The Preservation of the Saints – Part 3
Romans 8:28-39 (33-39)
September 3, 2017

As you know we are working through our study of the 5 Solas of the reformation and currently through those Doctrines of Grace.

• Having learned about man’s absolute inability to come to God,
• We have seen that God has in fact chosen some
• And effectively called them to Himself,
• Having perfectly atoned for them through the death of His Son.

And now we are learning that those whom
God has chosen and called and justified
HE WILL MOST CERTAINLY GLORIFY.

(28-30) “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

That passage reveals to us unequivocally that
God’s choice to save the elect is not a conditional choice.

What God has started He will finish.
What God has purposed He will accomplish.
The God who has called us to eternal glory in Christ will never let us go.

This is the theological point that Paul has been making ever since chapter 5.

Following that he has set out to defend his point.
And he is doing so by asking 5 questions
To help people logically work through this idea of security.

As we said last time when we started looking at these questions,
The only way a person can come to the belief that salvation is not secure
Is to answer “Yes” to all 5 of these questions.

We saw the first two last time:
#1 CAN ANYONE REVERSE THE SOVEREIGN DECISION OF GOD?
Romans 8:31

Here we simply see the reality that God can do whatever He desires.

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

If God has willed to save His elect and to save them forever
Can anyone thwart that plan?
And we believe the answer to be “No”.

I love the way the modern hymn writers Keith and Kristen Getty expressed this reality in their popular hymn “In Christ Alone”

“No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand, ‘til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

That is the truth Paul confirmed there in verse 31.

From there we moved on to the next question.
#2 IS GOD’S GRACE LIMITED?
Romans 8:32

In short, we simply asked if there is a point at which God will finally say, “Enough is enough, I’m not giving any more”?

Paul already recognized that God had given and enormous gift
When He gave His very own Son to us.

The question is whether after having given His Son that God would all of a sudden grow stingy and refuse to give us lesser things?
Again, we say, “No”.

And not just because we believe God to be gracious and generous,
But also because God will not waste the death of His Son.

And those two questions we answered last Sunday night.

Tonight we want to take a look at the next 3.
#3 CAN ANYONE NULLIFY THROUGH ACCUSATION GOD’S DECISION TO JUSTIFY SINNERS?
Romans 8:33

Here Paul reverses the order a little bit.
This time he states the theological foundation last.

But you recognize the foundational statement: “God is the one who justifies”

That is a statement that we really need to make sure we understand.

First off the word “justifies” translates DIKAIOO (di-ky-ah-oh)
It means “to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous,
Or such as he ought to be”
And this is what God did for us.
We read it back in verse 30 “and these whom He called, He also justified”

Also important to note is what Luther found regarding this truth.
Luther had been accustomed to the Latin word for justification which was JUSTIFICARE which meant “to make just”

Under that understanding the concept of justification is simply
The process by which God makes sinners righteous.

The Roman Catholic system saw many things as part of this process. Things like the sacraments, indulgences, penance,
Even an undisclosed stay in Purgatory.

But that is not what the Greek word means.
The Greek word means “to declare righteous”

And it comes with the understanding of
Declaring someone righteous whether they actually are or not.

Important to understand is that God does not justify the deserving.
God justifies the undeserving.

God takes those who clearly are not righteous as they ought to be
But declares them righteous even though they fall short.

Romans 4:3-5 “For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Paul reminded that God “justifies the ungodly”

So now we have learned that
• Not only did God send His Son to die for those who were sinful,
• But God has also willingly justified them.

He was not confused regarding what we were…
He was not deceived into thinking we were somehow acceptable…

God took men who did not measure up to the divine standard
And determined to treat them as though they did.

NOW THAT IS WHAT WE MEAN BY JUSTIFICATION.
And Paul said that “God is the one who justifies”

Based upon that foundational reality Paul has his 3rd question for us.
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?”

So here we are dealing with those whom God has sovereignly chosen;
The “elect”.

They are the ones that Paul earlier said God “foreknew”.
He chose them.

Now we are asking about the reality of
Someone brining “a charge against” them.

That is to say that someone would tell God
That those whom He has chosen have in some way
Failed to live up to what God has said about them.

Or to put it simpler.
God declares a person righteous and someone has risen up to point out to God that they are not.

They, in effect, approach God and say, “That Rory isn’t what you think he is. He’s not righteous at all, in fact, he’s actually pretty sinful.” And then commences to tell God about all the things I do.

Now, first of all, would someone do that?
You better believe it.

We call him the devil. And the word “devil” actually means “accuser”

Revelation 12 actually calls him the “accuser of the brethren”
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”

Let me put it plain.
• Even if God were not omniscient and even if He did not know all things.
• Even if God were limited in His omnipresence and not able to continually observe you,
• He would still know about every single time you fail.

How?
The devil would tell him.

You don’t ever mess up that the devil doesn’t run right to God
And tell God all about it.
(Certainly some of those accusations are false accusations like we saw with Job,
but the sad part is, a lot of what he tells God about you is true.)

You fail to live up to the righteousness that God has declared you
And Satan makes sure He knows it.

But the question Paul is really asking here
Is not just would someone bring a charge against God’s chosen, but rather can anyone bring an effective charge against them?

That is, can anyone bring a charge so severe against one of God’s chosen
That it will cause Him to cast them aside?

And to that question Paul simply reminds us that
“God is the one who justifies”

Revealing to God that I am a sinner is a pretty ineffective strategy
Since God knew that when He justified me to begin with.

HE IS A JUSTIFIER; THAT IS WHAT HE DOES.

Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

God crucified Christ (Paul says) for two reasons.

1) JUSTICE
• There had been centuries of sin left unatoned for.
• God had “passed over the sins previously committed” and that sin called for righteous judgment.
• Someone had to pay.
• God poured that wrath out on Christ.

2) MERCY (justification)
• Crucifying Christ afforded God the opportunity to spare you and thus reveal His mercy.

That is why after the cross we say God is “just and the justifier”
He is holy and merciful.

God chose to justify you when you were sinful.
And so when someone comes and tells God about your sin,
I don’t think He is surprised.
He just does what He always does; He justifies.

So thus far we’ve had 3 questions and 3 “No’s”.
#4 CAN ANY CONDEMNATION OVERTHROW THE WORK OF CHRIST?
Romans 8:34

I really like this question because I think it sort of plays off the previous.
I think Paul is almost saying here, “but what if there were a sin so bad that God would be willing to cast you out?”
What if there was something you can do that is so heinous that God would say, “that’s it, it’s inexcusable, kick him out!”?

Well that leads Paul to his next question.
“Who is the one who condemns?”

This is obviously the next step.
Someone brought accusation and now
Paul wants to know about the condemnation that would follow.

So let me ask you, “Who is the one who condemns?”

And according to Scripture, there is only 1 – God.
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

God alone has the authority to “destroy both soul and body in hell.”

But let’s be even a little more clear here.
When we say God is the one who condemns,
You need to know specifically who we are talking about.

John 5:22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

So let me ask you again “Who is the one who condemns?”

And the answer is: Jesus
Many can try to bring condemnation,
But the reality is there is only One who can actually do it.

So when Satan brings an accusation before God
Hoping that God will refuse to justify and bring condemnation,
He is actually asking Jesus to condemn you.

But there is a problem in Satan’s logic there.
Christ is not in the business of condemning His elect,
What business is He in?

INTERCESSION

“Christ Jesus is who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

Christ isn’t condemning, He is interceding.

But that isn’t all of His work.
• First Paul reminds that Christ died to pay for the sin we are accused of.
• Then he reminds that Christ was raised proving that the justification He purchased was effective.
And then Paul reminds that
Christ now lives to intercede on our behalf when we fail.

SO…If you are going to condemn one of the elect
You have to be able to overpower the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

And the question is: Who can do that?
• Can anyone render the cross null and void?
• Can anyone disregard the resurrection?
• Can anyone convince Christ not to intercede, or God not to justify?
• Can anyone cause God to devalue the death of His Son?
• Can anyone stop what God wants to do?

You get the idea.
Security does not rest in the will or the strength of the sheep,
But in the sovereign prerogative and power of the Shepherd.

So thus far we’ve had 4 questions and 4 “No’s”
#5 HAS ANY TRIAL BEEN ABLE TO MAKE YOU QUIT LOVING GOD?
Romans 8:35-39

Now this 5th question is UNIQUE
Because it is the only 1 of the 5 that Paul actually answers.

Now the question is this:
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”

Now, most of the time when you hear that question referenced people do so as if to say, “Is there anything that can make Christ stop loving us?”

And if that were the question we’d still have to say “No”.
After all, God loved us when we were sinners.
Christ loved us when we were vile.

Certainly He doesn’t stop after we are saved.
John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

Literally, “He loved them to the max”
So, if that were the question, we’d definitely say “No”.

But I don’t think that’s the question.
And the reason I don’t think that’s the question is because of the explanation that follows.

If Paul were to say, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will our sinfulness, or our rebellion, or our fickleness, or our immorality, for it is written that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

But that is not what Paul says.

After asking about the strength of love
Paul doesn’t talk about all the pressures
That would cause Christ to stop loving us,
PAUL TALKS ABOUT ALL THE PRESSURES
THAT WOULD CAUSE US TO STOP LOVING CHRIST.

“Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

These are not the things Christ endures in order to keep loving us,
These are things we endure to keep loving Christ.

Those are genuine realities in the life of a believer.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

The world hates Christians and because of that hatred
The world even does unspeakable things to them.
And unspeakable pressure is placed upon them to stop loving Christ.

AND THAT IS THE QUESTION HERE.
Is it possible to inflict enough pain or hardship upon a believer to cause them to walk away?

And I think you will agree that this one is the scariest.
The first 4 all rested on the back of God and on His sovereign will and upon His divine power.
• Can anyone thwart God? HA!
• Can anyone disregard the cross? HA!
• Can anyone stop grace? HA!

To all of those we confidently say – “NO WAY!”

But now we come to the problem.
Can anyone make you stop loving God?

It implies the weaker side of the relationship doesn’t it?

I told you before about an Assembly of God preacher I heard who read the John 10 passage about no one snatching us out of God’s hand and then said, “But I believe we can walk out of God’s hand.”

If that is true, it is terrifying
Because I’m only as secure as I decide to be.

That’s all well and good during the days of prosperity, but what about when negative pressure is placed upon me?
• What about when they are threatening my family?
• What about when it’s a chronic illness?
• What about when it’s actual physical pain?

Can they make me decide to sever the relationship?

They might not be able to make God leave me,
But can they make me leave God?

And if you’re picking up on it, this was the very question at the heart of the book of Job.

Job 1:9-11 “Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

Well that is the issue here as well.

And it’s an even more real situation because Paul notes that all of those hypothetical tribulations and perils and swords…well guess what?

IT’S HAPPENING!!!

(36) “Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

That list of hardships in verse 35 is no hypothetical, it’s reality.

And I think to strengthen your understanding:
TURN TO: PSALMS 44

Did you hear the despair and confusion of the Psalmist?
They were suffering and God wasn’t stopping it and they were struggling.
• They are suffering VIOLENTLY…
• They are suffering RELENTLESSLY… (never lets up)
• They are suffering IGNORANTLY… (don’t know why)

That is the Psalm Paul quotes here.

AND THE QUESTION IS,
Can suffering like that cause one of God’s elect to quit loving Him?

Now, I’m glad he didn’t leave this question unanswered,
Because quite frankly I think we could have quite a debate here.
• I know my weakness…
• I know my pain tolerance…
• I know my propensity to love comfort…

If you are asking me, do I think I could endure any measure of torment,
If I am honest, I have to say, “I don’t know”.

SO PAUL ANSWERS THE QUESTION.
• Now he doesn’t answer it based on what he thinks will happen.
• Paul answers it based on WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

(37) “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

Paul DOESN’T say,
“Don’t worry about it, if it happens, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Instead Paul says, “Well, those things are happening and it’s not working. Believers are sticking with Christ, in fact they are ‘overwhelmingly’ sticking with Him.”

And not to be lost in the explanation,
Paul even reveals HOW they are doing it.

And the answer is “through Him who loved us.”

Let me ask you again:
Why do you love God?
1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”

The only reason you love Him is because He first loved you.

And might I also ask you where this love you have for Him came from?
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

• The love you have for God did not originate with you.
• The love you have for God was given to you.
• It was “poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The love you have for God is not a natural love,
It is a supernatural love.

Beyond that, (And I think you’ll appreciate this)
The love you have for God is the love that Christ has for God.

It is the divine love which the Son has for the Father
And it has been poured out into your heart through the Holy Spirit.

Let me jump ahead real quick to verse 39,
Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The love we have for God is the same love
“which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Do you see that?

And so now you understand
Why God’s people are overwhelmingly conquering affliction.

They have the supernatural love of Christ in them.
And that divine love for the Father
Causes them to love God through every affliction.

In fact, Paul told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”

Paul says that no matter the hardship, we survive.
• It doesn’t matter if we are “afflicted in every way”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “perplexed”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “persecuted”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “struck down”

Even then we overwhelmingly conquer.

But that sounds strange that they would be able to endure such hostility
Being that they are merely “earthen vessels”.

I mean come on, you’re only human, and no human can survive such affliction, how do you do it?

And what did Paul say, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.”

• Do you know where they got the power to endure such hostility?
• Do you know where they got the ability to stick with God in such pain?

Well it wasn’t from themselves, after all, they’re just “earthen vessels” (dirt containers).

That strength, that commitment; that love came from God.
So do you see why Paul is able to give such a strong answer?
He knows that nothing can keep Him from loving God
Because nothing could keep Christ from loving God;
And that is the love which has been given to him.

And that is what leads Paul to that great closing statement.

(38-39) “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Paul DIDN’T say “I would imagine…”
• Paul said, “I am convinced”

How could he say that?
Because he had himself experienced all of those things.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27 “Are they servants of Christ? — I speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

• “death” – stoned at Lystra and left for dead
• “life” – shipwrecked and chased and beaten and imprisoned
• “angels” – a demonic thorn in his flesh
• “principalities” – mentioning to the Thessalonians that “Satan hindered us”
• “things present” – Jewish persecution, constantly on the run
• “things to come” – Paul said the Holy Spirit continually reminded him that hardship was coming
• “nor powers” – like Rome or Satan
• “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing” – like a violent storm in which he would be shipwrecked

“will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul was convinced because he had already walked through all of this.
And to that we either have to say that Paul was no ordinary human,
Or we have to say that God placed something in Paul which allowed him that strength.

Paul says it was the latter.

He kept loving because he had a supernatural love poured into his heart;
In fact he had the same love for God “which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I hope you find encouragement there.
This the very essence of our assurance.

How can we be certain that the salvation we now enjoy will always be ours?

1) Because God willed it to be so and nothing can thwart His sovereign decision.
2) Because God’s grace is without limit and if He would not spare His Son, He certainly wouldn’t spare anything else.
3) Because God justifies sinners and therefore no accusation can ever hold weight against us
4) Because the only one with power to condemn us in fact died for us, justified us, and now intercedes for us
5) Because God poured into us a supernatural love for Him that will never fail regardless of the hardship.

That is the basis of our assurance.
And as you can see, it is all of GRACE ALONE

Not one single ounce of our security rests upon our strength or ability or fortitude, it all rests upon God’s gracious choice.

I WANT TO LEAVE YOU TONIGHT WITH A TREMENDOUS STATEMENT,
And one that links us to the period of the Reformation
So that you can see the final belief that came out regarding this doctrine.

It was written over a period of 4 years in the 1600’s by 151 leading theologians to be a final unifying confession of faith to reform the Church of England and to unify the various sects of Christianity.

It is one of the most important non-Biblical documents
In the history of the church.

The Westminster Confession
I want you to hear what these men said about the security of believers.

Chapter XVII
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
I. They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.[1]

II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father;[2] upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ,[3] the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them,[4] and the nature of the covenant of grace:[5] from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.[6]

III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins;[7] and, for a time, continue therein:[8] whereby they incur God’s displeasure,[9] and grieve His Holy Spirit,[10] come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts,[11] have their hearts hardened,[12] and their consciences wounded;[13] hurt and scandalize others,[14] and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.[15]

I love what those theologians said.
Because they certainly acknowledge the sinfulness of believers.
They knew we would fail.

But the statement they made at the beginning is so wonderfully profound and beautiful.

Namely that God’s elect “can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.”

And what a great way to wrap up this doctrine.
We believe we will stay saved because the grace that saved us
Will remain upon us to secure us to the very end.

So whether you are talking about
• SOVEREIGN ELECTION
• Or God’s EFFECTIVE CALL
• Or Christ’s ACTUAL ATONEMENT
• Or the PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS

One thing we are convinced of is that it is all by GRACE ALONE
There is no human element or worth added to it.
God has done it.
God is doing it.
God will finish it.

BY GRACE ALONE

The Preservation of the Saints – Part 2
Romans 8:28-39
August 27, 2017

Last time we met we started looking at this final doctrine of grace
Which is what we are calling “The Preservation of the Saints”

It is yet another important aspect to the understanding of
Being saved by GRACE ALONE.

We’ve already seen that we don’t bring any help to the table
In regard to being saved,
Now we are learning that we don’t bring any help to the table
In regard to staying saved.

The security of the believer rests solely upon the back of God.
Those whom He chose, He chose for eternal glory.

And in order to produce that glory in them,
He predestined them, called them, and justified them.
IT IS ALL THE WORK OF GOD.

And as we said, this topic (at least among Baptists) is not a topic of debate. Southern Baptists have long since believed in the security of the believer.

What I want you to understand is that the only way you can believe that
Is if you also believe those other doctrines of grace.

I told you last week that in my estimation Baptists are confused here.
Most want to be synergistic in regard to obtaining salvation,
But then be monergistic in regard to keeping it.

But it obviously doesn’t work that way.
The only reason salvation is secure is because
The God who secures us has chosen to do that.

We are saved because God willed it to happen
And we will remain saved because of that same will.

And that is what we are working toward understanding.

Our text of focus is Romans 8:28-39,
However, because we are on no time crunch here I decided last week to just quickly show you what a big theme security actually is.

We started a quick tour through the book of Romans
Where I told you that Paul devotes 7 chapters to the theme of security.

• In chapters 1-3a Paul gives us the depravity of man.
• In the middle of chapter 3 Paul gives us the absolute atonement of Christ.
• In the end of chapter 3 and all of 4 Paul gives us justification by faith
• And in chapter 5-11 Paul drives home the point of security.

And I just wanted to show you that so you would have no doubt that
Those whom God has chosen, He most certainly will save.

NOW, TO THAT END
I started showing you some quick points that dictate why we are secure.

1) WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD (5:1)
2) WE STAND IN GRACE (5:2)
3) WE REJOICE IN HOPE (5:2)
4) TRIBULATION STRENGTHENS INSTEAD OF SEPARATING (5:3-5)
5) CHRIST DIED FOR US WHEN WE WERE SINFUL (5:6-8)

And we looked at those quickly last time.

Let me show you a couple more simple points that prove security.
6) CHRIST LIVES TO INTERCEDE (9-10)

(5:9-10) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Paul’s point is clear.
If the death of Christ was powerful enough to bring sinners to God,
Then surely the life of Christ is strong enough to keep saints there.

That makes sense doesn’t it?

Who is stronger a dead man or a live man?
Obviously a live man.

And who is easier to save a sinner or a saint?
Obviously a saint.

So if Christ can save a sinner through dying
Then certainly He can save a saint through living.

And He does this through His role as a faithful High Priest.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

That is another aspect of our security.
Even when we sin, Christ intercedes
And it is His role now which guarantees our security.

Let me give you another simple reality of security.
7) WE ARE MADE RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST (12-21)

We first looked at this passage when talking about how Adam killed us all.
And certainly he did.
“death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Adam caused us all to be spiritually dead and enemies of God.

But the greater point is that Christ did just the opposite for His offspring.
Whereas Adam killed us, Christ made us alive.
Whereas Adam made us sinful, Christ made us righteous
Whereas Adam brought condemnation, Christ brought justification

(15-17) “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

What Adam and Christ did are similar in the fact that
EACH OF THEM FULLY EFFECTED THEIR OFFSPRING.

The difference however is this:
• Adam brought death, Christ brought life
• Christ’s work is stronger than Adam’s since He overruled it.

So, if Christ’s work is stronger than Adam’s
Then we know that while Christ’s work can undo Adam’s work,
Adam’s work can never undo Christ’s.

Does that make sense?

In a simple sense that means that
While Christ can make saints out of sinners,
Adam can never make sinners out of saints.

Look at the end of chapter 5.
(5:20-21) “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

That’s why we sing about grace which is greater than sin.

The idea then being that we are secure,
Not because we are stronger than sin,
But because Christ’s work is stronger than sin.

We have been declared righteous and nothing can undo that.

Now, if you’ve read through Romans
You know that in chapter 6 Paul chases a rabbit.

He does so because he can feel the arguments piling up.
He just made the point that grace is greater than sin
And no amount of sin can ever undo the work of grace.

And Paul knows that the Church of Christ is lining up with their argument, ready to play “Devil’s advocate”

And here is their question:
(6:1-2) “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!”

Paul knew that when he started saying that
No amount of sin could undo the work of grace
THAT SOME WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THAT
AND ACCUSE PAUL OF SAYING THAT SIN IS NOW OK.

That was not and is not the point.
Paul was never saying that we could use grace
As an excuse to sin all we want.

He was merely saying that
For those who are saved no amount of sin could undo it.

Chapter 7 is also a bit of a rabbit chase,
Since in this chapter Paul addresses those
Who assumed their security was FOUND IN WORKS instead of grace.

There have always been those who assumed that they were secure in their salvation so long as they worked really hard at obedience.

THAT IS A HORRIBLE PLACE TO LIVE.
Why?

Because regardless of how much effort you give,
You can never live up to the divine standard.

And to emphasize that Paul gives a very revealing personal testimony about how he tried and couldn’t.
(7:18-20) “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”

After revealing that security is real,
Paul is now making sure that you know
That security is not real because of our work.

Again, security is NOT a synergistic effort.
For, regardless of how much a man loves obedience and hates sin,
He does not have the ability within himself
To live perfectly enough to maintain righteousness.

In fact Paul admits at the end of the chapter
That he is nothing more than a wretched man.

So while security is real, it is not real because of our own works.
No man can be justified by the works of the Law
And no man can be secured by the works of the Law.

(And Paul addressed those common misconceptions in chapters 6 and 7)

But in chapter 8 Paul returns to the theme of security.

And He reminds again at the outset of the chapter that
Man is secure and they are secure for only 1 reason
And that is because of the effective work of Christ.

(8:1-4) “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

And this is where Paul begins to ramp up his argument even more.
For here he’s not just talking about security, but assurance.

He isn’t just proving you’re secure,
He wants you to know you are secure.

AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
I reckon it to be one of the greatest tragedies a Christian can endure;
To have security and not enjoy it.

This is also one of the greatest realities of the salvation God provides,
And it magnifies His grace even more.

I think this is one of the ways we know that this is truly God’s doctrine,
Because no man would come up with this.

Do you realize that no other man-made religion offers security?
Beyond that, many forms of legalistic Christianity seek to remove it as well.

WHY?
Because if you give people security
Then you’ve lost your manipulative hold on them.

I mean, I can be much more effective at getting you to be faithful if I can hold eternal torment over your head.
• I’ll be better able to get you to come to church…
• I’ll be better able to get you to give…
• I’ll be better able to get you to participate…
• I might even be able to get you to ride a bicycle around the world for evangelism for a couple of years…
• I might be able to get you to fly an airplane into a building…

If I can convince you that you’ll go to hell if you don’t.

Manmade doctrines hate security
Because it removes our greatest motivator.

But God, in His grace, does just that.
God’s desire is not just for you to be secure, but for you to know it.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Because genuine faithful obedience is rooted in hope not fear.

And that same assurance is now the theme of Romans 8.
And again, we aren’t going to hit this in its fullest detail (you can listen to our Romans sermons online) but I can give you the gist of it all.

Do you know the number 1 way you can know you are saved?
There has always been 1 reason above every other that bears witness
That you are a child of God more than any other.

THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We look at evidence of the Holy Spirit within us for our assurance,
And that is what Paul is describing in Romans 8.

(9-11) “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

That is Paul explaining that
The Spirit inside of you is the evidence that you are saved
And that Spirit will continue to work on you until you look like Christ.

Later he says:
(14) “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

And (16) “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Now, I know that is a really quick run through of a whole lot of Scripture.
But it is all to lead up to Paul’s biggest point in verse 28.

Paul has told us why we are secure
And that God gave His Spirit that we might have assurance.

And beginning in Romans 8:28
Paul is going to drive home the issue of security
And will inseparably LINK OUR SECURITY TO GOD’S ELECTION.

In short, you will find that we are secure because God chose for us to be.

And that is the point Paul makes first.
(READ 8:28-30)

There you see it don’t you?
“And we know that God causes…”
God is the driving force behind this.
It’s not us, it’s God.

“God causes all things to work together for good…”

That’s what we call providence.
That somehow God could allow all people to make decisions and follow the impulses of their heart and yet at the end God takes it all and forces it to fit His plan.

This was seen clearly in the cross, when Peter said “By the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men.”

This is the truth we so clearly see in the life of Joseph who endures such unspeakable tragedy, yet learned to see that God was behind it all.

Genesis 45:7-8 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

It doesn’t matter the circumstance, God causes it to work for good.

FOR WHO?
“to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

And DON’T read that like a condition, as if to say,
“If I continue to love God then God will make it all work out.”

No, we already learned in Romans 5 why any of us love God at all:
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

God caused us to love Him.
This was part of that effective call He placed on our lives,
When He wrote His law on our hearts and caused us to love Him.

So very simply Paul is saying in verse 28 that
God will always make everything work out for good
For the people He has chosen.

And then Paul explains what he means.
(29-30) “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Again, as we have said many times,
There is no hint here of an incomplete work on God’s part.
What begins in foreknowledge ends in glory, every time.

And the point is that regardless of what the elect walk through,
There is nothing that can stop God from glorifying them
By conforming them into the very image of Christ.

That’s the good, and it’s going to happen.
• It doesn’t matter where you started in life…
• It doesn’t matter what you walk through in life…
• It doesn’t matter how you stumble in life…
• It doesn’t matter how your life comes to an end…

Nothing can stop God from completing His good work
Of conforming those He has chosen into the glorious image of Christ.

See how it all hinges upon God’s sovereign prerogative?

And following that statement
Comes the best passage on eternal security in the entire Bible.
There are a lot of good ones, but none like this.

Paul is about to ask 5 questions regarding security.

• Maybe you’re a person on the fence as to whether or not you believe security is real.
• Maybe you’ve got some problems wrapping your mind around it.

Well here Paul is just going to probe the depths of the argument
To see if there is in fact anything
That can keep the elect from obtaining eternal glory.

And to deny the security of salvation you have to be able to answer “yes” To these questions.

#1 CAN ANYONE REVERSE THE SOVEREIGN DECISION OF GOD?
Romans 8:31

Paul just spent 3 verses explaining the premise this question stands on.
Namely, Paul just revealed that GOD IS IN FACT FOR US.

We just read how He causes all things to work together for good for us.
God is for us.

Well the question is: CAN ANYONE THWART THAT?

“If God is for us, who is against us?”

Well, we know who is against us.
• Satan is against us…
• The world is against us…

The question is
Do they have any power to thwart God’s decision to save us?

Can anyone reverse the sovereign decision of God to glorify His elect?

Well, Jesus said, “No”:
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Jesus was pretty clear that
No one can thwart what God has purposed to do.

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”

And that is the first issue Paul raises.
• He doesn’t ask if we deserve to be secure…
• He doesn’t ask if we have what it takes to endure…

He just asks that if God has sovereignly decreed to glorify those whom He has foreknown, can anyone stop Him?

And to that we have to answer “No”

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

And think about Paul for a moment,
• Are you aware of all the suffering he faced?
• Are you aware of how hard the enemy worked against him?
• Are you aware of the physical pain which was used to intimidate him?

Certainly someone who faced that much physical persecution
You would think would be in danger of throwing in the towel.

But look at what Paul said about his own life and his own suffering:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

See, Paul knew where security was.
It wasn’t in how hard he was holding on to Jesus,
It was found in how hard Jesus was holding on to him.

This is why I love the analogy of the anchor.
Even in the storm, regardless of the hardship, it is the anchor that secures the ship.

You can’t see it, but you know it’s there.
There is not a single thing a sailor can do to make it stick better or hold longer, it’s all up to the anchor.

And the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus is our anchor.
We are being held fast.

WHY?
Because God wants it that way.

And Paul just wants to know, can anyone thwart the sovereign decision of God?

“If God is for us, who is against us?”
And the proper answer is: “It doesn’t matter”

So first, Paul reminds us that we are secure:
BECAUSE GOD WANTS IT THAT WAY

The next question:
#2 IS THERE A LIMIT TO GOD’S GRACE?
Romans 8:32

The question is, is there a limit at which God says,
“That’s it, I’m not giving any more.”?

Well if there is, then it’s no longer grace.
If there is a point at which God will say, “You don’t deserve it”, then it’s not grace it’s merit.”

BECAUSE GRACE, BY DEFINITION, IS UNDESERVED (all of it)

But beyond that, look at the question Paul addresses.
It’s a very logical statement that he expects you to chew on for a moment.

(32) “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

There again Paul begins with a theological premise…a foundation.

That God “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all”

Is that true?
Yes, of course it’s true.

That is the atonement which Paul introduced back in chapter 3.
Romans 3:21-25 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”

It is the atonement which Paul referenced again in chapter 8
Romans 8:1-3 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

God did send Christ to pay our debt.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

God already gave us a truly remarkable and priceless gift.

1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

Through all our lives and through all of history,
We have yet to see a limit to the grace of God.

Romans 5:20 “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

Now based on the generosity God has already shown,
PAUL HAS A LOGICAL QUESTION TO ASK YOU.

If God already gave all that, “how will not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Did God give you His Son? (Yes)
Did God charge you for that gift? (No)

So why would you assume that God would stop now?

If God already gave you the greatest gift,
Why do you all of a sudden think God is going to start being stingy now?

And of course you get the point.
GOD CERTAINLY WILL NOT STOP NOW!

WHY?
BECAUSE GOD VALUES HIS SON!
• God values the sacrifice of His Son.
• He values the price that Christ already paid.
• He values the redemption that Christ already purchased.

To remove your salvation from you now,
Not only shows a limit to grace,
But also wastes the sacrifice of His Son.

For one of God’s chosen to be atoned for in Christ
And then to not be totally redeemed
Is to waste the enormous price that Christ paid for him,
And God simply will not do that.

People think they can lose their salvation
Because they focus so much on human weakness and unfaithfulness.

It’s a good thing security doesn’t rest on human strength or faithfulness
But on the sovereign decision of God and upon His unending grace.

So there’s two questions:
• Can anyone thwart the sovereign decision of God? (No)
• Is God’s grace limited? (No)

Well, there are 3 more questions, we’ll get next time

The Magnificat – Part 1
Luke 1:39-56 (39-45)
August 27, 2017

Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since we were last in the book of Luke,
Having taken last week to commission our teachers and students.

This morning we return,
And I remind you where we are in this “History of Redemption”

Luke is revealing the Messiah who was promised,
And a he is also revealing to us a great deal
About the type of people God used to send Him here.

• We’ve seen God use a righteous barren couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth to bring the forerunner into the world.

• And last time we saw that God plans to use a 13 year old Jewish virgin to bring His Son into the world.

Obviously both of those realities has reinforced the truth to us that
“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Last time we actually saw the angel Gabriel appear to Mary
And announce to her that she was going to give birth to God’s own Son.

He told us that this child would be great,
And would be the eternal reigning king.

And despite the circumstantial difficulty and despite the social danger, Mary fully consented herself to God’s divine plan.

After revealing that she would become pregnant, Mary simply responded:
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

This morning we are going to move forward with the story.

We are going to approach the text that is commonly referred to as
“The Magnificat”
It is the Latin word that means “To Magnify”,
Which is precisely what Mary seeks to do to the Lord.

But before we get to Mary’s exaltation of the Lord,
We first are given information about a conversation she had.

Before Mary set out to magnify the Lord,
We find that she first went to visit Elizabeth.

I was really quite prone to just sort of skim over the top of these verses very quickly
And get straight to Mary’s words of praise.
But, I was just compelled, to slow down a bit.
The question in my mind was, “Why did Luke include this meeting?”

• Why was it important for him to that you and I know about this conversation between Mary and Elizabeth?

The obvious answer is that this meeting
Was to provide CONFIRMATION for Mary.

Remember when she questioned exactly how she could give birth to God’s Son, that God gave her a sign as proof that He could do anything?

Luke 1:36-37 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Just in case Mary needed a little confirmation
That she really had heard from God and that God really could do it,
He had provided Mary with proof.

That proof would be that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant.

And if you read the text you’ll see that
Mary was eager to cash in on that confirmation.

(39-40) “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.”

Gabriel departed from Mary and she wasted no time
Traveling to see if Elizabeth was in fact pregnant.

I think it’s obvious that Mary was in search of something
To help calm her nerves and confirm her faith.

After all, I remind you again that
What Mary consented to was not only costly, but dangerous.

If a 13 year old girl shows up pregnant, without being married,
She’s not only about to lose her fiancé, she’s about to lose her life.

Mary consented, but she still needed some encouragement.

So before we get to Mary’s Exaltation, we first need to see the meeting that inspired it.
#1 ELIZABETH’S ENCOURAGEMENT
Luke 1:39-45

Here we have Mary, barely pregnant, and I’m sure at least a little anxious.

It’s probably a pretty safe bet to assume that no one knows yet that Mary is pregnant, that is until she decides to confide in Elizabeth.
(39-40) “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.”

And “greeted” there doesn’t just mean that Mary say, “Hi Elizabeth”.
It means that Mary filled Elizabeth in on what was going on in her life.

She told her all about the messenger Gabriel
And God’s plan to use her to deliver His Savior to the world.

And (41) “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

As Mary revealed all that God was doing in her and through her,
Sheer excitement came over Elizabeth
And the child she was carrying.

And Scripture says that “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

That is an important phrase.
And what happened to Elizabeth was an occurrence that happened to prophets before they spoke God’s word.

And so what is happening here to Elizabeth is remarkable.
God is about to use Elizabeth to deliver a message to Mary.

Certainly it is Elizabeth speaking,
But it is also the Holy Spirit using her to do so.

This is more than just Elizabeth encouraging Mary,
THIS IS HOW GOD SEEKS TO ENCOURAGE MARY.

And if you want to see the profound effect it had on Mary,
It is not hard to see.

After Gabriel visited Mary and revealed the entire plan to her, you remember Mary’s response:
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

However, after Elizabeth is finished encouraging Mary, then look at Mary’s response.
Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

Did you pick up on the difference?
After Gabriel Mary was willing, after Elizabeth, Mary is excited.

I think it’s worth looking at exactly what Elizabeth said to see
If we can’t learn a little about what it means to be an encouragement to people.

Certainly you know that encouragement is important.
It is a word used numerous times in Scripture.

Isaiah 35:3 “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.”

1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:14 “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

Hebrews 3:13 “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE.

Any time God asks us to walk in faith or to walk in obedience
There is always plenty of opposition.

The Bible tells us that we war against the enemy
And he has no shortage of people whom he uses
To discourage God’s people from walking in faith.

No doubt Mary was already bracing herself
For that opposition and discouragement.

And so it is very important that as a church we step up to the plate
To counter that discouraging message of the world.

NOW, DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME.
Most of the world thinks encouragement just means that it is my job
To make you feel good about yourself and what you are doing REGARDLESS.

THAT IS NOT ENCOURAGEMENT. That is a combination of flattery and enabling, and God isn’t interested in that at all.

Biblical encouragement is when we approach a brother or sister
And seek to motivate them to walk by faith and not by the flesh.

It is when we seek to push someone to obedience and faith
In spite of the apparent hardships.

This is one of the functions of the church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

One of the main reasons we commit to gather together
Is so that we may all be a voice of encouraging to one another.

That we may “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”

We don’t just want people to feel good about themselves,
Instead we want them to know that
Walking in obedience to God is always the goal.

And we see this type of encouragement from time to time in the Bible.

Consider Paul to Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:5-7 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

Consider the writer of Hebrews:
Hebrews 6:9-12 “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

In both of those cases you hear a writer seeking to encourage another
To get up and be what they are intended to be.

That is what it means to be a Christian encouragement.
It is to refuse to allow our brothers or sisters in Christ
To settle for less that God’s purposes for their life.

Well, the Holy Spirit is going to use Elizabeth to do just that for Mary.
• Here is a 13 year old girl.
• I’m sure she’s scared
• And she has run immediately to Elizabeth for confirmation that God really does know what He’s doing.

And what a wonderful job Elizabeth does of
Giving Mary the kind of encouragement that she needed.

In fact, we can learn from her.
I think we can break Elizabeth’s encouragement down into 4 main things.
1) SHE ENCOURAGED MARY’S IMMEDIATE DECISION (42a)

“And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women,”

You can tell how Elizabeth is seeking to single Mary out here.
She tells Mary, of all the women on the earth, you are blessed.

Now, not to miss the point.
Elizabeth is NOT here saying that
You are more fortunate than all other women,
Though that could easily be said.

The word “blessed” translates EULOGIA (from where we get our word Eulogy) and it means “to speak well of; to praise”

ELIZABETH IS PRAISING MARY.
And again, don’t miss the point, she is not worshiping Mary, not by a long shot.

But she is giving Mary a huge “at-a-boy!”

See… Mary had just heard from Gabriel about a terrifying reality that was about to take place in her life and Mary consented.
• Mary then ran straight to Elizabeth and told her about it.
• Elizabeth then praised Mary for making the right decision.

Think about that for a moment. Ever had a time in your life when you were compelled by God to walk by faith?
• Who did you first tell?
• What was their response?

You know and I know that
The first response you receive after you make your decision
Can make all the difference in the world can’t it?

What a blessing when we come across that person who says,
“Well done!” at your decision to walk by faith.

What a tragedy when we come across that person who says,
“What were you thinking?”

We’ve all dealt with both of those in our life.
What I’m really interested in, is which of those are we being to others?

Here is a girl who has plenty of reasons to second-guess her decision,
It sure is a blessing that she ran across a woman
Who praised her for choosing to submit to God.

Elizabeth encouraged Mary’s Immediate Decision
2) SHE ENCOURAGED MARY ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN (42b)

“and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Of course this is a reference to Jesus.
And here Elizabeth uses the same word EULOGIA

So after praising Mary’s decision to submit to God,
Elizabeth then makes a statement of praise
Regarding the baby she is going to have.

WHY?
Well, you know, and I know that this baby is certainly worthy of praise.
I mean after all, He is going to be called the Son of the Most High.

But beyond that, what an encouragement to Mary
For someone else to be excited about what God is gonna do through her

Think about it again.
• God asks you to trust Him in an area and you say, “yes”.
• You tell another believer about it and they say, “good for you”

And then they say, “but I’m sure glad it’s not me, this is going to be hard, this is going be brutal.”

“I think you were right to say yes Mary, but wow, did you ever just sign up for something terrible!”

That is not what Elizabeth did.
You don’t get a hint of negativity from her do you?

All you get is:
• Way to go Mary!
• Wow, how awesome is this child gonna be!

See how Elizabeth helps Mary focus on the good that is going to come out of her obedience and not the hardship that will come as a result?

There are only about a million negative things Elizabeth could have pointed out at this time.
• You know Mary, Joseph isn’t going to be happy about this…
• You know Mary, you’re parents are going to be disappointed…
• You know Mary, you’re preacher is going to want to stone you…
• You know Mary, you’re gonna get morning sickness…
• You know Mary, child bearing is painful…

When God asks you to trust Him,
Don’t you love those people who remind you how hard it’s going to be?
What we really appreciate
Are the people who help us see the blessing
Of what God will accomplish through it.

And again I ask you, “Which role do you more commonly fill?”
• Are you the person who helps a brother see that his decision to trust God was
the right one?
• Or are you the person who feels the need to point out just how difficult it’s
going to be?

And again, I’m not talking about are you negative or positive in general.
Sometimes there are things that people do that require a negative word.

What I’m talking about is a person who is walking in obedience to God.
Do you encourage that or do you discourage that?

• Elizabeth pushed Mary to focus on the good that God was doing.
• Elizabeth was seeking to help Mary trust God.

Encouraged Mary’s Immediate Decision, Encouraged Mary According to God’s Plan
3) SHE ENCOURAGED MARY BY BEING EXCITED FOR HER (43-44)

(43-44) “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.”

Again,
• There is no negativity here…
• There is no rationalism…
• There is no realist…

Elizabeth is proud of Mary, excited about what God is doing,
And grateful that she gets to be a part of it.
Isn’t that something?

It sure beats:
• Trust God if you want…
• It’s gonna be hard…
• Don’t come crying to me when it gets hard…

Some people can’t be excited for what God is doing in your life
For fear that it might upset their life.

The tragedy is that we are often this person to others.
• We aren’t excited about other people’s faithfulness because there is a chance it might affect my life too.

But that isn’t Elizabeth.
Listen to her, she is pumped!
She is grateful to be a part, and so is her child.
“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.”

And incidentally, this is a joy that would permeate the life of Elizabeth’s child his whole life.

John 3:29-30 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John’s entire life would be characterized by joy over the One coming after him.

And think about that.

Elizabeth is rejoicing over the child
That will be more important than her own.

Her you have an older woman, well past child bearing years.
• And finally God grants her request at an old age and allows her to become pregnant.
• You know Elizabeth was flying high.

And then, here comes this 13 year old girl who has a similar story to yours, but in reality she one ups you in every way.
• God sent an angel to announce the birth of your child, well, God did the same for her.
• God said your child would be great in the sight of men, but God just said her child would be great period.
• God said your child would bring a nation to repentance, but her child is going to bring a nation to salvation.
• Your child will be filled with the Holy Spirit, but her child will be the Son of God Most High
• Your child will drink no wine or liquor and will be Holy to the Lord, but her child will be the Lord, actually called the Holy Child

Do you see how Elizabeth might have felt “one upped”?
• Do you see how she might have been bitter?
• Could it seem like Mary was stealing the limelight a little bit?

Well, you’d never know that from Elizabeth,
She is genuinely excited for Mary.

She is overjoyed that Mary will have the child
Who will become greater than her own.

Now that is being an encourager.
There is no bitterness there, there is no sorrow there

She is giving Mary every reason in the world
To be happy about what God has chosen to do through her.

On Wednesday nights we are studying with the youth
What it means to live for Jesus.
And to do that we are looking at those commands of Romans 12.

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

And at first look, that might seem easy.
But what if a person is rejoicing at your expense?

I asked Zek about when Lockney would high five and rejoice after beating his team in baseball?
• Could you rejoice with them?
• Could you be happy for them?

I asked some of the girls about when another girl gets cheerleader and they don’t.
• Can you rejoice for that girl?

That is really what Elizabeth is up against here.
She is carrying the child who is born to play second fiddle to Mary’s child.
But that doesn’t stop Elizabeth from rejoicing.

What an encouragement that must have been to Mary.
NO PEER PRESSURE TO STOP

And then Elizabeth gives her one more word of encouragement
4) SHE ENCOURAGES MARY’S CONTINUED FAITH (45)

(45) “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Now here “blessed” is a different word.
This is not EULOGIA, this is MAKARIOS which simply means “happy”

Elizabeth is not praising Mary here,
Elizabeth is exhorting her to continue.

She already praised her for so willingly consenting to the Lord’s plan,
Now Elizabeth is encouraging her that
True happiness is found in continuing to trust God.

Isn’t that great?

And what a blueprint for what it means to be an encourager.
I can’t get over the enormity of the role that Elizabeth played in Mary’s life.

Here was a young girl and although willing
She had to be scared out of her mind.
What a blessing that when she finally did tell someone,
It was someone like Elizabeth!
• Someone who was proud of her faith…
• Someone who could see that this was a good thing…
• Someone who genuinely rejoiced at the event…
• Someone who encouraged her to stay the course…

I want you to know it takes a lot of humility and grace and perspective to be that type of person.
• Anyone can point out the negative.
• Anyone can give all the reasons trusting God will be hard.
• Anyone can be a discouragement.

In fact, most of the time we don’t even need any help for that.
Wouldn’t you imagine Mary had already thought of all the reason why this was a bad idea?

Well, thank God for Elizabeth who encouraged Mary
At a very pivotal time in her life!

And again, the difference it made to Mary is obvious.

In verse 38 Mary is willing, but in verse 46 Mary is excited!

“And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.”

Now is that true?
Had God done great things for her?
Absolutely He had!

But if Mary’s perspective had been different
She might have seen what God had chosen to do as a burden.

It’s not far-fetched to think that a 13 year old girl
Might respond with a “Why me God?”

But Elizabeth has encouraged Mary’s faith.

And I just think it’s important you see that.
I think it was important to Luke that you see that.

It’s not surprising to us why Elizabeth was the type of person God used.
• She was humble…
• She was joyful…
• She trusted God…
• She encouraged others to do the same…

Can I remind you that God’s people NEED this type of encouragement?

Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

The world provides plenty of people
Who will encourage our flesh and discourage our faith.
The church must be a voice of true encouragement.

The writer of Hebrews told us to “consider how to” do it.

Well, I can tell you how.
• When you encounter someone who has made a decision to trust God in some area of their life, reinforce that decision with praise.

• And when they tell you exactly what they are going to do, leave the negativity at home. Help them see how good it’s going to be, not how hard it’s going to be.

• Then rejoice with them, and even that you get to have a role in it through your encouragement.

• And finally help them to see that as good as their initial step of faith was, it is nothing compared to how happy they will be when their faith becomes sight.

Remind them just how “worth it” it will be.

That is how Elizabeth encouraged a 13 year old girl who really needed it.

And that encouragement inspired one of the greatest doxologies of praise recorded in the Scripture and we’ll look at it next time.

The Preservation of the Saints – Part 1
Romans 8:28-39 (Romans 5:1-8)
August 20, 2017

As you know we are in the middle of our study called “500 Years of Reformation” in which we are remembering those precious doctrines that were rescued for us during that Great Reformation.

The 5 Solas that immerged are:
Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone
Sola Gratia – Grace Alone
Sola Fide – Faith Alone
Solus Christus – Christ Alone
Soli Deo Gloria – The Glory of God Alone

And we are currently in that second one.
We have been talking about what it means to be saved “By Grace Alone”

And in that study we have been walking through those Doctrines of Grace.
Also referred to as Calvinism.

And just to make sure everyone maintains a comprehensive view here, you know there are 5 of those doctrines.

THE DOCTRINE OF ABSOLUTE INABILITY (Total Depravity)
Which is that doctrine that reminds us that at the fall Adam ruined us all.
Because of him sin entered the world and death came through sin.
Humanity is spiritually dead and therefore cannot do anything to effect salvation.

If man is to saved it will be a monergistic effort (the work of one).

And of course Ephesians 2 really bears that out as we see the work of grace to take sinners who are dead in spirit and raise them to life and salvation.

THE DOCTRINE OF SOVEREIGN ELECTION (Unconditional Election)
Which reminds us that the only reason any man is saved is because God chose for some to be saved.
We call this election, and it saturates Scripture.
Namely that God foreordains, predestines, elects, even chooses who will be saved.

If election did not occur, then no man would be saved because no man chooses God. God had to do it.

THE DOCTRINE GOD’S EFFECTIVE CALL (Irresistible Grace)
Which says that all who are chosen will in fact come to Christ.
It is not that God saves men against their will but that those whom God has chosen, He first changes their will and their desires so that they also desire to come.

It is what is seen in Jeremiah’s “New Covenant” where God writes His Law on our hearts and causes us to walk in His commands.

THE DOCTRINE OF FULL ATONEMENT (Limited Atonement)
Which is the means by which God redeems those whom He has chosen.
That on the cross we have Christ fully atoning for all the sin of all the elect for all time.

There was nothing potential about what Christ did.
He said “It is finished” for on the cross He paid in full the penalty for all the sin of the elect. He propitiated God’s wrath fully on them so that there is now no longer any condemnation.

So, thus far we have learned that no man would be saved apart from grace.
However through grace, God chose to save unworthy sinners, caused them to cry out to Him and fully atoned for them through the death of His Son.

Tonight we begin to look at the 5th and final doctrine of grace which is:
THE DOCTRINE OF THE PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS (Perseverance of the Saints)

And this is the one everyone loves.

Hands down (at least among Baptists) this doctrine is the least controversial.

But honestly this is the area where Baptists are most confused.

All Baptists seem to agree that salvation is forever.
They agree on the security of the believer, or what some refer to as “Once Saved, Always Saved”.

Baptist agree on that, yet there are only a few who believe in sovereign election.

And here is why that is strange.

THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER IS ONLY BECAUSE OF ELECTION.

Again I remind you of our two options.
Monergism – “the work of one”
Synergism – “a cooperative work”

And it is quite humorous to me to recognize that while most Baptists want to be synergists in regard to being saved, they all quickly become monergists in regard to staying saved.

And if you are going to believe in the security of the believer
You have to be a monergist.

WHY?
Because we all recognize that we still fail….a lot.

And if maintaining my salvation is up to me and God,
Then I’m in trouble because I am not keeping up my end of the deal.

Every believer, if they are honest, MUST RECOGNIZE that if salvation is a synergistic effort (cooperative effort)
Then salvation cannot possibly be considered secure.

At least in this way our Armenian friends are consistent.
Take the Church of Christ for a moment.

They are going to argue for synergism all the way.
To be saved, you must repent, believe and be baptized.
To stay saved, you must keep the sacraments, the fellowship and persevere in faith.

Now, we don’t agree, but you can at least see that they are consistent.

That is why I say that Baptists are confused.
We want to be synergists in regard to being saved and maintain our precious ideas of “free will”, but when it comes to staying saved we all want to be totally absolved of any responsibility and cry “security of the believer”.

And perhaps you understand then why other denominations have taken such issue with us on this point.

They see the inconsistency.

The fact of the matter is, there is only one way that all believers could ever be secure in their salvation and that is if God has sovereignly chosen to make them secure regardless of who they are and what they do.

And this is what I want to show you.

The basic premise tonight is this:
SECURITY IS REAL BECAUSE ELECTION IS REAL

Salvation is only secure because God made the decision to save sinners who would not and could save themselves, nor keep themselves saved.

And just like we find election everywhere,
We also find this SECURITY ALL OVER THE PAGES OF SCRIPTURE.

Let me give you a few

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Look at that verse for a moment.

The promise could not be clearer.
“whoever believes in Him shall not perish”

Jesus didn’t say “most who believe won’t perish”
Jesus didn’t say “whoever believes and keeps obeying won’t perish”

Jesus just unequivocally stated that the salvation He came to provide for believers is an eternal salvation.

All who believe “shall not perish, but have everlasting life”

Not temporary life
Not momentary life
But “everlasting life”

In fact, every time you read the word “eternal life” in Scripture it ought to reinforce to you the reality that salvation is in fact eternal.

John 6:37-40 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Certainly we examined this passage in regard to election, but notice what clearly comes with it.

“This is the will of Him who sent Me that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing”

And again:
“everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Do you see the security there?
There are not clauses mentioned there.
There are no contingencies.

Not “most who behold the Son” but “everyone” who does.
“and I myself WILL raise him up”

He will “lose nothing”
It is security all the way.

Everyone of the elect will be saved forever.

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

It’s unmistakable.

“I give eternal life to them”
“they will NEVER perish”
“no one will snatch them out”

You see it don’t you?

Again, there is nothing temporary or contingent about those statements.
Jesus is simply declaring the will of the sovereign God regarding the salvation of the elect and how that will will be carried out perfectly.

All those whom God willed to saved will be saved eternally.

Listen to the High Priestly prayer of Jesus:
John 17:6-12 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”

There again you see the inseparable link between election and security.

Jesus is referring to those “whom You gave Me”
And on their behalf Jesus prays “Holy Father, keep them in Your name”

And let me tell you something about the prayer life of Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t pray prayers that don’t get answered.

This is the night before Jesus dies, but you don’t find Him pleading with the disciples, “Oh please, please, please, just stay with Me! Please don’t quit, please don’t stop!”

You don’t find Him threatening them, “Look, if you don’t stand with Me tonight, if you blow it, you’re gonna be cut off so fast…!”

None of that.
Jesus doesn’t place the burden of their security on them,
He takes it to the Father and prays, “keep them”.

Security is the Father’s prerogative.

Beyond that, Jesus expected the failure of the disciples, did He not?
Matthew 26:31-32 “Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Probably the most telling was what Jesus had to say to Peter:
Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus knew they were going to fail, but there was no threatening or begging.
Jesus took those pleas to the Father.

And in that, Jesus trusted that the Father would restore them all.
He knew where the security rested.

Jesus understood that just as salvation was the prerogative of God,
So is security.
THEY ARE BOTH A MONERGISTIC EFFORT.

And that is good because God is most certainly capable of keeping the elect saved.

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”

God does, He secures.
He is the One who is able to “keep you from stumbling”

Listen to Peter on the subject:
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Did you catch what Peter said there about us?
It was heavy on election and security.

God “has caused us to be born again”
God has given us “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away”
And this inheritance is “reserved in heaven for you”
And we are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation”

I mean, that is God doing it all.

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

There Paul says we “were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise”

Not just saved, but “sealed”.
We are secured.

Paul actually says that God gave us the Holy Spirit which is “a pledge of our inheritance”. That is to say, He is the down payment, the deposit, the guarantee that we are going to receive the inheritance.

It just becomes obvious that God has willed to save the elect forever.

And if you’re curious how this works,
Then again it all stems back to that perfect atonement of Christ.

When He died, He did not just pay for our sins up until salvation and then just leave us alone, He bore all our sins; even the ones we’ve yet to commit.

And it is on the basis of that atonement
That Christ now intercedes for all believers thus securing them.

Listen to the writer of Hebrews.
Hebrews 7:23-25 “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

He doesn’t just save initially, He saves forever.

And I hope you see that.
This salvation which is rooted in God’s sovereign election
Is also secure for the very same reason.

We weren’t saved because we chose God and we don’t stay saved because we choose to.

It is all rooted in the sovereign choice of God to save us.

Incidentally, if you’ve ever wondered,
This is why we are SO INTERESTED IN GOD’S PLANS FOR ISRAEL.

Maybe as a Gentile you’ve wondered why it matters so much that we believe that God is not finished with Israel.

The reason is because Israel was also chosen.
And if Israel, after being chosen, can then be discarded, then what does that say about the security of our election?

That is why we love Romans 11 where God promises to graft Israel back in again and to save them.

It reinforces to us that when God makes a decision to choose someone, nothing can undo that.

Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

What a great statement:
“for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

That is security right there.
What God has decreed to occur, will most certainly occur.

I just want you to see that.

As a Baptist, if you’ve grown up your whole life believing in the security of the believer you need to know that the only reason that is possible is if all those other doctrines are too.

If any part of salvation is up to the free will of man, then it is all up to the free will of man and man is sunk.

It’s the old “weakest link in the chain” mentality.
If the chain has 100 links, but 1 in the middle is weak, then that is all it takes to break the chain.

It’s funny that Baptists seem to realize that in regard to security, but sort of turn a blind eye to it in regard to election.

The reality is, man’s free will is not a part of that chain, it is all up to the sovereign prerogative of God and therefore it is strong.

For one thing I am certain of.
If I could lose my salvation, I would.

• I sin too much…
• I trust too little…
• I’m far too fickle…
• I am too easily tempted…
• I am overcome with far too much weakness…

Now certainly those are things that I hate about myself, and even things that I strive to see changed and things that I can see God changing in me, but any of those is enough to cause me to lose the salvation I hope for.

That is reality.

But I rejoice, just as you do, in the understanding that my salvation and the security of it rests beyond me.

And that is what we want to begin looking at tonight.

And since, after that introduction, it is obvious that we are not going to get through the entire Romans 8 passage tonight, I actually want to back up a little and give you even more depth here.

Now, just to make sure we make the point of the link between election and security, I will go ahead and read the verse that links them together more than any other.

That is Romans 8:29-30
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

As we have said before, there is absolutely no hint in that passage regarding anyone who only makes it through part of the list.

It does not say that “those whom He foreknew, most of them He predestined, and those whom He predestined, some of them He called, and those whom He called, part of them He justified, and those whom He justified a portion of them He glorified.”

No, there is a seamless certainty that runs from foreknowledge all the way to glory.

In fact, by reading those passages what becomes clear to us that when God chose us, He chose us first and foremost for glory.

He chose us primarily “to be conformed to the image of His Son”

The whole reason God chose us was to glorify us.
The means through which God causes that to happen
Is through election and justification and sanctification.

So it is actually more accurate to say that God chose us for glory and that selection is what made salvation necessary.

God does not stop on us half-way and Romans 8 makes that clear.

However, because we aren’t on any type of real time crunch here, and we can stay on this topic as long as we want, I think it will be beneficial if we actually back up a little.

I think you might find some benefit if I can give you a “zoomed out” view of the book of Romans to understand just how foundational this idea is to Paul.

Now to do that, let me give you a superfast outline of the book, and it actually might shock you when I give it to you.

Let me give it to you in themes or doctrines.

The first major doctrine of the book of Romans is THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN.
Paul sets out to prove how lost man actually is, and this task takes him a little over 2 chapters.

He really hits it hard beginning in chapter 1:20 and he stays on it until chapter 3:18.

He covers the depravity of the carnal pagan in chapter 1
He covers the depravity of the religious person in chapter 2

And then he sort of just lumps all of humanity together in chapter 3 with that ever famous sweeping statement of Old Testament passages.

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

And really, that is the low point of the book.
If you read through Romans at that point you should be squirming on the floor begging for God’s forgiveness.

That is the point.

And then Paul introduces his next major theme/doctrine which is THE ACTUAL ATONEMENT OF CHRIST

And this he covers in Romans 3:19-26

It is a short but rich and powerful section where Paul reveals that Christ propitiated God’s wrath on all those who believe.

He tells us of the cross and redemption and how God is both just and the justifier.

It is the first ray of hope after crushing us under our sin.

And then Paul turns to his third major theme/doctrine which is where he explains how we become partakers in this atonement, and so Paul gives us THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

And this is Romans 3:27-4:25

And here Paul uses David a little and Abraham a lot to reveal to us that man is justified by faith alone (we’ll get there in more depth eventually).

Sinful man can be justified in the sight of God when they place their faith in the substitutionary atonement of Christ.

So, at that point you’ve made it through 4 chapters of Romans and Paul reveals that we are lost and how to be saved.

In chapter 5 he begins his next major theme/doctrine.

It is THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL SECURITY and it is a doctrine that Paul addresses for the next 7 chapters!

Does that surprise you?
Paul devotes 7 chapters of this 16 chapter book to security.

• Chapter 5 reveals security
• Chapter 6 fights off arguments against security
• Chapter 7 explains security apart from the Law
• Chapter 8 reveals assurance of security and why we trust it

And then chapter 9-11 are the illustration of security as Paul shows us the nation of Israel and how despite what they are, God will not forsake His choice of them.

And it ends with that passage we read a moment ago that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”

It is all about security.

I want to look at these 7 chapters.

Now, obviously we are not going to dwell there as though we were doing a book study, you can go online and listen to those sermons on Romans if you like.

Instead, I’m going to scrape the tops of the mountain peaks until we can land on the text I want to study a little more which is Romans 8:28-39

But I think it will do us good to see what a giant them security is in the Scriptures and ultimately how that security rests upon the sovereign will of God.

So let’s start the journey quickly.

TURN TO: ROMANS 5

Romans 5 is where Paul first introduces security, and it is unmistakable, as he quickly gives us reason after reason that we are secure.

Let me just give them to you quickly.

1) WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD
(1) “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is the effect of propitiation.
There is no more war.
When man is lost, Scripture says that he is God’s enemy, but Christ brings peace.

• He propitiated God’s wrath
• He satisfied God’s justice
• He atoned for sin

And now God has no longer a desire to be angry at us.
He has been appeased.

Hence the famous statements like Romans 8:1
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There is no longer a reason for God to ever cast us away since Jesus has made peace on our behalf.

2) WE STAND IN GRACE
(2) “through whom [Christ] also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand;”

We don’t stand in effort
We don’t stand in works

It is not as though God has reluctantly let us in and now is watching our every move to see whether or not He wants to kick us out.

It is grace that let us in when we didn’t deserve it and grace that allows us to stay while we still don’t.

We stand in grace.

3) WE REJOICE IN HOPE
(2) “and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

Now here, “hope” is not a verb, it is a noun.
It is not something we do, it is something we have.

We have been promised “the glory of God”.
That is to say we have been promised a full and complete salvation and this hope that we have bears constant testimony to our security.

Namely because there is only one place this hope could have come from.
God gave it to us.

4) TRIBULATIONS STRENGTHEN INSTEAD OF SEPARATE
(3-5) “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

This is a daily proof that reinforces our security.
When the world suffers they get angry at God.
When we suffer we draw near to God.

WHY?
Is it because we are more noble than they? NO

It is because God has poured out a supernatural love for Him into our hearts that causes us to run to Him when all others run away.

For this reason trials don’t wreck our faith, they strengthen it.
Just as we saw with Job, there was no measure of torment that could cause him to “curse God to His face”

We don’t fear turning away from God
Because our attraction to God is not of ourselves anyway.

Remember that “Effectual Call or Irresistible Grace” we talked about.
That love for God that we have came from God and it is therefore beyond us.

Even if given the opportunity, true believers don’t turn away because God has put it in their hearts not to. (And we’ll see that more later)

5) WE ARE ATONED FOR BY CHRIST WHILE ENEMIES
(6-8) “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

This is another theme we will return to later, but the simple point is so clear.
God chose us at our lowest and redeemed us at our worst through Christ.

People who fear that
God will somehow remove their salvation now
Have never fully contemplated
What they were when God first chose them.

Let’s be honest, are you more righteous now than you were when you were lost?

Me too.
And yet God chose us then.

It is a strange thing to me
• That so many believers have such a tough time believing that God could love them
• While unbelievers seem to be convinced that God loves them.

Both suffer that deception because they are ignorant of the truth.

God chose you when you were absolutely deplorable,
That is the real miracle.
Keeping you now, is far less far-fetched than that.

Yes you fail and yes you make mistakes, but the God who loved you at your worst, will most certainly not forsake you now.

We were atoned for by Christ while enemies.

And there is more, that we will get back to next time, but I hope we are starting to build a foundation in your heart as to why salvation is secure.

The Watchman
Ezekiel 2-3 (1-10)
August 20, 2017

This morning we are going to take a break from our study through Luke
And we are doing so for a very important reason.
I typically do not like breaking up our book studies because I think the continuity is important, but this is one of the few reasons worthy of taking a break.

Tomorrow begins another school year,
And each year I grow more and more convinced
That it also begins a mission endeavor.

And I really don’t think I have to convince you of this anymore.

It is clear that the church and the school
Are not moving in the same direction.

SOCIETY PUSHES POLITICAL CENSORSHIP…
• While the message of false religions and things like evolution are fine, the message of Jesus is not.

SOCIETY EMBRACES SOCIAL IMMORALITY…
• Our culture is in love with immorality, especially deviant sexual immorality. Homosexuality is not just tolerated or accepted, it is encouraged.

There is absolutely zero effort given from the world
To stop your kids from premarital sex, homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion, pornography, etc.
• Our culture will not say no to any of these things, they will merely offer tolerance and acceptance.

SOCIETY ENCOURAGES SPIRITUAL APATHY…
• Even those who claim to be Christians will dishearten you with their constant lack of concern.

Most, though claiming a love for Christ, will not stand for Him.
They won’t speak His name, they won’t uphold His standards,
They won’t proclaim His gospel, they won’t enforce His discipline,
Most won’t even attend a service to worship Him

There was a day when the church could expect a certain amount of help from the world on both moral and spiritual issues.

We could at least expect that blatant immorality would be opposed
And that the school would at least give some basic scheduling latitude
To the church regarding things like Wednesdays and Sundays

Those days are gone.
The only reason we ever enjoy any of those things
Is because of committed Christians inside the school system.
I know that’s sort of harsh here on the day before we start school.

I just want you to know that if you live under some mindset
That the school is going to help us produce Godliness in our society, think again.

BUT ALL IS NOT LOST…
We have you.
• We have Christian men and women whom God has strategically placed in roles throughout the school system.
• We have Christian students whom God has saved even in the midst of the culture in which they live.

They are lights in the midst of the darkness in every sense of the word.

Tomorrow these candles are headed back into the darkness.
It is our desire and even our responsibility
To both commission and encourage them this morning.

And it is our desire and responsibility to pray for and support them throughout their mission.

THIS MORNING WE COME TO EMPHASIZE THAT.

To do that we are going to look at a passage that is very dear to me,
As it is one God used in a very instrumental way in my life.
We are looking at the commissioning of the prophet Ezekiel.

First, let me give you a little background.

• You remember from our study of Kings that by in large, Israel was littered with wicked kings who pushed the nation further and further into idolatry.

• Their leadership brought about an almost universal rebellion against the Law of God and ultimately resulted in the entire nation being exiled from Israel.

• The Northern Kingdom was obliterated by Assyria in 722BC and the Southern kingdom about 150 years later.

The exile of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) occurred in 3 stages.
• The first was in 605 BC when Daniel and his friends were carried into Babylon.
• The second wave was in 597 BC when 10,000 of the most skilled Jews were carried into exile.
• The final wave was 586 BC when the temple was burned and the rest of the Jews were killed or exiled.

Alive during this time was a young priest named Ezekiel.
• He was about 18 years old when the first wave of captivity happened, but he himself was left behind.

• At the age of 30 he would be eligible to enter the priesthood and serve God in the temple, but he never made it that far.

• At the age 26 Ezekiel would be exiled along with that second wave of 10,000 who were carried into exile.
No doubt it knocked the wind right out of Ezekiel’s sails.
He would NEVER serve in the temple.
The purpose for why he had been born was seemingly taken from him.

Until one day when the glory of God visited Ezekiel
And God revealed that He had another plan for him.

Ezekiel was a lone candle.
• He was a single light in the midst of darkness.
• God had a definite plan for him among his people in the land of Babylon.

We’re going to look at God’s plan for him this morning,
Because the ministry Ezekiel faced
Is so similar to the one we face here in America.

The main issue he dealt with was certainly unbelief.
But it wasn’t like he was dealing with people in a foreign land who had a totally different culture, or even who practiced a different religion.

He was sent to people just like him.
• People who were raised in the same culture he was raised in.
• People who had the same basic knowledge about religion that he had.

But they were people who were not interested in allowing
Their knowledge of God to penetrate their lives or change their behavior.

It was a culture high on knowledge, but low on commitment.
I tend to think that fits here as well.

So let’s look at this calling of Ezekiel.
(We have to hit it quickly since we are covering it all in the time we have left)

5 things
#1 THE COMMISSIONING
Ezekiel 2:1-7

Ezekiel is fresh off of his vision of the glory,
So it stands to reason why he was on his face
And had to be told to “stand on your feet”.

And we hear that God has a plan for Ezekiel.
(3) “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you…”

This is a commission.

Ezekiel would never serve in the temple in Jerusalem,
But it did not mean that God did not have a plan.

Certainly you must understand that the ministries of God
Are not limited to the physical location of the church.
Certainly there are those who are commissioned to serve here,
But this is far from the only place of ministry.
Ezekiel was being sent by God.

WHERE?
(3) “I am sending you to the sons of Israel”
• Ezekiel’s ministry was to be a domestic one.
• He was not a foreign or international missionary.

Ezekiel had already been exiled to Babylon along with 10,000 other Jews,
And now God reveals that his presence in Babylon was no mistake.
HE HAD BEEN SENT THERE FOR A REASON.

But this mission was No Cake Walk,
For God immediately describes the problem.

(3-4) “I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’”

SO WE ARE CLEAR ON THE ASSIGNMENT.

Ezekiel is being sent to people he knew and understood.
• People of common language…
• People of common culture…
• People of common nationality…
• People of common knowledge…

The problem is that these people were rebellious.
They did not obey God.

And the mission is clear: TELL THEM WHAT GOD HAS SAID

“you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’”

In fact…
(5-7) “As for them, whether they listen or not — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”

Speak with no concern as to the response you receive.

There is no pragmatism here.
You are not to try various gimmicks and tactics
Until you find something that works.

The goal is not success
The goal is faithfulness

God just wants His people to hear His word
And Ezekiel is not to concern himself
With whether or not the people listen to it.

And regardless of the difficulty he faces,
He is to let nothing dissuade him from his job.

EZEKIEL WAS IN BABYLON FOR 1 REASON
And that was so that he might deliver God’s word to Jews in exile.

Ever wonder why you are at the school?
• It’s certainly not for the money…
• It’s certainly not for the hours…
• It’s certainly not for the retirement…
• It’s certainly not for the stress free atmosphere…
• It’s certainly not because they’ll hire anybody…

Listen, God is sovereign, and you are at that school (in whatever capacity)
Because God has placed you there.

That is true for STUDENT and TEACHER alike.
You have been sent to people just like you.

The Commissioning
#2 THE MESSAGE
Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:3

There again the point is clear.
Ezekiel is to deliver God’s word to the people.

God gave him a scroll to eat (you’ve seen that also in the book of the Revelation)
And in this case we find out that the message is a harsh one.

“written on [this scroll] were lamentations, mourning and woe.”

What God had to say to the people was a message of judgment.

WHY?
Because they were rebellious

God wanted His people to know about the coming punishment they were going to receive as a consequence of their wicked behavior.

(And that is saying something since this group had already been exiled)
There was more judgment coming,
And Ezekiel was charged to make the people aware of it.

(3:1) “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

Take My word and deliver it to the people.
• The goal wasn’t to be popular…
• The goal wasn’t to be liked…
• The goal was to deliver God’s word.

Ezekiel wasn’t to immerse himself in various tactics.
• God didn’t call for random acts of kindness…
• God didn’t call for letting his loving actions do the talking…
• God didn’t ask him to just be a voice of positive encouragement…

God wanted Ezekiel to make sure the people heard God’s word.

And I don’t mind telling you that in most evangelistic efforts today,
THIS IS THE FIRST CASUALTY.

It seems rather obvious that people don’t mind service ministry or kindness ministry or being a compassionate listening ear, etc.

But most people are quick to forget
To deliver what God says about the matter.

And do you realize that when we never deliver what God says,
THEN WE HAVE CAUSED GOD TO LOSE HIS VOICE.

WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON EZEKIEL WAS SENT?
To get God’s word into the ears of the people.

THAT IS THE PRIORITY.
People need to hear about God from God
And that only happens when we deliver God’s word to the people.

This was Ezekiel’s job
Regardless of how hard it was and whether they listened or not.

Are we clear there?

#3 THE EQUIPPING
Ezekiel 3:4-16

Here we find that age old adage “Where God guides He provides”

We find that in addition to sending Ezekiel to Babylon,
God had also equipped Ezekiel
With everything he needed to accomplish the task.
What was the one character trait that God gave Ezekiel?
A hard head.

You are going to a stubborn people:
(8-9a) “Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead.”

Now listen, we talk about things like SPIRITUAL GIFTS and rightly so.
Spiritual gifts are the way in which the Holy Spirit
Specifically chooses to manifest Himself in us.

Mine is preaching, perhaps you are familiar with yours.

But what we are talking about here with Ezekiel is NOT A SPIRITUAL GIFT.
It was A CHARACTER TRAIT with which he was born.
• Ezekiel was a hard-headed individual.
• Ezekiel was a stubborn individual.
• Ezekiel was the type of person you couldn’t argue with.
• Ezekiel was the type of person who did not easily give in.
• He was strong-willed.

It was no mistake that Ezekiel was like this.
God made him like this because God planned on using
This hard-headed priest to reach hard-headed people.

And right off the bat we see that it is a perfect fit.

The first place Ezekiel goes is to the exiles by the river Chebar.
Why there?
Because that’s where he was.

If you look at the very beginning of this book.
Ezekiel 1:1 “Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.”

Ezekiel was already among the exiles at the river Chebar.
So, when God told him to go and share His word with the exiles,
He just turned around and started with the exiles right next to him.

(14-15) “So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the LORD was strong on me. Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.”

If you want to see the work of the Spirit in Ezekiel, it is clear.
It was the Spirit which caused him to be “embittered in the rage of my spirit”

That is to say, when God’s Spirit entered him,
He started hating what God hated.

There may have been a time when he was ok with the rebellion and apathy that surrounded him, but not anymore.
God’s Spirit made him angry at the sin around him.

And when God sent this hard-headed priest to deal with it, he did.

Notice it says “I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.”

That is to say: For a week, Ezekiel drove them nuts!
He was a relentless and stubborn force
Continually addressing the error of their ways.

That was the first demonstration of his ministry.
That was his first taste of dealing with hard-headed people.
And after 7 days of that, God had another message for Ezekiel.

The Commissioning, The Message, The Equipping
#4 THE ANALOGY
Ezekiel 3:17-21

We are not told what Ezekiel thought about his first 7 days on the job.
We don’t know if he was frustrated and wanted to quit.

Jeremiah bears his soul plenty in his book
And we know about how frustrated he was, but not Ezekiel.

But I can certainly imagine how I would have felt.
After 7 days of non-stop preaching to people who won’t hear it, I’d be done.

I’d want to go elsewhere.

And perhaps that is the reason for this analogy,
To remind Ezekiel that his responsibility is not in the results,
But in the exercise of his job.

EZEKIEL WAS TO BE A WATCHMAN.

You understand the role.
• The cities were walled as a first line of defense.
• On the wall stood the city watchman, whose only job was to alert the people when he saw danger approaching.

• No one expected him to fight off the danger…
• No one expected him to fix the problem…
• His only job was to make sure everyone was aware of the imminent danger.

• If danger came and the watchman warned, all was well with the watchman regardless of the outcome.
• If danger came and the watchman DID NOT warn, then the watchman was in trouble.

And God tells Ezekiel, you are a watchman.
The approaching danger is judgment.
The cause is sin.
And you’d better tell the people.

And again, results are insignificant.
Your job is not to change the people, your job is to warn them.

And I especially want to drive this home to you this morning.
There is admittedly a little confusion
Regarding exactly how we are to apply this to our lives.

Does this mean that if we don’t evangelize then we go to hell for the people we didn’t warn? No, the New Testament does not teach that.

However we do find in the New Testament
That failure to evangelize is no laughing matter.

Listen to Paul:
Romans 1:14-15 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

Paul knew that God had set him apart for this.
Paul knew that God expected him to share the truth.

Galatians 1:15-16 “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,”

Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”

You see that?

And this obligation was enough to cause Paul to push forward despite the opposition and despite the danger.
2 Timothy 1:8-12 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

We are not saying that failure to evangelize brings eternal judgment,
But it is clear brings with it some sort of sentence.

If you know the truth and you fail to warn the wicked you are accountable.

AND FRIENDS, WE KNOW THE TRUTH.

TURN TO: ROMANS 1
Look quickly at verses 18-32

• Do you see the revealed wrath of God in those passages?
• Do you understand these very sins are all over our school?

I can’t tell you about the number of times I’ve heard of another youth engaged in sexual immorality, or who has come out as gay, or who is given to drunkenness or rebellion against their parents.

These sins are everywhere, and in some cases even in the faculty.

And look at what Paul says about those sins in the next chapter
Romans 2:2 “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.”

We know they will be judged for it.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Do you not know that?

Then how is it that we so easily decide to tolerate an entire generation who are running headfirst into those sins?

The cowardice of the church today is absolutely deplorable.
We have teenagers (and not just a few) running faster and faster
Into sexual immorality, homosexuality, drunkenness, etc.

And we have a church that chooses to sit silent,
Or even worse, chooses to “love them as they are”.

People go to hell for that!
And if you can convince yourself that you are “loving them”
By being silent then you are self-deceived.

Charles Spurgeon once said:
“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
–Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon At His Best, compiled by Tom Carter, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1991 reprinted edition, first published 1988), 67.

But we often times refuse to do either, and that is a shame.

A watchman too afraid to sound the trumpet at the sight of danger
Is a coward and a traitor to his people.

What is more, we know how they can avoid the danger.
Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ,
They can be forgiven, justified, and transferred into the kingdom of light.

How could any of us know such truth and be unwilling to share it?

You see the danger,
You know the truth,
TELL THEM WHETHER THEY LISTEN OR NOT!

And there is one more thing God has to say to Ezekiel
#5 THE EXPECTATION
Ezekiel 3:22-27

Ezekiel is told to go to his house and God has another revelation for him.

God is about to reveal how his ministry will be accepted.
The key idea being, that it won’t be.

(25) “As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them.”

Now that’s what you call extreme measures to silence the truth.
In short, they aren’t going to want to hear it.

And that’s not all, look at what God will do.
(26-27) “Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house. “But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.”

Seriously?

God is going to make him a mute, unless he has a message from God
In which case God will open his mouth to speak.

WHAT IS THE POINT THERE?
With all the hardship you will face there will be a great temptation to talk about what doesn’t matter and perhaps what is even unproductive.

But God is ensuring that Ezekiel stays on task.
• He will never be given the opportunity to speak about trivial things.
• He will never be able to offer his own defense.
• He will never be able to offer human logic and reasoning.

He is there for one purpose,
To deliver God’s word to the people and to emphasize that,
God will make him mute except for when he has something to say.

That may indeed sound harsh, but the point is unmistakable.

NOTHING THAT YOU DO IN THAT SCHOOL MATTERS AS MUCH
AS THE DELIVERY OF GOD’S WORD TO THE PEOPLE.

Can you see that?

Faculty, Student… you are the only vessel available.
• Like Ezekiel, God placed you where He did for a purpose.
• Like Ezekiel, God made you like He did for a purpose. (Ezekiel was hard-headed)

DELIVER HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE
Fulfill the role of a watchman and warn them of the danger that is coming.

And incidentally, we are focusing on teachers, but those who work in other places, do we assume that our role is any different or that God placed us there for any other reason?

It’s just that today we commission our students and teachers.

We want to encourage their faithfulness, but also to pray for them.
• We pray for their purity and strength to overcome temptation.
• We pray for their boldness and courage to confront sin.
• We pray for their clarity and compassion to proclaim God’s word.
• We pray for their endurance and perseverance as it is a long year.

But make no mistake that school needs you.

So this morning, let’s pray for these.