If God is for Us [Part 1]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. And this is what Paul is saying of God.

He is so for you that he hasn't just laid up spiritual treasure for you, but when you are stumbling about, he's going to take you by the hand and point you and get you and call you and bring you where it is. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series called Providence as presented at Granola Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout today's entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. So as you listen to today's message, go deeper in your study as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org or call 877-544-4860.

877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Alan Wright. Are you ready for some good news? God is for you. And if God is for you, who can be against you?

I want to take you today as we're thinking about what it means to be for our cities, for our world. I want to take you to what author, preacher John Piper has declared the greatest section of the greatest chapter of the greatest letter in the greatest book in the world. Romans chapter 8 verse 31. Romans 8 verse 31.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Who's to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us who shall separate us from the love of Christ? So tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword. Verse 37. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

But I'm sure, I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. At our house, Easter is about as big as Christmas. My aunt, wonderful aunt, she spends most of the year looking, shopping for gifts for people. That's what she loves to do. And part of what she's doing is she's building the Easter bag for each of the nieces and nephews. And all the kids that gather, these cousins, they will on Easter day have this bag that is huge and is full of toys and presents and things spilling over in it. And after about three or four Easter services on Easter day, I arrive home and I feel like flopping down onto the couch.

But there's no flopping on the couch because the house is bustling with people, family and people that are getting ready to eat a feast and children that are in the backyard playing, grown nieces and nephews that are catching up with one another and laughing about the house. And then there are games of cornhole and so forth. But then there is an all-important Easter egg hunt and this has always been the tradition that there's an Easter egg hunt and each child goes on the Easter egg hunt and each child has a special egg, a larger egg that has his or her name on it that is hidden somewhere and in it are five gold $1 coins. And you have to find your special egg because when the giant Easter bunny, i.e. Bennett in a bunny costume comes hopping in, you will be asked, would you like to keep your $5 or would you like to trade it for whatever you have coming in the bag? Well, it's funny to watch a child who does this and understands it for the first time who thinks, I don't know, $5 is a lot of, but they realize quickly you better trade for the bag.

So in order to get your bag, you got to turn in the coins, no tokens, no toys. The problem with this is that especially sometimes for the little ones, they can't find their special egg. And so it's hilarious to watch because Ann doesn't just want them to find their special egg so they can get their coins to trade for their bag. She needs them to find their egg. She spent half the year preparing these treasures for these kids and if they don't find their special egg so that they can turn it in for their special bag, then the whole thing is complete. So it's funny to watch her walking around with the little kids who can't find their special egg and time's going by and we're like, we got to get on this. And she's like, you might want to look in the bushes. And you know, it's funny, the little ones sometimes should just eventually kind of walk with them and say, let's walk over here and look under the basketball goal. Is there anything under here?

Is there anything right there? Oh, there it is, you know. In other words, she's so committed to blessing them that she hasn't just laid up the treasure for them, but she's going to see to it that they get it. And this is what Paul is saying of God. He is so for you that he hasn't just laid up spiritual treasure for you, but when you are stumbling about, he's going to take you by the hand and point you and get you and call you and bring you where it is. It is a process by which he is calling you because you're chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and he is justifying you so that he will glorify you.

And this whole interconnected, glorious plan of God to get you into your inheritance cannot be stopped. I want to talk to you about the reassurances of the love of God and how much your life and how much your life changes the more you understand and believe that God is for you. He begins this by saying, what shall we say to these things? These things, what things? What things? When he comes to this point in Romans 8, he says, what should we say to these things? It's as if he's saying, I don't even, I scarcely can come up with words to describe how we should respond to these things.

What are the things? Well, at the very least, these things are what he's been speaking of in the preceding verses. If we look back at verses 26 through 30, we read, likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. He's speaking of the gift of the Holy Spirit. For we do not know what to pray as we offer. The Spirit himself intercedes for us. Groaning is too deep for words. This is about God who's going to even show you how to pray so that you can be released into the things that God wants you to receive.

You don't even know how to ask for it. So he's going to give you the Holy Spirit to help you, to ask for it. He's guiding you. And verse 27, he who searches hearts knows what's in the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints. You're being prayed for.

You have an advocate. And verse 28, we know that those who love God, for those who love God, all things work together for good for 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 in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. At the very least, when he says, what are we going to say to these things? He's talking about those things.

But it's very possible he's also talking about everything else he has said in Romans chapters 1 through 8. The glorious plan of God to save you, not by your merits, but by the merits of Jesus, so that you would be credited with the righteousness of Jesus and therein gain lasting victory over sin, dissolve the fear and angst of living under the law, gain assurance for eternity, and become more than a conqueror. What shall we say to these things? How do you respond to that kind of gospel? What does this mean for us? What do we conclude for us? What does this imply for us? And here's the conclusion. If God's for us, who could be against us?

He's like, this is what I take away from everything I've just told you. If God's for us, there's nobody can stand against us. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. might be the timeless power of blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. Without it, we'll never rise to our God-given potential.

With it, we can let go of the past and move forward confidently under the favor of God. If you'd like to replace every curse with blessing in your life, and if you'd like to learn how to speak life and empower the people you love, contact us today to get Pastor Alan Wright's new Amazon bestselling book, The Power to Bless. And when you do for a limited time, we'd like to send you four additional life-changing resources to help you discover the power to bless. We'll send you Pastor Alan's video masterclass and study guide called Speak Life, and we'll also include Pastor Alan's new video course, The Power to Bless, perfect for small groups or individual devotions.

It also comes with a study guide. Contact us today to get Alan Wright's beautiful hardcover book, The Power to Bless, and receive the four additional life-enriching resources. It's time to learn how blessed you are in Christ and to discover the power to bless. Learn more at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org, or call 877-544-4860.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. It means God is 100 percent eternally, powerfully, unrelentingly for you, and He has proven it by giving you the gift of infinite worth, His only begotten Son, and by giving you the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guarantee in your inheritance. So with God, contrary to what a lot of people have experienced in various religious expressions, God and His plan of changing your life so that you gain victory over besetting sins, have all your desires change, and begin to invest yourself in the things that matter, His plan to conform you to the image of Jesus, His whole plan of glorifying you and changing everything in your life, that plan is built upon Him reassuring you that He's for you. And that's just entirely opposite of the spirit of religion. The spirit of all religion, that which opposed Jesus and put Him on the cross, that which opposed Jesus and put Him on the cross, the opposite of the gospel is to say you ought to be a little bit worried, a little worried about your salvation, a little bit worried about whether God really loves you, a little bit worried about whether or not you're going to make it, a little bit worried about whether God might withdraw His hand from you, because the more you worry about that, maybe then you'll try harder. And that's the diabolical spirit of religion.

And what Romans 8 tells us is God's gospel is entirely the opposite of that, hallelujah, because it would change your life if you believe that God's for you. Think of it this way, you only submit to someone you believe is totally for you. I had my annual physical with my doctor this week, I was having lunch with a friend beforehand, I said, oops, look at the time I got to go and get my physical, and he looked at me and laughed, and I said, lucky you, who wants to go to the doctor's office and get their physical and be poked and prodded?

And it's funny what we'll submit to, isn't it? If you think somebody's for you, we go and pay them money, pay them money, pay them money to walk in there, and the first thing they do is they come back here and step on the scale in front of everybody, step right on here, the big numbers going across there so everybody can see it. And I want to say, I weigh myself pretty regularly, but when I do so at home, I do so under favorable conditions. I haven't weighed myself in the evening or after a big meal ever, and I do not weigh myself with heavy garments on and thick leather shoes and stuff in my pockets. I want to say, can we go somewhere private and I could, you know, and we'll get my real weight? But no, you step up there, you got your heavy clothes on and it's going to be the most you've weighed the whole year, and they look at it, and then there's a lady taking there, she's calling it out, and there you go, you weigh too much.

And we say, thank you so much, how much do I owe you for that? And then they take you back to a little room, and the nurse came in and she said, have you had your flu shot? No. You know, have you had your booster for DTaP?

You know, you got a baby in the family now, you know, you want to be vaccinated against whooping cough, have you had that? I don't know, do you show that I've had it? No, it's just that I'll tell you what, we'll make a plan here, I'll come in and jab you in both arms with a sharp instrument in a little while. How about that? Great, thank you, how much do I owe you for that?

How many days will my shoulders hurt from when you do that? Oh, it'll hurt pretty bad, that's all right, oh thank you. And she leaves and says, here's a little gown, it opens in the back, sit here alone with nothing to do in this chilly room in the gown, you fine with that? Sure.

Thank you for that lovely gown. Doctor comes in, he's my friend, he's been my friend forever, but he still said, have you been eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day and doing your exercises? No, haven't, doc. Okay, he makes some notes.

Lie on this table and let me put a cold metal instrument on your chest, thank you for that, doctor, and we won't speak of why the gown opens in the back, we're not even going to talk about that. And you leave and you say, well let's make an appointment for next year. Isn't it amazing how thoughtlessly, in a sense effortlessly, we submit, yield, obey those that we believe are totally for us? As soon as I don't think you're for me, I'm not going to share my life with you, I'll guard myself, but if I believe you're for me, at some point I'll say, here I am. Obedience and yieldedness in the Christian life with God does not arise from fear of God's punishment, but through confidence, assurance in His love. If God is for us, we can give Him everything. It's always been God's plan, He's always intended to bless you.

Jeremiah prophesied it, Jeremiah 32 40, I'll make an everlasting covenant with them, I will never stop doing good for them, and listen to this, I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me and they will never leave me. How is God going to get you to worship Him and never leave you? He's going to give you assurance after assurance after assurance after assurance that He's got a big Easter bag for you.

Look here, find the magic egg. He is assuring you, He is giving you Himself, He is giving you His word, He is guiding your steps, He is making circumstances work together for your good, He is designing big setup in His providence to show you that He's for you. How do you know somebody's for you?

I mean 100% for you, how do you know? Well, stop and just think for one moment, think of somebody you're totally for. Maybe it's a family member or friend, just think of them. I can't help it right now, I'm thinking of Mia Joy Wright, five-week-old Mia Joy Wright.

I rocked her to sleep yesterday. Think of somebody you're totally for them. Alan Wright, our Good News message, If God is for us. It's from the series Providence and Pastor Alan is back here in just a few moments sharing a parting Good News thought unpacking some of his teaching today. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's daily blessing. It's free and just a click away at PastorAlan.org. Ever feel like something's holding you back as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing might be the timeless power of blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. Without it, we'll never rise to our God-given potential.

With it, we can let go of the past and move forward confidently under the favor of God. If you'd like to replace every curse with blessing in your life, and if you'd like to learn how to speak life and empower the people you love, contact us today to get Pastor Alan Wright's new Amazon bestselling book, The Power to Bless. And when you do, for a limited time, we'd like to send you four additional life changing resources to help you discover the power to bless. We'll send you Pastor Alan's video masterclass and study guide called Speak Life. And we'll also include Pastor Alan's new video course, The Power to Bless, perfect for small groups or individual devotions.

It also comes with a study guide. Contact us today to get Alan Wright's beautiful hardcover book, The Power to Bless, and receive the four additional life-enriching resources. It's time to learn how blessed you are in Christ and to discover the power to bless. Learn more at PastorAlan.org.

That's PastorAlan.org or call 877-544-4860. Back now with Pastor Alan and I got to say this hits home if God is for us and you start thinking of personal relationships. I had a grandfather who told me that and oftentimes it was in the middle of a correction. But he would say, look, I'm for you, boy.

Yeah. And I'll never forget it. It's at times there can be someone that loves you. And if they're not doing exactly what you would like them to be doing, you might think they're not for you. But to have someone be for you is much bigger than that, isn't it? It's about a much larger sense of good for your life. And what Paul has to say here in Romans 8 that is so exquisite is really this deep argument from the greater to the lesser. If God is for us, the creator of the ends of the earth, who has all power and all authority and all providential care, if he's for you, if he's a hundred percent totally for you, then who could be against you? What, what lesser thing?

What lesser problem? What lesser pull in your life in the end matters at all if God is really for you. And I just want to say that to our listeners, just dwell on that, drink it in, take it in, because sometimes it might feel like life's falling apart, but your soul needs to be reminded.

But if God is for me, if God is really for me, then I'm going to be okay. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching, delivered right to your email inbox, free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.