Romans 8 and looking at verse 33.
Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?
! It is God who justifies.
!
It is important for us to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Particularly if we have been following the Lord for a long time,
it is important for us often to just stop and to reflect and to remember
what it is that God the Father did
and what it is that God the Son did for us
and what God the Holy Spirit continues to do for us
and Christ interceding for us.
And this chapter is one of these chapters that brings before us in a very, very clear way.
It is a chapter, and particularly this latter part,
it is a tremendous encouragement of assurance
because it is something that quite often we can grapple with,
our assurance, being assured of our faith.
Sometimes we are so assured,
we are absolutely sure that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ,
no doubt whatever.
And for some Christians,
they spend a lot of their lives like that.
But many don't.
Many struggle at different times
with a whole sense of assurance.
And at the heart of all that the Apostle is reminding of us here
is that God is for us.
That God is not against us.
That as a believer, God is for us.
And that is an incredible statement in itself.
If God be for us, who can be against us?
So that means God is for us.
The creator of this world,
the one who brought all things into being by the word of his power,
he is for you.
You are precious to him,
far more precious than you or I ever realize.
He will never forget you.
He will never fall out with you.
He'll never disown you.
He'll never not be there for you.
He's committed to you completely.
And every day we should remember that,
because there are times in our experience
when we say, like Jacob said,
remember,
he said,
all these things are against me.
And yet,
Jacob was to discover by the end of his life,
far than being against him,
they were actually all working together
for his good
and for God's people's good.
But sometimes when we're going through the difficult times
and things aren't working out
and God's providence is mysterious
and we're struggling,
we kind of echo Jacob's sentiments
and say,
all these things are against us
or against me.
Well,
it certainly wasn't.
As the Lord says in Jeremiah,
I know the plans that I have for you,
plans for peace
are not of evil
to give you a future and a hope.
Now,
Paul is arguing here and saying,
he's displaying how much God is for us
and he's saying,
if God has done the greatest thing possible for us,
it is inconceivable
but that he will do the lesser things as well.
And the greatest thing that he did
was in giving his son.
Giving his son
to a life
that ended up in pain,
in torture,
in abuse,
in crucifixion,
in abandonment,
in the full experiencing
of the wrath of God
and death itself.
That's what the father gave the son up to.
That's what God gave his son up to
for you and for me.
And that's what the son gave himself up to
for you and for me.
So,
if God has done this for us,
the greatest thing possible,
then,
obviously,
that's the argument here,
he will do the lesser things as well.
That was Jesus' own argument,
remember,
when he was talking about how God cares for us.
He even cares for the lilies,
for the birds in the air.
He cares even for the lilies.
And if God cares about the grass
that grows on the ground,
how much more will he
but care for you as well?
And so,
Paul then goes on to ask this question,
who shall bring,
that's what he's saying,
who shall bring any charge
against God's elect?
The election of God
is one of the most wonderful
statements,
truths,
that we have
in the word of God.
And it's hard for us,
we cannot,
to even begin to imagine,
but before ever we were,
God has set his love upon us.
Now,
I know our minds can't process that.
It is beyond human comprehension
because we're dealing
from where we are
here in time
into eternity.
And it is beyond
our understanding.
But faith
believes it.
You have no problem
with your faith
in accepting that
and believing
that from all eternity,
God
has set his love upon you.
And he knows
everything about us,
all our yesterdays
and every yesterday
of our life.
Because as the scripture
tells us,
that a thousand years
are but as yesterday
and as a watch
in the night.
So God knows
everything about us
in intimate detail.
But going way back
into the councils
of eternity,
we find that God
set his love
upon us.
And I find this
one of the most
comforting truths
that we can ever find
in scripture.
Because you see,
part of our problem
is that we often
wonder,
did I start right?
I'm here tonight
as a Christian,
you're saying,
but did I start right?
And if I didn't
start right,
maybe I have been
mistaken all the way
along.
Because you look
at your life
and you see
all the inconsistencies,
you see the failures,
you're aware of
who you are
and what you are
and so often
we say,
well maybe,
maybe,
maybe it was simply
because of a very
difficult providence
that I was going through
and I said to the Lord,
Lord,
you've got to help me here
and you've asked the Lord
to come in
to your life.
But then you're saying
as the time goes on,
maybe I didn't
ask Christ
to come in,
maybe I didn't,
maybe I didn't
make a decision,
maybe,
and sometimes
we can torment
ourselves
with all these
kind of thoughts,
maybe,
maybe I didn't
start right.
Have you ever
asked yourself that
and you're thinking,
here I am
all these years later
and what if I,
what if,
what if it's not
real faith?
Well,
here's the beauty
of it.
It didn't start
with you.
It started
with the Lord.
And the Lord
is in charge
of the providences
and all the different
things in our lives.
And every person
here has a different
experience
of how you came
to start
following the Lord.
And following
is a lovely
biblical expression
of what a Christian
is,
to follow the Lord.
Jesus says that
often,
to follow me.
Follow me.
And that's what we do
as Christians,
we follow the Lord.
And you began
to follow the Lord
because the Lord
had set his love
upon you.
He had always
set his love,
but there was a
particular point
in your life
when he said
he began to work
in your heart
and in your life.
And it might be
through lots
of different experiences.
And the reason
that you're still
following tonight
is because
you are
following the Lord
because of his love.
And you can't
turn back,
you can't go away,
you've experienced,
there's been lots of things
that have happened
in your life
which could,
from a natural
point of view,
would cause shipwreck
and cause you
to go back,
but you haven't
because you're rooted
to him
and you're grounded
in him
because of his love.
And it's his love
to you
that is at the
start of it all.
You notice
when in verse 35
the apostle says,
who shall separate us
not from,
who shall separate
us
our love
for Christ,
but no,
it's his.
Who shall separate us
from the love
of Christ?
If it was looking
simply at our love,
then you'd put,
but whatever love
we have
is as a result
of his love
to us.
And that is
an incredible comfort
because it gets rid
of all the problems
that we have
about,
maybe I didn't
start right
or what.
It's because of
his love
that worked
in your heart
and produced
a love for him
and the things
of God
that you tonight
are following him.
And so this is
where the great
encouragement is
because Jesus
had said,
all that the
Father gives me,
everyone,
all that the
Father gives me
will come to me
and him that
cometh to me
I will in no
wise cast out.
So we have
the two sides
of it there.
We have
the Father's
giving of the
people to Christ
and in time
they come to
Christ
and Christ
will turn
none of them
away.
Now some people
say,
you've got to be
careful about
mentioning election
because people
will say
they'll hide
behind and we
know that some
people do hide
behind the
doctrine of
election and
they say,
well if I'm
going to be
saved,
I'll be
saved anyway
and if I'm
not going to
be saved,
well there's
nothing I
can do about
it.
Well scripture
certainly is not
silent on the
doctrine of
election and
we find that
the great
apostles who
preached the
doctrine of
election saw
thousands coming
to faith under
their preaching.
You'll see how
much Peter talks
about election and
yet Peter was a
very one,
thousands were
converted as he
preached.
And of
course when we
preach we have
to give both
sides because we
have our
responsibility as
well.
And we're told
that what we are
to do, we're
never told to
just sit and
fold our arms and
wait for God to
work.
We're told to
search and to
seek and we're
told we're given
great promises to
knock, to ask, to
search, to seek,
to pray.
And if we do so
sincerely and
with all our
heart God will
honour that and
respond to that.
So the question
is asked here,
who shall bring
any charge
against God's
elector, against
the believer?
Now in order to
understand this we
have to put
ourselves into the
courtroom because
we're talking legal
terms here.
Here's the court
in session.
And the call is
made.
And here you
are in the
box.
And the call is
made, can anybody
bring any charge
against this
person?
There you are as
a believer.
So as we say,
it's a legal
term.
We're talking
legally in God's
sight.
And we know
that there are
many who can
bring charges.
We know that
Satan brings
charges all the
time.
If we could see
behind the scenes
and see how many
charges Satan
is bringing
about us
before God.
We're told that
in Revelation.
For the accuser
of the brethren
is cast down
which accused
them before our
God day and
night.
Now we know
it's an awful
thing to stand
accused.
And the devil
is an expert
at accusing
us.
And he brings
up before us
so much.
He'll bring
your past.
And he'll bring,
particularly since
you became a
Christian.
You may not
bother too much
about your life
before you
were a Christian.
I'll bother
with that as
well.
But particularly
since you
became a
Christian.
You'll say
call yourself
a Christian.
You remember
what you said.
You remember
what you did.
Remember these
times.
Remember.
And all these
things can
really, really
bring you down.
But you know
the wonderful
thing is that
not one
accusation that
is brought
against the
Christian will
stick.
Who shall
bring any
charge?
Well, as you
say, the world
can.
There are five
things in
operation.
There's sin.
There's Satan.
There's the law
of God.
There's death.
And there's hell.
And these five
things bring us
into condemnation.
These five things
are what are going
to destroy us.
because we're
regarding the
law of God.
Not that the
law of God is
evil.
It is anything
but it is
perfect.
But we are all
required to
adhere every
single day in
thought, word,
and deed to
God's law.
To live it
perfectly.
And if we fail
at any point,
we are guilty of
failing in
everything.
And that means
nobody, nobody
can fulfill
God's law.
We are all
under condemnation.
We are all
naturally under
the wrath of
God.
We are all
standing accused.
But of course
this is what
the Lord Jesus
has done.
Because Jesus
came.
Jesus came and
he fulfilled the
law.
And Jesus is
the one who
experienced all
the wrath and
all the
condemnation of
God.
And the thing
is this, at the
moment that we're
born again, we
are justified.
Remember,
justification is a
legal act.
We don't become
more justified than
the very first
moment we become
justified.
It means that as
God looks on us,
when we come to
accept Christ,
God looks on us
as somebody whose
sins have been
forgiven and
pardoned.
That's part of what
he does.
says, your sins
and your
iniquities, I
will remember
no more.
It's like the
slate is wiped
clean.
There's none
there.
Oh, there's all
the accusations
and God says,
no, they've all
been wiped
clean by my
son.
But God goes
even further
than that.
He now accepts
us as righteous
because of what
Christ has done.
And you see,
it's an amazing
transaction that
takes place because
God, who is
absolutely just,
and in order to
retain his
justice, he
cannot overlook
sin or bypass
it or ignore it
in any shape or
form.
It has to be
punished.
And because
Christ was
punished in
our place, it
is impossible
for God to
punish us
now.
Christ has been
punished.
Because of his
justice and who
he is, it's
once and for
all upon the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
And that means
that we are as
justified as we
will ever be.
Now, justification
doesn't mean that
all of a sudden
we become perfect.
Sinless
creatures, not
at all.
Justification is
not what
affects, we
know that there
are two great
terms that we
remember it from
our catechism
days.
And remember
how there's
justification and
adoption and
sanctification.
And if you
remember,
justification was
an act and
adoption is an
act and
sanctification was
a work.
And in a sense
sanctification is
both an act
and a work
because there
is a once and
for all
sanctification
because to
sanctify simply
means to set
apart.
And that's
what God has
done.
The moment
you're born
again, you're
set apart to
him.
You belong to
him.
Don't belong to
anybody else.
You belong to
him.
So in one sense
you're sanctified
right away.
but there's
this ongoing work
and sanctification
is changing
us bit by
bit so that
we become
more and
more resembling
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
That's not
what justification
does.
That's what
sanctification
does.
So always
remember that
no claim,
no charge
will ever
stand.
The world
makes plenty
charges against
the Christian
because as the
world looks at
the Christian,
we make the
mistake, I
can remember it
myself, of
thinking whenever
you see a
Christian doing
or saying
something that
you think,
that's not
right, or
doing something
that's not,
you say,
call themselves
a Christian.
Hypocrite.
I remember
it.
Because back
then, I
thought that a
Christian became
perfect.
But a Christian
isn't.
There's not one
Christian who's
perfect in this
world.
We're full of
sin.
Our hearts are
just a
cogmire of
deceit, the
hardest deceitful
above all things
and desperately
wicked.
Not till glory
will we be made
perfect in
holiness.
So the
world's charges
against the
Christian don't
stand.
Because even as
we live out our
days in this
world, all our
faults, all our
sins, all our
blemishes, they
have been pardoned
and forgiven in
Christ.
And that's the
wonderful thing.
What a liberty,
what a freedom
it gives a
Christian.
Once we discover
this, that is all
of grace.
we didn't do
anything.
We just
received.
And I think
sometimes when
you're trying to
share the gospel
with somebody, one
of the hardest
things for them to
grasp is that
salvation is a
gift.
That you don't
earn it.
There's nothing
you can do to
earn it.
All you can do
is just come
falling on your
knees and say,
Lord, you've
got to help me.
I can't do this
myself.
It's the greatest
discovery.
Because that's
the place where
the Lord will
come and deal
with you and
bring you that
salvation, that
light, that life
that you need.
So we find who
shall bring any
charge against
God's elect?
Nobody.
Because God
justifies.
And that follows
on very simply
who is to
condemn.
Well, it says,
if you were to
say, you could
put this question,
will Christ
Jesus condemn?
Well, Christ
Jesus can't
condemn.
Jesus is the
one that we're
going to have to
appear before
the judgment.
Remember, judgment
seat of Christ.
We stand before
him.
Is he going to
condemn us
having died for
us?
Of course not.
He can never
condemn anybody
that he has
died for.
In fact, at the
opening of the
chapter, it tells
us there is
now no
condemnation to
those who are
in Christ
Jesus.
So that's why
tonight I want
us just to
simply look
back on what
it is to be a
Christian.
Because sometimes
we forget.
Sometimes we
just drift along
and we take it
for granted.
And it's
important for
us to remind
ourselves just
what the Lord
has done.
and to
remember that
you're following
the Lord
because he
set his love
upon you.
That's where it
began.
And that is the
greatest encouragement
to us.
And try and get
rid of all these
things.
Did I start
right?
Because you know
sometimes you go
through all that
in your mind.
And I've done it
myself.
I remember
sometimes going
back and I'd
come to the Lord
and say Lord if I
have never come
right I'm coming
to you tonight.
There's nobody
else I want in
my life but you
Lord.
But you're already
there.
This is Satan
again.
Satan is tempting
us and the sin
of our heart and
all these things.
We love him
tonight because he
first loved us.
That's it.
Let's pray.
Lord our God
we give thanks
for the wonderful
news that the
gospel brings.
We give thanks
that it's light
and life and we
pray that we may
rest upon the
finished work of
Christ.
And we give
thanks that you
turn no one
away that comes
to you.
Irrespective of
our past it's
for sinners that
Christ came.
Christ didn't
come for the
righteous.
He came for
sinners.
This man eats
with publicans
and sinners was
how the Pharisees
they were trying
to condemn him
and how thankful
that he sat
with the publicans
and sinners.
This man
received sinners.
They mocked him
with these words
but how thankful
that Jesus Christ
received sinners
because that's what
we all are.
And so help us
tonight and help
us here.
As we heard
we pray Lord
to direct us
in light of
the congregational
meeting which will
take place soon.
and we ask
Lord to guide
Calamurdo
in the decision
that he has to
make and we
pray that you
will guide him
that it will be
heavenly wisdom
that will be
given because
that's the only
direction that
we can know.
We pray to bless
this world that
we are part of
and Lord what a
world of upheaval.
There's so much
pain and heartache
all over.
It's devastating
when we see of
all the carnage
all the deaths
when we think of
all that's happening
in the Middle East
and all that's
happening in Iran
and all that's
happening in Ukraine
and in all
just so many areas
of this world
and we pray for
your people.
Your people are
suffering unbelievably
and we ask Lord
for their protection
for their help
and we pray Lord
that you will
intervene.
Lord bring peace
to reign.
Sometimes we don't
know how that is
possible.
But all things
are possible with
you.
And so we pray Lord
for your intervention.
Bless us all then
we pray and grant
us your grace.
Take us all to our
home safely we pray
for giving us our
sin in Jesus name.
Amen.