My text tonight will be taken
from Romans 8, verse 31. Here is the question, which is
answered by four questions. And the question is, verse 31,
what shall we then say to these things? Now, I've heard a lot of preaching,
good preaching, from this text. And when the preacher talks about
these things, he goes back to verse 29 and 30 and talks about
God's for the nation, God's predestinating purposes, and God's calling and
justification and glorification of the elect. But that's not
the these things that verse 31 is referring to. If you want to see what the question's
all about, go back to verse 28. Now stay with me, and we'll pick
up something that'll be able not to make us just theologically
sound, but that shall give us some rest and peace and joy and
hope in our souls concerning everyday living. Talk to me,
preacher, about where I am. Talk to me about the things in
which I am at the present time involved. Make the message personal
if you want to communicate with me. And that's right. And what's
going to happen tonight if God the Holy Spirit takes the message
and applies it to your heart, you're going to have a stronger
place for your feet this coming week as you walk through this
world and a little more joy and Happiness in your heart a little
more comfort and rest and a stronger hope now verse 28 says this look
at it and we know that all things all things Work together for
good. We're not talking about temporal
good or present good or Some things aren't good in themselves
You never could say really that a that an extreme sickness is
good and that anybody enjoys it A person who's sick doesn't
enjoy it, and those who are waiting for either the light or for death,
they don't enjoy it. And a failure is not enjoyable,
and a disappointment in someone is not enjoyable. It's not what
you call good presently, but we're not talking about the present.
We're not living for the present. Like Abraham, we're looking for
a city whose builder and maker is God. when our Lord Jesus told
his disciples that they would cast them out of the synagogue,
and cast their name out as evil, and they would be persecuted
and hated of all men, and even those who killed them would think
they're doing God a service. He didn't add, and you'll enjoy
all that, and you'll rejoice in all that. No, he said rejoice
and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
You're looking for a city. So all things are working, have
worked, are working, and will work together in unity and unison
for your eternal good. For your eternal good. For your
ultimate good. That's what he's saying. And
by all things is meant. By all things is meant all things. That's what he means, all things. So when we talk about all things,
where do we start? We start where all things started,
with God the Father. All things live and move and
have their being in Him. So if we're going to consider
all things, we start with Him, and we say the Father in all
His purposes and perfections and promises and providence.
All things, we're talking about the Father. We're talking about
the Son in His eternal suretyship, in His covenant mercies, in His
redemptive work, in His present intercession. We're talking about
the Holy Spirit in His person and work, in His regenerating
power, in His call, in His sealing, in His teaching ministry. The
Holy Spirit. All things. We know that all
things, not the big things or the greater things or the more
important things, All things work together, are working together
for the eternal ultimate good of everyone who loves Christ,
who is the called according to his purposes. All angels, good
and bad. Now they're all things, created
and uncreated things. Angels, good and bad, all authority. Whether it be devils, demons,
magistrates, kings or kingdoms. All things. He means all things
when he says all religions, true and false. Prophets, true and
false. Preachers, teachers, true and
false. All things, all things. I know that all things work together
for my ultimate eternal good. All trials and testings, all
temptations, all good and bad days and months and years and
even hours and minutes, all peace and prosperity, all failures
and losses, all sicknesses and sorrows, even death. All things
work together for good to them who love God. All things work
together in harmony, unity, unison, accord. Why? because God has
control over all things, and He's the one who works them together,
and He's the one who has put them together, and He is the
one who makes them work together for my good. According to His
design and His purpose, He's all-wise and almighty and all-powerful,
and He works them together to fulfill one purpose, my good. Now look at the next two verses,
far, they begin with a far, you see? And when a verse begins
with a f-o-r, see what it's there for. It's describing the preceding
statement, the verse he just written. We know, this we know.
I know, Paul said, that all things in heaven and earth, all things
in the seas and deep places, all things, created and uncreated,
all things, Present past and future all things are working
together for my ultimate eternal good because Whom God foreknew,
God predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, and
whom He predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, He called,
and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified, He glorified. That's the reason all things
are working together for my glorification. It's because God decreed it,
and determined it, and God Almighty is promoting it. And then He comes to the verse,
Now what shall we say to these things? And he's not talking,
Cecil, about God's foreknowledge and God's predestination and
God's calling and God's justification because those things aren't open
to my comments or opinion. What difference does it make
what I think about God's foreknowledge and God's predestination and
God's purpose and God's calling and God's eternal decrees? All
I can do is say, so be it. That's all I can say. They're
not open for discussion. They're not open for your opinions.
God has not laid his eternal purposes and providences out
here and said, what do you think of it? What difference does it
make what I think of it? But it does matter what I think of
these things. It does matter how I react to
trial. Now that does matter. It does
matter how I react to God's providence and God's purpose. Israel found
out that when they murmured against the light bread, and against
the manna, and against the water, and against the trip through
the desert, they found out it matters what you think about
these things. What shall we say to these things? The question
looks back here to this statement in verse 28, and we know that
all things work together, are working together, are working
in harmony and unison for my eternal ultimate glory, my eternal
ultimate conformity to the image of Christ, my eternal ultimate
happiness. All things. The eternal Godhead,
all angels, all demons, devils, principalities and powers, the
law, the holy justice of God, all religious leaders, good and
bad, my own trials and temptations and the trials of others, all
peace and prosperity, sickness and sorrow, even death, judgment
and hell, All are working together in the divine purpose of God
for my eternal good. Now what shall we say to these
things? What shall we say to these things? And it's answered
with four questions. Here's what Paul says. He says,
well, if God be for us, who can be against us? That's the first
answer. If God be for me in redemption,
If God be for me in regeneration, if God be for me in substitution,
if God be for me in sanctification, if God be for me in preservation,
if God be for me in perseverance, who can be against me? Well,
first of all, the Father cannot be against me because it's the
Father who chose me. And the Son cannot be against
me because He's the one who loved me and died for me. And the Holy
Spirit cannot be against me because he's the one who called me. And
the elect angels cannot be against me because are they not ministering
spirits sent to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation. And Satan cannot be against me
because my Lord has defeated him and crushed his government
and his power. Now is the prince of this world
cast out. And the world cannot be against
me because he said, I have overcome this world. So when the question
is asked, well, what shall we say to these things that God
in his purpose and God in his providence brings to pass? Well,
I say to these things, if God be for me in an everlasting covenant
of mercy, if God be for me in the cross of Calvary, if God
be for me in the divine call of His Spirit, if God be for
me in the intercession of His Son and the atonement of His
great high priest, if God be for me, who can be against me? Whoever reigns, whoever is in
throne, whoever is in power, whoever is in control, I will
not panic because who can be against me? And then the second
question that Deals with this is verse 33. He says, what shall
we say to these things? Well, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Now, God's elect, who are they?
They're the people he's talking about in verse 28, 29, and 30.
God has an elect whom he has chosen. God has an elect for
whom Christ died. God has an elect. And Paul said,
I endure all things for the elect's sake. This man, Paul, was the
most maligned, mistreated, misquoted, misunderstood preacher who ever
lived. He was beaten. He was cast into
prison. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked.
He was hated even of those who claimed to love Christ. And yet
he said, I endure all these things. I'm not ashamed. But I endure
all these things for the elect's sake." God has a people given
to Christ, and God's going to call those people, and He's going
to call them through the preaching of the gospel. And they're going
to hear that preaching, and hear that word, and they're going
to follow Christ. And Paul said, whatever I'm called
upon to endure, to take the gospel to those people, I endure it
for their sake. Turn with me, if you will, to
Matthew 24. Here in Matthew 24, our Lord
talks about His elect. He talks about them, first of
all, in verse 22 of Matthew 24. Look at it. In verse 22 of Matthew
24, He's talking about these days of tribulation upon the
earth, great sorrow and anguish. Some of these things, these all
things, have fallen upon this earth. the judgment of God, the
wrath of God. These things have come to pass
on this earth. And he says in verse 22 of Matthew
24, except those days shall be shortened, there shall no flesh
be saved. That's how great the tribulation
shall be. But for the elect's sake, those
days shall be shortened. For whose sake? The sake of God's
elect. Then verse 24, there shall arise
false Christs and false prophets, and they shall show great signs
and wonders and miracles, insomuch, if it were possible, they would
deceive the very elect. But the elect can't be deceived.
They won't be deceived. But that's who he's talking about.
Look at verse, now verse 31. Verse 31, and he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together, his elect, from the four winds, one end of heaven
to the other. Yes, God's got an elect. He foreknew
them. He predetermined that every one
of them would be like Christ. In time, He called them, and
those whom He called by the blood of His Son, He justified. And
all whom He knew and predestinated and called and justified, they're
going to be like Christ. Not one of them is lost. Christ
said, all that my Father giveth me shall come to me. and him
that cometh to me, I'll in no wise cast out." He said, I came
down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him that
sent me. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I'll lose nothing
but raise it up at that last day. There's going to be plenty
of room in heaven, but there's not going to be any vacancies.
Every chair has been spoken for. Every place at the table has
a name. No, Moses, you don't know Him, but He knows you. He
knows you. And in His purpose and in His
time, He'll call you. God's going to have His own.
He's going to have His elect. And He says here in verse 33,
Who shall lay anything to their charge? Now, here's the question.
Are they not chargeable? Are they not chargeable with
anything? Are we not chargeable? Yes, and now wait a minute. We're
not saying that the elect are not chargeable. We're charged
with Adam's transgression. In Adam all died. We're charged
not only with Adam's transgression, we're charged with our own inbred
sin. There's enough evil in the heart
of the best Christian living. There's enough evil to kindle
the fires of another hell. Did you know that? That's right.
It's there. If God just left you alone, if
he just left you to yourself, if God just lifted his restraining
hand, can you imagine what you'd be? If God just left you to your
own understanding, to your own naked passions, to your own evil
desires, if God just left you, just departed from you for one
day, do you know what you'd be? Just turned you loose to your
temper, to your vengeance, to your own evil flesh and nature. Just lifted his restraining hand.
The evil's there. Are we not chargeable? Are we
not chargeable for our many transgressions? Are we not chargeable for not
loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, body, and strength?
Do you love God that way? I don't. I wish I did. Are we
not chargeable when it says to love your neighbors yourself
and we don't do it? God says, a man, you got two coats and
your brother doesn't have one and next day he still doesn't
have one, you still have two. We're not chargeable with that?
Why, of course we are. But all these charges avail nothing.
You know why? Because God has justified us.
You see that question there, it says, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? God did the justifying. To be
justified means to be without sin, means to be holy. And you
know how we became justified? How did God justify us? He sent
Christ down here to this earth as a man. And my representative,
my Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Federal Head, my Covenant
Head, he did love God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength.
He did love his neighbor as himself. He loved his enemies and died
for them. He did give everything he had
away. He did heal the sick and raise
the dead and give sight to the blind. He did pray for his enemies. While he died on that cross,
he said, Father, forgive them. They know not what to do. Yes,
he did. He loved his neighbors himself,
and he loved God with all his heart, and he fulfilled the law.
And the justice, the holy justice of God was satisfied in the death
of his son. That's the reason I say to these
things, even who can lay anything to my charge? Even God the Father
cannot lay anything to my charge. Because Christ has satisfied
the Father's law and justice and righteousness and holiness. No one can lay anything to my
charge. They can come from the four winds, they can bring their
accusations. But their accusations have all
been answered by Christ. I love that story Roland Hill
told. He said, Roland Hill said he dreamed one
night that he died. There's a lot of fiction in this,
but dreams always have a lot of fiction. You can't put any,
please don't ever, you can't put any stock in dreams. Do not
ever do anything because you dreamed it. Do not put any confidence
in any kind of voices, visions, or dreams. God speaks through
his word, by spirit. But anyway, Roland Hill dreamed
that he died, and he dreamed that judgment, that the day of
judgment had dawned, and all the nations gathered before God. Millions, multiplied millions
of people. There were people from every
age and generation and dispensation, and there he was among them.
He felt satisfied and comfortable, really without fear. He was sitting
there and God was judging men according to their sins, according
to their works, as he said in his word that he would do. The
book shall be opened and every man shall be judged according
to the things written in the book, whether their deeds be
good or evil. And they were calling names and
he was amusing himself, sitting there. He heard different names
called, not really greatly concerned or interested in what was going
on. And he said, suddenly, like a clasp of thunder, the voice
came from the throne of God, Rowan Hill. And he said, everything got quiet.
And I sat there and I thought, that's my name. calling me to
judgment. And he tried to stand up and
he couldn't. He didn't have the strength even to stand. The voice
came again, Rowan Hill! And he said, my whole, my whole
hope vanished. My foundation was swept away.
I'd been a preacher, I'd believed in Christ, I'd rested in Christ,
I'd hoped in Christ. I thought the sins were gone,
the judgment was taken care of. I died in hope. And he said in
a moment, as the quietness prevailed in his dream, he heard a voice
say, here. And he said, my heart began to
pound. There's another rolling hill. There's another rolling
hill. I'm not condemned. There's another one. And he said,
I got up to see who it was. And he said, I looked right in
the face of the Lord Jesus. And the master stood there before
the father's throne, and he said, I'm Roland Hill. And father,
all of the debts are satisfied, and all of them are paid, all
of them are taken care of. You see, Roland Hill, as Roland
Hill, I lived a perfect life. The law can lay nothing to my
child. And Father, I died under full judgment and full penalty
of all his sins, so as Roland Hill, the justice of God, can
lay nothing to my charge." Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect if Christ bore their sins, huh? And he said,
I walked in the glory on the merits of his son. That's the
gospel. And that's your only hope. Now
you can sit this one out. I'm telling you, if you just
memorize all your doctrine and theology and walk up and down
the aisle and accept Jesus as your Savior and quit your meanness
and do this, that, and the other and get all fixed up and get
your name on the roll and follow some preacher and hope you'll
come out all right in the end, you won't make it. You won't
make it. Christ is the only hope. He's
the only foundation. If you don't have Christ, if
He's not your refuge, your hope, your strength, your wisdom, your
righteousness, your sanctification, your holiness, your everything,
well, I'd seek the Lord. I'd find out who He is and what
He did. Here's the third question. Who
is He that condemneth? Verse 34. Who is He that... What
shall I say to these things? Whatever comes. I don't care
what comes. I don't care what charges are leveled. It doesn't
matter whether it's a good day or a bad day, whether the capitalists
or the communists reign in this world. I hope the communists
don't, don't misunderstand me, but who cares? As far as my eternal
redemption is concerned, it's not going to have one effect
on it. Now, sir, I'd be a lot comfortable
here if God leaves things like they are, but it's not going
to have any effect on what's coming up. That's one thing to hear an innocent
man cry out against condemnation and say, who can condemn me?
Christ could do that. He could say, which of you charges
me with sin? Which of you convinces me of
sin? Which of you condemns me of sin? I can't say that. And
here stands one called Paul, Saul of Tarsus, who, according
to his own admission, was a blasphemer, was injurious, was a persecutor,
and here he is saying, who can condemn me? Boy, I tell you, who can condemn
me? What do you say to these things?
What do you say to tribulation, temptation, testing, trial? What
do you say to demons? What do you say to angels, good
and bad? What do you say to the awesome Holy God? What do you
say to all of these things? Paul says, I say, who can condemn
me? Well, Paul, what's the basis
of your claims? Well, it's got four pillars,
my claim, and here it is. Christ died. for my sins he also
rose again and he ascended to heaven and when he ascended when
he arose it said God accepted his sacrifice when he ascended
it says God accepted his person and when he sat down he began
to call my name and plead my cause and he entered into heaven
and he took possession in my name Who is he that condemneth? Now let me tell you something.
Don't misunderstand me. But I'm telling you the truth.
And these are mysteries which kings and prophets have desired
to enter into. Your eyes have seen things that
men have desired to see through generations. Mysteries. I'm already
in Christ, seated in the heavenlies. Already there. Now when you get
a hold of that, when you get a grip on that, When you, you know, how stable
you are here depends upon how firmly the stake is driven to
that to which you hold. You follow me? In other words,
if a fellow, if a, here's Niagara River and there's Niagara Falls,
there's two fellows out there, and you throw one of them aboard,
a big board, a strong board, a board that it would hold any
man's weight, but it's not anchored to anything. And he may stay
afloat holding on to that board. He may have a good time for another
hundred feet, but he's going over. But if I drive a stake
in the ground here, into the rock and tie a firm cable on
it and throw that other man into the cable, he may be thrown around
out there in the waves for a good while, His salvation depends
on that stake driven right there. And boy, the Lord may put me
through a cyclone down here, but I'm anchored up yonder. You
see, that's where I'm anchored. That's where I'm holding on to
Him who is seated, who's established, who's settled, who's entered
in, who's already taken possession for me. And it really doesn't
matter what the wind does to me down here. It doesn't matter
whether I bob in the water or stay on top or float on a cloud
or what happens to me, all things, it just doesn't make any difference
because I'm anchored within the veil. You see what I'm saying? Who can condemn me? Who can trouble
me? Who can upset me? Who can do
anything to change the design and purpose of God? Christ died. Who is also risen again? Who is even seated at the right
hand of God? Who makes intercession for me? You see that? Now what shall
we say to these things? That's what I'm saying. And you'll
encounter them tomorrow. If somebody troubling your business,
somebody causing difficulty, somebody making your days unhappy
and your nights sleepless, you have trouble in your home, your
children are breaking your heart, you feel sometimes like you're
walking with God and other times like God's clean forgot you,
that's where I'm living. I don't know about you, but that's
where I'm living. I need an anchor within the veil. I know these things are working
together for my good. I know that a sovereign God,
because He foreknew me and predetermined that I'd be like Christ, and
He called me. I know He called me. I heard
His voice. And I know He's justified me because Christ died for me,
and I know He's going to glorify me. All right, what shall I say
to these things? To these things that I butt my
head against, and these things that worry within me, and these
things that crowding upon me from without, and these things,
old age, sickness, pain, anguish, disappointment. I tell you what
I say to them, God be for me, who can be against me? Blow in,
blow. If God be for me, I say this,
who can lay anything to my charge, huh? I say this to these things,
who can condemn me? And then the last thing I say
to these things is verse 35, who can separate me from his
love? Shall tribulation, distress,
persecution, famine, nakedness, peril of sword, no. Death can separate me from this
body. Death can separate me from the
world. Let's turn a little bit at verse
38. I'm persuaded neither death,
death can separate me from my possessions, from my family,
from this world, but not from my Lord and His love. Life, I'm
persuaded neither death nor life. Life, my life may be filled with
cares and burdens and temptations. I know this though, He'll never
suffer me to be tried above that which I can bear. He promised. He's the only one who knows what
I can bear. I like that story, a man came
to Spurgeon one time, one of his leaders, and he said, Pastor,
he said, I'm worried, I'm concerned, I just don't believe, Pastor,
that I've got dying grace. I don't want to bring reproach
on my Lord, and I just don't believe I've got dying grace.
I don't believe I can die graciously. Spurgeon looked at him, wise
man that he was, and he said, my brother, said, are you dying?
Well, he said, no. Well, he said, you don't need
dying grace. God gives grace for the need. You know, he taught
us to pray. Now listen to this. He didn't
teach me to pray for grace for next year and next month. He
said, give me this day my daily bread. Our biggest trouble, our
biggest problem, What causes us depression and despair and
heartache is we either live in the future or live in the past.
And that's where all the problems come. We look at the past and
feel guilt. We look at the future and feel
fear. If we just live right now, now you think where you are right
now. God's given you his word. God's given you your precious
loved ones and God's given you knowledge of Christ. God's given
you friends that love you. God's given you a fellowship
with the Savior. Now, what's your problem? Well,
two years ago, there you go, see, it don't matter what happened
two years ago, that's under the blood. Our Lord doesn't mention
it. Why do you keep bringing it up?
Well, I tell you, preacher, I'm just afraid that I'm afraid I'm
not going to be able to hold out. Well, let's just wait and
see. You know, you're holding on now, aren't you? Well, the
same God who gives you the grace for today will give you grace
for tomorrow. But I'm afraid if I encounter, I'm just worried
about what's going to happen, you know. Well, the future's
in his hands. That's right. He says, I'm persuaded, death,
life, angels, good and bad, principalities, powers, those in authority. I don't know whether I can cope
with my boss much longer. Let God cope with him. Rulers
of nations, rulers of religion, authority in this world, nor
things present, nor things to come. Whatever the future holds,
He holds the future. I like that song, I Don't Know
About Tomorrow. It may bring me poverty, but
the one who feeds the sparrow is the one who stands by me.
In the path that be my portion, be it through the flame or flood,
He's promised to go with me, and I'm covered with His blood.
Listen, he goes on, nor height, that's heaven, nor depth, that
is hell, nor, Paul says, if I've forgotten anybody, nor any other
creature can separate me from the love of God. That's what
I say to these things. Those are the things right there.
You see the tribulation starting at verse 35. Tribulation, distress,
persecution, death, life, angels, principality, those are the things.
All these things work together for good to them that love God.
Now what shall we say to these things? Well, I'll tell you what
I say. If God be for me, who can be against me? Who can lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Who is he that condemned
me? Christ died, is buried, risen
again. Who is even at the right hand
of God who intercedes for me? And who's going to separate me
from the love of God which is in Christ my Lord? You can separate
me from the church, you can separate me from religion, you can separate
me from the world, my family and everything, but not from
Christ. Not from Christ. Our Father in heaven, thank you
for every promise of your word. And every promise is fulfilled
in Christ our Lord. We make no claim of anything
of our own, in us or without us, or about us. Our only claim is Christ loved
us and gave himself for us. But that's sufficient. That's
sufficient. That's all that we need. We're
complete in Him. He is our life. And when Christ
who is our life shall appear, then shall we appear with Him
in glory. We're just as confident and sure
that we have our blessings and our mercies because we're in
Christ, we're accepted in the beloved. Now seal this in the
heart of every believer and give us that rest and peace and comfort
that is ours because he bought it for us, he purchased it for
us, and he wills for us to have it. In his name we pray, amen.