That's the kind of grace I need.
Grace that is much greater than all my sin. God's grace. The title of my message this
morning is no separation from Christ. And this is a part two
of a message that I had a little earlier. But before I get into
the message, I have a question that I'll ask everyone here this
morning. Is there any possibility that
a child of God could ever, ever be separated from Christ? And
I'll answer that question with no. There's no possibility. If you're in Christ, no possibility. You see, if you are a child of
God, you didn't have anything to do with your being in Christ
to begin with. The Bible tells us that God the
Father, in the everlasting covenant of grace, chose a people called
His elect, His sheep, His adopted children. He did not choose them
apart or separate from Christ when He chose them. He chose
them in Christ before the foundation of this earth. All of their responsibilities
rested not on them, but on God the Son, their surety, and their
representative in that covenant. Look at Ephesians 1, beginning
at verse 3. It said, Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He, God the Father, hath chosen us in Him, God the Son, before
the foundation of the world. that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love, having predestinated us until the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will. Our message will go over some
of the reasons and evidences in scripture why none of God's
children will ever be able to be separated from Christ and
from God. Let's begin this morning by going
back a few verses in Romans 8 in order to get a good picture of
what leads up to verse 36, which is where the message will begin
this morning. Now, as we begin this morning,
I'm going to go ahead and read, beginning with verse 28, and
we'll read through verse 39. Verse 28 says, and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are 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, that's Christ, moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we
then say to these things, these things that we just heard? If
God be for us, who can be against us? And verse 32 says, 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, and then we'll begin reading with verse 36, the verse
that we'll begin speaking on this morning. As it is written,
and that's taken from Psalm 42, 44, verse 22, for thy sake we
are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we're
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,
Paul says, 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." The
last verse that we dealt with in our last study was verse 35. which, as we talked about, has
a rhetorical question, not asking for information, but it's posed
there to make a point. The question is, who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? We answer that question by stating
that nothing can separate us from his love. God's elect can
never be separated from God's love, for he will never stop
loving, loving us, or he'll never let us go. Look at John 10, verse
14. Christ says, I'm the good shepherd,
and I know my sheep, and I'm known of mine, as the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. Also in John 10, begin at verse
27. Christ says, my sheep hear my
voice, They hear his voice in regeneration and conversion.
They hear his voice as the gospels preached out, and as the Holy
Spirit imparts that knowledge, causing us to come from darkness
to light, causing us to believe this gospel of how God saves
a sinner based on Christ's righteousness alone. Christ says, my sheep
hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them
Me, He gave them to Christ in that everlasting covenant of
grace, says, My Father which gave them Me is greater than
all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.
Then He says, I and My Father are one. They're one in mind
and purpose and will. The Apostle begins here in verse
35 to list all the things that, in their very nature, if possible,
would separate us from the love of God. But thank God, because
of his great love, these things cannot separate us from our God. Beginning at verse 35, it lists
a few things here that I'll just touch on a little bit here. It lists tribulation, which is
every kind of trouble or loss we experience in this life. Distress
or anguish is the feelings of despair and loss we have during
these tribulations in this life. Persecution is affliction we
suffer for Christ's sake when we stand with him and his truth
against this world. Then he closes out with famine,
nakedness, peril, or sword, which are things that have been experienced
by believers throughout history. We must lean on God's promise
that no matter how horrible these things are that might affect
God's elect, we know that nothing can ultimately separate us from
the love that's in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now let's begin at
verse 36 here, where it says, as it is written,
for thy sake we're killed all the day long, we're accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Paul quotes here from Psalm 42
verse 22 to show that God's elect, all who identify with Christ
in his grace, love, and truth, all who stand in opposition to
the world and all of its false gospels that are out there today
in false ways and false refuges, all have been accused, persecuted,
and even put to death continually, or all the day long, as it says
here. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 in verse 12, yea,
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. What is it to live godly in Christ
Jesus? Well, it's to live according
to the will of God revealed in his word. His gospel, live according
to the gospel. It's believing God and His promise
to save sinners based entirely on Christ alone. To live godly
is to see God's glory in the salvation of sinners. And it's
to think more highly of God's glory than it does of man's glory
in what we do on this earth. To live godly is to see God's
glory in the salvation of sinners. To live godly is looking to Christ,
the author, and the finisher of our salvation. To live godly
is not to have any confidence in our flesh or anything done
by us, in us, or through us that might cause God to save us and
give us eternal life. Paul wrote that our suffering
with Christ for righteousness sake or looking to Christ for
all our righteousness before God is an evidence of our salvation. Look at Romans 8, beginning at
verse 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children,
then heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ. If so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Our
Lord said that our suffering for righteousness' sake was evidence
of being blessed of God. Look at Matthew 5, beginning
at verse 10. This is Christ speaking. He said,
blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall
revile you, persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you. This persecution comes over our
testimony of the truth, the truth of how God saves sinners, the
truth of Christ alone, his righteousness alone, as far as our justification
before God. This truth that exposes the sinfulness,
the impotence, the unrighteousness, and the hopelessness of all men
without Christ. Look at John 3 beginning at verse
19. And this is the condemnation
that light This gospel light is coming to the world and men
love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
For everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh
to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. When we tell
men that God will not save you based on your best efforts at
keeping the law, And not only will he not save you based on
that, but he'll damn you based on your works or deeds of law. Men will hate you for this testimony
and would even cause harm to you if they thought they could
get away with it. Our testimony of the true Christ
keeps us from any religious fellowship with the world, and it brings
out the hatred the world's hatred toward us. Look at John 15, verse
18. It says, if the world, Christ
says, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before
it hated you. Also over in John 16, beginning
at verse one, it says, these things, Christ says, these things
have I spoken unto you that you should not be offended. They
shall put you out of the synagogues or the churches Yea, the time
cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God's service. And these things were they doing
to you because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things have I told
you that when time come, when the time shall come, you may
remember that I told. you of them." In other words,
when the time comes, you remember that I told you so. Romans 8,
36, last part, says, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. This
is much the same as Paul, when Paul wrote Galatians 6, verse
14, where it says, but God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom the world is crucified
unto me and I unto the world." When Paul was converted, he counted
all his past efforts in religious, religion as dung. In Philippians
3 and verse 7, Paul says, but what things were gained to me?
Those things that Paul did in his prior religion as a Pharisee.
He says, touching the law blameless, keeping the law and all these
things that he did, It says, those I count at loss for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung. That I may
win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the faithfulness of Christ, his obedience to God's law, the
righteousness which is of God by faith. How do you suppose
Paul's former friends in religion felt when he made these statements
that we just got through reading? Those friends who still applauded
and gloried in those things concerning their law keeping, things that
Paul, the Apostle Paul, used to glory in, and thought that
they recommended him unto God. They now hated Paul because of
his love for Christ and his glorying only in the cross, the finished
work of Christ for all of salvation. Just as they looked at sheep
who were raised to be slaughtered, they looked at Paul and all true
believers in the same way. They look on us as they did the
Apostle Paul as fit for nothing. but to be slaughtered. This is
a hard saying, but this is what God said. This is so. I've heard
men say, just recently, as he told someone the gospel, and
as they clung to their former beliefs, their false religion,
as he told them the gospel, he could tell he was upset with
him because he could just almost see the hair stand on the back
of his neck. It'll do that. It'll do that to man. Beginning
at Romans 8, 37, our next verse, nay, in all these things, we're
more than conquerors through him that loved us. These are
comforting words for a true child of God, even in spite of all
these terrible things that we suffer because of identification
with and the testimony of Christ and his truth. In all these things,
we're more than conquerors, though, through Him that loved us. Again,
we're reminded it is not our own loyalty and our own resolution,
but it is through Him that loved us that we have ultimate victory. How can it be said that we have
victory in all these things that in themselves are so terrible? It is the nature of all these
things to ruin us, to cause us to hate God, and to take sides
with Satan and the religion of this world. If all these things
could cause us to hate God, then they would be conquers. But Christ
has overcome sin, Satan, and the world. Daniel 9 24 tells
us 70 weeks This is speaking of Christ, the
coming Messiah. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Also look at 1 John 4,
beginning at verse 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many
false prophets are gone out over the world. Hereby know ye the
Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist.
whereof you have heard that it should come, and even now already
is in the world. Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you
than he that is in the world. And then also over in 1 John
5, beginning at verse 4. For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world, And this is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.
Christ has overcome the world. And if you are in Christ, you're
safe and you're secure. And there will be no separation
from God. Christ changes the purpose of
all these things to work for his glory. All these things. that should happen to us that
we go through in this life. He does it for his glory and
for our eternal good. His glorious goal is accomplished
and we are victorious through him. God's love is engaged on
our behalf and nothing can conquer his love for us that's in Christ
Jesus. Then we'll look at Romans 8 beginning
at verse 38. We'll look at verse 38 and 39
here. Paul says, 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. Now
Paul concludes this section with a glorious statement of faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm going to take the different
things that the Apostle Paul has listed down here and that
he's persuaded of. Here in verse 38 and 39, I'm
going to say a few things about each one of them. Paul says,
as he starts out, he says, for I'm persuaded, or he's convinced. Salvation is not a decision men
come to of their own free will. It is a persuasion unto which
God the Holy Spirit brings God's elect in the new birth. It is
the Holy Spirit convincing work to show us our sins and to drive
us to Christ. Drive us to Christ for righteousness
and for all eternal life. Look at John 16 beginning at
verse 8. And when He is come, this is
Christ speaking of the Holy Spirit, He says, And when He is come,
He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and
of judgment, of sin because they believe not on Me, of righteousness
because I go to My Father and you see Me no more, of judgment
because the Prince of this world is judged. All decisions we make
concerning salvation are founded upon and come from persuasion
in 2 Timothy 1 verse 12, which reads, for the which cause also
suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. This
is the true nature of God-given faith, as it is founded upon
the Word of God and the sure promises of God in Christ, according
to 2 Corinthians 1, verse 20, which says, For all the promises
of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God
by us. Faith is not a blind leap in
the dark or an emotional high that wavers up and down. Our
faith can only be measured by our total reliance upon Christ
crucified and risen again. And of our having no confidence
in the flesh, we look to Christ. This is what this faith looks
to. It looks to Christ for all of salvation from beginning to
end. we have no confidence in the
flesh in anything that we do or might be unable to do. Look
at Philippians 3 and verse 3. For we are the circumcision which
worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus. And
the apostle says, and have no confidence in the flesh. Paul
then says that neither death because we who believe are eternally
justified by grace through faith and have Christ's righteousness
imputed unto us because we have lied by the Holy Spirit from
God as an earnest of our expectation, we need never again fear the
separation from God, which Adam first experienced in the Garden
of Eden. The reason we should not fear separation from God
is that Christ himself, as our substitute and as our surety,
he suffered death in our place and in our stead. And that according
to 1 Corinthians 15, beginning at verse 55, where it says, O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in
vain, not in vain in the Lord. And
then also in Hebrews 2, beginning at verse 14, Forasmuch then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself, speaking of
Christ, likewise took part in the same, that through death
he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham,
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Now,
because of Christ's death and his resurrection, our death is
our glorious entrance into his very presence. Then he says,
nor life, These are all these things that cannot separate us
from the love of God in Christ. He says, nor life. Paul does
not refer here to our life now that's in Christ, or our glorious
life to come. But to our present life here
on this earth, where we're still plagued with the Romanian influence
and the contamination of sin, and where we face many trials
and affliction, and difficulty. This according to what we see
in Romans 8 verse 35 where it says, Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? It is this
life, this life that we experience on this earth and that we go
through this life that we live on this earth that cannot separate
us from the love of God in Christ. Nothing that's done in this life
can separate us because God sovereignly works all things for his glory
and for our eternal good. Then it says that nor angels
can separate us from the love of God. It seems appropriate
here that Paul is referring to fallen angels Good angels will
never try to separate us from the love of Christ. Either way,
no angel is powerful enough to frustrate and stop God's love
for us that's in Christ Jesus. Then it says, no principalities,
no powers, no created being who is in power of any kind, whether
civil authorities or the powers of darkness can separate us from
the love of God that's in Christ. Then we have nor things present,
nor things to come. Time itself cannot separate us
from the love of God that's in Christ. God chose us before the
foundation of the world. According to Ephesians 1, as
we read again, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. according that He had chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will. We stand right now justified
in Christ, and all based on His righteousness alone, not based
on anything that we do. Christ who has redeemed us and
secured us for eternal glory. This is our hope. Look at Romans
8.1. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. We don't look at anything that
we do on this earth that God might look down on and somehow
or another save us based on those things. We look to Christ and
His righteousness alone. Our future is secure in Him,
in Christ, according to Romans 8, 18. For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Then the last
part of verse 39 says, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. I think Paul has covered everything
that might be thought of that might be able to separate us
from the love of Christ in these last few verses here in chapter
8 of Romans. He's pretty much listed anything
that I could possibly think of. But in these last few things
that he says here, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
no dimensions of any kind have the ability or power, according
to Romans 8, the last part of Romans 8, 39, to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul
makes clear that the only reason we cannot be separated from God's
love is that God's elect, all that God chose in eternity, are
in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father put us there in eternity,
and we're safe and secure. No possibility that we should
be lost, because our salvation is not based on what we do or
don't do. It's based on what Christ accomplished.
And if we're in Christ, if you're in Christ, there's no possibility,
no more possibility than it would be for the Father to turn His
back on Christ. Christ has satisfied all things
necessary for our salvation. And the Father was satisfied
that when He went to the cross and shed His blood, He raised
Him from the dead. God's satisfied with Christ,
and if He's satisfied with Christ, He's satisfied with His children,
those that are in Christ, those that He put in Christ. Now, it's all of Him, it's all of
Christ, it's all by Him, all by His work, and it's all in
Him. If we have Christ, we have everything
and nothing. can separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.