How all is your all in Christ?
EPH. 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Did you know the t the word “ALL” is used some 5,675 times in the Bible? We know it is a small word but it means a great deal. Yet it seems we read over it and do not give much thought to it. If we read a verse with “ALL” in it and it does not catch our attention it will change what that verse is really saying. We find it used is “Jesus is Lord of all, our all mighty God, are ALL sufficient Savior, ALL blessing flow from Him and He is ALL that I need.” We have said God is my ALL and everything I need. This word ALL leaves nothing outside of God’s control.
It’s been called “The Most Famous Sermon in American History.” It was preached on July 8, 1741, by Jonathan Edwards in the tiny community of Enfield, Connecticut, and was entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” His text was Deuteronomy 32:5, “their foot shall slip in due time.” He warned those who were unbelievers that they were dangling over hell like a spider over the fire. “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger. The unconverted are now walking over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that it will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.” Suddenly there were cries of dismay and conviction coming from the crowd. After he paused long enough to appeal for calm, he concluded his message: “Let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let everyone fly out of Sodom.” We’re told that men began literally to feel as if they were sliding in hell, so they held onto the pews in front of them. Others began to shake at the thought of their coming doom, and even rolled on the floor. All over the congregation men and women began to cry out to God, begging Him to save them. Five hundred people were converted to Christ that evening, sparking the beginning of The Great Awakening here in America. The secret? It wasn’t the preacher, though he was a brilliant theologian. It wasn’t the delivery, as some reports tell us that the sermon was delivered in a monotone in a very soft voice, Edwards reading it word for word, rarely lifting his eyes. What time has largely forgotten is that a group of women had gathered to pray, and prayed throughout the night before the sermon was preached that God would send revival. Have you ever heard of a down pouring from God such as this without prayer?
If we choose to believe that some things are out of God’s control we will give our lives over to worrying, being upset and will try to take control and change things in our own power. We will live our lives being worn out. We also will have unneeded tension and not be able to relax. Let us look at four aspects of the word ALL.
1. The first thing we need to know and believe is “GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS.”
A. He knows from the beginning (He created all things by His word) to the end. “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me.” He also knows what is in the middle. He has all power, all authority, all things are under His feet, He fills everything and He is everywhere. He is able to see ALL, hear ALL and loves ALL. EPH. 1:21-23 “Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.” So why do we get upset when it seems things are not going the way we want them to? It has to mean that we lack in believing that He has ALL power, Knows ALL things and loves us with ALL the love that exists in the universe.
B. If we have sin how many of them can He forgive? Does just forgive the bad ones? The Bible which is His book says that He can forgive all sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 JN 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When Jesus died on the cross He took the sins of all people of all time on Himself. PS 103:1-3 “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Someone has written God did not put our sins to the side so He could occasionally glance over at them. He did not place them in front of Him so He could see them continually. He did not put them in a box so He could open the box and remind us of them. He did not cover them up under a rug but the Bible says He has completely removed them. PS 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Isaiah 38:17 “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but You have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for You have cast all my sins behind thy back.” God is not looking for them and He does not want us to look for them. We do not have to pay a price for them for Jesus has done that. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior ALL of our sins are completely forgiven and there needs not to be a sacrifice for them anymore. Our sins are removes and we are at one with God. We have peace with God. “The world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away.” We need to celebrate life that we have in Jesus. We can give ourselves permission to lighten up and enjoy God. That is why we can clap, raise our hands and even jump up and down when we sing songs. We are free. Through Jesus we are set free from being sad, depressed, discouraged and choose to be happy. The past is gone because of our faith in Jesus. You cannot drive your car by looking in the rear view mirror. You will not enjoy life if you live in your past. God knows ALL things and when He forgives He also has the ability to forget. I like what Leonard Ravenhill said, “One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.”
2. The second thing we need to know and believe is With God all things are possible.
A. Since there are no impossibilities we can live in constant victory and there is nothing that can threaten us or make us feel afraid of the future. MK 10:27 “Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God." Everything that is in the will be done in His way and in His time.
B. Paul said we can do all things through Christ who gives us the strength. Jesus said to his followers that “You will do even greater things than I have done.” That means we are ready for and equal to anything through our faith in Jesus.
C. Let us think of our lives this way. What did we have to do with our being born into this world? We did not chose where we were going to be born, the color of our skin, the family we would be in or the mental and physical abilities we would have. There is power beyond our thinking that keeps our heart beating, our lungs taking in air and expelling carbon Dioxide, our blood circulating through our bodies and keeping our bodies at the right temperature. When we consider the body we have and the many things that it does without our even thinking about them drives us to know we have Divine Creator. A Doctor can do surgery on our bodies and they are able to heal themselves. Yet we know that we all grow old and one day we will die. No amount of money or medicine can stop us from dying. The law of gravity holds the world together and keeps us from flying off. We have the right mixture and amount of air we need for daily living. We know that the planet is tipped on its axis 23 ½ degrees to keep this world in a stable condition. If the sun were a little farther away we would all freeze. If it were closer we would burn up. Who puts the clouds in the sky? Who made the grass to be green? Who made all the rivers to have fresh water and yet when they run into the oceans it is salt water? The bible says that Jesus is upholding, Maintaining, guiding and propelling the entire universe by His power. HB 1:3 “The Son reflects God
