Would you turn back to 1 Samuel,
chapter 17? While you're turning there, tonight
I want to bring a message out of the book of Micah, chapter
7, verses 18 through 20, and I've entitled the message, A
Portrait of God. A Portrait of God. In this passage of Scripture,
Micah tells us what God looks like. And I want to know what
he looks like, don't you? Now, I've entitled this morning's
message, The Five Smooth Stones of David. When David was going out to fight
Goliath, he had no confidence in Saul's armor. Saul tried to
put that armor on him, but he had no confidence in it. You
see, human protection, human means, and human device could
not help him in this battle. So he selected five smooth stones
out of the creek. God the Holy Spirit points out
that they were smooth stones. That tells us something about
their antiquity. They were very old. Years of
water had made them very smooth. Did David think there was any
typical significance to the number five when he picked out five
stones? Why not four? Why not six? You know, I doubt that he realized
that there was any typical significance. He just picked up five stones
to fight the Lord's battle. and to defeat Israel's enemies. But the purpose of these stones
was to teach us that the Lord doesn't save with human means. He doesn't save with a sword.
He doesn't save with a spear. This is the Lord's battle, and
this is the Lord's victory. And the reason for those stones
was to teach us that this battle is the Lord's. In Romans chapter 8, verses 28
through 30, we are given the five stones of salvation. They form a five-link chain,
and then we're given five conclusions that we can draw from these five
stones. Do the five stones of David point
to these five things? I believe they do. I believe
they do. These are what gave David the
victory, and these stones we're going to look at from Romans
8 are what gives us the victory, because Paul concludes that passage
of Scripture by thanking God who's made us more than conquerors,
more than victors. So this has something to do with
the believers' victory in salvation. Now, if there is no connection
between David's five stones and these five links of salvation,
that still does not take away from the truthfulness of what,
with the Lord's help, I'm getting ready to say. And I wish that
everybody in the world could hear this message. I don't believe I could preach
a more important message than this message. The five stones,
the five smooth stones of David. Now would you turn with me to
Romans chapter eight. Verse 31. Paul says, What shall we then
say to these things? Well, here's what we say to these
things. If, if, if God before us Who
can be against us? Now, the first thing I'd like
for us to consider is this word, if. If God be for us, who can be
against us? If is a very important word. If God be for us. It tells us
that He is not for everybody. God's not for everybody. Now,
if He be for us, who can be against us? But He is not for everybody. He has those whom He views as
His enemies. And if God be against you, who
can be for you? If there's something that I would
almost as soon not talk about as anything else, but I got to,
it's the fact that there is a place called hell. And it's a place
of indescribable woe, where God places his enemies. And they're
there forever. Now, I don't want to go to hell.
I don't want you to go to hell. I do not want anybody in this
room to go to hell. I want everybody to be saved
by the grace of God and not face this horrible place. But I know
this. There is a place called hell,
and that's where God's enemies are. And God is not for those
people. Now, isn't that clear? God is
not for those people. If God be for us, who can be against us? Now, who are these people that
He is for? I want to know why I'm one of
them. where they're described in Romans 8, verse 28. Look at
this verse with me. Here are the people who God is
for. 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. Now here are two identifying
marks of those whom God is for. Like I said, I desperately want
to be in this group. The people that God is for. Now
who are the people that God is for? Now here's the first mark. Them that love God. Not those who say they love God. It's easy to say that. As a matter
of fact, if you talk to pretty much anybody, they'll say, well,
sure, I love God. Not those who say they love God, but those
who love God. They love Him as He is revealed
in His Word. To love God is to love the sovereign
God, the One who is in absolute control. To love God is to love
the all-powerful God who has the power to make sure His will
always comes to pass. To love God is to love the just
God who never lets His justice slip by, but is always just,
always right, always perfect. To love God is to love the holy
God who hates and is opposed to all sin and is going to put
it out of existence. And He's going to put those who
commit it into hell. It's to love that God. To love
God is to love the God of grace, the God of hope, the God of love. It's to love God as He's revealed
in His Word. Do you love God? Do you love
God as He's revealed in His Word? If it were in your power, would
you change God in any way to any degree? Now, somebody that
loves God wouldn't change Him if they could. They love Him
as He is, as He's revealed in His Word. Now, here is who God's
for. that person who loves him, and
look at the next description in verse 28, for them who are
be called according to his purpose. Now, Romans 9.11 says the children,
talking about Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose Hear that word? That
the purpose of God, according to election, might stand not
of works, but of him that calleth. 2 Timothy 1.9 says, He saved
us. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace. which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. Now, these are the people that
God is for, the people who are the called according to His purpose. He purposed their salvation. Now, how can I know if I'm one
of these people whom God has called according to His purpose?
Well, if God's called me, this I know, I'm going to be calling.
I'm going to be calling on His name right now. If God's calling
me, I'm going to be calling on Him. Lord, save me! Have mercy
on me. Oh, visit me with thy salvation. Do something for me. That's what
the called do. They call. They call upon the
name of the Lord. Now, I don't have a reason to
even suspect that God is for me unless I love Him, unless
I'm called according to His purpose. Now, I want you to think about
this. If God is for you, If God is for you in all of His attributes,
if His justice demands your salvation, if His sovereignty wills your
salvation, if His power causes your salvation, if God's for
you, if God the Father is for you, you're His child. If God
the Son is for you, He's your Savior. If God the Holy Spirit
is for you, He's called you by His grace. If God is for you,
Who can be against you? Who? Now, let's examine these five
stones that secure our salvation. Now, the us is the people he
describes. What should we say, then, to
these things if God be for us? Who can be against us? Now, do
you love God? I'm not asking you how much. I'm not even asking
you to think about your love, because no doubt you're ashamed
of your love if you love him at all. You don't believe you love
him enough. But do you love him as he is? Are you calling upon
his name right now? And that's the us he's for. Now, look how these people are
described in verse 29. Here are the people who are called
according to his purpose, and here are the five stones of salvation,
and we've got to begin with foreknowledge. For whom he did foreknow. Foreknowledge is not God's foreknowledge
of events before they happen. Although God certainly knows
what will take place. He knows what will happen because
the scripture says he declares the end from the beginning. And
from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying,
my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. Yes, God knows exactly what's
going to take place because it's his will that's taking place.
But that's not what foreknowledge is. Because it does not say what
he foreknow, it says whom he did foreknow. Whom? He said to Jeremiah, before
I formed thee in the belly, before there was any conception, I knew
thee. When Adam knew his wife Eve,
it was an intimate relationship of love. That's what foreknowledge
is. Foreknowledge is for love. When the Lord said to that crowd,
Depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. He knew exactly who they were.
And he knew exactly all the sins that they'd done. But he said,
I never knew you. What that means is, I never loved
you. I never knew you to be mine. Now, this is the foundation of
salvation, God's foreknowledge. Second Timothy 219 says, The
foundation of the Lord stand assured, having this seal, the
Lord knoweth. them that are his. Union, eternal union with the
Lord Jesus Christ. For whom he did foreknow. Now there's the first stone.
Here's the second stone. Back to verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate. Somebody says, do you believe
in predestination? Absolutely. There it is. There
it is. I don't believe in predestination
and you don't believe the Bible. It's that simple. You don't believe
predestination. You do not believe the Bible. You don't believe
in the God of the Bible. You don't know God. That's just
that simple. You can't know God and reject
predestination. For whom he did foreknow, them
he also did predestinate. to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Now, here's the second stone
of salvation. He predestinated. He predetermined
that everybody that he foreknew, they're going to be perfectly
conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. This is God's predetermined
plan for me that must take place because He willed it, because
He purposed it. I'm going to be so perfectly conformed to
the image of Jesus Christ that one of these days, when I'm brought
into glory, I won't even remember what it's like to be a sinner.
I won't have any understanding of sin. I'll be perfectly conformed
to His image. I won't have any guilt. I won't
have any unbelief. I won't have any unclean desires
or sinful desires. I'm going to be just like Jesus
Christ. What a glorious predestinating
purpose. What a glorious end. What I have
to look forward to. I'm not going to be a sinner
anymore. Sin now is beating me down continually. Thank God one
of these days I'll have no consciousness of sin. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, don't you love predestination?
And if God predestinated this, it must take place. God's will
cannot be thwarted as God. If he said Todd Divert is going
to be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, Todd
Divert is going to be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ. It's sure and it's certain. Did God know you'd be here this
morning? Did he? Was he surprised when
you walked in? Of course he knew you would be
here this morning. Now, is there any chance that
you wouldn't have been here? No, he knew you'd be here. And if God predestinated for
you to be just like Jesus Christ, there's no chance that it's not
going to take place. That's God's predestinating purpose. Now, if God be for you in predestination,
if God be for you in foreknowledge, if God be for you in predestination,
who can be against you? Now, here's the third stone,
Romans chapter eight, verse 30. Moreover, Whom he did predestinate, then
he also called. This is the third step. Calling. God's call. God's irresistible
and invincible call that cannot be rejected, that cannot be fought
against. If God calls you, you're coming. That's just all there is to it.
If he calls you, you'll come. When he said, Lazarus, come forth,
what happened? Lazarus, he that was dead, he
that was dead, came forth and nothing could stop it. Now, God,
before you in calling, remember the gifts and the calling of
God are without repentance. God never changes his mind. If
God before you in calling. Who can be against you? Here's
the fourth stone. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called and whom he called. Then he also Justified. Justified. Now, listen real carefully. There was a man in a temple,
and he was beating his breast. And he was so down, he was so
low, he stood afar off, beating on his breast, praying, God,
be merciful to me, the sinner. the worst man to ever live. And you know what the Lord said
about him? He said, I tell you that that man, this man, went
down to his house justified rather than the other. How could
he do that? He did it. He went down to his
house justified. Not merely forgiven, though he
was. Not merely pardoned and cleansed,
though he was. But he went down to his house
without sin. Not guilty. Now, if God says
you're justified, you're justified. Whether I see it or not. Whether
I agree with it or not. It doesn't matter, does it? If
God, Lord said, I say to you, Oh, I love the power of that.
I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather
than the other. You've never done anything wrong.
And you've always done that which is right if you're justified. Here's the fifth stone. Whom he justified, verse 30 of
Romans 8, whom he justified, then he also glorified. And it's very important for us
to notice that it doesn't say whom he justified, then he also
will glorify. He didn't say that, did he? Past
tense. Whom he justified, then he also
glorified. Is Jesus Christ glorified? You
say, yes, he is. So is everybody in here. I'm
already glorified. As he is, is he glorified? Yes. So are we in this world. Now, there are the five stones
of salvation, a golden link chain. If you take away one of these.
Remember, the strength of the chain is its weakest link. Are
there any weak links in this chain? Not a one. Not a one. This is God's salvation. The five stones of David. foreknowledge, predestination,
calling, justification, and glorification. If God be for us in these five
things, then here are five rock-solid conclusions we can draw from
this. Now, perhaps these stones, I
like to think about them, I like to think about them as being
kind of flat stones. I mean, if you think of them going through
the giant's head, they were flat. They had a top and they had a
bottom. I believe on the top we have foreknowledge, predestination,
Calling, justification, glorification. And on the bottom, we have the
conclusions of these things. Now, here they are. If God be
for me, who can be against me? If he's for me in these things,
who can be against me? Nothing to be intimidated by. If God is for me, nothing can
be against me. I don't care what the circumstances
are. You know circumstances can get bad, can't they? Things can
appear bleak. Things can appear even hopeless.
I mean, things can be bad. Life can be tough. Life can be
tough. And if you don't know now, you've
got times ahead that are going to prove to you life's rough.
Trials, problems. But if God is for me, None of
these circumstances, whatever they are, can be against me. As a matter of fact, they're
working together for my good. If God is for me, the law can't
be against me. Law's for me. I'm not afraid
of God's holy law. I stand before it. I stand before
it. And it's going to look me over
and say, not guilty. If God is for me, The devil can't
be against me. Oh, he can intend to be against
me, but there's nothing good about it, because he's God's
devil on God's chain. And everything he does is working on God's purpose.
And everything he does against me will end up being for my good
and God's glory. If God's for me, men can't be
against me. The Lord's my helper. I will
not fear what man can do unto me. But here's what I like the
best. You know what I fear most? You
know, I said, if God be for us, who can be against us? Nothing
to be afraid of. You know who I'm afraid of the
most? me. If there's a way to mess
this thing up, I'll do it. I know I will. But I don't even have to fear
me. Because if God's for me, I can't even be against myself.
Isn't that great? If God be for us, there's nothing
to be intimidated by. Who can be against me? Verse 32. 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. There is absolutely nothing that
can prevent God. I hope the Lord gives us the
grace to suck the joy out of this. There is absolutely nothing
that can prevent God. Nothing! that can prevent God
from freely giving us all things. But he's so sinful. He's so unworthy. I'm so weak. I'm so foolish. I'm so easily
led astray. I so easily give in to temptation,
and yet I'm so proud, and I'm so self-righteous, and I'm so
selfish, and I'm so weak, and I'm so stupid. You're going to
tell me that there's nothing that can prevent God from freely
giving me all things in spite of all that? Nothing. Nothing. How shall He not freely give
us all things? He spared not His Son. Now, what
could prevent him from freely giving us all things? Nothing. No prevention. Verse 33, Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. I was talking to someone who
was in a court recently, and he said the prosecuting attorney
was ruthless. Ruthless, he said, I've never
seen anything so ruthless in all my life. But beloved, if
God's for you, There is no prosecution. Because there is nothing to prosecute
you for. Lamb? Got any charges? Nope. What about Satan? He's got to
keep his mouth shut. He's called the accuser of the
brethren, but he doesn't have anything to accuse them of. Isn't
that great? What about my own heart? No,
God justified me. God justified me. I find satisfaction
if it's all God's work. If it had anything to do with
me, I couldn't find any rest. I couldn't find any peace. I
couldn't have any satisfaction in that. But the fact that God
justified me. Nothing can be laid to my charge. No prosecution. Verse 34, Who is he that condemneth? You
know, I love the courage Paul uses. I mean, he's daring anybody
condemn me. Who is he that can condemn me?
Come on, bring it on. Here's the only answer I need.
It's Christ that died. That's it. It's Christ that died. yea, rather than risen again,
God accepted what he did and everybody he did it for, who's
even at the right hand of God, highly exalted his will being
done, who also maketh intercession for us. He's right now seated
at the right hand of the Father, representing me, showing the
Father his hands and his feet and his side. Who can condemn
me? Law's got nothing to say. Devil's
got nothing to say. Any other witnesses? Somebody
said, I heard him make a pact with the devil. I heard it. A wicked man. I saw what he did. I heard it. Well, Christ will
still say he never belonged to the devil. That pact is null
and void. It's dis-annulled. He's always
been mine. Who is he that condemneth? What about your own conscience?
You know what? My conscience is satisfied with
this. It's Christ that died. I love
what the Lord said to that woman who was taken in adultery in
the very act. Woman, where are those thine
accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? No
man, Lord, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. My conscience is satisfied with
one thing, the death, the burial, the resurrection, the ascension
and the intercession of Christ. Now, that's enough to save me. I need no other argument. And
then here's the fifth rock solid conclusion, verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? You know, the Lord said, As the
Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Think of that. As the Father hath loved me. How does the Father love Him?
Well, we can't even describe it, can we? That's it. As the Father hath loved me,
even so have I loved you. Now, who can separate me from
that love? No separation. Shall tribulation? Oh, my, we're
going to have trials. I don't want to know what they
are, do you? You've got trials ahead of you that if you knew
what they were, you'd go ahead and kill yourself probably. I
mean, that's how severe this is. I'm thankful the Lord doesn't
let us know what's ahead, aren't you? But it's not going to separate
you from the love of Christ. You've got distresses. Oh, pressing
stress. But it's not going to separate
you from the love of Christ. He says persecutions or famine.
or nakedness, or peril, or sword, 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, everything I named, we
are more than conquerors. You know, you've seen an athletic
event where the teams were pretty much evenly matched and one just
barely made it and barely won. You wouldn't even say that team's
better than the other one. It just happened that way. Well,
this victory's not like this. This is an overwhelming victory. There's more than conquers. Through him that loved us, for
I'm persuaded, I'm convinced, that neither death nor life nor
angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, and here's my favorite
part of this, nor any other creature. Now, I'm a creature, and like
I said, what I fear is me messing this thing up by my sin, by my
weakness, by, oh, but he says, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. Now, if God be for us in foreknowledge,
in predestination, in calling, in justification, In glorification
as the five stones of David. Who can be against us? No intimidation. No prevention. No prosecution. No condemnation. And no separation. Now, David comes running at that
giant. And he hurled the stone and it
smashed through his skull into his brain and he fell down dead. This is the victory. The stone. The stones of David. Let's pray together.