So, if you want to follow along,
we're going to be in a very familiar place. Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. And I want to begin reading in
verse 31 of Romans chapter eight. 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 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 depth,
nor any other creature. shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. Excuse me. Now, before I get
started on this message, and what this started out as is God
is for us. That was my title. But today,
I think I need a little introduction. Fortunately, the introduction
for verse 31, what shall we say then to these things? If God
be for us, who can be against us? The introduction to verse
31 is three of the greatest verses in the scripture. Beginning in
verse 28, 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 might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. That's the these things that
Paul's talking about, that Paul wrote about here. What shall
we say then to these things? In those verses we show Paul
shows we're told of the love of God by his people and The
love of God for his people in his son Jesus Christ Now the question that kind of
jumps to mind for me is how did this happen? That there are those
who love God. Scriptures are clear. We were
enemies of God. We all were enemies of God. Matter of fact, Christ died for
us while we were yet enemies. As a matter of fact, back in
verse seven of this same chapter, Romans eight, it says, because
the carnal mind is enmity, hatred, rebellion, refusal against God. For it is not subject to the
law of God, and here's the thing, it can't be. Neither indeed can
it be subject to God, and yet, All things work together for
good to them that love God. I like that, I do. I mean, I've told you people, at
one time I did not love God. I did not love Christ, I did
not love his word, I didn't even know his gospel. At one time
it was hid to me. And some of you have told me
the very same things. And I've heard it from others.
So how did those that hated God come to love God? Well, Paul
answers that in verse 28. Those that now love God, all
things work together for good to them that love God. He answers it to them who are
the called according to his purpose. The called and the called according
to his purpose. Now, some people might ask, what
purpose? I understand that. You know,
we always talk about God's purpose. There's a reason why. The scripture's
full of it. God purposed our salvation before
the foundation of the world. God preached the gospel of salvation
to Adam and Eve in the garden. That's the first gospel message.
And I remember saying when I preached upon that that, you know, people
ask you, so where do you get this gospel? Because some people
never heard this stuff before. They've never heard about, well,
and if they've heard about it, they hate it. They never heard
about foreknowing. They've never heard about predestination. They've never heard about conform
to the image of his son. and they've never heard about
being justified and glorified. And the reason they've never
heard it is because people aren't preaching it. It's nothing new. It's all throughout the scriptures.
The purpose of God is all throughout the scriptures, and we do talk
about it. So what purpose is Paul talking
about here? What does it mean to be the called
according to God's purpose? Well, Paul answers that. What? Whom he did foreknow. Whom he
did foreknow. God's purpose was to foreknow
his people. In his son, in Jesus Christ, let's be clear, God foreknows
and foreknew his people, his people. This is not, and I want
to be clear about this too, this is not talking about the foreknowledge
of events. Now, does God have foreknowledge
of events? Certainly. Certainly he does. But this is talking about God
foreknowing people. People. Them he foreknew. Them he did foreknow. He knew
them intimately. Intimately, long before they
knew him. He'd known from the beginning
his people. I'll just go ahead and say it.
He chose them before the foundation of the world, in Christ, in love. That's God foreknowing his people. He knew exactly who you were,
where you were. Paul said, he had ordained me
before my mother gave birth to me. He knew them intimately. He foreknew
his people and, then he says, whom he foreknew, he predestinated. He predestinated. Now some people
have a real problem with predestination. I was told a few decades ago,
I believe in Bible predestination. And I have no idea what that
meant. Because I didn't know what predestination was, really,
at the time. Not by name. And I certainly
didn't know what Bible predestination was. Well, it was explained to
me. God looked ahead and he saw what you would do and he chose
you accordingly. Now I will bet money, you can't
find that in here. And I'll bet real money, not
just fake money. Because it's not here. You understand, God's
foreknowledge of his people had nothing to do with what his people
were going to do. And God's foreknowledge and foreknowing
of his people had everything to do with what his people were
gonna do. I can't say that again. Because
he foreknew them and those he foreknew, he predestinated. He predestinated. Those that
were chosen in the sun before the foundation of the world are
going to be saved. I'll just say it flat out. How
can I say something like that? Well, because Christ did. All
that the Father gave to me shall come to me. And of them, of them
that the Father gave to me, I am going to lose nothing, absolutely
nothing. You understand? Christ will not
misplace one of his elect. They're predestinated. They're
foreknown, and they're predestinated. Christ has never done anything outside
of the will of the father, and the father gave those people
to his son, and the father gave Those people, his son. Oh, I like that, I do. He knew
them intimately, he foreknew his people, and he predestinated
them. Most people don't like that word
because they're afraid someone else is in charge of what they
do. You better hope somebody is.
Because trust me, we haven't been doing that great a job on
our own. All that I get out of my choices
are sin. It takes the power of God to
put in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And
that's the only way we can be in the will of God to do his
good pleasure, both to will and to do. Those whom he foreknew,
them he predestinated, and it does say this, another glorious
thing, to be conformed to the image of his Son. Predestinated to be the brethren
of Jesus Christ. Isn't that great? They were chosen in the Son,
and they shall be conformed to his image. that he, Jesus Christ,
will be the firstborn, the first elect, the firstborn of many
brethren. And I've said it before, I'll
say it again, I'll say it now. He is not ashamed to call us,
those who believe, his brethren, his brothers and sisters. Beloved,
now are you the sons of God. Now, Jesus is our elder brother. Now we are being conformed to
the image of his son. And I'm gonna point this one
thing out in this whole statement of these three verses. That's
the only part that's not in the past tense. Everything else is
predestinated, foreknown. Everything else is in the past
tense except this part. We are being conformed to the
image of his sons. Verse 23 of Romans 8 says this. Let me find it. And not only
they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit. This is talking about believers.
Even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Wait a minute, what adoption?
He tells us, to wit, the redemption of our body. Our salvation is not complete.
Our redemption is complete. It's paid for, it's gonna happen.
God's telling us he's gonna see to it. You shall be conformed
to the image of his son. One day this mortal is gonna
put on immortality. This corruption is gonna put
on incorruption. And it's not me that's gonna
be putting it on, it's gonna be put on me. Oh, incorruptible, undefiled, immortal,
perfect in Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. Because those
predestinated shall be conformed to the image of his son. Even more than that, whom he
predestinated, them he called. Again, past tense. You understand, he called, and
in verse 28, we are called, thee called. He called, and we're
called, thee called. Those that love God are thee
called, according to his purpose. Who called him? He did. You understand, he did. He calls them he chose in Jesus
Christ, and he calls them to himself. And he calls them by
name, by name. And he calls them, first of all,
by his own voice, by his own voice, not by mine. I'm talking
first of all. He calls them by his own voice.
Those who were dead in trespass and sin shall hear the voice
of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. That's the call, the called.
They that hear shall live, that's John 5 and verse 25. He calls
them by his gospel, he calls his sheep by name, and they will
hear. They will follow Him, Him. How so? Well, John 6, 29 says
this. This is the work of God, that
you believe on Him who the Father sent. Who's that? Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ. It's the will of God, the work
of God. I thought we were supposed to
believe. Well, you do. You do. But this is the work of God.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on him. We believe by
the working of his mighty power. The one that God sent, the son
of God, Jesus Christ, He called and we are the called
according to his purpose. And it says this, whom he called,
them he justified. Those that he called are justified. What's that mean? Those that
he called are, wait for it, righteous. Same word, same word. Justified means more, and I've
heard it described this way, means just as if I've never sinned.
Well, that's true, that is true, but that's only part, that's
only part. Understand, justified means that
you are righteous in God's sight, and that means that you must
have done everything Right. It's not that you didn't just
sin, no, in God's sight you haven't sinned. Now if you're justified, oh my. Whom he called, he made righteous. In his sight. Now I may not be
righteous in your sight. I'm definitely not righteous
in my own sight. But thank God, his is the only
sight that matters. You understand, there is imputed
or imparted righteousness and imputed righteousness. Guess
what? He gives us both. He gives us
both. Oh. I don't feel righteous. No, you
probably don't and neither do I. God says you're righteous. He calls those things which be
not as though they are. Oh my, because it's not your
righteousness he's talking about. We are justified by the blood
of Jesus Christ. We are justified by his grace
and we are justified by faith. But here it says, we are justified
by God. Those he called, them he justified. I like that. In Christ, in God's
perfect sight, those that he called are righteous, are justified. Period. You can put a period
there. and whom he justified, them he
glorified. How can a mortal, depraved man
be glorified? There's only one way. In Christ
Jesus. In Christ Jesus. He, the glorious
Son of God, is at the right hand of God. Right hand of the Father,
and we, believers, are with him right now, in him. He's our representative, but
more than that, he is the head of the body, the church, and
our head is sitting at the right hand of the majesty on high.
He is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is the head of the body, his
church, and we are glorified in him. Now this is in the past
tense also. Also we shall have the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Go back to verse 21 of Romans
eight. Because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Our liberty, our freedom in Christ
Jesus is glorious. We are allowed to know the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. You know what that is? Christ
says that's eternal life. This is eternal life, to know
thee and the one you've sent. to know the Father and the Son
and the Spirit. We have, shall have the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Now that's these things that
Paul's writing of in verse 31. And then he asks this question. What shall we say then to these
things? What shall we, what shall we
then say to these things? And then he answers his own rhetorical
question. Paul did that all the time. He'd
ask you a question and then answer it. And I love that. If God be
for us, who can be against us? But I want to give you a few
things about these things. What can be said of these things?
I've got five short things. The first thing that can be said
of these things is that God did them. God did them. None of these things, not a one
of them, not, to be honest, not loving God. Not his purpose,
not his foreknowing, not his predestination, not his calling,
not his justified, and not his glorified. None of those are
up to us. God did these things. God did
these things. This is the work of God. The
second thing I want to tell you about these things is that they're
done. All of them are in the past tense.
When concerning believers, all of them are in the past tense.
That's who it's written to. They're done. They're done by
God. He foreknew, He predestinated,
He called, He justified, and He glorified. They're done. God did them. They're done. The third thing
is this. These things cannot be undone. Can't be undone. You understand? God never takes back his work. If God did it, it's perfect. Why would he take it back? There's
absolutely nothing wrong with his work. There never has been
anything wrong with his work. There never will be anything
wrong with his work. He's done it. What's it say? There's no need. Why? Nothing
can be taken from it. Nothing can be put to it. You
can't add to it. Nothing can be taken from it.
Why? God did it. God did it. Oh my. God did them, they're done, and
they can't be undone. The fourth thing is this. These
things are perfect. I just said it. God did them. God did these things. I want
to give you something. I want to give you the ultimate
scriptural definition of God's foreknowledge. And you can, if
you would, you can mark it in your Bibles. Acts 15 and verse
18. It's one of my favorite scriptures. Known unto God are all his works,
Lynn, from the beginning of the world. You understand? They're not gonna
be undone, he done them. Bad English, but I like it. Known
unto God are all his works. That's foreknowledge. That's
exactly what foreknowledge is. Now God certainly knows your
works. He knows my works. However, more
importantly, more perfectly, and far more valuably, just more, just more are his
works, his works. And the fifth thing I want to
tell you about these things, these things are loving. What can we say about these things?
These things are full of the love of God. These are full of
the love of Christ. Where does this start out? All
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. And where does it go from there?
Verse 35, who shall separate us from the what? The love of
Christ. These things are love. These
things are loving. Shall tribulation, impatience,
distress, persecution, or people? No. And what's the last thing? In verse 39, neither height nor
depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from what? The love of God. The love of God. Which is in
Christ Jesus, our Lord. That's what you can say to these
things. These things are loving. Now, we can jump from here, just
for a minute, I'll just quote it here in a second, I'll just
say it. All things work together for good to them that love God.
Okay, what does John say about this in 1 John? You wanna know
something about love, that's where you love. We love him,
and we do, because. There's a big because there.
Because he first loved us. Who's gonna separate us from
the love of Christ? Who's gonna separate us from
the love of God? Why? He foreknew. He, what? Predestinated. He called. He justified. And he glorified. and he did it all in his love
for the son and for the people that he gave to his son. Oh,
I like that, I do. All of these things were done
because of the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Matter of fact, this letter in
Romans one, you will see, the way Paul starts this out, it's
verse seven. To all that be in Rome, What's
those next three words? Beloved of God. Called to be saints. Why are
you called to be saints? Because you're beloved of God. Oh, grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who this book
is written to. Beloved of God. What shall we say to these things?
These things are loving, all in the love of God. And that's
the introduction. That's where I got so far in
the introduction. So the next thing is this. If
God be for us, who can be against us? If God be for us, listen. Here's the last thing I'll tell
you about this as far as these things. What can we say about
these things? Paul answered it right here with
another quote. Paul answered it. God is for us. That's the answer about these
things. God wouldn't have done these things if he wasn't for
you. And if God has done these things for you, he is for you. Now isn't that a great thought? Paul answered it in his question,
God is for us. Now who is us? I just said, those
beloved of God, called to be saints. The called, those whom God foreknew, those whom God predestinated,
those whom God called, those whom God justified, and those
whom God glorified in his son. Believers Believers of the Lord Jesus Christ
those who believe by the working of his mighty power God is for
you God is for you Now you understand God is not for everyone I Know a lot of people like to
think that God God loves everyone I heard a guy explain to the
little program Debbie was watching on TV and he was talking about
what Christ did and what Christ did. And he actually wasn't bad
from what he said. But then he was asking, what
are you gonna do with it? No, these things, if God does
them, you're gonna do something. You're going to believe. You're
going to walk. For we are saved by grace, through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Why? For we are his workmanship. What's that mean? He does the
work. He does the work. Created in Christ Jesus. Unto
good works, which he hath ordained that you'll walk in them. You
will walk in them. But God is not for everyone.
I mean, that's evident, isn't it?
It's evident. There is evidence that God is
not for everyone. And I'll just bring this up.
What's the evidence? Well, firstly, the most glaring
evidence that God is not for everyone is a place called hell. You understand? Somebody God
is for will not be in hell. And that's, I don't know how
any plainer than I can put it. Somebody asked R.C. Sproul about
what was the one doctrine that was the hardest for him to struggle
with. And he said the one doctrine
that was hardest for him to struggle with was the doctrine of hell.
Well, hell's not a doctrine, it's a place. And I mean, I'm not happy about
it. It doesn't fill me with joy.
But I've read in the scriptures where God himself, in the form
of his son, Jesus Christ, said of a man, a certain rich man,
in hell he lifted up his eyes. So if you're not gonna believe
in hell, you're disrespecting and denying the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not saying it's supposed
to make you happy, but it's a reality. It's a reality. There is a broad
way and a narrow way. And on that broad way, it leads
to destruction. That's not something to rejoice
in, but it is also the work of God. But narrows the way, straights
the gate, and few there be that find it. That's also scripture. Now I've also heard that Jesus
Christ preached more about hell than he ever did about heaven,
and I don't believe that. But Jesus Christ did preach it.
Jesus doesn't only reference hell, he describes it in great
detail. He says it's a place of eternal
torment, a place of unquenchable fire, and a place where the worm
dies not. where people will gnash their
teeth in anguish and regret. That's all I can say. God's not
for everyone, but he is for us. He is for believers. He is for
those he foreknew, predestinated, called, justified, and glorified
in his son. I said it, it was all in the
past tense. All of them were, and it says it in Christ Jesus. But here's the point. Here's
what I want to tell you. If God is for you, he always
has been for you. Always. Always. Understand, he foreknew us before
the foundation of the world. If he was forced then and chose
us in his son, put us in his son in time, brought us in, God's
for you. God's for you if you believe
his son. Because here's the thing, God has never changed. He has never changed, never changed. We change all the time. You know,
at one time I used to be this tall. I'm not anymore. At one time I used to be lean
and mean. Okay, I'm still mean. I've changed. I've changed. And I'm tell you this, this up
here has changed tremendously. I have forgotten more stuff than
I ever thought I knew. and I've got more stuff in there
that never used to be there. I think about Jesus Christ, Mesa,
in the middle of the day when I'm at work. For no reason. Not even near church. Never used to do that. Never
used to do that. Understand about One of the subtleties of Cain
and Abel, the account of Cain and Abel, where God says, and
it's written in the book, God had respect unto Abel and his
sacrifice. But unto Cain, unto Cain, God
had not respect or to his sacrifice. You understand, God didn't say,
and God never says, that he had respect unto Abel because of
his sacrifice. No, he had respect unto Abel.
Why? Because Abel offered that sacrifice,
believing God. Believing God. Looking forward
to the seed of woman who was to come, the Christ of God. And Cain did not. God had respect unto Abel before
that sacrifice. God had respect unto Abel after
that sacrifice. You wanna know why? I am the
Lord, I change not. If God is for you now, he has
always been for you, and he always will be for you. And who's Paul talking to? Those that are beloved of God,
called to be saints. Those who believe Christ Jesus. God is for us. And then he goes
on here. I'm not gonna go into this in
any detail, but who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? Nobody. I'll clarify that. Nobody that matters will lay
anything to the charge of God's elect. I can be accused by everybody
and anybody, and I somehow, sometimes really deserve it. But nobody
who matters is going to lay anything to the charge of God's elect,
not in God's sight, not in God's presence. Satan himself can accuse me.
But guess what? Satan doesn't matter. Not when
God's for you. If God's for you, Satan does
not matter. Although God may give him leave
to strike you dead or strike me dead right here, right now,
and please don't do that. But that's the thing. You can't
lay anything to the charge of God's elect. Not because they're
so great, not because they're so wonderful, not because they're
so righteous. No. It's God that justifies. It's God that makes you righteous. Nobody that matters can lay anything
to the charge of God's elect. Who is he that condemns? Nobody
that matters. Why? It is Christ that died,
yea rather, that is risen again. And is even at the right hand
of God, and here's the thing, he liveth, what? Maketh intercession
for us. If God be for us, Christ is going
to be making intercession for us. Ain't that great? The one, the one that the father
said, he's put all judgment in the hands of his son. He's given
over him to judge all the nations. And in him shall the Gentiles
trust. Oh, that one is the one making intercession for us. Now
I'm gonna tell you something, you know what that means? That
means God's for you. That means God's for you. He's
making intercession, who? Jesus Christ. Shall not the judge
of all the earth do right? He's making intercession for
you. He's making intercession for me. He's making intercession
for all of his people. Oh, I like that, I do. And then
that question, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Nobody
and nothing. That's the answer. Why? Because
God is for us. Jesus Christ is God, and God
is for us. The Holy Spirit is God, and God
is for us. The Father is God, and God is
for us. I'm telling you something, that's
glorious news. That's the good news of the gospel.
God is for us. He's done everything. Let me
read you one more thing, I'm gonna quit. I got this from Tim
James Bulletin from, ow, eight years ago. Man, I injured my
shoulder picking up a piece of paper. Dad, go on. I'm going to tell you something.
I just had a birthday. I'm getting older. I don't know.
But I want to read you this. This is from 2012. It was when
it was printed. I don't know. Joe Terrell wrote
this, and I thought this was excellent. And it has to do with
what I'm preaching here. God never changes in his affections
for his people or his purpose of good toward them. It is for
this reason and no other that our salvation is sure and certain. 4,000 years of human rebellion
did not cause God to abandon his promise of a substitute to
redeem his people. There was a lot of history before
Christ ever came. And our few years of floundering
in this world cannot move him from his purposed grace toward
us. I like that. What comfort our
salvation is not founded upon the shifting sands of our righteousness
or our confessions or our faithfulness. Our salvation is founded on the
bedrock of divine consistency. I like that. Divine consistency. What's that? If God be for us,
who can be against us? Oh, I like that, I do. Heavenly Father, thank you for
this time and this place. Lord, you have done all things
well. Perfect, holy, and righteous
are your ways. Help us, Lord. Give us what we
need to make it through these days. Be with Walter as he is
somewhere else preaching your gospel. Bless him and bless those
that hear him. Be with Paul as he comes to preach
here this morning. And we'll give you all the honor
and the glory now and forever because it is yours now and forever. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.