Let us turn once again to the Book of Romans, this morning the eighth chapter of the Book of Romans. We have been in this chapter for so long that it may be that you can quote large portions of this passage. I would be delighted if that would be the case. I would like to read just some verses from Romans chapter 8. We are in the concluding part of the Paul has been writing of several subjects with the specific intention of bringing assurance, bringing comfort to the people of God, and he's primarily been concerned with various aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the people of God. I would like us to begin to read in verse 28. Having written about the help of the Spirit in prayer when we are so perplexed that we do not know how to pray, he says in verse 28, And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And whom he foreordained, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we say to these things? And you must appreciate the thrust of that question. What shall we say to these things? God has determined to work everything together for good in his children. God has determined that he will take all the affairs of life and work them for good to those who love God. He says those people were foreknown. Those people were especially thought upon in ways that all the rest of the individuals in the earth were not thought upon. They were especially foreknown. They were especially considered. He goes on to say that those people were not only especially foreknown, and thought upon, but they were foreordained to be made like Christ. And then he goes on to say that these specific people who have been especially thought upon, who have been foreordained to conformity to Christ's image, that they have been called, that they have been given faith and repentance and brought unto Christ, that they will be justified, that they will be glorified. What shall we say to these things? Some people say that's not fair. Some people say it's not fair for God to think only upon some and to foreordain some, and they want to argue with God. Other people say, well, if these things are true, we can't have any knowledge of certainty. We can't have any clear hope that we're Christians, because if only some. Notice that is not at all what Paul says. He does not say it's unfair. Rather, he uses it as a reason to bless and glorify God. And he does not say that as a consequence of these things, we're all left in the lurch, so to speak. No one can really know. He says absolutely the opposite. God is to be praised. We are to have confidence. We are to have comfort. We're to have assurance. What shall we say to these things? And then he says those four things. No adversity can succeed against us. No good will be withheld from us. No charge can be laid against us. And nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The doctrines of grace, the doctrine, the biblical teaching that God alone is sovereign and takes the initiative to save his people ought to lead to triumphalism. It ought to lead to comfort and hope and assurance and jubilation. in the heart of every true child of God. We have considered, verse 31, that no adversary can succeed against us, We have considered, verse 32, that no good will be withheld from us. We have begun to consider, in verses 33 and 34, that no charge can be laid against us. Let us look now at verse 33. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea, rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Let me just take a moment to review. We said that if we are to appreciate this passage, we have to envision a courtroom scene. We have to think of God being the judge, and we have to think of the Christian being at the defense table. And we have to then say, we have to ask this question, who is going to come to the prosecutor's table and make a charge? Who is going to come and make any formal accusation against the Christian who is sitting over here at the defense table? You remember we said last time that there are many who would come. Conscience would come and accuse the Christian of many wrong things. The past would come and accuse the Christian of many wrong things. Even the world would come, our unconverted husbands, our unconverted wives, our unconverted parents would come and hold up to us every inconsistency and make an accusation against us. Satan himself would come and demonstrate successfully that there is sin in the mind and sin in the attitudes and sin in the conduct. There are many possible accusers, but none of them will succeed. No one can successfully lay a charge which leads to condemnation against God's elect. Why is that? Well, we considered the first part of the answer last time. It is because, number one, we are the elect people of God. No one can lay anything against the No one can lay anything to the charge of God's elect. If our standing with God ultimately depended upon our faith or upon our repentance or upon our consistencies, then many accusations could be brought that would destroy our acceptance. But our acceptance ultimately is based upon the sovereign choice of God. We are not Christians because of what we have done. We are Christians because of what God has done, rooted in election. The second reason that no one can adequately, no one can successfully lay a charge against the people of God, and this is the thrust of verse 33, is because it is God that justifies. All these other things and people and powers might bring accusations against us, but none of them are the judge. None of them have the right to pass the sentence. God only has the right and God justifies us. So if He justifies us, it doesn't matter what conscience says. It doesn't matter what the record of the past is. It doesn't matter what religious people say about us. It doesn't matter what the world says about us. If God justifies us, we're safe. So the first part of the answer, how is it that no one can successfully lay a charge against us, is because of the work of God in electing us and justifying us. Now, the second part of the answer is because of the work of Christ. You notice how Paul really brings up the same issue twice. Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? And then he says it can't be because of God. And then he asks almost the same question. Who is he that condemneth? You see, that's almost the same question. Who can lay any charge? And who is he that condemneth? Now, it's not precisely the same question, but it's basically the same idea. So now he moves to the second question. Who can condemn the people of God? Well, no one can. Why not? Now he's not focusing upon what God has done, God the Father. Now he's focusing on what Christ, the work of Christ. No one can condemn the people of God because of what Christ did do in that He died and was raised from the dead, and because of what Christ does do, in that He is presently seated at the right hand of God, and He does make intercessions for us. Now, those four things, it is Christ Jesus that died, yea, rather, that is raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, and whoever lives to make intercession for us, those four things could be expanded upon for hours. I mean, they are the four central aspects of the work of Christ. I would like us to not do that. I would not like us to be diverted into legitimate diversions for many sermons on those four subjects, because the Apostle Paul at this point is not intending to expand on all of them. He states them tersely, quickly, puts them all together, because I think his point is he wants us to feel the cumulative effect of all four of these things. as an answer as to why there can be no condemnation against the people of God. So let us in the one sermon look at the four things and endeavor to sense the force of the culmination that these four things have all been done and are being done by Christ for us and therefore there is no condemnation. Let us look then at these four matters. In the first place, there is no condemnation because it is Christ that died. Now, how can there be any condemnation in the light of the fact that Christ has died? Appreciate again the flow of the argument by the Apostle Paul. Who is he that condemneth? Who would be bold enough? Who is he that would condemn the people of God? It is Christ Jesus that died. You sense something of the amazement of the statement of the juxtaposition. Who could possibly consider bringing a condemning accusation against the people of God when you consider that Christ has died? Now, there are two strands of emphasis upon this statement. One is the obvious, that Christ has died, the emphasis being upon his death. There can be no condemnation because of this death. But the other emphasis, and the primary emphasis of the passage, is not his death. It's the person who died. It's the person. It is Christ that died. The passage doesn't say there can be no condemnation because someone's died for you. It doesn't even say there can be no condemnation because Jesus has died for you. The passage says there can be no condemnation. It is Christ. The emphasis is upon the person. not so much upon the work which that person has done. But you see the double emphasis. No one can condemn us because there's been a death in our place and it has been Christ who has died in our place. So in the first place, we are free from condemnation because Christ has died. And the emphasis upon the last two words has died. Now Paul has dealt with that many times, even in this book. We have dealt with it many times in the series of sermons. It would not be appropriate to go over all of that ground again. But these are the essential matters that you think about when you think about the fact that Christ has died. It is to remember in the first place that all men are sinners. It is to remember in the second place that the penalty for sin for all men is condemnation. The penalty is condemnation. It is death. It is eternal suffering from the presence of God. Our sins, the sins of God's elect, our sins and their penalty have been placed upon the Lord Jesus. And Jesus died in our place. bearing both our sins and their penalty. When he died, he was suffering the death, he was suffering the penalty, he was suffering the wrath of God that was the just punishment for our sins. And now, because of God's justice, we who are sinners but who believe in Jesus, we can never be condemned. The demands of the law have been satisfied, and the justice of God which once required our condemnation, the justice of God now requires that we are free from condemnation. and appreciate the words that I've tried to use. The justice of God, which once required our condemnation, now, because Jesus has borne our sins and borne the penalty for those sins, now the justice of God requires that we be free from condemnation. Look, please, in Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3 and verse 24. being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of sins done aforetime in the forbearance of God, for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season, that he might be himself just and the justifier of him that hath faith in Christ. Jesus' death now makes God just in forgiving sins. Jesus' death now makes God just in allowing us to be free from condemnation. Look, please, in 1 John chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1. Most of us have worn out our Bibles in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9. Notice the context of verse 9 beginning in verse 7, 1 John chapter 1 in verse 7. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous. Or some of the versions say he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Again, appreciate that John is bringing this element of God's justness, of his righteousness, into the idea of his forgiving our sins. God's justice. is the basis for requiring that we are free from condemnation. Let me use an illustration to try and make the point. You go and you're a young person. and you're trying to buy a house, and you go to try and take out a loan to buy your house, and the bank looks at you with skepticism. They're not at all confident that you'd be able to repay such a loan. And so they require of you to have a surety. They require that you have somebody co-sign with you. And so you go to talk to your parents, and your parents are perhaps more gullible than they should be, and they decide that yes, they'll co-sign for this loan. What does that mean? That means you've got the loan, you've got the money, you've got the house, You don't pay, something happens, and they come to you pressing for payment and don't get it from you. What do they do? They go to your parents. They go to your surety. They go to your co-signers. And your parents, because they signed that document, they're responsible for your failure. Now let's assume that this happens. You get the loan. And you blow it. You're not able to make the payments. You get these unpleasant letters. You're not able to make the payments. Pretty soon the bank comes to appreciate that you're just a bad risk and they stop dealing with you. And they go to your parents because the parents are liable for your guilt. And the parents are people of integrity. They take over that obligation, which they committed themselves to. And over the course of time, they pay off your debt. Now, would the bank be just If they had exacted the penalty upon your parents, your parents had paid all the penalties and all the debt, would the bank be just now to come to you and say, okay, your parents have paid the penalty, your parents have paid the debt, now we're going to make you pay the penalty also. We're going to make you pay the debt too. All the fines, all the fees, all the interest penalties, you're going to have to pay them now. You say, absolutely not. The law would not allow that. Justice would require that once the cosigner, once the surety has paid the debt, justice requires that you're free. Justice demands, the law demands that the debt having been paid, you are free from the penalty of that debt. That's precisely the point here. Jesus has become our surety. He has co-signed for our sins and rather than we pay those debts, Jesus himself has paid every iota of the debt of our sins to God's law. He has suffered all the penalties, taken all the punishment, paid all the fines. God's justice requires God now to let us go free. It would be unrighteous. It would be unjust. It would be ungodly. for God having accepted the payment of the Lord Jesus, to now come to us and demand that we make the payment also. God's justice, His inflexible righteousness, which once was the basis of our fear, is now the basis of our hope. Some of you can remember when you first began to understand that God had a law and that God was angry with the wicked every day and that the wrath of God was revealed against sinners. You began to understand that you were a sinner and that God would not flinch, that God would not take pity, that God would not wake up one morning in an especially happy mood and say, well, I'll just blink my eye at this minute. He was inflexible in his righteousness. He would damn you. because of his unflexible righteousness." What a fearful prospect. That very inflexibility, that very justness, that very righteousness is now turned full circle and it's committed to your freedom. God will not flinch in releasing you from condemnation. His justice requires it. Your sins as a Christian will never be so great to make him change his mind. His justice requires it. Christ has paid the full penalty. It will never be exacted upon you. Christ has taken the whole condemnation. It will never be exacted upon you. Who is he that condemns? Christ has died. God's righteousness is committed to your freedom. But appreciate, Appreciate again what I said earlier. The real significance of this phrase in verse 44 is not upon the death. It is upon the person. The real significance is it is Christ that has died. If a man had died, if a mere man had died, you'd be in trouble. If an angel had died, you'd be in trouble. If a bull or goat, such as was the case in the Old Testament, had been sacrificed on your behalf, you'd be in trouble. But it is Christ that has died. There is no question that that death is therefore efficacious. There is no question that the debt has properly been paid. If an animal had died, you'd say, well, the debt wasn't really paid. If a sinful man had died, you'd say, well, he just died for his own sins. If an angel had died, it would have been irrelevant. But Christ having died. Christ, the perfect one who had no reason for death in himself. Christ having died. The argument of the book of Hebrews is Christ having died, your sins are forever put away. And that's the point here. Who can condemn? It's not an angel that died. It's not a man that died. It's not a bull that was sacrificed. It is Christ that died. Therefore, God is satisfied. The sacrifice is effectual. It is totally accepted by God. There is no condemnation because it is Christ that has died. The second part of the argument is that Christ has been raised from the dead. Who shall condemn us? It is Christ that has died? Yea, rather, it is Christ who has been raised from the dead. Now, there are lots of things, of course, that could be said about the resurrection, but ask yourself in this context, specifically this question, what bearing does the resurrection have, I'm sorry, what proof does the resurrection give that we will not enter into condemnation? What proof does the resurrection give that we will not enter into condemnation? Well, again, there is a lot that could be said, but I would like to limit myself to two answers to that question. What proof does the resurrection offer that we will not be condemned? Well, number one, Christ's resurrection is proof that God is finished. punishing our sins. The resurrection is proof that God is finished punishing our sins. This is very closely related to what has already been said. But again let me try to use an illustration. Hopefully some homey illustrations will make these rather profound ideas easily understood to us. Assume that you have a brother And he has disobeyed one of the household rules. One of the household rules, he's in band. He's supposed to practice his trumpet 20 minutes every night. And your brother has disobeyed the rule. And the fruit of that disobedience is that the piece that he's supposed to know how to play very well, he doesn't know how to play very well. So you see your brother fail in this, and you also hear your father say to your brother, son, your punishment is that you must stay in your room and practice this peace until I am satisfied that you know it perfectly. You heard that statement. You heard your dad say that. Your punishment is that you must stay in your room and practice this piece until I'm satisfied that you know it perfectly. Now, you're kind of sobered by that. You kind of laugh at your brother's pickle. But then another couple of hours later, you see your dad and your brother out in the backyard playing softball. Now, the fact that they're out in the backyard playing softball says something, doesn't it? It says your dad is satisfied that he's done it long enough, that he knows the peace well enough, that he is now free from that imposition of discipline. Correct? He gave that imposition. You stay in the room and you practice until I'm satisfied that you know it well enough. But when you see him outside, then you know that dad's satisfied. Dad's satisfied. He was punished. He was punished enough. It's over. That's exactly what is true in reference to the resurrection of Jesus. Why did Jesus die? It's because our sins were laid upon Him. But not merely that. It's because our sins being upon Him, God was determined to punish Him for our sins. And He suffered for three days and for three nights in the depth of the earth and under the punishment of hell. But He's no longer there. He is raised. Now think about this. Think about this. If God is just, If there was any sin that was upon Christ that was not fully paid for, he'd still be in the grave. The punishment of sin is death. And if Jesus was bearing sins, and some of them, one of them, one impious thought of one of you, if it was not fully atoned for, if God was not satisfied that the penalty had been fully paid, he'd still be there. He'd still be suffering. He'd still be paying the penalty. The fact that he's not there is the boldest demonstration to everyone that God is satisfied. God has exacted the penalty. It's over. He's done exacting penalty from Jesus. Jesus is raised. Jesus is free. And that's to be the proof to us there is no condemnation for us. God is done. God is satisfied. God finished punishing our sins on the Lord Jesus Christ. Come back to the context. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died. Yea, rather, that is raised from the dead. Now, appreciate the words, yea, rather. That's not to in any way diminish the importance of Jesus dying. But Paul is saying that the main thing is not Jesus dying. Yea, rather, the main thing is Jesus' resurrection. If he had only died and never been raised, God would not be satisfied. We would still be in trouble. An adequate satisfaction for our sins would not have been made, and we ourselves could go to hell. But he's died. Yea, rather, he's been raised. The proof is there. God is satisfied. Jesus is free. The punishment is over. We'll never suffer condemnation because God is done exacting the penalty of the law for our sins. There's another reason why the resurrection is brought up here by the Apostle Paul to demonstrate that we will never suffer condemnation. And the second reason is because Jesus lives. He will continue to do the work that is necessary to bring us to heaven. It would be wonderful enough If Jesus had simply died for us and been raised to demonstrate that God was finished and then left us to grace, that would be wonderful enough. Who could despise such blessings? But the fact is that that would only be half of what God designed. God designed that Jesus should be raised, and that in the posture of His resurrection, He would do things that would continually keep us from falling away, and He would do things that would continually keep us from coming back under condemnation. And that's the focus of the rest of this verse. So, what are the proofs that we would not fall into condemnation again? Number one, Christ has died. Number two, yea rather, that he is risen from the dead. And now we come to three and four, which are things that he presently does by virtue of his resurrection. And so let us look then at the third argument. Christ is at the right hand of God. Verse 34, it is Christ that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God. Now, in this passage, Paul is using language which emphasizes not merely the resurrection, but emphasizes the place of Jesus' actual presence. Notice Paul doesn't simply say he's raised. He says he's at the right hand of God. Now, that phrase throughout the New Testament and even somewhat in the Old Testament is used to denote a position of highest honor and power and exaltation. And that's Paul's point, not simply to say that Jesus is raised, but that he is at the place of highest power, highest honor and highest exaltation. Follow with me as I just read these verses to you. In Matthew chapter 26 and verse 24, Jesus says to the priest, see the Son of Man seated on the right hand of power. Now, he could have said on the right hand of God, which would have been an appropriate phrase, but the two are synonymous. To be seated at the right hand of God is to be seated at the right hand of power. And Jesus was telling that priest that he would see that happen. The priest would know, would see, that this Jesus Christ himself would one day be seated at the right hand of power, the right hand of God. Acts chapter 2 and verse 33 says, being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, It could be translated being, therefore, at the right hand of God, exalted. The same is in chapter 2, verse 34, that he would sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies the footstool of my feet. Acts chapter 5, verse 31, him did God exalt at his right hand to be a prince and savior. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 20. When he raised Christ from the dead, he sat him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. First Peter chapter 3 and verse 22, who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers. being made subject unto him. The point is that by virtue of the resurrection, Jesus is in a place where there is no greater power than himself. He is at the right hand of God. No authority, no being, no power. will ever be able to outstrip him and bring us into condemnation. Now, again, there are many things that could be said and many things that could be deduced from Jesus being at the right hand of God. Let's not go off on all those alleyways. The point is, Paul is trying to demonstrate we can never come into condemnation. Part of the argument is Jesus is exalted to the highest place of prominence. What does that have to do with our never coming into condemnation? It means no one, no one, no one. No demon, no being, no power, nothing has greater exaltation or authority than the Lord Jesus. He forgives us. He dies for us. He intercedes for us. Nothing is great enough to overcome Him and make Him fail and bring us into condemnation. Even our sins are not great enough to overcome Him. and overwhelm his power and bring us into condemnation. Paul does not emphasize this point in this passage, but I think it's worth noting that when the writer to the Hebrews talks about Jesus being seated, I'm sorry, when the author to the Hebrews speaks about Jesus as our priest being at the right hand of God, the writer to the Hebrews always speaks of it in terms of sitting down and always, what he means by that, is that Jesus is finished. He has done his work on the cross, he's exalted to the right hand of God, and he sits down. And I would like you to look, please, at one of those passages in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. I would like to just read, before we read from chapter 10, I would like to read Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3. This is in reference to Jesus, who being the effulgence of his glory and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. When he had finished making his work of purification, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now look how the writer explains the significance of this sitting down in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's begin to read in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 10. By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest, now here's a contrast made with the Old Testament priests. In the Old Testament, every priest indeed standeth daily, day by day, ministering and offering oft times the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. Here you've got the picture. These Old Testament priests day after day after day after day, year after year, never finished. Always offering sacrifices, always standing, always laboring, always working. But he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God, henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Verse 18, now a remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. You see how the writer is using that statement of Jesus' posture to make a point. Those Old Testament priests were never finished. They're always working, always standing. Jesus, by one sacrifice, forever sanctified all that were in him, and he sat down. Never to stand again in terms of getting up to offer another sacrifice. It's finished. It's over. Forgiveness of sins. There's no more sacrifice to offer when such a sacrifice has been made. Perhaps Paul had that in his mind when he wrote this statement. There is no condemnation, because it is Christ that has died, yea, rather, that is raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God. By implication, seated at the right hand of God, because he's finished. Now, that is not the primary implication of the Apostle Paul. When Stephen was martyred, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, active, ready to intercede if need be. We're not to think of Jesus being passive in the heavens, but when we think of his sacrifice, we're to think of him having done it and sitting down because he was finished forever with sacrifices. Why can there be no condemnation? Now we're back to Romans chapter 8. Why can there be no condemnation for those that are in Christ? Because Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He is enthroned in the place of unrivaled supremacy. None can overwhelm him with condemning threats. We are safe because our representative is in the place of highest power. Now there is a fourth argument that is given as to why we can never be condemned, and that is because Christ makes intercession for us. It says, who is at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us. Now this is an exceedingly large subject, and in keeping with what I said at the beginning, I do not want to go off in many alleyways. I would like for this all to be rather concise and to the point. But this is perhaps the crowning statement of why we are safe. It is because Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. So just three things under this heading. First, the meaning of intercession. The word that is translated intercession simply means to plead, or to ask for, or to pray for. It's the word that we would use if we said that we went, you came to me and you laid a great burden from your soul into my ear, and I went and I besought God for you. That would be interceding for you, praying for you, asking for you, pleading with God for you. In Romans 11, in verse 2, Paul writes of Elijah who pled or pleaded with God. Well, that's the same word as here. He interceded with God. In Romans 8, in verse 26, the word is used in reference to prayers, which the Holy Spirit helps us to utter, which the Holy Spirit in some way is active in their delivery. Clearly reference to prayers. To intercede is to be in that position of pleading for us, of asking for us, or praying for us. It is somewhat similar to the idea expressed in 1 John 2, verse 1, where John says, if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father. We have someone who represents us with the Father. You go out and you commit a sin of deed or of thought. And you come, and you make confession, and you look to God to forgive your sins, and yet your conscience is still raging. You're to remember this. You have a representative. You have an advocate. You have one who at this very moment is standing in the presence of God for you, pleading your case before God. Now there's all kinds of speculation about whether or not this is to be taken literally or not. Some people say it can't be literally taken because that would demean the Lord Jesus. Here He's in this place of highest honor and now you're saying that He's on His knees pleading. That would be demeaning to the Lord Jesus. Other people say it can't be literally true because that would be an evidence that God is not kind or tender or loving toward His Son to put Him in this posture of having to plead. And the people who say that say that this is meant to be figurative, that it's meant to not say that Jesus is literally asking on our behalf. It's meant to say that somehow Jesus is there representing us. I see no reason to not take this word as it is set forth in the Bible. It's not demeaning. Jesus humbled himself to the place of death and is now exalted. And in that posture of exaltation, not a posture of diminishment, but in a posture of might and glory and majesty, he's still carrying on his heart's desire for us. He's still making applications to God. He's still pleading in that sense. He's still praying in that sense for us. So that is the meaning of the word intercession. In the second place, just briefly to appreciate the Old Testament background to this word. So many things about the sacrifice and the redemptive work of Jesus are more clearly understood when we understand the Old Testament pictures. And the Old Testament picture behind this is the following. It's the Day of Atonement. There would be this one day in the year where all the sins of the year would be, by the priest, laid symbolically upon sacrificial animals. The priest would make this sacrifice, and then he would take some of the blood. And the priest now, once a year, the high priest with this ephod on, this These 12 stones with the names of the tribes written upon them. He would go into the Holy of Holies with this blood. The sacrifice took place outside, but it's not finished until that blood is taken from the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies where God is symbolically present and where this blood then is sprinkled upon the horns of the mercy seat. When the priest did that, he did it representing those twelve tribes, and that was the application of the sacrifice that took place outside. Hebrews chapter 9 indicates that Jesus' entrance into heaven, into the presence of God for us, is the fulfillment of that picture. He offered the sacrifice, but that wasn't the whole story. He then, as it were, took his blood into the presence of God, And He lives there forever, making application of that atonement for us. John's point, whenever we sin, whenever we confess our sins, and we go to God for forgiveness, we're to be conscious of this. Whatever accusations conscience might make, whatever accusations the devil might make, whatever accusations a human being might make, we're to be conscious of this. We have an advocate in heaven who is pleading our case. We have an advocate in heaven who is a living, constant reminder to God that propitiation has been made. That's how John says it. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is the propitiation for our sins. There's this ever-present reminder by our lawyer, by our advocate, by our Comforter, I am the propitiation for that man's sins. The third thing that I would want to say about this matter of intercession is just to note the effect of Jesus' intercession. We looked at the meaning, looked at the Old Testament background. Now I'd like you to look at the effect of Jesus' intercessions. Turn to that passage that we used as a call to worship in Hebrews chapter 7. What is the effect of Jesus ever living to make intercessions for us? It says in this passage in verse 25, wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him because or seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them. What is the effect of his intercession? It is that all those who draw near to God through him, all of them, will be saved to the uttermost. He doesn't die. He ever lives to make intercession. What a statement. He ever lives to make intercession. And because of that, because he doesn't die, and because the intercessions are effectual, there's this certain result. He is able to save to the uttermost all those people who draw near to God through him. You know what it means to save to the uttermost? Some of you have heard sermons on this passage. The word is a large, general kind of word. It means to the uttermost in two respects. To the uttermost in terms of degree. He'll save you thoroughly. Thoroughly. There's nobody who's going to become a Christian who's going to be a half-Christian. Everybody who becomes a Christian is going to be thoroughly saved. Thoroughly changed. And it means an extent of time. He'll save you to the uttermost in terms of time. There'll never be a point out there in the future where he'll stop. He'll save you to the end of time. He'll save you to the uttermost in terms of degree and in terms of time. Why? The emphasis here is not because of the efficacy of his death. Now that's true. But the emphasis here is because he continually lives to apply that death. He is constantly laboring on behalf of the people of God. What is the effect of that? They're saved fully in terms of degree and fully in terms of time. There is so much, especially in the book of Hebrews, there is so much emphasis on our need to persevere, on our need to exhort one another and so forth and so on. All the things that we're called upon that we're not, but in this passage, The reason that we persevere is not because we're so diligent, it's not because we receive admonitions, it's not because we repent, it's because Jesus is effective in His intercessions. He does not fail. We'll be saved, fully, in terms of degree and time. Look, please, in Hebrews chapter 4. We're still under this heading of the effect of Jesus' intercession. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14. Having then a great High Priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one that hath been in all points tempted like us we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help us in time of need. Now, the focus of this passage is not the intercession of Jesus, but the focus of this passage is upon the disposition and something of the activity of Jesus as he presently is in heaven for us. The point of this passage is that when we need to pray, we're to remember that we have someone in heaven who represents us to God, who understands us, who is very sympathetic with us. We're given to depression. Jesus understands that without sin. We're given to sorrow, Jesus understands that without sin. We're given to fears, Jesus understands that without sin. The point is that we have this one in the heavens who represents us to God, who really understands us. He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Now the effect of that disposition, being in the heart of one who makes intercessions for us, is that the intercessions which he makes are full of sympathy, the intercessions which he makes are full of understanding, the intercessions which he makes are perfectly suitable to the individual needs that we have. Jesus is not up there in heaven going through a rote list, saying bless the saints, keep them in grace, renew their faith, renew their repentance. Just going through a grocery list of requests for the people of God. Jesus is in the heavens full of sympathy with us as individuals and making intercessions that are according to that sympathy. What an amazing concept that he who is at the right hand of the majesty on high, who controls all the affairs of heaven and earth, is constantly being moved with a sense of the awareness of our infirmities and making intercessions to God on the basis of that awareness. That does not diminish the glory of Christ. That exalts His love and His affection and His commitment to His people. But the point of my coming to this passage is that the effect of this is that we shall receive grace to help us in time of need when we come to God. Because we have this effective priest, because we have one who is raised from the dead, is at the right hand of God, and is effective, we shall receive grace when we go to him. And therefore, the implication of this passage is, therefore, we should hold on. Therefore, we should be bold in our approach. Therefore, we should not let our profession slip, because everything doesn't depend upon us. Everything does depend upon the efficacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The third effect of Jesus' intercession, we won't turn to this passage according to 1 John 2 verses 1-2, the third effect is that we are to have comfort when we sin. Not to comfort us to sin more, but when we do sin and when we confess our sins and seek that pardon, we're to have comfort knowing that Christ is there as our advocate representing us before God. Surely there is none who can condemn us when it is appreciated that Christ Jesus has died and has been raised from the dead and is at the right hand of God and is ever living to make intercessions for us. Who is he that condemneth in the face of that security? There are just a few applications that I would like to make from this passage in the time that we have. They're obvious, let me make them nonetheless. The first is that we who are Christians, perhaps I should not put the qualifier in there, we who are Christians, you who are not Christians can think along these lines also, but we who are Christians must see that our standing with God ultimately depends upon the work of God and Christ. And it does not, our standing with God, does not ultimately depend upon something within ourselves. We must see that. There is no assurance, there is no stability, there is no security unless we come to grips with that. Ultimately, our standing with God does not depend upon something in ourselves. It depends upon the work of God and the work of Christ. If we don't get that straight, we're going to be a mess all the course of our Christian experience. If we believe that our ultimate standing with God depends upon something within ourselves, we are mercilessly thrown to the monster of subjectivity. Some days we'll feel good about ourselves, and some days we'll have prayed, and some days we'll have witnessed, and we'll really be delighted that God loves us so much. Other days, we will not have prayed, and we'll be struggling with our sins, and we'll be ashamed. We'll think, obviously God doesn't accept us. What is that? That is the response of the subjective. It is the practical view that my standing with God does not depend primarily upon what God does. It does not depend primarily upon what Christ does. It does depend primarily upon what I do. It does depend primarily upon the strength of my faith or my repentance or my consistency. No, we must see that. That's the whole argument of this passage. Our assurance is not based, I'm sorry, our standing with God is not based on something within ourselves. When we are in this position of feeling the weight of accusations being laid against us, conscience is rising up. And as I said before, in a sense, conscience is what the Christian deals with the most. Conscience, an awareness of God's law, an awareness that we really have sinned, an awareness that our love really isn't what it should be or that our prayer isn't really what it should be or that something really isn't what it should be, an awareness of that. It's accusing and accusing and condemning and condemning. We must argue with conscience. We must say in the light of these things, who can be against us? We must say in the light of these things, who can lay a charge against us? We are the elect of God. It is God that justifies. What standing does conscience have? It is God that justifies. And we must argue this. Yes, we really did sin. Yes, there's cause to really be ashamed. But it is Christ that has died. An absolutely effectual and adequate sacrifice has died. Yea, rather. He's been raised. It's an evidence that God has done punishing. He is seated at the right hand of God. There's no authority that can overwhelm him. He is committed to my salvation. No authority can shake his commitment. But finally, he is ever living to make intercessions for me. Yes, conscience, yes, you're right. Yes, my sins are real and heinous and I am ashamed of them. Yes, yes, but Jesus has died. Jesus has been raised. Jesus is at the right hand of God and Jesus is making intercessions for me. I have an advocate that is stronger than conscience. I have an advocate that will not be discouraged even by my sins. We must reason with conscience. We must reason on the basis of truths about what God does and Christ does. Not on the basis of how we feel or how successful we are in living in our Christian life. So the first application, we must see that our standing with God ultimately depends on the work of God and of Christ. In the second place, we must remember that our subjective sense of assurance does depend upon our conduct. You appreciate the difference? Our subjective sense of assurance does depend upon our conduct. Our actual standing does not. but our subjective sense does. Use an illustration, you have a child who has been kicked around from one foster home to another foster home, from one orphanage to another orphanage. Some benevolent, loving people come and adopt this child, fill out all the legal forms, pay all the lawyers' fees. It's a real legal adoption. This child is adopted, no question. This child is a member of that family. That's an objective fact. But the signing of those papers and all that objective fact doesn't convince the child. If the child is going to have a subjective awareness of being a son to this family, if the child is going to have a subjective awareness of acceptance, There has to be certain conduct that goes through. They have to show love, and he has to be obedient so that he's opened himself up to larger and larger measures of their affection. There's got to be some conduct that takes place. Now, if he's a bad child and they have to discipline him, the fact that he's really adopted will never change the fact that he's their son. But the fact that he's a bad child getting disciplined all the time is going to make him, it's going to rob him of the awareness. of their love and of their affection and of assurance that he's really accepted in that family. It's very much the same principle with the people of God. God's work and Christ's work are the reason, are the basis for our acceptance with God. Nothing will change that. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. No condemnation can come to us. But we won't be very aware of that We won't sense very much security. We won't be full of the rush of wonder that we are accepted as the children of God unless we're living as obedient children. It's in the context of living as obedient children that all the communications of affection register in our soul. And what is assurance? Assurance is simply the result of the impress of God's acceptance upon our heart. We have to reason with ourselves. In the first place, our acceptance with God does not depend upon something subjective in ourselves. It depends upon the work of God in Christ. But our subjective sense of God's acceptance does depend on our childlike conduct. And if we won't act like children, we'll live with a question mark in our minds as to whether God has really accepted us, even when in fact He has. The third implication of this is that we must not think that such promises are held out to everyone who makes a profession of Christ. We must not think that such promises are held out to everyone who makes a profession of Christ. The Christian Church in America is full of people who have walked aisles and lifted hands and cried and wept and said they're sorry. And they come to passages like this They say, well, I'm a Christian because I've cried and wept and said I'm sorry, never changed anything, never changed my life, etc. But here's this wonderful passage, and here's the pastor saying that our acceptance of God doesn't depend upon our conduct, it depends upon the work of Christ and the work of God. We'll just appreciate there's a context to this passage. It is offered to those, according to Romans chapter 8, this promise is offered to those who are spiritually minded. whose thoughts are upon the things of God, who love the things of God, who love righteousness and hate wickedness. This promise, according to Romans chapter 8, is addressed to those who are putting to death the deeds of the body. Those things that are sinful in their life, a lot of failures, lots of failures, but still the people addressed in this passage are people who are putting those things out, putting them to death with all their soul, endeavoring to be done with the things that displease God. This passage, this promise is held out to people who are not just lip service Christians. This is held out to those who are called, according to that passage, just some verses ahead. Called means they have faith and they have repentance and they're living a life of obedience to Christ. People who are in that context are the recipients of this promise. Everyone who is in that context should take great hope from this promise. But people are not spiritually minded, and people are not trying to put away their sins, and people who do not show evidence of repentance and calling, they ought not take comfort from this passage. There's no reason to believe that Jesus has taken your sins. There's no reason to believe that you yourself will not suffer the wrath of God unless you're so described as this passage describes Christian people. The only confidence and the only hope that you ought to take from this passage is that very sinful people can be forgiven. Very sinful people can be accepted because of what Jesus has done. None of you will be accepted because of what you do. None of you will be accepted because of your good record of church attendance. None of you will be accepted because of the tears when you pray. None of you will be accepted because of your good works or your witness or whatever else, but every one of you can be accepted on the basis of Jesus' death for sinners and on the basis of His prayers for sinners, if you would but repent of your sins and come to Him. No matter what your sins are, no matter how long they have been involved in, no matter how degraded you have become, every one of you can be forgiven and accepted by God Not on the basis of your repentance, but on the basis of Jesus' effective atonement, if you would just come to Him. If you would lay aside all of your efforts and pretenses and thoughts that all make myself worthy, if you just lay them aside and say, Oh God, I am desperately in need of forgiveness. I lay aside every effort to obtain your favor. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. And in the same breath, you say to God, oh God, I am committed to Christ. I hope in Him and give my life up to Him. If that is a sincere statement of the soul, you're a Christian. You'll forever be forgiven and God will continue working within you to make you like His Son. There is hope for everyone if you're in Christ. Amen.