A very kind and gracious welcome, George, also. Good to renew fellowship with the friends in Rathfriland. As normally intermittent, when I was in Kilkenny, I often made my way across the mountains, across the Spelga and down into Rathfriland, made sure that the meeting was over in good time so that I could call into Graham's and enjoy an ice cream on the way home. And when I was listening to the children's address and the response of the children, especially the one who was very alert regarding receding hairlines, that has been my experience since I last met with you in this way. It said all good men come out on top. The story is told of a wee boy in church one morning and he was sitting behind a man who was a hairstyle similar to my own. And this man put his finger up, and he scratched a bit here, and then he scratched a bit here, and then he scratched a bit here, and then he scratched a bit here, and the wee boy tapped him on the shoulder. He says, mister, if you get it out onto the open country, I'll clap it with a handbook. So there you are. Let's turn to God's word, and we're going to read some verses from Romans chapter 8. Romans 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. Verse 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worth to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Verse 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. them who are the called according to his purpose. Who shall separate us from these things? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or pearl, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughtered. 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, or 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. This is the word of the Lord, and we give thanks to God for his word. Father, with our Bibles open, we bow our heads and our hearts before you just now. and we pray for the gracious help of God, the Holy Spirit. We often sing, Spirit of God, my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me. Teach us this morning what we do not know. Give us what we do not have. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, oh God, our strength and our redeemer. for Jesus' sake. Amen. When I was a young boy attending the Shanko Church in North Belfast, often an older believer would come along and take me by the elbow and say, tell me, are you glad you're saved? And I wonder this morning if someone were to ask you that question, what would your response be? Are you living in the enjoyment of God's salvation? Or do you ever experience guilt trips, wondering if you are really saved? Whether it's the accusation of the enemy or the judgment of our own hearts, we might find ourselves at times living under a cloud of guilt. And it's in those times that we need to be aware of the biblical evidence that sets us free and to hear the divine announcement. Bible scholars would tell us that the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans is widely regarded as his masterpiece in relation to his other writings. And at the center of this letter lies this great chapter, chapter eight, that we have read from. Some have called it the most heartwarming chapter in all of Scripture, the mountain peak of Paul's writings. And in these 39 verses, the apostle extols the greatness of the gospel and magnifies all that God has accomplished for us in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the Mount Everest of Holy Scripture, and it stands with its towering peaks reaching into heaven itself. It's referred by some Bible commentators as one of the stand-alone chapters in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13, for instance, is a stand-alone chapter. It's the chapter where Paul extols the virtues of love. Hebrews 11 falls into that category, where the writer introduces us to the hallmark of faith. John 17, where we are introduced to the prayer of the Lord, the Lord's Prayer. Many people refer to the Lord's Prayer, which is really the Disciples' Prayer that begins with, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. That's the Disciples' Prayer. Our Lord's Prayer is recorded in John 17, a standalone chapter. And Romans 8 falls into that category. It's an invigorating chapter. A wealthy, worthy, and witty volume of scripture is before us this morning. A great word for days of darkness, days of doubt, days of distress, and even days of dementia. because the Lord can bring to our remembrance truths from this great, inspiring chapter. Think this morning about the comprehensiveness of the chapter. It ranges from Eden to eternity, from the garden to glory. And in this chapter, we have the golden line of divine purpose to help us not to lose our focus. In Romans chapter 8, God is in control. Nothing happens outside his sovereign purposes and his sovereign plan. He is the God who sees and he is the God who knows all things. Think of the certainty of Romans chapter 8. Note the words, no, not, neither, nor. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The sufferings of this world are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us he says i am persuaded i am absolutely sure i am convinced beyond all shadow of doubt that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor power nor height nor depth nor any other thing in creation can separate you and me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And I think there is a great climax in the chapter and it begins with the verse that I want to focus your attention on this morning. What then shall we say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? If God before us, Who can be against us? One writer says, if you and I live within the massive promises of Romans 8, your life will be more solid and stable than Mount Everest. Nothing will blow you over when you're inside the walls of Romans 8. Outside it, there is confusion, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Outside these promises of God, there is nothing but despair. But within these promises, there is complete and sufficient grace. Outside of it, there is nothing but gloom and doom. But once you walk through the open door of Romans chapter 8, you walk into the majestic, unshakable structure of truths that will never be shaken and will never go away. And through these sacred scriptures, there comes stability and depth. There comes freedom and direction. Live in the light of these truths, and you'll not be blown away by any wind that the devil might There's a great confidence that comes to us from the heart of Paul and from the apostles' writing. There is a confidence here that teaches us that a sovereign God governs all our days. Whether those be days of pain, whether they be days of pleasure, a sovereign God provides for our trusting soul a refuge that has no equals. and along with the security of heaven and the power of God in our lives. And it's all in Christ. All in Christ. Not all old hymns are good hymns, not all modern hymns are wrong hymns. And here's a lovely hymn, In Christ Alone, My Hope is fine. That's what Paul is teaching us this morning. That's what Paul is saying to us this morning. And I want for a few moments just to unravel this text within the context in which it is found in Holy Scripture. It's very important we do that. We must not take Scripture out of context because if we take Scripture out of context it becomes a pretext and we can make it say whatever we want it to say. We used to have a little rhyme Bible College and went somewhere like this. Wonderful things in the Bible I see. Some are put there by you and by me. And so we've got to understand scripture from scripture. Listen to what Paul says. What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Notice we need to examine the text. In verse 31 of Romans chapter 8, Paul wasn't saying that there's nobody against us. We do potential converts to the kingdom of God no favors if we suggest the idea that it's an easy thing to be a Christian. The moment we become children of God, God becomes our father, Jesus Christ becomes our friend, and the devil becomes our foe. There's an enemy without and there's an enemy within. Paul wasn't saying that there's nobody against us, but he's setting their opposition in context. These accusers and their accusation need to be understood in the light of this immutable truth that God is for us. That God is for us. Notice in verse 33, he's not saying that nobody will bring a charge. Sometimes our hearts and minds charge us, and our friends as well as our enemies, and of course the devil himself who is the accuser of the brethren. You ever heard the enemy speak into your heart and say, you couldn't possibly be a Christian and say what you've just said? You couldn't possibly be a Christian and do what you've just done? You couldn't possibly be a Christian and think what you've just thought? And Satan speaks to the father and says, how can you declare him or her to be justified? How can you identify that person as one of your children? And the answer that the father gives is not by reminding Satan of our good points and suggesting that our good points far outweigh our bad points, but rather he turns him to the cross of his son. And he says, look at my son. Look at his hands. Look at his feet. Look at his side. The case is closed. What though the accuser roar? of ills that I have done, I know them well and thousands more. Jehovah findeth none. Satan, you cannot raise the charges that are justifiable against them because of what Jesus Christ has done. They are justified not because of what they have done or can do or ever will do. You know, there are many people today and they will attend the house of God and they will hear the message that will say to them, you know, you're not as bad as you could be, and you're not as bad as others are. You're a good fella at the heart of the matter. And all you need to do is to pull up your socks and try a little harder, roll up your sleeves, do a little bit more, and they will go home absolutely frustrated because they will not enjoy peace with God. and if they're not at peace with God, they will not enjoy the peace of God. Through the cross, God pardons those who believe, even though we sin and deserve only condemnation. Listen to what the apostle says when he writes in 2 Corinthians 5, he says, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Robert Murray McShane was a godly Presbyterian minister who ministered the word of God faithfully in Dundee. He went to be with the Lord in his late 20s and he wrote some wonderful hymns. And here's a verse that I've never forgotten from the day I first learned it. I once was a stranger to grace and to God. I knew not my danger and felt not my load, though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, Jehovah saken you. The Lord, my righteousness, was nothing to me. When free grace awoke me by light from on high, and legal fear shook me, I trembled to die. No refuge, no safety, himself could I see. Jehovah saken you was all things to me. We need, beloved, to continually return to this great truth. Here is the foundational truth of the greatest story ever told. If God be for us, who can be against us? But not only do I want to examine the text, I want to explore the text. And I want to explore the text in the light of the big story of the Bible. Sometimes we miss the big picture. What does the Bible teach us about God? What does the Bible teach us about man? I was brought up in the shorter catechism, and you know the first question of that catechism, what is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. And one is the outcome of the other. As we glorify God, so we enjoy God. We will never enjoy God unless we are glorifying God. But you know, the Bible tells us about the fall of man, man's sin, evidenced in putting himself in the place that God deserved. In his self-exalting behavior, the language of his sinful heart contained words like me, my, I did it my way, is his favorite line. But the Bible is not only the story of man putting himself in the place that God deserves, but it's about God putting himself in the place that man deserves. We who deserve to be the recipient of God's wrath have become the recipients of his love. Mercy there was great, and grace was free. The Father has done all this for us in his Son, Jesus Christ. And we have come to Christ, and we have experienced this in salvation. You see, grace is free, but it's not cheap. It is not cheap because it cost God the very darling of his bosom. He came, he died, he was buried, and he rose again. We asked the question this morning, where is Christ now? He's in the presence of the Father in heaven. He was raised physically. He ascended bodily. And in his ascension, God didn't send him nowhere, but he sent him somewhere to the place where he now is. And the physical presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in his exalted position in heaven is crucial for our understanding and our appreciation of God's salvation. Some might say, do these things really matter? Yes, they do. because the Christian's confidence is determined by where we look. If we look within, if we look around, if we look behind, it spells despair, gloom, and doom, and we haven't grasped what we have been reading this morning. Our life this morning is Christ. There is no life in us, we are dead in trespasses and in sin. You remember what the disciples said in response to the Lord's question in the Gospels, will you go also? And Peter says, to whom shall we go? But unto yourself, for you alone have the words of eternal life. Christ is our life this morning. His death is our death. His resurrection is our resurrection. The hymn writer puts it like this, before the throne of God above. I have a strong, a perfect plea. A great high priest whose name is love. Whoever lives and pleads for me. Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive this morning. He is adequate this morning. He's available this morning. He is living in heaven for me. And because he is there, one day I also will be there. The writer to the Hebrews. sets before us the sufficiency and the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews chapter 7, he quotes from Psalm 110, and he reminds his readers that the Lord is at their right hand. Then he directs their attention to the Savior, and he says, Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant. He said the former priests were many in numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But this man, the Lord Jesus, holds his priesthood permanently forever because he continues forever. Therefore, he is able to save to the uttermost. When I was a wee boy in the mission hall that I went to, I used to hear big men testify, rugged men, men who lived very sinful lives. And they would have used this text often, and they said, he's not only able to save to the uttermost, but he's able to save from the gutter most. And that's true, but that's not what the verse is teaching. The verse is teaching that he is able to save completely. He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. You see, in the death of Christ, God has dealt with my sin, past, present, and future. all under the blood, all dealt with through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He can save completely. He doesn't just get me started and then say, well, the rest is up to you. Maybe you're here this morning and you need to be sure of your salvation. You're lacking in true biblical assurance. How can we be sure of our salvation? Well, the answer to that question is not to be found in the first person. It's not because I did this, or I did that, or I did the other thing. Or I read the Bible 10 times a day, or I go to 20 prayer meetings in a week, and that makes sure that I'm saved. The assurance of our salvation is found in the third person, He, Christ. What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, he was raised, he's at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us. When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look, and see him there, who made an end to all my sin. My dear friends, examine the text. Explore the text. And experience the text. Experience the text. You see, the word of God is not just for my mind. It is not just to be stored in my head. But it needs to get into my heart. And I need to experience its wealth and enjoy its worth. In the prophecy of Zechariah, The writer speaks about Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan standing at his right hand. And the Lord speaks to Satan and says, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you. Isn't this not a brand plucked from the burning? And Joshua standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel says to those who are standing before him, remove the filthy garments from him. And then he says, behold, I've taken, he says to Joshua, behold, I've taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments. We live in a world where many people suffer from bullying. Those who are involved in this sort of thing tell us that Bullying is an epidemic. We talk about cyberbullying through the web and through texting and all such like communication. And those who seek to help, those who are the victims of such dreadful behavior tell us that the goal of the bully is to make the other person feel bad about themselves, ashamed, humiliated, and alone. I think it would be true to say this morning that bullies take their cue from the ultimate bully, Satan himself. And in Zechariah 3, the devil ridiculed Israel's high priest, Joshua, and pointed out his filthy sins and his priestly and ministerial failures. But the Lord rebuked Satan. And God removed Joshua's filthy garments and gave him rich clothes and a clean turban. And the Lord treated him as a brand plucked from the burning. My dear friends, in Christ we have a great high priest this morning. who has been touched with all the feelings of our infirmities, tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. We all go through periods of guilt and shame and self-reproach, and we need to heed the affirmation of Holy Scripture and allow the Word of God to saturate our minds and shape our thinking. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. God redeems us from every mistake and silences the taunts of our diabolical evil and wicked bully. We're safe and we're as safe as god can make us. We're safe in his loving care. We're protected in his love. We're kept by his ever sufficient grace. and the lord Jesus pleads for us in heaven this morning. He is our our needs to the throne of grace, and in Him we have pardon and protection and the prospect of an eternal glory. Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace nor wash away the stain, but Christ, the heavenly Lamb, takes all our sins away, a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they. If God be for us, who can be against us? So I want to say this, and with this I close. If God could close the mouths of lions for Daniel, if God could part the Red Sea for Moses, if he could make the sun to stand still for Joshua, if he could open the prison for Peter, if he could put a baby in the arms of Sarah and raise Lazarus from the dead, then he certainly can take care of you and me. Nothing that you and I are facing today is too hard for him. If God be for us, who can be against us? In Christ alone, our hope is found. He is our light, our strength, our song. This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, what fears are still, what striving cease? My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of God, I stand. Wherever this week takes you, whatever experiences you encounter, whatever difficulties confront you, Whatever heartaches affect you, remember this, that God is for us. And if God be for us, who could be against us? We thank God for his word, and we pray that he'll write in all our hearts for his name's sake. We're going to sing about that savior.