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Collierville First Baptist Church
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My heart is full.
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In the first service, it was up to here.
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In the second service, it's up to here.
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I tell you, we had a great crowd in the first service. The worship was splendid.
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The Lord Jesus was honored and glorified in that service.
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And I just want to say to you, good morning. You have come to church on the greatest Sunday of the year.
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I'm glad you're here.
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All over the world, pastors are standing in their pulpits and they're shouting out, "Christ is risen," and the church is responding, "He is risen indeed." Let's do that this morning here at Carville First Baptist Church. Let's join all the churches across the world who is making that statement. Are you ready? Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. That's pretty good, pretty good.
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But let me ask you a question.
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How do you think Peter, James, and John said it in the upper room after they were heartbroken over the fact that Jesus, their Messiah, was dead and He was buried and their dreams and their hopes were absolutely diminished.
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But when they saw Him on that first Easter morning, when Mary Magdalene threw her arms around His feet and she went back and told the disciples, "How do you think she did?" She thinks, "He's alive."
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No, no, no.
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He is risen.
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He is risen.
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They were excited. Let's do it again. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Amen. That's better.
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Now, many people in the world want to know if there is a God.
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And if there is a God, is He for us or against us?
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Many people have bought into the myth that God is against them.
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And they've hemmed themselves in with thoughts like these.
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God is just waiting for me to mess up.
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Or God is the cause of all the bad stuff in my life.
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Or God demands that I earn His favor and approval. God is a demanding God.
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Or God loves good people and hates bad people.
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But I would say to you today as we turn to Romans chapter 8, which I consider to be one of the greatest chapters in all the Bible,
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that God is good.
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God is for us.
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He's not against us.
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This chapter begins with no condemnation,
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and it ends with no separation.
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The words that make up this chapter were written through the pen of the apostle Paul,
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but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. They were God-breathed.
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I'll tell you, the apostle Paul, as he writes in this chapter, makes a solid ironclad case for the fact that God is for us. He is for us.
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Now, I don't know about you, but I consider that to be good news.
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Because God is the most powerful being in all creation.
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I want the most powerful being in all creation to be for me. Amen? I don't want Him to be against me.
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In verses 31 to 34 of this chapter,
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Paul states under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
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that eternal security in Christ comes in judicial terms. Verses 31 to 34, that's the text we're going to look at today.
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In verses 35 to 39, he states eternal security in relational terms. Now, next week, I'll be preaching verse 35 to the end of the chapter. He's looking at the relational aspect of our good news that God is for us.
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In Romans 8, 31, Paul wrote, "What then shall we say to these things?
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If God is for us, who is against us?"
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Now, when Paul says, "What shall we say to these things?" He's referring back to verses 28, 29, and 30. Look at 28, 29, and 30 with me. Paul wrote, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose."
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Then he explains that in verses 29 and 30 when he says, "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."
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"What shall we say to these things?" Paul says. "If God is for us, who is against us?" Now, one thing we've got to understand is that God is the author of salvation from start to finish, and whatever God begins, He finishes. He never leaves anything undone. He doesn't save a person halfway and then turns him loose. He saves him all the way and makes sure that he makes it to heaven.
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Now, because God is for us, the obvious implication is that if anyone is against us, they would have to be greater than God to threaten our eternal security in Christ Jesus. Can I tell you that there's no being in all of creation that is greater than God? Once again, Paul is highlighting the fact that we are eternally secure in Jesus Christ if we have repented of our sin and placed our faith in Jesus.
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No one can take away the salvation of a true believer.
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In Psalm 27, verse 1, the psalmist said, "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?
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The Lord is a defense of my life. Whom shall I dread?"
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In Psalm 56, 11, the psalmist wrote, "In God, I have put my trust. I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
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Look at Romans 8, 32.
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"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?" Now, Paul uses a greater to lesser argument here in verse 32.
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Verse 31 gives us a promise that no man can take away a believer's salvation.
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Verse 32 says that God will not take away our salvation.
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God doesn't give us salvation and then rip it from our hands. He does not do that. Think about it. God the Father was willing to sacrifice his only son on the bloody cross of Calvary. He was willing to do that for you so that you could be saved, so that your sins could be forgiven, so that you could receive the gift of eternal life and never have to fear that any being in hell or any human being could ever snatch that salvation from your soul.
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Think about it. God the Father says that if he will sacrifice his son, he'll meet any genuine need that you have in your life, any need. Think about it. Are you ever tempted to sin?
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Be honest. Yes, we're all tempted to sin.
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Well, can God meet that need? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 that God will make a way of escape for you. He'll meet that need in your life. You don't have to give in to sin. You don't have to surrender to the power of sin in your life. You can walk in victory over sin because God will meet that need. What about comfort?
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Think about the person who stands by a freshly dug grave. Maybe it's a spouse.
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Maybe it's a parent.
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Maybe it's a grandparent or a good friend.
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And they're in the grave and their hearts are broken and there's isolation and loneliness that is ripping them to shreds. Can God meet the deep needs of your heart in that moment? In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 3 to 4, the Bible says that God will take the person who has a need because of grief in their life and he will absolutely pour out his comfort and peace into their lives. He'll meet that need.
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But what about the need for strength?
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You face a challenge and it's a huge challenge. And you know that you don't have the strength to meet that challenge. But the Bible says in Philippians 4.13, Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ whose strength is me." I'll tell you, the God of heaven can meet that need for your strength, for your comfort and for your peace.
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Now, look at this. The Bible says that he can forgive your sins. Have you ever sinned as a believer?
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Yes, you have. I have. We all have. We're not perfect. We don't reach perfection until we get to heaven and we see Jesus.
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So what happens when we sin as a believer? Can God meet that need in our lives? The Bible says in 1 John 1.9, "If we confess our sin, he," being God, "is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So if you take all the needs that you have in your life,
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the Bible says in Philippians 4.19, "My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Notice it says, "All needs." All needs.
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Now, would God do less for a believer after they are saved than he did for them prior to their salvation? No, if he can meet the deep need of your life when it comes to salvation, he can meet all the other little needs that you and I face in our lives and he will.
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Look at verse 33. "Who will bring a charge against God's elect?"
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God is the one who justifies.
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Now, we've already seen that man cannot take away your salvation.
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We've already seen that God will never take away your salvation.
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And here we see that the devil cannot take away your salvation.
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You see, the devil is known as the accuser of the brethren.
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I'll tell you, he will accuse you night and day,
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but he can never take away your salvation.
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Why? Because God is the one who justified. Now, the word "justify" means to declare not guilty. Now, remember, we're in like a courtroom scene here. It's courtroom language.
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And God looks at what Jesus Christ has done for you and the fact that you have repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus. And when you do that, God declares you not guilty. In fact, the word "justify" has the idea that it's just as if you had never sinned a single time in your life.
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It's amazing.
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So God justifies you and no one, no one can appeal God's ruling from his throne in heaven, none.
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So there's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus according to Romans chapter 8, verse 1. So I say to you that on this Easter Sunday, I have amazing good news for you. God is for you. He is for you. He is not against you. Well, look at verse 34.
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Who is the one who condemns?
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Christ Jesus is he who died?
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Yes, rather, who was raised?
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Who is at the right hand of God? Who also intercedes for us? This is a verse that I've been dying to get to in this sermon because this verse shares with us four things that Jesus Christ has done in order to make your salvation ironclad secure for all of eternity.
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Now, what are the four things that Jesus did? They're right here in this one verse. Number one, Jesus died for your sins.
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He died for your sins.
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Jesus was not crucified for being a political nuisance to the Romans.
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He was not crucified for being a religious non-conformist to the Jews. The bloody death of Jesus on the cross was due to the fact that he was suffering
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and dying as a substitutionary atonement for your sins.
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God's the one, God's the father is the one who put Jesus to death on the cross. It wasn't the Romans. It wasn't the Jews. It was God the father. But you say why?
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Well, the prophet Isaiah 700 years before this event occurred, before Jesus died, wrote these words.
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He said in Isaiah 53, verses 4 to 6, "Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well-being fell upon him.
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And by his scourging we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way." But look at this. Don't miss it. "But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him," on Christ.
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In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, Paul picked up that idea of substitutionary atonement,
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and he made this statement. "He made him," Jesus, "who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." So God the father took all of our sin. If I could take all the sin of every person in this room that you've committed from the moment you were born until this moment you died, God the father took all of that sin and placed it upon the Lord Jesus.
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That's why Jesus cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" That's the first time in all of eternity that there was a division, a separation between God the father and God the son. And why was that separation there? Because Jesus became sin for us.
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That's how much God loves you. That's how much he is for you, that he would sacrifice his only son for you. Our forgiveness and righteousness are based upon the Lord's death on the cross.
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But there's a second thing that Jesus did for us.
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Jesus would raise from the dead. It's right here in verse 34. You can read it right here in verse 34.
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Now, Jesus the son of God died for our sins on the cross and on the third day he was raised from the dead.
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I'll tell you, that was a high watermark as far as salvation goes in the Bible. In Romans chapter 4 verse 25, the Bible says he who was delivered over because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification.
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So God the father took our sins, placed it upon Jesus,
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punished his son who paid the penalty for our sins and then God the father raised him from the dead when we were justified because God said not guilty to those who believe in Jesus.
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Now look at Romans chapter 10 verses 9 and 10.
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That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.
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Our Lord's resurrection, listen to me very carefully, our Lord's resurrection provides absolute proof that the price of our sins has been paid in full by none other than Jesus Christ. It proves that the wrath of God was fully satisfied in Christ. It proves that God accepted the sacrifice of his son on our behalf. Some of you may be thinking that God is against you,
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that God is out to get you, that God has caused all the bad stuff that's happened in your life. I tell you, perish the thought.
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The son of God died to pay the penalty for your sins. He was raised from the dead so that you could be justified before God the father. And if I could stand on the roof of this church and shout loud enough that everybody in Carville would hear me, I would say God is for us. He's not against us.
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Number three, here's the third thing Jesus did.
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Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, the Bible says. He sees the right hand of God.
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Now this is the pre-eminent position in all of creation.
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In Psalm 110, verse one, the Lord says to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Can I tell you that the most powerful position in all the world is not in Washington, D.C.
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The most powerful position in all the world is not in Europe, it's not in Asia. The most powerful position in all the world is the throne of God, the throne of Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of God the father. The crucified Savior was not only raised from the dead,
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the crucified Savior was also taken to heaven, ascended to heaven after he spent 40 days with his disciples.
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So he's occupying a throne where he has divine favor, honor, and authority. Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter one, verses 20 and 21, "which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age, but also in the one to come." I tell you, the Bible says, and take your Bible, just flip over to Philippians chapter two for just a moment, Philippians chapter two.
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I want to show you something.
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The Bible says, "For this reason also," verse nine, "God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
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Jesus is seated in the preeminent position in all of creation. He's seated at God's right hand. But I want you to notice his posture, his posture. The Bible says he's seated at God's right hand. This signifies that his redeeming work is absolutely complete. It is finished. He said from the cross, it is finished, meaning paid in full, meaning that he's done everything necessary to save the souls and forgive the sins of any person who will repent of their sin and place their faith in him alone.
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In Hebrews chapter one, verse three, the author says this, "And he is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature
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and upholds all things by the word of his power. When he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Magister on High." Now, notice what he said. He said, "When he had made purification of sins, when he finished his redeeming work on the cross, when he paid the last sin of the last person who ever lived with an own precious blood, he sat down at the right hand of God."
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Man.
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Hebrews chapter 10, verse 11 and 12,
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"Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices," which can never take away sins. Now, here, the writer's talking about the Jewish priest who went into the temple and they offered animal sacrifice after animal sacrifice after animal sacrifices and they could never remove sin. They could never redeem people from their sins once and for all.
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The Bible goes on to say, "Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices," which can never take away sins. "But he," Jesus, "having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God." Can I tell you that when Jesus comes again, he's not coming to die on the cross. He's coming as a conquering king, as a king of kings and Lord of lords, the savior of all. And he's coming to rule and to reign and to set up his kingdom on this earth for a thousand years.
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I tell you, it's going to be an awesome moment.
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Right, this man that Jesus is resting from his finished work, he's occupying the place of supreme honor. He's exercising his authority to save.
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The Bible says that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth
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and he's waiting for his final triumph. He's waiting until God the Father takes all of his enemies and makes him a footstool for his feet. And it's going to happen one day, dear friend. And I believe it's coming very, very soon. Glory to God that our eternal security rests upon what Jesus has done for us and not what we can do for ourselves. The Bible is very clear. Jesus died for our sins.
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Jesus was raised from the dead. And Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. But there's one more. The fourth thing that Jesus is doing to guarantee our eternal security. Jesus is interceding for us.
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Jesus Christ's ministry of interceding for those who have been saved will continue until every person redeemed by his blood is safely at home with him in heaven. See, you may be here today and you were saved when you were 15 years old. And you were genuinely born again. But let's just imagine that you lived to be 85 years old.
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85 years old. That's a long time between 15 and 85. Can anything go wrong with your salvation in those intermediate years? Can you lose your salvation? The Bible is very clear that because Jesus died for your sins, he was raised from the dead.
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He's seated at the right hand of God the Father, and he intercedes for you. You cannot lose your salvation in those intervening years. You are secure in Christ. That's why the Bible says in Romans 8.1, "There's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
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Now, Jesus is our heavenly advocate according to 1 John 2. And he is our high priest according to Hebrews 4.
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You say, "Well, Pastor, I don't understand how Jesus intercedes for us." Well, he intercedes for us just the way he interceded for Peter.
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Before he died, Jesus had talked to his disciples about the fact that he was going to die.
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And they were heartbroken.
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And here's what Jesus said to Simon Peter in Luke 22, verses 31 and 32. Listen to what he said.
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"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.
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But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail,
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and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
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I wonder how many times I've been saved now since I was 20 years old. I'm 72, 52 years. I wonder how many times in those 52 years that the Lord Jesus has turned to God the Father and he's interceded for me and said, "Father, help Chuck.
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Don't let his faith fail at this critical juncture in his life."
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And maybe he's doing that for you too. He prays for us by name. He prayed for Peter by name. He loves you and he wants the best for you. He's for you, he's not against you.
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In Hebrews 7, verse 25, I love this verse.
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"Therefore he is able," Jesus is able also, "to save forever." To save how long, church?
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That's what it says, right? You do believe the Bible, don't you?
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It says, "He is able to save forever those who draw near to God," listen to this, "through him."
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Not through religion, not through trying to make sure your good works out, well, your bad works, but through Jesus.
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"Those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives," look at this, "to make intercession for them." Can Jesus ever quit making them? No, because he always lives.
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He's eternal in nature.
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He's seated at the right end of the Father. And he turns to the Father and he intercedes for you, he prays for you. The Bible also says in Romans chapter 8, "That the Holy Spirit of God who indwells you intercedes with you with groanings that cannot be heard." So you've got God the Father and God the Holy Spirit praying for you. I have a lot of people call me and they say, "Pastor, would you pray for me about such and such?" And I gladly pray for people when they ask me to pray for them. But can I tell you, I can point out to you two far greater prayer warriors than Chuck Herring. That's the Holy Spirit and Jesus, the Son of God. And they will pray for you. They do pray for you. Why? Because God is for you. And he does not want you to fear that some emissary of hell or some human agent on this earth can take away your salvation or cause you to be condemned because no one can take away your salvation and there's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now sometimes, let's face it, our heart condemns us, right?
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First John talks about that.
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Our heart condemns us. Can I tell you that nobody is harder on Chuck Herring than Chuck Herring?
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And there are times when I say something I shouldn't say and I think something I shouldn't think and I do something I shouldn't do.
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And I'm going to tell you, the Holy Spirit convicts me and I began to beat myself up about that failure. I've failed Jesus and it breaks my heart
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and I have to remember that Jesus overrules my heart, that my heart does not have veto power over the promises of God and He's promised me that I'm eternally secure in Christ alone.
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In Romans chapter 8 verse 34, let's just read it again.
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"Who is the one who condemns?
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Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
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These four actions by the Lord Jesus Christ secure our salvation for all of eternity."
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Can I tell you this?
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Jesus was ministering on the earth before He died and was raised and ascended back to heaven.
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He was talking to His disciples about what's coming down the line, about the salvation He was offering. Can I tell you He never, He never mentioned a temporary conditional salvation. Never. In fact He said this in John chapter 10 verse 27 to 30, He said, "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 and no one can snatch them out of the hand of the Father. I am the Father of one."
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Man, what an ironclad promise that is.
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I praise God that our salvation is secure in Christ.
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So I want to say it one more time, I hope you're not tired of hearing it because I'm not sure we hear it enough.
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We need to hear that God is for us, that He's not some kind of angry despot up in heaven trying to make sure that He hammers us every time we mess up. He loves you. He cares about you. He wants the best for you.
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God is for us.
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Now listen, if you're a believer here today, if you've truly repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus, then you are eternally secure.
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You don't ever have to fear being condemned
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because there's therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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Now we look today at four things that Jesus has done for you. It's good news. Jesus died for your sin. Jesus was raised from the dead. He is seated at God's right hand and He intercedes for you.
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Now I've got... You may be here today, you say, "Well, Pastor, I've never repented of my sin and placed my faith in Jesus."
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I'm not a Christian.
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I can tell you that all of this can be accessed by you if you repent of your sin and place your faith in Jesus. It's like Jesus has put out a buffet line of glorious items dealing with your salvation.
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And your ticket to that buffet line is believing in Jesus.
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And if you're here today and you've never repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus, I want to invite you to do that today.
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Now, in just a moment, in fact, I want to ask our staff to come, our worship team to come,
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and we want to give you an opportunity today to receive Jesus as your Savior and your Lord. I know what some of you are thinking.
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"Well, it's Easter Sunday.
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Man, we've got to go eat.
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It's Easter Sunday. We've got a big family gathering plan.
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And it's easy for us to put off or procrastinate when it comes to our salvation."
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But can I tell you something?
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The Bible says today is a day of salvation.
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You may never have another opportunity like you have today.
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So I want to invite you in just a moment when we begin to sing, I want you to come to a staff member and just tell them, "I want to be saved today.
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I want to know that I can enter that phase of no condemnation. I want the eternal security of my soul."
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I'll tell you, Jesus, I'll give it to you if you put your faith in him.
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Maybe you're here today and you're a believer,
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and you sort of drifted away from him.
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You're not running as hot spiritually as you used to run.
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I want to invite you to come to the altar and just bow before the Lord and ask him to refresh and revive your spirit and to help you give your very best to him because he gave his very best for you. Amen?
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Let me pray, Heavenly Father, thank you.
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Thank you so much for this incredible promise that you've made available to us that Paul writes about here in Romans 8.
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"My Lord, I pray with all my heart that the Spirit of God would work in people's hearts.
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I pray for people to be saved. I pray for that man who's never been saved to come to faith in Christ. I pray for that woman who has been dealing with this issue and the Spirit of God been dealing with it. Lord, help her to come to Christ today. I pray for teenagers and children. Oh, Lord, save their souls today. Give them this eternal security that you talk about here in Romans 8. Lord, we love you. We thank you that you're for us. And I pray today we would choose to be for you by obeying what you tell us to do. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and worship.
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Praise the Lord. His mercy is more.
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Stronger than darkness, we knew every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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What love could remember no wrongs we have done. A mission, all knowing he counts not their song. Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore.
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Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more. Praise the Lord. His mercy is more.
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Stronger than darkness, we knew every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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What patience would wait as we constantly roam. What father so tender is calling us home. He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor.
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Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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Praise the Lord.
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His mercy is more.
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Stronger than darkness, we knew every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more. Praise the Lord.
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His mercy is more.
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Stronger than darkness, we knew every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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Every head bowed, every eye closed.
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It's not too late.
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If the Lord is dealing with your heart, come. This is a golden opportunity.
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Give your heart to Jesus.
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Recommit your life to Him.
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Be a part of this church. That's what the Lord is leading you to do.
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Amen.
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What riches of kindness He lavished on us. His blood was a payment. His life was the cost. We stood near the dead. We could never afford.
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Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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Praise the Lord.
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His mercy is more.
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It's stronger than darkness, we knew every morn. Our sins, they are many. His mercy is more.
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Amen.
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If you're at the altar, please, you feel free to stay at the altar.
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I'm glad that you're listening to God.
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You never go wrong doing what He leads you to do.
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I want to thank you for coming to church today.
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I love Easter Sunday.
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I love to preach stuff like I preached today.
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I mean, we looked at the heart of the gospel today.
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That Jesus died for our sins, that He was raised from the dead, that He's at the right hand of God, that He intercedes for us. It just don't get much better than that.
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Thank you.
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Now I pray that the Holy Spirit will take the truths that we've looked at today and He will cause them to take root in your heart
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and He would cause those roots to go down deep in your heart
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and I pray that it will produce much fruit in your life, spiritual fruit.
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So thank you for being here today, Sam.
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Thank you, Pastor. Just want to remind you, guess, if you filled out a Connect card or a prayer request, you can drop them in the box as you leave. That's where our members drop their offering. Discover CFBC is April 21st at 6.15. You can sign up online or call the church office so you want to know more about joining the church. Usually I pray this out, but today Joshua is going to lead us in singing. Let's close with this.
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Because He lives I can face tomorrow
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Because He lives All fear is gone
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Because I know
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He holds the future
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And life is worth a living Just because He lives Well, amen. Bless you as you go. Praise God.