Look here, this is my confession of faith; here will I hale thy brothers and thy sisters to prison, and beat them in the synagogue and compel them to blaspheme and even hunt them to death, for my breath is threatening, and my heart is as fire against Christ." Here is a smiling cherub, a father with a gladsome face: if you may venture to look at the mother, see how her face smiles for joy that a man is born into the world to cheer a happy and rejoicing family. Whether it was by mine or by any other wicked hands, yet it was by "the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," that Jesus died, in the stead of all who believe in him: I believe in him, therefore he has died for me. You see what you are to come to, therefore, set Christ before your eyes always. With that attack upon his Sonship the fiend commenced the battle. As this is a legal question, and as in matters of wills everything should be proven and sworn to, let us have, concerning our inheritance, the evidence of God: that cannot lie. Commentaries; Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible; Romans 8; Verses 38-39 - Romans 8:38-39. . I wish that all here present had a share in my blessed text. Ye would, I am sure, at once confess, did ye know what the race is, that the indictment is proven, and that the world must unreservedly and truthfully exclaim, "guilty. He attacks us on the right hand and on the left, from beneath and from above. Am I one of those who are ordained unto eternal life, or am I to be left to follow my own lusts and passions, and to destroy my own soul? III. There is no flaw in God's will with regard to Christ. We are to be like him then in nature, in relation, in experience. Where are those words which you have added, "Whom he did foreknow to repent, to believe, and to persevere in grace?" I know this I believe God was at work with my heart for years before I knew anything about him. Side by side with you there sits an ungodly person; you two have been brought up together, you have lived in the same house, you have enjoyed the same means of grace, you are converted, he is not; will you please to tell me what has made the difference? Now, when effectual calling comes into a house and singles out a man, that man will be compelled to go forth without the camp, bearing Christ's reproach. though that bell hath the very sound of heaven, and though all men do in a measure hear it, for "their line is gone out into all the earth and their Word unto the end of the world" yet there was never an instance of any man having been brought to God simply by that sound. If all things are working, let us work too "work while it is called to-day, for the night cometh when no man can work." But there is nothing in the-depths that can separate us from the love of Christ. Lecture 2: On Commenting. Not all the sophisms of the learned, nor all the legerdemain of the cunning, will ever be able to sweep the doctrine of election out of Holy Scripture. I want you, dear friends, to get this persuasion into you. "So then," he said, "we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." The apostle says that those who love God are "the called according to his purpose" by which he means to say two things first, that all who love God love him because he called them to love him. There is an amazing glory in reserve for us, and though as yet we cannot enter upon it, but in harmony with the whole creation must continue to groan and travail, yet the hope itself should minister strength to us, and enable us patiently to bear "these light afflictions, which are but for a moment." Forth it steps into the arena, and we behold the law of God. "Put your right hand here, my boy, and place your left hand so. Do you hate your mother, who nursed you on her knee? (+44) 01236 827 978. Why the Lord may use any words. I have certain experiences and feelings; turning to the Word, I find similar experiences and feelings recorded; and so I prove that I am right, and the Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am born of God. These are they who can now say, "Draw us, and we will run after thee.". If all things work together for good (all events, all circumstances, all trials, all happenings, etc. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We have known horror caused by guilt, and, therefore, for the future shall be throughout eternity a nobler race, freer to serve, and serving God after a nobler fashion than any other creatures in the universe. There is nothing about death that should make Christ cease to love us; our bodies will be under his protection and guardian care, and our souls shall be with Christ, which is "far better" than being anywhere else. This is too absurd to need an answer, for if so, horses and cows, rats and mice, snakes and flies are children of God, for they are surely creatures as well as we. Regulus returns to Rome; he stands up in the senate and conjures them never to make peace in Carthage, but ot his wife and children, and tells them that he is going back to Carthage, and of course the tell him that he need not keep faith with an enemy. "It is Christ that died," becomes both his sword and his shield; and when the dread conflict is over, and even while it is raging, he sings, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.". The world is a great machine, but it is never standing still: silently all through the watches of the night, and through the hours of day, the earth revolveth on its axis, and works out its predestinated course. View the Saviour in his agonies, with streams of blood purchasing thy soul, and with intensest agonies enduring thy punishment. Wherefore, since it is only our Judge who can condemn us, and since he is the very Person who has paid our debt for us, and put our sin away, we dare to repeat again, with additional emphasis, our ringing challenge to all the universe, "Who is he that condemneth?". Now, the divine will or mind may be viewed two ways. There are opposite currents; the wind bloweth to the north and to the south. He just repeated his master's name and office as many times as the other gentleman had titles. The fleshly mind, the phronema sarkos, the lusts, the passions of the soul; it is this which has gone astray from God, and become enmity against him. "A fiction!" Because, now the sacrifice is complete for ever, and the priest hath made a full end of his solemn service. was the means of his quickening. He puts it thus, they are not able to separate us. and do we not feel that we shall lay all our honors, whatever they may be, at his dear feet, who hath according to his abundant mercy predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his Son? When we have broken his commandments, as we all of us have, we are debtors to his justice, and we owe to him a vast amount of punishment, which we are not able to pay. Thou didst for awhile leave the Firstborn when he was made a curse for us, so that he cried in agony, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" Mark then, with care, that OUR CONFORMITY TO CHRIST IS THE SACRED OBJECT OF PREDESTINATION. you have had many troubles, have you not? The second reason a believer hath, is that CHRIST HAS RISEN AGAIN. "We are the children of God." God so loved me that he willed to forgive me; but for the sake of the world which he governs righteously he could not forgive me without an atonement for my sin. Now, let us march with joyful footsteps onward to the other part of the inheritance. Suffering is the college of orthodoxy. I shall direct your joyous attention to one precious jewel in your treasury, namely, your adoption into the family of God. You see, my dear hearers, if it were possible for the work of grace in your souls to be of no avail, nothing more could be done for you. I could indicate some dear friends here who I hope are not in the depths now, but I have seen them there. There are e'en stronger arguments for the non-condemnation of the believer in the resurrection of Christ than in his precious death and burial. We must not pry into it, but we know that he was verily of the nature of God. III. The Christian understands the word "good" in another sense. Naturally we never will towards good without God, but God works in us to will and to do. "These," says he, "passed through great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: ask them!" A fine title indeed if it belongs to every man! Suppose Satan should come to anyone who is seeking the Saviour, and say, "You will never find the Lord; you have sinned beyond all limit; you are too far gone for mercy to reach you; you must perish;" it will be your highest wisdom to give him this one reply, "It is Christ that died." God bless you, ye sons of God, and may those of you who are strangers to him, be convinced and converted by this sermon, and seek that grace by which alone you can have your prayer fulfilled: Delivered on Sunday Morning, July the 28th, 1861 by the, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, THE APOSTLE has proceeded through a simple but exceedingly forcible train of reasoning till he gains this glorious point "Joint heirs with Christ." Here are two sorts of children, therefore all are not the children of God. The Holy Spirit's mind is seen in our intercessions when under his sacred influence we order our case before the Lord, and plead with holy wisdom for things convenient and necessary. You perceive at once, by his deeds, that his nature was godlike. My mind wanders: I chatter like a crane; I roar like a beast in pain; I moan in the brokenness of my heart, but oh, my God, I know not what it is my inmost spirit needs; or if I know it, I know not how to frame my petition aright before thee. Can those lips say, "Depart, ye cursed," to the man for whom they once did intercede? Go not into thy brother's house in the day of thine adversity. Romans 8:12 . They tell me, that they of old maintained the truth, and preached it, in the midst of fire and sword that they bore death in defence of the cause of God, that they might hand down his holy word inviolate to us! My hands have never been stained with the blood of any man." The evil one may whisper, "If thou be the son of God." Those things may be desirable, but they are not the ultimatum of the saints. There is a secret something about the Christian of which Satan wishes to spoil him, but which is entirely out of his reach, so the saint sings, "I am persuaded that neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers can separate me from the love of Christ. Amen. "Predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that HE," "that HE" God is always driving at something for him, his well-beloved Son. If this be his ardent love of the Godhead, what must his hatred thereof be? Suddenly the Goths, the old enemies of Rome, fell upon the city. The wolf may sleep, but it is a wolf still. And as I look on them, and they on me, I turn to you all and say, "Brethren, we are debtors." By this is intended our affliction, and the weakness which trouble discovers in us. He can lay certain desires so pressingly upon our hearts that we can never rest till they are fulfilled. That leads me to pass on to the second thing of which Paul was persuaded. 14. Thunderbolts and tornadoes are nothing in force compared with the charges of a guilty conscience. Blessed be his name, he will not refuse you even then, if you will but believe him! There be others of acute intellect, who, searching into mysteries of science, discover things that have been hidden from the creation of the world; men of keen research, and mighty erudition; and yet of each of these poet, philosopher, metaphysician, and great discoverer it shall be said, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." If his heart is against God, we ought to tell him it is his sin; and if he cannot repent, we ought to show him that sin is the sole cause of his disability that all his alienation from God is sin that as long as he keeps from God it is sin. I would I could speak more powerfully, but my Master alone can impress upon you the enormous evil of this horrid state of heart. We know not how to mingle these sacred spices in the incense of prayer. He uses a noun, and not an adjective. If there had been a man, in the history of the world, who from his infancy had known God, and who had grown up serving him, devoting himself entirely to the cause of the Lord Christ; and if he had kept the commandments without fail, as far as man could judge, it would be a very hazardous thing even for him to say. God will not leave you, my brethren, he has pledged himself by covenant to you, and he has given au oath that his covenant shall stand. As he turns over each of these love-tokens, and as he reads the words of his reconciled prince, he asks "When will the vessel sail to take me back to my native shore?" I thought Christians were a humble, timid people." but thou wilt not leave one of the "many brethren" for whom he died: the Spirit shall be with them, and when they cannot so much as groan he will make intercession for them with groanings that cannot be uttered. My own little experience leads me to believe that apart from the Word of God, there are immediate dealings with the conscience and soul of man by the Holy Spirit, without any instrumentality, without even the agency of the truth. O how much we owe them. But did I need witnesses, I would conjure up the nations of antiquity; I would unroll the volume of ancient history; I would tell you of the awful deeds of mankind. But what I do not like is when they look down from those awful heights upon us poor Christians and say that they cannot believe in us because we are anxious, because we practice self-examination, because we have to struggle against sin. To put Christ's resurrection yet in another aspect. "All things work together for good." Adam's death was not simply his own private loss, for in Adam all died, and Christ's life and all the consequences of his obedience are not merely his own, but the joint riches of all who are in him, of whom he is the federal head, and on whose behalf he accomplished the divine will. Acts: An Expositional Commentary (Sproul) $18.00 . There is no holiness in us of our own creating; no good thing in us of our own fashioning. Much more, let me now tell you, is his life, much more the fact that he lives, and is at the right hand of the Father. Would you believe it, that the man whom Christ intends to call is the worst man in Jericho the extortioner? As much as to say, it is a powerful argument for our salvation, that Christ died; but it is a still more cogent proof that every believer shall be saved, that Christ rose again from the dead. We are to stand at the door expecting the Beloved to open it and take us away to himself. The will, if valid for one, is valid for all. See you that stone rolled at the mouth of the sepulchre? "For I am persuaded." When you get upstairs into your chamber this evening to pray, and find you cannot pray, but have to moan out, "Lord, I am too full of anguish and too perplexed to pray, hear thou the voice of my roaring," though you reach to nothing else you will be really praying. He was born into this world in a very humble place, amidst the oxen, and in the manger; but yet he lacked not the songs of angels, and the adoration of the heavenly hosts. All things at this present moment are working together for the believer's good. Stern was the labour, toilsome was the work; he dug on, and on, and on, through rocks of suffering, into the deepest caverns of misery; but the resurrection was the springing up of the water. Therefore, let the future bring with it what it may, all will be well with him. In Hebrews 3:1 , you find this sentence. you shall not be uncrowned. Whatever God would have done under the circumstances, that Jesus did. It is so; but then my Lord Christ delighted to come to be my Saviour. Martha is correct; but by Martha's side there stands a man who, despite all his lowliness, is very God of very God. The true life is hereafter. Well, I wonder what is "to come." The Father knew how happy his Son would be to associate his chosen with himself, for of old his delights were with the sons of men. And that my sins are gone is further clear, for he rose again from the dead. You will observe that the apostle has here prefixed the words, "yea rather!" But another bitter taunt comes to me, "You have sinned in spirit. I can look upward without distressing fear." I remember an old divine using a very pithy and homely metaphor, which I shall borrow to-day. I take him a bill to-morrow morning, and he says, "Do you coming begging?" We are forced to use words if we would influence our fellow-men, but the Spirit of God can operate upon the human mind more directly, and communicate with it in silence. "Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee," and "by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." I am mainly indebted to these because I owe so much to my God. We have some splendid specimens of what men could write, when they have been under the accursed influence of ardent spirits. When he had kept all his Master's law he was but an unprofitable servant; he had done no more than he ought to have done; he had no surplus, no balance. He beckons me, and I must be brought at length to see his face, and to be with him where he is. They are ever working too, in opposition to the word play. I always find when I have to deal with these "fat things full of marrow," that words fail us; and perhaps it is well, for then the excellency of the power is proved to be not by words of man but in the weight, and fullness, and richness of gospel matter. As Paul's exposition in 5:12-21 has shown, "through one . "Oh, I want to get home to my dear wife and children. In this way "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Then, too, a worse than Herod sought to kill us. 13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.. It is a traveller lost in the deep snow on the mountain pass. I feel that to the knee that dandled me and the breast that gave me sustenance, I owe more than I can ever pay; and to him who taught me, and led me in the paths of truth I owe so much, that I dare not speak of the tremendous weight of obligation due to him. And I do not, I cannot imagine that he would be sitting down in heaven in the posture of ease, unless he had accomplished all unless "It is finished!" Ask him whether he is happy and content. Ye may train him up, ye may make his intellect almost angelic, ye may strengthen his soul until he shall take what are riddles to us, and unravel them with his fingers in a moment; ye may make him so mighty, that he can grasp the iron secrets of the eternal hills and grind them to atoms in his fist; ye may give him an eye so keen, that he can penetrate the arcana of rocks and mountains; ye may add a soul so potent, that he may slay the giant Sphinx, that had for ages troubled the mightiest men of learning; yet, when ye have done all, his mind shall be a depraved one, and his carnal heart shall still be in opposition to God. He has rendered more of good to men than you ever rendered of evil. It is not optional with him, it is an inevitable law of the universe. If, after having ploughed this ground, and sown it, and after it has been watered by the dew and rain of heaven, no good harvest ever comes of it, every wise man would leave off tilling it. Ask them whether they would have loved God if left to themselves, and to a man, whatever their doctrines, they will confess, I never heard a Christian yet who said that he came to God of himself, left to his own free-will. Yes, but "Jesus died;" and say what thou wilt, O conscience, remind me of what thou wilt; lo this shall be my sure reply in "Jesus died." It is very wonderful how the Church of Christ seems always to brighten up at the idea of death by martyrdom. Since the day when Adam fell all things have had to toil and labor. I am the king of that inheritance, and without me doth not a dog move his tongue." He was fighting evil in the high places and evil in the low, evil among the priests and evil among the people, evil in a religious dress, in Pharisaism, and evil in the dress of philosophy amongst the Sadducees; he fought it everywhere: he was the foe of everything that was wrong, false, selfish, unholy or impure. Sanctification is the Lord's work in us. It is almost as good as Scripture; for Scripture leads us to think of the sufferings of Christ as an unfathomable deep. "Yes," he could say, "and a blessed thing it would be for you if you had the same thing to groan after that I have." I will have one more illustration. "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come nor height, nor depth nor any other creatures, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 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