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good evening to everyone welcome to free grace Baptist Church let's begin our worship if you'll turn with me in your Bibles to Psalms our call to worship this evening is a reading of psalm 32 psalm 32 beginning in verse 1 the word of god a psalm of david a contemplation blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my vitality was turned into the drought of summer Sayla I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin Sayla for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of deliverance say la I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my I do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart amen let's stand and sing hymn 315 as the church three 1:5 [Music] let's go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you now on a second time on this year Lord's Day we can gather as the saints of Christ for the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit we pray that you would help us again to as we just sang to adore you we pray that you would help us by your spirit to approach you with awe as you are most certainly worthy of our honor and our praise and we do pray that you'd help us in this that we would now hallow your name we would give you honor that we would give you the praise we thank you as we reflect upon the God that you are as we reflect upon the fact that you are infinite eternal and unchangeable and all of your glorious perfections we reflect upon the fact that you created all things the heavens and the earth and the season and all that are in them you uphold all things by the word of your power and we rejoice in the fact that you redeemed us from our sins by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ our Savior and all those who believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ have a righteousness not their own which avails with you that righteousness of Christ and puted to us received by faith alone we have the forgiveness of sins we have that precious salvation in the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ as we look forward to the Lord's Supper we reflect in solemnity and enjoy upon the fact that his body was broken for his us that his blood a blood was shed for us and we observe in the Lord's Supper tonight a remembrance of that body broken and that blood shed and we avail of the there is in Christ and the strengthening of the Spirit and we do pray that you'd help us to reflect upon so great a God and so great a Christ and so great a gospel we do just pray that you'd be with us in worship by your spirit we would be able to cast off any thoughts that would intrude and that we would now be solely focused on the worship of father son and spirit have filled with joyous reflections upon the doing and the dying and the rising again of the Son of God we do pray that you would now Lord be with those who cannot join who can't be with us be with those who are unwell be with those who are struggling spiritually Lord we just pray that you would strengthen each and every one of your saints we would ask God that you'd be with Surrey Reformed Baptist Church we thank you for for this church that we recently planted we rejoice that they're gathering together as well for worship as we worship now and as we pray and we do pray that you'd strengthen them that you would help them that you'd be with Mike as he preaches your word we pray that you would just grow that congregation that you would strengthen them each and every Lord's Day as they gather together and grow them in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord we do pray that you'd be with your churches around the world god we pray that you would continue to purify to strengthen to reform your churches we pray God that all those who gather together for the worship of the triune God that they would gather together biblically that they would worship you and in honor and in truth and in spirit we pray God that you would cause each and every minister of yours to proclaim your word rightly you would strengthen those men who enter pulpits around the world in your churches that they might preach the full and saving Christ and they would preach the full gospel and we do pray that of course always in this place that you would help us to be a church unified around the gospel of Jesus Christ that we would seek to worship you in a biblical manner and that we would seek Lord God or that we would always be thirsty always be hungry for the word and that we would always be well fed here by the gospel and we rejoice in your truth we rejoice in you and in our Christ and we pray that our fellow brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for their for their belief in you the triune God we do pray that you'd strengthen them that you would help them as they undergo they had the hatred and the anger the consistent opposition of the enemies of the church we do pray that you would strengthen them in the midst of this opposition and we do pray that you would give them much comfort daily and God that you would deal with those who persecute them that you would save many by your grace and for your glory those enemies of yours into such who would worship you and give you honor and praise and we know this is only by amazing in Victoria's grace so we pray for the ministry of your Holy Spirit attending the proclamation of gospel truth that you might bring multitudes of sinners to life and light in Christ Jesus around this world and we do just pray that you'd be with us now and worship continue with us as we pray and sing and engage in all of these elements of worship we long God as we pray each and every Lord's day to do these things to worship you in spirit and in truth and we pray to that end now and that you'd be with pastor Butler as he preaches the word again strengthen him Lord and give him help in this pulpit and we pray that he'd be able to speak with great courage and clarity from your word and by your spirit and we do pray that your Saints here tonight would be strengthened and edified and couraged and all of those things by the proclamation of the word and the Ministry of the Spirit and help us to leave this place living for your Glory's sake and we do pray that you would save sinners tonight young or old that all who entered in outside of Christ would leave singing his praises we pray once again as we observe the Lord's Supper that you would strengthen us that you would nourish us Lord God that you would just equip us by your spirit to grow in faith to grow in the Grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that we would reflect with great joy upon our Lord Jesus Christ his doing his dying and his rising again we rejoice that he now sits at your right hand and we pray that we would gain much courage and strength by the fact that the nations of this world are the nations of our God and of his Christ we do pray in his precious name Amen let's stand and sing again then final him before the preaching will be 1:27 we'll stand and sing that together one two seven [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 i'll read verses 31 to 39 beginning in romans 8 verse 31 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 a 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 amen will let us pray our Father we thank you for this your word we thank you for this whole epistle to the Romans and the glorious things that teaches us concerning God concerning man and concerning salvation by Christ how we praise you for so great a salvation how we praise you for justification and for sanctification and glorification how we praise you that those whom you for knew you predestined to be conformed to the image of your son those predestined you justify you or you call you justify and you glorify how we rejoice in the goodness and in the mercy and in the graciousness of our God how we thank you for the gospel for making us benefactors of so great a salvation and we pray that tonight as we look at this particular chapter or section you would encourage our hearts that we would again stand amazed at the great love of God Almighty demonstrated supremely in the delivering up of the son how we praise you that you him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him you've taken care of everything in terms of our salvation you've brought us the forgiveness of sins you've given us a righteousness that avails with God you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and God we pray that you would help us to respond with gratitude the glorious truths of the Christian message and as we eat this bread tonight as we drink this cup we would do so to proclaim the the glory of Jesus Christ in his death we ask now that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit that he would guide us that he would lead us that he would help us to understand Paul's Paul's words here and as well we pray for the forgiveness of all of our sins and all unrighteousness cleanse us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for that promise in first John that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness we praise you through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well we're going to take up this particular section under the consideration of the liberality of God and the security of the believer God is liberal in terms of his gifts in terms of his kindness in terms of his provision to his people and that is primarily highlighted in verse 32 so want to look first at the declaration concerning God's liberality there in verse 32 and then secondly the implication flowing from God's liberality and then thirdly the application with reference to the believers security but the overarching theme is set forth in verse 31 I mentioned this this morning notice he says what then shall we say to these things if God is for us then who can be against us and with that we have great confidence in fact John Calvin says this is the chief and the only support which can sustain us in every temptation the reality that God is for us the reality that therefore no one can stand again stas now when Paul says these things in verse 31 he probably refers to the entirety of chapters 5 to 8 or perhaps the argument all the way up to this point but it's sort of all encapsulated there in chapter 8 at verses 4 29 2 and 30 notice in verse 29 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 so these things ought to promote in the believer a great deal of security a great deal of comfort a great deal of encouragement that's the point in this particular section of Paul's argument but notice as we look specifically at this statement in verse 32 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 there is first a negative statement says he who did not spare his own son he who did not spare his own son when we look at this particular passage it ought to suggest in our minds those instances where God did not spare his own son we'll look at gethsemane and calvary but we need to appreciate the sort of background that is going on here he who did not spare his own son i think there is an echo of Genesis 22 that instance where God tells Abraham to take Isaac up to Mount Moriah and to offer him up as a sacrifice we know that it's a test according to Genesis 22:1 but Abraham does not know this God tells Abraham take your son your only son the son whom you love up to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there on the way to the mountain isaac makes the observation that we have the would we have the fire but we do not have the sacrifice and abraham makes that theologically pointed statement that god almighty will provide and ultimately he provides his own dear son because Abraham is going to bury the knife in his son Isaac but ultimately the angel of Yahweh stops him and then God says this to Abraham he says for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me John Flavel comments concerning this reality that God did not spare his own son he says and thus you see the reasons of all the severity to Jesus Christ God intended the sweetest mercies for you and therefore prepared the bitterest sufferings for Christ from his deep sufferings you may confidently conclude the best of mercies are designed for you so he says he who did not spare his own son as I mentioned Gethsemane we've studied this recently in Matthew's Gospel both events actually gethsemane and calvary but it's helpful to reminisce it's helpful to remind ourselves to see what's going on in this particular passage he didn't spare his son and guess cemani remember that particular instance where Jesus goes into the garden and he is exceedingly sorrowful he even unto death he is trouble Luke's Gospel tells us that he that he poured blood out of his poor sea he sweat great drops of blood and there he prays my father if it is possible let this cup pass from me but he goes on to resign himself or resolve nevertheless father I will do your will and what we find there is that the father did not deliver him from that particular situation he spared him not he allowed him he enabled him he gave him to go through that particular discourse or rather than that suffering on our behalf again John Flavel I think makes a great observation he said and that which makes a further discovery of divine severity that's what's going on here he didn't spare his own son is that God spared not his own son in the day of his greatest distress when he cried to his father in an agony that if it were possible the cup might pass from him for of that day the scripture is mainly to be understood the day when he fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him and he said Abba Father all things are possible unto thee take away this cup from me he beheld his own dear son sweltering under the heaviest pressure of Wrath sweating great drops of blood crying if it be possible at this hour let this cup pass and yet it could not be granted o the severity of God he heard the cry of a hab and spared him he heard the Ninevites cry and spared them he heard the cries of Hagar and Ishmael and spared them yay he hears the young Ravens when they cry and feeds them but when his son cried with the most vehement dry that the cup might pass he cannot be excused he must drink it up even the very dregs of the cup of trembling and to that and to the last drop o the Justice and the severity of God so he who did not spare his own son he doesn't spare him in the Garden of Gethsemane when the son of God actually prays that if it is possible in this according to his humanity if it is possible let this cup pass from me but as well God did not spare him on the cross remember we consider that in Matthew's Gospel in Matthew 27 that cry of dereliction when Jesus says my God my God why have you forsaken me taking in his own mouth at his own heart the words of the psalmist in Psalm 22 why have you forsaken me I think it is important to rehearse what that does not mean remember the cry of Jesus does not indicate any division among the persons of the Trinity there is no division among the persons of the Trinity there at the cross the cry of Jesus does not indicate a dissolution of what's called the hypostatic union the reality that we have one Christ one person in two natures there was no dissolution there was no abolishment of that there was no rupture in terms of the hypostatic union thirdly the cry of Jesus does not indicate that the three persons of the Trinity all suffered on the cross Christ the second person of the he suffered on the cross according to his humanity force the cry of Jesus does indicate that the father does not deliver him from the agony of the cross that's the point there's no rupture between father and son the father doesn't stop loving the son but the father does not deliver him from the agony of the cross the withdrawal of the father's nearness in favor Matthew Poole says it must be understood with respect to God's consolidations in other words that nearness and that presence it's that wherein we see the Forsaken s John Gill says but he was now without a sense of the gracious presence of God and was filled as the surety of his people with a sense of divine wrath which their iniquities he now bore and then turret and says but as to a participation of joy and felicity god suspending for a little while the favorable presence of grace and influx of consolation and happiness that he might be able to suffer all the punishments do to us now why do I rehearse this when we saw it several months ago in the Gospel of Matthew because it's very important people have a defective theology of what happens when Jesus says my God my God why hast thou forsaken me we need to realize there is no dissolution of the hypostatic Union there's no rupture between the persons of the Trinity there is no loss of love between the father and the son but rather the father does not deliver the son from that agony and as a result he bears the the wrath and the curse and the punishment that is due for us so the cry of Jesus does highlight the doctrine of penal substitution and suffering he who did not spare his own son Matthew Henry says Christ was made sin for us a curse for us and therefore though God loved him as a son he frowned upon him as a surety that's what's happening when the father does not spare his own son both Gethsemane and in Calvary or at Calvary now before we proceed let us just momentarily focus on this reality the father did not spare his own son as I quoted from Flavel God spares a whole lot of people throughout the record of redemption that really didn't deserve it he mentioned Ahab I referred to Ahab this morning when God says to Elijah did you see that he actually repented I mean the fact that God spares they have but he doesn't spare his only begotten son this demonstrates his liberality it demonstrates his beneficence it demonstrates his great love wherewith he loved us that he did not spare his own son when his own son is in the Garden of Gethsemane crying out that the cup might pass from him remember the cup there is the cup of God's wrath and fury and curse that is what Jesus or provokes Jesus to cry out that it may pass from him he doesn't spare him when he's on the cross suffering the shame suffering the curses suffering the various insults of the religious leaders he saved others let him come down and save himself God the Father did not spare his own son so that ultimately he could spare us from divine wrath and fury that's the negative he did not spare his own son but notice the positive but delivered him up for us all delivered him up for us all this is the father's initiative Isaiah the prophet in chapter 53 verse 10 says the Lord Yahweh was pleased to bruise him in acts 2 Peter calls the the crucifixion something that happens according to the predetermined purpose of God same thing in Acts chapter 4 that pastor Porter preached on last Sunday night it was the initiative of the father again John Flavel says he delivered him as a judge by sentence of law delivers up the prisoner to be executed it is true Pilate delivered him up to be crucified and he also gave himself for us but betwixt God's delivering pilots delivering and his own there is this difference to be observed in God it was an act of highest justice in Pilate and act of greatest wickedness in himself an act of wonderful obedience beautiful so he did not spare him up but did not spare him but delivered him up for us all now that whole idea of deliver him up for us all should suggest to our minds as a sacrifice remember behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world those of you who are in Robert Murray McShane's Bible reading calendar you've just stepped into the Book of Leviticus and the Book of Leviticus is a book that is filled with sacrifice it's filled with blood filled with fire it's filled with that approach to God because the idea of being is at the very end of the book of Exodus God comes down the Shekinah glory fills the the very house of God the tabernacle that they built to remember at the end of the book of Exodus in chapter 40 not even Moses could enter in now you need to appreciate the powerfulness of that statement Moses was a godly man Moses was a faithful man Moses was a consistent man so when the glory of God comes down to dwell among the people it is yet to become a meeting place because not even Moses himself is fitnah quit to enter into the very presence of God hence the Book of Leviticus the Book of Leviticus addresses the situation how does the dwelling place of God among men become a meeting place between God and men and as morales well summarizes he said israel learned that the way to Yahweh was through a bloody knife and a smoking altar that's what this language suggests to us he delivered him up for us all the deliverance up is on the cross again Pilate gave the kill order Christ went willingly in terms of an act of obedience but what happened ultimately was the predator plan of God the Father it pleased Yahweh to bruise him isaiah 53:10 so we need to appreciate that it was the father who sent the son to die in our place there's often times this idea the Old Testament God or the father was angry with us and so the son comes to make it such that the father can love us one is well said the cross does not procure God's love the cross is a manifestation of God's love in other words Christ doesn't die for us in order to get the father to love us Christ dies for us because the father loves us you see that is subtle but it's absolutely crucial that we understand it because what Jesus does is perfectly consistent with the other persons of the Trinity the Trinity working together in perfect unity to save his people from their sins so it's not the case that Christ comes in order to make God love us Christ comes because God loves us but with reference to Christ to sacrifice in this epistle Paul tells us that that sacrifice was propitiatory propitiatory means simply this that Christ stood in our place to take the wrath of God Romans chapter 3 the purpose of the sacrifice at least in Romans chapter 3 was so that Christ could be our propitiation that means he takes in himself the very punishment and the wrath and the fury of God that should fall upon sinners we see with reference to this sacrifice Christ as substitute fact in Romans chapter 5 specifically in a around verses 18 and following we see this whole emphasis how is it that we can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ because of what Christ did in our place because of what Christ satisfied on behalf of divine justice because of what Christ went through in terms of this sacrifice so you see negatively he did not spare sonson positively he delivered him up for us all and we ought to appreciate consistently that the father does this and the Lord Jesus willingly submits John 10 Christ says nobody takes my life from me I lay it down willingly he's always operating in submission to his father as the mediator of the new covenant the Lord Jesus Christ marches in lockstep according to the will the purpose and the plan of the Father I say according as though as the mediator there's no eternal subordination the son isn't always by nature or essence supporting it to the Father but in the economy of redemption the son willingly submits himself to the Father now before we move on notice he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all there are persons that will tell us that all always means all and it does but all always means all in particular contexts that we find all and we need to appreciate that this all here is contextual this all of the all of verse 32 is the all in context the all the us whom God is for in verse 31 the ones who were for known predestined called justified and will be glorified in verses 29 and 30 they are the elect of verse 33 the ones for whom Christ intercedes in verse 34 the ones who can never be lost in verses 35 and 39 so in other words the all in the context is not every man without exception it's every man without distinction doesn't matter whether you're black doesn't matter whether you're brown doesn't matter whether we're your you're white doesn't matter if you're from US or Canada or Asia or Africa wherever it may be but what does matter is that God foreknew you that God predestined you and that in time God called you and justified you and has promised to glorify you those are the benefactors those are the recipients those are the ones be graced by the liberality of God Most High so that's the declaration concerning God's morality no no secondly the implication flowing from God's liberality the end of verse 32 he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all here's the implication or here's the question that answers itself how shall he not with him also freely give us all things in other words it's an argument from the greater to the lesser he doesn't spare his son he delivers him up to the cross if he does the greatest how will he not do the lesser how will he not tend to other needs that you have how will he not be there with you in the trenches how will he not be there with you when you need his grace and his support and his blessing a brother this morning said that he burned his hand yesterday and it caused him to muse on whether or not he could be a martyr right you ever burn yourself and then you think about seiya Thomas Hawkes who's burning was burned to death by by the Papists and according to foxes Book of Martyrs you ever consider that reality and I said to this brother well I think it's the case that God gives special grace when we're called to step into the flames the words I don't know that we're always at that level where we're ready to just dive into the flames you read those stories in the history of the church where some Christian is being burned at the stake and and others say well I'm with him and and they jump in there - not in a suicidal way but showing their fidelity their faithfulness their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ brethren we believe that he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how will he not freely give us all our things in other words if he calls us to suffer in the flames for your sake we are killed all day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter he's gonna call upon us to die a martyr's death he's going to equip us with a martyrs grace he is going to provide those stays that are requisite for us to bring glory and honor to him so it's an argument from the greater to the lesser if he does the greatest in sending the son of his love up to that cross then how will not all so how will he not also freely give you all the things you stand in need of he's gonna justify you freely by his grace and not help you on a Thursday morning he's going to be responsible for the plan that sent the song to the cross to bear the shame to bear the curves to bear the wrath and he's not gonna help you with a difficult situation now again it's not magic it's not Benny Hinn ISM it's not joel osteen ism it's not like Jesus is a is a four-leaf clover or a holy horseshoe or or a rabbit's foot or some other lucky charm it it doesn't work like that but we will by the grace of God do what is necessary by His grace to bring glory to Him we have the shore promise in Romans chapter 8 verse 28 and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to who to those who love God to those who are the called according to his purpose now I don't know if you've sufficiently meditated upon that verse but I doubt that Paul meant we know that all good things work for good that's a tautology we already know good things are good don't we we already know that good things work for good we already know that finding a big bag of money worked for my good not that that happened I'm using an illustration we know that good things work for good in the context especially as we move to the end of the chapter and he's enforcing upon us the believers security in spite of all opposition romans 8:28 must most certainly mean we know that all bad things work for good why because God has it under his control because God did not spare his own son but he delivered him up to the shame of Calvary how will he not also bless us in the midst of bad things how will he not vindicate his own elect who cry to him day and night how will he not be there in the fire to encourage his suffering martyrs how will he not empower Thomas ox to proclaim Christ as Lord of the fire how will he not sustain this we are that was captured by Boko Haram how will he not do that he's done the greatest he'll do the lesser that's the nature of the argument that Paul is making at this point it is most blessed it is most helpful it is most useful Manton said two things breed confidence the fidelity of God that's his faithfulness and his liberality his liberality and his gifts and his fidelity and his promises his giving up Christ to die for us is a pledge of both this was the greatest promise the exhibition of the Messiah and this was the greatest gift you see Paul wants the people of God at this particular juncture to reflect on these things everything he has written up to this particular time as I said summarized right there in verses 29 and 30 in terms of the Ordo salutis Paul wants us to reflect upon that and then engage in praise to God Almighty for the security that he is bound with our he is bound to us that's the point of this particular passage Flavel says how is it imaginable that God should withhold after this the greater he didn't spare his own son but he delivered him up for us all how is it imaginable that God should withhold after this spirituals or temporals from his people and by spirituals or temporals I take it spiritual blessings or temporal blessings how is it imaginable if he does the greater how is he not gonna assist you in killing the sin of pornography if he is going to do the greater how is he not going to assist you in killing the sin of gossip how is he not going to assist you in killing whatever sin you struggle with how is he not going to come to the aid in the rescue to those who he sent his son to die for oh yeah not magic not holy horseshoes not four-leaf clovers not rabbit not rabbit's feet but it is the means or rather the plan God to keep his people in the midst of suffering hardship and woe and that brings us to our third point notice the application of all this with reference to the believers security typically a preacher goes through a passage he hopefully does his exegesis he sees the heads or or the points and then points of application sort of flow from that Paul just fills an application for us tonight it's just beautiful by way of question and answer rhetorically devised to be sure he provides us with a great context of application notice after the declaration concerning the liberality of God the implication concerning the liberality of God notice he comes to apply it in verses 33 to 39 in the first place there is a refutation of those who bring a charge against God's elect notice in verse 33 who shall bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies now we ask the question who would do this who would bring a charge against God's elect well the devil would wouldn't he he's an accuser of the Brethren according revelation chapter 12 we see him in action in the Prophet Zechariah chapter 13 verse 1 ruler Joshua the high priest he's in his filthy garments and the devil's right there ready to jump and pounce and and and highlight the fact that that he's a wicked filthy vile man before the devil can even open his mouth however the Lord rebuked him the Lord knows what Joshua's condition is the Lord knows what Joshua's situation is and of course the Lord deals with him in a justifying manner he orders that Joshua's filthy garments be stripped from him and he orders that new royal attire be placed upon him this is justification by grace alone through faith alone so the devil will seek to bring a charge against God's elect author people might seek to bring a charge against God's elect it may sort of sound like this how could you ever call yourself a Christian in light of the fact that you did this how in the world could you consider yourself to be a Christian in light of the fact that you did that so there might be that charge of God's elect coming from other people might not just be in your own circle of friends might not just be within your church it might be in the world how in the world could you call yourself a believer now brethren if you're acting in such a way that people are saying that a lot to you there might be a problem so understand that I want to make that necessary qualification if everybody's saying to you how in the world could you ever call yourself a Christian it might be time to reflect might be time to do a personal inventory it might be time to get your Bible out look at your heart and ask the question maybe I'm not but there are those who with gentle souls bruised Reed smoking flats they are nevertheless upbraided by a certain class of people and so what Paul says here is most appropriate in terms of his argument the believers security is sure because God justifies it is a refutation of those who charge the elect by the justifying grace of God Almighty in other words what silence is the opposition it's not your good works because most of the time you'll have to argue the same well yeah in fact maybe we are in there as well who can bring a charge against God's elect it might not just be from others it might not just be from Satan it might not just be from the world it might rise up from within well how do we silence that is it by our good works is it by our obedience or is it by the fact that God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ hint it's the second don't try to silence the opposition by an appeal to your own good words silence the opposition opposition by an appeal to the glorifying or to the glorious work of the justifying grace of God Almighty notice the refutation of those who condemn excuse me verse 34 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 the elect deserve condemnation who is he who condemns gonna make me the same sort of categories might be the devil might be the world might be our own / might be others within our circle of influence or friends that needless to say the same appeal is made who is he who can dance in his Christ who died it is Christ who is risen it is Christ who ever lives to make intercession for his people again how do we shut the mouths of those who would condemn us we do so not based on our virtue but based on the virtue of Jesus Christ based on the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus Christ that's the constant appeal that's where in the believer security is brethren your security and mine in grace is not in words our security is in the grace of God I love our confession of faith that the the chapter with reference to adoption it says all those that are justified God vouchsafed and or in and for the sake of His only Son Jesus Christ to make partakers of the grace of adoption by which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God have his name put on them received the spirit of adoption have access to the throne of grace with boldness are unable to cry Abba Father are pitied protected provided for and chastened by him as a father yet never cast off but sealed to the day of redemption and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation you see that's a packed statement concerning our safety ultimately in God not by virtue of our having placed ourselves into the family of God visa vie Pelagianism or arminianism but having been placed in the family of God by the justifying power of God and it's that to which we appeal when charges are laid it's that to which we appeal when condemnation is offered we don't look at ourselves as an argument for silencing the critics it is the grace of God and then notice the celebration of the immutable love of Christ in verses 35 to 39 I think it was pastor and Martin who said when you get to verses 38 and 39 in the book of Romans you just can't preach that you can't say it any better you really can't I mean 38:39 that's like you know the mount sham of the Fraser Valley it's just it doesn't get any better and notice again in the context it's the security of the believer and that security of the believer is tied intimately to the liberality of God he didn't spare his own son but he delivered him up how will he not also freely with him give us all things the security of the believer is effects to the God of heaven and earth but notice the question in verse 35 who shall separate us from the love of Christ now the separation in view is not our love for Christ because just about anything could do that if you know your own heart just about anything could do that you're supposed to be meditating upon the scripture you're supposed to be thinking through the implications of God's Word and immediately you think of dinner there's just about anything they can separate us from the love of Christ with reference to our love to Christ what in view is Christ's love for us so when Paul says what can separate us from the love of Christ the answer briefly is nothing and he highlights that with several sort of statements notice the tribulation endured by believers in verses 35 and 36 shall not separate them from the love of Christ notice who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword there's no way you see we are basically disposition ly responsive to situations like this we see problems difficulties trials and conclude that God doesn't love us or he's mad at us he must be upset with me because I'm suffering I am struggling Paul's point here is these things do not separate you from the love of Christ tribulations trials hardships famines persecutions nakedness peril or even the sword do not separate you from the love of Christ see that's the point what or who can't separate us from the love of Christ notice Paul say in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21 he says for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain now in that particular context or situation Paul is in prison at that time he wasn't sure whether he would be executed or not though I think he thought he would be released and he was in that imprisonment he was ultimately released it would be his final imprisonment that he would be executed under Nero but in that Philippians context he's not positive that he's going to get out again so imagine you happen to be one of his guards at his jail cell and you're not sure whether he's going to be fed to the Lions or not and you over here I'm writing this great letter to the Epistle this look great epistle to the Philippians and he says for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain he'd probably run back to your superiors and say you know I don't really think we can hurt him he says to die is gain how do you destroy a man like that how do you hurt a man like that why does Paul say for it to me to die is gain because it means more Christ you see Paul understood that Lions death hardship persecution trial distress did not argue for an absence of the love of Christ but was simply one of the things that affected the people of God as they had dealings in this lower world the love of Christ is sure the love of Christ is constant the love of Christ is secure the love of Christ ain't going anywhere if you end up in a lion's den and that big beast is about to collapse your windpipe realize Christ won't stop loving you isn't that beautiful that that's really the point in this section not just lions but in an increasingly hostile Roman Empire at the time Paul wrote Romans it was still okay Nero would ultimately go nuts but in the 50s or the mid 50s when Paul wrote Romans Nero was hedged in a bet by some decent human beings there was some restraint exercised upon Nero he didn't exhibit his truly beastly character until the early 60s so in about the mid-50s there there's increasing opposition will notice when we study the book of Acts the first great persecutor the church of jesus christ was unbelieving jews it wasn't the Roman Empire initially the Roman Empire thought that Christianity was just a subset of Judaism and Judaism was legal within the Empire so they pretty well left Christians alone then him the last Christians they didn't deal badly or poorly with Christians the Empire just kind of let Christians be but increasingly they received the opposition from the state and Nero specifically was a beast with reference to the people of God so Paul sees these things happening he sees the sorts of things that will affect the people of God and Paul has just discourse concerning the great gospel of justification by faith Paul has told these dear brethren and us by extension that not only is God called you not only has God justified you but God is going to glorify you that's not going to change the love of Christ won't stop whatever you face on earth isn't going to contaminate that great love you need to rest assured do you need to celebrate you need to rejoice in the reality that there is nothing that shall separate us from the love of Christ and then not only do these things not stop the love of Christ and not only do these things not stop the believer in Christ but in verse 37 paradoxically Paul says yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us the these things there is everything he just mentioned in terms of a horrible you know horrible way for us to suffer and find distress and pain and and and death in this life yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us what's the point what's the purpose what's the statement they're not only do these trials not shipwrecked the faith of the believer but God actually use these trials to conform people even more and more under the image of the Sun so that we are more than conquerors so we we rise victorious from the ashes we we we enter into the presence of God Most High the worst that this world can do nevertheless is a means by which we enter in to the presence of God the Lord and then in verses 38 and 39 the comprehensive description of anything that may possibly be perceived to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord he says in verse 38 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 that is just glorious isn't it I want to look at two clauses I know Albert L Martin said not to preach on this but allow me to clauses here notice at the end of verse 38 nor things present nor things to come nor things present nor things to come we need that encouragement don't we for the present we need to be stuck in today Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever it's easy to see Jesus Christ active and powerful and glorious and victorious yesterday it's easy to come to the pages of Scripture and say well that was then and forget today the Christ who is faithful in Romans eight to the initial audience is the Christ who is faithful in in Romans eight to the twenty first century audience he doesn't change he doesn't become defective in his execution of his mediatorial office he's always the same but not only do we need to be reminded for today we need to be reminded for the future and I would suggest this is very appropriate and troubling times like these I mean brethren it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a political science major to see we got problems in this country we got problems in the countries of the earth any time persons legislate and subsidized murdering innocent people we really are in trouble sometimes you hear that once in a while do you do you think God's going to deliver up the Western world to judgment do I think God's going to we bear all the brand marks of having been delivered up gross sexual immorality that is a statement or rather an indicator that God has delivered up that's Romans 1 24 26 and 20 28 he gave them up to what to a reprobate mind towards men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness men who try to excise God from their government men who try to operate autonomously those sorts of men are ultimately abandoned by God most high and we start to live like we are we live like the days that isaiah prophesied in not about but in isaiah saw these things 2 woe to those who call good evil and evil good that's where we're at so don't you need that short word from the apostle that nothing in the president is going to come between you and the love of Christ you hear that - well Islam is growing so rapidly it's not going to stop Jesus love for me now that means sorry narcissistic I don't just mean me I mean you know all the elect the verse 31 the verses 29 to 30 those who are by grace called justified and will be glorified nothing in the present can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ that's where I'd say can I get an amen because that's glorious news brethren when you see the world around you when you look at what's going on that is most encouraging the other Clause I want to look at is in verse 39 nor height nor depth nor any other created thing that's sort of the catch-all I think I've told you before the Uniform Code of Military Justice is what a hundred and thirty-four articles articles 102 133 deal with just about every crime you could imagine but if those aren't covered 134 covers it's the general article it basically says whatever 1 to 133 didn't cover you're still guilty under 134 it's a catch-all that's what this is it's a catch-all everything that Paul has said we'd still try to wriggle out of it but what about me can I separate me from the love of Christ no you're part of any other created thing even you can't separate you from the love of Christ now carnal wisdom will say well I'm gonna go out and smoke crack and chase prostitutes then because Butler said I can't remove myself from the love of Christ that's carnal logic gospel logic rejoices in this statement rejoices in the power of Jesus love rejoices in free grace and not free will rejoices in the fact that it's Christ who keeps us and not we who keep ourselves nor any other created thing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord so in conclusion my dear brothers and sisters may I say to you be encouraged celebrate your security with the Apostle Paul here in Romans chapter 8 I just want to close with a quote by John Flavel he says when God spared not his own son this was the design of it and could you know the thoughts of his heart they would appear to be such as these I will now manifest the fierceness of my heart to Christ and the fullness of my love to believers the pain shall be his that the ease and the rest may be theirs the stripes his and the healing balm issuing from them there's the condemnation his in the justification there's the reproach and shame his and the honor and glory there's the curse his and the blessing there's the death his in the life there's the vinegar and gall his the sweet of it there's he shall groan and they shall triumph he shall mourn the they may rejoice his heart shall be heavy for a time that there's maybe light and glad forever he shall be forsaken that they may never be forsaken out of the worst miseries to him shall spring the sweetest mercies to them Oh grace grace beyond conception of the largest mind amen will let us close in a word of Prayer our Father we thank you for this your word we thank you for this comprehensive description of everything and none of it shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord we thank you for this love we thank you Father that you have bestowed it upon us freely it's not that we deserved it it's not that we earned it it's not that we work for it or merited it it's because of what you did and not sparing your son and delivering them up for us and we pray that you'd help us to meditate upon such passages as these and may they comfort and encourage us and may they aid us in the battle against remaining corruption help us to go from this place seeking to honor and to glorify and to love you not as a condition for our salvation but as a consequence of you having saved us bless us now strengthen us and help us as we continue in this worship to time to you bless us as we eat this bread and we drink this cup and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen now you can turn in your Bibles with me to first Corinthians 11 as we observe the Lord's Supper first Corinthians 11 we have of course Paul rehearsing the institutional words of the Lord Jesus Christ and giving instructions with respect to a proper observance of the Lord's Supper the 1st Corinthians 11 beginning in verse 17 as we often do I'll read 17 to 22 and then 27 to 34 so that 17 to 22 we'll skip that center portion and then jump to verse 27 as we make some comments prior to observing these wonderful words of our Savior the Lord Jesus so this is 1st Corinthians 11 beginning in verse 17 the word of God now in giving these instructions I do not praise you since you come together not for the better but for the worse for first of all when you come together as a church I hear that there are divisions among you and in part I believe it for there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you therefore when you come together in one place it is not to eat the Lord's Supper for in eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others and one is hungry and another is drunk what do you not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the Church of God and shame those who have nothing what shall I say to you shall I praise you in this I do not praise you it just pause for a moment we see obviously the importance of the Lord stop right we say hopefully every time but very often at least the observance of the Lord's Supper or the Lord's Supper itself isn't just simply an element of worship it is an element of of worship but it isn't simply a liturgical exercise empty of any meaning and empty of any spiritual significance so you can see the gravity then of treating the Lord's Supper as an occasion for gluttony and as an occasion for drunkenness the Lord's Supper is a remembrance of that once for all sacrifice rendered by Christ of Christ upon Calvary's cross where he broke his body and where his blood was shed for for guilty sinners and it's this occasion where the risen Christ strengthens us by his spirit for our growth in faith and so this sort of conduct at the Lord's Supper obviously unacceptable and Paul the deals with it rightly and we see the therefore here at verse 27 the built upon the reality of what the Lord's Supper is and the fact that Christ himself instituted it to be observed in his churches until the end of the world verse 27 therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body for this reason many are weak and sick among you and many sleep for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged but when we are judged we are chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world therefore my brethren when you come together to eat wait for one another but if anyone is hungry let him eat at home lest you come together for judgment and the rest I will set in order when I come amen we see here the the importance again highlighted you know it's not the Lord's Supper isn't to be treated in such a manner where we detach it from the high and heavy significance of its intimate connection to the death of the Lord these were we're doing according to their own bellies and according to their own desires and we're so judged even judged by the Lord for their lack of respect to put it lightly for this blessed ordinance and as we come as Christians now to observe this ordinance we are to hold it in the highest regard not simply as wrote Christianity but as a joy and as an event marked by solemnity where we remember the death the blest death of our Lord a number of things that we all we always say with respect to the Lord's Supper because it's good to remind ourselves of what's going on here a reminder that the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine you might ask yourselves why we always say this and you know here it every time that we observe the Lord's Supper well there there seems to be unfortunately an allure away from a Protestant Christianity and back to the you know the you know what people would call a traditional Christianity even though it's a it is a perverse expression the the smells and the bells is one man calls them the you know the visual things the shiny things of a of a quote-unquote H ancient Christianity where they say that the bread actually changes into the quality of the Lord Jesus Christ it remains bread to the outward senses but somehow mystically and magically it's literally changed into the body and and divinity even of the Lord Jesus Christ that's madness and it's an affront to the scriptures and it's an affront to common sense and reason our confession says the blood likewise though it remained are the wine excuse me the wine likewise remains to the outward senses wine but according to that perverse doctrine it's actually literally changed into the actual blood of the Lord Jesus Christ now that's madness the Bible our Protestant Christianity up holds the truth that the bread remains bread and the line remains won't wine these are simply elements that point to that symbolized that signify his body broken and his blood shed they are as we often say taken from a common to a holy use we're not to to handle these things in the context of worship in a common manner but rather in a holy manner they are in that sense consecrated taken from a common use used in the context of the church for a holy use as we reflect with joy and solemnity upon Christ crucified if you're here tonight and you're not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you're not to take of the bread and you're not to take of the wine this is an ordinance this is a sacrament for Christians only and so Christian you are to take of the bread and you are to take of the wine if you are not living in a manner consistent with your Christianity if you're harboring unrepentant sin and you have not asked God for forgive you but you're hiding it you're holding on to it you're loving it you're cherishing sin on Penton then you're not to take conversely though we're not to think that it's a noble and it's a pious thing to go on seasons upon seasons of self lamentation and self-loathing where we're somehow atoning for our own sin and some sort of Protestant flagellation if you have sinned and if you're harboring sin repent repent of your sin and God is faithful to forgive you of your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness so ask God for forgiveness if you're a Christian you have forgiveness in Jesus Christ the Lord so repent and take and rejoice in the death of the Savior well if I could when when the when the wine comes around just a reminder that the juices in the outer ring will remind you again when we get to that point but if I could have the brothers come up and to pass out the bread you can remain seated while they're passing out the bread we're going to sing 193 193 [Music] [Music] in verse 23 we read Paul rehearsing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ on the night in which he was betrayed the verse 23 for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of me amen let us pray God we thank you that we can now partake of this bread and we rejoice in what it signifies the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross we thank you for that biblical truth that believers can rejoice in that Christ bore in his own body our sins upon that tree that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by whose stripes we are healed and we rejoice in your love exercise towards us that you did not spare your own son and that you Lord God deliver us from sin from the power and from the condemnation of sin by virtue the Lord Jesus Christ and the perfection of his saving work we do pray that you caused us now to reflect as we say often with both solemnity and joy as we reflect upon the doing and the dying and the rising again the son of God we thank you for his sacrifice and pray that you bless us now that you would grow us in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ the Lord we pray in his name amen let's take together remaining seated you can turn with me to him 195 if the brothers can come and pass the wine a reminder that the juice is in the outer ring will remain seated and seeing 195 together [Music] [Music] continue reading in verse 25 in the same manner he also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood this do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes amen let us pray God we thank you now that we can partake of this wine we rejoice in what it signifies the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross we rehearse the scriptures and we see those and blessed verses that Christ may Christ made peace by the blood of his cross we know that as the Scriptures as well say that the without the shedding of blood there is no remission we thank you that we do have in the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ that remission that forgiveness of sins and we do pray that as we drink now we would reflect with great joy upon the Lord Jesus Christ that we would consider with great solemnity the great sacrifice that he made upon Calvary's cross and that you would stir our souls to high and heavy thoughts of so great a savior and so great a salvation we pray in Christ's precious name Amen let's take together well if you stand with me we can stand and sing in 175 Man of Sorrows what a name for the Son of God who came ruined sinners to reclaim hallelujah what a savior let's stand and sing 175 together [Music] [Music] now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete and every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen a Heavenly Father we pray that you'd go with us now into this week we rejoice having gathered for the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit and we rejoice having gathered to reflect with joy upon the doing and the dying and the rising again of Jesus Christ the Lord and we pray that you would strengthen us to go into this week that we might live for your glory sake resting upon Amazing Grace we do pray Lord that you would bring us back again next week that we might gather together again on the Lord's Day Sabbath for the worship of the Great God of heaven and earth we pray go with us now and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior amen please be seated we'll have a brief time of Prayer when the piano is finished you're dismissed you