If you will, open your Bibles
to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. We're going
to be looking at verses 28 through the end of the chapter this evening.
preach from this here before. So I looked in my records and
it was December of 2018. It's almost been two years. Time goes fast, don't it? We
looked at three precious words. Looked at election, providence,
and predestination. That's what we went through a
year and a half ago. At this time, I thought, oh no.
I hope the Lord will give me another message out of here.
At this time, we're going to look at these verses, but we're
going to stay right here. I'm not going to have you turn
tonight, and I know it's going to be hard on a Wednesday night.
Y'all had long days. Been to school today, been moving
to work, and it's going to be tough to stick with me, but I
hope you will. You ever been real sore and went
and got in a bath? You don't swim, you just soak,
don't you? I hope we can soak in these verses
here tonight. Let's read through it first.
Romans 8, verse 28. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we say, 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. 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. 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 counted 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." I was talking to one of my brothers
the other day and how Paul commends Phoebe and commentators all suggests
that Phoebe is the one that took this letter to Rome, a lady,
through a seaport, 2,000 years ago, a long way. But you think
anything could have happened to Phoebe? Think how many good,
true gospel messages have come out of this book of Romans. A
million, maybe? How many people have been saved?
How many people has the Lord used? It's amazing, isn't it? These are precious, precious
verses. But let's begin there at verse
28. Oftentimes, I've quoted this, and I said, for we know. All things work together. What's
Paul write there? Look at verse 28. And. And. Think that's important? We just
looked the other night at verses 26 and 27, how God the Holy Spirit
helpeth our infirmities, how the Spirit makes intercession
for us. Praise on our behalf of groanings that cannot be uttered
for the saints, for those set apart, those sanctified, those
made holy. And that intercession, that setting
apart is according to the will of God, the purpose of God. And then Paul tells us all that.
As if that wasn't just precious enough. That wasn't tender enough. He says, and. And we know. We know. There's no uncertainty
with our Lord. It's not a rumor. It's not gossip. It's not a chance. It's not a
maybe. How do we know that this is sure?
How can we know? God knows. He ordained it. And Christ in you. That new man
put in you. If God knows, that new man knows.
Because it's like Him. It says, and we know that all
things work together for good. How much is all? Is that some
things? Not some things, not only the
things that's for the redeemed, for the Lord's people. Not just
in nature, not just the weather, not outwardly, not inwardly.
All things work together for good. If there was anything that
was out of the sovereign control of God, rest assured it is not
for your good. It would be to our destruction,
wouldn't it? Nothing in this life ever can
or ever will work for good unless the Lord makes it work for good,
for our good. Who does He make it work good
for? Everybody? Everybody on earth? That's obviously not the
case. There are people in hell right
now. That wasn't for their good. Whose good is it for? To them
that love God. Now, we looked at this Sunday
morning out of 1 John. Those that love God, those that
truly love Him, only love Him because He first loved us in
Christ and His Son. Those that love God, those that
all things work together for good, those that know His love,
know His providential hand to bring us to Him, bring us to
cross feet, We see Him working in our lives in this helpless,
decaying flesh that we are, this death that we are. And do we
have to figure that out on our own? Are we that helpless and
that hopeless and dead, dead in trespasses and sins? Is it
up to us to figure this out? Does God love those He put in
cross before the world was made and He just wishes that they'd
come to Him? Come to see His hand working
in everything around Him? Come to love Him? No. It says,
and we know all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are thee called. It doesn't say to them who are
called. Them who are thee called. Who are thee called? That's a
particular peculiar people. The elect in Christ that number
more than the sands of the sea. Throughout all time on this earth
from all different nations, all different walks of life, backgrounds,
abilities, knowledge, our Lord determined a people. He chose
them. Paul is speaking here about the
church of God, Christ's body as a whole from creation to that
final day. He says, them. Them before, them then, them
now, and them in years to come. Look at verses 28 through 30
again. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He also called. And whom He called,
them He also justified. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. I think He's talking about a
people. I don't think that's everybody. I think that's His
people. Pretty obvious, isn't it? Now
let's look at verse 29. For whom He did for know. This people that the Lord's chosen,
that know Him, that are His children, that all things work together
for good for, that love Him, that called, love Christ because
He first loved us, Foreknowledge is not just an act of awareness. For the Lord to foreknow us,
it's not that he just was aware of our presence. To foreknow
is to love. He loved us before the world
began. Fore means prior. We know that. But to know, in the Scriptures,
many times, that's to love. That's to know intimately. And
it says that personal love. It says, whenever Adam knew his
wife, she bore him a son. That's not just love in word,
but that's love in action. That was a product of that love.
Before time, the Father's love for Christ was acted upon by
choosing a people to be made just like Him. He loved His Son,
and He loved the people that He put in His Son. Holy in Christ. Perfect in Christ. Let's read
on. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Now
like so many throughout history and in our day, this predestination
is so marred. It's so misunderstood and threw
around. People accuse me, so you think
God's predestined some people to heaven and some people to
hell? God, in His holy purpose, He chose to save a people from
the death that they deserve and make them just like His Son.
Now, if we could understand that predestination, if they understand
that that destination is not a place, but it's a person, now
this might make a little more sense to them. How can we reveal
it? The Lord has to reveal that to
them. This statement is much clearer.
The believer's destination is to be conformed to the image
of Christ, to be made from something that we were not, and to be made
to what He is, from nothing but sin, but nothing but righteousness,
made just like our elder brother. It says, for whom He did foreknow,
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. As that
second Adam, that spiritual and holy Adam, Christ is the firstborn. And praise be to God, we're called
His brethren. We're joint heirs with Him. That's
something. Verse 30. Moreover, whom He did
predestinate, them He also called. Now notice there it says, them
He also called, them He also justified, them He also glorified.
All those are past tense. All these verbs in our text are
past tense. That's because the surety of
His Word. God's not like man. He's unlike
us. If He says it, it's going to
come to pass. When He makes a covenant, it
will happen. He cannot change, and He's able
to keep His Word. Hebrews 6.13 tells us, for when
God made promise to Abraham because He could swear by no greater,
He swore by Himself. for His namesake to keep His
promises. That's surety. He said, I'll
do it for my namesake. Those that are chosen in Christ
will be called. He told us in John 10, My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of My hand. They will hear his voice. They will come to him, and he
ain't gonna let them go. They won't be plucked out of
his hand. We're in his grip. And it says, in whom he called,
them he also justified. Those that are called of God
are justified. We are cleared of all charges. They are declared right. We're
justified physically before we were called, or he would have
never had anything to do with. That had to happen in time, before
time. If God had not justified me in
Christ and was satisfied with me in Christ, He would have nothing
to do with me. I would have never physically
heard that call. That time wouldn't have come. And whom He justified,
then He also glorified. Those that believe the gospel
were glorified in Christ before the world was. Explain that. I can't. Is it so? Yep. We were in Him. That brought this question to
my mind. When did we become the sons of God? Did you become a
son when you believed? No. That was the day that we
found out about it. That was the time it was Christ
revealed in you. You can't reveal something unless
it's there. That's the day we experienced it, but we became
sons of God when we were chosen in Christ, when He loved me,
when He looked to my Redeemer and not to me before the foundation
of the world. That's when we were chosen. That's when we were justified.
That's when we were glorified. Verse 31, what shall we then
say to these things? Let's read that first part again. What shall we then say to these
things? If you're helpless, if you're dead in sin, the laws
convicted you, you have no hope, you're unable, what do you say? The first thing that new man
is saying is, Hallelujah, what a Savior. You'll read that and
say, Amen, that's right, I need that. All praise to him that
he's just and a justifier. It's not my plan, it's His plan.
Oh, what magnificence! What wisdom! We remember that
the Holy Spirit comes to the children of God, gives them a
new heart, a new birth, convicts us of sin, convicts us of God's
holiness, His majesty. He intercedes for us continually,
making us to know all these things. That the Lord's providence in
all things works for our good, That good that is being made
as holy as Christ is holy. I don't know who would want anything
better than that. Being made like Him, conformed
to His image, glorified as a joint heir with Christ, with the firstborn
Christ our elder brother. And we know. We know those that
Christ died for have been, they are being, and they will be made
to know the person and the work of our Redeemer. They'll know
who He is, something of His character, and they'll know what He accomplished.
That elect of God were loved, were determined to be like Christ,
were called, were justified, were glorified in Him before
time began. And now, what do we say to these
things? Verse 31. If God be for us, who
can be against us? Who can condemn us? Who can destroy
us? Who are we to fear? God's for
us. If God is for His people in election,
in love, in redemption, in regeneration, for eternity with an everlasting
love, who can be against us? It doesn't say if God be for
us, who is against us. There are a lot of things against
us. A lot of people against us. Satan's against us. His hosts
are against us. The world's against us. People
in our own land, our own homes are likely against us. Christ
told us that a prophet's not without honor if he saves his
own home, his own land. But it says there, who can be
against us? Who has the ability to overrule
the judgment of a holy God? Absolutely no one. No one. How could a holy God be for a
worm like me? That's just too good to be true,
isn't it? How could this happen? Look here in verse 32. He that
spared not his own son. What didn't He spare Christ from?
He didn't spare Him from attacks of Satan. He didn't spare Him
from men. He didn't spare Him from shame.
He didn't spare Him from physical pain. And He didn't spare Him
from the wrath of God for my sin. He didn't spare His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, for all the Lord's elect,
for all thee called. for his people, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?" There's a common
misconception in this world that salvation is a co-effort between
man and God. He's our co-pilot. That is nonsense. That's helping. I knew a man
one time that saved another man. He was in a vehicle that was
on fire, and all the smoke was inside the vehicle now, and he
had inhaled enough of it, and he was unconscious. We thought
he was dead. And that man busted that door open, burned himself
pretty good, and pulled him out of the fire. He didn't help him
get out of that car. He saved him. We can understand
that. Salvation is not a co-effort.
The Lord saves His people. They're unable. He didn't help
them. He grabs a hold of them and saves them. And He did it
all, and He did it freely. Freely. He freely gave us all
things. He said, I will love them freely. Isaiah 55 says, Ho, everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. He that hath no money
Come ye, buy and eat. Yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price." Well, if you don't have money
and there ain't no price to it, it's free. Freely. Freely, Christ's blood, that
wine. And freely, the milk of the gospel. Freely. We didn't have any money, spiritually. We were in debt to God, and it
was a debt we could not pay. had no means and he graciously
and freely saved us from ourselves. We didn't pay or contribute anything
to it. We didn't help. But really we
did everything we could in the opposite direction. Opposite of bond merit. But we
have in Christ was given by the free and sovereign grace of God
and we have been given it to us freely. Now there in verse
33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God select is God
that justify. Now we all have a past and we
all have a present and there are thoughts or actions that
would embarrass me completely before men, condemn us for eternity
before God. But, you know, none of those
things brought up against me. Not in the courts of heaven.
Not a one of them. None can be brought against me.
They don't exist. I've been justified. It's gone. Cleared. Who can lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Now, on this earth, somebody
can say, I've got some dirt on Kevin. They'll dig up something,
I'm sure. Every one of us are that way.
But not before my father. not before Him, not before His
holy throne, because I was perfect and justified in Christ, cleared
of all charges. Now Satan, called the accuser
of the brethren, cannot bring anything against us. The law can't bring any charges
against us. Man can't bring any charges against
us. And get this, We cannot bring
any charge against ourselves. I'm my biggest enemy. But my
guilt, my shame, my doubt does not matter. Only the work of
Christ in me and for me matters. Only him. Paul told us there
in Romans 4.25 who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
again for our justification. Christ died the death that we
deserve, and He was raised for our justification. All of my
justification, everything needed for it, sets right now at the
right hand of God. Look here at verse 34. 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. My condemnation was taken
care of at Calvary. Christ died my death. I was condemned
in my substitute, I suffered in my substitute, I died in my
substitute, and I was risen in my substitute. It says, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Scriptures tell us if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father. When any man sin,
and we do, I do, and we have an advocate. Anything that's
brought up against Christ's sheep has already been dealt with by
His blood. And because of that eternal,
worthy, immeasurable, accepted payment, that blood sacrifice,
that propitiation for the sins of His people, we read verse
35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? No one. Shall tribulation separate
us from the love of Christ? Trials? Hard times? Is that going
to make Him stop loving us? Make us stop loving Him? Distress? Mental distress? What if I go
crazy? What if the Lord takes my mind
from me? Is that going to separate me? No. Persecution? Famine? Nakedness or peril or
sorrow? All of these troubles listed
here, do not separate the sons and daughters of God from Him.
They drive us to Him. They drive us right to His feet.
Trials whittle away every distraction we have from Christ and bring
us to His feet and make us worship Him. And once that part of the
trials takes place, once we come to Him, stop looking at the trial
and look to the one who sent the trial, we have comfort every
time. Just like that email I sent out
today, if you all saw that video, I wrote a good, I thought a pretty
good paragraph in here, and I couldn't wait until this evening, I wanted
to email it to you. But all those trials, distress, famine, all
these things corral us, and we try running, and he'll hedge
us about, he'll have a dog there, and they corral us right to him.
Put us right to cross that gate, and put us through him. And boy,
we're thankful. We all have common trouble. Every
one of us have the trouble that's common to all men. We all have
sin. But being a child of God, we will suffer for Christ's sake
on this earth. We'll have persecution. We'll
have trials and troubles and distresses. But we're glad to
do so. We're thankful to do so. Look
in verse 36. As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all
the day long. We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. For the knowledge and excellency
of Christ, we count all things lost, don't we? He is worth it. And in comparison to what we
deserve, and we don't understand, but
when we get a glimpse, he gives us just a glimmer through that
dark glass, what he paid for me, because he gives me a glimpse
of what I am. The payment that I deserved,
He paid for it, His blood. Any affliction I suffer on this
earth, it's light. It's a light affliction. Verse
37, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us. We didn't just win. Somebody
conquers a country, that's it. It's over. And they own it. We didn't just win. We are more
than conquerors. I'm more than a conqueror. Do
I look like it? Don't answer out loud. We don't look like it, do we?
A believer doesn't look like a conqueror walking through this
world. Is that odd to us? Did our master look like a conqueror
when he came to this world? Not in appearance? Not in looks? Whenever he was hanging on that
cross, did he look like he was winning? He was a conqueror when
they whipped him, stripped him naked, put that crown of thorns
on his head, hoisted him up. Did he look like a conqueror?
He didn't. What was he doing that whole time? Conquering. Whole time. All that time he
was conquering. All of our famine, all of our
trials, our troubles, our pain, through all that, the believer's
conquering. It don't look like it in this flesh, does it? Why
are we conquering? Because we have crossed our hope of glory.
Looking to Him. To look to Him is to conquer.
Look in verse 38. Paul tells us, for I am persuaded. Now if I'm persuaded in this
earth, I might be 51% persuaded. I'm persuaded it's going to rain
today. That's the way we use that word. That's not what the
word means. He knows. He said, we know, absolutely,
with surety. For I am persuaded that neither
death, not physical death, nor life, nor angels, and I'll study
that for a second. Why would angels separate us? Satan was an angel, wasn't he?
If Lord's providence down the road does something that we're
not accustomed to, whatever it is, it can't hurt us. nor angels,
nor principalities, it's not any country in this world, nor
powers, no government power, or unseen power, nor things present,
nor things to come. That means nothing in the past,
nothing in my past, and nothing to come in the future. Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in That's the kind of love I
want to know about. That's an everlasting love. Where
can I find that love? In Christ, Jesus our Lord. Now, out of all these verses
we looked at, does anything in there sound like man's got a
hand in this? Does it depend on you? It don't. It depends on the one that can
save you. Not yourself who might kind of want to be saved. And
we're persuaded of these things. The salvation and eternal preservation
of thee called, cross sheep, is totally and completely found
in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all His work. And
nothing can separate us from Him. Absolutely nothing. Not even me. Ain't that something? That's comfort. If somebody read
through that and I had something to do, oh, that would be a load
put on me. Everything's done. It's all in
Him. If you don't know Him, look to
Him. Come to Him. Try Him, and you won't be found
ashamed. You won't be let down. I hope
that was a blessing to you. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, thank You for
Your Word. Lord, thank You for making These
scriptures are new to us, making them alive to us. What a blessing. Lord, give us our daily bread.
Allow us to see Christ each morning as your mercies are new. Keep
us through this week, Lord. Keep us looking to Him only.
Allow us to be a comfort to those around us. Give us patience in
these trials we go through and our distresses. make us persuaded
that He's able. What a salvation. What a God.
Lord, thank You. Forgive our sins. Look only at
our Redeemer when You look at us. Hear only His Spirit when
we pray. It's in Christ's name that we
ask it. Amen.