Good morning. We're in the book
of Romans. We started some time back. We're on about our 23rd
study as it is. We're in Romans 8. Last week
we took a detailed look at Romans 8.28. This morning I'm going
to look at a few verses in context with that. We spent our time
together last Sunday considering just that 28th verse. And this
morning I want to consider the context with the following verses.
So if you're with me in the book of Romans, chapter 8, let's look
once again at verse 28 before we go on. It says, and we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now we see And
I know we went into detail, but we didn't cover everything in
there. We see there, it says, to them who are called according
to His purpose. These are those that love God. We love God because He first
loved us. Because He first loved us, He
called us according to His purpose. That's stating. And because it's
God, Because it's the One who has all power, the One who knows
all things, the One who is the Creator of everything, Sovereign
Ruler of everything, we know that whatever He has purposed
is for our good, don't we? We don't always see that good,
do we? I can only imagine what my brother
Lee and his wife and Gene and his wife have gone through in
losing one of their children. The Lord has blessed me with
all my children. They've become my grandchildren. productive adults, I've been
very blessed. But I can't imagine, but in my
imagination, I would think it would be very difficult to see
the good in losing one of your own children. It doesn't always
necessarily mean that the good is right then. When God says
good to us, for our good, He could be talking about for the
good of those that we live with, for those who live in our house.
He could be talking about for the good of us in eternity, in strengthening
our faith in His Son, whatever those things may be. It could
be for good for something that's not necessarily at that moment,
but for another day down the street. Gene and his wife, the
loss of their son, saw the good in that and their ability to
counsel, to comfort, my brother and his wife when they lost theirs.
Gene told me that. He said, now if you could think
of anything good that I would see in my son's death, it was
that I was able to counsel your brother when he lost his son.
I was able to point him to Christ as Christ used somebody to point
me to them, to him also. So we see that when we're talking
about the good, we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God. It's not necessarily something
we're going to experience now. We know as to be sure in these
words, for he who is God has purposed it. If God has purposed
it, who or what can turn his hand? See, that's the problem
with the God of the world. These religious folks who make
up gods of their own imagination, they make their gods up to be
like man. God's ways are not our ways.
His ways are sure and right. When we, those who have been
enlightened by Jesus Christ and know who He is, when we say the
word God, we're talking about God. One who deserves. One who is. Not one who might
be. We're talking about The one whose
purpose cannot be turned. Verse 29 confirms this very thing. Romans 8, verse 29. For whom
He did foreknow. For whom God, the one who called
according to His purpose, the one who caused His people to
love Him. For whom He did foreknow. He
also did predestinate. He's talking about those. Those
who He has called according to His purpose. What? Conformed to the image
of His Son. Why do we have to be conformed?
Because we are full of sin. We have to be brought to perfection.
We can't do that ourselves. Aren't you thankful we have a
Savior? A substitute who is perfect in our stead? One who took the
sins that we deserve God's wrath for and made them His own? He's
conformed His people, those that He predestined be the image of
his son, that he, speaking of his son, might be the firstborn
among many brothers. Now God has predestinated or
predetermined, as that word is, in his eternal purpose that all
for whom he has saved shall one day be just like his son. Turn
over to Ephesians chapter 1. Mark your spot in Romans. We're
going to come back to it. Every child of God, everyone for whom
Christ for whom God the Son died for, for whom God the Son laid
down His blood for, shall be conformed to be exactly like
Him. And what is He? He's perfect,
is He not? He's the spotless Lamb of God,
is He not? He's spotless. There is no error in Him. Look
at Ephesians chapter 1 beginning at verse 4. According as He hath
chosen, there's that word chosen again, that word called, Chosen,
called according to his purpose. According as he hath chosen us
in him, God the Father chose us in God the Son, before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him. In love, in his love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children. See how we're in
the same family as Christ? See how we're being made to be
conformed to the Son of God? I know we don't see that in this
fleshly body we live in, but folks, someday we're going to
put away this flesh. Someday God is going to deliver us from
this flesh into His own presence, and we'll be just like His Son,
perfect in every way, knowing all things. Can you imagine that,
Bill? Sylvan. My best friend is perfect in
every way right now. He knows everything right now.
I'd love to have those conversations now with him. He and I would
talk all day on the phone when I was driving around in the trucks.
Boy, I tell you what, we talked about so many things with the
Lord. He knows all those things. It was always conversations like,
hey, do you think this is what God's talking about here? Or
do you think, what does this be a question-like conversation?
Bill doesn't have any questions anymore. He knows exactly how
our Lord knows. He knows it all. We are going
to be predestinated unto the adoption of children by Christ,
by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
according to His purpose, as we read back in Romans 8.28.
We'll be just like our Savior. As we just read, look over at
1 John 3, and let's read a couple verses over there, 1 John 3.
In 1 John 3, we read these words in verses 1-3, talking about
being conformed to the image of His Son. Behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew Him not. and it does not yet appear what
we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall
be like Him, conformed to the image of His Son, for we shall
see Him as He is. And every man that hath this
hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure." We shall
be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, His Son, that He,
Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Under the
Old Testament law, the firstborn of the Lord was the Lord's chosen.
All of those who were given, that came into this world, the
first one, the firstborn of every person born, was to be given
to the Father, consecrated to the Father. Listen to the words
of Exodus chapter 13 verse 2. It says, sanctify unto me all
the firstborn. whatsoever openeth the womb among
the children of Israel, both of a woman and a beast, it is
mine." So in other words, the oldest had the authority over
all the sons, and they acted as the Lord's priest. Christ
Jesus is the firstborn of the Father with regard to all of
the creatures. Christ is the firstborn of all
of God's sons. They are chosen in Him. Christ
is to be in him and like him. Now
back in our text, look at verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called, and whom he called, then he also justified,
and whom he justified, then he also glorified. So we see three
things here, three things in this verse. The first thing we
see is that he called, those that he called. Men by nature
do not love God, folks. We didn't come into this world
loving God. It took God moving in a heart, cutting out that
old heart that was stony and hated God, and giving us a new
heart. He says, I will give you a new
heart, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. That's
what he tells us. By nature, we don't love God.
We will not come to Christ, but rather, we love the darkness
that we once walked in. We love the evil that we once
walked in. In John 3.19 we read these words,
and this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world,
and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. In John 5.40 we read this, and ye shall not come to
me, that ye might have life. Men won't come to God. We just
won't. And here's the thing about what
the Lord reveals to us in our hearts. We can look back and
see that we wouldn't have. I know I would have never come
to God. I know that if He had not come to me, I'd have kept
right on going doing what I was doing. I liked what I was doing
then. Aren't you thankful He changes
our likes? Oh, I'm so thankful He changed my likes to come around
and be with Him now. In John chapter 6 verse 44, We
read these words, and we read this in Friday night's Bible
study as a matter of fact. No man can come to Me except
the Father which hath sent Me draw him, and I will raise him
up to the last day. This is what the Apostle here
is talking about. He's talking about those who
are called. Those that God predestinated He shall call. If men are to
come to Christ in repentance and faith, they must be effectually
called with the power of God, just as Lazarus was called from
the tomb of death. We must be called from the death
that we once walked in. We must be made willing to believe. That's what we read in Psalms
110, verse three. Thy people, it says, shall be
willing in the day of thy power. So, if you read that, and you
kind of think about that for just a minute, you'll see that
it's not our will, is it? It's not of Him that willeth,
nor of Him that runneth, but of God that shall have mercy.
Isn't that what they just said? Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. Yeah, that's God's Word right
there. Galatians 1 verse 15, we read
this, but when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace. Again, we see the work is of
God, don't we? One more, if you don't mind. 2 Timothy chapter
1 verse 9, who has saved us, speaking of Christ Jesus, and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose. and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. We also see in that verse
that we read a moment ago, it says He justified. That is, in
other words, God forgives our sins. He has blotted out our
iniquity and He makes us perfectly holy and righteous in His sight
by the obedience and the sacrifice of His Son. Turn over, if you
would. Turn back to Romans chapter 5. Just a couple pages back to
the left. Look back at Romans chapter 5,
19. We're talking about the one who has made us justified in
the sight of God. Look at verse 19 with me if you
would. For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience. This is speaking of the one who
justified us. So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. One more if you would turn back
again. Romans chapter 3. In Romans chapter 3, Paul is
addressing the law, and he says in verse 19, Now we know that
the thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. That's what the law does. The
law makes all the world, every man, woman, and child, Guilty
before God. Why? Because not one man, woman,
or child can fulfill the law. That's why we needed Christ.
That's why we needed a Savior. Somebody who could. Verse 20,
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sins. But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is
by faith of Jesus Christ and who all and upon all them that
believe for there is no difference." Folks, we are justified in our
Savior. It also says in that verse, he
says, he will glorify us. It means eternal glory. This
is what the Apostle has been speaking of in these verses.
Eternal good, eternal inheritance, eternal glory. He's talking about
our union with Christ gives us the right and the title to all
things. Look over back in our text, but
this time look at verses 16 and 18 again. We looked at this just
recently. In Romans chapter 8, look at
verses 16 through 18. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children,
then heirs, heirs of God. This is talking about us being
conformed to the image of God. We who are predestinated by God
the Father, we who will be called, we who will be justified, we
who will be glorified, glorified in our Savior, that we are the
children of God. And if children, then heirs,
and heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the
glory which shall be revealed in us." Did you know that right
now God sees us in the glory of His Son? That's hard to believe,
isn't it, for a sinner, isn't it? But He says He does. In the
purpose and the view of God, we are already glorified in our
head. and our representative in Christ. Listen to the words of Isaiah
chapter 46. I'll turn over there and read it for you. In Isaiah
chapter 46, we read these words, verses 9 through 11. Remember
the forever things of old, for I am God. That's talking about,
remember what the pit that he drug us out of. Remember how
we ran as rebels once before. Remember how he has changed our
want-tos, our desires to seek after him. Remember the former
things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God
and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and
from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. calling a
ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed my counsel
from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it." We are glorified in our Savior right now. Let's look
at one more verse, shall we, before we go to break. Look back
in our text, this time at verse 31. What shall we say then? What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? This question reaches back to
all that has been just said in the preceding verses. What shall
we say in addition to those things that we just said? We know that
all things are for our good. We know that we love God because
He first loved us. We know that He called us out
of the darkness we once walked in. We know that He purposed
for us We know that he called us, we
know that he justified us, and we know that he glorified us. So what shall we say to those
things? If God be for us, then who can be against us? If all
those things we just talked about point to this very point, that
God is for a people, who or what can be against us? You know,
the first thing that hit my mind when I really started to consider
those words back when ever, I know I've considered them many times
before, but the first thing that popped into my mind was this.
Not even John. See, there was a day when John
turned away from the Lord every day, every moment. I would not
come to him. Isn't that what we talked about,
coming to the light? We would not come to the light.
Yet the Lord has given me a new will. In the day of His power,
He's come to each and every one of us and given us a new will,
a new spirit, a spirit that loves Him. Who can be against us? Not even that old John, if he
were to appear again, could be against God. God's power is even
above me. He's sovereign over everything
about me. He's sovereign over my will.
Nothing. can be added to what we've said.
What shall we say to these things? Nothing. What shall be inferred
from these things? If God be for us in eternal love,
in eternal grace, in divine calling, in substitution, in justification,
if God has already accepted and glorified us in His Son, Christ
Jesus, and He is determined to glorify us in Him, even the law
can't be against us, can it? The law can't convict us again.
Christ took our conviction on Him. Divine justice can't be
against Him. It is satisfied. Satan cannot
be against Him. He is judged and cast out. This
is the meaning of our confidence. Not unto us, O Lord,