I did choose the Lord Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neiberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nibert. I'm speaking from Romans chapter
8. We're going to look at verses 31 through 35, and I've entitled
this message, Five No's. Not K-N-O-W, but N-O. Five no's. Now that title may
sound like a negative message, but it's actually a very positive
message. It certainly will be that to
the believer. Five no's. There are many powerful
words that effectively communicate a thought, but none more powerful
than the two-letter, one-syllable word, no. It is a word that is
universally understood. Even a dog rumbling through the
trash can knows what no means when he hears no. What a powerful
word. Now, no is the answer to a question. Is this so? No. Can this be? No. Listen to the way the Bible
uses this word. There's none righteous, no, not
one. There's none that doeth good,
no, not one. God said, I will by no means
clear the guilty. If I am guilty, there's no way
I'll get off the hook. God said I'll by no means clear
the guilty. In Matthew 5, verse 20, the Lord
said, except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom
of heaven. The Lord said, no man can come
to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him. In John 14 6, no man cometh to
the Father, but by me. By the works of the law, there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is
the knowledge of sin. For there is no difference, no
difference between me and you. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Romans 7, verse 18, Paul said,
I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. No good thing. 1 Corinthians
1, 29 says that no flesh should glory in his presence. Romans
8, 1, there is therefore now no condemnation. Can a believer
be condemned? No. There's no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3.3, Paul said, we
are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, rejoice in
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence. in the flesh. None at all. 1
John 1.8 says if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. We've already lost all credibility.
1 John 3.5 says He was manifested to take away our sins and in
Him is no sin. That means if I'm in Him, I have
no sin. Now, no While I suppose it is
a negative word, it is a very positive word. The Lord said
in John 6.37, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and
him that cometh to me I will in no wise, for no reason whatsoever
cast out. That is the promise of Christ.
Now, in our text, five no's are expressed. And they are the most
positive no's in the universe. Paul said in verse 31 of Romans
chapter 8, what shall we then say to these things? What things? Well, we've looked at it the
last several weeks. Paul said, 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. For whom he did
foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren. 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. Now what then shall we say to
these things, these things of God's foreknowledge and predestination,
these things of God's calling, justification, and glorification? What shall we, he's speaking
of every believer, what shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? What a glorious thought. If God
be for us, who can be against us? There's absolutely no intimidation,
nothing to be afraid of. Not if God's for you. And then
he said in verse 32, he that spared not his own son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not? What could possibly prevent
him from freely giving us all things? There's no prevention. There's nothing to prevent God
from freely giving every believer everything he has. Nothing to
prevent it. Now here's the third no, no accusation. Verse 33, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? There's no accusation to be brought
against them because God has justified them. Here's the fourth
no, no condemnation. Verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Nobody
can condemn anyone for whom he died. There's absolutely no condemnation. And the fifth no is found in
verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? There's
no separation. Five glorious no's. Now let's
consider them one at a time. First, if God be for us, Who
can be against us? If God's for you in foreknowledge
and predestination, if God has called you, if He's justified
you, if He's glorified you, what is there to be afraid of? If
God's for you, Who can be against us? Now the God that Paul is
speaking of is not the weak man-made God of human religion whose will
can be thwarted and is subject to man's free will. The Bible
knows nothing of a small g God like that. That's not the living
God. The God of the Bible is sovereign. That means He's the first cause
of all things. That means He's in absolute control.
You see, He has a will, and He has the power to make His will
come to pass because He's omnipotent, and He always does make His will
come to pass because God is sovereign. Now, if that God before you,
the God of the Bible, the all-powerful God, who can be against you? David said, the Lord's on my
side. I will not fear what man can do to me. The Lord said,
fear not them that are able to kill the body. And after that,
that's all they can do. But rather fear him who, after
he's killed the body, has power to cast into hell. Yea, I say
unto you, fear him. Now, we need not fear men. God controls every single one
of them. We need not fear our circumstances,
no matter how bleak they may seem. Because the scripture says
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to his purpose. We need not fear
the law. All the law can do is say not
guilty to a believer. You're justified. No sin in you.
We need not fear the devil. He's God's devil on God's chain. Now, he's under God's thumb and
can't make a move without permission from the Lord himself. But here's
what I like best of all, I can't even be against myself. If I
could mess this thing up, I guarantee you I would. But thank God, the
scripture says, if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful,
he cannot deny himself. You see, if I'm united to Him,
I'm Himself. If I'm in Christ, for Him to
deny me would be for Him to deny Himself. And that will never
happen. There's absolutely nothing to
be intimidated by. David put it this way in 2 Samuel
23, 5, Although my house be not so with God, and his house was
a mess, And he could have been talking about this house as well,
his body. Although my house be not so with
God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things, and sure. And this is all my salvation
and all my desire, though he maketh it not to grow. If God
be for us, who can be against us? There's absolutely nothing
to be intimidated by. Now, the second, no is no prevention. Oh, this is so sweet to think
about. Romans chapter 8 verse 32 says,
he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him freely give us all things? There's absolutely nothing to
prevent God from freely giving all of His people all things. Now the argument is from the
lesser to the greater. He spared not His Son. He's already
given that which is greatest. What could possibly prevent Him
from giving anything else? He delivered him up for the punishment
as the sinner's substitute. How shall he not? What could
possibly prevent him from freely giving us all things? All things
come freely to us because of the infinite cost that he paid.
He gave his son. Now, will he withhold something? God forbid. Now, somebody might
be thinking, well, if he sees me, I just can't understand that.
Well, the scripture says freely. How shall he not with him freely
give us all things? That word means without a cause,
without a cause in me, without a cause in you. God didn't have
to look for a reason in you as to why he would give you anything. What God does, he does for Christ's
sake. Ephesians 4.32 says, Be ye kind,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you. Somebody says, Well, what if
I'm so sinful? What if I'm so weak? What if
I go astray so easily? What if I commit the same sins
over and over and over again? What if I'm so foolish and proud
and unfaithful and self-righteous and selfish? Can those things
prevent God from blessing me? No, they cannot. You see, the scripture says,
being justified freely by His grace. through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. But what if they sin greatly
and commit some kind of horrible crimes? Could that prevent God
from freely giving them all things? No, it can't. David, look at
the sins he committed. He committed cold-blooded, premeditated
murder. He committed adultery. He was
guilty of a horrible abuse of power. I'm not saying it's okay
to do these things. Don't worry about it. You're
under grace. I'm not saying that at all, but I'm saying nothing can prevent
God from blessing any of His children. No, not their sinfulness,
because He gives His grace freely. There's nothing to prevent God
from freely giving them all things, because whatever is needed for
salvation is given to me freely. Now here's the third no. It's found in verse 33. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. There's no accusation. There's
nothing to be accused of because I haven't done anything if God
has justified me. There's nothing to be laid to
my charge. God has justified me." Now, justification
is God declaring you to be not guilty. There is no sin laid
to your charge. You know, most religious people
believe in that ridiculous foolishness of rewards in heaven. You're
saved by grace, but you'll earn a higher reward in heaven by
your works, or you'll lose rewards by your disobedience and by your
sin. Now, if that were the case, salvation
would not be all of grace. You would get some of the credit
and some of the glory. And as far as that goes, if your
sins are brought up for you to be rewarded by avoiding them
or punished and getting a lower reward in heaven, that's a denial
of what justification means in the first place. Justification
means I have no sin. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21,
Paul said, for he hath made him to be sin, who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him." And did you hear what that Scripture said? God
made Christ sin. If you want to know what sin
is, look to the cross. And see that one cry out, my
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He made him to be sin. All my sins became his sins. He bare our sins in his own body
on the tree. Now he never sinned. He knew
no sin, but he was made sin that we might be made the very righteousness
of God. Now, you know what justification
means? It means I have a new history. You know, there's sins I've committed
today. There's sins I committed yesterday
of which I'm ashamed, of which I ask the Lord for forgiveness
and cleansing. But you know what? When my history
book is opened, none of that will be there. It'll all be good. If you want to read my history,
read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ, his doings, those are my doings. I have a new history.
You see, I love this about justification, nothing to be laid to my charge.
I can't mess this thing up. There's nothing to be laid to
my charge. No guilt, no accusation, a new history. If I was given
a clean slate up to this very point, oh, you're clean, a clean
slate, now go for it. It wouldn't do me any good because
I'd fall instantly. But I don't have just a clean
slate, I have a new history. That's what justification is.
There's nothing to be brought to my charge. Read my life, read
every event, every thought I've ever thought It's all good, because
he's justified me. There's nothing to be laid to
my charge. Well, how glorious the gospel
is. The devil can lay something to
my charge. He's called the accuser of the
brethren, and God will say, he didn't do it. He didn't do it. I've justified him. But nothing. I've justified him. The law,
when I'm brought before the law, the law will say, not guilty.
He's perfect. He has a perfect history. His story is my history. Justification excludes all charges. There's no accusation to be brought
against any and all of those that God has justified. Oh, what a glorious no accusation. Now, the fourth no is no condemnation. Verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Now, do you remember when
Christ said to the woman taking an adultery, Taken in the very
act, there wasn't any doubt about her guilt. She was caught in
the very act. And the Lord said, woman, where
are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? Remember,
they had all left in shame when our Lord said, he that's without
sin among you. And I have no doubt that he's talking about
this sin. Let him cast the first stone. And they were all convicted
by their consciences, and they all walked away. And that woman
was left alone with Christ, the best place you could be. And
he said, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee? She said, No man, Lord. And he said, Neither do I condemn
thee. Go and sin no more. Now the only
way he can say, I do not condemn you, is because there was nothing
there to condemn her for. You see, that sin had been blotted
out. And he was speaking to her on
resurrection ground. Nothing to condemn you for. Romans 8, verse 1 says, There
is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
Now, in this fourth verse, he gives us four reasons why a believer
cannot be condemned. Now, Paul issues a challenge. Who is he that condemns? Come
on. Come on. Bring it up. What are you going
to say? Who is he that condemns? It's Christ that died. It's the
Christ that died. The death of Christ is the answer
to every condemnation. That sin was put away. The Lord
put it away. It's Christ that died. I need
no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough
that Jesus died and that he died for me. Now here's my hope of
being saved. It's Christ that died. Now when we talk about the death
of Christ, we're not talking about some kind of general, generic
death where he shed his blood for everybody and made salvation
available for everybody, but you might be damned anyway if
you don't do whatever it takes to make his blood work for you.
That will not do this sinner any good at all. If somebody
can be in hell that Christ died for, I guarantee you I'll be
in hell. But beloved, nobody's gonna be in hell that Christ
died for. It's Christ that died. That answers
every one that would bring condemnation. It's Christ that died. You see,
if Christ died for me, I must be saved. There's nothing to
bring in charges against me. He says, it's Christ that died,
yea rather, that is risen again. Now, if he stayed dead, his death
wouldn't do him any good. but he was raised from the dead.
Why was he raised from the dead? God was satisfied with what he
did. He made a full and complete sin
payment that God was satisfied with and God raised him from
the dead. Now the reason hell is eternal,
the reason the flames will never be extinguished is because God's
justice is never satisfied by that. It's never satisfied. Sin is an infinite evil against
an infinite God. But when Christ died, God's justice
was satisfied, all the claims of the law were answered, and
God raised Him from the dead. Do you know He never went through
the process of decay? Because the moment of His death,
complete satisfaction was made. It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that is risen again. And I love to think of the fact
that he's raised, he lives, he lives right now. There's one
seated at the right hand of God. Look what it says, yea, rather
that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, the
place of all authority. Now, how many times when someone
has died has the will been contested? And that person who died can't
do anything about it. It may be that his wishes were
not carried out because of some loophole and people not being
able to make the will come to pass because they're dead. It's
not that way with Christ. He lives. And he's able to make
sure his will comes to pass completely. He's seated at the right hand
of God, the place of exaltation and glory and power and honor. That's why no one can condemn
a believer. It's Christ that died, yea, rather
it's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Oh, I love to think of the
intercession of Christ. Now, when Christ intercedes,
understand this, it's not like I sin, and Christ says, forgive
him. And I sin, he says, forgive him
again. I sin, forgive him again. That's not what the intercession
of Christ is. Christ shows the Father his hands
and his feet, full satisfaction, and I'm accepted in him. John said, these things write
unto you that ye sin not. But if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, no crooked lawyer, but Jesus Christ
the righteous. What a lawyer he is. What an
advocate with the Father. He makes all his clients plead
guilty and yet causes them all to be justified. There's no lawyer
like him, is there? Oh, we have the intercession
of Christ, and that's why no believer can be condemned. Christ
died, was raised, seated at the right hand of the Father, the
place of exaltation, and is making intercession as every believer's
great high priest. And the last no is found in verse
35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril
assured, as it's written, for thy sake we're killed all the
day long. We're as cannon sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all
these things we're more than conquerors through him that loved
us. You ever heard somebody use the
term defeated Christian life? There's no such thing. Every
believer is more than conqueror through him that loved us. Now,
there's no separation. Nothing can separate me from
the love of Christ. In John 15, verse 9, the Lord
said, Now how does the Father love His Son? Let me say this,
it's not unconditionally. People talk about unconditional
love. There's really no such thing. It's not unconditionally.
He loves the Son because He's altogether lovely. He sees His
Son and He's, I love Him. He's altogether lovely. Everything
about Him is glorious. That's how the Father loves the
Son. And the Son says, with the way the Father loved me, so have
I loved you. And when the Lord loves His people,
He sees them as beautiful. just like Him. He can't help
but love them. You say, but what about their
sins? What sin? It's all been put away. There's no accusation,
nothing to be brought to their charge. They are perfect in Christ
Jesus. They are beautiful. Nothing can
separate us from being loved by Christ, and nothing can cause
us to stop loving Him. Paul said in Romans chapter 8, For thy sake we're killed all
the day long. We die daily with Christ. We're counted as sheep
for the slaughter. The world has no love for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? A tribulation?
No. No trouble will ever drive a believer from Christ. Shall
distress, anguish? No. Persecution? No. Famine? No. Nakedness? No. Peril? No. Sore to the warp?
No. Nothing can cause a believer
to stop loving the Lord Jesus Christ. There's nothing that
can separate Christ's love to the believer or the believer's
love to Him. John said we love Him because
He first loved us. Now here are five glorious no's. There is no intimidation. If
God be for us, who can be against us? No prevention. He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
I not with him also freely give us all things? There is no accusation. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? There is no condemnation. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. And there's
no separation. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Now we have this message on DVD
and CD. If you call the church, write
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's our prayer.
Amen. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com
or you may write or call the church at the information provided
on the screen.