He told me on the way here, he
said, go see Preacher. I said, yeah. And he said, yay.
Joey, Merry Christmas, honey. Joe Preacher, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas. Look at that. Look here. Hey, don't tear it up. Don't tear it up. Who are you? Yeah. Yeah. How are you? Good. Go get a toy and bring it back
out here. I'm gonna stay out here. Do you want to play on the toys? No! Listen, do you want to go
get toys and bring them over here? Or do you want to stay
back there? I want to go back there. Okay. I'll bring you back.
Back there. What's her name? Sweetie. Okay. th th th and th It's wonderful. It's going okay. I couldn't explain it, of course. I had my restrictions. Yeah. Would you like to do that?
Uh-huh. Yeah. My dad, he was a sharpshooter.
That's worth it. I've been around it and done
it. It ends up, I don't know why. I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know Yeah,
absolutely. Oh, it was cold that night they
got married. It was cold. I'd like to go be
tomorrow. Huh? It was yesterday? I thought
it was the 19th. Is it 20th? 18th? Is today the
19th? Today's the 20th? You know, if it get one way,
it'll stay that way. We can get used to it. Put this
up, down, over. Yeah, they had to never change
it and left it the old way, and then just not ever change it. And every time it happens, we
act like it's the first time. Yeah, I know. Well, we've got to have something
to complain about, don't we? Wouldn't be normal if we didn't
complain about it. Rocks to rocks, coals to coal,
and flowers to sun. Good evening, let's all stand
together and sing hymn number 296 296 All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy? Good through life has been my
guide Heavenly peace, divinest comfort Here by faith in Him
to dwell For I know what e'er befall me, Jesus, doeth all things
well. For I know what e'er befall me,
Jesus, doeth all things well. All the way my Savior leads me,
cheers each winding path I tread. Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread. Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul a thirst may be, Cushing from the rock before
me, flow a spring of joy I see. Cushing from the rock before
me, flow a spring of joy I see. All the way my Savior leads me,
O the fullness of His love. Perfect rest to me is promised
in my Father's house above. When my spirit flowed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day, This my song through endless
ages, Jesus led me all the way. This my song through endless
ages, Jesus led me all the way. Be seated, and we'll sing hymn
number 480. In tenderness he sought me, weary and sick with sin. And on his shoulders brought
me Back to his fold again While angels in his presence sang Until
the courts of heaven rang Oh, the love that sought me Oh, the
blood that bought me A wondrous place that brought
me to the fold. He washed the bleeding sin and
poured it all in wine. He whispered to assure me, I've
found thee, thou art mine. O the love that sought me, O
the blood that bought me, O the grace that brought me to the
fold, wondrous grace that brought me to the fold. He pointed to
the nail prints, warning his blood was shed. A mocking crown so thorny was
placed upon his head. I wonder what he saw in me to
suffer such deep agony. O the love that sought me, O
the blood that bought me, O the grace that brought me to the
fore, wondrous grace that brought me here. I'm sitting in His presence,
the sunshine of His face. While with adoring wonder, His
blessings I'm retracing. It seems as if eternal days are
far too short to sound His praise. Oh, the love that sought me. Oh, the blood that caught me. Oh, the grace that brought me. The countress grace that brought
me to the fold. So while the hours are passing,
all now is perfect rest. I'm waiting for the morning,
the brightest and the best. Oh, the love that sought me Oh,
the blood that bought me Well, it's just me and you again. Todd said he cancels his Wednesday
night after the meeting. I never have done that, but I
want you to turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, you remember
we've been preaching from this and oh my, wait until you get
to Romans 9. But we're going to start in verse
31 to the end of the chapter. 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. What blessing, what privilege,
what grace and strength you give us as we thank you for another
day. Another day, dear Lord, trusting
you, looking to you, believing you, finding you to be our all
in all. Lord, it's a blessed, blessed
life you've given us, a life of grace, a life of peace, a
life of joy. A life of salvation given to
us in our Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord, not only that, but
Lord, you bring glory to yourself through us, we pray. Lord, thank
you for what you've done for us here at Lantana Grace. I'm
so thankful for your people. Thankful for your preachers.
Thank you for my dear brethren. Thank you for my brothers and
sisters here. And I pray that you'd be pleased to meet with
us again this side of eternity. Meet with us tonight. Enable
me to speak to the blessings of the hearts of the people here.
Lord, that we may speak of the things of God in Christ. Speak
of these wonderful blessed truths that we just read. Lord, forgive
us of everything that's unlike you, and please, please, oh God,
for Christ's sake, have mercy upon our lost loved ones. Lord,
you go where they are, because they won't come where you are.
You'll have to go where they are, Lord, and you'll have to
convince them. You'll have to burden them. You'll
have to make them have a need. And Lord, you can do that, if
you will, if you will. Bring glory to yourself through
this service tonight. For Christ's sake we pray, amen. Number 21 in our course books.
21 in the course book. How tedious and tasteless the
hours when Jesus I no longer see. Sweet prospects, sweet birds,
and sweet flowers have all lost their sweetness to me. The midsummer sun, but dear,
Love feels strife in vain to look gay, But when I am happy
in here, December's as pleasant as May. His name yields the richest
perfume, And sweeter than music, his voice's presence disperses
my gloom. And makes all within me rejoice. I should, were He always as nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear, No mortal less happy as I, My
summer would last all the year. Content with beholding his face,
I all to his pleasure resign. No changes of season nor place
would Make any change in my mind. I'm blessed with a sense of His
love, A palace that joy would appear. All prisons would palaces
prove, If Jesus would dwell with me there. Dear Lord, if indeed
I am Thine, If Thou art my Son and my soul, Say, why do I languish
and pine? And why are my winters so long? O, drive these dark clouds from
the sky, Thy sultry presence restore. O, take me to thee upon
high, Where winter and clouds are no more. Oh, John Newton wrote a lot of
good songs, lots and lots of them. He wrote one pre-service,
every Wednesday night he wrote a new song. It's called Holy Hymns. All right, look with me back
here in Romans 8. I want to talk about assurance,
blessed assurance. Blessed, blessed assurance. You
know, when he asked that question there in verse 31, And what shall
we say then to these things? Now, what he s talking about,
the things that we dealt with up until we got here. Not just
chapter 8, but all the things that had happened. What shall
we say to the gospel? That s the power of God unto
salvation that we re not ashamed of. because God reveals His righteousness
in that gospel. What shall we say to our justification? What shall we say to God justifying
us, acquitting us, clearing us of all of our sin? Being justified
freely by His grace through Christ. What shall we say to our sanctification? Being set apart in Christ, being
one with Christ. Oh my, what shall we say to our
union with Christ? What shall we say to our struggles
in the flesh? When Paul said in Romans 7, that
that I would do, I don t, and that that I wouldn t do, I do. So when I would do good, evil
is present with me, and oh, wretched man that I am! shall deliver me from this body
of flesh? And then what shall we say to
Romans 8, 1? There is therefore now no concatenation to them
that are in Christ. What shall we say there where
it says in verse 16, 17, 18 about the sufferings with Christ? that if we suffer with Him, we
shall also be glorified together with Him. We reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not WORTHY to be compared
with the GLORY that we ll have in Him. And so then the apostle
comes down and he says, What shall we say to these things?
What shall we say to these things? And oh, and He glories in the
blessedness and the security of believers, and He gives us
three glorious reasons for our confidence and our assurance
in the Lord Jesus Christ and in God. First of all, our relationship
to God. Look what it says here in verse
31, What shall we say then to these things, if God be for us? If God be for us. Huh? God s our advocate. God s the
one that stands for us. God s the one who protects us.
You know, since God is for us, He was for us in His eternal
purpose. God purposed to save us. God
purposed to do what He did for us, He did on purpose. That s
what we just read in Romans 8, 28, To them that love God through
them who are called according to His purpose. And also, you
know, God's force and purpose. And then He foreknew us. What's
God before us? He foreknew us. He said, before
I formed you in your belly, I said, I knew you, I knew you. Paul said, when it pleased God
who separated me from my mother's womb, and then what'd He do? He called me by His grace. Oh
my, and then God be for us in predestination? You reckon we
re gonna get to where God intends for us to go? You reckon one of these days
we re gonna be conformed to the image of Christ? Do you reckon
that God predestinates us to an inheritance eternal? You reckon
we ll have that inheritance and it ll be eternal? You reckon
that ll happen? If God be for us, Oh my! And then look what else it says,
If God be for us, who in the world can be against us? He didn t say WHAT can be against
us, He said WHO! Who could possibly ever be against
us? Huh? Who could? He said in Proverbs
18.10, He said, The name of the Lord The name of the Lord is
a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and are saved. Now,
I wanna show you, you keep Romans 8, and go back over here to Acts
chapter 5. I wanna show you something, if
God be for us, nobody can be against us. Acts chapter 5. He that dwelleth under the shadow
of the Almighty dwelleth in the secret place of the high, of
most high. Who could possibly ever be against
us? My you all know the story here
in Acts chapter 5 where the lame man was healed and and they come
and got James and and and Peter and brought him before the Sanhedrin
Accused him and told him not to speak of any more about it
But now there was a fella and Peter answered should we obey
God or you? Then he preached the gospel to
him, but it says here in verse 34. I Then there stood up in the council
a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation
among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little
patience. Get them fellows over there out
of the way so they won t hear what we have to say. And he said
unto them, Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend
to do, to do as touching these men. Before those days rose up
Thudas, boasting himself to be somebody, to whom a number of
men, about 400, joined themselves, who was slain, and all as many
as obeyed him were scattered and brought to naught. And after
this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and
drew away much people after him. He also perished, and all, even
as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, refrain
from these men and let them alone. For if this counsel or this work
be of men, it'll come to naught. But if it be of God, you can't
overthrow it. Lest you be found even to fight
against God. If he had been had some sense,
you better let these fellows alone. You'll fight against God.
And that's exactly the way it is with us. Who in the world
can be against us if God be for us, if God be for us? And oh
my, look what he got for, look what he did for us. Look what
he provided for us in verse 32. Oh my, and this is what he said,
this is God being for us. Oh, for us in a wondrous way,
a blessed way, a glorious way. He that spared, not his own son, He that spared not his own son,
did not spare him judgment, did not spare him judgment, did not
spare him being made sin, did not spare his own son. He turned everything that could
be against him, against him, even his own self, he said, I
cannot come, I cannot save you. And that's why he said, my God,
my God, why have you forsaken me? He provided us the greatest
need that we have on this earth. And that's a savior. That's a
substitute. That's somebody that would bear
our sin and take our sin away from us and take our sin and
put them all away. And oh, when you think about
God, he didn't spare him in the garden of Gethsemane. didn't
spare his poverty, didn't spare his being acquainted with grief
and sorrow, didn't spare him when they turned him over to
the Pilate, didn't spare him when they put him on the cross,
didn't spare him when they brought him before Pilate's judgment
hall and Capha's judgment hall, didn't spare him. Oh my, and
I tell you something, you know, He provided us, bless His name,
He provided us a Savior. You know, when God told Abraham,
said, Abraham, take your son, your only son, and you go where
the mountain and I show you, and you take that boy up on that
mountain, and you offer him. And He said, thy son, thine only
son. And when He got him on top of
that mountain, They had the wood, they had the fire, they had the
knife. Everything needed to make a sacrifice. But when he was getting ready
to do it, there was a ram caught in the thicket. And he took that
ram and put it in his stead. And that's what God did. He put
Christ in our stead. He spared not his own son, put
Christ in our own stead. Instead of calling for us, he
called for his son. Oh my. And I tell you what, it
was the Son of His love. Instead of coming and getting
us, He come and got Christ. Oh my. He could give. He could possibly not give any
more than He gave. He could not give any better
than what He gave. And He could not save us with
any less than what He gave. Oh my. And why in the world did
He do it? Why did He do it? I tell you
why I done it. Because I've loved you with an
everlasting love and with cords of loving kindness I drew you.
God commendeth his love for us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Oh, God saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our work, but according to
his own purpose and grace. that was given us in Christ before
the world began. And oh my, I ain't got time to
explain what John 3, 16 means, but I do know this, that God
so, and that's the infamous right there, God so loved that he gave,
nobody asked for him, he gave his only, only, only begotten
son, gave His only begotten Son. And
oh my, look what else it said. You know, He provided for us
when He spared not His Son. He provided us a righteousness
that we didn't have. He provided us a righteousness
that we couldn't have by our works. He provided us a righteousness
we couldn't get in the law. And He's provided the blessed
person of His Son. And He revealed this in the gospel,
how He could be just and justify. And oh my, look what it says
now. What he goes on to say. Spare not his own son. Now watch
it, for us all. And you remember Todd talking
about us all the other night? Talking about us all. I'm one
of us. I'm one of us. Are you one of
us? Us all. You know, that's what
you find. You find God loving us all. There's
an us. And oh my. And look what it says. How shall he not with him, with
Christ, also freely give us all things? Do you know how David
said it? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. And what does he freely give
us? All things. All things that we need. What
do we need? We need forgiveness. We need
righteousness. We need acceptance. We need justification. We need to be made holy. We need
our sins put away and never brought against us again. We need to
be able to be accepted and to be loved. We need the love of
God for us. We need everything. We need everything
and we have nothing that we can do to bring to God. God has to
give it all to us. Has to give us everything. Oh
my, oh my, bless his name. You know, the scriptures tells
us that all spiritual blessings, all spiritual blessings are in
heavenly places in Christ. People say all the time, you
have a blessed day. Every one of my days is blessed.
Somebody don't need to tell me, I hope you have a blessed day.
Every one of my days is blessed. You know why? Because they're
blessed in Christ. Next time somebody tells you
that, you say, I've got blessings that you know nothing about. Lots of them, lots of them, spiritual,
all of them, everything God's got for me, every blessing God
got for me, he's got it for me in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh
my. Freely means all things that
we need freely. And I tell you, that means without
cost. And then look what he said in verse 33. And so he goes on,
I mean, he just, He says, what, in verse 30, Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Is God the justifier? Is there
anyone ANYWHERE who will DARE bring a charge against God's
elect? Is there anybody ANYWHERE that
can bring a charge against God's elect? You know, He said, there's
therefore now no condemnation to thither in Christ. You know,
there's no foundation. We stand on solid ground here.
You know, there's no ground for condemnation. Christ died. Christ died. Oh my, Christ suffered
the penalty for us. And I tell you, bring on the
law. Bring on the law. Bring it on. Bring every law
that you can find. You know, in Deuteronomy, I think
it's 29, is all the blessings, or 30, all the blessings on one
side of the page and all the curses on the other side of the
page. If you don't do all the things that He said do on this
page, then you ain't got nothing but curses on this page. Well,
come on! Come on, Law! Find a fault in
me. Find a sin in me. Find a disobedience
in me. Find me failing in it in any
way. You know why? Christ is the end
of it. They don't have no existence
anymore. We're not under law, but we're under grace. Huh? Oh my, and then there's no throne
of judgment. People worry about facing the
throne of judgment. And there's a lot of people that
say, well, I'll stand for myself. Oh, I ain't going to. Oh, it'd
be awful to have to do it for yourself. But there's no throne
of judgment that we're coming to. You know why? We're coming
to a throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace
in a time of need. And there's no judge. There's
no judge to sentence us for God himself. What does it say? It's God that justifies us. Who's
gonna charge us? God justified us. He cleared
us at all. Keep Romans eight and look over
in Isaiah 50. Look at Isaiah 50. This is a message over here. This is a real message here.
Isaiah 50 verse eight and nine. You know, you say, well, a man
can see something, you do something, he'll charge you. But we're talking
about God. What difference does it make
what a man says? We're going by what God says. But look what he said here in
verse eight of Isaiah 50. He is near that justifies me,
who will contend with me. Let us stand together. You know
who's standing together? Christ and us. Who is my adversary? Who gonna
come? Let him come near. Let him come
near. Behold, the Lord God will help
me. Who is he that shall condemn
me? Everybody that would think they would, they shall all wax
old as a garment. The moths shall eat them up.
There ain't a thing in the world that can be brought. That's what
God said. Oh my. He's our justifier. Oh my. And then look what our relationship
to the Lord Jesus Christ is in verse 34. He already asked this question,
made the statement, there's no condemnation. Who is it that
condemneth? That word condemneth means make
judgment upon. Pass judgment upon. Who is He
that condemneth? Oh, my. Is there anyone to condemn
us? No, for believers have a fourfold
protection in the Lord Jesus Christ right here. Look what
it says. We have His death that protects
us from our sins. He said, Who is He that condemneth?
It's Christ that died. Christ that died. That's a protection
from our sins. If He died, He died for our sins. He put away our sins, and oh
my! And then look what else it says
here. The protection is Christ that died. He's the propitiation
for our sins. He took the wrath of God off
of us. And then the protection of His resurrection as the proof
of our justification. And not only Christ died, that's
risen again. His resurrection is proof that
God was satisfied that our sins are put away. And not only that,
but because He s Risen again, we know that our sins is all
gone, you know, He was delivered for our offenses, RAISED for
our justification. You know, no matter what goes
on in my own mind, in my own heart, or what anybody says,
thinks, or does, I ve got somebody sitting at God s right hand that
I say, There s the one who justified me. There s my, watch your justification,
nobody can get you. Christ, sitting at God s, that
s the next thing, the protection of His ascension. Look what it
says, He had risen again, and He went right straight to the
right hand of God. He s sitting at God s right hand.
That s the position of power and authority and honor. So our Lord Jesus Christ, I mean,
He s our Advocate. He sits right there to be our
to be one to defend us and protect us and preserve us. One of the preachers said this
last weekend, said, there's a man sitting in glory. There's a man
at God's right hand. He by himself purged our sin
and sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Oh my. And then let me tell you something
else. Oh, the protection of his intercession. You know, when
you don't have the ability to pray, it's like Newton's just
saying, you know, why do I pine and languish if
his presence was near? We all pine and languish sometimes. We all get in dark days. We all
have times where we can't have a spiritual feeling and couldn't
get one to save our lives. And we all go through that. So
what do we do? How do we get by? There's one
that pleads our case before God Almighty. Oh, Lord. They're not praying. I pray for
them. They're cold. I'm hot. I hold
them up. Their heart's hard. I call on
them. I present them before the Father
with a heart that's tender. Oh, that's the way our Lord does.
He does for us and deals with us before God the way He is,
not the way we are. Ain't you grateful for that?
He deals with God for the way He is. And you know what makes
His intercession so effectual? Who it is that makes it. Oh, bless His name. Look at Hebrews. Look at Hebrews 7, 24. Hebrews
7.24. Look what it says over here about
Christ our Lord, talking about His intercession. You know why
His intercession is so powerful? Look in Hebrews 7.24. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
save them the uttermost that come unto God by him." Listen
to this, seeing he ever liveth, ever liveth to make intercession
for us. Oh my, and his intercession is
so, so effectual. And all we need is freely given
us in our Lord Jesus Christ. God made Christ our wisdom, our
sanctification, our righteousness, and our redemption. And then
I want to hurry. I hope I'm not taking too long,
but look what it says here now in verse 5, 35, excuse me, over
in our text. Oh, my. He talked about our relation
to Christ our Lord, our relation to God. If God be for us, He
that spared not His own Son, Our relationship to Christ, and
then look what he says there in verse 35. Look at our relation
to all the circumstances that could happen to us. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Not our love from Him, but His
love for us. Who gonna separate us from Christ's
love for us? Who gonna separate us? Who's
going to separate us? Is there any CIRCUMSTANCE? And when we talk about circumstance,
you're standing in all the things that goes on all the way around
you, all the things that go on around you. And it's like Cody
said, where Jacob said, ALL THESE THINGS ARE AGAINST ME. No, no. Is there any circumstances, is
there anything so great, so painful that can separate us from the
love of God that s in Christ? Is there anything? Well, He gives
us a list of things. He gives us a list of things.
I know the things of time. I know the things of time can
t do it. Is there anything so painful, so great that could
possibly do it to us? Oh, no! Everything that s involved
in space, you know, things present, things to come, things future.
Ain t that what He says? Oh, my! There s nothing can separate
us from the love of God in Christ. Oh, things present are things
to come, that s involved in space and time. But look what He says
here in verse He says, first of all, who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? And here's the first thing He
says, shall tribulation, shall our trials, shall our afflictions,
shall our burdens separate us from Christ? Will they separate
us from Christ? Will our distress, with our bodies
distressed, our souls distressed, our circumstances are distressed?
Will persecution do it? Will persecution do it? I could stand here and tell you
several things happened over the years. I had a fellow walk
up to me one day and just haul off and whack me across the head. He just walked up to me and just
BAM! He said, Where's your sovereign
God at now? I said, He's the same place He
always was. And people, I don't know how
many people's come here and told me that, boy, I tell you what,
your doctrine's killing people, they don't believe it, people's
quitting, they say, if God don't love everybody, what's the world's
use of preaching in? Oh, listen, but I tell you what,
persecution won't do it. If persecution from the world
or persecution from false brethren, and then he says famine, famine,
want a food or drink, and oh, if you re not nakedness, not
having the clothes to wear, being in peril, that won t do it. Bringing
the sword against us, that won t do it. And this is what false
religion talks about us. Oh my! He says, As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted
as sheep for the slaughter. Oh, this is how the world and
false religion reckon God s people to be. I ve had so many conversations
with people over there at the gym, and now they won t just
say, Hey, preacher, and they go on. They don t want to talk
anymore, they don t want to visit Oh, listen, this is how the world
false religion reckoned God s people to be, because of our worship
of God, worship of His Christ, the belief of the gospel of the
grace of God. We re hated and despised, and
some have even been put to death, even in THIS age in places they
re being put to death. But look what He says, No, no,
and all these things, He said, Do you think all these things
are going to separate us? No, no, no, in all these things,
look what He says, we re more than conquerors. It s one thing
to conquer, but be more than a conqueror. It s one thing to overcome something,
but to overcome it in a GREAT way, MIGHTY way. We re more than
conquerors. And I tell you what, sometimes
it don't feel like it, but this is what happens. We always come
out on top. God sends us these trials, and
when we go through them, God sees to it that we conquer them,
and this is the reason. Through Him, we more than conquer
us, through Him, through Christ, and watch this, who loved us.
That's why we do it, because Christ loved us. You think he's
not gonna let us go? He ain't gonna let us go. He
ain't gonna let nothing hurt us, nothing harm us. Oh no. And then look what he says there
in verse 38. He said, for I am persuaded. You know what that word persuade
means? I am convinced. Convinced. I am convinced. persuaded, I am CONVINCED, oh,
the love of Christ is so certain, so constant, so changeless that
it fully persuades us and convinces us. Nothing in space, nothing
will time, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. We have here ever conceivable
enemy, listen to this now, the two most extreme things that
we ll have to deal with in this life. Death and life. Two extreme things. Death. I don't know how many, I've preached
five kids' funerals in this congregation the first eight or 10 years I
was here. One of them was five years old.
One of them was six years old. One man, the husband and wife
lost a son, brother and sister-in-law lost their daughter. Kids, children, oh my. But death, everybody in this
building has lost a husband, a wife, a child, somebody that's
dear to them, dear to them. Did that death make you say,
well, God's too hard on me. God, that's not right for him
to take somebody that I love. So I'll just quit. No. To die is gain. To die and go into Christ, that's
the most glorious thing that can happen. And in life, we get
a new baby, get a new child. New life brought into this world,
and you think that you loved somebody, you wait till you get
a baby, wait till you get a child, and then you love them like you
say, there's no way I thought I could love this much. And then
you get a grandbaby, and throw that in the mix, and then you
love them, oh, you just can't spend enough time with them. But those grandbabies, and those
children that you love so much, That life never saturates you
from Christ, because you want your children to know Christ,
so you will be faithful. Oh my, and I tell you what. And then he goes on to say this,
and I tell you what, nor angels, and I tell you what, this is
how things are. This is how things are. You know,
the most extreme and the most powerful beings in the universe,
look what he says, angels. Angels are POWERFUL beings, you
can't see them! And angels, there's good angels
and elect angels and fallen angels, but angels, they can't see them.
An angel could not come and separate us from the love of God. Nor
principalities, rulers, people that's got the power and authority
to do something. Nor powers, I don't care how
powerful they are, And listen to this, things that s happening
right now, right now, in our life right now, things present,
nor things to come. It takes care of our past, our
present, and our future, things to come. And then He said, Well,
we re going to deal with some space now. We dealt with things
in time. Now look at space. I don't care
how high the trial is. I don't care how high the mountain
is. I don't care how deep the valley
is. I don't care how deep the trial
is. He said high through deep. And
then because he said there's nothing in creation, nothing
in creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Huh, oh my, that's, that's a pretty good thing to
be. Oh my goodness. Ah, listen. He faced all these
things and concluded later, nothing, nothing, nothing shall be able
to separate us from the love of God in Christ. Oh my goodness. This is why we have such blessed
assurance, not by our love to Him, but His love to us in Christ. Nothing that stands around us
can hinder us. I'll tell you what I read about
Mr. Spurgeon one time, and I'll close.
But you look at Jeremiah 32, and there's two locks on the
door of grace. God said, I'll make with Jeremiah
32 and 40. It says this, that I'll make with them an everlasting
covenant that I'll not turn away from doing them good. And I'll
put my fear in their heart, here's the second one, that they shall
not depart from me. I'm not gonna never turn from
doing them good, and I'm gonna put my fear in their heart, and
they ain't never gonna depart from me either. But Mr. Spurgeon saw a weathervane, and it had God is love on that
weathervane. But he told that fella had that
weather vane up on his, all of us had a weather vane one time
or another. But he said, oh, that shouldn't be on there. Anything
that's so changeable, it ought not be on a weather vane. And
that man told Mr. Spurgeon, Mr. Spurgeon, you just
don't understand. You misunderstand. He said, God
loves us no matter which way the wind blows. Isn't that right? God loves us no matter which
way the wind blows. Ain't that right? Oh, listen,
I tell you what, I wish I'd preached this on Sunday morning so I'd
had a little more time. I'm convinced, ain't you? I'm
persuaded. I'm so persuaded of who Christ is and what he did
for me. And I'm persuaded that nothing in this world can separate
me from the love of God in Christ. Can't do it. You know, everybody
that trusts Christ, there's people in this building, they're gonna,
every one of them that trust Christ, gonna die in the faith. You know? Yep. Our Father, thank you for being
with us here tonight. Thank you for your precious,
precious, precious word. Oh Lord, it sets our souls on
fire. Oh, it sets our souls on fire.
It gives us such assurance, such comfort, such peace. And Lord,
it gives us such confidence, not in ourselves, but in you,
but in you. And Lord, thank you for being
our shepherd. And we shall not want, we shall
not want. God bless these dear saints as
they go their way, go home, Go to their jobs tomorrow. God,
protect them, preserve them, put a hedge about them, and bring
glory to yourself through all of us here who ask these things
in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Jesus Christ is made to me all
I need, all I need. He alone is all my plea. He is all I need. Wisdom, righteousness, and power. Holiness forevermore. My redemption full and sure. He is all I need. And He is, ain't He? He really
is. Good night and God bless. See
you Sunday, Lord willing. th th th th Thank you.