To the book of Romans. There's a couple of different color Bibles before you, the black one is a bit larger print edition, which is. The one I would grab as it has an easier print size to read, we will. Read this morning from Romans chapter eight. As we conclude our series of studies on what is called the five points of Calvinism this morning, looking at the perseverance of the saints. And it is clearly, I think, a doctrine taught and repeated throughout Scripture. And just like so many other doctrines, it's one of those that can be misunderstood and misconstrued. to say that, well, once you're a Christian, it doesn't matter. In fact, I sometimes hear people use the terminology of once saved, always saved, as if if you've ever made a profession of faith in Christ, you're fine. Don't worry about it. But that's not the Christian gospel. In fact, I wrote a little statement that I'm convinced that the preaching of the gospel is required not only for our conversion, but also for our perseverance in the faith. And one of my brothers in the ministry, he simply just quoted and referenced one of the articles of the Canons of Dort. Here, I thought I was being original, but there it's stated just as plain as grass that God has appointed the ministry of the Gospel, the reading, the meditation of the Scriptures as the means by which we are converted and which God graciously bestows upon us to preserve us in the same gospel. So turn with me Romans chapter eight. I have in the bulletin verse 18. I decided to include from verse 12. And the reason why is that that paragraph just preceding where we want to get to states the nature of the Christian law. You know, if you live according to the flesh, you're going to die. Two plus two equals four. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The doctrine of the preservation or the perseverance of the saints does not contradict verses like these. So let's begin at verse 12. Hear the word of God. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we might also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains to gather until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies, For we were saved in this hope. But hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we ought to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now he who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Brothers and sisters in Christ, As we consider this teaching of the Word of God, and in particular, as this teaching intersects with this passage and these verses in the Word of God, I think we ought all to be humbled and heartened as we're reminded that the God of all grace, the God of all comfort, has in fact supplied all that we need. And of course, as we look at these things, as we try to understand, you know, why would the church go through all this work and effort to leave this enduring testimony? negatively against the remonstrants, Jacob Arminius and his followers, why they would seek to clarify and understand the teachings of Scripture and summarize them in the canons of Dort, or what we call the five points of Calvinism. Well, I think the chief, and I think I've mentioned this before, the overarching reason is that we might all understand and never forget That we are all saved only by the grace of God. That God saves sinners is the chief teaching. And if we get that right, if we understand that what God is doing in the creation and the unfolding redemptive plan of salvation from the beginning, is, in fact, to populate the world to come with a chosen, a special people, then we are having a right understanding of what is the outworking of the gospel of His grace. And so it is, as we understand, you know, we talk about bilateral discussions with other nations as we try to bring peace, or unilateral, where it's from one side. Well, in the case of redemption, if God didn't choose to give life, if God didn't choose to indwell and to gather and preserve a people for himself, we wouldn't be here. And that's why we talk about what is the natural state of man, of depravity, Well, we're dead in sin. Dead men don't decide for Christ. We speak of His unconditional election that He loved us from the beginning. Why did He do that? We don't know. But that He did is revealed. And if we're brought to faith, if we see the work of His Spirit and salvation in our lives, we say, well, look what God has done and is doing. And we saw that this grace is irresistible. What did Jesus say back in John 6? No man can come to the Father. No man can come to the Father unless the Father draws him. That's the spiritual explanation for our coming to faith. And of course, even today as we talk about the preservation of the saints, What is the end of it all? Well, it's that we might have proper regard, proper appreciation for the God who loved us, the God who saved us, the God who called us and brought us to Himself. He is the One who loved us. He is the One who chose us. He is the One who saved us. He is the One who made His grace. who made His grace effective in our lives by the power of His Word and Spirit. According to these things is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. And simply stated, what is the perseverance? Or as R.C. Sproul says, the preservation of the saints. And simply stated, it is this. that all who God redeemed by Christ and renewed by His Holy Spirit will be kept in the faith by the almighty power of God. It does not mean that everyone who professes their faith in Christ will be preserved. It's not what it says and it's not what it means. It is the saints who persevere. It is believers who are given true, living faith in Christ. Or as the Catechism says, those who are engrafted into Him and receive His benefits. Well, that's not a mysterious thing. It becomes an obvious thing. We become new creatures in Christ. We become orientated not to the kingdom of the world or the kingdom of darkness, but we become orientated to the kingdom of our God and Father. To the One who says, I am the way, the truth and the life. The One who says, no man comes except through Me. Those who would travel on that straight and narrow way. Think about that. Who is that? and who travels on the broad and the easy way. Who are those? Well, the terminology that Jesus uses in Matthew chapter 7 is the few and the many. There are few who find the path to life. Or as was it in 1 Peter chapter 4, it is hard for the righteous to be saved. Did you hear that? It's hard for the righteous to be saved. What will become of the wicked and the ungodly? And so what these teachings do, it doesn't provide a callous or a disregard for spiritual things. It has, in fact, just the opposite. It has this encouragement, this incentive that God who began this work in you, is also the God who will complete it and bring you through it. But of course, does He do that apart from means? He doesn't. He does it through the means that He has appointed for the work of His grace in our lives. And of course, as we live out the implications of these teachings, as a young person, I remember thinking, I guess if I'm in, I'm in. It doesn't really matter what I do. If that's what you think, you haven't yet understood the message of the Gospel or the outworking of God's sovereign plan. Because the God who calls you in the beginning is the God who continues to call you. The God who renews that hope within you, that spiritual life. What does He call us? New creations. New creations. Where you love the things of God, you hate the things that God hates. And as we live, we're to be growing more and more to life and turning more and more away from the power of death. And in fact, as we continue our readings through the catechism, it says exactly that. What is the turning of men to God? But the dying of the old man, the coming to life of the new, the quickening. That's not just abstract theology on pages. That's your life. That's my life. It paints this picture. This is what a Christian looks like. This is how a Christian acts. And we either fit on that portrait or we need to strive toward it. We need to yet labor and ministry to see Christ until it does. Well, this morning, as we consider the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints from these verses in Romans chapter eight, I'll bring the word to you under this principle thought. The perseverance of the saints means that believers are kept to the end. By the power of God. And the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord, notice first the certainty of this perseverance, the unchanging basis of this perseverance and in the comfort that we have as God's people. Look at verse 29. For whom He foreknew these, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called whom He called, these He also justified, and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Verse 30 in particular is sometimes referred to as that golden chain. That golden chain that connects the beginning of God's grace to the end of God's grace. And how in the Scriptures, as we're taught, as we're warned, as we're encouraged, we as the children of God hear those admonitions and yield our wills and our lives before them. You see, whom He foreknew, the ones who He foreloved, the ones that He cared about, gave Himself for. These He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. That is to say that they might have their sins taken away. That they might be clothed as it were in the very righteousness of Christ. That they might be received and find acceptance in His sight. That He might have a people for Himself. And of course, Ask what does that mean to be conformed to the image of His Son? We're speaking of those who would be brought near. Those who would, as John 1, verse 12 says, become the children of God. Not born of the flesh. Not born of the will of men or of parents. Those who become part of the family of God by this sovereign power of regeneration from above. And this work of God's grace, this relationship to His own, is in fact revealed here to be one that begins and is one that culminates. And what does this really do as you look at these things? It starts in the mind of God. It becomes manifest in the outworking of His grace in Christ. And it's fulfilled in glory on that last day. And of course, all of these things compile, work together to provide a great encouragement and assurance to us as his people. Those whom he foreknew, he predestined. Those whom he predestined, these he also called. We talk about the efficacious call of God's Spirit. In fact, there's a kind of a big term, I'm sure, Some of you have run across it. It's called the Ordo Salutis. It's a Latin phrase that means the order of salvation. And because we believe the Scriptures are inherently inspired and revealed, we can look at the various aspects of salvation and say, look at what God has done for us. Look at how He has, in fact, called us to Himself and regenerated us. How He's converted us and given us faith and repentance. how that has resulted in our justification and in sanctification, eventually in our adoption and our glorification before Him. That work of God, that work of His Word and Spirit is of a great confidence and courage to us as His people. And one of the interesting things is as God's purposes from eternity pass, unfolded and revealed, and sometimes in each generation anew and afresh, we find that it has the same effect. People are lost. People are on the wrong path. They find themselves controlled by sinful desires and various compulsions of the flesh. They hear the Gospel. They read the Scriptures. And a change takes place. The allure of the world. of the internet, of things that would influence our bodies, drugs or alcohol, the desire that at one point might have been the most important thing in our life, suddenly loses its appeal. It no longer has the same consequence. What has taken place? Well, in the case of those who have been regenerated, they now have a greater priority. They now have a greater purpose. They now have a different focus and purpose of life. How many of you haven't heard that show, Unshackled? I mean, it's a little bit corny sometimes, but often times, what remarkable accounts. These guys were on the streets. They were lost. They were broken. They were dirty. They would harm and kill and take and pillage at will. The Gospel takes hold of them. And their lives are unshackled. They're set free. Well, the only way that that fits into real logic, in fact, you know, even those those apologists that would oppose Christianity and so on, what kind of answer do they have when you account of such things? Well, you know, other people who aren't converted sometimes change too, but I would assure you, not with a consistency. And they're not renewed after the image, not after the pattern of the things of God as these would be. Well, let's go on then, verses 31 and following, the basis of this perseverance. Look at verse 31. And of course, the Apostle Paul is here teaching us, using rhetorical questions, Now, there are questions that are written, but the answer is foregone in his mind, and I think to ours. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? If God is for us, who can be against us? And of course, the answer is, There's really nothing to say. There's really no one who can oppose God. And of course, that's what the next verse says. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with them freely give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? God is God, isn't He? He can do all of His holy will. And if He decides and determines to show His grace and favor to a people for Himself, who can oppose that? What are we going to say? God, you messed up. We have no place or standing that we might even think that thought. What shall we say to these things? The fact that God is working out His plan and His purposes in the redemption of His own children from all of mankind. These things. Our salvation is God's work, not our work. Who will hinder God? Are you going to hinder God and His desires? Not if He's really God. God will accomplish His will, you know, in the big picture for all things, zoning in on your life and my life, what He determines. And the wonder of wonders is that as that word is worked out, God is sovereign. And guess what? You remember one of the first lessons I taught here about reform and evangelism. God is 100% sovereign and man is 100% responsible. What you're going to do by nature, by definition, you're going to reject God. What you're going to do if that Word of God is within you, the Spirit of God is converting you and turning you to Himself? Yes, Lord. Reporting for duty. I hear Your Word and I will obey what You say. In fact, there was a little conference I was at. One of the speakers made the comment, you know, we always talk about Jesus just by His first name. You know, a lot of contemporary music, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And he says, well, how do we address congressmen and presidents and governors? Well, we have this formality, don't we? Governor so-and-so. Congressman so-and-so. Mr. This, Mr. That. Even myself, Pastor Randy. And now we're such good friends with Jesus that we can say, oh, my buddy Jesus. I don't think that's... I'm suggesting we should establish another culture. And part of that culture is to add respect in our use of language. He's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the Son of the Almighty. The Lord of Lords. You know, we teach our kids. We used to teach our kids. Don't say, If you're addressing your parents as friends, don't just say Christopher or Lee or others, say Mr. blank, Mr. Fisher. And there's something to that that's lost in our culture. And I think it's something that translates sometimes in our attitude towards God. Think of the publican in the temple. He doesn't dare lift his eyes to heaven. He says, oh, God, forgive me a sinner. Whereas the Pharisee in all his pomp and show, oh, Lord God, I'm so glad that I'm not like him. You know, how do we come before God? But with a contriteness. A humility. We bow down before Him. We speak and address Him with respect. And of course, this is all part of the deal, isn't it? Because of who He is and for what He's done. He's paid the price. He set us free. Of course, the ultimate demonstration of His concern for us as His people is the price that He paid for us. He did not spare His own Son. but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It's God who justifies. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died. Furthermore, He's risen. The right hand of God who makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus? Absolutely no one. And the litany that goes on here covers the whole gamut of possibilities. Who shall separate us? Tribulation, and really this is the comfort of this perseverance, shall tribulation, hard times, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword? None of the above? Come to the last few verses there. I am persuaded that neither death nor life, angels or principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The key thing here, who's your Lord? Who's your master? You go back just a chapter or two, you know what it says? It says, whosoever's will you perform, that's your master. Who's your master? Who are you trying to please? What do you care the most about? If what you care the most about is God, His grace, His kingdom, then He says to you, Nothing in all creation shall separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so this isn't just a blanket statement that without regard or without discrimination gives the same amount of comfort to every individual sitting in a church pew. It's not. I kind of wish it was, but it's not. Have you heard His voice? Have you heeded His call? Is He the priority, the first priority of your life? What a wonderful assurance and confidence I can give to you if that's the case. God is going to take care of you now and forever in the future. What I've been doing before each of these sermons is reading through the various heads of doctrine in the canons of Dort. And the thing that surprised me the most about this last head, this fifth point of Calvinism, is how many of the articles are dedicated to the Christians' experience and struggle with sin in their lives. Our sworn enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, Probably not in that order. It will work against us. But God, by His grace, will use, no matter what comes, no matter what trials and troubles might befall you, even how you might stumble and fall, making grievous errors, that He would sustain and support and provide for you all that you need. in no wise able to give you some sort of encouragement or excuse to be lax in your walk. If that's what you think Calvinism provides you, you haven't understood it. It's like Paul says, shall we sin that grace may abound? The strongest words he uses in Scripture follow that rhetorical question. He says, God forbid, The Spirit of God dwells within us, yearns fully for us, and will call us and bring us to Himself. In fact, it is these things in the midst of trials. You know, you think about the times of persecution the church has come through. For your sake, we are killed all day long. Who signed up for that? We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Are you ready for that? Is your commitment, is your faith in Christ conditional on things going well for you? On blessings and ease accompanying your life? Well, if your faith is conditioned upon such things, then you can well suppose so is God's. But if your faith and commitment to Him is unyielding and no matter what, then you could well suppose that that is God's regard for you too. What does Job say? Should we take good from God and not bad? Good but not evil? We trust in the Lord and His grace and His sovereign care. Not just when things go well, but especially when things go bad. Verse 37, Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. So maybe in the case of this Don Nott, in my mind, he needed to die well. And I prayed for that. But God was going to heal him. But as we regard the future, who knows what comes? Of children? Of ourselves? We don't know. But our faith, our trust in the God of all grace is that His care and His provision will supply all that we need. That's perseverance of the saints. That's believing in the God who revealed His will and called us and brought us to Himself. Might we be forever encouraged and strengthened in these things. Amen. Father in Heaven, we bow before You this morning, thankful that You are our God, that we are Your people. We thank You for the favor which You have shown, the illuminating of our minds and our eyes to see the truth, to understand the Gospel. O Lord, we pray that as we live, as we test Your Word and try Your truth, that we would find it a sure and solid foundation on which to live. We ask and pray all of these things in Jesus' name, Amen.