Tonight I'm going to be speaking
on this subject, how can I be ready? The Lord said, be ye ready. How can I be ready? And we're
going to observe the Lord's table tonight. And the Lord said to
his people, this do in remembrance of me. And I was thinking of
the Lord saying that, this do in remembrance of me. And I thought,
this is what the preaching of the gospel, this is what the
ordinances that we observe are all about. We need to be continually
reminded nonstop because we continually forget. And you know, that's
why the gospel doesn't get old and stale because we're sinners
needing to hear the gospel. May the Lord cause us to do this
in remembrance of him when we observe the Lord's table tonight.
Now would you turn to Romans 8? I have entitled this message,
Paul's Persuasion. Paul says, for I am persuaded
in verse 38. Literally, I have been 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. Paul's persuasion. Now he is concluding the eighth
chapter of Romans. What a wonderful chapter. And here is his conclusion. I'm persuaded. I've been persuaded. And this is a very powerful word.
It means I've been won over. I've had my mind changed. There was a time when I was not
persuaded of this. I didn't understand this. There's
a time when I didn't believe this. But my mind has been changed. I am in agreement. This same
word is translated, I'm assured. I believe. I have confidence. It's actually translated a friend.
This is my friend. I obey this. I trust this. I yield to this. Paul used the
same word in 2 Timothy 1.12 when he said, I know whom I have believed
and I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed to him. against that day. Now, Paul, what is it you feel
so persuaded of? That nothing, no thing shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. I'm persuaded. Now, I've said
this a lot in the last several weeks, and it needs to be said
again, because we always have to ask this question, who is
the us? I'm persuaded that nothing shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. We can't look at this passage
of scripture honestly, unless we see who the us is he's speaking
of. Now, if he's talking about men
in a generic sense that God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody,
God can't stop loving us. Men in a generic sense, all men
without exception, all of Adam's race, I'm persuaded that nothing
shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord. If that's what he meant, then there's no such thing as
hell. There's no such thing as God judging sin. There's no such
thing as God punishing sin. Everybody's gonna be saved if
that's what he meant. Now, please listen to this statement I'm
going to make very carefully because this is Paramount importance. Most of the preaching that goes
on under our day says God loves all men without exception. Christ
died for all men without exception. God the Holy Spirit calls all
men without exception. It's God's desire for you to
be saved and He offers you salvation. But the burden of your salvation
lies in your either acceptance or rejection of it. The burden
of salvation lies within you. If you accept it, you'll be saved.
If you reject it, you will not be saved. Somebody that preaches
that or somebody that believes that does not believe the gospel. There is no gospel in that message. No one will be saved if that's
the message they believe. When Paul is speaking of the
us, he is speaking of the elect of God, those for whom Christ
died, those whom God loves. That's the us. Nothing shall
separate us, every believer, all who look to Christ, all who
rest only in him. And they live nowhere else. Nothing,
no thing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now, there is no more important
concept in the Bible than this. In Christ Jesus. Now, let me repeat that again.
There's no more important concept in the Bible than this. In Christ
Jesus. This is where all of God's mercy,
this is where all of God's blessing, this is where all of God's favor
is found. It's in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Let's turn to Ephesians chapter
one, a very familiar passage of scripture that emphasizes
this. And this must be understood if
I can be persuaded that nothing, if God persuades me that nothing
can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. I look in verse three of Ephesians
chapter one, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. That's where every one of these
blessings are, and he's already given every believer all these
blessings in Christ. Now, the best way to understand
what it means to be in Christ is what it means to be in the
ark. If you're in the ark, Noah's
ark, you are safe. If you were outside of the ark,
there was no safety. What did it mean to be in the
house with the blood over the door? If you were in the house
with the blood over the door, you were safe. And if you were
outside of a house with the blood over the door, you were judged. If you're in Christ. You're safe. Nothing can separate you from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you're
outside of Christ, there's no safety. God's blessing is in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's go on reading verse
four. According as he hath chosen us in him. before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before. In
Christ, I'm chosen, I'm holy, and I don't have anything. I'm
unblameable. There's nothing to blame me of
in Christ. This is how clearly all of God's
salvation is in Christ. Looking in verse five, in love, Having predestinated
us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted. Where? In the beloved. In whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Now, All of God's blessing
is in him of whom it said in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. The Lord Jesus Christ is so glorious. First John chapter three verses
five says in him is no sin. That means if I'm in him, I have
no sin. Now, do you hear that? If I'm
in him right now, I have no sin. The love of God is in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. God's love is to Christ and everyone
in him. And this, my friends, is the
ground of our salvation. This is the ground of our acceptance.
This is the ground of our justification. This is the ground of all God
has for us is because we're in Christ Jesus, our Lord. That's
the gospel. Now, let me say these things
the Bible says about the love of God that's in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. Nothing shall separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. God's
love is in Christ. And what that does is it destroys
any kind of notion. And I wish we would quit saying
this. We quit. We mark this from our
thinking, from our vocabulary, that God's love is unconditional.
No, it's not. So it says, I want God to love
me just as I am. He can't do it. Just as you are,
he's got to send me to hell. That's what he's got to do. There's
no such thing as unconditional love. God loves his people as
they are in Christ. And if I'm in Christ, you know
what that means? That means I'm lovable. That means God looks
at me and He's pleased. That means God looks at me and
He sees that which is holy and beautiful and unblameable in
His sight. And that's the way I really am.
That doesn't mean He pretends that I'm that way. If I'm in
Christ, I'm lovely. God loves me. There's no such thing as unconditional
love. If God just loved something evil
unconditionally, without any satisfaction to his justice,
well, that would be God. That would make him like me and
you, a wrong symbol. That's not the God of the Bible.
All of God's love is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now, is that
what the Bible says? Nothing shall separate us. from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Well, is that shutting
people out? Somebody thinks, no, not at all.
It's bringing people in. Come on in. Come on in. This
is for you if you need it. There's nobody that's going to
be saying, well, I wanted to be saved, but God doesn't love
me. No, that's never happened. Anybody who comes to Christ,
God receives. This opens the door of mercy
wide for anyone who needs it. Do you need his sovereign grace? Do you need to be found in Christ?
Now, the love of God that's in Christ Jesus, our Lord, is personal.
It's not some kind of generic love. God said, Jacob, have I
loved? Jacob's. Well, you look at Jacob. I can identify with the man.
But God said, Jacob, have I loved? But Esau have I hated." That's
God's words. God's love is eternal. Behold, Jeremiah 31, 3, behold,
I have loved you with an everlasting love, a love that had no beginning. That smites my heart in two to
think that God has always loved me. He never saw me independently
of Christ. If he did, he couldn't have loved
me. If he ever saw me outside of Christ. But oh, he's loved
me eternally, accepted in the beloved. Behold, I've loved you,
God says, with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness have I drawn thee. God's love is immutable. You
know what that means? That means he can't love you
any more than he does. And that means he can't love
you any less than he does. If he loved more or if he loved
less, that would make him change, wouldn't it? But God's immutable.
He said, I'm the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. God's love gives all that is
required. God so loved the world that he
gave. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? God's love is saving. Ephesians
2, 4, and 5 says, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great
love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ. When Christ was quickened,
I was quickened too, because I was in him. When was this love? Even when we were dead in sins. It's saving love. Now, why was
Paul so persuaded of this? Well, first of all, because God
persuaded him. And that's why I'm saying, Lord,
persuade me. I want to be persuaded just like Paul was. I want you
to be the one to persuade me, because if I persuade myself,
I'll end up losing it. I know that. If somebody else
talks me into it, somebody else will talk me out of it. I want
to be persuaded by God himself. Paul says, I have been persuaded. And let me tell you this, if
God persuades me, I'm persuaded. I want to be persuaded by God.
Oh, my Lord, persuade me. Don't leave me to myself. Now,
you're persuaded like Paul. I'm persuaded like Paul when
we are convinced that this is what the scriptures actually
teach. You know, if you're ever convinced
and if I'm ever convinced that what I'm saying is what the Bible
says, we won't care what anybody else thinks. So and so doesn't
believe this. Who cares? Well, this church
doesn't believe that. You think I care? If I see that
this is what the Bible teaches, I'm plumb satisfied. I'm persuaded. I don't need to hear anything
else. I think of when the rich man
said to Abraham, send Lazarus to warn my brethren. I don't
want him to come to this awful place. And what did Abraham say? They have Moses and the prophets,
let them hear them. What more do you need but the
scriptures? And he said, nay, Father Abraham,
but if one rose from the dead, they'd repent. And Abraham said,
neither will they repent, though if they won't hear Moses and
the prophets, neither will they repent, though one rose from
the dead. Now, all I'm asking you, I'm not even going to ask you
right now if you believe it. I'm asking you, do you see that
this is what God's Word says, the infallible Word of God? I'm persuaded because I believe
this is what I see, not just I believe, I see that this is
what the Bible actually teaches. May God give us grace to bow
to His Word, to believe His Word and to bow to it. Thirdly, I'm
persuaded of this because this is the very nature of God. God
is love. God is love, not ears love and
God loves like that. God himself is love. Now, God is immutable. It's against the nature of God
to stop loving. God cannot cease to love any
more than he can cease to exist. God is love. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. Surely nothing shall
separate us from the love of God because it's the love of
God. He can't love more, he can't love less, he can't change. I'm persuaded. that nothing shall
separate us from the love of God because of the nature of
God's salvation. And what do I mean by that? God's
salvation is a free gift. Now there's two things that we
can derive from the fact that God's salvation is a free gift. And here's the first thing that
we can derive. There's nothing we can do to
earn it. I don't care what you do. There's
nothing you can do to earn this gift. But here's the second thing that's
true about God's salvation being free. There's nothing you can do to
lose it. There's nothing you can do to forfeit it. No sinfulness
of yours, no weakness of yours can cause you to lose God's salvation
because it's a free gift. It was given to you freely. You
know why God saved me? Because he did so freely. Without
a cause in me, he did it for Christ's sake. Totally free. Turn with me for a moment to
Romans chapter 11. God's salvation is free. God's
salvation is by grace. And if we could be separated,
that would mean it's not really by grace. In Romans chapter 11,
verse six, look what Paul says. And if by grace, then it's no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. Now, what that means is salvation
is either all of grace or it's all of works. That's all that
means. Beloved, aren't you thankful
that it's all of grace? And that's why nothing can separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
You see, every aspect of salvation flows from union with Christ
being in him. Every aspect. Now, if God could
cease loving Christ, he'd cease loving me. But he can't cease
loving Christ. Therefore, he can't cease loving
me. We can't be separated from the
love of God because of the intercession of Christ. Can Christ pray for
me and represent me and the Lord turn him down? Is it possible? If Christ mentions my name, if
Christ represents me at the right hand of the Father, is there
any way that I can be separated from the love of God? No. Paul was persuaded because he
had experienced this in his own experience. You know, the Lord
never forsook him. You know, up to this present
time, the Lord's never forsaken me. And because He's never forsaken
me, He never will. That's my experience. That's
the experience of grace. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned
for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes. That
soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never,
no, never, no, never forsake. Now, understand this. The very glory of God is tied
up in the salvation of his people. And if he, if he forsook me,
I'd lose a lot. I'd be in bad trouble if he forsook
me. If he just withdrew his hand off of me for a second, I'd be
in big trouble. I'd lose a lot, but you know
what? He'd lose more. Because his very glory is tied
up in saving somebody like me. Now I'd like us to spend a few
moments considering the things that cannot separate us from
the love of God. which is in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. Back to our text in Romans chapter eight. He said, for I am persuaded that
neither death, what a separation death is. You've
had loved ones die and you've been separated from them. You
don't see them anymore. But you know death, that separation
that takes place, the death of the believer is only going to
usher us into the very presence of Christ. Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints. Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord. Paul said for me to live is Christ
and to die is gain. It's gain. Death is no separation
for the believer. Oh, every one of us have some
fears of death. Somebody says, I'm not afraid
of death at all. Well, I wish I could say that
because I think anytime I think of that, I think, well, what
if I'm not really saved? You know, then, then, then you really get scared
of death. But, but when the Lord gives you the grace to simply
rest in Christ, knowing that he is your assurance before God
and you need nothing else, you're not afraid of death. As long
as you know, the sin question has been taken care of and he's
put away my sin. There's no separation. Actually,
that's what brings us into the very presence of Christ, where
I'm going to see his face, when I'm going to have fellowship
with him. Death, where is thy sting? Grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the
law, but thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. So death can't separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. It actually brings
us into his presence. The next thing he mentioned is
life. Life. The trials of life. There's all
kinds of things in life. There's troubles. There's heartaches,
there's wanderings we may experience. Oh, there's so many things that
happen in a lifetime. But you know, nothing that happens
in life, nothing. You think of all the things that
have happened to you in the last year. Nothing shall separate us in
this life from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. And then next he mentions angels,
principalities, and powers. Now this is speaking of the unseen
world. You know, there really is a being
called Lucifer, the devil, and there are many, many demons. And I don't pretend to know much
about any of this, but I know he's called the accuser of the
brethren, he's called the tempter, he's called the god of this world,
he's called the prince of this world, and he's the sworn enemy
of Jesus Christ the Lord. And he would desire to snatch
any of Christ's people away from him. But you know what? He can't. He's unable. Turn with me for
a moment to John chapter 10. Verse 24. Then came the Jews
round about him. I can just see him surrounding
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Did the Lord ever mince words
with them? Everything he ever said was plain. But they just
didn't like what they heard, so they wanted to hear again.
Tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you
and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. There's no excuse for you to
even ask this question. I do what only God can do. But
you believe not. because you are not of my sheep,
as I said unto you." Now, this is very important. He didn't
say, you're not my sheep because you don't believe. He said, you
don't believe because you're not of my sheep. They're sheep
and they're goats. They're those who believe, they're
those who do not believe. They're those that are his, they're
those that are not. He said in verse 27, my sheep,
hear my voice. And I know them and they follow
me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My father, which gave them me
is greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them
out of my father's hand. I and my father are one." Now
that's the security of the sheep. I'm in his hand. I'm in his father's
hand. And nobody's able to pluck any
of his sheep out of his father's hand. Let's go ahead and read
him back to our text in Romans chapter 8. For I'm persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present. Whatever is going on in your
life right now, name it. Whatever it is, it cannot separate
you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord,
whatever's going on in the present. I don't care what it is. It cannot
separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord, nor things to come. Now, isn't this a blessed thing?
I've got a race to run that's not finished yet. And I've got
things to come. And I'm mighty thankful that
I don't know what they are. But whatever is in my future,
doesn't matter what it is, whatever is in my future, it cannot separate
me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And then he says in verse 39,
nor height, nor any big mountain, nor any big person, whatever
it may be, no height shall be able to separate me from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord, nor depth. You cannot fall so low that he'll
stop loving you. You cannot run yourself out of
the reach of his love. Nothing, no depths shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. And Paul says, just in case I've
left anything out nor any other creature. shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
Now, Paul was persuaded. Paul was convinced. Are you? Am I? Well, there's a persuasion
that that persuasion comes from. And here it is. Turn with me
to 2 Timothy chapter 1. I quoted this at the beginning
of this service. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Now I want
to make this very clear. I've been talking about the love
of God that's in Christ Jesus our Lord. It's only in Christ
that's nowhere else. If I'm not in Christ, I'm not
gonna have it. Now, here's my question. Is that
keeping anybody out of the kingdom of heaven? No. No, it brings people into the
kingdom of heaven, but it doesn't keep anybody out. If you want
mercy, if you want God's favor, If you want to have your sins
forgiven for Christ's sake, if you want to know him, you will. You see anybody that comes to
Christ, he receives. Doesn't matter who you are. Do
you believe that? It's so. Now let's read this
verse of scripture together. Paul says in verse 12, for the
witch cause. because of my preaching, what
he said from verses eight to this point, for the which cause
I also suffer these things. The world is never going to be
a friend of the gospel. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, trusted, and am persuaded that
he is able. Now, hold on just a minute. Do
you have that persuasion? Do you believe that he is able
to save you? Do you believe that? Those blind
men in Matthew chapter 9, they came crying, Jesus, our son of
David, have mercy on us. And somehow they broke their
self into where he was in the house. They followed the voice.
And the Lord asked them this very simple question. Do you believe that I am able
to do this? Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is able to save you with no help from you? Do you believe he's
able to save you with absolutely no contribution from you where
he does it all? Do you believe that? Do you believe
he's able? Let's go on reading back in our
text. I know whom I have believed, 2 Timothy 1.12. I know whom I
have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed unto him. I love the simplicity of this. When I go to the bank, I believe
they're able to keep what I commit to them. I wouldn't put the money
in there if I didn't. Now I realize, even so, humanly
speaking, I know I might end up losing anyway. Banks have
failed. But I believe that the bank is
able to keep my money. And I prove that when I commit
it. I commit it. It's in their safekeeping. I believe that the plane will
get me to the desired destination when I get on. I commit myself
to the plane or the boat or whatever. I commit myself. The money being saved doesn't
have anything to do with my commitment. It has to do with the security
of the bank or the ability of the airplane. Doesn't have anything
to do with my commitment, but there will be no salvation. There will be no revelation of God apart from
me committing, committing my entire salvation to him. Now, if I believe in works in
any way, it's a failure to commit. That's all it is. If I say, well,
I'll put 99% there, but just in case, no, there's no commitment
there. The only way I commit is if I
commit the entire salvation of my soul to him. If he doesn't
do it all, I won't be saved. I commit. Now, what does Paul
say? He says, I know whom. What we
believe is determined by whom we believe. See, he knew who
Christ was. He knew him. I know whom I have
believed. And I am persuaded. I'm convinced
that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him against
that great day of judgment. And I'm persuaded of this. is going to be called, and somebody's
going to answer for me, present and accounted for. He did all
that you required him to do, and he did it perfectly. Because
if Christ did it perfectly, I did. That is all my salvation, and
it's all my desire. Now this was Paul's conclusion
to the great eighth chapter of Romans. I'm persuaded that nothing shall separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now if you don't have this persuasion
May God give you the grace to call on His name to give you
this persuasion. Let's pray together.