[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Alright, take your Bibles of Yord and open them with me to Romans chapter 8.
[0:10] Romans chapter 8. And I'm excited to share with you today a beautiful, beautiful truth. You know, security is a big deal to all of us.
[0:21] Knowing that we are loved, knowing that we are protected, and knowing that we are taken care of is a big deal to us. And I can remember before I got married, you know, I was always kind of insecure.
[0:33] I was insecure at home. I was insecure in my family. I was insecure where I went. And I remember getting married to my girlfriend all those years ago, who's been my wife almost 40 years, and knowing for the first time in my life somebody loved me every day.
[0:49] Whether I was in good shape or bad shape, whether I was a nice guy or not a nice guy, one of the most wonderful feelings in the world was to know, hey, I'm loved, I'm accepted, I'm secure.
[1:00] And I want to tell you that over the years, everybody fights about eternal security. I want to talk to you about eternal security and His salvation this morning. There's a big argument.
[1:10] Are we eternally saved? Did, does God love me now, and will He keep on loving me? Could I lose my position with God?
[1:22] Could I lose my salvation? Some of you have honestly been in churches that prey on that. They enjoy trying to get you to be afraid that maybe you're not really saved, and you might have even made several professions of faith.
[1:37] And most of the time, that's because you haven't studied what the Bible says. And I'm going to read you a passage of Scripture that is just going to help you know that you know that you know that you are saved and secure in Jesus Christ, that you are saved by what He did on the cross of Calvary.
[1:56] So you need your Bible open, you need an ink pen, you need to mark some words, circle some things if you do that sort of thing in your Bible. And I promise you, this passage of Scripture will be exciting to you.
[2:07] Read with me, if you would, Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28 and following. The Bible says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the call according to His purpose, for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[2:33] Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
[2:44] What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
[2:59] Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
[3:16] 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 Thy sake we are killed all the day long.
[3:30] We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. 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 creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
[3:54] Father in Heaven, how I love You, and thank You, and magnify You, and praise You for the wonderful salvation that we have from You in Jesus Christ.
[4:06] I pray, God, that You would comfort the hearts of Your children, of Your elect, of Your chosen, of Your bride today. I pray, God, that the Word of God would help them go home blessed and excited about what You've done.
[4:19] And God, I pray that if there's someone here who doesn't know this, who has yet to trust You, who has yet to accept the free gift of grace that You offer, I pray You would convict them and draw them to You, and I'll give You praise in Jesus' name.
[4:33] Amen. Well, I hope you got a sheet of paper, and I wish there was a way I could show you my outline. I wish there was a way I could pop it up here, and I'm talking about just the text.
[4:45] I wish you would notice how many times the word God is used. I wish you'd take your Bible and start in Romans 8, 28, and you'll find that the word God is used six times in these 11 verses.
[4:58] You'll find a pronoun for God, like He, Him, or His, is used 15 times in these verses. And I have, I always make those words, I find, to be keywords.
[5:11] It's like I'm real big and real bold in the text so I can see what's going on. It would astonish you to know how many times, 21 times in 11 verses, God makes a reference, and we'll look at that a little bit more in just a second.
[5:25] If you're taking notes, you should write this down. Salvation is a work of God. Salvation is a work of God. It's what He does in us, for us, through us.
[5:37] It is Him. We can be secure in His salvation because it's His salvation. We can be secure in His salvation because it is His salvation.
[5:49] This passage is about Him, God, and what He did. The action verbs are actions that He did. The verbs are all past tense, so they're already done.
[6:01] It's eternal security because He did it and He doesn't fail. Take your Bible with me. Write this down. Number one, we know that God is at work in our lives.
[6:12] I want to talk to you about this. We are eternally secure in His salvation. The first thing I want you to notice in this passage of Scripture is that we know that God is at work in our lives.
[6:24] We know that God is at work in our lives. Take your Bible, go with me if you would to Romans 8, 28. Read that verse for me. It says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.
[6:38] Now, if you have your Bible open, verse 29, maybe you enjoy circling or underlining or something. Look at verse 29. He did foreknow. He did foreknow.
[6:50] Then notice this. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Verse 30.
[7:01] Moreover, He did predestinate them He also called and whom He called them He also justified and whom He justified them He also glorified.
[7:14] Now, I'd just like to remind you all I did was just read Scripture. But did you notice how many times He is mentioned in verses 29 and 30? He foreknew, He predestined that He might be the firstborn.
[7:28] He did predestine. He called, He called, He justified, He justified, He glorified. Now, you want to talk about your salvation. If it depends on you, you have every reason to be concerned because you're pretty lousy in almost everything you do.
[7:45] You can be really good for a long time and mess up, but He is good all the time. And the verses said, He. I want you to go back through those verses. I want you to notice that all the verbs are in past tense.
[7:59] I want you to notice that all the verbs are in past tense. It is something that He has already done. It is something that He's already done. Would you look at verse 29? Did foreknow.
[8:10] Also, verse 29, Did predestinate. Look at verse 30. Did predestinate. He called, verse 30. He called, verse 30. He justified, verse 30.
[8:21] He justified again, and then it said, He glorified. I'll look at this, wait a second. We haven't been glorified yet, but we've been glorified. In other words, He didn't just start it and hope we can hang on.
[8:35] He said, Hey, I called you and I glorified you. And all the verbs are in past tense. None of them are conditional. None of them are potential.
[8:47] He already has glorified us even. I just want you to notice something today. I want to talk to you about eternal security. I want you to go home and know that. Can I just tell you that for years, man, people used to make me wonder if I saved.
[9:02] I mean, honestly, I got saved when I was almost eight years old. And I mean, I've done all my sin since I got saved, but mostly, you know, you get saved at seven. I really wasn't an alcoholic before that.
[9:15] And I wasn't, I wasn't a drug addict before that. I was almost eight years old. I was saved in May and I would, I was, I turned eight in August and it wasn't, you know, so I messed up more after I got saved than I did before I got saved.
[9:29] I might not have known that when I was seven, almost eight, but I did. And then all of a sudden preachers constantly kept in front of me, are you really saved? Did you pray the right prayer? Did you say the right words?
[9:41] Did you believe enough? Did you, and they put so much emphasis on it that I was constantly saying, well, am I saved? I used to pray a lot in the invitations and I got, I got saved, but I ain't sure I am saved because they kind of make me doubt that I'm saved.
[9:55] And so if I ain't saved, would you go ahead and save me now? And I probably prayed that a hundred times. I've been saved a hundred times. I got saved and I kept saying, I really hadn't, but I didn't understand some stuff.
[10:06] I didn't understand. Then I would, I was a pastor. I was a pastor already and I was at this big camp meeting and there were several hundred, if not just a couple of thousand people in the room and I was probably in my late twenties.
[10:18] I'd been pastoring and been in the ministry. I was, I was, I'd already been in there over 10 years and this man was up there preaching and I'm telling you, he said, if you have, if you have these dirty thoughts, you're probably not saved.
[10:29] If you, this, you're not saved. If you, I'm sitting there thinking, stink, I still got problems. I ain't sure. Maybe I ain't saved. And I'm sitting there and he said, and I've known preachers to get saved when I was preaching. I've known deacons to get saved when I was preaching.
[10:41] I've known pastors to get saved when I preached. I'm sitting there thinking, well, it's going to be embarrassing if I got to get saved again. I'm just trying to figure out, but I didn't understand some stuff because I didn't study my Bible enough and a lot of your stuff is based on your emotions.
[10:56] So do you have your Bible open? Have you noticed that it said he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, if you caught on to that yet, have you, did you see that? If you did say amen, did you notice it was past tense verbs?
[11:07] Could you say amen if you saw that? Past tense verbs, not potential. Hey, he will save you if, he might save you. I hope you're saved. It said glorified already.
[11:19] That's pretty good stuff. Now I want you to read with me if you would, Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. And I want you to know that he uses every circumstance in my life to accomplish what he's already doing in my life.
[11:31] Look at Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purposes. Now look at here.
[11:42] He's using every circumstance. You got your Bible open. Underline the word all things, every circumstance, everything that's going on in my life. that doesn't mean everything that happens in my life is good.
[11:54] It doesn't mean everything that happens in my life is good. It just means that God started to work in me and he is working at fashioning me and making me who I'm supposed to be.
[12:04] Look at verse 29 if you would. Look at verse 29. He did, whom he did for, for whom he did for, no, he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.
[12:15] Now listen to this. Watch, look at, look at his way just a second. This week, we've had like three babies born or within the last couple of three weeks, we've had three or four babies born here in our church family. But I want to tell you that on May the 6th, 1962, I was born again.
[12:30] That's the day I placed my faith and trust in what he did on the cross of Calvary. Now he saved me. I didn't do anything but accept the free gift.
[12:40] The wages of sin is death. What I do brings death. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And I want you to know that he's been working in my life and he's been working in your life and all this stuff if you are born again and if you're his, all this stuff he's working to conform you to the image of his son.
[12:59] He is working to conform you to the image of his son. All this is true for those that love God and are called according to his purposes. Look at verse 28 with me again.
[13:11] Romans 8, 28. For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Now, look at this. Wait a second. I want to show you something. You got to listen to me. Listen. There was a lot of time in my life I'd say, well, I ain't sure I'm loving him today.
[13:24] You know, I mean, all things work together for good for them that love him and I used to think that meant, well, I don't know, maybe today I hadn't prayed and if I didn't pray I didn't love him and if you love me keep my commandments and maybe I haven't kept his commandments so maybe I'm not loving him so maybe things ain't working out right and it's all my fault again.
[13:40] But that's not what the verse says. Look at what it says. To them that love God. Do you know who loves God? His people love him. There are two groups of people. That's what's going on in that verse.
[13:51] There are two groups of people. Those that love God and those that don't. There's those that love God and those that don't. How many of you love God? Say amen. How many of you realized one day that you were a sinner and you deserved to go to hell and Jesus died on a cross and you trusted God and you said, I love Jesus.
[14:05] If you said that and it's in your heart, say amen. Love. Then we were called according to his purpose. Now, by the way, that doesn't mean that I was called to be in the ministry or called to be a preacher or called to be a missionary.
[14:18] That's what happened to you. You were lost in your sin and the Holy Spirit of God came to you and said, you're lost and you're in your sin and he called you to salvation and you heard the call and you responded to the call and so you are called according to his purposes.
[14:34] He's doing the saving. It's him doing the work and he did the work in your life. How many of you would say there was a time I was in my sin, I was not right, I knew I wasn't right and God dealt with my heart and I said, I'm a sinner and I'm trusting Jesus.
[14:48] If I happen to say amen. All right, read the verse. Is that true or not? Did it happen to you or not? All right, now read the verse for me. Romans 8, 28. For all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.
[15:03] So God is at work in my life. God is at work in my life. God is making me into who I should be. By the way, we just say this to you.
[15:16] It's not really dependent on your love. It's dependent on him. It's dependent on him and I'm going to show you that before the passage is finished but I would like to ask you to do this if you would in your Bible.
[15:27] This is just really fun for you. Mark he. Go through here and mark all the he's and the him's and the his's. Go through here and mark all the he, the him's and the his's.
[15:38] Go through here and mark all the God's and let it jump off the page that this passage is not about what you're doing but about what he has done because they are past tense verbs.
[15:49] So I know that I'm saved. I have security because he is working in my life. Verse 29, the Bible said for whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[16:05] He saw you, he loved you and he has a purpose for you. He is conforming you to the image of his son. Jesus is the first but he's making many others like him.
[16:17] He's the first but he's making many others like him. I want you to write this down somewhere. Predestination is for you believer. Predestination is for you.
[16:27] And what are you predestined? Predestined, you are predestined to be conformed to his image. Could you repeat that with me? Predestined to be conformed to his image. Could you say that with me?
[16:38] Are you ready? Go. Predestined to be conformed to his image. You say, how do you know that? Would you read verse 29 with me? It's right behind my head. It's right there in your Bible. Look at it. You are predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.
[16:52] So on the day I was born again, God said, Austin, you didn't do anything. You're a dirty, rotten sinner. You deserve to go to heaven, to hell, even though you're seven years of age. But I'm going to save you and I have a plan laid out for your life and I'm going to work in you until you become like Jesus.
[17:08] And God said, I called you, I foreknew you, I predestinate you, blah, blah, blah, all the way he says, to be conformed to the image of his son. I'm secure this morning.
[17:19] I'm secure in the fact that he's doing the saving, not I. It depends on me, I would mess it up. How many of you are glad that it's God that does the saving?
[17:30] Say amen. Number two, what can you say when you know all that? What can you say when you know all that? When you read those two verses, 28, 29, and 30, when you've read those three verses, what can you say?
[17:43] Look if you went at verse 31. What shall we say then to these things? I just got through reading 28, 29, and 30, and the Holy Spirit said, hey, what in the world can you say now?
[17:55] Let's hear what you got to say now. If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he, not with him, also freely give us all things?
[18:10] Another bunch of he's and him's and his's and God. It is God who is for us. It is God who is for us. Then who can be against us?
[18:22] If God be for us, who can be against us? If God loved me, if God sent his son and God let his son down on the cross and God convicted me of my sin and God saved me and God did a work in my life, would you like to name who can stand up against God?
[18:40] If God be for us, who can be against us? What else of any importance is there? The God of heaven is for us.
[18:51] The God of heaven is for us. It is God who loved us so much. It is God who loved us so much that he gave his only son.
[19:03] Look at verse 32 with me. You got it? Romans 8, 32. The Bible said, the Bible says, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
[19:19] How did I get saved? Would you look at this? Wait a second and listen to me. How did I get saved? I got saved because I deserve to die. I deserve to go to hell. I deserve the payment for my sin. But the God of heaven looked down and said, Austin, you deserve to die and you deserve to go to hell, but I will give my son to pay your debt.
[19:37] I will give my son to pay your sin debt so that you can be saved. That's what it says. Verse 32, he didn't spare his own son. He didn't hold back his own son, but he gave up his own son for all of us.
[19:49] By the way, if he's done that, what would he hold back after that? After what God did in Jesus on the cross, do you think there's anything he would not, that he would hold back from you? Why did Jesus die?
[20:02] Read Verse 32 with me. You got your Bible open? Read Verse 32. He that spared not his son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
[20:17] Do you really believe that a God who could be so generous in giving his son could get stingy after he did all of that? Do you believe that a God who is so generous in giving his son to save you could be stingy after all of that?
[20:33] Now, I know that I have eternal security in his salvation. Number one, because he's at work in my life. I recognize that it was him. It was he that came and convicted me of my sin.
[20:45] It was he that came and justified me. It was he that did all this work in me. And he says he's already glorified me. I know that I'm saved because he gave his son for us all.
[21:00] The Bible said for us all. Third thing you might write down. Who can bring an accusation against God's chosen? Who can bring an accusation against God's chosen?
[21:11] His elect, his people. That's not a word to be afraid of. That's not a word to be afraid of. Verse 33. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
[21:23] Underline that. Chosen. In 1973, I saw this girl that I liked and I chose her to be my wife.
[21:33] She's my chosen. She's my wife. She's my people. And you know what God did? He loved you before you ever loved him. And he died for you before you ever did anything.
[21:45] But God committed his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We love him because he first loved us. Can you say amen if that's true? And here's what he said.
[21:55] He said, hey, who's going to accuse my people? Who's going to accuse those that I've chosen? Who's going to accuse my people? Read verse 33 with you. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
[22:08] It's God that justifies. You need to underline that. It's God that justifies. That's what the verse says. It's God that justifies.
[22:19] You see, for you to accuse God's elect, you'd have to say that God didn't justify well. If for you to accuse God's elect, you'd have to say God didn't justify well.
[22:31] Watch this. We've gone through justification. And justification is God taking me and taking my sin off of me and putting my sin on Jesus and taking Jesus' righteousness and putting it on me so I'd become righteous.
[22:48] He did the saving. He did the justifying. You want to come to court and stand before the judge God of all the universe and say, God, I don't believe he's saved.
[23:00] You didn't do a good job on him. And here's what the apostle Paul said. The Holy Spirit said, who do you think would have nerve to come accuse God's own chosen? You know, you could say a lot about me and I'll probably put up with it, but you might not want to cross a line talking about my girl.
[23:17] And that's what he said. Don't cross the line. It is God who justifies. Remember that justification is what God did when he made us as Jesus himself.
[23:30] It was God putting the righteousness of Jesus on us. Note in the corner of the margin of your Bible, write this down. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21.
[23:42] Let's read that verse together. Let's read that verse together. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
[23:54] Now, I'm going to take the time. We've already gone through this chapter together as we've preached through the Bible. But I want you to look at what happens here. He, God, he, God, hath made him, Jesus, to be sin for us.
[24:05] That's me and you. Who knew no sin. Who didn't know what he's in? Jesus, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's justification.
[24:16] That's God. That's imputation. That's all these words we've been studying. God looked down and said, Austin, you deserve hell, buddy. You deserve hell. But I'm going to take your sin and I'm going to put it on Jesus's account.
[24:27] And I'm going to take Jesus's righteousness and I'm going to put it on your account. That's what he did in our lives. He changed our history, our past, and our present, and our future.
[24:42] He saved us. He redeemed us. Who can condemn us since Jesus already took our condemnation? Look, if you would, at chapter 8 and verse 34.
[24:55] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, praying for me.
[25:08] Look what it says. Make an intercession for us. Now let me remind you of a verse. Look at Romans 8, 1, where you started the chapter. You started the chapter on this one. You started the chapter on this one.
[25:18] It said, there is therefore now no what? Help me now. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. How many of you are in Christ Jesus? Hold your hand up.
[25:29] And by the way, we went through the Bible and even the last part where it says, He walked not the flesh. And he says right there in Romans chapter 8, we don't walk out the flesh. That's lost people. We don't walk out the flesh. That's lost people.
[25:39] We walk out to the Spirit. And hey, there's no condemnation. Now in chapter 8 and verse 34, he said, who you reckon is going to do the condemning around here? Who you reckon is going to do the condemning?
[25:52] And who's going to walk into the courtroom where God Almighty sits on the throne and looks and says, These guys are, he looks and says, hey devil, these guys are saved because I gave my son to pay their price. My son paid the price for them.
[26:04] You understand that? I justified them. Everything good about them, I did it. I saved them and I did all those things all through that whole order. I predestined them to be in the image of my son and I glorified them already.
[26:17] And he said, and by the way, you want to bring an accusation? I'm the one that justified them. You say, oh, you say they ought to be condemned. He said, well, my son was condemned for them. And my son's standing right here beside me right now saying, I'm for them.
[26:34] My son's standing out here right now saying, I'm for them. My son says, I'm for them. 1 John chapter 2 verse 1.
[26:45] Who could accuse us before the father when Jesus is standing right there at our side as our lawyer, as our advocate? Look at 1 John chapter 2 and verse 1 with me.
[26:56] Would you read what that says? My little children, these things write unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an, help me, what's that word? We have an advocate with the father.
[27:07] Who's our advocate with the father? What's his name? Jesus Christ, the righteous. You know what's going on in heaven right now? You know what's going on in heaven right now? I'm saved. I'm saved because the father chose to give his son.
[27:20] I'm saved because the son chose to give his life. I'm saved because the Holy Spirit came looking for me and convicted me and brought me to him. I'm saved. And if somebody wants to step into his courtroom and say, I don't think that guy ought to get to go to heaven, God's going to say, well, hold it just a second.
[27:32] I'm the judge and I'm the one that justified him. Are you calling me into judgment? And then when they say, well, what? I think you ought to be condemned. Jesus steps forward and says, I was condemned. And I stand here advocating, praying for them.
[27:45] I stand here making intercession. I stand here making intercession. Why don't you go with me to verse 35 if you would. Why don't you go with me to verse 35. Who could ever take away from us all that God has done?
[27:58] He's going to end the chapter and he's going to say, who could take all of that away from us? Read with me if you would. Verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
[28:12] Now stop a second. Let me just show you something. Would you look at this? Wait a second. Look at this. Look at this. How come I love him? Would you answer me? How come I love him? What's the Bible say? Why do I love him? I can't hear you.
[28:23] Why do I love him? Because he loved us first. Why do I love him? Say it. Why do I love him? You see, he loved me first. And when did he love me, by the way? When did he love me?
[28:34] He loved me while I was still a sinner. He loved me while I was still doing wrong. I didn't quit smoking, cussing, dancing, chewing, and going with them to do to get saved. I didn't have any list of stuff I had to do.
[28:46] He loved me while I was still a sinner. The Bible says in Romans 5.8, but God commended his love toward us. And that while we were yet still sinning, while we were still sinning, Christ died for us.
[28:57] You know, he didn't love me because I'm a nice looking guy. He didn't love me because I was doing good. He loved me because he's good. He loved me because he's good. Who do you think is going to separate us from that love?
[29:09] You think it could be tribulation or distress or persecution or famine? He asked the question in verse 25. Maybe you could circle the word who. He said, who? Who do you think could come and separate this and stop this from happening?
[29:23] And in verse 37, he answers the question. The question is asked and answered. Nay. Who can separate us? Nay. In all these things, we are more than conquerors.
[29:34] We are more than conquerors. But I need you to notice something. I need you to look at verse 37. How are we conquerors? Now, you look here. This isn't a positive thinking message. This isn't a, boy, you're good.
[29:47] You're coming to church and you're tithing and you're giving and you've been baptized and you can't lose your salvation. I want you to look at what it says. We are conquerors through. Through. Help me through. Excuse me.
[29:58] Through. You remember what I told you? Start with it. He, he, he. Him, him, him. His. God. He said, we are more than conquerors. Because I'm a gardener. Because I'm a Baptist. Because I'm a United States citizen.
[30:09] We are more than conquerors through him. I'm a conqueror. I am more than a conqueror. But it is through him. We are victorious in all these things.
[30:21] None of them can separate us from the love of God. But the key to my victory is found in. Answer that. The key to my victory is found in.
[30:34] Through him that loved us. Through him that loved us. Verse 38.
[30:45] Underline. I'm persuaded. I'm convinced. The apostle Paul. Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Is convinced. Persuaded. That nothing. Can take away from us.
[30:56] What God has done. For us. The bible says in verse 38. I am persuaded. That none of these things. Verse 39. Is able to separate us.
[31:07] From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord. Life nor death. Can separate me. Angels nor demons.
[31:19] Can separate me. Things that are happening now. And nothing that will ever happen. Can separate me. Anything that you think of. That you might think can separate. You can't separate us.
[31:32] Our stability. Is found in the love of God. In Christ Jesus. Not in you. And not in what you did. Look in verse 38.
[31:44] For I am persuaded. I am persuaded. Look at verse 39. Nor height. Nor depth. Nor any other creature. Shall be able to separate us. From the love of God.
[31:55] Which is in. Christ. Jesus. Our Lord. Nothing. Can separate us. Nothing. I want you to go back through this.
[32:07] Romans 8. 28 and 29. You should have. You should have noticed it. I hope you did. I hope you wrote it down. I know I am saved. I know I am saved. Because he is at work in my life. How many of you would realize.
[32:18] That since you got saved. You have kind of gotten out of the path. And he has given you a swat. And put you back in the path. And you can see that. If you look back over the past. Your life. And you can realize. Boy God has been at work in me. How many of you can say that. Say amen.
[32:29] You know what he has done. He has saved you. And he has kept you on the path. Why didn't you walk away. Why didn't you walk away. Because he is at work in your life. He predestined you to be a conformer to the image of his son.
[32:39] And he will chastise you. He will transform you. He will conform you to the image of his son. Before it is all said and done. God is at work in my life. God is at work in my life.
[32:50] What are you going to say about that. If God is for you. If God is for you. Who do you really think could be against you. If Jesus paid your debt. And stands there by the father.
[33:01] Who do you really think could be against you. Who do you think could bring an accusation to God about us. We are his elect. We are his chosen. We are his chosen. You can rest in this.
[33:13] He chose you. He loves you. He saved you. Who could ever take that away from you. Now listen to what I want to say to you. Have you believed. Have you believed.
[33:24] Have you believed that you were a sinner. And deserved to go to hell. And have you believed. That Jesus died on the cross. To pay your sin debt. If you believe that. If you trusted Jesus Christ.
[33:36] Way down in your heart. You've really trusted him. You're saved. Have you trusted the word of God. And what he says. That he will do. And that he has done. Will you rest in his promise.
[33:48] Do you recognize. That he has done a work. In you. I can look back over my life. And I can tell you this. I've been saved. And serving God. Over 50 years now.
[33:58] 51 since I got saved. But I can tell you this. I'm not that good a guy. I mess up on a regular basis. But the beauty of this chapter.
[34:09] Is this. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God.
[34:24] God. God. God. God.
[34:35] God. God. God. God. ARE Inst temations. Jesus. God. God. God.
[34:46] God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. You go to heaven because you have sinned against the Holy God and you recognize that and you trust him. Everybody that goes to heaven is a sinner. Everybody that goes to heaven is a sinner and they know it.
[34:59] Hey, by the way, if you in any way think, well, I'm a pretty good guy and I really don't know that I don't need all that. He didn't really need to die for me. I mean, he didn't need to do much for me. I was pretty much 99% there. He didn't need to do much.
[35:10] Then you can't get saved. Because it's what Jesus did on the cross that saves us. Say amen. Now then, somebody would come to you and say, you can't be sure you're saved.
[35:23] I would just like to remind you of two or three things and then I close. Are you ready? It was he. It was him. He did it. He did it.
[35:34] The verbs are past tense. I am saved. And God out there in the future is already saved. He writes in the book of Romans and he said, you've been glorified. I'm not glorified yet as far as I know.
[35:45] But in Ephesians, I've been seated in the heavenly places already. My seat's already reserved. My seat's already got its name. I am born again. I'm saved.
[35:56] I'm predestined to go all the way through to the end. He that begun a good work in me will fulfill the work. He will complete the work. I'm not saved today because of me. I'm saved because of him.
[36:06] And I know that I'll go to heaven because of him. Have you come to know him? Have you come to realize your need? And if you place your trust in him, we are eternally secure in his salvation.
[36:20] Not Baptist salvation. Not church salvation. Not man's salvation. Not cultural Christianity's salvation. But in his salvation.
[36:31] And you honestly know right now if he's already done that in you. And you do know. You know. You know. If you're not saved, today's your day. If you are saved, you ought to be able to walk out of your sins.
[36:43] Man, I like that chapter. He, he, he. I like that chapter. You're not going to walk out and say, I liked his message. You're going to walk out and say, man, I never knew he said it so many times. He, he, he. He said 17 times.
[36:54] He said 17 times in 11 verses. How big he is. 17, six times he said he was God and he did it. And then he asked me, he even said to me, what do you think you're going to say now, big boy?
[37:05] I mean, that's what he says in a chapter. He said, what you got to say now? I did it. What you got to say? Hey, who can separate you from the love of God? Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.
[37:16] Nothing. Nothing. Nothing up there. Nothing down there. Nothing out there. Nothing happened in the past. Nothing happened in the future. It's him. Father God in heaven, I love you.
[37:27] And I thank you for the chance to study your word. And I pray, God, that you help it to become alive and real to us. I pray you convince your people, convict your people and draw them to you. I pray that the name of Jesus will be magnified and glorified.
[37:38] And I'll give you great praise for all you do. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfredo, Georgia. For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com, where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.