The Stabilizing Power of Knowing the God of the Gospel

Introduction

It’s good for us to be here tonight, because, as Solomon says, “death is the destiny of everyone; and the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

We’re here to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Susan Mason (Thompson) Gons, and to show our love for Mark, Michelle, Melissa, Jordan, their families, and the extended family and friends who knew, loved, and were blessed by Sue’s friendship, love, and care.

As wonderful and as important as these reasons for gathering are, there’s an even bigger purpose that brings us together today—one that Sue and her family would want us to focus on.

Don’t get me wrong. Sue’s life is worth remembering, recounting, and celebrating—with both tears and laughter—for decades to come. But her story was not primarily about her and her love for her family, hospitality, music, and the mountains.

To look at Sue’s life and see only her would be a tragedy.

Before I explain why, I’d like to read an extended portion of Scripture from Paul’s letter to the Romans. I can’t think of a better passage to set our hearts on tonight than Romans 8. I’ll be reading verses 14–39:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response 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, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the word of the Lord.

So I repeat: to look at Sue’s life and see only her would be a tragedy.

You see, Sue was created by God in his image and likeness to be a reflection of and pointer to him. And while Sue’s sin marred her ability to live out the purpose for which she was created on her own, God was in the process of making her like Jesus by her union with him through faith in his death and resurrection.

Romans 8:29 captures this purpose beautifully:

For those God foreknew [or foreloved] he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [Jesus] might be the firstborn [or preeminent one] among many brothers and sisters.

God’s design for all his children is to make little copies of Jesus that all point to him and his preeminent glory.

So to see Sue’s life rightly is to see Jesus—both through her life and through her faith. To say it another way, to see the beauty of Sue’s life rightly is to see the beauty of Jesus.

So Sue’s story was not really about her but about her creator and redeemer, the Triune God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit—the God who loved her and gave himself for her.

In God’s gracious providence, Sue came to know this God in Christ by the Spirit at a young age, and her life was about making much of him.

Mark and his family know and love him, too, and they want the same for you.

And it’s their knowledge of him that gives them a supernatural peace in this time of great loss—a peace that radiated in the hosptial to the staff and pointed them to the greatness of Jesus.

When we arrived at the hospital on Friday morning a couple of days before Sue went home to be with Jesus, there was a beautiful atmosphere in the room. There were moist eyes as the family recognized that Sue’s time on earth was short, and there was compassion and tender care for her. But there was a strong confidence and joy and hope—that could laugh in the face of death—which was such a sweet testimony of knowing God and his gospel.

As I stood there, I couldn’t help but think of what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14,

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

He goes on to talk about Christ’s return, the resurrection of the dead, and their being united with the living, who will all together “be with the Lord forever” (v. 17).

He then concludes, “Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (v. 18).

And that’s my aim tonight. I want these words—and the words from Romans 8—to encourage you, to fill you with hope, to stablize you, and to prepare you for what lies ahead for all of us: suffering and death—and if you know God in Christ by the Spirit: glory and life.

Transition

In our brief time together, I’d like to call to your attention to two truths that give Mark and the family such a God-magnifying stability as they have walked this path and watched their wife, mother, and grandmother slip away—and into glory.

What is it that allows a family to go through this kind of grief and sorrow with such joyful confidence and hope?

I’d like to suggest two answers from themes I see in our text in Romans 8.

First, let’s consider first how . . .

1. We Can Have Hope in Suffering and Death by Knowing God’s Character

One of the most stabilizing truths in all of the Bible is the doctrine of providence.

Providence, very simply, is God’s purposeful sovereignty. It’s his all-powerful rule over all that he’s made to bring about his good and wise plans and purposes.

There are three primary attributes of God behind providence that come together to provide an unshakable foundation on which to stand in life and in death: God’s sovereingty, goodness, and wisdom.

First, consider that . . .

1.1. God is omnipotent or all-powerful, and in complete sovereigty he rules and reigns over all things.

God’s sovereignty is all over Romans 8—and the following chapter, too.

He is the God who subjected the creation to its current state of groanings and birth pains (vv. 20–22).

He’s the God who ordains the events of the future in the past (vv. 29–30), and he’s the God who works all things according to his eternal purpose in the present (vv. 28, 32).

He’s the God whose purposes no one can thwart and whose verdicts no one can overturn (vv. 31, 33–34).

R. C. Sproul captures God’s absolute sovereignty well when he says,

If there were one maverick molecule in this universe running loose outside the scope of God’s sovereign control, God would not be sovereign, and if he were not sovereign, he would not be God.

I love the line in the gospel song, “From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.” That’s the sovereignty of God.

Knowing the soveriegnty of God is a wonderful thing, but by itself it’s not enough. A God who is only sovereign would be terrifying.

But thankfully we also have a . . .

1.2. God [who] is omnibenevolent or all-good and has covenanted to do us good all our days.

God’s goodness in action toward us is his love, and his goodness and love are all over Romans 8.

Verses 28–30 are some of my favorite in all Scripture. God is unceasingly wielding his absolute sovereignty to do us only good—rooted in his invicible purpose that runs from eternity to eternity.

He’s made us, his enemies, not just his friends but his dearly beloved children (vv. 14–20).

He’s given us the greatest gift of all: his very own Son. But he’s also given us ever lesser gift along with him (v. 32). It’s all ours and for our good.

This love is unseverable, immutable, invincible, and eternal (vv. 35–39).

What goodness; what love.

While the combination of God’s sovereignty and love may seem hope-giving, it gets even better.

Thirdly,

1.3. God is omniscient or all-knowing and with masterful skill designs the best possible means to the best possible ends.

God isn’t just in control of all things and working them all for our good, but he does this with infinitely masterful skill—guaranteeing that he makes no mistakes and never has to resort to plan B. It’s all working perfectly according to his eternal purpose and plan.

This is implicit all throughout Romans 8, but it’s not until Romans 11 that Paul breaks out in explicit praise of the infinite wisdom and skillful mastery of God, when he says,

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?' For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

This majestic wisdom causes even the greatest of the heavenly host to stand in awe.

The family was able to see God’s kind providence on display in numerous ways over the last few weeks:

a final, perfectly timed trip to the mountains of Tennesee with not even a day to spare

the timing of many family members in town to say their goodbyes the weekend right before she passed away

the fact that as her memory faded, she still knew Jesus, and she knew how to pray and sing his praises, as he held her fast to the very end

None of these was an accidence or lucky coincidence. Every last detail in these situations and many more was perfectly orchestrated by our sovereign, good, and wise God.

And it’s this confidence in the character of God that provides unshakable stability as we go through hard times.

Secondly, and in closing, we can face suffering and death with joyful confidence and hope by knowing not just God’s character as seen in his providence but also by knowing his gospel.

2. We Can Have Hope in Suffering and Death by Knowing God’s Gospel

I know of no better place where the beauty and majesty of God’s sovereity, love, and wisdom come together than in the gospel: in the life, death, resurrection, ascension, session, intercession, and return of Jesus.

I’d love to camp out here and revel in the glories of the gospel, but I need to close. So I’ll make only a few brief remarks as we conclude.

The good news of the gospel is that God did not spare his very own Son but instead gave him for us to die and rise again to destory sin, death, fear, hell, and the forces of evil to make us his children—and to ascend, be seated, reign, and interceed unceasingly for us—and one day come again so we can share in unimaginable eternal glory in his presence in a new liberated earth free from evil and its effects, where only rightesouenss dwells.

This unimaginable glory, as Paul describes elsewhere as “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” is the glorious news of that gospel. It’s the most hope-giving, stablizing message the world has ever known.

And it’s open to all who by grace will receive it through faith.

Do you know this God and his gospel? Are you prepared for the suffering and death that awaits us all?

Prayer

Pray with me.

Father, we thank you for who you are and how you’ve revealed yourself to us in Scripture. We thank you that you’re sovereign, good, and wise, and we thank you for how your sovereignty, goodness, and wisdom are put on display in the gospel, the good news of salvation through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

May we all leave this place full of the stabilizing hope you provide through your providence and your gospel.

Continue to provide your supernatural comfort to the family, and may Sue’s life continue to point people to the glories of Jesus for years to come.

In his name we pray. Amen.