Everything is Extra

Romans 8:28–32 LSB

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Prayer

Intro: Everything is Extra

Earthly Life as a Balance Sheet

When it comes to evaluating the current financial state of a business, there are two documents that the world uses. A balance sheet and a profit and loss. These two reports reflect the past, present, and predicted future state of a company.

We often look at our lives in a similar sense. We look at our financial situation as a series of credits and debits. These things add to my life in this way, and these things detract from my life in that way. Going to this place to do this thing makes me happier, but having to go to that place and do a different thing makes me sadder. There’s a running balance that goes up and down.

And the balance does go up, from time to time. Our nation is just days away from Thanksgiving, where millions will gather with their families in the name of giving thanks. The things they will give thanks for will probably only be those things that they felt bumped that running balance. It’s also possible that Thanksgiving this week will be miserable for some who feel that their running balance isn’t what it should be.

This is the other side of the coin: the balance goes down, from time to time, as well. It’s a broken world, and the sharp edges of its shattering seem to cut us more than whatever joy left in the world may comfort us. To look at the world as it is, only from our human perspective, is to see a world bound in chains and drowning in water, struggling for air.

We don’t need to look out into the world to feel this way. Looking into just our own lives can already be an overloading experience. We can look at our own balance sheet and feel that we’re on the edge of bankruptcy, and I don’t mean just financial. We can look at our profit and loss and grieve at how we see ourselves spending the dollars of our lives. Again, this financial idea is just an analogy—what I’m talking about is so much more than what we do with money. I’m talking about our entire life, and how satisfaction and joy gives way to bitterness and regret, depending on what that running balance is.

This is what the writer of Ecclesiastes calls a “sickening evil.”

Ecclesiastes 5:16–17 LSB

This also is a sickening evil—exactly as a man came, so will he go. So what is the advantage to him who labors for the wind? Also, all his days he eats in darkness with much vexation, and his sickness and anger.

We Think This Way Because We Are Sick, Weak, and the World is Broken

We think this way because we begin this life sick and weak, and we live in a broken world. The lost and unsaved world often lays this accusation at the feet of the church, “Where is your God amidst all this suffering and sickness?” Never does the world ever look within itself in its search for the villain. Instead, the criminal who willingly broke the law points to the lawgiver and blames Him for allowing it. This is the twisted thinking that unbelief produces in the mind of humanity.

Setting aside the lost and the unsaved, we battle this same temptation. We, who have been seated with Christ in the heavenly places, are still concerned about the tidiness of that dirt hole that the Savior dragged us out of. We, who, up there and right now, lounge on a mountain of Christ’s gold, resent him for how many dirty sea-shells he hasn’t given us down here. This is the insane mind that the people of God can still occasionally snap into, and this happens because we remain weak in the flesh. And this weakness tempts us to think that God isn’t taking care of us as he ought to be.

Romans 8:26 LSB

And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

This verse is a rose with thorns. On the same branch there is the fragrant beauty of the fact that God the Spirit is intimately involved in our lives, and for that we will give thanks eternally, but there is also the fact that we are weak — and we don’t pray for the right things because we aren’t mindful of the right things.

Our minds are set on things below, which makes us think in a lowly manner.

When we go to form a balance sheet or profit and loss report on our life, the results will be determined by the accounting method that is used. If that accounting method of life is focused only on the things of earth, there is no cooking of the books that will dress those numbers up and make them look good. They will always infuriate; they will always depress; they will always crush. There will never be natural cause for real thanksgiving.

But if that accounting method lifts its scales to heaven, and we begin to consider the vast magnitude of our riches there, and the explosive value of what came down here, for us, then everything changes. The entire sheet changes. The computer doesn’t have enough zeros and commas to reflect the cosmic wealth it is trying to quantify. Like a geiger counter for goodness, the moment we lift it upwards, the needle in the gauge simply snaps off his hinge.

The balance sheet for every Christian is simple: assets? God is for me. Liabilities? My life is for him.

The profit and loss for every Christian is equally simple. Income? The love and righteousness of God. Expenses? The death of his Son.

Romans 8:32 LSB

He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Everything is extra.

God gave us every ounce of heaven when he gave his Son. Nothing can compare to that. Nothing down here will ever begin to compare to that. It’s done, it’s finished, it’s our’s by faith in the son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. It’s done.

Everything beyond that point is extra.

As the Spirit teaches us to think this way, it becomes a Thanksgiving feast every day…

There are three pillars that will keep this fire burning within us. The pillars of truth that we must cling to are:

God is in control.

God gave it all, and,

God will bring us home.

1) God is in Control

Romans 8:28 LSB

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

This is a sermon-ending verse. If we had the ability to simply and completely believe what God has said, there would be no need for preaching. If the import of this verse were to fill our hearts and our minds with its simple truth, then, like an ocean filling a fire pit, there would be no burning of worry.

God is in control. He must be in control. To say that God does not control some things is to make an irrational and incoherent statement. To say or believe that God is not directing every particle in existence is to make as much sense as the phrase “a square circle,” or “the sound of a color.” To say that God is in control and then act like he isn’t is to actually be a square circle — it is to be a contradiction. The call of the Bible on the child of God is to repent and believe, believe and trust, then trust and obey.

All of those things get infinitely harder to do when our understanding of God is corrupted.

Proverbs 1:7 LSB

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.

This life begins to make sense only when it is seen as what it truly is: the unfolding of God’s perfect story. And this story unfolds exactly as he intends it to. Nothing goes wrong in an ultimate sense; nothing is forgotten. There are no cosmic accidents or coincidences. Chance is not the god of rolled dice or lottery numbers: Yahweh is. Yahweh is the God who cares about birds, keeps track of your hair, and easily restrains the stars.

Psalm 115:3 LSB

But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

Psalm 147:4 LSB

Who counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.

And this was the encouragement that Jesus gave his disciples:

Matthew 10:29–31 LSB

“Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

We see that fear is driven away when the sovereign power and all-knowing love of God fills our minds. When that cleansing flood washes the scales from our eyes, life looks completely different. People we despise become people our hearts grow tender towards. Things we hate to do become blessings; we can suffer them with joy because we know God leads us. We can thank God for the very rocks he dashes us on.

Job 13:15 (LSB)

“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him…”

How is this possible?

By remembering that God is in control. He is working all things for good. They are in our lives for a reason.

That person you despise? Realize you were that person once, and Christ did not despise you.

That thing you hate to do? Did it ever hurt you more than Christ’s nails hurt him? If Christ thanked the Father for the his cross, then you can thank the Father for yours.

These are the rocks we are dashed upon, but they do not destroy us. They refine us. What God wills these rocks to break in us are the things that must go.

Like a blacksmith forging a sword, he must purify the metal, cast it in his image, and hammer out its shape. This master craftsman knows his trade well and, while the metal may fret and worry that the heat is too high or the hammer strokes too hard, he smiles in anticipation of what he knows will be produced.

In whose hands is every moment of your life?

Is his grip anything less than invincible?

Does God truly love us, and have a perfect plan for us?

Ephesians 2:10 LSB

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

God is in control. He prepared these things beforehand. With that level of confidence in life, everything is a win. Everything is extra.

2) God Gave It All

We deserved none of this extravagant grace, yet God lavished it on us nonetheless. He gave his Son, how will he not also give us everything else, so that we would follow him?

This is the second pillar: that God Gave It All.

This can be understood a few different ways:

God gave us the greatest gift imaginable, that is Jesus Christ.

God gives us everything we need, through following Jesus Christ.

God gives us more than we can imagine, eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ.

So much could be said about these different ways of understanding what God has given us through Jesus. It will take a trillion, billion years to start exploring its wonders.

With numbers like this, what is 80 years of pain? What is our earthly life when compared to our spiritual life?

2 Corinthians 4:17 LSB

For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

With Jesus Christ, we have a friend who will never leave or betray us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he calls us upwards towards him. He is the greatest gift imaginable, and he’s ours through faith.

With a gift like this already given, anything beyond that is just crumbs. To say that pleasure in this life is only the cherry on top of heaven’s cake would be an overstatement. It’s less than that. It’s not even the inedible stalk of the cherry. Whatever it’s like, it’s still good, and we give thanks to God for the good things in life. But we know that it is, at best, a momentary glimpse of what’s to come. Any comfort or pleasure now, on earth, is just extra.

Imagine a Thanksgiving dinner. The table is set, the food is ready, the people are gathered around the table. This image, with all its sights, smells, sounds, and tastes, is a preview of heaven.

Maybe some of you don’t like Thanksgiving, because there’s baggage. Family division, lost loved ones, or whatever it may be, there’s pain on the day. The pain is there for one reason, but it’s more pronounced on this day because of what it symbolizes. It’s a symbol for something we want, but do not have.

We long to be with the ones we love, at peace with them, and feasting with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. That’s what our hearts long for.

We look at the world and see that these things are missing; what are we going to be tempted to think?

“God isn’t in control, or else this would be different.”

“God hasn’t given it all; he’s withheld something from me that I need.”

Setting Thanksgiving aside for a moment, these thoughts are the source of so much heartbreak and confusion in the church.

None of us would ever breathe these words out loud. We shudder at the thought of saying, “God hasn’t given me enough,” or “God isn’t in control.”

Then why are we irritated with our family? Why are we bitter towards others?

We might be able to hide it from them, but we can’t hide it from God. When we nurse resentment in our hearts we are betraying the Gospel. We are saying that God has withheld something from us. Furthermore, we are rejecting God’s control and authority over our lives. Jesus says,

John 15:12 LSB

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

1 John 3:15–16 LSB

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Scripture asks us this question, again and again: “If Christ gave his life for you, will you not joyfully give your life for others?”

Hearing this question, our flesh rears up, offers example after example of how this person wronged us and how this situation is too broken to fix. “For this reason and that reason it only makes sense to resent them and avoid them!”

There are certain situations where boundaries and distance are necessary, but I think they are far, far rarer than we think.

Ultimately, we need to flip this problem upside down. We so often ask the question, “How little can I give?”

No amount of guilting you and convincing you from logical arguments is going to change that. It’s not a logical problem! Remember, if every Christian simply believed Romans 8:28 100%, we would never have any problems.

The only thing that fixes a heart problem like this is to look at that other person as Christ looks at you.

When you offend Christ, does he avoid you on Sunday?

When you forget Christ, does he retaliate against you?

When you betray Christ, does he yank his Spirit out of you in anger?

The answer — Hallelujah! — is no!

Your offenses? The Father allowed them to nail his Son to a cross, so he could cast them away forever.

Your forgetfulness? Doesn’t even dent the salvation that is yours through faith.

“What about my betrayal?!” What about that thing that pops into your mind, even this moment, when we think of how we sin against God.

Romans 8:32–34 LSB

He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

My spiritual family, if God is for you, even you cannot stand against him. He will not allow you to be crushed by the accusations of the devil, or to be taken away by the monsters of your sin.

Remember, he is in control. He’s given it all to you. The arms of Jesus remain wide open.

There is fresh grace, new every morning; it’s there, like the best Thanksgiving meal that will never end.

Come!, feast, rest, lay those burdens down, repent of your sins and go to Jesus in faith.

Whether it’s the first time, or the millionth time, the Father never tires of running to meet you at the road.

When we think like this, when the light of the Gospel is shining in our mind, we see our lives as what it is: it’s extra. It’s all extra.

That person you despise now becomes someone you pray for. Extra.

This pain in my body reminds me of my dependence on God. I need him closer to survive this. Extra.

This sin in my flesh haunts me daily; Lord Jesus, I need your grace! I run to you! Extra.

Every pleasure and pain; everything — it’s all given to us by God for his glory and our good. And for that we can truly give thanks in all things.

Outro: God Will Bring Us Home (& Yes, Everything is Extra)

I’m now going to read words that so precious, it sometimes hurts.

Romans 8:35–39 LSB

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or turmoil, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE COUNTED AS SHEEP FOR the SLAUGHTER.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing in this life that will separate us from Christ. There is nothing that can happen to a true Christian that will destroy the union they have with him.

From the moment of salvation, any person who believes in him is set on an unchangeable course that leads to heaven. Because God is in control, and has given us everything we need, and more, he will bring us all the way home.

This is real assurance, that God is for us. And if he is for us, who or what can stand against us? We are overwhelming conquerors because the victory has been won. If we believe this, then the rest of our life is extra grace. It’s more time spent glorifying God that we won’t be able to get back when it’s over. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate our love and appreciation for what he’s done while we still battle the flesh.

As crazy as it sounds, the sin we must deal with until we die can be viewed as extra. A cross to carry in Jesus name and for his glory, with thankfulness in our hearts that he counts us worthy to follow him.