with my soul, I can say, yes,
it is. And I can give you the reason.
I can give you all the reasons. But the first reason is Christ
died for my sin to the glory of God and put them all away. How do you know? God taught me.
God showed it to me. Made me to know it. Romans 8.
I'm going to start reading in verse 26 and go to the end of
the chapter. And I'm going to preach from
here this morning. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmity, for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought. But the Spirit himself, or the
Spirit itself, makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. And he that searches the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. because He, the Spirit,
makes intercession for us, and listen to this, for the saints,
according to the will of God. And since He does that, and we
know, since He's doing this according to the will of God, we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the 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 he also justified, and whom he justified he also
glorified. What shall we say then 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's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ the 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, for 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. Blessed assurance. Blessed, blessed
assurance. The apostle says down here in
verse 31, what shall we then say to these things? If God be
for us, who can be against us? Verse 33, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? Three who's there? Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? The apostle says, what
shall we say then to these things? What shall we say to the gospel?
What shall we say to the gospel? Well, we say it's the power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believes. Because in the
gospel, God reveals his righteousness. What shall we say to justification?
Being justified in God's sight, being declared not guilty, acquitted
of all sin. Not only that, but what shall
we say to being righteous? What shall we say to our sanctification? That we're holy, complete in
the Lord Jesus Christ. What shall we say to our struggles
with the flesh? When Paul says, that that I would
do, I don't. That that I wouldn't do, I do.
So then I see a law in my member, warring against one another.
For I know that in me, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. What shall we say to there's
no condemnation in Christ? What shall we say to our suffering
with Christ and in her in glory with our Lord Jesus Christ? So
Paul the Apostle here asks, what shall we say to these things? And all the things that's following,
what shall we say to these things? The Apostle glories in the blessedness
and security of believers, all believers. I mean we are secure,
we are saved, no danger. We're just as secure as God himself
is secure. We're just as secure as Christ
himself is secure. I believe I can prove that from
these verses of scripture right here. I believe I can prove that.
And he gives us three, three glorious reasons that we should
have confidence and assurance. Now, we don't have no confidence
in ourselves, no confidence in the flesh. I'll say that right
off the bat. I have no confidence in my flesh,
your flesh, or nobody else's flesh. But I've got confidence
in the Lord. And I don't have no assurance
in anything that I've ever said, done, or acted, or anything I'll
ever say, do, or anything that I'll... I don't have no more
confidence in anything that I thought I've done good, no more than
I have in the worst sin that I've ever committed. I just have
no confidence in... I have no assurance in that.
But I've got confidence and assurance in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
I've got three points this morning, and this is the believer's relationship.
Look what the first one is, the relation. This is why we have
blessed assurance, the relation to God, our relationship to God.
He says there in verse 31, what shall we say then to these things? Here's the first thing, if God
be for us, if God be for us. If God be for us, if God's for
you, you imagine God, the infinite, eternal, holy God who inhabits
eternity, who measures the waters in the hollow of His hands, casts
the stars into heavens and counts all of them and calls them all
by name, stretches out the heaven just like it's a big curtain.
And I watch the birds, you know, get out and around all the time,
this time of year, and I say, boy, I thought this morning,
God even feeds the birds. So if God be for us, and He takes
care of the smallest things in this world, if God be for us,
you're talking about an advocate. If God be for us, and since God
is for us, and let me give you some ways He's for us. He's for
us in purpose, ain't that what He says? To them that love God
and are called according to His purpose. God does what he does
on purpose. That's why I love the gospel.
That's the word that God used to teach me, the gospel, on purpose.
I found out that God does everything he does on purpose. and God purposed
to be for us from eternity. How do I know that? Because he
said in verse 29, for whom he did foreknow. His foreknowledge. What does that mean? That he
looked down through time and seen what we would do? That he
looked down through time and seen who would believe and who
wouldn't? That he looked down through time and see who would
accept him or who would reject him? That who would believe and
who would repent? That's got it all backwards.
That couldn't possibly happen. But oh, and he said he foreknew. That means he foreloved them.
That he had an intimate knowledge of them. That he loved them before
the world. That's what this foreknowledge
means. That he had an intimate acquaintance with them before
the world ever began. That's just like when I read
the other night that Boaz took Ruth and he knew his wife Ruth. And that's what we're talking
about here. God knew us the way a man knows a woman. That's what
it means here. And I tell you, look what else
it says all about him. Then he's for us also in predestination. People say, I can't mean that
he predestined. Listen, it means what it says. He purposed, he foreknew, and
he predestinates. Now what does predestination
mean? That means that he determines where we're going to end up.
That means He determined before the world began that we was going
to believe. He predestinated us to salvation. He predestinated us to believe. He predestinated us to repent. He predestinated us to glory. He predestinated us to one of
these days go all the way into glory itself. He declared the
end. When did He declare the end?
From the beginning. What did he say? All my counsel
shall stand, and I will do according to my good pleasure. Now that's
the God that's for us. That gives you a little assurance,
don't it? And then not only that, but it
says if God be for us, not only is he our advocate, and look
what he says, if God be for us, who can be against us? Who's
going to be against us? Who's going to be against us?
Our own flesh can't even be against us. It'll never destroy us. Our wills won't destroy us. Our
sin won't destroy us. Devils won't destroy us. The
world won't destroy us. Because why? If God be for us,
who in this world can be against us? Sin can't be against us. Satan can't be against us. Flesh
can't be against us. Anything that could be against
us to destroy us, God Himself, He's for us. Who could be against
us? Who can be against it? Oh, there's
lots of folks that don't like you, and there's lots of folks
that say some things about you, and lots of folks that don't
have a lot that's good to say about you, but that don't have
nothing to do with it. God's for us. So who can be against
us? Look over here in Acts chapter
5. Let's look at something here together. You know it says in
Psalm 91 while you're looking, He that dwelleth, dwelleth in
the secret place of the Most High, dwelleth in the shadow
of the Almighty. And he said if it's a secret
place, God's got a secret place. And he that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High, he dwelleth under the shadow of the Almighty.
Just being in the shadow of God is absolute protection. Just
being in His shadow. Just being in His shadow. Now,
you all know the story here. They've got the apostles, and
they brought them here before the Sanhedrin, before the Jewish
council. And it said here, they told them
in verse 28, did not we straightly command you that you should not
teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem
with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon
us. Well, that's exactly what they
said when they crucified Him, His blood be on us. And then
Peter said, and the other apostles answered, said, We ought to obey
God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus, whom you slew and hang on a tree. Him hath God exalted
with His right hand to be a prince and a Savior, for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses
of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath
given to them that obey Him. Now look what happens now. When
they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and look what they
said. Boys, we've got to figure out
a way to kill these men. We've got to kill these. They're
going to cause us a lot of trouble if we don't kill them. If we
don't kill these fellas here, if we don't murder these guys,
if we don't stop this right now, it's going to get out of hand.
That's what they're saying. Then stood there appointing a
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
space." Now see, here's this whole council against these men.
They're plotting to kill them. They said, we've got to kill
these fellows. We've got to figure out a way to slay these men.
They're going to end up making this thing awful bad for us if
we don't do something about it. And He commanded the apostles
to get them fellows away from here so they won't hear what
we've got to say. And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, Take
heed to yourselves what you intend to do as touching these men.
Be very careful what you're going to do. You think this thing through
before you decide to kill these fellas. Before before these days
rose up Thutis 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 nothing. Absolutely
brought to nothing. 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 as many as obeyed him
or believed him were dispersed. And now listen to what he says.
You talk about if God be for us, who can be against us? 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 nothing.
But if it be of God, you can't overthrow it. lest happily you
be found to fight even against God. If God be for you, the devil
gave him a lousy, you can't win if you go fight against God.
Oh, listen, that's what he says. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower and the righteous run into it. So he, if God be for us,
who can be against us? Now look what else he says here
in verse 32. Look what he provides us. Look
what he provides us. Romans 8, 32. 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? Look what he provided
for us and what a glorious provision it is. And when he gave his blessed
son, spared not his own son, but delivered him up, he provided
in his blessed son our greatest need. And when Abraham took Isaac
up on the mountain, had him laying on that altar, had him strapped
down, had the wood under the altar, had his knife drawn back,
fixing to slay him, God said, stay your hand. And they looked,
and there was a ram caught in a thicket. And they took that
ram and put him in the stead of Isaac. God got his sacrifice. God was satisfied. Isaac was
saved. And beloved, that's exactly what
God done for us. God himself spared not his own
son. When he was on God's altar, when
he was on that cross, God didn't spare him. When he was delivered
up, what was he delivered up for? For our sin. And I tell
you, as that lamb was taken, that ram was put in Isaac's stead,
Christ was taken, and God put him in our stead, in our stead. And I tell you what, He was given
as our sin bearer. He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree. He was our substitute. He was
put in our place. He was put in our stead. He was
put there to bear our punishment. He was put there to endure our
wrath. He was put there to endure the
justice of God on our behalf. And beloved, God did that. God
said He spared not His own son. Oh my. And I tell you, when he
spared not his own son, could he give anything more than his
son? Could he give anything more?
He could give no less if he himself is gonna be satisfied. He could
give no more if we're gonna be saved. And he didn't have to
give him. But why did he do it, huh? Why
did he do it? Scriptures gives us an easy answer.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
Now when he says God so loved the world, he did not mean that
he loved every soul in this world. That's not what he meant. The
scriptures teaches us that. If the Bible teaches anything,
that God does not love everybody. God has a benevolence, and God
has a kindness, and God has a goodness. He causes the rain to fall on
the just and the unjust. He loved Jacob, but he hated
Esau. He hates the workers of iniquity.
So why in the world would God give Christ for us? because he
had an elect out of every kindred nation tongue and people on the
face of this earth out of every type of character on the face
of this earth and so because he had people all over the world
not just jews all over the world he gave his son for this huh
and oh listen god commendeth his love toward us listen to
it now in that while we were yet sinners sinners Christ died
for us. Oh, if I could find a sinner,
somebody'd love to hear that. If there's a sinner, they'd love
to hear that. And I tell you, God, the scripture said, He said,
I've loved thee with an everlasting love, and with cord's loving
kindness have I drawn thee. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causes to approach unto thee. And you all know this
verse of scripture, but I want you to look at it. I've quoted
it so many times. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse
9. I've quoted this so many times,
but I want you to look at it today. I want you to look at
it because you know whenever you quote things to people it
just goes right on by. just goes right on by them. They
say, boy, you know you'll quote somebody, just zips right on
by their face, zips right over their head. But when they look
at it themselves, they say, boy, that's what it says. I've heard
him say that, and I've heard him repeat that, and I've heard
him quote that, but let's just see if it's really what he says
it says. Look what he says down, verse
nine, 2 Timothy 1.9. talking about the gospel being
the power of God, who hath saved us. Now you notice that everything
God says is in the past tense. Everything is in the past. Who
hath saved us and has 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. I could stop right there and
not say another word. That says it all, don't it? But oh, listen, and I'll tell
you, when He provided His Son, it was the Son of His love. And
when He provided His Son, He provided us a righteousness,
not only a sin-bearer and a substitute and a sacrifice, but He provided
us a righteousness that we didn't have. And He provided us a righteousness
in His blessed Son that we could not produce ourselves by our
works or by the law. And God, in the blessed person
of His Son, He brought us a righteousness that makes us as righteous as
God Himself. We stand complete in Christ and
righteous in Christ. And I tell you, when God looks
in us, He sees us righteous, without spot, without blemish,
without flaw. And He certainly sees us without
sin. Why was He seeing without sin?
Christ put them away. They don't exist anymore. And
he revealed this in the gospel. And look what he says also here
in verse 32 of Romans 8. He thus married his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. Now listen to this. How shall
he not with him, with Christ, freely give us all things? Ah,
free, everything we got's free. You have acceptance, it's free.
You have righteousness, it's free. You have justification,
it's free. You have a hope, it's free. You
have your sins gone, it's free. It don't cost us nothing, it
cost Him everything. But what God gives us, it says
freely, that means without any cause being found in us. That's
what freely means. Romans 3, 24, look what it says. Freely, freely, without any cause
being found in us. He says, being justified freely
by His grace, through the redemption that's in Christ. You know the
only thing that you and I ever had that was really our own,
that belonged to us, and Christ took care of that, was our sin.
And all that went along with sin. You know what all goes along
with sin? Self-righteousness goes along
with sin. Self-justification goes along with sin. Pride goes
along with sin. Deception and hypocrisy goes
along with sin. So Christ freely gives us all
things we need and all we had was those things. He got rid
of all. Bless His name. You know it says in Ephesians
1-3 that He hath blessed us with all blessings in heavenly places,
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
We have spiritual blessings. All that we need, all that we
need. Look what else it says down here
now. Still talking about our relationship to God and our relation
to God. If God be for us, who can be
against us? He provided us his blessed son, provided us a righteousness
in his son. And then look what it says there
in verse 33. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Look what it says. It's God that
justifies. It's God that justifies. He's
our justifier. He justifies. Is there anyone
anywhere who will dare lay a charge against God's elect? People say
all the time, they say, you all think you're the only ones that's
saved. Well, not unless you're one of God's elect. And how do
you know you're one of God's elect? By believing. By belief.
But I tell you, who would lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? Who would? Who would? God, if
God justifies you, who would lay a charge against you? Who
would? What would? Would an angel? Would the law?
Would Moses? Would the Word of God? What would
be, what charge, who would lay a charge? Any, would the devil?
The devil can't even come and lay a charge. I've told you this
before. Martin Luther said he had a dream, and in that dream
had the Satan come along and rolled out a great old big long
scroll. And it's, oh, it's a great big
long thing. And it listed all of his sin.
Sin, sin, sin. But he also seen in that dream,
when he got to the end of it, it was signed with the blood
of Jesus Christ, there is no sin. And I tell you what, if somebody
comes and accuses you, your own conscience accuses you, you can
say, it's God that justified me. If you committed some sin
way back yonder and it still comes back to haunt you sometimes,
you say, it's God that justified me. And your mind gets way out
here somewhere off, way off base and you say, it's God that justified
me. And there ain't no ground for
condemnation. Why? Because our Lord Jesus Christ
has said he was delivered up for us all. There's no law to
condemn us, since we're not under the law but under grace. There's
no throne of judgment. Ours is a throne of grace. And
there's no judge to condemn us or sentence us, for God himself
is the judge and our justifier. Look with me in Isaiah 50, what
he says about it over here in Isaiah 50. Verse 7 and 8, look
what he says over here. Verse 8, talking about God being
our justifier. He is near that justifies me. Who will contend with? Let us
stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him
come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help
me. Who is he that shall condemn
me? Those who would try, those who would do it, lo, all they
shall wax old as a garment, and moss shall eat them up. There
ain't nothing that God's gonna let condemn, because he justified
us, he justified us. All right, let's look back over
here in Romans 8. I'll hurry, I'll try to get on with this
thing. Look what he says in verse 34.
Now our relationship to God, God be for us, who can be against
us. God justified us, who's to lay anything to our charge. He
provided for us. All right, look at our relationship
to Christ. He said in verse 34, who is he
that condemns? Who is he that condemns? Is there
anyone anywhere to condemn us? Absolutely nothing. No one. You
know why? Believers have fourfold protection
in our Lord Jesus Christ. Look what he said here. Fourfold
protection. First was this, it is Christ
that died. Who shall condemn us? It's Christ
that died. I remember Chris Cunningham out
in California one time. He preached a message on that
four words. It is Christ that died. It is
Christ that died. That was one of the most blessed
gospel messages I've ever heard in my life. It's Christ that
died. It's Christ that died. And He died as His death was
the perpetuation for our sins. And if He died for our sins,
well, who in the world can condemn us for our sins? If He died,
it's Christ that died. So who's going to condemn us?
Sins can't condemn us. And that's the thing that could
absolutely utterly destroy a man is his sin. Our Lord Jesus told
a bunch one time, you're going to die in your sins, except you
believe I'm he. Can you imagine dying in your
sins? But people do it every day. Multitudes
of people do it every day. They die in their sins. Is there
anybody in this congregation here today going to die in their
sins? With Christ that died, would you be condemned when you
face God because you are in your sins and you will not part from
your sins? Will you not come to Christ? You don't have to be 25 or 35
or 40 or 50, 60 years old in order to die for your sins. Augustus'
top lady sat down and figured one time, if you sin once every
second, he added up how many times you had sinned in a year.
And it was astronomical. But who would condemn you? God
will condemn you if you're still in your sins. That's who will
condemn you. That's why, beloved, Christ had died. You don't want
to be condemned, do you? You don't want to be condemned
by the judge, do you? You don't want to be condemned
by the sentence by the judge himself, do you? Oh, I pray you
don't. I pray that God today would make
you to understand you don't want to die in your sin. You young
folks back there, you don't want to die in your sins. You don't
want to go into eternity without God, without Christ. Believe
me, you don't want to do that. Oh listen, we have as believers,
believers have the protection of his death as the propitiation
for our sins is Christ to die. And then look what we have the
protection of his resurrection as the proof of our justification. Over here again it says, and
it's Christ to die, yea rather it's risen again. Oh, His resurrection
gives us proof and protects us as proof of our justification.
Rather, He's risen again. He was delivered for our offenses,
raised for our justification. And then look what else He says.
And we have the protection of His intercession, or as is the
protection of His ascension at God's right hand, who is even,
who's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God. I tell
you what, here's ascension. What a protection we have as
Christ sits at God's right hand. He ascended. Where did he ascend
to? God says, sit here at my right hand. Sit right here. Position
of power and authority and rights and honor and glory. Sit here
at my right hand. And oh, we have the protection
of his intercession. Look what he says. Who also maketh
intercession for him. I tell you what, thank God for
his intercession. Oh, thank God for his intercession.
He's not like other priests who die, but our Lord Jesus Christ
ever lives, ever lives, and makes intercession for us. Now, we
can make intercession for one another. I pray for a lot of
people in this congregation, a lot of people. I give thanks
for a lot and pray for a lot. Pray for many of you. But here's
the thing. I especially pray for those that
are lost among us. I especially pray for them. But
I tell you what, my intercession is not constant. My intercession
has not got that power with God. It has to go through the Lord
Jesus Christ, has to be blessed with the Holy Spirit. But when
I, Lord Jesus Christ, makes intercession, believe me, God hears him. God
hears him. You know, we'll go out here and
do something and say, oh, we'll do something so sinful or so
stupid or so ignorant and we'll talk to ourselves and say, did
you really do that? Was that, oh, listen, I talked
to myself, I said, did he mean it? Surely you didn't do that.
But God don't say, our Lord Jesus Christ don't say that. Boy, now
listen, I'm gonna bring Donny Bell up here and I'm gonna present
him and I'm gonna tell you all the good things that he done,
but I'm gonna take care of the bad. No, no, that's not the way
it works. When our Lord makes intercession
for us, you know what He uses? He presents Himself. He said,
I laid down my life for that sheep. I shed my blood for that
sheep. They're weak sheep, but they're
my sheep. They're needy sheep, but they're
my sheep. They're wandering sheep, but
they're my sheep. So He never mentions us. He mentions
Himself. And what's the proof then that
God hears Him? There's my hand, there's my feet,
there's my side. And God accepts us. And that's
why He ever lives to make intercession for us and He's able to save
to the uttermost them that come unto God by him. Why? Because
he ever lived. Makes intercession for him. Oh
my. And it's an effectual intercession.
Now let me hurry on here. I'll tell you what. Let me give
you this in just a few minutes. Now look what else it says. Now
oh we got this relationship to God, relationship to Christ.
What? Blessed assurance. And then look at our relationship
to circumstances. Look in verse 35. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Who is he that condemneth?
And then he asks this question. Who shall separate us from the
love of? Oh my. And he goes through a
whole bunch of things that could happen. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Huh? Is there any circumstance? Is there anything so great, anything
so painful that can separate us from Christ's love? Anything
in this world could ever happen to separate us from the love
of Christ. And I don't care how great it is or how painful it
is. Well, look what he says. He said, who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? He said, shall tribulation? Well, tribulation can't do it.
Trials, lots of folks go through trials. Afflictions, burdens,
lots of ways to be afflicted, mind and body and soul. Burdens that we have, trials
that we have. And he says, shall distress,
distress in body, distress in soul. Nor persecution? No. Persecution from the world?
Persecution from false brethren? Not famine? Want a food or drink? Not nakedness? We can't be naked,
we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Or any kind of apparel
that comes our way? Or sword? Somebody gonna come
after us with something deadly? No, look what he says, verse
36. For as it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the
day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter." Now what
does this mean? This is how the world and false
religion reckon God's people to be. That's how they reckon
God's people to be. I don't know how many folks has
told me over the years, he said, I don't understand how in the
world you all can believe what that man up there preached. I've
had folks say, they've brought, they've come to me and talked
to me and said, how in the world do you have anybody that believes
what you say? One fella told Paul, Todd Nybridge
said, you couldn't put in the phone book people that would
believe what you put. There's more than that here this
morning. And they would like, if they had, if the world had
its way, everybody would be an Armenian and believe free willism.
Everybody would be trying to work their way to heaven, including
us. But instead of that, what we're doing, we're resting in
Christ. Huh? Go ahead and let them say, let
them say what, if God's for us, who in the world cares what the
world says? Who cares what preachers say?
Who cares what people think about us? Who cares that they don't
like election? Who cares that they don't like
predestination? Who cares that they don't like God's sovereignty?
Who cares that we only know one Savior that can save us, and
that's the Lord Jesus Christ alone? Who cares that we call
ourselves sinners in the sight of God? And if it wasn't for
Christ, we'd all perish. Who cares that people say that?
Huh? Who cares? I don't care. Huh? The blessed,
most blessed and glorious man that ever lived on this earth,
you know what they did to him? Crucified him. And we've not
yet resisted unto blood yet. Huh? Oh my. Oh, God's people,
because of our worship of God, His Christ and His gospel, we're
hated, despised, and some, even today, are being put to death
in different countries. But look what he says. Oh, you
think all these things gonna separate us because of the way
the world looks at us and the way they hate Christ? It says
in verse 37, no, no, no, no. No, no, no way. No way in the world, why? Huh? Because we are more than conquerors. What does that mean? That means,
beloved, that we not only win, we not only win, but we're more
than conquerors through Him that loved us. We more than just win,
we grow, we learn, we gain experience. Every time we go through something
and all these experiences enable us to trust be very patient Just
wait wait wait for God to arrive because he's gonna arrive no
matter where you're at and what's going on We're going he's gonna
we have patience. We wait on huh, then I love this
right here. Look what he says For I'm persuaded
I'm persuaded, I'm convinced, that's what he's saying. The
love of Christ is so certain, so constant, so immutable, so
changeless, that it fully persuades us we are convinced that nothing
shall separate us from the love of God in Christ. And I'll tell
you nothing in space or time will be able to separate us believers
from the love of their God in the Lord Jesus Christ. And right
here in these verses right here we face ever conceivable enemy. And you know what the most extreme
things they are in this world? Death or life. That's the most
extreme things, life and death. Somebody's living one moment,
the next, you know, people that we love and with death, death,
we're going to die ourselves. But death is not going to separate
us from the love of God's in Christ. And then life, oh, we
have these people that we love. We love our children. We love
our husbands. And we bring a new life into
this world. And we have all these family
members and all that. Will all of our family members
and all the people that we know and all the people that have
life, will they separate us from the love of God in Christ? Will
a husband separate a wife from the love of God in Christ? Will
a wife separate a husband from the love of God in Christ? Having
a baby, will that separate us? Well, having a grandchild or
a great-grandchild, will these things separate us from the love
of God that's in Christ? No! Absolutely not. I've had my family members visit
me before and they say, I can't believe you're going to church
and leave us here by ourselves. I said, well, you're welcome
to go with me if you want to. And after a couple of times visiting,
they did bring clothes and started coming with me. Listen, I'm going
to go to a meeting, I'm going to go to a meeting, whatever. I've come to preach when they're
in the hospitals having babies. My daughter's in the hospital
having babies. I come to preach. Mary was sick and dying. We come
to worship. You had sick people and people
that are dying, you come and worship. We're not playing games.
We come to worship God. Life, death, the most extreme
things in this world, they won't separate us from the love of
God in Christ. Huh? Oh, my. Then look what else he
goes on to say. And the most powerful things
in the universe. Look what he said. Nor angels
nor principalities nor powers. Oh, my. Angels are awful powerful. Awful powerful. Principalities
are powerful. All these governments and all
these law people, FBI and all CIA and all them fellows, they
powerful people. Powers, angels. They can't separate
us from the love of God's in Christ. And then what about the
things of time? Look what he says, nor things
present. what's going on right this present. And it's always going to be present
with us as long as we're in this world. Everything's going to
be present. Is there anything present going to separate us
from the love of God in Christ? Anything right now? Paul said,
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory that's going to be revealed
in us in Christ. And then not only things of the
present, but look what things of the future, nor things to
come. Well, anything to come going to separate us from the
love of God in Christ? Oh, no. We've already read, for
all things work together for good to them that love God and
are called according to His purpose. So whatever comes in the future,
that ain't going to separate us. And then everything that's
involved in space, look what he says in verse 39. Nor height,
high as you can go, nor deep as you can go. Huh? Oh, my. Pretty high sometimes when the
Lord blesses us. And we can go pretty deep sometimes
with depression and sickness and afflictions. We can go pretty
deep. But oh my, those things won't
separate us. And listen to this now. Well,
and last of all, he says that anything to be found in creation
can't separate us. Nor any creature, anything that's
in this, any creature you can imagine cannot separate us from
the love of God in Christ. The apostle faced everything
and concluded this, that nothing, absolutely nothing shall be able
to separate us from God's love to us. That's why we have this
blessed, blessed assurance. Not by our love to him, but because,
it says separate us from the love of God which is in Christ.
Not our love to him, but his love toward us. Nothing shall
separate us from him. No circumstances that stand around
us can hinder our access to our Lord. You know, let me close
with this little illustration. Mr. Spurgeon one time saw a weather
vane. Read where he saw a weather vane.
And on that weather vane, it says, God is love. God is love. And he told that man with that
weather vane, he says, oh, listen, that's so inappropriate that
you'd put God is love on a weather vane. And that man told him,
Mr. Spurgeon, you misunderstand. The reason I put it on a weather
vane, God's love is the same no matter which way the wind
blows. And ain't that right? No matter
which way the wind blows, God's love is constant. If it blows
a cold north wind, it's constant. Blows a south wind that just
gets so hot, it's constant. Blows a wind from the west and
a big storm comes in, it's constant. Comes in from the east and dries
everything out, constant. It's constant.