Verse 31 says what shall we then say to these things if God be for us who can be against us? But there's a lot of people or circumstances that seem to be against the Christian and I'll name a few of them.

I'll begin like we've persecuted Christians in other lands. They can be rejected by their families, ostracized and hunted down by the authorities in a very aggressive way. such that the Lord's people can be imprisoned or even killed for their faith. And we read about that, don't we, in different publications. Yes, these things are against me, says that persecuted Christian.

There may be employers and employees. An employee believes in creation and a young earth. Believes that abortion is murder. Homosexuality is a sin. Believes in two genders. And again we hear, don't we, that in certain employments these can be a sackable offence. Well certainly there are cases where people are suspended for their views. Yes, against the Christian.

then the government and this does not apply just to Christians but to all people. Today of course has been the budget so it's very topical but then yes people say oh there's more tax. I've got to pay more tax. I've got to pay more for fuel. I've got to pay more for food and for drink. or they're taking my benefits away. I think it was yesterday I heard that they were scrapping people who need a motability car. of banning them having a Mercedes or a BMW. I know one or two people who've got a Motability car but they haven't got a Mercedes or a BMW so they should be all right. But I mean Christians and people in general, like government, they're always putting up prices of things or allowing for that more tax to pay and the squeeze is on my finances more and more

and then family our own families and indeed there can be great tensions in families those they want to arrange a party and it's on the Lord's day and the Christians will say no we're not coming if it's on the Lord's day and it causes family tensions and frictions doesn't it

these things Genesis 42 35 to 36 concerning Jacob says, It came to pass as they emptied their sacks, the story with Joseph, that behold every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when both they and their father saw the bundles of money they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children, Joseph is not and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.

Well we know of course that Jacob and his sons it was a turbulent time but there was great blessing in the end through Joseph as we read on further in those chapters in Genesis.

And then Friends, Psalm 41, 7 to 9. All that hate me whisper together against me. Against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him. And now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his hill against me.

That's hard isn't it when our friends can suddenly turn against us and say I'm being quite general with these comments. The well-known phrase isn't it, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. It's very hard isn't it when friends can turn against you.

But Christians too can be against us. One perhaps doesn't agree with your interpretation of a scripture or doctrine or a practice and they're very adamant they're unbending in their position and they call you a heretic it's not a case of agreeing to disagree and so they're against me We read, don't we, it's in Psalm 55. For it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it, neither was it he that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would have hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Verses 12 to 14 of Psalm 55.

And then there's personal circumstances. Again that's not just Christians, it's everyone really. Health problems. Relationship problems. Perhaps financial difficulties. and even such things as your phone that can be against you people ringing you up on the phone saying you've got a problem with your computer or your bank account is at risk well it's not at risk there's nothing wrong with the computer there's nothing wrong with the bank account there is after this scammer has tried to persuade you that there is something wrong with your computer or your personal details are compromised and we've so and we're you know we're familiar aren't we it's out there isn't it big business is scamming and the social media ads I've had one that's come up so much in the last few days I just sort of ignore it now if you give 200 pound on this it's to do with AI and then by the end of the month you would have made thousands of pounds and it's been allegedly promoted by celebrities and even somebody who is respected as someone who can be trusted to help you with your finances but it keeps on coming up and now I just ignore it but it's just there so these things seem to be against us and we sort of think don't we perhaps sometimes that God is against us or the devil is having a go at us.

He is after all as Revelation 12 10 says the accuser of the Brethren. But we read in that verse in Revelation 12 that Christ is a victory and the devil won't. But how the devil sort of tries to accuse us look you're too unworthy you are too sinful to be saved how many times perhaps and the devil is a liar a liar just as those scammers are liars so the devil is a liar You're too bad to be saved. Well, none of us deserve, do we, salvation. None of us can do perfectly good. That's why the Lord came, in order to save us, because we can't save ourselves.

But there is that devil comes and accuses you, you can't be, you're too bad, now you've done that you definitely can't be saved. So it sounds sort of very kind of negative but let's begin at verse 28 of our reading and I love this verse Romans 8 course is described by Martin Luther as Romans the book of Romans as the diamond of God's Word and chapter 8 being its sparkle and Romans 8 verse 28 was one of my favorite verses We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the cord according to his purpose.

Not just some things but all things work together for good to them that love God and if we are the Lords then we love God. We don't love God perfectly but we love God. we are the cord and more of that in a moment. We move on. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. The Lord's people we were chosen even before the world was founded. that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. As it said in verse 28, being the called. It's not as though we chose the Lord, well we chose the Lord in a sense as because he first chose us, so we were drawn to the Lord. But we had to be called and saved. And we can only be saved by God, called and justified, made right. Because that's our problem, is that we are sinners, hell-deserving sinners. And we can't do anything to make ourselves right. It's only the Lord Jesus Christ in his life and his death and his resurrection that we can be made right with God.

Justified and whom he justified, them he also glorified. and it's something for the Christian that has eternal consequences wonderful eternal consequences there's an eternal consequence for everyone but for the believer to be glorified not ourselves glorified or that we should be looked at as being great but the glorification is of the Lord and we are here aren't we on earth as the Chord of Catechism says to glorify God that then we might enjoy him forever and that's right isn't it to glorify God how can we enjoy the Lord forever we don't enjoy him now heaven wouldn't be somewhere we would want to be where the Lord is if we have got no time for him now no we are here aren't we to glorify God and may we be saved and helped to glorify God that then one day we will enjoy him forever and the glorification in heaven is a glory to the Lamb to the Lord Jesus Christ

So What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, as we've just read. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again. who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

See, the Lord Jesus Christ was raised like the receipt given of a completed, finished work, the finished work on the cross. And when the Lord was risen, it's as though He was given a receipt, paid in full, The price fully paid. Payment God cannot twice demand. First at my bleeding shorty's hand and then again at mine.

At the start of, we didn't read the beginning of the chapter of Romans 8, but it says there at the beginning there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit no condemnation there at the start and there's a therefore isn't there in that verse and often when there's a therefore you look back before to see what it is therefore And we read, don't we, in Romans 7 of the struggle that Paul had as a believer with sin. We read about that, you can read it at your leisure, Romans and chapter 7. But he concludes, though he's wretched, yet he concludes that the victory is in the Lord Jesus Christ. and so therefore there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus and that's important isn't it there's no condemnation if you are in Christ Jesus.

So we have no separation and no condemnation at the start and at the end of this chapter we have no separation. From verse 35 to the end. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A number of things mentioned there that could be against us but they're not. There's no separation is there for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And just sort of a kind of a final thought, just thinking of very simple phrase trust God trust God in Psalm 31 11 to 14 we read I was a reproach among all mine enemies but especially among my neighbors and a fear to mine acquaintance They that did see me without fled from me. I'm forgotten as a dead man out of mind. I'm like a broken vessel, for I've heard the slander of many. Fear was on every side, while they took counsel together against me. They devised to take away my life.

All this against, but how does it end in verse 14? But I trusted in thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art my God.

And again in Psalm 55, 22 and 23. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee.'

As believers we must remember that God is sovereign, he's all-knowing, he's almighty, he's unchanging, and he loves his people with an everlasting love so chosen before even the world was founded it's an everlasting love it's not a love that comes and goes or fades after time he loves with an everlasting love and we should simply trust him whatever a simple trust and that's not easy maybe think of an example perhaps a boy on a wall quite a high wall and his father is below and says jump I will catch you and the boy does He jumps and the father catches him.

But aren't we prone to be a bit analytical about things? Let's think of that boy. Think, well last week I threw a ball at my dad and he dropped it. So how is he going to catch me if he can't catch a ball? And very often isn't it that when things come we try and figure out a remedy instead of having that simple trust in the Lord Lord I'm in this situation really we should say Lord I'm in this situation I don't know what the outcome is going to be I don't know why I'm here why I'm going through this I don't know what the outcome's going to be. I don't know how long it's going to go on for. But Lord, I'm trusting you because your ways are best. Your ways are right. And you know the end from the beginning. So I'm trusting you.

May we have that simple trust in the Lord. As Sankey wrote in his hymn simply trusting every day trusting through a stormy way even when my faith is small trusting Jesus that is all and then the chorus trusting as the moments fly trusting as the days go by trusting him whate'er befall Trusting Jesus. That is all.

And words of another hymn. I couldn't choose the hymn because it's neither of our books. It's in Christian Hymns and various other Christian books. But I'm sure we know this hymn from Francis Ridley Havergill. And a prayer is that we can say it and we can say amen to it. It's a lovely hymn that we can say our amen to each of these verses in this hymn I am trusting thee Lord Jesus trusting only thee trusting thee for full salvation great and free I am trusting thee for pardon at thy feet I bow thy grace and tender mercy, trusting now. I am trusting thee for cleansing in the crimson flood, trusting thee to make me holy by thy blood. I am trusting thee to guide me, thou alone shalt lead. Every day and hour supplying all my needs.

I am trusting thee for power, thine can never fail, words which thou thyself shalt give me must prevail. I am trusting thee Lord Jesus, never let me fall, I am trusting thee forever. and for all.

May it be that we can all say our amens to that and with that I say amen as well before now we come in a moment to prayer. Amen.

Let's sing shall we our second hymn from Gatsby's, 511, to the tune 181, 511. In all my troubles and distress the Lord my soul does own, Jehovah does my griefs redress and make his mercy known.

511. ? With all the hearts of men ? ? Who trust not in Christ the Savior ? ? He helps me always to do the right thing ? ? Facing the tears of their own life ? ? And in their right to live on ? ? And in their right to live on ? ? And in their right to live on ? ? Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas ? ? My Jesus, and take my cup, and fill this cup with wine.