Romans chapter 8. Martin Luther said that this
epistle, Paul's letter to the Church of Rome, was, in his opinion,
the masterpiece of the New Testament. And if that is true, then chapter
1 is the centerpiece, or chapter 8, I'm sorry. Chapter 8 here
is the centerpiece of that masterpiece. What a rich, rich chapter. Is
there any of those blessed doctrines of grace, as we call them, that's
not mentioned in this chapter? From God's purpose to save, to
our Lord's redemption, to our calling, to our hope of glory,
They're all spoken of in this chapter. It begins with no condemnation
in verse 1. And don't fail to remember how chapter 7 ended, where Paul,
the apostle Paul, records under divine inspiration his struggle. Not his struggle as a lost religionist. Not his struggle as a self-righteous
Pharisee. Oh, no, no. He didn't have this
struggle then. But he speaks of the struggle
he had after God saved him. That's when he cries out, oh,
wretched man that I am. Then he has this old man warring
against the new man. And even after recording the
struggles in chapter 7, he says, there is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. It makes that verse even sweeter
in the light of what he said in chapter 7. As indeed, all
life's trials that God wisely causes his people to go through,
and at the time we don't know why. We don't know why. Perhaps in this life we'll never
know why. But they will work for us, not
against us, but by God's grace, by the hand of our gracious Heavenly
Father, he'll so work all those things so they'll work for us.
an exceeding eternal weight of glory. Those trials, those heartaches,
those sleepless nights will make heaven all the sweeter, don't
you think? Look what Paul says in verse
18 of this chapter. 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. Those Trials, sufferings
will make heaven all the more sweeter. Yes, God's people struggle,
they weep, they mourn, but condemned they'll never be. No condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. And then the chapter ends with
no separation. Look at verse 39. neither height
nor death nor any other creature or creation. She'll be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord, by no means. Nothing from the past, nothing
in the present, nothing that lies out in our uncertain future,
whatever it may be, Nothing will separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus. And notice that the reason for
that is the same. The reason why God's people are
not condemned, verse 1. The reason that they'll never
be separated from God's love in verse 39 is the same. They are in Christ Jesus. That's the reason. He's the reason
for everything that comes in between as well. Christ is the
blessed, blessed foundation of our hope. Our hope of sins forgiven,
our hope of the love of our Heavenly Father, our hope, our real hope
of entering glory, where then I shall fully know when I love
him with an unsending heart, that's a certainty. That's a
certainty because we are in Christ Jesus. When this same apostle
wrote to the church at Philippi, Paul said in chapter 3, verse
1, to write the same things unto you to me indeed is not grievous,
but for you it is safe. The believers there were dealing
with those legalists, as was so often the case, for the gospel
was proclaimed and people believed and were saved. The legalists
came in and said, well, that's fine. That's fine as far as it
goes. But let's not forget Moses. Let's not forget the law. Let's
not forget that we must be sanctified by observing God's law. And Paul
was dealing with that very thing when he wrote to them and reminded
them. that those same things that he was repeating, those
same things that he had preached concerned the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. He said, it's not a burden for
me. I don't consider it a hardship. It's a delight to remind you
that in Jesus Christ we have all the righteousness that we'll
ever need, that in Christ being found in him, I have his righteousness,
the very righteousness that God himself requires. demands, Paul
says, I have it in Christ Jesus. And he says, there is none other,
and I don't want to attempt to be found in any other righteousness
but His. Can you hear good news too often? Can you? Of course not. especially the good news of the
glorious gospel of the blessed God that concerns his son. The message of free grace, the
message of God's great salvation. It doesn't get any better than
that, does it? You watch the evening news, local,
national, it's all bad. Rarely, rarely is there any good
news there. Oh, but to hear the news, the
message to God's people, the message to every sinner that
comes to Christ that he will not cast out, that he will not
reject, anybody thirsty, he says, come and drink. You'll never
thirst again. Ho, ho, anybody hungry? Come,
come, I'm the bread of life that came down from heaven. Anybody
weary? Anybody heavy laden? Come to
me, and I'll give you rest. Don't come to the front of the
church. Don't come to the waters of baptism. Don't come to the
priest or the preacher, but come to me, Christ said, and I will
give you rest. Isn't that good news? Now notice
what Paul says here in verse 33 of Romans 8. He asks a question,
and then he answers the question. He asks, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? That is a charge that has some
merit to it, a charge that will stand up in God's court. Who shall bring such a charge
against God's elect? And as we shall see in Paul's
answer, there is none. All charges against God's elect
have already been dismissed by the judge who must do right himself. The title of my message is Case
Closed. No charge against God's elect
has any merit. And Paul gives us several reasons
for that. And we'll look at each of those
briefly. But first, let's notice how Paul
describes God's people. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? God chose those he purposed to
save. That's the teaching of scripture. Look what he says in verse 28.
And we know that all things work together for everybody. No. All things work together for
good to them that love God. That's not everybody. And to
them who are thee called, that's a particular people. They're
described as loving God and thee called according to His purpose. Whose purpose? God's purpose.
Our God does what he does on purpose. He's God. It requires
some deliberate, some real deliberate effort to deny that the teaching
of God's Word does not everywhere speak of his electing love, of
choosing those he saves to salvation. It requires putting on some real
blinders to deny that fact. It takes a big broom, Louie,
to try to sweep that under the rug. But there's no such broom
around. Someone, you probably have heard
the story. I forgot where I read it, but I thought of it yesterday
as I was preparing this message. They asked a poor slave if he
believed in the doctrine of election. And the poor man said, oh, yeah,
yeah. Yes, sir. He said, God voted for you, and
the devil voted against you. And however you vote, that's
the way the election goes. No, no. But you know what? You
know what? We chuckle at that. But there
are some so-called doctors of divinity using big words. and with their big broom creating
a big smoke screen whose answer is no better than that poor man's. They say, for example, that God
saw who would believe so therefore he chose them to believe. My
soul, that seems awful strange. Is the great God of heaven and
earth involved in such foolishness as that? He saw who would believe
so he chose them to believe? Oh no. No, turn back if you will
to the book of Acts chapter 2 for just a moment and then we'll
come back to our text. Acts chapter 2, Peter concluding
his message. on the day of Pentecost we're
told in verse 47 after that that all those that believe in verse
47 they were praising God and having favor with all the people
and look what it says here and the Lord added to the church
daily such as should be saved. Sound like the decision was his. Sound like his will controls
that. Attorney if you will to Chapter
13, chapter 13, verse 48. Here's a real jawbreaker for
the free willers. Here's a hard nut for them to
crack. Verse 48, and when the Gentiles heard this, Paul has
preached at Antioch and the Jews turned their back on it. He said,
well, go ahead. You count yourselves unworthy
of eternal life. It's your own fault. Can't blame
God. So he preached to the Gentiles
and when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed. Which comes first? Which comes
first? God's ordination or their faith?
They believe because they were chosen to salvation, not the
reverse. To God be the glory, great things
He hath done. So then, so then, if that is
true, if the salvation of every sinner is the result of God's
choice, God's purpose, God's grace from beginning to end,
Then, in conclusion, we can say this, as Paul did in Romans 9,
so then, and he's talking about that very thing, the purpose
of God according to the election. He says, so then, it's not of
him that willeth. Well, my soul, that sure goes
against the grain. That's contrary to what I've
heard all my life from preachers, I know, me too. But Paul says,
so then, it is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth,
but the reason a man is saved is it's of God that showeth mercy. Now who gets the credit? Who
wears the crown? To whom do we bow? and offer
our heartfelt adoration and praise. God's elect or God's choice,
does that matter? Does that matter? God purposing
to save someone, does that make a difference? Is that a factor? And you may be thinking, Larry,
that's a silly question to be asking. Well, the reason I ask
it is because it does not make any difference if God is as he's
professed to be by most people today. If he's that God, Joe,
then it doesn't make a difference what he wants to do. When I hear some people talk
about the God they profess to worship, it reminds me of looking
through the wrong end of a telescope and everything just looks puny,
looks tiny. That's how their God is. He can't
have his way. If that's God, what he determined
really doesn't matter. because he can't have his way.
He can't bring it to pass. If he needs man's permission
before he can do what he wants to do, then it really doesn't
matter what he wants. It's not a factor in salvation. However, that is far from being
the case, isn't it? Here's the rub, and I know this
rubs some folks the wrong way. But what does God's word say
about this? Let's read what God says about
this. Some folks hear it and they are
huffed up, get puffed up. Not a whole lot we can do about
that. But does God's will matter? Do we want God's answer, not
my opinion or yours, but his? Well, we have it. We have abundant
proof of it here in his own word. What does he say? Psalm 115. We'll just look at one or two.
Psalm 115. Now this is God speaking. This
is the true God. This is not my version or any
other man's. This is what God Himself says
in Psalm 115 about Himself. Verse one, not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and
for thy true sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? Why should the heathen say, where
is your God? Where is your God? Why should
they mock? Well, if he's the God that can't
have his way, they have a right to do so. But that's not so.
Look what it says. Our answer is this. God's answer
is this. But our God is in the heavens.
He hath done. Man, that's a pillow I can lie
down and sleep on. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. God is either absolutely in control
or he's no God at all. Thank God that he's in the heavens
and he does whatsoever he hath pleased. If we didn't believe
that, what would we have? What would we have? If that's
not so, if that's not true, then just throw up your hands and
forget about it. Oh no, what He promised, everything
He promised is backed up by His power and His ability to perform
everything He's decreed. Look, if you will, again in another
Psalm, Psalm 135. Psalm 135, verse 2. Ye that stand in the house of
the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the
Lord. For the Lord is good. Sing praises
unto his name, for it is pleasant. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob
unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure. For I know
that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever
the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven. and in earth, and
in the seas, and all deep places. Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah chapter
43. Verse 11. I, even I, am the Lord, and beside
me there is no Savior. I have declared and have saved,
I have showed when there was no strange God among you, wherefore
ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord that I am God. Yea, before
the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out
of my hand. I will work, and who shall let
it?" Oh, I think when God in His grace opens a man's eyes
to see that, He, for the first time in his life, is looking
through the right end of the stelescope. And you know what
the effect on him will be? When God is pleased to reveal
something of His majesty, His glory, His greatness, you know
what the effect will be? That sinner will bow down before
Him. And like Paul in Romans 11 says, Through him and back to him are
all things, my soul. What a God. What a God he is. And that brings the sinner to
worship Him. That puts him in the dust, his
rightful place. That's where he ought to be.
And that's where salvation comes. When a sinner bows down in the
dust and realizes he's a beggar before the throne of God, then
and then alone will he ask God for mercy, as long as he thinks. Long as he believes in that imposter
that's called God, that Jesus that's trying to do something
for somebody if they'll allow him, as long as he believes that,
he'll never be brought down. Why should he? Why should he?
There's nothing to fear there. If he thinks God's done all he
can do and now it's up to him, is that what you've been told?
It's a lie. It's not up to you. It's up to
God. It's up to God where you spend
eternity. Oh, kiss the son lest he be angry
and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Oh, but when a sinner is brought
down, when he's stripped, Then, then, by God's grace, he looks
to the only hope of salvation there is, the great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, and he shall learn like every believer has learned
and is learning every day. He's mighty to save. He's able to keep that which
I've committed against that day. He's able to present me faultless. That better be his doing. Who
else could do it? Able to present me faultless
before the throne of God. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Tis not that I did choose thee,
for Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse
thee, had thou not chosen me. My heart owns none before thee,
for thy rich grace I thirst. This knowing, if I loved thee,
thou must have loved me first. We love him because He first
loved us. Now listen, as Paul tells us
here, the judge of all the earth must do right. And here's his
verdict. It's already been rendered in
answer as to who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect.
And the first answer Paul gives us this, it is God that justifies. It is God that justifies. Anyone that tries to lay anything
to the charge of God's elect, Man, are they barking up the
wrong tree? Cause God's already declared
them not guilty. This case has already been tried. The verdict has already been
given. And all charges against him has been dismissed. And the
gavel of heaven has come down and said, case dismissed. Case closed. God has declared
that those that are in Christ are not condemned. Who, as Paul
says here, shall reverse that verdict? Who dares lay the charge
against God's elect? It is God. that justified. I remember hearing a story about
Rolf Barnard, I suppose it's true, but said he was somewhere
one time, had been invited, and he sat next to a fellow whom
the moderator was addressing, speaking of this man who was
going to come speak to the congregation and said, we're so thankful to
have Dr. So-and-so with us. He's got so
many degrees. They call him Dr. Fahrenheit.
He's done this and done that. He's sacrificed. He's given so
much. He's done so much. And the story
is that Ralph Barner looked over at him, stood up and said, well,
how do you do? And I'll tell you what. Whoever,
listen I'm serious, whoever, be it man or devil, that can
reverse God's decree, that's what I'll do. I will bow to him
and I will worship him because he's God. He's greater than God. You see how ridiculous that even
sounds? Oh no, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? God's justified them. They can
never be unjustified. They've been forgiven. They'll
never be unforgiven. God transferred all the sins
of all of his people onto his own son. And he'll never transfer
them back to us again. Glory to his name. The second
reason Paul says, verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died. It is Christ that died. If a charge could be justly made,
they would be condemned, brother Lord. If a charge could be justly
brought before God against His elect, they would be condemned. But Paul says, who can condemn
us? Christ has answered every charge
that God's holy law had against His elect, so there's no charges
against them anymore. Isn't that good news? It's not
possible that they should be condemned because it is Christ
that died. And I asked the question concerning
God's will and purpose. Does it matter? I asked the same
question concerning the death of Jesus Christ. Does that matter? Does that matter? That Christ
died? Oh, yes. Yes, you've heard me
say it. And I'll repeat it. Christ did
not die for a hope so or a maybe or a poor chance or to give somebody
something perhaps if they'll exercise their will and take
advantage of it. No, no, no. That's man's teaching. There's nothing in the Word of
God about that. Redemption is something he accomplished,
something he obtained, something he did. And when he did it, he
said, it's done, it's finished, bless his name. And I believe
him. I believe him. I rest my immortal
soul on his Word. God has made him to be sinned. Does that matter? Does that matter? God made his son to be sin. Who he is? John, who he is, gives
value and virtue and merit to what he did. Who died? Who died? Who died? God's own son. The God-man. Being man, being made man, being
made like unto his brethren, he could lay down his life for
us. Being God, never ceasing to be God, he satisfies God as
only he, the mediator between God and man, could do. And therefore,
therefore, considering as Paul says, it is Christ that died, oh my! What virtue, what merit
flows from him to needy sinners? If it is Christ that's died,
then he obtained eternal redemption for us. If it is Christ that
died, then he by himself purged our sins. If it is Christ himself
that died, then his blood, not the blood of bullocks and goats,
but his blood alone must cleanse his people from all their sin,
because it's Christ, Christ that immaculate, perfect Son of God
that laid down His life for us. There is a brief illustration
along this line in the bulletin this morning that closed the
article that it wrote, the same one some of you will recognize
that I closed the message with last Sunday night. But I've thought
about it all week, so I'm going to repeat myself. A little girl
in the Sunday school class was listening to her teacher preach
about, or rather teach about the preciousness of Christ. And
after the lesson was over, she asked the students, the young
people, what does that mean, Christ is precious? It was silence. Then the little girl spoke up
and said, well, my father said, mother is precious. For what
would we do without her? Louie Cates? That's a pretty
good definition of the preciousness of Christ. Think about it. What
would you do without Him? Where would you be without Him? Because of Him, therefore, there
is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Do you
see that in verse 1? No condemnation. God's condemnation
has already fallen on the head of his son. His son already bore
the sins of all his people. How unjust it would be for God
to require the same payment twice? No, no, not the God of justice,
not the God of glory. He's already been satisfied. Therefore, there's no condemnation
of those that are in Christ Jesus. But you see the place of refuge
there. It's not this building. It's
not the Baptist. It's not the Calvinist. No, no,
no. It's not switching from free will doctrine to free grace doctrine. No, no. The only place of refuge,
the only place a guilty sinner is not guilty and not condemned,
he's in Christ Jesus. Mmm. Mmm. How's that feel? Child of God,
right now this morning, you can't be condemned. You're in Christ
Jesus. Mmm. Doesn't that feel good? Doesn't that feel good? Isn't
that comforting? Don't you feel secure and warm
and safe? You're wrapped up in Christ Jesus. One old hymn writer expressed
it this way, from whence this fear and unbelief? Has not the
Father put to grief his spotless Son for me? And will the righteous
judge of men condemn me for that debt of sin which the Lord was
charged on thee? Complete atonement thou hast
made, and to the utmost farthing paid, whatever thy people owed. How then can wrath on me take
place, if sheltered in thy righteousness and sprinkled with thy blood?
If thou hast my discharge procured, and freely in my room endured,
the wrath, the whole of wrath divine, payment God cannot twice
demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again
at mine." Look at the third answer Paul gives here in verse 4. Yea,
rather, concerning Christ, it is Christ that died, yea, rather,
that is risen again. Is risen again. Remember what
he said to the religious persecutors of his day. He told them, destroy
this temple and in three days I'll raise it up again. They
didn't have a clue what he meant. He told his disciples, we're
going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed into
the hands of sinners. They'll mock him, spit on him,
persecute him, beat him, and they'll put him to death He didn't
stop there, did he, Mike? But he said, after three days,
I'll rise again. No question about it. And even
after he was buried, the Pharisees and scribes went
to Pilate and said, we remember that that deceiver said when
he was yet alive that he would rise from the dead. His disciples
will come and steal his body, and they'll say he rose from
the dead, just like he said. Give us a watch to prevent that
from happening. His resurrection proves the acceptance
of the sacrifice by God the Father. His resurrection proves the success
of his redemption. His resurrection proves that
every claim he made was so, as to who he was and what he came
to do. And it's the verification that
he was exactly who he said he was. and was sent by the Father
into this world to save his people from their sins. Remember what
Pilate said to their request? He said, go your way, you have
a watch, seal the tomb, make it as sure as you can. Make it
as sure as you can. And they did. And they did. But up from the grave he arose. Up from the grave he arose. It's
as though God himself said, yes, yes, by all means, make it as
sure as you can. And read the outcome of that
in the second Psalm. God will laugh at them. Why do
the heathen rage? Why do they imagine vain things?
Why have they set themselves against God and His King, His
Son? God shall laugh. God in the heavens
shall laugh, because up from the grave He arises. Our King,
our Redeemer, our Advocate, He arises with healing in His wings. Oh yes, the stone which the builders
refused, The same has become the headstone of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. That proves that he bore all
of our sins away. Had he not, he'd have stayed
in the tomb. He would have stayed in the tomb.
Look what Paul says here in chapter 4 of of Roman. This is exactly
what he tells us in the last verse. Who was delivered because
of our offenses and was raised again because of our justification. Because of it. Therefore being
justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Peter said who Himself, that
is the Lord Jesus, bore our sins in his own body on the tree. He bore our sins and he bore
them away. How far? How far away are they? The psalmist said as far as the
east is from the west. How far is that? Can you answer
that? The prophet Micah said that they've
been cast into the sea. Oh, the bliss of this glorious
thought. My sins not in part but the whole
were nailed to his cross and I bear them no more. Praise the
Lord, oh my soul. Last of all, look what Paul says
in verse 34, who is even at the right hand of God, that is Christ
that died but arose again, who even is at the right hand of
God who also maketh intercession for us. That's the last point
and I'll be done. Christ himself makes intercession
for us. I know we've all seen TV shows
where someone dies and their survivors are gathered into a
room to listen to a lawyer read their last will and testament.
And somebody is mad because they didn't get what they thought
they should. Remember when Howard Hughes died? Some of us can.
If I recall, there was some discrepancy about which wheel was his. They
had more than one wheel. Some filling station attendant
claimed he had one that he had wheeled him a bunch of money
because he picked him up in the desert and gave him a ride somewhere
one time. It just went drug out in the
courts for years and years. But what if? What if? He who
wrote the will was there to enforce it. What if he was there to enforce
it? That's not possible with anyone
except our great intercessor. He's there to enforce it. That's
the case with our advocate, our great high priest. Turn, if you
will, to Hebrews chapter 9. This is what Paul tells us here
in Hebrews chapter 9. Yes, he died, but now he lives
to make intercession for us. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 15.
And for this cause, he is the mediator of the New Testament,
that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions
that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive
promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a
testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of
no strength at all while the testator liveth." Oh, our testator
liveth. He intercedes not before an unjust
judge, but before God the Father, who himself has already declared
his satisfaction with his son offering himself. And he says,
deliver his soul, the soul of all those he redeemed from going
down to the pit, because I have found the ransom. In verse 24
of Hebrews 9, Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. I believe his will and testament
will be carried out. It will be honored. May we be
enabled as we observe the Lord's Supper, remember him who gave
his life a ransom for his people, and pray, pray that God will
enable us to remember and honor his son. If now with eyes defiled
and dim, We see the signs, but see not Him. Oh, may His love
the scales displace, and bid us view Him face to face. Amen. Amen. God bless you.