatever it is that's necessary for your wretched,
sinful, vile soul to stand off forever except before God in
His glory. Whatever that is. Faith? Yeah. The new birth? Yeah. Repentance? Yeah. Conversion? Yeah. Sanctification? Yeah. Redemption? Yeah. Forgiveness?
Yeah. Justification? Yeah. Holiness?
Yeah. Righteousness? Yeah. Everything!
It's of God. All of it. All of it. If you
believe God's cause, He gave you faith. If you turn to Him,
it's because He's turned to you. If you persevere, it's because
He holds you. If you're sanctified, it's because He sanctified you.
If you're justified, it's because He justified you. If you're redeemed,
it's because He redeemed you. Salvation is of the Lord. You
got that? All things are of God. Now, turn back to Proverbs 16,
verse 4. Proverbs 16, 4. Here we'll see that all things
are for God. for the glory of his own great
name. Three times in Ephesians 1, the
apostle tells us that God did everything in grace for the praise
of his glory. Here in Proverbs 16.4, the wise
man says, the Lord hath made all things, now this is going
to shock you. You talk about putting a fellow
in a psychological fit, this is going to mess up your psychology.
The Lord didn't make anything for you. The Lord made all things for
Himself. Now we'll see in a little bit, child of God, He does everything
for you. But He made everything for Himself. And He does everything for you
for Himself. Read here. The Lord hath made
all things for Himself, yea, even the wicked. for the day
of judgment, for the day of evil. Nothing comes to pass in time
that takes God by surprise. God Almighty made the universe
in the beginning and sustains the universe in providence and
rules the universe in time for himself, everything. I don't
presently see what God's doing and everything. I don't pretend
to have the answers. But I am assured that in all
things the Lord is making himself an everlasting and glorious name.
When God brought Israel out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness,
brought them at last into the land of Canaan, we're told he
did it to make an everlasting name for himself. To make thyself
a glorious name. I'm not pausing because I'm looking
for something to say, I'm pausing because I want to be sure I tell
you the truth. That's good enough for me. That's good enough for me. Is
God honored? That's good enough. Is God making
himself an everlasting name? I'm satisfied. Is God making
himself a glorious and great name? God who saved me by His
grace, my Father, He who is worthy of all glory, then I am satisfied
with what He's doing. Alright, thirdly, Ephesians 1, verse 10 and 11. Here the Holy Spirit informs
us that all things are disposed of by God in time, and disposed
of Him in time according to His own purpose of grace, in eternity,
disposed of him in time exactly according to his purpose of grace
in sovereign, eternal predestination." Oh, if you haven't yet learned
to love it, learn to love God's predestination. Oh, boy, that's deep. There's nothing deep about that.
To predestinate is to destine beforehand. Any child can understand
that? There's nothing confusing about
that. You mean to say, preacher, that God Almighty determined
everything before the world began that ever comes to pass? You
understood what he said? That's a wonderful thing. Now
it would be horrible if Bob Durf did that. If he had the power
to do that, that would be horrible, because he's a sinful creature.
It'd be horrible if Don Fortner did that. If I had the power
to do that, that'd be horrible. You'd have reason to be afraid,
because I'm a selfish, sinful creature. But God Almighty, whose
name is love, who is good over all, blessed forever for Him,
to predetermine from eternity everything that comes to pass,
and then rule the universe absolutely to bring to pass the good pleasure
of his will. Oh, blessed be his name. And
this is what Paul says. He's giving a word of praise
to God. Verse 10 of Ephesians 1. That in the dispensation of
the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth,
even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. The essence of this is just this. Everything that comes to pass
in time, was predestined by God our Father in eternity and is
brought to pass by God's purpose, power, wisdom, and grace exactly
according to His determination from eternity to save His people
from their sins to the praise of the glory of His grace. Now
turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 8. The apostle tells us, thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he hath put all things
in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under
him. But now we see not yet all things
put under him. Paul, he says now, learn this
children of God. Christ ascended into glory. The
God-Man, our Mediator. He always had dominion over everything
in His eternal Godhead. But He, having obeyed the Father,
having fulfilled righteousness, having satisfied justice, having
redeemed His people, now the God-Man, our Mediator, sits yonder
on the throne of heaven with the reins of sovereign dominion
over all things in His hands. The Father put all things in
His hands. And the Father put all things
under His feet. Wait a minute, preacher. Wait
a minute. I can't see that. Me neither. Looks to me like
everything's out of control, doesn't it? Looks to me like
everything's in chaos. Looks to me like nothing is orderly.
The world we're in looks to me like it's out of order. God says
he has his way in the world we're in. The dust looks to me like
it's blowing here and there. They are just the work of His
feet. Every particle of dust falling
and moving exactly according to His decree. The little sparrow
flitting here and there looks to me like there's no plan at
all. The sparrow doesn't fall to the ground and pick up a little
grain of seed without God's purpose in hand. We see not yet all things
put under His feet. We don't need to. We don't. But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels to redeem us from our sins for the suffering of
death, crammed with glory and honor. Now, that's enough. Rejoice, O my soul. Sing, O my
heart. Give thanks to God, O my brother
and sister. He who loved us and gave himself
for us sits upon the throne of universal monarchy and has everything
under subjection to him all the time. He holds the reins of the
universe and all things are put under his feet. Now, look at
2 Corinthians again, chapter 4 this time, verse 15. Do you see it? All things are for your sakes. for your sakes. We read it in Psalm 57 too a
little while ago. God performeth all things for me. Oh God give me grace to honor
you by believing that. All things are for your sakes,
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God. Imagine that. Can you get hold
of it? God performeth all things for
you, my brother. All things for you, my sister,
just for you. Just for you. But that includes
Lindsay, yeah, he does all things just for him too. But that includes
Shelby, yeah, he does all things just for you. Just for you. How can that be? He's God. He performeth all things for
me. How often we're like Jacob, and
we cry, all these things are against me. Oh, I can't take
it anymore. Everything's against me. Oh,
God, why did you leave me alone? God performeth all things for
me. All things are for your sake.
All things. Now, let's look at that passage
so familiar to us, Romans 8.28. Romans 8.28. Here the Holy Spirit teaches
us that all things work together for the spiritual and eternal
good of God's elect all the time. Now this is not a good luck charm.
This is not one of those things where you just kind of resign
yourself to it. Modern thoughts concerning resignation
to the will of God has nothing to do with faith. Somebody says,
well, the Lord did this, I guess we'll have to accept it. No,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no. My father is doing good. I pray he'll give me grace to
accept his will and to resign myself to his purpose for his
glory. There's a big difference. For
we know, we who are born of God and taught of God, we who believe
God, we who know the message of this book, we know that all
things, all things, which things? All of them, the good, the bad,
prosperous and diverse, all things, sweet and bitter, pleasant, painful,
all things work all the time. All the time. Like you stood
a bowl of dough, work. All the time. All the time. Never
idle. Never at a stand. All things
work, but not apart. Together. Together. I don't know
a better way to illustrate this. I was out here mowing one day
several years ago on that old John Deere mower I've got. And
I hit a stump. It was on a Saturday, and usually
I was in a rush. And I had the thing in high gear,
and I was just flying down through there. And all of a sudden, I
hit the top of a stump that had cropped out of the ground. And it about threw
me off the tractor, but that old tractor just kept on going.
Except for one thing, it wouldn't cut grass anymore. It wouldn't
cut a blade. Running wide open, it wouldn't
cut a blade. The belt was turning. It wouldn't
cut a bit of grass. How come? Because I had sheared a little
old bitty pin. It wasn't much bigger than a
piece of straw. And the blades wouldn't turn. The axle was supposed
to be turning, but the blades wouldn't turn. It was utterly
useless because one ten-cent pin was sheared. It takes the whole machinery
to do the work for which it was purposed. What does it take to bring Bob
Duff to glory? Everything. Everything. What does it take
to save God's elect? Everything that has been, is,
and shall be. All things work together for
good. For good. He does that which
is best for us now, and He does that which is best for us tomorrow,
and He does that which is best for us eternally, for eternal
spiritual good. Not for one alone, but for all. To them that love God. Now who is it that loves God?
Read the next line. To them who are thee called according
to His purpose. If God's pleased to call you
by His grace and reveal His Son in you, He will do so with such
overwhelming, irresistible power that suddenly God, whom you've
hated all your life, you'll love Him. All your life you wanted to be
God yourself. You said, I'll take over the God business. Now
you'll be tickled to death. He's God. To them who are the
called, according to His purpose. All right. Let's look together
at chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Verse 21. Paul says, Therefore let no man
glory in me, for all things are yours. Verse 23, and you're Christ. Since you're Christ, one with
Christ, all things are yours. All spiritual things, all grace,
all forgiveness, all life, all mercy, all spiritual things,
all temporal things, all things that come to pass in time, all
eternal things, all heavenly things, all things are yours. Your possession, as surely as
they are His possession. Now, here's a word in Matthew
22 specifically for you who do not know our God. Look at Matthew
22 and verse 4. Our Lord is giving a word concerning
the marriage feast. A picture of the gospel of His
free grace and salvation by Christ. And he commands sane sinners
to declare to lost sinners, all things are ready. Again he sent
forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden. Behold,
I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatlings are killed,
and all things are ready. Come now, my son. Come to the
marriage. Come to the marriage. This is one marriage at which
no guest bringing gifts will ever be admitted. This is one
marriage at which the bride has no dowry. All the gifts come
from the father of the group and are bestowed because of the
group. In Christ, all things are ready
for the salvation of every sinner who believes on him. And so the
Spirit and the bride say, come. And whosoever will, let him come
and take of the water of life freely. See his blood atonement,
his complete pardon. See his perfect obedience to
God as a man. This is perfect righteousness.
Do you behold his promise? Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. That's certain acceptance. Do
you understand the message of his grace? I've given to them
eternal life. Who? All my sheep. All who hear
my voice come to me. Of whom I said I'll always test
them out. I've given them eternal life. And it's an unconditional,
indestructible gift. He says, they shall never perish. All things are ready. Come on
to the Savior. Look in Acts 13.39. Listen to this word from God.
By Christ, all that believe are justified from all things from
which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. You cannot
be justified by works. You cannot be justified by ceremony. You cannot be justified by saying
certain things. You cannot be justified by experiencing
things. But Christ gives free, complete,
full, irrevocable, everlasting justification from all things. Complete justification. Present
justification and permanent justification. from all iniquity. Oh, preacher, I fall so far short of what God
requires. Me too. That's called iniquity. Pastor, I've transgressed every
commandment from my youth up all the time. Me too. It's called transgression. Oh,
but pastor, if you only knew the evil that's in my heart.
It's called sin. Iniquity, transgression and sin. Christ justifies all who believe
on Him freely and forever from all things. Believe on the Son
of God and this justification is yours. All right, here's the
next one, Matthew 19. You don't need to turn there,
just listen for a minute. The rich young ruler came to the
Lord Jesus, good master, what good things shall I do that I
may inherit eternal life? You tell me what it is I've got
to do and I'll do it, I'm ready because I'm a good man. I've
decided to let you be my Lord. I've decided to be a Christian.
I've decided I want to go to heaven, not to hell. What shall
I do? Tell me now. And the Lord said,
OK. You go sell everything you've
got. Give it to the poor. Come follow
me. Take up your cross and follow me. You'll be my disciple. And
he understood the master's words. You mean in order for me to have
eternal life, I've got to give up my life to you and your will? That's it. You mean in order for me to have
eternal life, this good rich man, rich in good works as well
as money? rich in morality as well as in
gold, rich in the opinion he has of himself, of his own righteousness
as well as in his treasury. You mean I've got to sell all
my righteousness as filthy rags and trust you only? No thank
you. And he went away. And the Lord
Jesus understood the thoughts of his disciples. And he said, how hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven. It's easier
for a camel to go through a sewing needle's eye than for a rich
man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And when the disciples saw that,
they said, well, who then can be saved? And the Lord Jesus
says, with men, it's impossible. You won't surrender your life
to the dominion of Christ. It's not going to happen. You will not sell your righteousness
as filthy rags. It's not going to happen. It
ain't going to happen. Not if God leaves you alone. But with God, listen now, all
things are possible. He can save me and you. All things are possible. There is no sinner beyond the
reach of omnipotent mercy. No filth beyond the blood of
Christ that cannot cleanse it. No spiritual deformity beyond
the power of the grace of Christ to correct it. No nakedness of
soul beyond the reach of the righteousness of Christ to cover
it. No emptiness Christ cannot feel. Look at Mark 9 verse 22. Here is a father who brings his
demon-possessed, speechless son to the master. And Jesus said to him, if thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of
the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. Here's a man believing Christ. for his demon-possessed son. He came to Christ and begged
mercy for his son who could not and would not seek mercy on his
own. What encouragement there is here for you parents whose sons and
daughters are yet under the wrath of God. who cannot and will not seek
mercy for themselves. Last week, back in the office,
Brother Rex Bartley was praying for us after he finished reading
scripture and he made this statement in his prayer. This is close,
I didn't write it down. He said, Lord, never once in
your word do we find a sinner seeking mercy for himself. Seeking
mercy for his child who did not get it. Never once do we find
a sinner seeking mercy for his child who did not get it. And so Lord, we bring our lost
children to you and ask that you'll be merciful to them for
Christ's sake. And our Lord says, if thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth. That's what he said. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Here we're told that our Lord
Jesus Christ makes all things new. Therefore, if any man be
in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold,
all things have become new. Believe on Christ, and he gives
you a new nature, a new heart, a new will, a new record in heaven,
a new hope. Soon he'll give you a new body,
a new life, new heavens, and a new earth. In Romans 8, 32. The Apostle Paul reads it like
this. Having given us his dear son,
the Lord Jesus, God will freely give us all things as we need
them. He that spared not his own son. When God made his son to be sin
for you, he spared nothing. He despaired not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Tell me something, David. You've
got five children here. Which one will you give me rather
than give me your bank account? God gave his son for man. Now
what do you reckon he's going to keep for man? Listen to this, you can find
it in Proverbs 28 verse 5. They that seek the Lord understand
all things. We have an unction from the Holy
One so we know all things, all that we need to know, at least
that's what it means. We understand the origin of all things is God,
and the end of all things is the glory of God and the salvation
of His people. We understand that the nature
of all things here is temporary and vanity, and that the purpose
of all things here is but to serve that ultimate end, which
is the glory of God and the saving of His people. In Ephesians 5
verse 20, The Apostle teaches us that it is both the responsibility
and the joy of believers to give thanks to God for all things.
Giving thanks always for all things and to God and the Father
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Giving thanks for all
things. Nothing on this earth makes life's troubles more bearable
than walking in the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, giving
thanks to God for His good providence. I don't mean to suggest the ridiculous
that, Lord, I'm so glad you sent this heartache and this pain.
No, no, no, no, no. giving thanks to the Father who
rules everything. Lord, you're too good. I thank
you. I can't understand, I don't know
what you're doing right now, but you're doing good for me
and for your people and for your glory, and I give thanks to you. And thanksgiving breeds satisfaction. And it breeds joy among God's
people. In Acts chapter 3 verse 31, the
apostle tells us, or verse 21 rather, the apostle tells us
that there's a day coming called the day of the restitution of
all things. When God Almighty gets done,
He's going to restore everything to Himself. Every creature, every event,
every thought, every act of everything in heaven, in earth, and in hell
shall at last redound to the glory of God. And the whole world
is going to see that it does. And then we're told in Revelation
21 verse 7, He that overcometh shall inherit all things. Soon we shall overcome and we
shall inherit all things according to God's good purpose. And then Peter tells us in 1
Peter 4, 7, the end of all things is ahead. All our troubles, struggles,
toils, trials, heartaches, temptations, sins. the ends it had. This ain't going to last long.
I love to think about and tell the story of Richard Baxter when
he was dying. He'd been sick for a long time. He'd been in
prison a number of times for preaching the gospel. On his deathbed, and one of his
friends came to him. He did what we normally do at
such times. Well, Brother Baxter, how are you today? Couldn't hardly breathe, Bob.
How are you today? He managed to lean up on one
elbow and he said, Almost well. Almost well. The end of all things
is at hand. And this sin sick soul Soon we'll
be well. Altogether well. Now let me show
you one more thing. Turn if you will to this one
in Mark chapter 7. The Lord had been going through
the coast of Tyneside, and I believe it was. That Sanfordition woman
came to him and pleaded with him to have mercy on her daughter.
And he saw her faith and gave her what she wanted. He calls
the deaf to hear. perform great miracles and at
the end of the day something happened a statement
was made and I'm here to tell you at the
end of the day when God Almighty gets done with
me and gets done with this world this is the statement that I
will make This is it. Look at verse 37. They were beyond measure astonished. When he gets finished, we will
be beyond measure astonished. And this is what they said. He hath done all things well. with me and mine, with his church, with his world,
and with you and yours. When Horatius Bonar lay dying,
his wife, after nursing him one evening, he had consumption,
went through a lot of pain. She slipped into the other room
after he went off to sleep. and sat down and wrote a hymn. I'd love for us to sing it. Fade,
fade, each earthly joy. Jesus is mine. And he hath done all things well. Amen.