Security of the Saints

Well, good evening.

Yes, warm reception. All right, good start. Now, if I trip, then we get going.

All right. So we're going to be in the book of Romans tonight, Romans chapter 8. We're going to go through 28 through 39, but in our initial reading, we're going to read 31 through 36, okay? I chose this section to read, one, because I figured you might fall asleep if I just did 11 verses in a row together, but two, because there's a really interesting set of verses right here, 31 through 35.

I'm sorry, 31 through 35. So if you would stand in honor of the Word of God, we'll read together. All right, Romans 8, starting in verse 31, it says, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 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? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? I wanted to stop there because there are seven questions he asked.

And seven being the number of completeness, I can't think this was an accident. And it's the answers to these questions that give you the opportunity for great security. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for allowing us to be here.

Thank you so much for allowing us to get your word. We pray Lord today that for the Christians in the room that their hearts would leave encouraged that they would leave having a stronger hope in you being ready to live out their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ coming out of them. And God I pray if there's anyone who doesn't know you today that you'd work hard, you'd pull at their heartstrings, you'd make them feel so uncomfortable they could do nothing else but come to you and know who you are. God we pray that you'd be glorified in all that's done. In Christ's name, amen. You may be seated.

Thank you. Now when I was in high school, and I know some of you guys think I might still be but I'm not. My five kids attest to that. When I was in high school we sometimes would have downtime. I was a smart kid which means I did my work really fast and very sloppily and occasionally got things right. But what we would do is when we have downtime we'd do something called doodle wars. And so you would draw an initial figure and then you'd hand it to your friend and your friend would have to draw something to beat it. And it had to either negate it or completely destroy it or something. And we would do this back and forth for probably longer than we should have.

A little bit of work may have been missed due to this process. But there were a couple rules to the game. And one of the number one rules was you can't use God in doodle wars.

Reason being it ends the game. You can't beat him. It's the end.

There's nothing else. Now as silly as that sounds as high school students we recognize something that a lot of people struggle through today. We cannot be stronger than God. Several times in the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to talk to people and love these dear people but many of them had been struggling through this topic. How can they be sure of their salvation?

Are they truly secure in Christ? And so this topic being so prevalent I thought it necessary to interrupt your weekly program of Psalms 119 to address it. And this is what I believe is the most comprehensive passage about the topic in scripture. My desire then is to give you hope to those who need it and entice those to believe that don't yet believe it.

So let's get into it. We're going to start in verse 28 and the first point I want to give you is for the Christian God is accomplishing his plan. For the Christian God is accomplishing his plan. Romans 8 28 through 30 it says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the 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 in context for this passage what you've missed in chapter 8 is he talks about how in Jesus there is now therefore no condemnation for those that are in him. But when we look at that we look around and we wonder why is the world around us in such peril? Why is the world around us groaning for the things that are going wrong? Why are we and ourselves groaning for this world that is not the way it's supposed to be?

Why do we have these trials, these difficulties, these things that are unexplainable in the moment sometimes? And so might I say that the trials and difficulties of life don't negate the fact that God has a plan and is carrying it out. What does it mean to say that all things work together for good? Does it mean that everything that happens is good?

No, not necessarily. But what it does mean is it means God can redeem evil things and use them for good purposes. A great example of this is Genesis 50 verse 20 it says, but as for you, you thought evil against me but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. Now if you're not very familiar with your Old Testament, you've come to the right place. Just kidding. I love the Old Testament.

I've been spending a lot of time in it this past year. But what I would say is really interesting here is this is Joseph speaking and he's speaking to his brothers who sold him into slavery, who were going to kill him, and he said what evil that you did, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. And if God can turn that situation around, what do we have? Just because things are for the good doesn't mean they always feel good either.

I don't know if you guys have ever felt this. No one likes getting in trouble. No one likes going to the principal's office. I always make the joke when I get called into pastor's office that that's where I'm going.

I'm going to the principal's office. But listen to Hebrews 12-11. It says, Now no chastening for the present time seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.

Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Have you ever seen a kid who's had no correction? If we could have just inflicted the smallest amount of pain for just a couple minutes, this kid would have been in an entirely different direction.

Now consistently, not just one time, but if we were faithful in that chastening. Now that chastening is not fun. It's not fun for the kid.

It's not fun for the parent. But it's beneficial to the process. It is ultimately good even if it doesn't feel good in the moment. I want you to see as well that all things work for the good of who. Again, Romans 8 28 says, And we know that all things work together for good. Now most people stop the verse there and they just give this verse to everybody and say, See God's working everything for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now this may be controversial, but I don't think you should apply this verse to all people. I don't think everything that happens to everyone is necessarily good or even has a good ending for them. It applies to Christians, which is what it says, or those who will be Christians in the future. I think it can go both ways. Now normally the Bible focuses on God's love for man, but here it goes both ways as once someone is a Christian, you ought to also love God.

If you don't, we might need to talk. But that's the designation he gives here. He says those who love God. This is the sign of a Christian. The called then according to his purpose doesn't mean that just those who are right now saved, but all who will be saved. Those that are the called according to his purpose. This is a picture of those that are saved now, those that will be. Ephesians 1 5 says, Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. So it ends by saying that we're called according to his purpose, we're called according to his will here, to the pleasure of his will. If you are not a Christian and never will be one, might I suggest this verse is not saying, hey, I know this was terrible what happened to you, but it's going to be okay.

It's only okay if they become Christian. This terrible thing that happened to them, there's no redeeming quality if at the end of everything, even if they find some use for it in this temporal world, to gain something out of it and lose their soul. If there's no eternal life at the end of it, even any temporal gain you get is ultimately meaningless. We are called toward salvation for God's purposes. Why were we made? Revelation 4 11 says, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

We were created for God's pleasure, for his glory, that he would receive the honor. Now if you're a Christian, God has a particular plan for you. There are several examples of this in the scripture. There are people like Jeremiah, who even before he was born, in the womb, God said, I know the plan that I have for you. He talks about having a plan to ordain him, a prophet unto the nations in Jeremiah 1 5. Paul, who he said was separated from his mother's womb. Ephraim, who was picked, who was chosen, he had a particular way he was going to be blessed, and so did Manasseh. And as a matter of fact, Jacob is sitting there, and Jacob is putting his hands, and Joseph says, no, you put your hand on the wrong child. And he said, no, I didn't. God meant for this kid to get this blessing and this kid to get this blessing.

Jacob, you see this happen as well. God had a particular plan for him. And we think just because we're not starting a nation, or just because we're not an apostle, or we're not a prophet necessarily, that maybe that means God didn't have a plan for your life.

And I would say that's not true. Now, before you get to the particular plan that God has for you, you have to follow his well-known, laid-out plan, if that makes sense, the one that the Scripture gives you. And you can find it in the Scripture, and it's what the Scripture's used for.

2 Timothy 3, it says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's profitable for doctrine, for proof, for correction, instruction, righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished into all good works. So it teaches you the way to be.

It teaches you what truth is, teaches you where you're off, how to get right, and how to keep going on the right path. And in that, included in that, is what it says in verse 15, where it says that, you know, there is, in the Scriptures, you've been made wise into salvation. From a child, you've been made wise into salvation in the Scriptures. He's talking to Timothy about his family teaching him the truths that led him to be saved.

And you get that right here. So before you start diving in, saying, what is God's particular plan for my life, maybe start with, am I doing what he's already shown me. If I go looking for something particular and I'm still doing something he very obviously told me I should not be doing, I doubt he's going to reveal it to me quite yet. Now, it'd be very obvious he intends for you to be saved. He intends for you to live a set apart life. But once you get into the particular set, the Bible says that a man's heart divides it his way, but the Lord directed the steps. God may put into you to have certain inclinations, things you like, things he leads you toward, and then he'll start opening and closing doors as you're following his will. And sometimes those doors are not very fun.

We were not always hoping those doors would get closed when they did. But God has a plan, and he is accomplishing it. God has a purpose for every blade of grass, and I think if that's true, he's got a purpose for every person.

Psalm 104 14, it says he calls it the grass to grow for the cattle and the herb for the service of the man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth. Now, God's plans are made and accomplished, okay? For whom he did foreknow, he did also 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, then he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What is his goal for you? Well, his goal for you is to be conformed to the image of his son.

That's what it says. You're supposed to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1 4 talks about the same thing ultimately. It says, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. That's being conformed to that image of Christ. In whom we have obtained an inheritance, verse 11, being predestined according to the purpose of him that worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

See, God made plans and he is accomplishing them. I think Hebrews 6 shows this ever more clearly. You see, in order for people not to argue about whether something's true, we say, I swear it.

It happened, I swear. Well, 6, God ultimately recognizes this and he did it at one point. It says, for men verily swear by the greater, an oath for confirmation to them is the end of all strife, according to Hebrews 6. But it says, wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, that means it doesn't change, confirmed it by an oath, that it by two immutable things, which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is before us.

So I want you to catch this. His counsel doesn't change what his plans are, what he said he's going to do, he will do, and he promised because he can't lie. So now we have a two-fold thing we can grab onto and say, God, you will do it. These plans include salvation, sanctification, glorification. That's great because that means God doesn't lose anyone along the way. God will keep you. Salvation occurs at justification.

Justification, by the way, is a big word. It means God declared you righteous. Imagine a gavel slamming and saying innocent, not guilty, righteous. God declares you righteous. By the time we're glorified, we will have been sanctified. I don't know if you figured this out yet, but you're not perfect yet.

I'm not either, so don't take it just as a jab. I have lots of work to do myself, and really God has to do it for me because I am a mess. But that process in which you change to be looking like the person of Jesus Christ is called sanctification. But something very interesting happens in these verses, and I want you to see it. At the end of verse 30, he says, and whom he justified them he also glorified.

Now, why is this important? Well, the word glorified is something that hasn't happened yet, right? I am not in a glorified body. I'm not in a glorified state. I still struggle with sin.

I'm still seeking to follow the Lord, but I don't do it perfectly, right? Okay. But it's past tense.

Why? Why is it past tense? Well, it's past tense because it's written in the aorist tense. It was made to be past tense. It's not a mistranslation or anything.

It's what it's supposed to be. But it seems that he's talking about a future event. This may be likened to what the Old Testament prophets would do. Some people who study the Old Testament call this the perfect, prophetical tense. What that means is they're saying, what we're telling you is so sure. There is no question at all that it will happen. It's so sure that we're going to put it in the past tense as if God already did it. In other words, if you're saved, he will bring you to glorification.

There is nothing else. It will end that way. And he's already written it in past tense. Just for a fun picture of this, if you're ever interested, Isaiah 53 is written that way. Do you ever think about that? He was wounded for our iniquities. Well, not by the time Isaiah wrote it.

Why is it all past tense? Because God knew for sure what was coming. So, this is great because God knows the struggles that you're going to have along the way. Sometimes we feel the weight of our sin in our Christian lives and we go, God, how do you put up with me?

How do you make it through a day and not just thrust me out the door? But you know what? It's not like he didn't know it to begin with. Listen to Psalm 103 12-14.

As far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us. I feel like we're very familiar with that part. Okay?

Keep going. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame and he remembereth that we are dust. It's not a surprise when we fail.

It's not like, oh no, I thought they would make it and they didn't. God is intentionally changing us. He knows along the way when we are going to miss a step. It's not a surprise to him. You don't have to come to him and say, oh God, you're not going to believe this. I did it again.

Yeah, he knew that. And what's interesting is he's still sitting there saying, come to me. Come to me.

Come. It's also great because it means that one day our sinful struggles will be gone. Praise the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15 54, so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass that which is written saying death is swallowed up in victory. The second thing I want you to see tonight is that for the Christian, God is for you. Not saying for everyone, but for the Christian, God is for you.

I feel like we do the world a disservice sometimes. We tell people just this truncated gospel where we say, look, God is for you and they're like, great, I'm going to stay where I am then. Well, part of that process is God's for you in that he offers you to be different. He offers you to be made right with him. Read Romans 8 31-34 with me.

You don't have to do it out loud or anything, but just follow along. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's effect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is God.

It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again. Who is he that is in the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us? You see, the fact is that the fact that God is for you is assumed in this passage, especially in the first verse. If God be for us, who could be against us? So Christian, God is for you. Understand that.

He's not sitting out there like putting his leg out hoping you trip over it. He's not trying to make your whole life miserable. He's for you. This realization should change how we view everything that comes into our life. Our God who loves us, who sent his son to die for us, who is for us, put this here for a reason.

God who's in control of the universe brought whatever is in your life about for a reason, and that reason is for good, not for bad. Now the follow-up question, who then can be against us? I don't know about you. I would love to feel like no one could stand against me in anything at all times. I would love to feel that way. Sometimes I don't feel that way. Maybe that's you too. Like if I'm walking down a dark alley at night and Rick, where are you Rick? There you are. If he's at the other end of the alley, I'm not thinking who can stand against me. I'm thinking I'm running that way. He will jujitsu me in half.

It'll be great. No, but the problem is that it's still true. If we are doing what God intends for us, then anything that happens is within the will of God, is ultimately for our good, and ultimately it's for us winning. God is for you in all things that come about, but we don't look at it that way.

This is just a side note. You know what would do miracles for your marriage? Be for your spouse.

I don't know if that makes sense on the front end. Love each other. Seek the benefit of the other person. In all that you do and all that you say, do it with a heart to see them be better, and then on the flip side of that, when they bring something to you, assume they're doing it for the sake of seeing you be better. They're not just trying to take a shot at you. They're not just trying to hurt you. They're not just trying to damage you.

If you will be for your spouse and then assume that they are also for you, man, I feel like so many of our marriages would be way better. Anyway, side note, that one's over. Think about it. If God's on my side, who am I afraid of?

Should be no one. This happens several times throughout the Scriptures, and when it does, it's always awesome. If you're familiar with 2 Kings chapter 6, there's Elisha and the Syrians. So the Syrians are coming forth and they're ticked off.

They are mad. Elisha has foiled the plans twice, and the king is like, what is going on? It says, Therefore the heart of the king of Assyria was sore troubled for this thing. And he called his servants and he said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? In other words, which one of you guys is telling the king what we did?

How does he keep figuring us out before we get there? And one of the servants said, None, my lord, but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king that matters the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is that I may send and fetch him. And they told him, saying, Behold, he's in Dothan. I'd have to double check this.

I'm not 100% sure. I'm pretty sure that's where Joseph's brothers were when he said, Oh, you're there in Dothan. Never generally goes well when you go chase someone to Dothan, by the way.

It's probably not a good segue. But therefore sent he thither horses and chariots and a great host. And they came by night and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold, and host and compass the city, both with horses and chariots. And the servant said unto Elisha, He said unto him, Alas, my master, what shall my master, how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not.

They that be for us are more than they that are more than they that be with them. What? Elisha, they have the whole city encircled.

What are you talking about? And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened his eyes and the young man and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. What if we lived life that way? What if we lived life seeing that God is in control. And everything that happens is something either that God allows or God's going to move out of the way. I don't have to be afraid of the army that's encircling me.

I don't have to be afraid of the thing that is holding me down. You saw the picture with David and Goliath in First Samuel 1737. David said, Moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. We don't think this very much. Goliath is more tall than I can jump.

Okay? He's like up there. And if that guy is running at you, if that guy is ready to fight you, if that guy with his person who holds a particular shield in front of him because he's got so much heft in the weapons he's holding that he can't hold a shield to, that's not the guy that you're like, yeah, I could beat that guy. But you know what David recognized? If God's with me, that guy can't stand a chance. But we don't live like God is with us.

I could talk about Hezekiah and Rabshakah as well, but we'll skip it for the sake of time. Then it is proven by the fact that God sent Christ for us. Okay, at first it's assumed that God is for you, but then it gets proven. Verse 32. Romans 8 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? You see, if God wasn't for you, why would he have sent his son? If God wanted you to have just terrible things happen to you for no reason, he could have just let us wallow in our sin and have no hope.

He didn't have to send anyone. As a matter of fact, in the beginning it says, in the day thou eatest of the tree, thou shalt surely die. And you know what happens when it gets to the point where judgment could be brought down, where God could strike them and just be done with it all? What he does is he puts to death an animal, gives them clothes, and puts them out of the garden so that they don't live forever in the state of sin. Because this death that they are now going to endure is also going to be the only way to come back into a fully right relationship with God.

Again, eventually glorification. But it only happens at death. If God wasn't for you, why would he have sent his son? Seeing as how God did send his son, what wouldn't he give you? Now this doesn't mean, I'm not telling you, God wants you healthy, wealthy, and happy. This is not a prosperity gospel.

God's intention is to make you holy. It's an argument from the greater to the lesser. He's saying basically if someone would give you a million dollars, surely they would give you one dollar. What even compares to Christ? What even would you say, oh God gave me Christ but he wouldn't give me that. There's no way I could get, what?

What would you stack against him? There's nothing. What's interesting as well is not only is God for you, not only is it explicitly stated in what he did with his son, but God also isn't charging you. Now I don't mean money, he's not doing that either, but he's not charging you. Romans 8.33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Understand the language here is that of a courtroom.

Who can add a charge? Well the offended party could, but the offended party in sin is who? It's God. More than any way that you sin against another person, when you sin, you have sinned against God. Listen to Psalm 51.4, this is David recounting where he was at when he'd sinned with Bathsheba. He's talking about God and he said, against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Wait a minute, you killed Uriah. God against you only I've sinned? You slept with a woman, probably not at her own will.

She had a baby, the baby dies. Against God only have you sinned? The reason I think it says that is I think the amount of offense is so different when we sin against an infinitely holy God versus when we sin against another sinful human being. So, who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Well, technically God could, but he doesn't.

The government could, I mean, and if we see things, sometimes people won't bring charges forth, but the government will. Well, unfortunately for them, God is also the divine monarch. That means he's also not adding charges. What's even more impressive than this, not only is he not adding charges to your case, he actually declared you righteous. What?

Everything I did? How? Well, Romans 5-1, therefore being justified, declared righteous by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to see as well that only God can condemn you, but instead he's the one who advocates for you.

It's a beautiful thing. Romans 8-34, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. God playing the role of judge does not condemn us. Now Satan comes in and he brings in accusations, but there's good news, we happen to know the judge, and there's good news, our debt is already paid. Revelation 12 talks about this, he's called the accuser of our brethren who's cast down, which accused them before God day and night.

You know, if he could, Satan would try to remove every one of you from the kingdom of God, but what he can't do is stop God's plan, because once you're saved, you will make it to glorification. More specifically, Christ is the judge. John 5-22 says this, says, For the Father judgeth no man, but he commiteth all judgment unto the Son. I think God was preemptively showing this in Psalm 2, he says, Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and ye perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. But blessed are all that put their trust in him. Blessed are those that put their trust in him. Instead of God coming in and condemning you, instead of God bringing judgment against you, the Bible says he intercedes for you in verse 34. I want you to see this, there's four steps here too. Christ died, he's risen again, he's sitting at the right hand of the Father, and he intercedes for you. It's a beautiful thing.

If a three-fold cord is not easily broken, I don't know what those four things are. Hebrews 7-25 says, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Imagine this, God spent from 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, sitting at the right hand of God, is giving intercession for every Christian against probably these wild shots from the devil. And by the way, I bet he's got us on 4K.

I don't know how he got it back then, he had it, I don't know. But the good news is, the debt's paid. We've been forgiven.

There's nothing to bring up. That one's one of mine, as he might say. Number three, for the Christian, nothing can separate you. Verses 35-39 says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am 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. Listen, can bad circumstances remove us from Christ's love? No. And it's an easy mistake to make, and maybe I should say this first, a better way to read that may be, does our current difficulty means God's love has run cold?

No. As a matter of fact, this easy mistake that we make is we see someone who's doing well or who seems to be blessed and we start envying the situation therein. We start seeing them, we're like, oh, God's really blessing them. That's what happened in Psalm 73. This man sitting and he's saying, I try to do what's right and I'm watching the wicked do much better than me, all around me. He's like, it's so frustrating.

And he's upset about it and he said, I about gave up. And then he goes to Psalm 73, 16 and 17 says, for when I thought to know this, it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God and I understood I therein. You see, pastor talked in previous weeks about, say like the rich young ruler who made all this money, who's doing really well, seemingly, and he missed heaven for a couple of dollars. He missed heaven for any amount of dollars. It doesn't matter. You got a zero sum game there. You just lost.

They're infinitely in debt. But nothing can remove us from Christ's love. If we're in difficulty in our life right now, it doesn't mean God doesn't love you. It doesn't mean he's not there caring for you.

Actually, there is a good reason, as we've already talked about, probably for that very thing going on. Remember that the Apostle Paul is the one writing this and he's writing it to people who have been ostracized by family, who are being persecuted, who are being treated unfairly. And Paul says, this doesn't mean God is against you.

This is what his point is. Even if other people aren't right, maybe the Pharisees in your life, those religious elite that don't actually know Jesus, but they like to be snobby and look at how good I am. Maybe it's the evil rulers. Man, life is so much better when we have good rulers. But maybe there's an evil ruler in town and they're making your life hard. Maybe it's just the people acting like pagans.

There's a shirt I've seen some people wear at Walmart. It says, not today, Jesus, and it has like an idol of Satan on it. Even if other people aren't right, even if the world's not right, when there's destruction and turmoil and natural disaster, which all of us would say, it's horrible. You hate to hear about someone losing their life or their possessions or everything in disasters. Even if my life's not right, even if things are hard, even if I'm not enough. But in God, it's all alright.

It's a beautiful thing. Going back to verse 36 and 37, it says, it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. This is actually pulled from Psalm 44, by the way. The context of the Psalm is very interesting. It's assumed that God is allowing harm to come to the Jews, even though they've done nothing wrong.

He said, look, we haven't left you. We're not going after other gods. We aren't sinning in any way that we can find, think, or see. They're like, God, why are these awful things happening? And he gets to the end of it and he says that God must have some greater intention and that he would redeem them by his love. It actually says the word mercies.

It sometimes is translated loving kindness. But God's love, imagine why he put that right here. He pulled from Psalm 44 and says nothing can separate you from God's love, even the difficulty you're in right now. It's actually that we can count on his love that helps get us through those difficult times. You see, God's love doesn't change whether we are dead or alive. Praise the Lord God doesn't change his mind once we're dead. We'd be stuck. Whether you're opposed by spiritual or natural rulers, now or in the future.

Do you see that? He talked about neither things present nor things to come. Well, what if I sinned? Did I lose my salvation?

No, if things present can't end his love for you and things to come can't end his love for you, if you have his love, you're golden. Now that doesn't mean, well then I'm going to go do whatever I want. Because you're just showing that you have no love for God and that his love is not in you. No matter how high, how low, this is an all-encompassing statement that no other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God because God's love for us is in Christ Jesus and the one who died for you, who lives for you, who intercedes for you at the right hand of the Father. See, your salvation is kept because God's love is inseparable from you once you're his. 1 John 4.10, here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Now Christians, here's the application for you. 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then all were dead, and that he died for all, that we should live not henceforth unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. In layman's terms, it is the love that Christ showed you that captures you. It's what makes you realize, I don't want to just live any kind of way.

It's what makes you realize, I want to follow him. It is the goodness of God that bringeth thee to repentance, right? For the non-Christian, by the way, there's not a non-Christian section in here because this is all for the Christian. So I'm going back to earlier in Romans, just very quickly, just in case we have anyone who's not sure, who doesn't know, who says, I'm not a Christian and none of that applies to me. I would love to be loved by God. Great.

Listen to where you are right at the moment and then we'll get you there. Whether you grew up in the context of serving yourself and living it up in sin, some people did that. Romans 1 says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness, ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness. See, the problem isn't people don't know. It's that they hold the truth and unrighteousness.

They refuse to accept it. They refuse to take it by faith. It says, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made. In other words, you know there's a God because you can see the world around you. And the Bible says that because of that, you are without excuse. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

Now let me put this here. This was the pagan world that Paul lived around. This is how they grew up.

This is what it was. They pushed off the true ideas of God and moved into the realm of whatever would satisfy their lusts at the time. Here's where I would say for you, if this describes you, then there is hope.

But the hope isn't in staying where you are. The outworking of things like this may look like this. Romans 1 28-32, even as they did not retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. Being filled with all unrighteousness. I just want you to listen to this list.

Does this fit you? Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, man we're all sunk. Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them.

Now this is the extreme case. These are people that are pulled over to reprobate mind, but they got there by following these things and saying, I don't see God, I don't see God, I'm not going to follow God. If you're in one of those things, the good news is there can be redemption for you. Maybe you grew up in a religious home, you did religious things, you were like the Pharisees, you did what was right, you were taught to do right.

I can't even think of the statement right now. There's some little ditty people make about being a goody two shoes, I guess. Romans 2, 21-24 says, thou therefore, which teacheth another, teacheth thou not thyself. If thou preachest that a man should not steal, dost thou steal? In other words, you who wants to be the judge of all people, what's your life look like? Are you perfect?

Because if not you've got the same problem. Verse 23, thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you as it is written.

Look, if you were living wild, if you were living seemingly decent, you need saved. God will judge sin and everyone has sin, is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. The Bible says the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I'm going to skip Romans 3 for sake of time. Salvation comes only through faith. We read it earlier that we were justified by faith in Romans 5-1. We know that John 3-16, everybody knows, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

You see, this isn't a ticket-punching party. It's not enough to say I believe. Yes, John 3-16 is true but true faith involves repentance and a recognition of Christ as my Lord, my God. There's a reason Jay Vernon McGee said this, I believe in the eternal security of the believer and the internal insecurity of the make-believer. Today if you want to know Christ, if you want to feel the love of God that we talked about, if you want to be made free from the sin that will condemn you, you can be saved. Let not your heart be troubled. If you're in him, he will keep you. Not because of you but because he predetermined to love you, he died so that you could live. Knowing all that you had been and all that you would ever be, he guarantees you that he will make you into the image of Christ and he isn't condemning you and nothing can separate you from his love. Stand with me today, please.