I hope you could understand some
of the words of that hymn. You may know it by heart. The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star
and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty hair bowed down with
care, God gave his Son to win. His erring child he reconciled
and pardoned from his sin. Could we with ink the ocean fill? And were the skies a parchment
made? Were every stalk on earth a quill,
and every man a scribe by trade? To write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the
whole, though stretched from sky to sky." That's a great end. Oh, love of God, how rich and
pure, how measureless and strong! It shall forever endure and be
the saints' and angels' song. Great old hymn. Romans 8. We have just nine verses to cover
tonight. But oh, what verses they are! We could spend nine hours on
each verse, easily. This passage was not written
to prove doctrine nor answer game-sayers. This passage was
not written for that purpose. Paul does devote a little time
in Romans 9 to that. He does answer some who argue
in Romans 9. But Romans 8, as well as most
all of the word of God is written to God's people and is written
for their joy and their comfort. Let the potsherd strive with
the potsherd, and let God's people take great joy and comfort in
Romans 8. And this is written to God's
people. Let's look at it again. Would
you learn a lesson in English? I'm not going to do a Greek word
study, I'm going to do an English word study. The word us. I don't even know what the Greek
word is, but the English word is us. Who's us? Look at verses 14 through 17.
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. 4. You have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit
of adoption whereby we cry," Paul is including himself with
whoever he is writing to, we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children
of God. Who? He just said them that are
led by the Spirit. And if children, verse 17. If
children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ,
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together." We've covered those verses, but read on down. Look
at verse 23. not only they, or the creation,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope. But hope, this scene, is not
hope. Verse 25, But we hope for that
which we see not. Likewise, the Spirit helpeth
our infirmity. We know not what we should pray
for, as we are. But the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered. And
he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession," he just said, for us. Who is
us? Paul addressed this letter to
the saints, called of God, called to be saints, didn't he, John?
Verse 27, he makes intercession for the saints, for us. And we
know, verse 28, we know, the saints, the children of God,
we know, we know these things that he tells us here. We know that all things work
together for good, to them that love God, not their conception
of God, but God. To them who are called according
to his purpose, verse 29, 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. He's talking to
the Saints, he's called them the Saints, he's called them
children, he's called them brethren, brethren among many brethren. Verse 30, For whom he, moreover,
whom he did predestinate, he called, and he called, he justified,
and he justified them, he also glorified. So he calls them saints,
he calls them children, he calls them brethren, he says they're
foreknown, he says they're predestined, he says they're called, he says
they're justified, he says they're we, he says they're us. We, us. Am I right? Verse 31. Now, what shall we
then say to these things? If God be for who? Us. Who's the us? We just took an English lesson
today. Who's the us? He's talking about the brethren,
he's talking about the saints, he's talking about children of
God, he's talking about predestined, foreknown, predestined, called,
justified to glorify. Us. Not all. Not all men without
exception. Us. Us. If you've heard his call,
You're one of us. What shall we then say to these
things? If you agree, if you two can't walk together, except
they be agreed. If you agree with all he said
here, you're one of us, not one of them. What shall we then say
to these things? What do you say to these things?
To all these things, whatever God has said. The saints say,
Amen. The saints say, Hallelujah, or
praise the Lord. The saints say, I believe. I'm
a believer. The saints say with Paul, he
says, I must confess that after the way they call heresy, that's
the way I worship God. And without exception, Henry,
across the board. Ninety-nine percent of the population
says, I don't believe that. Don't they? Ninety-nine. Everybody
in here, your family, your friends, those you work with, what do
they say to these things when you present them to them? What
do they say? I don't believe that. Well, we
confess, and gladly so, that after the way they call heresy,
it's the way we worship God. all things written in the prophets,
in the law and the prophets, all things. We believe everything
he said. That's what makes a believer.
He believes, right? He believes. And hope all things. And we say, if God be for us,
what does it matter who's against us? Who can be against us? Who can be? Look at verse 32
now, we'll begin here. Now, this is for us, OK? It's for us. It's not written
to everybody, it's for us. Hope you're one of us. Verse
32. Now, he that spared not his own
son, but delivered him up, for whom? Us all. Who's he been talking about?
us, saints, brethren, called, predestined, glorified, justified,
and so forth. Brethren, he delivered him up
for us all. How shall he not with Christ,
or with that great sacrifice that Christ made
also, how shall he not also freely give us all things? He that spared not his Son." God didn't spare Christ that he might spare us. God spared
his Son, did not spare his Son ridicule, did not spare his Son
mockery or hatred or wrath or judgment or condemnation and
even death. even the death of the cross,
that he might spare us. You see, all these were things
that we deserve. All these are things that we
deserve. Yet he spared us, so we need not go through these.
He spared not his son. But he delivered him up, the
scripture says. He delivered him to men to do
with as they pleased. And what did they do? They took
and crucified the Lord of Glory. He's not in men's hands now to
do with the sick man. But he did at one time deliver
him to men to do with as they pleased, and what did they do?
That's what the free will of men will do with the Jesus Christ
of Scripture. They kill him. Man hates him
by nature. God delivered him to Satan to
be tempted by. him to sin, he was made sin for
us. He was delivered up. He was delivered,
as it were, to hell itself, because that was our destination. He
delivered him to hell to deliver us from hell. But he wasn't left
there. He didn't leave his soul in hell
or suffer his Holy One to seek corruption. But he came out. He delivered him to sin. He was
made sin. He delivered him to Satan. He
was tempted by him, and he was smitten by all the forces of
evil. He delivered him to hell, but he didn't stay there. He
just went there to make a delivery. He went to hell, as it were,
and put something there. He deposited something there.
our sins. He didn't stay there, he came
out, and he didn't have our sins. They're gone. He ascended with
our names, and he's now on the throne overseeing the salvation
of all he paid for with his precious blood. And he's expecting them
all to be brought in by his Holy Spirit, by the gospel call. And he's expecting his enemies
to be made his footstool. Verse 32, look at it again. How
shall he not, how shall God not, with this great sacrifice, with
all that he put his Son through, with the sacrifice, the bloody
butchering and wounding of his Son, how shall he not with him,
with Christ, also freely give us all things? Since God sacrificed
so much for us, He will certainly make sure that,
like Peter said, we have all things necessary for life and
Godliness. And he calls us, we just read
how we have now the spirit of adoption, and he calls us his
father. And if you, then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more,
shall God give all things, give whatever
is good, give whatever is needful, give all things necessary to
his people. Since he sacrificed Christ, everything
else is nothing. It's nothing to him. I gave you
an illustration one time of an old cat that we purchased. Actually, Hannah and Mindy came
home with his cat one day, they found it somewhere, and came
home with it, and they actually paid money for it. What did you pay for it? Fifteen
dollars? They lied to me. They probably never have told
me the actual price of that cat. At any rate, you think about
it, really. paying money for a cat. I mean,
how many cats are there? Can you get a cat most anywhere?
There's people trying to give them away. Well, they went and
paid good money, my money, for this cat and brought it home.
And you know how us men are. I said, no, no, we're not going
to keep it. Oh, please, oh, please. No, no, no, no, I'm going to
set my foot down. Well, we had that cat some years
later. How many years now? How long
has that been? Five, six years ago. Well, you know, we've invested probably
one million dollars in that cat with all the veterinarian visits
and all. Good, at least a million, maybe two. beeclaw, neuter, you
name it. Shots, shots, shots, shots. Worming. Do you know what he is now? He's a fat cat. He's not one
wick better than he was when we bought him in the first place.
Matter of fact, something happened to him one day. He got hit by
a car, got something happened to him, got hit in the head,
and he came in And for the next six months, he was mean as a
snake. You couldn't get near him. He
would attack you. I mean, that's the reason we
had him declawed, because he would just rip you to shreds. You'd get near him. And Mindy,
of all people, said, let's get rid of that cat. I said, no way. We've got too much invested.
We're going to keep me." I said, I'm going to get some joy out
of that cat. If I have to, whatever, I'm going
to keep that cat. I've got too much invested in
him. Do you see the picture? He's still an old cat. He hadn't
added one went to me and our family. While we've doled out
and doled out and doled out and doled out to that cat, I'm keeping
him. And what have we added to God
Almighty? And what has he paid? In all
seriousness, what price has he paid for us? I asked a brother, and we searched
the scriptures together before I make this comment, because
in a multitude of counsels there is safety. I didn't just make
this off the top of my head, but with much searching, consideration,
and with the wise counsel of another man who I deem wise. There is absolutely no worth
in any human being. Period. Not even after God saves us. The big word for it is intrinsic. Something that's in, something
of value in this person that's worth saving and worth keeping,
like that old cat. What does the scripture say about
man? Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. What does it say? Flesh, that
which is flesh is flesh. Well, what does it say about
man in his best state? Take the best man who ever lived,
he's altogether, that was Solomon. What did he do? Man, he turned
out worse than he and he wasn't beginning. Right? Right, Joe? There's no actual worth in it.
You know, the only thing that makes us worth something is the
fact that Christ bought us. You've heard Don Bell use that
illustration of a bunch of zeroes? They were all a bunch of zeroes?
You remember that? He said, don't have my pen on
me, but he wrote down on a piece of paper a bunch of zeroes. You
write down zero, don't care how many zeros you have. You put
zero, that's a hundred million zeros. What do you got? A bunch
of zeros. He said if you put a one in front
of it, it adds some worth to it. And he's the only one of
any worth. The rest of them are still what?
A bunch of zeros. Nothing. And we're only of any
worth as long as we're in Christ. I'll give you another illustration. Everyone here has heard of the
famous artist Pablo Picasso, haven't you? Have you seen any
of his paintings? Have you seen any of his paintings? People! My cats could paint that! I'm not exaggerating. grossly
disfigured, ridiculous, childish, one-eyed, two-horned, purple
peeper readers. What would you give for one of
those paintings? I'll tell you what I'd give. Nothing. They're
worth nothing. But there's people to whom we
say it's priceless. Don't they? Priceless. No amount
of money can buy them. That's us. Now, that's a mystery. Isn't
that a mystery? We're not worth anything by it. How many are there of us, like
us, that God could save? Huh? Well, the woodwork's crawling
with a bunch of sinners. You see what I'm saying? Yet
God chose you, set his affection on you. sent his Son, paid the
unspeakable price for you. Now, you owe something to God,
only so long as you're in Christ, right? And really, we can't give
anything to God, we can't add anything to God, we don't add
anything to his glory, do we? Still, God is all-glorious. What can we add to his glory? We're going to go to glory, aren't
we? We're going to go to heaven, we're going to give glory to
God. We're just going to acknowledge his glory. We don't want to add
to his glory. He could have created a hundred zillion angels to give
him glory. Give me glory! Is that too hard? Is that too
callous? It's just true. You see, that
will make you greatly value Christ, the cross, the love of God. and disvalue yourself. You see,
he must increase, but we must decrease. We must decrease. So we're nothing. He's all. Right? And the only reason we're worth
anything to God is in Christ. In Christ. And that will keep
us from getting too high. If any man thinks he's something
when he does a good scripture, when he's what? A human being can never rise above
being nothing. And if there's something, it's
by the grace of God. It's all a gift. It's all a gift.
It's all a gift. I don't mind. What do you say
to these things? Thank God. Verse 33. So, who shall lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? Who shall lay anything in charge
of God's elect? There are many charges made,
aren't there? None are going to stick. None
will be laid to our charge. They will all be laid to rest
in the grave. He nailed them to the cross,
Scripture says. He laid them to rest. He stamped
them in blood, paid in full. He paid it all, all the debt
I owe, paid in full. It is God that justifies it.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God
that justifies it, because Christ died. That's why he justified
it. He paid it all. Verse 34. Who is he that condemns? It's Christ that died. Who is
he that condemns? Well, many people try to. You
know, Satan condemns me constantly. Doesn't he, you? Sifts me like
wheat. He tries to. He doesn't sift
me very hard, and I couldn't take it. But he sifts me according
to the sifting that my Lord allows. But he condemns me constantly. Constantly he says, Now he's
mine. But God answers every accuser
of the brethren. God says, Not any more, he's
not. He's bought with a price. Satan says, but he's a child
of wrath, even as others. But God says, not anymore, he's
a child of God. But Satan says, well, he's still
a sinner. He's still a sinner. God says,
I say, he's righteous. My conscience condemns me, constantly. My conscience condemns me. My
conscience says, how could you be a child of God and do something
like that? God says if you were not a child of God, you wouldn't
worry about it. Think about that for just a second.
There was a time when I didn't worry about it, when I was a
child of wrath, even as others. My conscience says my sin is
ever before me. God says the blood is ever before
me. My conscience says, when I look
within, all I see is sin. God says, all I see is blood. And God says, I say, justify
it. Satan says, but, but, but, but
God says, justify it. But I say, but, but, but, he
says, but God, justify it. It's Christ that died. Christ
that dies. That's all that was necessary
for the children of Israel for God to pass over. And what? A land for a house, a land for
a house, blood on the doorpost, the linen. That's all that was
necessary. What? Not great faith? Not great
faith? Just the blood there. There was
probably some in that house that said, Are you sure the blood's
there? And the elders of the house kept having to remind them.
It's up there. It's there. The blood's there. The blood is before the Lord.
He said it passed. I'm not so sure, but I'm a great
sinner. Blood's there. But just wait. But, God, wait. And that overflowing scourge
of wrath came through and it passed by. Why? The blood was there. That's the
only reason we'll be pacified. That's that. We have the Lamb,
but more than that, read on, it says, Christ died, yea rather,
that he's risen again. He's risen again, not the blood
of bulls and goats and just the Lamb, but this is God's Lamb,
this is God's Son. He has spared not his own Son,
delivered him up for us all. He died, yea, rather he's risen
again. The high priest, his sacrifice
is accepted, who's even at the right hand of God. If any man
sin, he has an advocate. Where's he at? With the Father. Who is he? Jesus Christ the righteous. See, the judge, my lawyer, that's
what advocate means, my lawyer, is a publican defender. My lawyer
It's a public defender, a court-appointed public defender. He's my lawyer,
my advocate, never lost a case. Every case he takes is guilty
till proven innocent. And you know what? My lawyer
is the son of a judge. That's the thing to worry about.
Any man sin? Need a lawyer? We have one. Where is he? Oh, he's sitting
right now with the judge in the judge's chambers. The judge has
got his arm around him, and he's pleading my case. Who shall lay
anything my charge? Bring the witnesses. Christ just
shows his scars. Bring all the accusers. But I
saw him, but I saw him, and God sees the blood. Isn't that good
news? He's even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us. We have a lamb, we have a substitute,
we have a sacrifice, we have a high priest. I mean, he's a
great one. He's a great high priest. Then
we have a mediator, and there's only one, and we've got him.
We have an advocate, we have an intercessor. God always hears
him, always has, always will. Everything he asks God, God grants
it. So he says, Father, forgive them. He says, I will that they be
with me where I am. Dictum factum. Good is done. Whom he called,
he justified. Whom he justified, glorified.
See, all that was past tense. Good is done. So, verse 35, who shall separate
us from the love of God? Who is the us? Brethren, saints,
the called, the children of God, the foreknown,
the predestinated, the called, the justified, those whom God
sent his Son to die for, God's elect, he calls them, his elect,
for those whom Christ intercedes for, who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? The love of Christ. Over in verse
39, he says, the love of God, doesn't he? Who shall separate
us from the love of God? Why does he say the love of Christ
and the love of God? Because these two are one. They're
one and the same person, that's why. They're one and the same
purpose. Well, these three are one, the
Holy Spirit. who came to carry the work out, to apply it. The
love of Christ, the love of God. Read on. Shall tribulation separate
us? No, it will drive us to Christ.
Trials and troubles, they won't separate us from Christ. I've
seen God's people go through the worst of trials that any
human being could go through. I've seen them go through that,
and I've seen them come out with stronger faith than they did
going in. Trials and tribulations don't separate us from it, they
drive us clean. They make us lay hold a little
harder, don't they Barbara? To whom shall we go in times
like that? Shall distress? That's a sign of some shit. We read that back there, that
we suffer with him. Persecution is a sign of some
shit. If people spoke well of you,
then beware. But since they say you have a
devil and you believe the doctrines of devils and they hate you just
because of the word that you tell them, that's a good sign. Are you still with me? Somebody out there? Persecution? No, that's the sign of sonship.
And with the persecution, the stronger the persecution, the
stronger the consolation. I'm telling you. The stronger the persecution,
the stronger the consolation and the affirmation of the truth
of His Word. The stronger the persecution,
the more the Word will be opened up to you and you'll see. This
is so. Shall famine? Shall famine? No, David said, I've never seen
the righteous forsaken. Oh, he's still begging bread. Famine? There's a famine going
on right now, people. Isn't it? Hosea talks about it,
doesn't he? It's not a famine of bread, it's
a famine of the hearing of the word. It's going on right now. Shall firmen separate up? Oh,
we're feasting on fat things. He makes us to lie down in green
pastures. The world's looking for green
pastures. He makes us lie down in them. We're eating bread from heaven,
honey out of a rock. Our Joseph is opening storehouses
where the world's going hungry at that moment, feeding on husks. at the king's table. Shall nakedness? Read on. Nakedness ain't naked. I got on the best clothing. I got on the best robe. The best
robe. Glorious apparel. Snow-white
wedding garment. But it doesn't have a veil. Shall peril? You know, we have
to sing back for a moment. Ladies, y'all wear a veil in
a wedding Bail yourself. If we bail ourselves now, then
when we get to glory, there'll be no bail, or be removed. And
it's bail that's done away. Bail is a sign of humility. That's
the reason they've done away with it now, isn't it? Ain't
no blushing brides. All right, that's another sermon,
isn't it? I left that out. So peril? We're
in no real peril. Are we in any real peril? Are
we ever in any real peril? Now, Paul was hanging on a piece
of driftwood out in the ocean. He said, I was in perils of seas
and robbers in his net. Was he in any real peril? God
said, they want one soul on that ship. Perish. The disciples of
old, when the winds were being tossed to and fro, were they
in any real peril? No. Why? Somebody else in that
ship. Are we in any peril? No. The
captain's at the wheel. The captain's at the helm. Are
we in any real peril? No. The commander-in-chief is
raining, and I ain't talking about that dude in Washington. I'm talking about the commander
and the chief. He's reigning and ruling. Are
we in any real peril? No, the son of David has gone,
the giant killer has gone out for us. Shall sword? Peril or
sword? What sword? I thought of that movie, Stan.
You remember that guy pulled out a knife and he said, Hey,
old knife, here's a knife. What sword? This has vanquished
every foe that it has faced. This has defeated every enemy
that God has sent it to. I mean the most brutal, solid,
tasteless, bleeding-ass, threatening slaughterer. One word shall slay
him. Saul brought him down like a
kitten. Christ defeated all the foes
with what? A word. A word. What sword? There ain't no sword.
Here's a sword. Now, verse 36, we're, anyway,
we're counted, we're all, for thy sake, we're killed all the
day long, we're counted as sheep for the slaughter. If we die,
what's that mean? Oh, we're not killed. Good. Send me home. Go ahead, make my day." That's
what we could say. Now, send me home. What will
it do? He said, don't fear them that
kill the body. In fact, there's no more they can do but to send
you home. Fear Him. Fear Him. Sheep for
the slaughter. They and all these things were
more than conquerors. Through Him that loved us, we're
conquerors. Through Him that loved us, through
Him, through Him, through Him. He loved us and gave himself
for us. Verse 38 says, Paul says, I'm persuaded, and we should
be too. What do you say to these things?
What's your conclusion? I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded. He says that neither death, how
death won't separate you, nor joyment, nor life, nothing this
life has that brings my way, nor angels, or that is, there
ain't no creature going to spoil it for me. No principalities,
no powers. That is spiritual wickedness
in high places, because there's a stronger than he. Satan is
God's devil, and he can't do anything to me but what God allows. That's just so. No powers, no
things present, bring come what may, nor things to come, nor
height, No matter how high I get, it won't get me any closer. No
matter how low I get, it won't get me any farther away. I'm
seated. Nor death nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Where is the love of God? Does
God love everybody? No. No. Does God love somebody? Oh, yes. Will God always love those? Oh,
yes. He says, I've loved them with
an everlasting love. Will God save all those He loves?
Oh, yes. He said, I've loved them with
an everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness,
I've drawn them, drawn them with cords of love, cords of a man,
irresistible cords. binds them about your neck, a
yoke. Who are they to us? Who does God love us? They're
in Christ. You're in Christ. When Noah,
when Noah was out there on that water, all were drowning outside. The whole world, some say billions
of people, were drowning outside, being destroyed, not by the love
of God, but by the holiness of God and the wrath and hatred
of God against sin. However, there was a sign on
the inside of that ark, a bumper sticker, if you will, that said, God loves you. Right? He wasn't on the outside. But it was on the inside. See,
the love of God is where? It's in the heart. All those
that are in Christ are safe. Nothing. So separate them. They're shut in. They're shut
in. And pitched. Covered. with blood. All right, stand
up. Brother Joe, would you dismiss this in prayer, please? I'm calling upon God to bless
my students, those Christ-given educators. We thank Him for His
blood that was shed for our students. We thank Him for bringing us
up to my point, that Christ gives us no trouble early on in His
day and night, as He did for our hearts and our souls. This
business and my love were ordered. Keep this in watch over me. Thank you for your love. May
the mercy of Jesus be with you. Amen. you