What Shall We Say?

someone said, if holy scripture was a ring and the epistle to the Romans its precious stone, the eighth chapter would be the sparkling point of the jewel. Well, that's my text for this evening, Romans chapter 8. It is indeed one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, It is one of my most treasured possessions in this world. I rejoice, of course, in the word of God in its entirety. But there are, for each of us, passages that stand out and speak specifically to our hearts' needs at various times, and this eighth chapter of Romans I feel like a man standing on a mountain over in Cumberland Gap. You can walk out a trail and stand up on that high mountain, and you can see Virginia, you can see Kentucky, you can see Tennessee, all from one spot there. Well, standing here on this mountain, I can see what I am by nature, what I've experienced in God's grace. and I can see the lofty works of God's providence, and I can see out into the future, beyond the swelling of the Jordan, and beyond the trials and the difficulties that lie ahead, I can see into the blessed land of God's promise. In Beulah land, that blessed home to which I'm pressing, and I can see in it all the hand of God, the glory of God, the majesty of God.

Undoubtedly, this is the chapter of chapters in the life of a believer. Where can we find a more sure foundation for our faith? Where can we find greater assurances of the gospel? I don't hesitate to tell you that I could spend a long time preaching from this chapter, and I wouldn't have to look for any material, and I'd never begin to exhaust the chapter. It is a brief, clear confession of all that I believe. It is a brief, clear declaration of the faith of the gospel.

I have at various times preached on different portions of this chapter. But tonight I want us to just begin at verse 1 and go through the chapter, and let me give you some highlights. Just give you a few highlights from the chapter that stand out to me, things that I trust will be refreshing to your soul and to mine. The Apostle Paul had concluded in chapter 7, after making that statement concerning himself.

He said, I know that I'm carnal, stolen, and dissent. I know that that which I do, I don't want to do, and that which I want to do, I can't perform. But the very things I hate, those are the things that I do. I consent to the law that it's good, but I recognize that in me, in my flesh, in this body, in my natural being, there is not one good thing.

Nothing. Nothing. I would to God, D.C., you and I could learn that. There's not a cotton-picking good thing in us. Nothing. Not a good thought, not a good intention, not a good desire, not a good work. Not before a holy God. Nothing good. Nothing. The very best thing we think, not to mention the best thing we do. the very best thing about us, before God Almighty stinks like a filthy rag. He's not fit for anything but His wrath and His judgment. Paul said, I know that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

He said, oh, I'm born of God's Spirit, and to will it's present with me. I want, I want to be like my God. I want to be like my Savior. I want to be conformed to Christ in all things. To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I don't know. I don't know. Now look down in verse 24, chapter 7. He says, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this And then he lifts himself up. I can almost begin to see a smile on his face and sparkle in his eye. I hear him clapping his hands. He said, Oh, I thank God. I thank God.

It's not in me. It's not up to me. But through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so then, with my mind, I serve the law of God. with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now, right now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." What a word. I know this, this I know. There is no condemnation to any believer. Can you, can you imagine that? God Almighty will not, does not, shall not ever condemn a believer. There is therefore right now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.

The true believer is freed from all condemnation because he is freed from sin. Our sin has been nailed to the cross of Christ. It's been laid on him, the scapegoat, and he carried it away. Now, since he carried our sin away, since there's no more sin, there's no more curse. Since there's no more guilt, there's no more condemnation. Do you understand what I'm saying? We're guilty in ourselves. We're sinful in ourselves. We have every reason to condemn ourselves.

But Jesus Christ has borne our sin away, and now there's no condemnation. No condemnation. O my soul, there's not a word anywhere in all the English language, that's more thrilling to my soul than this. In Christ, no condemnation. That does my heart good. You see, the apostle tells us that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. to them which walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. They seek the Spirit of God, seek to live by the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. The law had no power to The law had no power, because of my weakness in the flesh, to give me acceptance with God. What the law could not do, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.

By his sacrifice for sin, he's already condemned it. My friends, God Almighty deals with his children always on the basis of that act which took place at Calvary 2,000 years ago, always. I try to stress this fact to us and to me. God judged our sin. He condemned our sin. He punished our sin to the full satisfaction of his holy justice in Christ. And Lindsey Campbell, he'll never punish you for sin. He said, what's the cause of all the sorrow, the pain, the trials?

Oh, he chases us, and he corrects us, and he afflicts us. Not because he's angry with us, but because he loves us. Not because he's wanting to vent his justice against us. That's been satisfied. He has no anger for us, but because he loves us, and he will have us to grow in the likeness of his Son, and have us to to walk before him in faith, and he would take from us those things that are not good for us, and he would take from us the feelings and the emotions that are not good for us, and he calls us to mature in Christ, but never because he's angry with us. Never because he's angry with us.

We sometimes get to, we get to thinking like folks who don't believe what we do. We say we believe that Christ put away sin. We believe in the thanks and atonement of Christ, and we begin to act like Arminians who don't believe Christ did anything. We have some sorrow come, some trial, and we get feeling bad, you know. We've done something. We try to make up for it. We want to amend our ways. We want to do something to kind of get things straight so we can get over this sorrow, this trial, this difficulty. I mention this Tuesday night, and I bring it up again because I want to be very clear. We act like papists. We act like papists.

You know what a Catholic does when he's done something wrong? He goes to his priest, he confesses his sin, and the priest looks at him and says, Well, now, you go home and you go through the rosary and you say you hail Mary's, and you do this for penance. You do penance, whatever it is. You give something to the church, or you work for the poor, or you go and do this, or you go and give that. You do it to make up for your sin.

And by this, you hope to have God's anger turned away. We do the very same thing. We get feeling bad and we begin to, we say, well, I need to pray more, so set the alarm clock, get up 15 minutes early and pray. I need to read my Bible more, so we'll decide, well, I'm going to start reading my Bible. Now, please don't misunderstand me.

By all means, pray, seek God. By all means, read the word, but don't ever do it. Try to make up for your sin. Don't ever try to win God's favor. Do you see what I'm saying, Darrell? We don't win God's favor. Christ won God's favor. We all earn something from God. Christ earned it for us. And God always looks on us. Always. In Christ. And he always smiles.

Now I'm preaching beyond what I can begin to talk about and explain. When I was a boy, I used to get so frustrated I'd think to myself, sometimes I know my daughter thinks the same thing, and your sons and daughters think the same thing. Kid does something, work, and then you come in, and rather than seeing what they've done, you see how they did it. Wow, I've told you a hundred times not to do that, and the kid looks up at you like, well, can I do anything to please you? Now, let me tell you, in yourself, there's not anything on this earth you can do to please God. Not anything. Not anything.

But in Christ, he never ceased pleasing. He always looks favorably upon his children. Always. Always. It never varies. It never varies. But, Pastor, doesn't anything depend upon us? No, sir, nothing depends upon us. Nothing. I don't want to shock you. I won't shock you. You've heard me say it before. It'll shock some folks.

When David was going up to the city of God, bringing that ark up, leaping and dancing and praising God. He saw in that ark Jesus Christ and redemption by Christ, the pardon of sin in Christ. He leaped and he danced and he caused the people to be merry because he's bringing up in symbol and in type Christ, the eternal atoning high priest to the place of his glory. He's bringing him up to the seat in Jerusalem. God was pleased with David. He was pleased with him.

Another time, I see that same David looking on a woman. And he thought to himself, man, I never saw a woman like that in my life. And he took her. And he murdered her husband. And in murdering her husband, thousands in Israel died. And God was just as pleased with him, buddy. in that vile act as when he was carrying the ark up to Jerusalem. Now, David lamented his sin. David hated his sin. God dealt with him over his sin to correct him. But God Almighty accepted David not for what David did, but for what David's son, Jesus Christ, did in his stead.

Do you understand that? That's called substitution. Our acceptance is in Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation. How soon? As soon as you believe. Before that, before that. Before we ever sinned, he forgave us. Before we ever went astray in our Father Adam, he looked upon us in Christ. But what Paul is telling us, he's saying, child of God, The moment you look to Him, the moment you believe Him, God Almighty, by His Spirit, causes the blood to be sprinkled on your conscience.

And your guilty, condemned conscience says, no condemnation. No condemnation. I remember well the first time God in Heaven said to my soul, John 4, no condemnation. And it's more thrilling to me this moment than it was then. I'm telling you the truth, it's more thrilling right now. For now, after all these years of my ungrateful continued sin, I still hear him say from heaven, no condemnation, no condemnation, no condemnation. Wonderful. Well, I've got to go on, or we won't get through these 39 verses. Not only do I know that there is no condemnation in Christ, I know that all who are in Christ, all who are the sons of God, have the Spirit of God. Look at verse 9.

You're not in the flesh, that is, you don't live by the rule of the flesh. Yes, you do flesh the things, and yes, the flesh is very much very much a part of you, so that everything you do is tainted with sin. But you don't live by the principle of the flesh. You don't live by the principles of the corruptions of your heart. But rather, if so, be the Spirit of God dwelling in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his."

I hear these fellows talk about the charismatic gifts of the Spirit. want to know whether or not you received the Holy Spirit, and the way they determined that is whether or not you fell out on the floor and began to speak some kind of jibber-jabber. Somebody slapped you on the back and you said, well, that's called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you ever trust Christ, if right now, if right now, this night, God will give you faith to trust his Son, that faith is the direct evidence that you have the Spirit of God You can't call Jesus your Lord but by the Holy Spirit.

Now, when I say that, when Paul said that, he's not saying you can't form the words and say Jesus Christ is Lord without the Holy Spirit. Now, you can't do that. You've got to have God's power to do that, because you're frail, pickled pieces of flesh. But what Paul is saying is this. He's saying, Merle, you cannot in your heart bow to Christ as your Lord without the Spirit of God. If you bow to Christ, it's because the Spirit of God made you a new creature in Christ. That's what it says.

If you have not the Spirit of God, it's because you're not a son of God. Because God's sin is spilling into our hearts, causing us to cry ever harder. And now the Spirit of God bears witness. Look in verse 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The Holy Spirit leads us in this world. He directs us. He leads us in the Word and by the Word. He leads us by his powerful influence in our hearts. He leads us into the will of God. He directs us to walk in God's will. He leads us to Christ. He leads us to Christ. He leads us to Christ. He always leads us to Christ.

Now let me tell you something. Anything that leads you away from Christ is not the Spirit of God. Anything that leads you away from Christ is not the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit assures us of our adoption. Look in verse 15. For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear. He said the Spirit of God didn't come and call you to be afraid of God. You reverence him, but you're afraid of God. You're not even bonded.

But you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. We cry and look upon God, my Father, the God of glory, the infinite, incomprehensible, eternal, righteous, sovereign, all-present, all-seeing, all-knowing God is my He's my father. He's my father. You know how I know that? Because the Spirit of God calls me to call him my father. I trust him as my father.

The Spirit itself, himself really, beareth witness with our spirit that we're the children of God. The Holy Spirit is in us as a spirit of life in Christ. He's in us as a spirit of freedom, a spirit of adoption. He bears witness with us that we're born of God, and he assures us of our heavenly inheritance in Christ. He says, if your children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. I know, then, that in Christ there's no condemnation. And I know that all who are in Christ have the Spirit of God. He's our seal. He's our comforter. He helps us with our infirmities. He teaches us to pray. He even fixes up so our prayers sound right when they get to God. He's our divine comforter within. But I know in this world We live in a world of pain and sorrow and affliction and trial.

Some of you don't know what I'm talking about. You just don't know. You don't have any idea what this matter of affliction and trial is. But you're going to know. You're going to know. You're going to know what it is to weep and to hurt, to hurt with such a hurt that you can't begin to express it to anybody. The only one in all the world that can understand what you feel is God, our Savior, who is a man like us. You're going to know that.

This world and life in this world is full of sorrow and pain. I'm not a pessimist. You know better than that. But I recognize things as they are. You don't live in this world among men like yourself without pain and sorrow and difficulty and affliction. But let me tell you something. There's a better day coming. There's a better day coming. Look at verse 18.

I reckon, I reckon, now this is pretty good reckon. I've added up all the sufferings of this life. And I've placed them over here in the balance with the glory that shall be revealed in us. And I reckon that all of this is not even fit to be laid in the same balance.

It's not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creature. waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity and not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but we ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit.

Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting, waiting, waiting. This is what I'm doing, waiting. You read it a little bit ago, Merle, waiting. Just expect it. It doesn't mean I'm sitting back That's not what it means. It means I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting. I'm waiting, waiting, waiting for the adoption to win the redemption of our body.

Now let me tell you, there is a day coming. There is a day coming when this world shall be created new. There's a day coming when God's glory is going to be seen even in the physical creation. when God's glory is going to be seen and clearly demonstrated, so that he's going to make everything in this world altogether new. There is a day coming when the curse of sin upon God's earth shall be removed, and for this the whole creation groan. And in that day, that's the day of the resurrection, when all things shall be reconciled to God. our redemption will be complete.

That's when it will be complete. Salvation is not merely the experience of the new birth, and it's not merely the experience of faith in Christ. Salvation includes God's eternal purpose, and it includes redemption, and it includes regeneration, and it includes faith, and it includes perseverance. And it includes our being taken up into glory, and it includes even the redemption of this body. You know Christ Jesus purchased this piece of flesh. He purchased it. He bought it. He didn't just buy my soul, he bought me.

And he's going to have this body. So that in the last days, I say with Job I know that my redemption is coming. And He shall stand in the last day upon the earth, and I'm going to see Him with these eyes. I'm going to see Him for myself. I'm not going to have anybody tell me what He looks like. I'm going to see Him. I'm going to see Him.

For He's going to cause this body to be gathered from the dust and join to my glorified soul, and I shall see God in that day by redemption's concern. In that day. We've all been taught of God, and Paul tells us that there's a better day coming, and the sufferings that we now endure, why they're not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 4. Let me show you something. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Now, you read this whole fourth chapter. Paul talks about being troubled and perplexed, persecuted, cast down. He talks about bearing in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus. And then he says in verse 17, For our light is rich. What on earth is he talking about, Paul? And this man, he'd been constantly suffering ever since he was converted. From the time that he said, Lord, what will you have me to do? He began to suffer. From the very time he bowed to Christ, his life was a life of constant sorrow, constant heartache.

He said, I'll light affliction, which is but for a moment. It's just going to last a second or two. worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen." He said, well, I'm not looking at these things. My eyes aren't fixed on these things here below. We look not at things which are seen, but things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are just temporary. The things we can't see, they're We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have, right now, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

I know something else. I know that God Almighty rules all things in providence. for the good of his people. We know, verse 28, we know. We know of an all thing. What does that include? Father, that includes everything. Everything. Not just everything in your life, everything in everybody's life. Everything. Every thought. every falling particle of dust in the universe. Everything in heaven, everything in the earth, everything in the seas, everything in hell, everything works together.

Like a huge piece of machinery, everything fits together. And it's working. It's working. Constantly working. Constantly working. moving, moving with steady precision toward... Pastor, do you really believe that? I believe that with all my heart. With all my heart. And I believe it. I just believe it. And there's nothing in this world that comforts and secures my heart like this knowledge. Nothing. You read the 19th chapter of Job. Job said to his friends, he said, pity me. Pity me. You look with compassion upon me. Now, remember all that happened. He lost his sons and his daughters. He lost his cattle and his camels. He lost his health and his wealth. He lost his friends. And his wife said, why don't you just go out and die? He lost his reputation. He lost everything. He said the hand of God has touched man. The hand of God has touched. The sound of the hand of God touched you this week. The hand of God. Yeah. The hand of God. Now that doesn't take away the pain. That doesn't take away the sorrow. But it gives you a comforting pillar to lay your soul upon. That makes it good. That makes it good.

You know, I expect my daughter to treat me that way. She comes to me and she says, Dad, a bunch of the kids are going to go over here and they're going to do this. All right if I go? No faith. Now, sometimes I explain to her why. And sometimes I don't explain to her why. It's my prerogative. She does. You've got better sense than to ask me why. But sometimes I voluntarily say, well, this is why you can't go. And another time she comes and she says, Dad, a bunch of the kids are going to go over here. Dare if I go? Oh, yeah, I'd be fine. How much money do you need? Need me to take you?

And I just expect that girl to say, my father knows that. That's reasonable, isn't it, buddy? I love the girl. I prove my love to her. I expect her not to murmur because she can't go here, and not to complain because I let her go there and wouldn't let her go here.

I expect her to say, my dad, he knows best, and he loves me, and he's surely going to do what's best. Now, listen to me. God, my Father, knows what's best. And he does what's best. And I trust him to do that. I trust him to do that. I do. God rules everything according to his own purpose. He rules everything for the good of all his children. And he rules everything for the eternal glory of his own great name.

That's good. I was listening to a preacher the other day. He said, I think I told you this, he said, now honey, if that don't stir your bowl, you need to get you another bowl. If that don't stir your bowl, you need to get you another bowl. God rules! Be still. Be still. Just be easy. God rules. I'll tell you something else.

I know all of God's people are perfectly saved in Christ. every one of them. I'm laboring in this world, I've given my life, I give my life daily to this purpose, the salvation of God's elect for the glory of Christ. That's what I'm laboring for. And I'm laboring, Rex, with confidence, because all of God's elect are already saved. They're already saved. So that's hardshell doctrine. I don't care what kind of doctrine it is.

Paul said, for whom he did foreknow those people that he embraced in his heart of love before the world was. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that Jesus Christ, his son, might be the first preeminent fellow in the family, that his son might be the chief one in the whole family, the firstborn one among many brothers. Moreover, those whom he predestinated to be like Christ, he already called, and those whom he called, he already justified, and those whom he justified, he already glorified in his eternal purpose.

He's already done it. So that's talking prophetically. That's a strange twist of language. He's got it in the past tense there, doesn't he? It's already done. In the mind and purpose of God, God looking on his people in Christ from eternity, he said, they're going to be like this. That means in his own mind and purpose, they're already that way. They're already that way.

He's already called them, already justified them, already glorified them on the basis of his Son, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God saves sinners. And he saves sinners according to his purpose. And he saves sinners in a way that will get all the glory and honor to his own name. And he saves every sinner he intends to save. Every one. Every last one.

And I'm going to tell you something. That suits me. That suits me. If that shuts you out or shuts me out, that suits me. I wouldn't have God to change his purpose to satisfy you or to satisfy me. He saves whom he will according to his eternal purpose. And I'm laboring for the purpose of seeing those people whom God in eternity loved being made today by the gospel fall in love with the living God. And every one of them shall. Every one of them shall. I know this too. Nothing, nothing in heaven above, in the earth beneath, or in hell under the earth, nothing can ever separate Christ from the people He loves. The Apostle says in verse 35, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or famine, nakedness, or peril of the sort. We're treated like sheep to be butchered every day, killed all the day long, counted as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him, for I am persuaded. Paul said of this thing, I'm just dead certain, I see the planet and see next.

I'm 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. Oh, what wondrous, matchless, free, sovereign, eternal love! Our trials, our troubles, our heartaches, so far from separating us from the love of God, they only clarify His love.

In all things, I stand convinced, He who descended from the throne of glory into the womb of a virgin, and from the womb of a virgin into the man of and from the man of sorrows down into the hell of Calvary, and from the hell of Calvary down into the tomb, the lonesome, cold, dark tomb. That one who descended from eternal glory to death to redeem my soul will never cease to be happy. There's not any love like that in all the world. Mothers may forget their own to cherish, but he'll never forget his own.

What if they sin? Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. What if they sin again? Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. What if they fall? Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. What if they fall seven times a day? Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. Somewhere, some way down the road, they'll say, well, who preached that? Why, he's preaching that you can go out and sin all you want to. I don't mean to be human. I sin a whole lot more than I want to. A whole lot more than I want to. But I am telling you, I believe, I believe I have a good hope.

Father, I believe Jesus Christ is my substitute. And believing that, not all the hell that's in Don Fortner can separate me from his love. Not all the demons of hell, not all the evil of this world are the evil of his heart. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God that's in Christ.

Pastor, how on earth can you be so sure of these things? Well, I'll tell you. If God be for us, he that spared not his son, verse 32, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who on this earth, who in heaven, earth, or hell, shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? God said they're not guilty. It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? Who's going to charge one of God's with sin? Who's going to charge one of God's elect with sin? Who's going to?

It is Christ that died, and by His death He put away our sins. Yea, rather than is risen again by His resurrection, He has been justified Himself in the Spirit, who is even at the right hand of God. By His session at the Father's right hand, He demonstrates His total dominion as the reward of His sacrifice, who also maketh intercession for us.

Can you see Him? I'm not talking about some kind of evasion. I'm talking about the picture that's given in this book. Can you see Him, the God-man, seated in glory, that one who is God's own Son in human flesh? I see holiness written across His brow, holiness to the Lord. He's God's High Priest. I see a breastplate he's wearing, and in that breastplate is inscribed the names of his elect, the people of his choice, his history.

Oh, my soul, I see my name there. Here it is. Here it is. This is how you spell it. S-I-M-N-E. That's the people he died for. That's the people he intercedes for. That's the people he loved. What's your name? Huh? What's your name? Your name's Sinner? Is your name Sinner? He died for Sinner. Is that your name? He redeemed Sinner! He justified Sinner! He intercedes for Sinner. He'll ever love sinner.

What's your name? I know. He. Son of God. Save sinner. And this sinner rejoices to know Him. I trust Him. I trust Him. I would to God. Right now. You could trust Him too. I know this. If you will, you can. And if you can, you will. And if you can and will, it's because he made you willing and gave you the ability to do so.

Trust the Savior. Come, ye sinners, for a meeting, weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, joined with power. He's able! He's able. Come, trust the Son of God. He alone has the power and the right to forgive sin. Father, make your word as factual as you will, to the comfort of your children and the glory of your Son. And if it will please you, make your word this night the word of life to perishing men. For Christ's sake. Amen.

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