So I'll spare you with any long
introduction and trust that the sweet words of divine inspiration
will help you and encourage you that know Him. And these words
written in this 8th chapter of Romans, if you'll turn there
with me, Our four believers. Paul wrote this letter to the
church, the people of God at Rome. They were written to a
specific people, a people who knew Christ, professed Christ,
and desired to serve Christ. However, I will say to those
of you that are yet without Christ, that have yet to trust Christ
alone as your only means of salvation, I pray, as always, that it will
be the goodness of God, through the preaching of His Word, that
leads you to repentance. It's the goodness of God that
does that. To those of you that were here for Sunday School,
Gary always reads a passage before we start the service, and today
he picked this exact verse. It was by the will and purpose
of God. I believe God intends to speak
to our hearts this morning. Most of us know these words by
heart, but it's my greatest desire for me and for you to know Him
who the scriptures declare. Knowing and memorizing scripture
will not give you life. Knowing some facts about God,
some facts about Christ, even some facts about sinners, will
not save you from the wrath to come. It's knowing Him personally. Not about Him, but knowing Him.
I trust these words will be of great comfort to you who know
Christ, and words of conviction to you who don't. Now, if you
haven't already turned with me, turn with me there to Romans
8, 28. And the Apostle Paul writes,
And we know that all things, you might want to underline that,
all things, all things, work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Now, I want to consider this
verse in detail and with urgent consideration. First notice that
the Apostle Paul, by divine inspiration, tells us something that every
true child of God knows. He says, and we know. This is
something that God has made us to know. Now we may not know
it as well as we would like, and many times we may not act
like we know it at all. But the child of God knows this
to be so. He knows it to be so. What do
we know? We know that all things are by
His will and by His purpose. I want to read a few verses to
you. In Proverbs 16, verse 4, it says, The Lord hath made all
things for Himself. God's made all things for Himself.
Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Isaiah 44, verse
24 says, Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, and He that formed
thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things. All things. I am the Lord that
stretcheth forth the heavens alone. Who was with God in the
beginning when He spoke the worlds into existence? None other than
Christ. There was no mere man. Man hadn't been created. Man
hadn't been born. That spreadeth abroad the earth
by myself. Isaiah 44-24. Write it down. It's there. That's exactly what
it says. Our Lord said in Matthew 19-26, He said, but with God,
all things are possible. Have you ever thought about that?
Why are all things possible with God? With God, all things are
possible because God is in total control and complete control
of all things. All things. anything less, and
he would not be God. And friends, I'm telling you
that it's going to take the power of God working in your heart
to convince you that it's so. Unless God reveals it to your
heart, you'll never believe it. And is there any wonder that
those who were astonished at the things the Lord did, they
saw Him heal the sick, give ears to the deaf, eyes to the blind. They seen Him raise the dead.
They seen Him give legs to those that were lame. And they said,
He hath done what? All things well. Our Lord and
Savior does all things well. He's the Lord of all things.
And God, the Lord Jesus Christ, He is God, you know. He's not
just the Son of God, He's God the Son. And He's too perfect. And He's too righteous to err.
He does all things well. Everything God does, everything
Christ does, He does it well. In Luke 10, 22, our Lord said,
If God has revealed to you the Lord Jesus Christ, you see that all things are delivered
into His hand by His Father. All things. John 16, 5. All things that the
Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of
mine, and shall show it unto you. Romans 11, 36. For of him,
and through him, and to him are what? All things. all things
to whom be glory forever." And friends, that is where I find
my comfort. Because if God was in control
of everything but one thing, I would be fearful that that
one thing was concerning me. If God was in control of every
square inch of this world except for one square foot of ground,
I'd always be concerned that I would be standing on that 12-inch
square. But I find comfort in knowing
that my God is in control of all things. All things. Not anything that he's not in
control of. Of him, through him, to him are
all things. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth
in chapter 8 verse 6, he said, But to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things. And we in him, and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. If you look at
that verse close, what he's saying, he said, all things are of God,
and all things are by Christ. That's what he says. But unto
us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things,
and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things.
And you know Ephesians 1 well, in whom we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will. Friends, this
is the God of the Bible. This is a God with whom we have
to do. God is in control. He does as
He pleases, how He pleases, when He pleases. Our God's in the
heavens, David said, and He's done whatsoever He's pleased.
He's done everything that He's pleased. He does anything that
He pleases. That's God. That's the truth
of Scriptures. Ephesians 1.19, And what is the
exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according
to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ,
when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right
hand in heavenly places. Now listen to these verses. 5
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come, and hath put all things. under his feet. Under his feet.
If they're under his feet, that means he's ruling and reigning
over them, doesn't it? They're under his feet and gave
him to be the head over all things to the church. It is God who
created all things by Jesus Christ, according to Ephesians 3.19.
Now, turn with me to Colossians 1.16. I want you to see this,
that all things Also, we know that all things in Colossians
chapter 1 beginning in verse 16 For by him were all things
created that are in heaven and that are in earth Visible and
invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before what? All things. And by Him all things
consist. Verse 18, He's the head of the
body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence. And that simply means supremacy
Greatness, the predominance. To be first. To hold the first
place. That's what that word preeminence
means. He holds the first place. You
remember in Hebrews, the apostle writes that God hath in these
last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir
of what? All things. by whom also He made the worlds. Who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged
our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high." All things. Do you see how exhaustive the
Scriptures are concerning these two words? All things. We know all things." Hebrews
2.8, "...thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.
For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that
is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things
put under him." Verse 10 of that same chapter in Hebrews, "...for
it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things,
and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings." Hebrews 3, 4 says this, I found
this very, very interesting. For every house is built by some
man. But He that built all things
is God. I got to thinking about that.
Men can build houses. We've got men in this church,
Bobby, Virgil, Glenn, many others that can build a house, build
a nice house. But God made the trees for the
wood and all the other elements used in the building of a house. But more importantly, friends,
He's built that city not made with hands, that you and I find
rest. Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created what? All things. All things. For Thy pleasure
they are and were created. So as you can see from the Scriptures,
it's very, very clear, very obvious, if we are to know anything, we
are to know that all things. All things. God's not in control
of some things. He's not in control of most things.
We know that all things. Now, let's read that whole verse
from Romans 28 again if you'll turn back there with me. I should
have told you to hold the place. Just hold it there from here
on out. That's where we'll stay. Most of you, as I said, know
this scripture by heart and we know that all things work. together
for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called according
to His purpose." So we see from this amazing verse that all things
are not working together for good for all people. Have you
ever thought about it in that way? We who are God's people,
we rejoice in the fact that all things are working together for
the good of them that love the Lord. But what about them who
don't love the Lord? What about those who are not
decalled according to His purpose? Are things working together good
for them? Absolutely not. Who does God
cause all things to work together for good for? To them that love
God. To them who are the called according
to His purpose. If you love the God in whom this
holy, inspired Word proclaims, then write it down, dear friends,
that all things are working together for your good. Every single thing.
How many times have you been through rough waters, through
trials and tribulations, and you've hung on to this verse,
and you've said, Lord, I know you say that all things work
together for the good of them that love the Lord, who are thee
called according to His purpose, but I just don't see it. And
now you look back and you say, man, I see His hand in that the
whole time. If you love the God of this Bible,
all things are working together for your good. And let me repeat
again, I've been pretty redundant thus far. All things. Not some
things, not most things, not many things, but all things. God is a God of all things. It's
certainly made obvious from the Word of God that we love God
because He first loved us. Yet all that love Him are and
will be called according to His purpose. That's the second thing
I want you to see. This is why we're absolutely
amazed those that know God, that men and women can read the Scriptures
and yet deny that God is not totally sovereign and in control
of all things. Just the verses, I think it's
over 240 sometimes, those two words, all things, appear in
the Scripture. I read you maybe, what, 10, 15? But is it not obvious
to those of you whom God has revealed His sovereignty to. Isn't it absolutely amazing that
men and women can read the Scriptures and still deny that God is not
in control? It's absolutely amazing. But
it shouldn't be, friends, because the natural man receiveth not
the things of God. They're spiritually discerned.
Only God's people can see these things. And we know, oh I know,
that he works all things. Now it's important to see that
Paul doesn't stop there. Verse 29. Here the apostle makes
some matter-of-fact statements. Some wonderful and wondrous truths
that every child of God should rejoice in. And every child of
God does. Salvations of the Lord. We know
that, don't we? We say it all the time, but we
know. We know the salvations of the Lord. Any that can read
these words and deny that God is not a sovereign God in control
of all things, working all things after the counsel of His own
will, has yet to know God. Notice the certainty of these
words. Verse 29, "...for whom He did foreknow." Those that
He elected and chose in Christ. He also did predestinate, predetermined
by the choosing, by the electing, by the foreknowledge of God.
God predetermined to save a certain people. That's why I point out
all the time in the Scriptures, there was a certain man. There
was a certain woman. There was a certain city. There
was a certain day. Because that is who God determines
to save, a certain people. And He determines to conform
them into the image of His Son. Now, let's don't pass too quickly
by that word, conform. It comes from the original Greek
word, sumorphous. Now, I'm not a Greek scholar,
don't pretend to be, but like I've told you before, anybody
can get a concordance and look up a word. It comes from that
original Greek word, which we get that word morph, m-o-r-p-h. We're being conformed, made the
same as our Lord Jesus, God's Son. This is where we get the
word morph, which means to change gradually and completely from
one thing to another. Now, that beautifully describes
what God's doing for His people in Christ. We're growing in the
grace and in the knowledge of Him, and we are gradually changed. We're growing in grace. It's
a gradual thing. But yet, in the eyes of God,
we're already completely changed and conformed to the image of
His Son. So much so, my friends, is that when God now looks at
you and I, the wretched sinners that we are, depraved, undeserving,
He sees His beloved Son who loved us, and gave himself for us.
Now you can write that down. If you're one of God's chosen,
one of God's elect, one who loves God, One who's loved of God. When He now looks upon you, the
sinner that you are, He sees His beloved Son. That's how complete
our union with Christ is. Do you see that? Do you believe
that? Oh, believe that! That's what
the Scripture is teaching us. We're being conformed to the
image of the Son, so much so that we are completely conformed
to Him. Look at verse 30, "...for moreover,
whom He did predestinate, them He also called." If He predetermined
to save you, He's going to call you. "...And whom He called,
them He also justified." This is not a matter of chance. This
is a definite thing. going to come to pass. God predetermines. He calls and He justifies. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. One day we're going to receive
bodies without sin and we're going to be completely conformed.
No more sin. No more heartache. No more trouble.
No more temptation. No more tears. Because we shall
see Him and we shall be like Him. Now, have you ever heard
such wonderful news? You know what? We lose it oftentimes
when we walk out the back door because I wonder if we really
believe it. I wonder if we believe it like
we should. I know I don't. I don't believe it like I should.
Lord, help me to believe this. This is Your Word. You're not
a man that you would lie. You're not the son of man that
you should repent. God, help us to have faith in
the Word of God that He writes it on our hearts. And that we
highlight it ourselves and go, that is so. That's so. Paul asked some questions here.
I'll be brief. He asked some questions that
are by divine inspiration. So what that basically means
is that it's no different than if God Himself asked these questions. The men that God chose to write
this book wrote by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It's no different.
These questions are no different than if God Himself asked them
to you. You keep that in mind as we look
at them. In verse 31, the question is, concerning all that we've
heard thus far, what should we then say to these things? The
Apostle Paul has just got through saying that whom he did foreknow,
he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. He went
on to say whom he predestinated, them he also called, and whom
he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we say to these things? What are you going to say to
these things? That's a good question. What do you say to these things,
friends? What are you going to say concerning
these things? Is God in control of all things,
or is He not? What say ye? Does God save whom
He will, or does He try to save? What do you say? Did He not tell
Moses, I will be gracious to whom I'll be gracious, and will
show mercy on whom I'll show mercy? Did God elect the people
and choose them and Christ before the foundation of the world?
Did He do so by His own will and His own discretion? Did the
chosen sinner have a part in the matter? Let's say then ye
to these things. I hope you say yes. Because that's
what this book declares. That's what God says. What do
you say to these things? Did the chosen sinner have a
part in this matter? Not according to God's Word.
What do you say? Will you bow or will you rebel? Romans 3 verses 3 and 4 says,
What if some did not believe? Shall their belief make the faith
of God without effect? Is one man or one woman here
and there not believing? Change the purpose of God? Absolutely
not. God forbid, yea, let God be true,
and every man a liar. What do you say to these things?
Second question, in verse 31, if God be for us, who can be
against us? That's a good question. God's
free, sovereign, unchangeable, and everlasting love is a certainty
for if God be for us, who can be against us? Is there any that
can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Not according
to Daniel 435, it says all the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing. We're not anything. Our Lord
said to us, without Me you can do nothing. You are not anything. And He doeth, who does? God does
according to His will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand. Our saying to Him, what are you
doing? None can stay His hand. None
can say, what doest thou? Look at verse 32. He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. All his people
now, not all the world. This book was written to a specific
people. Let's don't take that out of
context. He's delivered him up for all
his elect, his people, the predetermined, the chosen, the called. Here's
the next question. Now, is this causing any rejoicing
in your heart? What wonderful questions these
are for us to consider. Third question, how shall He
not with Christ also freely give us all things? Let me ask you,
if God spared not His Son, but delivered Him up, He who was
the delight of His heart, the apple of His eye, but He delivered
Him up by His own determinate counsel and foreknowledge, I
ask you, I ask you, would He withhold anything from us that
we need spiritually? Does it even make sense that
He would? He gave us all when He gave us
Christ. All that we need is in Christ,
through Christ, in Christ, and by Christ. And the Apostle said,
but my God shall supply all your need. How are you going to supply
a God according to my riches in glory in Christ Jesus? In
Christ. That's how He supplies it. May
we never forget the God so loved that He freely gave. Isn't that
what John 3.16 says? Take that and make a gospel of
it. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son. God loved His people in the world, friends. He didn't
love everybody in the world. If He did, all would be saved.
There'd be no need for hell. But God loved His people that
were in the world. And He gave His Son. He freely
gave. So much so that Paul said, being
justified freely by His grace. through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. That's where it is. Fourth question
is found in verse 33. God says now, God says, who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who's going to charge
you, Sandy, with any sin? Those of you that know Christ,
who's going to charge you with any sin? Absolutely no one can. You know why? It's God that justifies. Isn't that what it says? It's
God that justifies. Look at verse 33. Romans 8. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Nobody can because it's God that
justifies. Paul makes this a non-debatable
issue. It's not up for debate. It's
not up for argument. We simply proclaim it as a matter
of fact. We don't hold any theory on this. We don't deal in theory, do we?
We publish and proclaim this glorious fact. The grandest truth
under heaven is just this, that Christ Jesus, by His precious
blood, does actually put away sin. He does! God, for Christ's
sake, deals with men and women on the terms of divine mercy. He forgives the guilty. He justifies
them. Not according to anything He
sees in them or that He will ever see in them. If one more
person tells me that God looked ahead in time and saw that Saul
was going to be a good boy and elected him based on that, I'm
going to scream. That's not how God does things.
God doesn't look ahead in time and see. That's salvation by
works. If He sees me doing anything
good in the future and then elects me or chooses me or sets His
affection on me because of what I did, then salvation's at work. And you can forget everything
that I've preached to you for the last five years plus. He
forgives the guilty and He justifies them, not according to anything
in us or anything that He sees in us, but according to the riches
of His mercy from His own heart. Did you know God has a heart?
God has to have a heart to give his only begotten son for no
good, wretched sinners like you and I. By God's grace, this is
what I have preached, this is what I do preach, and this is
what I will preach as long as God gives me breath. It may not
be very long, but as long as He does, this is what I'm going
to preach. God saves according to His own will and purpose.
God has mercy on whom He'll have mercy. And He'll have compassion
on whom He'll have compassion. And whom He will, He'll hardeneth.
And if you say, I don't like that God, then let me tell you
something. You get ready to deal with a God you don't like. Because
that's the God with whom we have to do. It's God that justifies. And He justifies the ungodly. That's even more remarkable,
isn't it? If God's not ashamed of justifying
the ungodly, then I'm sure not ashamed or afraid of preaching
it. Now in verse 34 we have another
question. Just two more and I'll hurry.
Who is He that condemneth? Who is he that condemneth? He
says it's Christ that died. There's none that can condemn
because there's none that are without sin. To pass judgment
on someone when you yourself are guilty of the same or greater
crimes will heap judgment and condemnation on you. But there's
absolutely no one under heaven or in earth that can condemn
God's elect because it was Christ that died. Now that's what I
want you to see. If the judge of heaven and earth
acquits me, who can condemn me? If the highest court in the universe
has pronounced me just, who shall lay anything to my charge? If
my sin is against Him and Him only, then forgiveness can come
from Him and Him only. Christ died for all the sin of
all the elect throughout time. Who then can condemn one for
whom Christ died? This one last question I want
you to consider. How blessed is this thought?
That none can charge God's people with sin for they have none.
It's God that justifies, it's Christ that died. Then you add
this blessed truth. If God ever loved me, He'll love
me forever. I cannot be lost. God will preserve
me. God will keep me. There's nothing
that can separate me from Him in Christ. Last question, verse
35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Who? Who can? There's none that
can. Oh, can you rejoice in that?
Paul lists everything that some might think could. He says your
tribulation, Should distress, persecution, famine, nakedness,
peril soar? No, God still loves us, and He
keeps us for Christ's sake. Verse 36, as it's written, for
thy sake we're killed all the day long. We're counted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through Him. Through Him, through Him,
through Him that loved us. And he says in verse 38, I'm
persuaded, I'm convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nothing high, nothing deep, no other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who can separate us from the
love of God? No one. I'm telling you friends, those
are some of the most wonderful questions you could ever consider. My confidence and hope is in
the same place that God's love for me is. Where is that? The
love of God in Christ.