Turn to Romans chapter 8 Yeah, it's on Paul Romans chapter 8
I Will read from verse 28 to the
end of that chapter Romans chapter 8 and We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God to them who are
the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he, that is the son, might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. Whom he
called, them he also justified. Whom he justified, them he also
glorified. 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 justifies. 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 accounted
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 death, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That
is Romans 8, verses 28 through 39. My title for this message,
Certainly not a catchy title. I have noticed by looking online,
especially like YouTube, if Paul or Joe or myself has a title
that's kind of interesting, we always get more hits. A title
that's more mundane, usually, not always, but usually there's
far less hits. But I do have a title. Now, there
are many things I could have titled this message, but here,
my title is a question, and I want to deal with it in this way.
And I give this not to be condescending, but just so Paul will know exactly
how to write this out. Who are thee, put a comma, Paul,
who are thee? We know that. Who are they? Who are they? Now this message
that I am persuaded that God has given me to give you this
morning could be preached to every son and daughter of Adam
that has lived or will ever live upon the face of this earth.
This message can be preached to every single one of them. But my context, my text, my,
these verses, are not for everyone. They do not concern everyone. But they concern that predestinated,
elected, loved, special people of God upon the face of the earth. Paul says, and we know. Most people do not know this. And I'll give you an illustration.
Most preachers do not know, they do not know, for they convulse,
even worse, they vomit forth to the masses indiscriminately
when they read this verse, God has a wonderful plan for your
life. And it is a lie straight from the pits of hell. Because
this passage, especially verses 28 through 39, are not for the
masses indiscriminately. They are not. And we know, Paul
says, we, I keep emphasizing that, and we know. Who is this
we? Now our minds, especially being
doctrinally oriented, and that's okay, as long as we are not doctrinally
oriented only. Our minds then will run immediately
to the context and the immediate text and talk about being foreknown,
predestinated, called, justified, and glorified. And certainly
that is true doctrinally, but who is we? And we, it is those
who are obedient to the faith and called of Jesus Christ. Chapter
one, verse five and six. Unless you are obedient to the
faith and been called of Jesus Christ, you got no reason to
believe these blessings apply to you. Even though they may. But you have no reason to believe
nor right to think they apply to you unless you are one of
the called of Jesus Christ, one who has been bowed to be obedient
to the faith. This we are those who are Jews
inwardly by heart circumcision. Paul makes this clear in chapter
two, verse 29. Unless God Almighty has done
a work in here, in here, that then begins to flow in some way
out here, and it does. Because if he ever does a work
in here, it will come out on you, as Earl used to say. but
God must do a work in here. We don't do a work for God, then
he does a work in here. That's what religion teaches.
You believe, or you believe and repent, or you believe and repent
and be baptized, whatever the list is, then God will give you
grace. That is a lie. God must circumcise
a man or a woman in the heart first and foremost. And unless
you have been born of God, and thus you will be one who confesses
that Jesus is the Christ, you got no reason to believe or no
right to think this passage applies to you. God may not have a wonderful
plan for your life. But let's go even further. Paul
didn't stop there. This we are those who believe
Christ and his faithfulness. They rest on his faithfulness,
chapter three, verse 22. Let's go even further. This we are those who are justified
by faith, chapter five, verse one. There are those who are
dead to sin, chapter six, verses one and two. There's a lot of
people in this world that are very much alive unto free sovereign
grace, but are very much still alive unto sin. Let me tell you something. As
long as you're alive unto sin, you got no reason to believe
or to think these blessings apply to you. Somebody says, what does it mean
to be dead to sin? I done covered that, go back
and look at that. I'm not gonna spend time with
that. It is those who are justified by faith, those who are dead
to sin. It's those who are dead to the law by the body of Christ,
chapter seven, verse four. You cannot, you cannot be married
to two husbands at one time. You're either married to Jesus
Christ, dead to the law, or you're married to the law and under
condemnation. It's one or the other. And unless you're dead
to the law by the body of Christ, you got no reason to believe
or to think or have the right to think these blessings apply
to you or to me. Or to me. But let's go even further,
and there's more than what I'm going to give you here, but let's
go even further. It is those who confess their wretchedness.
Chapter seven, verse 24. Oh, wretched man that I am. If you ever get over that, you've
went too far. It may seem like a good place
to come to, but it is not. Not in this life. in the world
to come, we'll be able to put down and be done away with, oh,
wretched man that I am. But until we take our last breath,
we must still always confess, oh, wretched man that I am. That's the we who know. That's
the we who know. But it's even more than that.
It is to those that love God. Now we're right up to our immediate
context. God has a wonderful plan for
your life if you love him. I'll say that's okay if you love
him, but that wonderful plan may not seem so wonderful when
the plan begins to hit home. Yeah, yeah. It's to them that
love God, but let me say this, because of the preponderant testimony
of scripture, they love God for who God really is. They don't
love God as they imagine God. That is useless. As a matter
of fact, it's worse than useless. It'll take you to hell. You don't
pick and choose what you want to believe about God. All that
this book says about who God is, you either bow to it and
believe it or you believe none of it. You believe none of it. There are those who love God.
They love him as he is revealed in this book. But it's even more. It is those
who are called according to his purpose. We know. These kind of people
know. You see it? We know. We know
this because, why? 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. Somebody says,
I don't like predestination. Then you hate being like Jesus
Christ. because you can't have conformity
to his person unless you have predestination unto it. It don't happen. Why I don't
like all that stuff is because you don't want to be like Jesus
Christ. People accuse us, you believe
people are predestinated to heaven or to hell. No we don't. Now
I may have said that in the past, but I was wrong if I did. We're
not predestinated to heaven or to hell. You're either predestinated
to be conformed to the image of his son or God will leave
you like you are in your sins and you will perish justly under
the condemnation of God. That's what this book teaches.
Now let me just give you three things. We know this for, you
know what it says? For, because God entered into
intimate union with us before we ever entered into any kind
of union with him. God foreknew us. God had a relationship with us
before we ever even thought of having a relationship with him. As a matter of fact, I could
take it even further. God entered into an intimate
union with us before we ever even existed. I'll say even more,
God entered into an intimate union with these people, these
we, in spite of what God knew they would be in the fall of
Adam. God foreknew these people. God
foreknew us if I'm one of these we. God foreknew me. Foreknew me. And he foreknew
you and you. If he ever knew you at all, he
foreknew you. He knew you before you ever knew
him. It is that simple. And yet that
profound at the same time. Number two, we know this because
God predestinated us to be like Christ, even though we are most
unlike Christ. Yeah. God predestinated us to
be like Christ, even though we were most unlike Christ. He predestinated
us to be conformed to the image of God's blessed Son in order
that God might have a people. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of the Son that
he, that is the Son, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Now this number is few when compared
to the whole of humanity. Christ talks about many entered
into the broadway. Few finding the straight and
narrow way, correct? So those that are on the straight
and narrow are certainly less in number than those that are
on the broadway, correct? But still yet that few is a number
which no man can number. Out of every kindred, tribe,
people, tongue, nation, and if I didn't quote that correctly
right, forgive me, but you know what I'm talking about. God's
gonna save at least one out of every different kind of person
there is on the face of this earth. At least one. And Mack
is probably a whole lot more than just one. It is, as I said,
a number which no man can number. We know this, that is all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose, because all that God predestinated
in His eternal purpose, He called them all, He justified them all,
and He glorified everyone that He justified. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, not tried to, hoped to, wished to, did.
Did. or over whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What is our response to be to
all this? Thank God for the person of his
son. Listen now, foreknowledge, predestination,
calling, Justification and glorification wouldn't mean spit, spit, apart
from the person and work of Jesus Christ. God is holy. And these wretched, miserable
creatures that we are, God could have no foreknowledge of us apart
from it being in the person of his son. That's why he chose
us in Christ and not in ourselves. And yet religion says, well,
I believe in election. God looked down from heaven and
looked at me and seen what I would do. Hogwash. He chose us in Christ, not in
ourselves. He chose us in Christ, not in
our actions. He chose us in Christ, not even
in our faith. He gave us the faith with which
we believe. Hmm. That's what our response
is. Thank God for the person of his
son. For his son wrought a work which
assured the blessing of all of these we. No, I don't care if
it's good English or not, it's good doctrine. Look, what shall
we then say to these things? I know what the world says. I
don't believe that. Well, then you're in trouble. I feel for
you, I really do. I wish I could convince you different,
but I can't. God's gotta do that work down
here first. Before anything I say will be of any value to you whatsoever.
What should we then say to these things? Here's what we say. If
God be for us, who can be against us? But this is not just some
fiat. God says, I'm for you. He that
spared not his own son. Do you see that? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for every one of these
we. for us all. You see it? How shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? A man needs faith,
God'll give it to him if he's one of these we. A man needs
repentance, God'll give it to him if he's one of these we.
A man needs to join with God's people, and he and she or she
does. But you're not an island, mm-mm.
They will if they're one of these we. Well, a man needs to give
to the ministry of the gospel, they will, if they're one of
these thee, because God'll put it in their heart to give hilariously. Because I say to this small group,
you give hilariously. But if you start giving, and
you start giving begrudgingly, keep it in your pocket. And I'll
put this right on TV, go buy cigarettes with it. It'll give you a better high.
than given to God's gospel grudgingly. Well, that's enough for my meddling
for this morning. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? There's plenty for us to be charged
with. There's plenty for us to be charged
with. Let us not kid. Boy, I used to
be this when I was a rounder. You're still a rounder. And apart
from the grace of God, you'd be still living like a rounder. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Why is it that no one can lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Because our sin don't
really exist? Mm-mm, it really exists. It is God that justifies. If
God is justifying me, then get off my back. If I'm one of these,
we. If I'm one of these, we, and
we know. Now, that's pretty good so far,
ain't it? Pretty good so far. And we know. 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. So Christ intercedes
for all for whom he died. Now let the religionists really
swallow that one down and deal with it. Either Jesus Christ
was and is still yet today a miserable failure or he accomplished exactly
what God the Father sent him to do and he's there in glory.
He is there in glory interceding to see that everything in God's
sovereign will is carried out to its 10th degree. But let me say, and we know,
And I mentioned this to you, I think it was last week, it
does not say, and we know how all things work together because
we don't. But Paul also does not say we always know. He just says we know. Because
sometimes we forget. To know that, to know that all
things work together for good is one thing. to know and murmur
and complain about anything, about anything, about anything
is unbelief. Now you know the story, most
of you here at least know the story of William Kalper. He had
severe clinical depression, bad. Was put in mental institutions
on more than one occasion. And I am told that the occasion
for which he wrote this song, God Moves in a Mysterious Way,
was after an attempted suicide. That's right, William Kalper. A believer, a we, as far as I
can see, a we. And you know the story, but I'll
give it for some in case they don't know. He was planning on
killing himself, and he called his driver to bring the buggy
around to take him to the edge of a cliff where he could throw
himself off the cliff into the water. And it was such a miserable,
rainy, cloudy night that the rain was pouring and the fog
had set in. His driver takes him to the place.
I don't know whether the driver knew what he was gonna do or
not, but William Calper knew what he was gonna do. And that
driver was driving and driving and driving and finally he stopped.
And I'm sure old Calper thought, well, here it is. It's time to
do the deal. The weather was so bad that the
driver got lost, turned around, come right back to the house
and let William Calper out right back at the house. Judge not the Lord by feeble
sense, but trust him for his grace behind a frowning providence. God has not always promised,
skies always blue. When we murmur against that,
when we have, as Earl used to say, our little pity party for
self, crawl up in the corner like poor pussy and want somebody
to pet me. Get off our pity parties. Get
off our murmuring. That's the one thing that caused
carcasses to fall in the wilderness, was the murmuring of unbelief. I gotta say this, say it like
it is what it is. when Moses was on that mountain
receiving those 10 commandments written by the finger of God
in two tables of stuff. I mean, the finger, who could
that be but Jesus Christ? He alone had a finger. But he
writes those laws out on two tablets with his own finger. You remember what Moses' people
was doing at the bottom of that mountain? A bunch of them were
dancing around naked around a golden calf and doing all kinds of things
that I can't mention in mixed company. God didn't damn them
all for that, did he? But when just a few months later
they parked at the entrance to Canaan, God sent the spies in. And those 12 spies came back
and 10 of them said, we can't do it, this is too much for us.
They were right. But it was unbelief, because
it's not about us being able to handle it. It's about God
being able to handle it. We know we're called according
to His purpose. And they bellyached and they
murmured. And two men said, we can take it. God's given it to
us. But the people were ready to
kill the messengers, stone them to death. That's what our Your,
my murmuring does. It's what it does. Now I'm not
telling you we better never murmur again, because we will. Unless
God kills me in the next couple seconds, I will. But oh God,
show it to me as quick as possible. Turn me from it as quick as possible.
Ease my heart and mind with knowing this, Blind unbelief is sure
to err and scan his works in vain, and it always does. God is his own interpreter. He'll
make it plain. He'll make it plain. Christ did
all of this because he loves us. You see that? He did all that
he did. He's doing what he's doing in
glory now. What is that? Interceding for
us. And I don't know what all that even means. I really don't.
I really don't. I just believe God for it. You
know, I just believe God for it. But then Paul goes on and
says this, doesn't he? Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? He loved me enough to confine
himself to human flesh forever. The eternal God in the person
of the son has confined himself to humanity, a real bonafide
man with flesh and bone forever because he loved us. He came
and he died for us. and he was buried and rose again
victorious, is seated at the right hand of God the Father,
expecting till his enemies become his footstool. You think he's
not gonna continue to take care of you? He called you out of
darkness into light. Let me hang our heads down. Oh, poor me. Don't we? Don't we? Christ did all of this
because he loves us. I'll read it, but let me just
state it brief. No circumstance, no entity, no
condition, nothing past, present, or future, nothing shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Nothing. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ shall tribulation And our Lord said, in this world
ye, we're probably gonna have some tribulation. Is that what
he said? No, you shall. Expect it, cause God ordained
it. It's good for us. All things work together for
good. He doesn't say it's good, and
we always feel good about it. No, we don't always feel good.
But we do know that. When we don't murmur and complain
in unbelief, Huh? When we don't murmur and complain.
You remember even Moses. That struck the rock once. God
said, speak to the rock. Moses got ticked off with the
people. Now I can understand that. Not again. So he whacks
it again. God said, you won't enter the
land. Isn't that what happened? God's holy, folks. But he still
loved Moses. And he still loves us. I'm not even gonna say, oh yes,
I will say it. Well, you're giving people a license to sin. They
don't need a license to sin. We sin, we drink up iniquity
like a thirsty man drinks water. A man don't have to have a license
to sin. I'm tired of all of those religious
cliches that are full of bunk. Bunk. What does he say? Tribulation
or distress or persecution or famine. We're gonna eat here, God willing,
in just a little bit. And folks, we're still eating the same meal
we was eating on Thursday. There were some folks that probably
didn't even have anything to eat on Thursday. Right? Some of them probably never had
a Thanksgiving Day meal. I've done eat one about three
times this week so far. And ready to engage in another
one. God has so blessed us. That's just food. And then we
turn around and we poor pity me. So and so didn't treat me
well. You don't deserve to be treated
well. Don't we understand? When are we going to get that
through our thick skulls? The only reason we treat one
another well is because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost that's given unto us. We don't deserve
it, we do it because Christ deserves us to do that toward one another. Persecution, famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake. Whose
sake you think that is? Go back and read the prophet,
God's sake. As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long. We are counted. Who does this
accounting? It ain't the world. The world don't count you as
a sheep. The world counts you as a bug. Like that bug that
flew, like these flies flying around that Joe's ready to crush
into Bolivian like you'd want to do a good freewheeler. Just
crush them into nothing. But it ain't in my hands to do
that. That's God's business. There must be heresies among
us that those that are approved may be made manifest. Who accounts
us as sheep for the slaughter? The shepherd. We're his sheep. And what does a shepherd do with
his sheep? Does he keep them just for wool? For food. Yeah. That's the illustration. We're accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, this is an amazing, in all these things. And I remember seeing this years
ago. I wish to God I could remember it every moment of the day. It's
not through all these, or after all these things. It's in, in,
while you are still in them. You see that? Nay, in all these
things, we are more than conquerors. That's big language, is it not? That's big language. But now
we're shown how it's true. Through him that loved us, you
see. You and I are not personally
the conquerors. We are conquerors through him that loved us. Nothing can touch you in this
world but what our great shepherd said, this will be for their
good. Bring it on. That's right. That's right. Satan hath desired thee, Christ
said to Peter. Who did he desire it from, another
devil? Who's in control of all things,
God Almighty? Satan hath desired thee that
he may sift thee as wheat. And Christ didn't say this, but
God said, all right, sift him. Sift him. Well Satan couldn't
touch him unless God gave him say so. Now could he? Could he? We know that's the testimony
of this book. But Christ said, but Peter, I've prayed for you.
That your faith fail not. I've often said this, but not
because Christ said it, but because it's a fact. Peter failed miserably. And I'm sure he regretted it.
And I'm sure every time he thought about it in the years or months
or years to come, he just, this feeling of guilt probably overwhelmed
him back. but Christ had prayed for him
that his faith fell not, and bless God, it didn't. His actions
did, but his faith did not. He still knew he was the Christ,
the son of the living God. The only thing that keeps you
and I going is that same intercession by our Lord Jesus Christ. I know
he's still there praying for me that my faith fell not, because
if he's not, it will fail. It will fail. I'm glad I got
somebody on my side. Don't you? And remember who the
one on our side is. He's the judge. I've done this for you before.
He's the judge. But he's not gonna sweep it under
the rug. The judge is the one who satisfied the very depth
of my sin. When he hung between heaven and
earth, My murmurings, he paid the debt for it. My complaints,
he settled it before the father. And that doesn't make me want
to complain more, it makes me want to complain less. Because I know that's not conformity
to his son. Because his son committed himself
to him that judgeth righteously. was even silent before his shearers,
like a sheep is, right? He was accounted as a sheep for
the slaughter, was he not? Nothing wrong with being like
him, is it? Oh, wait a minute. For whom he did foreknow, he
did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. Huh? If they've hated me, Christ said,
they're gonna hate you. Now the only reason they wouldn't
is because I try to keep my relationship to him under wraps. Yeah, we
can get along with the world as long as we just don't say
anything. You don't even have to do nothing
great. Just start telling people who God really is and see what
happens. I gotta move on, gotta move on. Here he says, for I am persuaded
that neither death, to me that ought to be a given. If you're
one of these we and you die, that's God settling the whole
thing forever. You're done with it. You're done
with it. 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 death,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I have to try, by God's grace,
to constantly remind myself, am I a we? Am I really a we? Well, I don't
like thinking that way. You best keep thinking that way. Don't become so presumptuous
that you think you've got this thing all settled out. Because
God will real quickly show you again what you really are. He
will. Am I a we? Remember who the we
are now. Remember how I told you. And
you can't pick and choose a couple things. I love God like he is. Are you
dead to sin? Are you dead to the law? Do you
still cry out your miserable wretched state? One or two possibilities
don't cut it. When I see myself in a couple
places, you're in trouble. You better see yourself in all
these places. You better see yourself in chapter three. There's
none righteous, no not one. There's none that understandeth,
no not one. I don't even know what I ought to do tomorrow other
than just go to work like I always have for the past 20, 30, 40
some years and Jack just do the same thing over and over and
over and over again until God kills me. That's about all I
know, what I really got to do. Now there's a lot of things that
need to be done, but I don't know what they are yet. I don't
know what they are yet. But a weak we, as well as a strong
we, is blessed. You hear what I just said? A
weak, there's some of us we's, we're weak. Some of us we's are
strong. I don't see myself as a Joshua. I really don't. I don't even see myself as a
King David except in a couple things, and those are not positive
things that I've seen in my brother David. But a weak we as well
as a strong we is blessed. If we are a we, we are a we when
we falter as well as when we're dutiful. Now that's a little
convoluted, but that's what a we, we, we, I want you to know. It's
being a we! You gotta be a we! If we are a we, we are a we when
we falter just as well and as much as when we are dutiful. Somebody said, but what about
sin? Quit! Christ dealt with that. He condemned
sin in his flesh. Suffered the payment for it.
God is satisfied. Oh, Just to be a we. Just to be a we. And then God,
you make me whatever we you need me to be. Christ loves the we's immutably,
infallibly, absolutely, and in every single circumstance. Because he's the one that has
put us there, and will sustain us there even if he kills us
while he's doing it. Heavenly Father, give us fellowship
hereafter and even to socialize some, Lord, but oh God, help
us never to lose sight of Christ. We know we look away far too
many times, but Lord, cause our eyes and hearts and minds to
always be turned back to him and him alone. Lord, we thank
you for this food. You're so bountiful to us. You've
given us an easy life compared to many things. Bless us in Christ's
name, amen.