GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #398

 

          GOD’S PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ALL THINGS   Proverbs 28:5

         

          Pastor Don Fortner

          Grace Baptist Church of Danville

          2734 Old Stanford Road

          Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

 

            Other people are vexed and confused by the Word of God, the ways of God, and the works of God. But God’s saints understand all things. This is not a matter of supposition, but of inspiration. This is exactly what God tells us in Proverbs 28:5. “THEY THAT SEEK THE LORD UNDERSTAND ALL THINGS.” The wise man tells us that "Evil men understand not judgment.” Then he asserts, “but they that seek the LORD understand all things". I am not for a moment suggesting that religious people understand all things, not by a long shot. But I am declaring what God declares in his Word. God’s people, those who are born of God, taught of God, and know God do understand all things. Believers understand that the origin of all things is God. We understand that the end of all things is the salvation of God’s elect and the glory of his great name. God’s people understand that the nature of all things is temporal. Everything here, in this sin-cursed earth,  is temporal and vanishing. Every relationship in this world is just temporal. Most importantly, those who are taught of God understand all things spiritual. This is what the Apostle John tells us. "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 John 2:20). All who are born of God and taught of God have the mind of Christ and understand all things vital and necessary to the saving of their souls.

 

We understand that IT IS BOTH THE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE JOY OF BELIEVERS TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS. We are taught to give “thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20) In the context Paul is talking about walking in the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. The Spirit filled life is the life of a believer giving thanks to God. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thess. 5:18). It is both our duty and our great privilege to give thanks to God always and for all things. It glorifies God for us to praise him and give thanks to him. It breeds joy and peace in our own hearts and among our brethren for us to ever give thanks to God for all things.

 

We also understand that THERE IS A DAY COMING CALLED “THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS” (Acts 3:21). It is written, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." In that great and glorious day, when all things are brought to their final end, when time shall be no more, all things will glorify our God! Everything that has been, is now, or shall hereafter be, all things, all events, all creatures, and all the actions of all creatures, whether good or evil, will praise him and will prove to have been good! Everything, even you and me, will glorify the triune God, one way or another. We will either glorify his grace in Christ in our everlasting salvation; or, like Pharaoh, we will glorify his power and wrath in our everlasting destruction. But we will all glorify God!

 

We know this, too. “HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS.” In Revelation 21:7 we read, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." All true believers may rightfully sing, “We shall overcome some day!” We shall at last, by the grace of God, completely overcome sin and all its consequences. We shall, in the end, overcome this world, all its lusts, and all its charms, by the power and grace of our God. By God’s free grace in Christ, we shall overcome Satan, too.

 

Twenty years ago, when my doctors thought I was about to die, and I was fairly certain that they were right, I got a card from a friend that lifted my spirit to heaven itself. It was totally blank, except for a scripture reference. On the inside, my friend simply wrote the reference Romans 16:20. When I turned to it and read the text, my soul melted within me and leaped with joy in the realization of the promise contained in that text. Listen to this word from God to all his people. If you are a believer, this is God’s word to you. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." Then, we shall then inherit all things by the grace of God. We shall inherit all things with Christ, in Christ, and for Christ’s sake!

 

We who are taught of God also understand that “THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND!’ This is what we read in 1 Peter 4:7. "The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." “Behold, he cometh!” When our great and glorious Christ appears the second time, without sin, unto salvation, then the end of all things will come. - The End of All Our Troubles! - The End of All Our Struggles! - The End of All Our Toils! - The End of All Our Trials! - The End of All Our Temptations! - The End of All Our Sins! - The End of this World! - The End of Our Opportunities! - The End of God’s Grace!

 

God’s saints all understand this, too. We understand that THE LORD OUR GOD HAS DONE ALL THINGS WELL! This is my final word to you this morning. When the end of my days on this earth comes when I look over my life’s finished story, I am confident, this will be my final word then. And when the end of all things has come, and time shall be no more, this will be the final word of all the story and of all rational creatures - “HE HATH DONE ALL THINGS WELL” (Mk. 7:37). This I declare now; and this I will declare in that great day, when time shall be no more. “He hath done all things well” with me and mine! “He hath done all things well” with his church! “He hath done all things well” with his world! “He hath done all things well” with you and yours!

 

AMEN.