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[0:00] well friends it's a great delight to be with you once again let us worship almighty god we shall begin by singing to his praise in psalm 47 in the scottish psalter psalm 47 singing the version in the scottish psalter we can sing verses 1 to 8 all people clap your hands to god with voice of triumph shout for dreadful is the lord most high great king the earth throughout the heathen people under us he surely shall subdue and he shall make the nations under our feet to bow the lot of our inheritance choose out for us shall he of jacob whom he loved well even the excellency god is with shouts gone up the lord with trumpets sounding high sing praise to god sing praise sing praise praise to our king sing ye for god is king of all the earth with knowledge praise express god rules the nations god sets on his throne of holiness so let us sing to god's praise psalm 47 verses 1 to 8 1 to 9 for people that could advance to God with voice of triumph shout

[1:39] Our death for is the Lord most high, It came in the apple hour, That even near the land of house, His surely shall subdue, And His shall make the nations And the world give to our own, And the Lord to the Lord in heaven's hands, Choose our heart for us,

[2:41] And the Lord shall be, Of Jacob whom He loved and Grieve me in excellency, But which which out of the Lord, With trumpets sounding high, Sing grace to God, Sing grace, sing grace, Is to our gifts in ye, For God is King above the earth,

[3:43] With knowledge, Praise expressed, God knows that he comes, God sits on, His throne upon the earth.

[4:07] Let us now call upon God in prayer. Let us pray.

[4:18] Amen. Almighty God, You are the ever-blessed, Eternal Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Dwelling from everlasting to everlasting, In the perfect unity of the Godhead, And in perfect moral purity.

[5:04] And we acknowledge that you are, The great King and creator of all the earth, And the one to whom we owe, Our very existence, And we cannot take another breath, Unless it is your will for us to do so.

[5:25] You are the one who sustains our lives, Upon this earth, And we must bow before you this day, And acknowledge how dependent we are upon you.

[5:37] We come and confess that you are most glorious, And you dwell in a divine beauty, That we cannot fully take in.

[5:51] Acknowledging that all your ways are perfect, And no fault can be found with you. And as we think upon, The splendor, Of the eternal God, As we see, The light of your perfection, It exposes the darkness within us.

[6:20] And we come this day, With that need to confess our sins. We must acknowledge that we have, Rebelled against, Your holy laws.

[6:36] You gave us them, For our good. How we might live, In fellowship with you, And with our fellow men. But we did not keep them.

[6:49] We must confess, We have hated your laws. We have despised, Your wisdom and goodness. And thought that we knew better, Than, Eternal wisdom.

[7:02] And so we come this day, Confessing that, We deserve no good thing from you. For we have, Chosen, To, Go out with your paths.

[7:15] This is the sinful nature, We inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. And we have lived out this sinful nature, Choosing and loving sin, And hating righteousness.

[7:31] And we confess that, As your people, Were it not for, Your grace and mercy in our lives, We would still be dead, In our trespasses and sins, And on the road to hell.

[7:47] But, In your, Unfathomable love, Which is, From everlasting, You have, Chosen to redeem a people, In your son, The Lord Jesus Christ.

[8:02] And before you made the world, You, Gave them to him, In the eternal covenant, Setting your love, Upon us.

[8:17] And in the fullness of time, Sending, Your only begotten son, Into this world, To redeem his people, From their sins. And how we thank you, For what Christ has done.

[8:30] We thank you, For, The perfection of his person, And the perfection of his work. That he has come, And he has done it all, In his suffering and death, At Calvary.

[8:43] And we confess this day, That we have no other hope, But that what he, Has done, To save his people. And we pray that for each of us here, This would be, Our only confidence, That we would have no hope, In ourselves, In our law keeping, In our righteousness, In our good deeds, But that we would see, That all our righteousnesses, Are as filthy rags, And that we would only be, Looking to Jesus, And that we would trust, In his death, On the cross, For the forgiveness, Of our sins, And eternal life.

[9:17] Please strip us, From, Any other, Way of salvation, We might be harboring, Within ourselves. Keep us from any delusion, Of thinking, We can contribute, Anything, But help us to see, It's all in Jesus, And may he be, Our delight, Now, And forevermore, We thank you, For what you've done, For sinners, Through your son, And we thank you, For the great hope, We have, Through his resurrection, From the dead, That he is now, Alive and reigning, At your right hand, Interceding for, His people, And even this day, As your church, Worships you, Throughout this world, We add to our voice, The voices in heaven, Where the, Redeemed saints, Now glorified, And the angels, Worship you continually, And we thank you, That Christ is the one, Who leads us in worship, This day, The great, King, And priest,

[10:18] Of his church, And the one, Whom all, Our worship, Goes through, And we thank you, That it is made acceptable, Before your throne, Through his, Mediation, On our behalf, And we thank you, That your son, Is one, Who delights, To receive sinners, That there is none, He will turn away, When they sincerely repent, And seek him, For forgiveness, We thank you, We thank you, That he, That he, That he, Gathers, The lambs, Into his arms, And he will be their shepherd, Now and forevermore, And we pray, If there are any here, This day, Who remain outside, Your kingdom, That you would, Indeed have mercy, O living God, Please, Come to them, In the power of your spirit, Come, And, Awaken them, Shine, Into their hearts, The light of the knowledge, Of your glory, In the face of your son, Bring them to that, Conviction of sin, Bring them to an end,

[11:18] Of themselves, To consider, The weighty matters, Of eternity, And enable, Them, To rest their all, Upon Jesus, And his finished work, We pray, That you would, Enable us, To worship you, In a right manner, This day, We may, We know the help, Of your spirit, Stirring up our hearts, Inflaming them, With a holy love, To you, Help us to remember, All your benefits, Toward us, To count our many blessings, And may we come, With our hearts, Rejoicing this day, And may your word, Be our delight, May you nourish it, Nourish us by it, May we be, Enable to drink in its truth, And may our souls, Be fed, On the wonders, It contains, That we would, Have our confidence, And hope renewed, This day, In our Lord Jesus Christ, And his death, And resurrection, So we ask, O living God, That you would, Pardon all our sins, Forgive us,

[12:20] For, The ways, We fail you each day, Forgive us, For the secret sins, We harbor, We harbor, Enable us, To confess, Give us the grace, And strength, To turn from them, Even the ones, We struggle most with, Please remove, Any barriers, Within our hearts, To us receiving, Your word, And profiting, From it, May we come now, Hungering and thirsting, To meet with you, We ask, That you would, Come down, And we would know, The blessing, Of your presence, With us, And that we would, Know a holy reverence, Coming over us, As we realize, We are in the presence, Of the living God, So we look to you now, We are your servants, And ask that you would speak, We desire to hear, We desire, To have, Our souls, Saturated, In the knowledge of our God, So meet with us, We humbly ask, In Jesus name, Amen.

[13:20] Our scripture reading, This morning, Will come, From, The new testament, And the apostle Paul's letter, To the Romans, Romans chapter 8, And we can begin, Reading at verse 18, Romans chapter 8, We can read from verse 18, Down to the end, Of the chapter, This is the word, Of the living God, For I consider, That the sufferings, Of this present time, Are not worth comparing,

[14:22] With the glory, That is to be revealed, To us, For the creation, Waits with eager longing, 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, That the creation, Itself, Will be set free, From its bondage, To corruption, And obtain, The freedom, Of the glory, Of the children of God, For we know, That the whole creation, Has been groaning, Together, In the pains, Of childbirth, Until now, And not only, The creation, But we ourselves, Who have the first fruits, Of the spirit, Grown inwardly, As we wait eagerly, For adoption as sons, The redemption, Of our bodies, For in this hope, We were saved, Now hope that is seen,

[15:25] Is not hope, For who hopes, For what he sees, But if we hope, For what we do not see, We wait for it, With patience, Likewise, The spirit helps us, In our weakness, For we do not know, What to pray for, As we ought, But the spirit himself, Intercedes for us, With groanings, Too deep, For words, And he who searches hearts, Knows what is the mind, Of the spirit, Because the spirit, Intercedes for the saints, According to the will, Of God, And we know, That for those, Who love God, All things, Work together, For good, For those who are called, According to his purpose, For those, Whom he foreknew, He also predestined, To be conformed, To the image of his son,

[16:26] In order that, He might be the firstborn, Among many brothers, And those whom, He predestined, He also called, And those whom he called, He also justified, And those whom he justified, 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 gave him up for us all, How will he not also, With him, Graciously give us all things, Who shall bring any charge, Against God's elect, It is God who justifies, Who is to condemn, Christ Jesus, Is the one who died, More than that, Who was raised, Who is at the right hand, Of God, Who indeed, Is interceding, For us,

[17:27] Who shall separate us, From the love of Christ, Shall tribulation, Or distress, Or persecution, Or famine, Or nakedness, Or danger, Or sword, As it is written, For your sake, We are being killed, All the day long, We are regarded as sheep, To be slaughtered, No, In all these things, We are more than conquerors, Through him, Who loved us, For I am sure, That neither death, Nor life, Nor angels, Nor rulers, Nor things present, Nor things to come, Nor powers, Nor height, Nor depth, Nor anything else, In all creation, Will be able, To separate us, From the love of God, In Christ Jesus, Our Lord, Amen, And may God bless to us, The reading of his, Holy words, Once more,

[18:29] Let us sing, To God's praise, We sing, This time in, Psalm 143, In the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 143, And let us sing, The first version, Psalm 143, In the Scottish Psalter, We sing the first version, And we can sing, The first six stanzas, From verse 1, Through to, Halfway through, Verse 7, Lord, Hear my prayer, Attend my suits, And in thy faithfulness, Give thou an answer unto me, And in thy righteousness, My servant, Also, Bring thou not in judgment, To be tried, Because no living man, Can be in thy sight, Justified, For the enemy, Hath pursued my soul, My life, To ground down tread, In darkness,

[19:31] He hath made me dwell, As who have long been dead, My spirit is therefore overwhelmed, In me perplexedly, Within me, Is my very heart amazed, Wondrously, I call to mind, The days of old, To meditate, I use on all thy works, Upon the deeds, I off thy hands, Do muse, My hands, To thee I stretch, My soul thirsts, As dry land for thee, Haste Lord to hear, My spirit fails, Hide not thy face, From me, So we can sing, These six stanzas, From verse 1, To halfway through, Verse 7, Psalm 143, In the Scottish Psalter, The first version, For he is my prayers, And then my sins, And then my faithful hands,

[20:36] Give thou an answer unto me, And in thy righteousness, Emבה np.

[21:12] In Papa, There ты webpage esst v invisible, And I sign down to my ear For gave me how much to my soul My life to God doesn't end In darkness he has made me well As to my longing day My spirit is there All I love at well

[22:17] In me the black city Within me is my heavy heart A mist upon the tear I call to mine Nothing is all To make me think I use On all thy words On all my dreams My hands to use, my hands to lead.

[23:27] I step my soul, the stars' bright land for me.

[23:41] His heart to hear my spirit fails.

[23:52] I know thy face for me. Once more let us come before God in prayer.

[24:15] Let us pray. Our gracious God and loving Father in heaven, we give you thanks for the security that we have as believers.

[24:30] To know that our times are in your hands. To know that in all your providences you're working them all out for our good.

[24:42] And to know that everything in our lives, every blessing, every trial is tailor made for us according to divine wisdom.

[24:53] For you have great purposes for your people. You are now shaping our lives, molding us and preparing us for future service.

[25:05] Both in this world and the world to come. And to know that you are conforming us to the likeness of Christ.

[25:15] Christ, that now that we have been cleansed of sin, we are being changed and transformed as your spirit works in us to sanctify us.

[25:26] And to know that in every situation we are in in life, we can trust you. Knowing that you know what you're doing. That you are all sovereign, all powerful.

[25:37] And though we see in a glass darkly, we can know that you will take us through the darkness. You will hold us by the hand. You will never leave us nor forsake us.

[25:50] And we pray if there are any in this congregation here today who are enduring a special suffering at this time. We ask that you would draw near to them.

[26:03] That you would uphold them and strengthen them. And that the body of believers around them here in the church family would uphold them in prayer. We pray for this congregation and ask, O Lord, that you would take them from strength to strength in Christ.

[26:20] And that as they come under your word week by week, that you would indeed be changing them and shaping them by it. And that you would indeed equip them for the ministry that they can do in their own communities and families.

[26:39] And to one another. We pray that you would be pleased to add to their number, those being saved. That you would raise up more for yourself out of this community.

[26:50] That your spirit would work in these days throughout our island and indeed our nation. That you would come, O living God, in reviving power. That you would fill our churches.

[27:01] That you would bring about a great conviction and a great hungering and earnestness among many. That you would pray that they would be brought face to face with the realities of eternity.

[27:17] And that they would flock to hear of the Savior. The only one who can take us into the next world. To be with him and deliver us from the wrath to come.

[27:28] We pray for the pastor of this congregation. That you would bless him. That you would feed his own soul as he studies your word day by day.

[27:40] And that he in turn would be able to take what he has learned and profited from. And be enabled to set it before his sheep.

[27:51] That they indeed might be fed. Please be with him. Please bless him. Please unite the heart of pastor and congregation closer and closer together. In love.

[28:03] May they hold one another up in prayer. Be with him. Be with his family. Protect them. And use him mightily in your service in this place. We pray.

[28:15] We pray, O Lord, that you would indeed work in these days. We long to see your glory on display in our land again.

[28:29] And so, living God, we look to you acknowledging there is no power in ourselves to convert anyone. But that you would revive your church. Start with those within and draw in those without.

[28:41] For the glory of your name. We pray that you might go before us now. Bless your word to us. All for Jesus' sake. Amen. Amen. Well, please turn in your Bibles back to Romans chapter 8, where we read from a few moments ago.

[29:02] And it's really going to be verse 34 that we will be considering today. And we look to God to help us as we do so. But before we turn to verse 34, please look at verse 1 of Romans chapter 8.

[29:21] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Friends, Romans chapter 8 verse 1 is a verse that Satan wants to convince you isn't true.

[29:42] And Satan will seek to do this in two ways. Firstly, if you're not a believer, you'll think this verse isn't true in itself.

[29:54] You'll say, no condemnation in Christ, that's nonsense. Perhaps that's your thoughts today, that Christianity is a lot of nonsense.

[30:06] You're here out of habit, you're here out of tradition. We don't really believe it. There may be various reasons why you're not a Christian.

[30:18] You think there's no God. You think there's no judgment to come. You think there's no such thing as sin. How can there be condemnation? There's nothing in my life deserving of condemnation.

[30:30] I'm a good person. And if that's you today, well Satan's got you right where he wants you. Believing that verse 1 isn't true.

[30:45] Believing the gospel isn't true. Let me remind you of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18. That the preaching of the cross is foolishness.

[30:59] To whom? To those who are perishing. And if you think Christianity is nonsense and a waste of time, it shows where you are spiritually.

[31:11] It shows that you are perishing. That you're in darkness. You're in chains. You're enslaved to the corruption of your own heart. You're in Satan's clutches.

[31:21] And you're on the way to hell. If you do not repent. And seek God's forgiveness and mercy. In Jesus Christ. So that's one way in which Satan wants to convince people.

[31:37] That verse 1 isn't true. That's what Satan does with the unbeliever. But friends, the reality is Satan also wants to convince the believer.

[31:48] That this verse isn't true. Of course, if you're a Christian this morning, you know fine well that this verse is true. And you're staking your life and eternity on it being true.

[32:02] You know God doesn't lie. You know and believe the gospel. You're trusting in Jesus Christ. Well, Satan employs more subtle tactics.

[32:18] What he'll do. If he can't convince you the verse isn't true in itself. He'll try and convince you that this verse isn't true for you.

[32:31] It's true for every other believer. But you're the exception. The reality is Satan wants us all to be condemned.

[32:43] He wants us all to burn in hell with him. But of course, verse 1, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. So for those who are in Christ, they are not condemned and they will not be condemned at the last day.

[33:00] Satan knows that. There's no believer that Satan can get to be condemned. So what does he seek to do?

[33:14] If he can't get us to be condemned, then in this life he wants us to feel condemned. And if we feel condemned, if we're lacking in assurance, if we're constantly worrying about whether we'll make it to heaven in the end, what does that mean?

[33:37] It means our spiritual lives on this earth will be hampered. They'll be halting. So if Satan can sow these seeds of doubt in our minds, then our Christian lives will be useless and fruitless for the Lord.

[33:56] The last thing Satan wants is if he can't take us to hell with him, is for us to be useful to God on this earth. And so in this way, trying to get us to doubt our own salvation, and in many other ways, he seeks to make us those who don't do much for the Lord.

[34:23] If Satan can't condemn us before the judge, he will seek to whisper condemnation into our own consciences. And how is it that someone is condemned?

[34:36] How would someone be condemned in a court of law? Well, it would require accusations to be brought against them, which are then proven to be true.

[34:50] And that's what Satan seeks to do. Bring accusations against us. He's referred to elsewhere in scripture as the accuser of the brethren.

[35:04] And that's what he does. He brings charges before us. He accuses. And sometimes his accusations really do hit home.

[35:21] Because let's face it, he doesn't bring to our minds sins we haven't committed. No, he brings to mind the sins we have. Especially the ones we've committed as Christians.

[35:39] The ones we committed before we were converted. We. We know that great change came over us when we came to Christ. We felt that forgiveness.

[35:51] We know that's true. But then there was that bad day as a believer. Then there was that fall. Then there was that period of backsliding where your standards dropped.

[36:04] Those times. You let the Lord down. Perhaps like Peter you've wept bitterly since.

[36:18] But they still hurt. Don't they? And Satan wants us to think that these sins are unforgivable. Others are forgivable but not ours.

[36:31] Or seeks to make us think that we were never really a Christian. Or that after our most recent sin, our most recent fall. Well surely we've come to the end of God's patience.

[36:43] Surely our salvation must be annulled. Or cancelled. Sustained. Satan is seeking to destroy believers with guilt. And do you ever have those doubts and fears?

[36:58] Maybe none you ever express. Externally to anyone else. But inwardly. You worry. You fear. Will you fall short on the day of judgment?

[37:10] Will you not make it to heaven? Well remember first of all. Satan's not the judge. He's condemning away. He's accusing away.

[37:21] But he's not the judge. And you know who else isn't the judge? You. Satan's not the judge. And you're not the judge.

[37:32] It's God's verdict. That will count. In the end. Only God can condemn. And he promises that he won't condemn those.

[37:44] Who are in Christ. And so for. Those with. Perhaps being plagued in such a way. Paul at the end of.

[37:55] Romans chapter 8. Has. The remedy for such a situation. From verse 31. In that final. Paragraph of the chapter. Paul starts.

[38:06] Asking a series. Of rhetorical. Questions. If God is for us. Who can be against us? Verse 31. Verse 33. Who shall bring any charge.

[38:19] Against God's elect? Verse 34. Who is to condemn? Verse. 35. Who shall separate us. From the love of Christ?

[38:29] Christ. All rhetorical questions. And in verse 37. Paul answers these questions. With an emphatic. No. Because that's the reality.

[38:45] He just explained. In the paragraph beforehand. Of the security. That the believer has. In Christ. That the believer has been the object.

[38:57] Of. The father's electing. Love. From all eternity. And those. That God has foreknew. In this way. He is justified. In Christ. And will.

[39:08] Glorify. And so. Verse 33. Why is it utterly fruitless. For anyone. To bring a charge. Against God's elect. Because it is God.

[39:21] Who justifies. And God's declaration. Is irreversible. He'll never go back on it. Or change his mind. And so. Why can't they be condemned.

[39:33] Paul asks. In verse 34. And Paul goes on. To list. Four reasons. Why a believer. Cannot be. Condemned. And no matter.

[39:45] What Satan seeks. To whisper to us. No matter. When our. Frail minds. And consciences. Would cause us. To doubt. This is what we have. To. Remember. And so.

[39:56] We're going to look at. The four reasons. That Paul gives. In verse. 34. Briefly considering. Each of them. Because what we have. In verse 34. Friends.

[40:06] Is the believers. Quadruple. Lock. Of security. I'm sure. You all. Have a lock. On your door. Perhaps.

[40:17] Some of you. Are even extra cautious. And have a double lock. On your door. There might even be. One or two of you. Who have gone as far. As to put a triple lock. On your door.

[40:30] Friends. Here is. A quadruple. Lock. Four reasons. Why a believer. Cannot be condemned. And may these. Tend to our. Comfort.

[40:41] And assurance. This day. So what do we have. First of all. Who is to condemn. Christ.

[40:52] Jesus. Is the one. Who died. So the first lock. Of security. We have. Is that. It's Christ. Who died. Not anyone.

[41:05] But Jesus Christ. Sin. Sin. Sin. Deserves death. The wages of sin. Is death. Sin.

[41:16] Deserves death. And everlasting punishment. Because of the sheer. Magnitude. Of its seriousness. Sin. Is more than just little.

[41:27] Mistakes. It is complete. Disregard for. And rebellion. Against. The holy. Eternal God. It is a despising. Of his glorious. Laws.

[41:39] And any punishment. That lasts. Less than eternity. Is far too lenient. A sentence. My friend. If you are here.

[41:50] This morning. Thinking. Oh my sins. Are too bad. My sins. Are too far gone. Well. The reality is. You only see. The tip of the iceberg.

[42:01] As to how bad. Your sins are. You only know. A fraction. Of your sins. And you only know. A fraction. Of how bad. They are.

[42:13] They are. Much worse. Than you could. Even begin. To imagine. But we will get to. The promise. Of the gospel. Which says. They will all be forgiven.

[42:24] If you come. To Jesus Christ. And trust. In him. Sin. Is more serious. Than we can. Possibly. Imagine.

[42:36] Because of. The greatness. And the holiness. Of the one. That all sin. Is against. Christ. And therefore. Any sacrifice.

[42:48] That would make. Atonement. For such atrocities. It must be. Of infinite. Value. So what. Could be. Offered up. To satisfy.

[42:58] The justice. Of God. Well friends. We're told. It's Christ. Who died. He suffered. For sins. The just.

[43:09] For the unjust. And we're told. In verse 3. Of Romans. Chapter 8. That. God. In Christ. Condemned.

[43:20] Sin. In the flesh. Rather than. In us. In Christ. God. Condemned. Sin. In the flesh. The condemnation.

[43:32] Was taken. And was suffered. By another. Christ. Came. As the substitute. As top lady. Says. In his. Him. In my place.

[43:43] Condemned. He stood. And it wasn't. Just anyone. It was the God man.

[43:56] The eternal son of God. Who took to himself. Humanity. That he might come. And suffer. And die. In his humanity. Taking to himself.

[44:09] The responsibility. And the guilt. And the punishment. For things. That utterly. Repulsed him. Because in. The perfection.

[44:19] Of his. Holy humanity. He was disgusted. By every. Sin. Laid upon him. Things he never did. Things he never. Dreamed of doing. Things he never. Thought of doing.

[44:31] Because. His was a life. Loved and. Left in complete. Devotion. To his father. Loving and. Upholding. God's laws. There was no sin.

[44:42] In him. Not the least. Fleeting thought. Of sin. Such as the. Loveliness. And the beauty. Of his person. And all these things.

[44:53] That we've done. And the things. That we've loved. To do. Against God. That utterly. Repulsed him. And love. For us. He took it.

[45:06] He bore it. He took the punishment. Of God. For things he never did. For things he never said. For things he never. Thought about.

[45:22] Things we reveled in. One famous preacher says. If you were to take.

[45:34] All of humanity. Everyone. Who's. Ever lived. And all the good. They've done. All the goodness. In their hearts. And all the ways.

[45:46] They've loved God. And done good. In this world. Take them all. And put them in. One side. Of a scale. Or a balance. All the good. And creation. In one side.

[45:56] And then take. Jesus Christ. And put him. In the other side. Of the balance. He infinitely. Outweighs. All.

[46:07] Of the goodness. And the created order. He is God. The son. Who lived. The perfect. Holy life. And could offer up.

[46:20] To God. The sacrifice. That could make atonement. For sin. In the. Westminster. Larger catechism.

[46:30] In question. 38. It. Reminds us. Of the need. For. Christ. To be divine. The question is. Why was it requisite. That the mediator.

[46:41] Should be God. And part of the answer is. That he might. Sustain. And keep. The human nature. From sinking. Under the infinite. Wrath of God. And the power of death.

[46:52] And give worth. And efficacy. To his sufferings. Obedience. And intercession. What the catechism. Is saying. Is that. Because.

[47:04] Christ. Wasn't just the man. But is the God man. There was. Infinite. Worth. And value. In. His suffering. And obedience. Because of the.

[47:14] The beauty. And the perfection. Of his life. There was nothing. Lacking. In him. But this. Holy life. Was offered up. And.

[47:25] He was able. To bear. Those sins. And the punishment. Due for them. His divinity. Upheld. His humanity. As. His humanity. Suffered.

[47:38] The wrath of God. For sin. In those few hours. On the cross. Christ. Bore it all. A.W.

[47:49] Pink. Says that. In those hours. That Christ. Hung on the cross. And eternity. Of suffering. Was compressed. He went to depths.

[48:00] That you or I. Cannot even begin. To fathom. Think what it would be. For him to. Bear the sins of. Even yourself.

[48:11] And all the things. You've done against God. Multiply that over. By. All of his people. A number. A multitude.

[48:22] That no one. Can number. So that's the first reason. Believer. You can't be condemned. Because every reason. We should be condemned. Has been removed.

[48:34] Because God. Laid all our sins. Upon. Christ. So remember. Remember what he's done. And as the hymn says.

[48:44] When Satan tempts me to despair. And tells me of the guilt within. Upward I look and see him there. Who made an end. To all my sin.

[48:55] Because the sinless savior died. My sinful soul is counted free. For God the just. Is satisfied. To look on him.

[49:07] And pardon. Me. So there's one reason. Enough in itself. Isn't it? Such as the perfection.

[49:17] Of Christ's death. But friends. There's more. There's more reason. For you to. Be assured. And feel secure. As a believer. Because secondly. Paul also tells us. In verse 34.

[49:28] More than that. Who was raised. So we can have assurance. We'll never be condemned. If we're in Christ. Because he died.

[49:39] But also because he. Is risen. And Christ's resurrection. Is the proof. That his death. Was effective. It's the proof.

[49:50] That his death. Accomplished. Something. And that. Accomplished something. For others. Because of course. Christ.

[50:01] Didn't die. For his own sins. He couldn't die. For his own sins. He had. No sin. So for him to die. It must have been. Because he was bearing. The guilt.

[50:12] And responsibility. For other people's. Sins. And so he bore those sins. He came under. The wrath of God. He came under. The power of death.

[50:24] And how can we know. That those sins. Are no more. How can we know. They've been paid for. Because he rose. Because he's alive. He's alive today.

[50:36] We serve a living saviour. If he was unable. To pay the full price. For the sins he bore. He would have remained.

[50:46] Under the power of death. If he didn't rise. Death beat him. And we have no hope. But friends. The bible. Emphatically tells us.

[50:57] Over and over again. He did rise. And our faith. Is based on this. Historical fact. Of Christ's. Resurrection. And therefore. None of the sins.

[51:08] That were laid on him. Can be outstanding. They must have been paid for. For him to be alive. So when he said. From the cross. When he cried.

[51:19] It is finished. He meant it. The word he cried. At this point. Tetelestai. It means paid in full.

[51:29] It's taken. From. The world of accounting. The accounts. Have been settled. And that's what Christ has done.

[51:42] In offering up himself. For his people's sins. He's settled. His people's account. With God. The Lord's people.

[51:52] Therefore. Cannot be punished. They cannot be condemned. Because. Their sins have been punished. Christ has exhausted them. He's exhausted the curse.

[52:03] And the punishment. For them. Because he took them. And because he lives. Because he is risen. We cannot remain.

[52:15] Under the power of death. Faith. If we are united. To Christ. By faith. Well. We cannot remain dead. When he is alive. And that's for the hope. We have for eternity.

[52:26] That's the hope. We have going to the grave. It's not the end. It's not forever. Because Christ lives. We also must. Live. His resurrection.

[52:36] Must. Be ours. And so. When we come to Christ. The first fruits of that. Is a spiritual resurrection. Within us. We're given new hearts. We're made alive in him.

[52:49] And when we die. If we die before. He returns. Our bodies go to the grave. But one day. They'll be raised. And Christ. Is the first fruits of that. We're told. In 1 Corinthians.

[53:00] 15. So you see. Why Christ was raised. It's raised. It's God the Father. Confirming. It is finished.

[53:13] God confirmed that. By raising him. The Puritan. Commentator. Matthew Henry. Described. Christ's resurrection. As a legal. Discharge. A legal.

[53:26] Discharge. The judge. Affirms. Yes. All has been paid. My son. In his suffering. And death. He paid it all. Shown.

[53:38] In his. Rising. And that's what. We look forward to. As believers. Christ. Christ. Christ. Calling us. From our graves. Taking us.

[53:49] To be with him. That last day. And so. At the end of. Chapter 4. Of Romans. Jesus. We're told there. About Jesus. Who was delivered up.

[54:00] For our trespasses. And raised. For. Our justification. He's been raised. Because he's done the work. For his people. The work is done.

[54:14] Go to the one. Who has done the work. And there's more. What else.

[54:25] We're told. In verse 34. Christ. Jesus. Is the one. Who died. More than that. Who was raised. Who is at. The right. Hand.

[54:35] Of God. It's important. We remember this. It's not just. Where Christ. Has been raised. From. It's where. He's been raised. To. Where is he now? He's at God's.

[54:46] Right hand. Now. Of course. God. The father. Has no. Physical. Body. The right hand. Of God. Is. A way. To describe. The seat. Of power.

[54:57] The throne. Of. The universe. He's telling us. That. Jesus. Has been raised. To the highest. Place. He rules. From this. Position.

[55:07] Of honor. And. Authority. He hasn't. Just been raised. But he's been. Exalted. The father. Exalts him. As a reward. For accomplishing.

[55:19] The work. Given him. To do. The father. Is pleased. To reign. Over all things. And to exercise. His rule. Through. His son.

[55:30] In a few minutes. We'll sing. Psalm 110. God willing. In verse 1. Says to us. The lord. Said to my lord. Sit at my right hand. Till I make your enemies. Your.

[55:41] Footstool. Christ. Has all authority. All authority. In heaven. And on earth. Has been given. To him. One writer.

[55:52] Says. That he is now. Swaying the sector. Of universal. Dominion. He's the great king. And judge. And friends.

[56:02] What's the significance. Of this. For our assurance. For our comfort. And our hope. What it means. Is that. Believer. The one. Who's responsible.

[56:13] For your salvation. Rules the world. The one. Whose hands. Your salvation. Is in. The one. On whom.

[56:23] Your salvation. Depends. He's been given. Charge. Of all heaven. And earth. He rules over. His. And our enemies.

[56:35] Including. Our accuser. And any. Accuser. Wishing to accuse. One of his own. Must bow. Before him.

[56:45] They must bow. Before Christ. Anyone. Wishing. To make a case. For our damnation. Must go. To Christ. And must go. Through Christ. And no power.

[56:57] Can overthrow. Christ. Christian. Christ. Knows. He's died. For you. He knows. He's paid. The price. For your sins.

[57:08] He knows. He's accomplished. This perfectly. And it's shown. Because he's been raised. To. The enjoyment. Of his reward. And he will have.

[57:19] The fullness. Of his reward. When all his people. Are gathered. To him. Do you look forward. To being with Christ. Are you excited.

[57:32] At the prospect. Of heaven. And eternal bliss. In his presence. As your heart. Still. Chained. To this world.

[57:43] Or. Do you realize. That your citizenship. Is in heaven. And that's really. Where your home is. You're passing through.

[57:55] Time. In this world. Now. Now. But where you belong. Has to be. Where he is. It has to be. Where Christ is. Because he is the one. Whom your soul loves.

[58:06] He's the one. You can't live. Without. He's the one. You long to see. Is your heart. Already in heaven. And do you long.

[58:19] To behold. Your savior. King. Well friends. More than we long.

[58:31] To be with him. He's longing. To be with us. He's longing. To gather us in. His people. Are his delight.

[58:42] He rejoices. Over them. With singing. Believer. He looks forward. To receiving you. And nothing. Can separate you. From his love.

[58:54] And he will work. All things together. For. Your good. He's in the highest. Place. He has all power. And authority. To do so. So as you go.

[59:06] Through this life. Bruised. And battered. Buffeted. By the storms. And every. While of Satan.

[59:18] What do you have to be afraid of? What do you have to doubt? Now in time. When you cross that last river. And into eternity.

[59:32] The one you're united to by faith. Your beloved. He's on the throne. I once heard the story of a.

[59:43] A ship. That was caught in a terrible storm. So bad that they thought the ship was going to. To break up. And. All the.

[59:55] All the sailors were terrified. Everyone was. Expecting the worst. But there was one little cabin boy. And he was just going about whistling.

[60:07] Doing his business. Even in the midst of this. Ferocious storm. And. The others on the ship. Said to him. How can you be so calm? We're about to die.

[60:19] The ship's going to keel over. How can you. Be so composed. And he simply said. Oh I don't need to worry. My dad's the captain. Of the ship.

[60:31] Why would I worry? Believer. Why would you worry? Your heavenly father.

[60:42] Is he not. The eternal God. Who has made you. And all this world. Has he not. Forordained all things. And the one who has loved you.

[60:54] Enough. To come and redeem you. From sin. By suffering. The worst punishment. He's on the throne. He's on the throne. And he commands and controls. All things in this universe.

[61:06] How much more reason do we have not to worry. Than that little boy. On the ship. So Christian. You can't be condemned.

[61:16] Because your saviour reigns. Fourthly. And finally. What is Jesus doing now?

[61:29] Apart from. Ruling the world. What else is he doing? At the father's right hand. Who indeed. Is interceding. For us.

[61:40] Right now. Jesus Christ. Is in his father's presence. Pleading for. And appealing.

[61:52] On behalf. Of his people. If his reign. Shows us his kingly work. Will his intercession. Shows us his. Priestly. Work. And what is it?

[62:05] What is. Christ's intercession. What does it mean. For him to make intercession. For us. Well his intercession. Is really his presence.

[62:18] His presence. Before his father. And his presence. There in the throne room. Is a continual. To remind. Reminder. To his father. Of his finished work.

[62:31] And before his father. He represents. His people. And it means that. The father sees. All of Christ's people.

[62:41] Through Christ. As their mediator. As their covenant head. The father sees. You believer. In Jesus. Your sins covered.

[62:51] And paid for. By him. And you're clothed. In his righteousness. He sees. He sees. His blood. Constantly applied.

[63:03] To us. And his righteousness. Constantly imputed. To us. So you have an advocate. In the very throne room. In heaven. Of heaven. The one who is king.

[63:15] And judge. Is also. Your counsel. Pleading your. Defense. What does that mean.

[63:27] Well. When you and I sin. And Satan. Accuses us. And we can't forget. Or shake off.

[63:39] All those feelings. When our conscience. Condemns us. Jesus is there. He's there.

[63:51] For us. We have an advocate. With the father. Jesus Christ. The righteous. And when you sin. You do not have to. Represent yourself. Before God.

[64:05] Jesus makes the case. For you. Not being. Condemned. So when we sin. He is present. Before God. Saying.

[64:17] Father. Forgive them. Look to me. Father. And look. What I've done. For them. And of course. The son. Doesn't have to.

[64:27] Beg. And grovel. For us. He just. Has to be there. His presence. Is his plea. For us. He's. There. Saying to his father.

[64:38] Father. Look to me. They've sinned again. They've failed us again. They've let us down. Again. They've gone astray. Again. But father. Remember. I've paid for it.

[64:49] Remember. What I've done. See my wounds. See my scars. Remember. My blood spilled. Remember. It covers. All they've done. Have. brothers.

[65:00] This. From now. You've done. And there is no grudge. Or unwillingness. On the father's part. He's only two pleas. To grant his son's request.

[65:10] and of course Christ's plea for us in heaven is not just for our continual forgiveness but it's for the full fruition of his work he's there saying Father I've paid for them work in their lives, grow them, mature them, complete them, sanctify them bring them home Father to have his people with him forever accomplish all your purposes in them so Christ's presence is a pleading presence and whatever Satan would want to throw against us whatever he has on us remember what Christ has his suffering and death for us and that infinitely outweighs the worst of our sins Christ's blood runs deeper than the most evil things any believer has ever done so Christ's presence is a pleading presence and he will keep pleading until everyone for whom he has died receives all the benefits that he has purchased for them he'll keep pleading for us as he brings us home look to him, remember what he has done and is doing so friends there we have the believers quadruple lock of security believer Christ has died for you

[66:55] Christ has risen for you Christ rules over all things and Christ intercedes on your behalf before the throne of God you see what our security is these are all facets of Christ's work your security and assurance is not to be found in yourself it's all in Jesus now of course we want to see fruit in our own lives we want to see the fruit of the spirit in us we want to see evidence that Christ reigns in us and grows and that's great and we should look for that of course and that will add to our assurance but the foundation has to be what Jesus has done and are you resting on that foundation and if you are what security is yours and no one can snatch you out of Christ's hand if you are not a Christian today you have none of this security you have absolutely nothing and the reality is you are dying your time is very quickly running out and whatever you are living for the people you have made idols of the things you have made idols of that completely fill you and take up your life and your time well they are dying as well and you won't take any of them to eternity with you your time is running out if you are not a Christian you are not right with God and you are going to come face to face with him one day when Christ comes to judge the world and if you die outside of Christ you will be condemned there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ there is condemnation for those out of him the judge will send you to hell he will send you to everlasting punishment and torment

[69:13] God himself will do this so what must you do there is only one thing to do come come to Jesus Christ and he promises he won't turn you away you will find in him a full and a free forgiveness he won't save you begrudgingly he won't pardon you with a clenched fist or with gritted teeth he will delight to save you he will delight to cleanse you and pardon you and take you to be his own forever and he will take you on a journey with him and in him and you will discover life in all its fullness in Jesus Christ the burden of sin will be removed from your back and you will know a new reason for living and a new hope that nothing in this world can give you so come Jesus Christ is offered to you and he promises you won't be turned away but you must do so in this life eternity is too late come to Jesus Christ and believer well should the entire world turn against us and try to condemn us should all the armies of hell try to condemn us on that day they are all going to fail they are all against us but there is one who is for us and it is that one that matters every believer therefore will not come even one inch short of eternal glory there is none who can condemn it is God who justifies if you are in Christ the work is done you are safe and secure in him so go on in him walk in him and may we find our assurance strengthened and grown and deepened and may we continue to delight more and more in all that

[71:22] Jesus Christ is and all that he has done for us I close with the words of a well known hymn the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose he will not he will not desert to its foes that soul though all hell should endeavour to shake he'll never no never no never forsake let us pray our gracious God we thank you for the salvation that you have wrought for your people in your son Jesus Christ we marvel at your gracious dealings with those so undeserving and ask that you would enable us to think on these things and that we would find much joy and peace as we remember all that Christ has done please bless your word to us this day may we go on in his strength knowing his resurrection power living within us and be enabled to witness faithfully for you as we live our lives day by day please bless this day of sabbath rest to us bring us back for worship this evening with a renewed hunger and desire to meet with our

[72:44] God we give you thanks in Jesus name amen well we shall conclude by singing psalm 110 in the sing psalms psalm 110 we sing the version in the sing psalms and we shall sing the whole psalm verses 1 to 7 the Lord said to my Lord sit here at my right hand until I make your foes a stool on which your feet may stand the Lord will make your reign extend from Zion's hill with royal power you'll rule among those who oppose your will when you display your power your people flock to you at dawn arrayed in holiness your youth will come like you unchangeably the Lord with solemn purpose swore just like

[73:44] Melchizedek you are a priest forevermore the Lord's at your right hand there he will ever stay he on his day of wrath will crush the kings who bar his way the nations he will judge the dead in heaps will lie the mighty of the earth he'll crush all who his rule defy may that not be any of us here a brook beside the way his thirst will satisfy and thus refreshed he will with joy lift up his head on high so let us stand and praise God in the singing of Psalm 110 10 Yang沒有 a 어� CEOs may that the Lord for you can come in the mail

[75:11] When you display your power, your people talk to you.

[75:26] At honor, in holiness, your youth will come by two.

[75:39] And changeably the Lord with solemn purpose for.

[75:53] Just like Mephistoric you are, I'll please forevermore.

[76:07] There Lord's at your right hand, there he will ever stay.

[76:21] He on his day of wrath will cross the King to power his way.

[76:34] That he chants, he will chants. The dead in heaps will lie.

[76:49] The mighty of the earth will crush. All who is true divine.

[77:03] And look beside the way. His thirst will satisfy.

[77:16] And as refreshed he will with joy. Lift up his head on high.

[77:30]  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. Amen.