The title of my message this
morning is The Golden Chain of Grace. It's taken from Romans
8, 28 through 31. And as we read the scripture
here, you'll understand why I've given the title to this message,
as I did. It's taken from verse 30. So now let's go ahead and look
at Romans 8, beginning at Romans 8, We're going to read these
verses here this morning to start with, and then we're going to
go over each one of them. Romans 8, 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
know, for whom God did know, he also did predestinate. to
be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the
firstborn, that is Christ, 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. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? As we begin verse 28 here, Romans
8, the first part of this verse says, and we know, realizing
the reality of these great truths of God and His sovereign grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, and also realizing
the certainty of our future hope of glory and the earnest of the
Holy Spirit who is given to us as our comforter, realizing these
things. We can be assured without a doubt
that God works all things together for his glory and for our good. It is not that all things in
and of themselves are good, but that God in his sovereign work,
sovereign will works all things according to his own purpose.
and his own will, according to Ephesians 1, 11, where it says,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. God's purpose in his will is
to glorify himself in the salvation of his elect, and all based on
what Christ accomplished in his work. his perfect obedience to
the law and his shed blood on the cross. Notice those who love God here. It is said of them in Romans
8, 28, last part, to them who are called according to his purpose. No man by nature loves the true
God. So this describes those who have,
or will in time, be born again by the Holy Spirit of God. and
who has or will be given faith and repentance. These are the
ones whom God, the Holy Spirit, has already or will shed the
love of God abroad within their hearts. These are the ones that
it talks about who love God. The word called here in this
verse is like a summons and describes the irresistible or invincible
call of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. This simply means
that once God the Holy Spirit calls the sinner, his call cannot
be resisted. It will be effectual or successful. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2 beginning
at verse 13. It says, But we are bound to
give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chose you to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. God's elect are called into the
kingdom of God by Christ, who sends his Holy Spirit in the
power and by the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.
This gospel in the hands of the Holy Spirit reveals Christ as
the Lord, our righteousness. Look at Romans 1, 16 and 17 and
we'll see that. Paul says, for I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. To everyone that believeth, to
the Jew first and also to the grief. For therein, therein this
gospel is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith
as it is written, the just shall live by faith. As our brother
Winston mentioned a couple weeks ago, the first faith mentioned
here in verse 17 is the gospel itself, which reveals the object
of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ and his work of redemption. The second faith is the God-given
faith that lays hold upon Christ, the object of our faith. Now,
our next verse, verse 29, Romans 8, says, For whom He did foreknow,
whom God did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn, that
is, Christ, among many brethren. For whom he did foreknow, some
claim this means God merely saw beforehand, as he peered down
into the future. As some say, that telescope of
time that he peered down into to see who would believe and
who would not believe. Foreknow means foreordained,
forepointed from eternity. It describes God's eternal counsel
and includes all that he has determined and his purpose to
do prior to human history. In the language of scripture,
something foreknown is not simply that which God was aware of prior
to a certain point in time, but also includes the idea of that
which God has determined beforehand. Foreknow is reserved for those
matters which God favorably deliberately and freely chose and ordained. This is God's foreknowledge by
which he loved the people of his choice, not because of any
good in them or any good they would do in any future time.
See, he didn't look down that telescope of time to see who
would believe and who would not believe and then save them based
on that. It is God's sovereign will and
purpose that these things take place. Many deny this great truth
because they think it makes God unjust and unfair. And I'm sure
y'all have heard that many times. Paul deals with these objections
later in Romans 9 and shows that God is not unjust and he's not
unfair in his dealings. with these things. In describing
God's sovereignty in all things, God deals with these objections
by using an inanimate or not alive object, like a piece of
clay, an object that cannot do anything except just lay there. Look at Romans 9, beginning at
verse 20. Nay, but O man, who art thou
that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
and honor and another under dishonor from the same lump of humanity? One might say, doesn't God promise
that whosoever will or whoever will call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved? Yes. It says that in Romans 10,
13, which says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. And yet God also says that he
chose us in him or in Christ before the foundation of the
world. Ephesians 1-4a says that, it says, according as He hath
chosen us in Him, in Christ, before the foundation of the
world. Our finite minds cannot fully apprehend both of these
truths concurrently, yet we can rejoice in both with our hearts. God understands because His understanding
is infinite, and we rest in that. I believe that God determined
it to be so or to be like this in order to show us just how
awful sin is and the depravity of our own hearts as a result
of sin. God made it like this in order
to show us that if he does not come in the power of his Holy
Spirit and do that miraculous work on our hearts, no matter
how many times the gospel of his free grace is preached out
to men, We will never come to the true and living God on our
own. We'll reject the true God, and we'll come to a God of our
own making, one of our own imagination, one we've conjured up in our
minds. But we will never come to the
true God, that just God and Savior. There will be no excuse in the
end, however, No one will be able to blame God for their unbelief. I thank God that he makes some
men willing in the day of his power. Let's look over Romans
8, 29, the last part of verse 29, says, he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son. Dealing with this
word predestinate, It means to determine or decide beforehand. Peter referred to this as the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Look at Acts 2, 23. Him, speaking of Christ, being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. This, of course, is speaking
of the death of Christ for the redemption of his people. God
meant it for good in the salvation of his elect, but men meant it
for evil. They crucified Christ out of
the evil of their own hearts. Paul describes predestination
as the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Look at Ephesians 1.11. in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
When Paul assures us in Romans 8.28 that God causes all things
to work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are called according to his purpose, he then follows in this verse
and 829, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. Paul
uses God's work of predestination as a reason why we can be assured
of this truth. In short, predestination, far
from being given to cause division, is given that it might bring
comfort and assurance to God's elect. The fact that God has
predetermined the destiny of his people does not remove man's
responsibility. Doesn't remove their responsibility
to seek the Lord, to believe on Christ, to believe his word. Sinners perish eternally because
they refuse to seek the true God and the true Christ. And all men by nature will refuse
and will continue to do so until God does a work in him, as he
sends the Holy Spirit in a new birth. We see also here that
the goal of God's predestinating purpose is that his chosen, his
justified, redeemed, adopted, and regenerated people, according
to Romans 29b, be conformed to the image of his Son. That's
the goal. The Lord Jesus Christ As man
was originally created in the image of God and lost that image
in the fall, that image is restored in salvation by grace when the
redeemed are perfectly glorified and conformed to be like Christ,
perfect and sinless as glorified saints when Christ returns. Now,
the last part of this verse 29, says that he might be the firstborn,
speaking of Christ, among many brethren. Christ has all the preeminence
or the superiority among the many brethren. God's purpose
to glorify himself includes Christ's preeminence. All of our salvation
was conditioned on Christ. He alone satisfied those conditions.
He alone merited for us all spiritual blessings. He was the first to
be resurrected from the dead, the firstfruits, and the firstborn. His resurrection is the sure
and certain pledge of the resurrection and final glory of all those
that are in Christ, all those that come to true faith and repentance. Now we'll look at the verse which
we get our title here, the message, the golden chain of grace, in
verse 30. Verse 30 says, moreover, whom
God did predestinate, or whom God decided to choose to save
from old eternity, them he also called. God the Holy Spirit will
come in time to regenerate and to convert each one for whom
he did predestinate. And then it says, and whom he
called, them he also justified. It is God that justifies by the
blood and righteousness of Christ alone. In whom he justified,
them he also glorified. God will in time bring each and
every one of his elect to final glory. Now, each one of these
things have already taken place in the eternal mind of God, in
his purpose and will. Some of these acts, our calling
and our glorification, takes place in time. in our experience. One may ask, how can we know
if we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ? The answer
is found in this verse. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. To be called refers to the effectual,
powerful, invincible calling of the Holy Spirit in the new
birth. by the preaching of the gospel. Let's look at a few verses
here that back this up. First, let's look at John 1,
beginning at verse 12. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of
the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Also
in John 3 verse 3, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God. Also Acts 13, 48. And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of
the Lord, and as many as were ordained or appointed or predestined
to return alive, they believed. Men by nature of their own wills
will not come to Christ for salvation because we naturally love darkness
and we're rebellious toward God naturally as we're born into
this world. Look at John 3 in verse 19 and
20. And this is the condemnation,
that lights come into 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. Also in John 5.40, it says, And
ye will not come to me that ye might have life. And then in
John 6.44, no man can come to me, this is Christ
speaking here, except the Father which has sent me, draw him. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. Now how much clearer can you get? That's from Christ
himself. No man will come to me except
the Father which has sent me, draw him. God must do this mighty
work. as He regenerates His elect,
and He does in time. It's fruit and effect of what
Christ accomplished at the cross, and it's going to take place
in time. He's going to bring His elect to this gospel. He's
going to bring them to Him. He's going to have that gospel
preached out to them, and they're going to hear it one day in His
own time. They're going to hear it. They're
going to believe it. God the Holy Spirit is going to regenerate
them. It's going to cause them to have
no other hope. It's going to show them, it's going to, it's
going to reveal to them what a sinner they really are. As
before they were going about to establish a righteousness
of their own. They thought they could do something to appease
God, but he's going to come to them and reveal and show them
that, uh, how holy he is, how holy he is, and that there's
no hope. of salvation apart from what
Christ accomplished. His perfect obedience. His perfect
obedience. That's what I've got to have.
I've got to have a perfect righteousness. See, I can't rely on what I do. God's revealed to me the sinner
that I am. That wretched man that Paul talked
about. My only hope is Christ. He reveals to me this righteousness
that He worked out. That Christ worked out. that
perfect righteousness. And he says he's going to impute
it to my account. He's going to charge it to me,
impute it to me, reckon it to me. That's what I got to have.
That's that perfect standard that God requires. And he gives
it to his elect and brings them to faith to look, to see it,
and to believe it, and have no other hope. And he keeps them
there. If any man comes to Christ, it's
by the power of the Holy Spirit and new birth. And this according
to what John, in John 1, 11 through 13, says here, it says, he came
unto his own, speaking of Christ, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. which were
born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God." Looking back at Romans 8, 30, last part,
it says, and whom he called, them he also justified. This
calling of the Holy Spirit, which brings a sinner to faith in Christ
and repentance of dead works, it gives evidence. It gives evidence
that they have been justified. by faith are declared not guilty
and righteous in Christ. Faith does not justify a sinner
before God. Your believing won't justify
it, as our brother Bill said this morning. Christ's righteousness
imputed justifies a sinner before God. God is God that justifies,
all based on his dear son. Faith in Christ is just the fruit
and effect of our justification. It's not the cause. The cause
and basis of our justifications is entirely attributed to the
righteousness of Christ and that alone. Justification cannot be
attributed to man's works, not even our faith, according to
Romans 3 and beginning at verse 19, where it says, now we know
that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
may become guilty before God. That's the only thing the law
can do, is it shows us our sin and that we're guilty before
God. Therefore, by the deeds of law, there shall no flesh
be justified in God's sight. And then back at the last part
of 830 again, it says, in whom he justified, them he also glorified. To be glorified refers to our
final glorification at the second coming of Christ. when we will
be reunited with our new glorified spiritual perfect bodies and
be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. Look at 1 Corinthians
15 beginning at verse 50. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. What
we just read concerning our final glorification has not happened
yet in our experience. But there are two things to keep
in mind. It has happened in the mind of
God. According to Romans 4.17, which says, As it is written,
I have made thee a father of many nations, speaking of Abraham,
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickened the dead,
and call it those things which be not as though they were. All
things, whether past, present, or future, they're sure and certain
in the mind and in the purpose of God, all based on the promises
of God and the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God purposed all things. All
things will and must be fulfilled in time. And secondly, It is
sure and certain to be our experience because of the sovereign power
of God's grace in Christ who is risen as the firstfruits of
believers who have died. Look at 1 Corinthians 15 beginning
at verse 20. But now is Christ risen from
the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead. For as Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive. But every man in his own order,
Christ the first fruit, afterward they that are Christ at his second
coming. Let every true believer glory
in the grace of God by which we are predestinated, called,
justified, and glorified. This brings joy and peace in
believing in the midst of all the afflictions and all the trials
that we have to endure on this work and this life. We're told
plainly that it is God's will that we enjoy this absolute certainty
of salvation, which neither the world nor all the powers of hell
can break. I'm going to read a few verses
that show us just how sure and certain our salvation is. Look
over at Hebrews 6, verse 16. For men verily swear by the greater,
and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of strife,
wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs a promise. The immutability, the unchangeableness
of his counsel confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable,
unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have strong consolation. who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entered
into that within the veil." That's Christ. He entered within the
veil. And in Isaiah 40, beginning at
verse 1, it says, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, sayeth
God, speaketh ye comfortable to Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins. And lastly, in John 6, 37, which reads, all that the Father
giveth me, this is Christ speaking, all that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. I don't, there's no doubt here,
shall come to me, all that the Father give me. And him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. That's the certainty
of our salvation. No with ands, buts about it.
The last verse that we'll look at this morning, verse 31, says,
what shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who
can be against us? What should our response be to
all these things of God's purpose and grace in Christ? If God is
for us in all these areas of salvation, righteousness and
eternal life and glory, who can be against us? The conclusion
here is that nothing and no one can stand against us successfully
because we are safe and we're secure eternally because of the
glorious person and the finished work of Christ alone. See, our
salvation is not based on what we do or are able to do. It's based on what Christ accomplished.
And He's already satisfied God. God raised Him from the dead,
didn't He? God's satisfied. And if He's satisfied, you ought
to be satisfied too. Who can be against us, it says?
The law cannot be against us because Christ has honored the
law for us. God's justice cannot be against us because Christ
is satisfied all that the law demands. Satan cannot be against
us because he is judged and cast out. Sin cannot be against us
because Christ has put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. He paid the debt. He paid the
debt in full. See, I don't know that debt.
I don't know it. He paid it. And I believe that. We're truly and eternally safe
and secure in Christ. And one day, one day, we'll be
perfectly like him when he comes again, when we're glorified,
finally glorified. As our title suggests, these
verses that we've just dealt with this morning declare the
golden chain of grace. Whom God foreknew, whom he foreknew,
He predestined. Those He predestined, He also
calls in time. And those He calls, He also justifies. And whom He justifies, these
He also glorifies. As verse 31 says, what shall
we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Amen.