If you would please turn to the book of Romans, and we'll be looking at a portion in chapter 8. But as Brother Adam had indicated, when Paul was writing this, it's a letter, this epistle to the Romans, that he didn't just give them a bunch of one-liners. He gave them a letter And the style in all Paul's writings, some longer than others, his style is he starts with doctrinal things. And we'll look at the doctrinal things here in the book of Romans. And then he moves on to the application of those doctrinal things and then of God toward man, the application of God toward man of those doctrinal things. And then he moves on to how does that change our lives? How does what God has done change our lives? So last week we looked just briefly about the idea or thought of justification and the young men are going to be presenting their assignments on justification after a while. We did a brief overview from chapters 1 to 4, so let's kind of catch it up. We'll just spend a few times looking at some words, what they mean, and catch ourselves up. That way, when we read Romans chapter 8, we'll know exactly who and what and why we are talking about these things. First, the word justification. It's used three times and all three times that word justification is used in the Bible, it's used in the book of Romans. Twice it is used in a way that it means that the act of God declares men free from guilt and acceptable to Him, justified. It also means in that context acquitted. So, if you think of a trial, an examination, and an acquittal means the person is not guilty of the crime that they have been accused of. So, how in the world did we get to justification in the book of Romans? We'll get to that. Also, it could also mean it's translated righteous or deemed by force of law how they ought to be. A non-law breaker. Righteous. In the book of Romans, Paul reminds us in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 that the gospel is the power of God and the salvation. Well, why do we need to be saved? That's a logical question. If I need to be saved, why? Starting in verse 17, Paul declares unto the Romans the sinfulness of all mankind. Every single person is a sinner. That by birth we are guilty before God. He continues in chapter 2 verses 1 through 4. He's cautioning the believers there in Rome not to think too highly of themselves because they were just as sinful as anybody else. There was no difference. They were just as sinful as everybody else, but it was the Lord that saved them. And they still do sin against God. They haven't become sinlessly perfect. In chapter two, verses 10 through 16, he reminds us and the Romans that God is no respecter of persons. And the conscience of man declares man guilty before God. What if somebody's never heard the gospel? How can they be held accountable? Well, the conscience of man, Paul says in Romans chapter two, the conscience of man holds man accountable before God. Chapter two, verses 17 through 29. The Jews held themselves highly because they had the Law of God. And though they could teach others the Law, doing the Law, they were lacking in the true instruction of the Law by faith unto justification. They strained at performing the Law to sin, but they neglected to see that the sacrifice in the Law was actually pointed to Jesus. and that they were all sinners and they all needed that sacrifice. They neglected to see that. So rather than depending on the sacrifice and being given over to it, they were looking at trying to perform the law themselves and not need a sacrifice. That's the danger of much religion today. Trying to put the emphasis on self and trying to perform good and trying to eliminate the need of a sacrifice. Paul actually tells us that those who try to work by the law will be judged by the law, but those who quit themselves in the law and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, they repent and believe on Christ, and not working, they're therefore justified by what Christ has done. Romans chapter 3, he declares all guilty before God. Let's read just a couple verses from Romans chapter 3 as the case builds here. Romans chapter 3, He begins in verse 10, we can start there. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. None righteous. There's none right according to the power or according to the force of law. There's none that are justified of themselves. None, not one, he says. There is none that understand it. There is none that seeketh after God. Well, yeah, God will save you. All you've got to do is choose Him. Well, that's great. Except by that method, none seeks after God. Therefore, none chooses God. Therefore, none can be saved. Right? None. The word none means none. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one, he answers the question. Verse 19, now we know that the things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped or shut up and all the world may become guilty before God. Guilty, that's where we are, guilty. That's where we are outside of Christ, guilty. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified by doing good works No flesh shall be declared free from guilt and acceptable to God. None. None shall be deemed not guilty for the crime for which they have been charged. None of themselves. We could turn and look in the book of Revelation. We won't. That men and women will be judged according to their works out of the books of the things they've done in this life. There's two ways to approach God. With blood. the blood of Christ, justified, and according to the works, according to law, according to self, without the blood of Christ, and that brings death. Paul is painting a grim picture of what happens in death, right? In chapter 4, he begins, he talks about Abram's justification. Look, if you would, in Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 5, what shall we say then that Abraham our father as pertained to the flesh hath found? What happened with Abraham? For if Abraham were justified and he was by works, excuse me, he was not, he was not justified by works, he didn't turn, that's what brother Adam was talking about a few weeks ago. Abraham didn't choose to come out of Ur of the Chaldees, he didn't do that. If he were justified by himself or by his works, he hath whereof to glory. See, I chose God. God, didn't I do a good thing for you? Aren't you so pleased in me that I did something for you? But it says he can't do that before God. If that's how it was done, he can't glory before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God and it was counted, it was reckoned, it was given to his account unto him by God for righteousness. So that belief in itself, you know, if we say that we chose God and God therefore saved us, then that belief itself would be a work that we have performed to merit the grace of God. But even Abraham's belief in God was given to him, it was counted to him, it was reckoned to him, it was put in his account for righteousness, justifying him. In verse 18 of the same chapter it looks like that Abraham hoped against hope, that being dead in the flesh, he was 100 years old, not capable of having children. Logical hope said that their expectation was he was not going to be able to have a child. But he hoped or expected against logical hope or expectation because he expected God was able to do what he said he was able to do. Verses 21 through 24, say that he was persuaded or convinced in the ability of God. And it was imputed, or reckoned, or counted, or passed to his account for him to believe God. Chapter 5, verses 1 through 11, talks about the results of justification. Okay, again, justification. The act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to God. Let's read those few verses, because they are very, very straightforward. Therefore being justified by faith, again, he said faith is reckoned or counted. So if God has justified us or made us not guilty or he has made us by force of law as we ought to be and given faith, and by the way, in the grammar, it actually, there should be a comma there. Therefore being justified, comma, By faith, comma, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see the difference that comma can make. Therefore, being justified, we are justified. By faith, we have peace with God, that faith that is reckoned. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope or expectation of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, or greater expectation. And expectation maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. Well, what's the expectation of the hope? The expectation of the hope is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which gives eternal life to those that he justified, There at Calvary. For when we were yet without strength and due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Who's the we? Let's continue. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man one would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, the same we, and that while we, us, were yet sinners, the same sinful bunch that was declared grievous according to the law, that same sinful bunch in chapter one that was without hope and without faith and lost as we could be and on the first class ticket to hell, that same us that we're just like everybody else in chapter three that we're not seeking after God, we don't do good, we know not God, the whole group, we're still part of that. Us, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more than being now justified by His blood, declared free from guilt and acceptable to God, declared right by force of law, therefore being justified by His blood. Excuse me, I didn't read verse 8. But God committed His love toward us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, much more than, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." So those that Jesus died for, he loved. And those that Jesus died for and he loved, he also justified. And those that he justified and he loved, he also saved them from wrath. Do you see the certainty of what we're talking about here? For if when we were enemies, not looking for God, enemies opposed to We were reconciled to God By the death of his son much more being reconciled We shall be saved by his life And not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we now have received the atonement or the reconciliation What in the world is reconciliation? Before we continue, again, let's read from the book of Proverbs what reconciliation is. It's a very vivid image here of what reconciliation is. Proverbs 11, verse 1. A false balance or a weight against a measure that's not an accurate weight. A false balance. is abomination to the Lord. So again, we see on the balance of my good works, I'll do my bad works, then the Lord will say, yeah, you can come in. That's not how it is. Our bad works have tipped the scale, and anything that we could do on the other side is a false balance. It doesn't tip it. We ourselves are the false balance, and we ourselves, in my flesh, I'm abomination to the Lord. I am a false balance. But guess what? The just weight is His delight. The just weight. The just weight to reconcile, to mathematically say things are square. That's what the blood of Jesus did. In purchasing His people, He reconciled us to God. He made the atonement, the reconciliation. What man could not do according to the law, Christ did at Calvary. In verses 12-21, one of the most twisted portions of the whole Bible talks about what Adam did for sinners and what Christ did for his people. Federal headship, it talks about the representative of a group, okay? A federal headship. So Adam was the federal head of all mankind because Adam sinned, all men and women and died, okay? He was the representative, so in the day that he sinned against God, he surely died bringing death to all mankind. Christ, as the federal head, he represents all those that he died for and rose again for. We read chapter 5, verse 9. Read it again, please. Chapter 5, verse 9. much more than being now justified, made not guilty, acquitted by His blood, we who are justified shall be saved from death, from wrath rather, through Him. So just as much as Adam is the federal head of all mankind, Christ is the federal head of all, yes all, all that He died for. not all mankind, all that he died for. So when Paul is drawing that distinction here, he's drawing that distinction in their likeness and their similitude. Just as much as Adam represented all mankind, Christ represents all that he justified. Chapter six. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Well now that we're justified, and no matter what I do, I'm now justified before God, well that means I can go out and do whatever I want, and I'm still okay, right? Wrong. Again, chapter six, verse one, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, shall we really go for it, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? No, because Christ died for us, it ought to be our delight to serve Him. As he continues making that case in chapter 6, he reads in verse 12, Let not sin therefore reign or rule in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. Don't you be controlled or dominated by the sinfulness that's still in your body. Neither yield or submit or give over ye your members or your body parts as instruments or weapons of unrighteousness unto sin. but yield or submit or give over yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members are instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion or rule over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we're not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield or submit or give over yourselves, brethren, No, no you not, that from where you submit yourselves, no you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, who you give yourselves over to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey. So whoever you submit to, that's who your boss is, right? So if your boss is Christ, if you've been justified, It shouldn't be our desire, if I've been justified, it shouldn't be my desire to serve myself, but to serve Him who justified me, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. So, chapter 7, Paul deals with the struggle of the two natures and he picks up in chapter 7 verse 24. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He says, the things that I want to do, the things that I should do, I don't do them, and the things I shouldn't do, the things that I don't want to do, that's the stuff I end up doing. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Our text now, we begin in chapter 28. As we look into this portion of God's Word, it's critical that we understand the context of the personal pronouns Paul is using. We're still using the we and the us. We're still writing in plain language these pronouns. They're still reading of those that Christ has justified, made guilt-free, acquitted according to the force of the law. And those that are justified free according to the grace of God are those that are free indeed as Jesus has performed it. That's what it says in John chapter 8 verse 36. Whom the Son hath freed he is free indeed. Freedom. Here's some logic. Because these pronouns are not described in the world at large, but every single person without exception, there must be some folks who are not justified. If Christ died for and justified some, there must be some who He didn't die for and didn't justify. And I have no idea who's in either group. I know one person, I know me, and I know Abraham because it talks about him here, and I know some other folks that are listed in God's Word, but I can't know people's hearts. If you're lost here, I don't know if you're part of the elect. I don't know. Freed by the grace of God under the law. We're going to continue reading. We could continue reading in chapter 9. We would find that there are some folks that are fitted or prepared for judgment. Romans chapter 9, verse 22 and 23. We have to know this. Romans chapter 9 verses 22 and 23. What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted or prepared for destruction, fitted to destruction? And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, those He justified. which he had afore or before prepared or fitted unto glory. So God has a people that he has fitted or prepared for glory by justification and there are people that are fitted or prepared for wrath that are not justified. This comes up not that we would brag on ourselves. How could we dare brag on ourselves about any of this? I didn't choose salvation. I was a dead sinner, lost in enmity or opposed to God and seeking to do my own pleasure. And in many ways I still do. That's why Paul said, O wretched man that I am. In many ways he still was looking for his own pleasure rather than seeking after God. Any bragging that we do in this place ought to be done, or anywhere, ought to be done bragging on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He saved us because we were just as those that are fit for destruction, and He has shed mercy upon us in the person of Jesus Christ. May the Lord be pleased to save today for the glory of His name. As we run through here, look in chapter 8 verse 1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. You know what no condemnation means? It's another way of saying that if you're justified, nobody can bring up further charges. Nobody. There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, those that are justified. Verse 28 to our text. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Well, who loves God? As we've indicated, it's those who are justified, okay? Those where there is no condemnation, those who are in Christ Jesus, same group. 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. We could restructure this sentence, taking out the stuff that's about us in the middle and just read the things that are about Him on the outside. It would read like this. And we know that all things work together according to His purpose. Right? All things work together according to His purpose. Y'all studied in Isaiah chapter 46, who can change the purpose of God? Anybody? Anybody change the purpose of God? No. We're talking about the purpose of God here. Specifically, we know that the Lord will have his way. Specifically, we also gather from the text that the purpose of God is this, that all those that Christ died for and justified shall be saved, right? All those that Christ died for and are justified are loved of God. All those that Christ died for and justified, acquitted, made free from the force of law, shall not be separated from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what it says in verse 39. 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. Let's apply some further logic. If Jesus died for everyone, which many make that case, if Jesus died for everyone, then He also must have justified everyone, because His death brought justification for those who died. True or false? True or false? True. So if Jesus died for somebody and He didn't justify them, then scripture is wrong and what He did has no effect. So when Jesus died, He justified them. He took their sins upon Himself and He made them righteous. He justified them according to law, didn't He? So if Jesus died for everyone, Jesus justified everyone. And if Jesus died for everyone and justifying everyone, He also loved everyone. And if He loves everyone, no one shall be able to separate them from the love of God. So if you follow that line of thinking out, Hell must be a scare story and no one's in it. And that man in Luke chapter 16 can't be there because Jesus died for him and he's justified and God loves him. And if that man is being punished after Jesus was punished for his sins, that makes God unjust, doesn't it? You see the error in that thinking. No, Jesus didn't die for everyone. All those that Christ did not die for then will not be justified, they will not be saved, they are not loved of God, and shall forever be separated from the love of God." Now, I don't say this in any point of boasting at all. It should really humble us. It should humble us, because that's exactly where we deserve to be. That's exactly where I deserve to be. Romans again, chapter nine. That's not fair. Verse 20, excuse me, verse 19. Let's go back to 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will, he hardeneth. That will say unto me, that will then say unto me, why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted His will." Well, if all this is going to happen because God made it this way, if I'm a lost person and God, before time, decided who He's going to love and who He was not going to love, how in the world can God hold me guilty when He determined I couldn't believe anyway? Glad you asked. Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Who are you to tell God that He's not right? That's exactly what Paul's dealing with. So the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? Yes, we can stress the fact that one group, one is made to honor, one to dishonor, one is justified, one is not, one is loved, one is not, one is promised great help and security and salvation for eternity in Jesus Christ, and the other is promised to be judged throughout all eternity. But for a brief moment in time, I want you to see in verse 21 the words of the same lump. Of the same lump. Who made the difference? We're all out of that same lump that God had originally taken in our federal head Adam and made a man. We're all of that same lump. What's the difference between Me and Cain. What's the difference between me and Nimrod? What's the difference between me and Pharaoh? Or me and Hitler? Or me and Mao? Or anybody else we want to talk about? What's the difference? God has made the difference. God has made the difference. I can't make the difference. We're all the same lump. And as he said in chapter 3, that same lump, there's none that seeketh after God, there's none that doeth good, no, not one. That same lump, is sinful. We're guilty. We're all that same lump. Thank God that He took some out of that lump and formed them according to His pleasure into vessels of honor, vessels of mercy. What a great God we have. We love God because He first loved us. That's what 1 John chapter 4 says. We continue, verse 29. For whom He did foreknow, Those are also those that we talked about that were justified. For them he did foreknow. That means in foreordination, before time, there was knowledge, not crystal ball, they're going to believe on me so I'll save them kind of stuff. But foreordination declares purpose. It's a declaration of purpose. For them he did foreknow. He did predestinate. He decided beforehand. He declared from eternity. This is a particular act of God. He did predestinate to be conformed or jointly similar to the image of His Son. How in the world can I conform myself to the image of the Son of God? Impossible. It's an impossibility. Being justified, we have been made the righteousness of God and Him. That's 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. We've been made joint heirs. Romans 8, verses 16 and 17. And being joint heirs, 1 John 3 says that we are, behold, we're the sons of God. Look, 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, those that are justified, those that have been saved, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. So there's definitely two distinct groups of people there. Beloved, now, now, right this second, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. What a wondrous thing. We shall be like him, conformed. He's the firstborn, the resurrected unto life. Just as much as Christ is risen from the dead, his people shall be risen from the dead. But look, he continues in verse 30 back in Romans chapter 8, verse 29, and he may be the firstborn among many brethren. Those that He died for, He will raise up again from the dead. That's what John chapter six, verse 44, one of the young men read that this morning or recalled it. Verse 30, moreover, whom He did predestinate, those that He did decide beforehand from predetermination before eternity, this thing that only God could do, moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called. He called out, He gave them a name. They bear the title of the sons of God. They always have, we always have. And whom He called, then He also justified, made free before the law. And whom He justified, then He also glorified. Again, justified, rendered righteous under the law, glorified, brought to honor, made glorious in a position of luster and splendor. That's a past tense word, isn't it? Doesn't it say glorified, like it's already happened? This has obviously not been fulfilled. I am not standing up here glorified. We know that, it's obvious. But in the mind of God, who is eternal, the deal is done. Because Jesus Christ has died for the ungodly, those He died for in the mind of God. When He sees me, He sees His glorified Son. He is a propitiation for my sins. He sees Him. His people are as good as glorified in Christ Himself. We cannot foreknow ourselves. How can we foreknow ourselves? That doesn't make any sense. How can we predestinate ourselves? How can we conform ourselves to the image of God? How can we justify ourselves? How can we glorify ourselves? Truly, the purpose of God and salvation is completely and totally the work of God, and there's no more to do. There's no condition if you'll only believe He will foreknow you and predestinate you and conform you and justify you and glorify you and call you. That's not the condition. The conditions have been met in the work of Jesus Christ. Verse 31 of the same chapter says, what shall we then say to these things if God before us, those Christ died for, who can be against us? We must see this verse in a couple different points of view. First, us. If God is for us, then He has foreknown us, He has predestinated us, He has conformed us, He's called us, He's justified us, and He will glorify us. Then there is no opposition that can be against or reasonably try to overthrow that. Right? Who can do it? If God's done it, who can undo it, is what He's saying. And if Christ died for all and justified all, then all are in this category, none can be overthrown. And we know that's not a reasonable statement. Some of them must have not been foreknown. Matthew chapter 7. There are some people that are not foreknown. Because He doesn't change, He's immutable, He doesn't change. If God has never known somebody, it's not like He's unaware of them. This is talking about an intimate knowledge. So if someone is not known in the context of salvation by God, they will never be known, and they have never been known. It's an eternal decree. Matthew chapter 7 verse 21, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works, works, works, works, no blood of Christ, no justification. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, I didn't foreknow you, I didn't predestinate you, I didn't call you, I didn't conform you, I didn't justify you, I didn't glorify you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity. And if God be against those, who can be for them? That's the other point of view. If God be for us, who can be against us? Well, if God be against you, who can be for you? Who's going to be your defense? Some of the folks here might recognize the names. You can't call Perry Mason. You can't call Ben Matlock. You can't call Gordon, as the billboard would say down here down the road. You can't call these people. If God is against you, who can be for you? But think about this. Verse 32 is one of the scariest verses, most terrifying verses in the whole Bible. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. Again, that us all, you have to remember who Paul's talking to. He's not talking about the federal headship under Adam. Oh yeah, he died for us all. No, he's talking about the federal headship under Christ, those he justified. Not all mankind, all those that Jesus died for, all those that He justified. He that spread not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? I think I messed up a couple words there. He that spread not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? In the case of substitution, that has been made. Remember what substitution is. If we're playing a basketball game and I get tired and someone substitutes, they take my place and I take theirs. They come in and play for me, I go sit on the bench where they were. Substitution. If Christ has substituted for me and paid for my sins, that He paid for my sins, And I don't have to, for God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Substitution. He that spared not his own son. In the case of substitution here, Christ died for the ungodly, justifying them. What could God hold back from them is what he's saying. If God has done this, won't he also give us everything? What would he hold back? What greater thing could God give a sinner than Himself in the person of Jesus Christ at Calvary? What more could we ask? In this life and in the world to come, what more could I possibly ask that God would give His own Son for my case? What could I ask? Also one of the most terrifying verses in the Bible, like I said. Oh, God wouldn't judge a poor sinner. He wouldn't judge poor little Johnny for telling a lie, my sweet little baby. He wouldn't judge him for telling a lie, or stealing a cookie, or disobeying me. He wouldn't do that, or sassing his mother. He wouldn't, oh, I love my child, and God wouldn't disappoint me because in judging my child, he would disappoint me. God wouldn't do that. That's not fair, another man would say. If God the Father, listen carefully, if God the Father would judge His own Son, think about that, if God the Father would judge His own Son, the innocent, the Christ, Jesus, for the case of sinners, how in the world would He not judge the offender? I don't care how sweet you think your kid is, parents. And kids, I don't care how sweet and how loving and how good your parents say you are, if you're outside of Christ, you're guilty. If God would judge Jesus, who was not guilty, to save those who were guilty, what in the world would He do to those who are guilty and outside of Jesus? He's going to give them the full judgment. That's scary, right? Years ago, when Saddam Hussein took over, he called all the government there, and there were people that he had known his whole life, people that were part of his upbringing. And there were people he'd never met before. And he picked some out at random, and he took them out. and killed them all. Everybody he picked at random, he had them killed, right? Well, guess what? That government ran smooth under his control. What he said went. Am I comparing God to Saddam Hussein? No. But I am saying this. That government ran smooth because they saw that if he would not hold back his anger in one place, that his anger was very possible in other places. If God would not hold back His anger toward His own sinless Son, He will not hold back His anger toward the offender. Sinner, this ought to terrify you. Hell is real. Judgment is real. God is real. Repent. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? If Christ has really, really, really justified sinners, then God's elect, those He chose out, those He picked out, His people, who in the world can lay additional charges? This ought to bring some real hope and joy to our hearts, children of God. Because no one can undo the work of justification. No one, once God, once Christ has declared us free under the force of law, No one can lay additional charges. No one can lay additional charges, including my own self. I cannot lay additional charges, including like when the devil went before God in the time of Job to present himself and say, hey, look at that man. No one can lay additional charges. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. You know, there's some folks that would say that you could lose your salvation. Well, they're laying a charge against God's elect. They're trying to. They're not actually doing it. They're trying to lay that charge against God's elect. If God is justified, He's justified. If I'm justified before God, then I'm justified before God according to the work of Christ. Who is He that condemneth? Well, who's the person who sits in the judgment seat next to, or so they think, above God, that keeps adding charges when God is already justified. That's what it says. Who shall anything to the charge of God's likeness God be justified? 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 maketh intercession for us. When you hear the word intercession pertaining to Christ and His work, Think of him as the defense attorney. If in this court, this high court, when Christ brings his blood, has brought his blood before God, and declares us just, justified before God, what prosecutor could bring a case against us when there's that evidence of the blood of Jesus Christ to justify us? That's what he's saying. There's no prosecutor that has a better witness or a better testimony or a better evidence than Jesus who's making intercession for us at the throne of God, is there? Can there be? No. Whom He justified, Him He glorified. He just, justified. If Christ loves a person, If Christ loves a person, look at verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? If Christ loves a person, that person is foreknown, predestinated to be conformed to his image, called, justified, and glorified in the work of Christ. The following verses are read in a moving forward tense. In other words, now that I'm saved, what shall take away these things? But we have to take an eternal position on these things. If someone is foreknown, they've always been foreknown. You can't undo that. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who shall separate that foreknowledge before time, or predestination, or calling, or justification, or glory? Who shall separate us from the love of God? Who shall separate us from the things that work out according to His purpose? Who shall separate us from that? And what have we contributed to the foreknowledge, and the predestination, and the calling, and the justifying, and the glorifying, and the love of God? What have I contributed? What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, shall shaking. So back in ye olden times, they used to have these farm tools called a tribulum. Okay, that's where the word tribulation comes from, a tribulum. So you'd have some of the cereal or the grain or whatever, and it was attached to the stalk. And they'd put it in the triculum and they'd thrash it. That's why in the Bible when you read of threshing floors, that's what a threshing floor is. They have the triculum and they pound it on it. And the force of impact, that shaking and pounding, is supposed to separate the corn or the wheat or whatever from the stalk. So when he says, what shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation, shall shaking or threshing do it? Anything that's grabbing us and shaking us, can that separate us from the love of God? I sure hope not. Because there's a lot of tribulation that goes on in this world. There's a lot of shaking. Many of us have felt like we've been in a tribulum before, I would say. But that won't do it. How about distress? Will distress do it? Calamity? Affliction? I don't know. Read the words of What a Friend We Have in Jesus sometime. That man lost two loves of his life. One to burning, and one to sickness. And that poem, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, was written in the middle of distress. Calamity. Was that man separated from the love of God? It doesn't look like it. What about persecution or hostility or ill-treatment? People come in banging on the doors with guns telling us, shut up, stop this. They burn the place down. Will that stop the love of God? How about famine or scarcity, starving to death, wanting, needing? How about that? No. How about nakedness? Nakedness. Nudity or embarrassment. Stripped down, being stripped down. What about peril? or danger? What about the sword? What about punishment or war? Will that do it? No. Verse 36, as it is written, and look, this is a prophecy that these things would be. Not only are these things possible, but they're also part of the good pleasure of God according to His purpose. Right? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. It was the purpose of God that these things would be. It would be the purpose of God, then, that tribulation would come, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sorrow. That's all God's business. That's God's business if He wants to send that. But He's also saying that stuff will not separate us from the love of God. It will not. Nay, no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Well, who loved us? It says in verse 35, Christ, right? That phrase more than conquerors is interesting, isn't it? What does it mean? It means surpassing victory. The young men were arm wrestling yesterday. When someone won, what could they do more than win? Can you be more than a conqueror in arm wrestling? No. If we're playing basketball and you all beat me, could you do more than beat me? But we are more than conquerors, more than conquerors through Him, Christ, that loved us. Surpassing in victory, vanquishing beyond and gaining a decisive victory. Jesus did it. Oh, the wonder of what He performed at Calvary, that He would take the sinner that deserved that judgment of God and He would justify them. We're more than conquerors. through Jesus Christ, more than conquerors. And it's his victory, not ours, it's his victory. And if he has won a victory at Calvary, that's a victory indeed. Not to be ashamed of. verses 38 and 39, as we draw near here. For all those who are justified, declared not guilty before God, all those that Christ died for and loves according to the Father has given Him, Paul exhausts the human language here in declaring that nothing, no thing, can separate us, those that are justified, from the love of God in Christ the Lord. Let's read them. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, What in the world is there that is outside death or life? Is there anything that's outside death or life? That really sums everything up right there. That nothing, I'm persuaded, neither death nor life, death nor life, nor angels. Why does he mention angels? Aren't angels the highest created power? So the thing that has the most highest created power, anything that's below God, the highest thing that's below God, the angels, well they can't separate it. Nor principalities. The chief or principal rulers of anything. Trump can't do it. Putin can't do it. Obama couldn't do it. nor powers. This one's interesting. Principalities and powers are not the same thing. Powers. Those that have strength, ability, whether by government, the ability to perform those powers, having influence by strength, ability, wealth, resources, armies, or even miracles. Antichrist comes and he starts working these miracles that God has given him power to do. He won't be able to do it. Folks talk about the Illuminati and these secret things. Well, they have power and they have influence, whoever they are. They can't do it. They can't do it. Nothing. Nor are things present. Things now or things to come? Anything that's in the future coming, nothing can do it. Are we leaving anything out? Nor height, elevation, barrier, as far as you want to go? Nor depth? Now depth is interesting. It's not just talking about the extreme deep, like in the sea. It's talking about any hidden place, any extreme hidden place. So you can't go too high or you can't go high far enough that the love of God would not still prevail. Nor any other creature. Creature is actually translated creation. So what's in creation? This is very interesting the more you just consider it. What's in creation? There's only one thing, if you can call Him a thing, who's three persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, that is not created, right? God is not created, everything else is. So when He says, nor any other creature, He's talking about neither any other creation. Nothing outside of God can take us away from the love of God and even God Himself can't do it. So if God can't do it and nothing in creation can do it, what can separate us from the love of God? So anything that is not God, any creation cannot remove us from the love of God and God will not remove us from the love of God or else He is unjust and He's not God because He changes and He said He wouldn't. 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." And when we say in, we must remember that our picture of the tabernacle and of the Ark of the Covenant, you had that wooden box, represents the humanity of God, covered in gold, which represents his deity. You had the sinful elements, the bread, you had the budding rod, and you broke a law inside. And then you put on the mercy seat, the lid, And if we're in Christ Jesus, if we're in His love, then all God sees is His perfect Son. Right? We're in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Who can take us out? Not one. Child of God, thank God for His wondrous grace whereby He has saved us with. Thank God. Sinner, I don't know who's the elect and who's not. Christ died for those that he died for, and he didn't die for those he didn't die for. I don't know who's which. It's not my job to know who's which. To be saved, you must hear the gospel, and you have heard that, that Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth. He died, he suffered, he was buried, and he rose again the third day, and he's still risen. The gospel. He died for sinners and those he died for he justified, made them free from the law. And hearing the gospel, you must believe that. Not for everybody, but you must believe it for yourself. And believing, you would call upon the Lord, begging for mercy, repenting and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's how someone is saved. That's what it says in Romans chapter 10 anyway. So what do we do with these things? Children of God, again, thank God every day more and more and more. Thank God for His grace that He saved us. He made us of that lump that was fit for destruction. He made us in the vessels of mercy. Sinner, what a desperate place. If God the Father would judge His Son, what would He do to you? Well, I would encourage you to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.