Are you, my dear hearer, persuaded that it is so with you? It is true that death was the payment of the debt, but resurrection was the public acknowledgment that the debt was paid. You have felt as sure about the promise as you felt about the trial. A passage from Galatians iii. Here is a test for us all. Happy in what he has received, for that very reason he groans to get the fulness of what is promised him. If there be some points in the covenant of grace where wisdom has been deficient, and therefore by error it may miscarry, or by lack of legal right may prove null and void, it is as surely null towards Christ as towards ourselves, for he is jointly concerned therein. He had not seen many of those whom he addressed; yet they were known to him, in the Spirit, as partakers of one glorious and blessed hope, and, therefore, he called them "brethren." Why he is going fast onward in his mad career. But Solomon did not add, that things are not what they seem. Simply because it is depraved; and until he had entered a foul element until the body had begun to quiver with a kind of intoxication the fancy would not hold its carnival. In that light he makes the promise shine in all its truthfulness, certainty, sweetness, and suitability, so that we, poor trembling sons of men, dare take that word into our mouth which first came out of God's mouth, and then come with it as an argument, and plead it before the throne of the heavenly grace. If we are born into his family it is a miracle of mercy. If it be possible that the malice and the graft of hell could invent some scheme by which the covenant could he put out of court, and the promise of grace could be made to fail, then Christ fails with his people, and the heir of all things loses his inheritance as soon as one single one of the other heirs shall have his right to the inheritance disproved. Oh Christian, this should ever be your spirit, only in a higher degree. I have had many troubles that thou reckest not of, I have buried all my kindred, and I am like the last oak of the forest, all my friends have been felled by death long ago. There were no wild beasts to rend him, no rough winds to cause him injury, no blighting heats to bring him harm; but in this present world everything is contrary to us. for if not, inasmuch as you reject one part of the inheritance you reject the rest. When a friend suggested that these "Notes" should be gathered together, and arranged in a small book, I felt it was quite possible that the Lord in His tenderness would continue to speak by them to some who needed consolation or encouragement. None but he shall ever unroll that sacred record and read it to the assembled world. I am a debtor to God's love, I am a debtor to God's grace, I am a debtor to God's power, I am a debtor to God's forgiving mercy; but I am no debtor to his justice for he, himself, will never accuse me of a debt once paid. He said, "Reproach hath broken mine heart, and I am full of heaviness." And you and I must be conformed to Christ in this respect. Still the bond was not cancelled until the day when Christ rose from the dead; then did his Father, as it were, rend the bond in halves, and blot it out, so that thenceforward it ceases to have elfect. Can we glory that he is full of immutability, and changes not? "Brethren, ye have been called into liberty." "Ah!" Eli said, "I called not, lie down again. "What!" We call them innocent, and so they are of actual transgression, but as the poet says, "Within the youngest breast there lies a stone." One will wickedly say, "If I am a child of God, I may live as I like." "All things work together for good.". Now why call Zaccheus? With that attack upon his Sonship the fiend commenced the battle. But let the man that worketh, though it be with the sweat of his brow and with aching hands, remember that he, if he is seeking to bless the Lord's people, is in sympathy with all things not only in sympathy with their work, but in sympathy with their aim. There is a double precedent to strengthen our confidence that he must prevail. Poor prodigal sinner, may our Father bring thee home, for there is an inheritance even for thee. Firm as this rock I stand, though nature reels and all things pass away. There is not only a sea in which to drown our sins, but the very tops of the mountains of our guilt are covered. 1. The blood of heaven runs in thy veins; thou art one of the blood royal of eternity a son of God, descendant of the King of kings. Even a depressed and desponding state of mind, whatever the cause of it is, whether weariness of brain or heaviness of heart, cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So shall we be, for because he lives, we shall live also. So it may by possibility be this morning; so it will be if the Spirit of God shall be our instructor, and fulfil his gracious promise to "lead us into all truth.". An unconverted man may love a God, as, for instance, the God of nature, and the God of the imagination; but the God of revelation no man can love, unless grace has been poured into his heart, to turn him from that natural enmity of the heart towards God, in which all of us are born. ", When you have overcome Satan, the world will come forth to attack you, and to dispute your claim to be numbered amongst the people of God. Is that the panting of thy heart? A pan of hot coals is blazing in the tent; Scoevola puts out his right hand and holds it; it crackles in the flame; the young man flinches not, though his fingers drop away. Look! I shall now pass on to my third point. Who will feed my belly with hid treasures? He could not be persuaded that nothing could separate us from a thing which did not exist, so he is persuaded, first of all, of the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, brethren, in the very proportion in which we are conformed to the image of Christ we shall have to "go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach:" for the disciple, if he be a true disciple, is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. Wherefore, seek the Lord now ere it be too late. An exile, far away from his native country, has been long forgotten, but on a sudden a vessel brings him the pardon of his monarch, and presents from his friends who have called him to remembrance. The apostle challenges the whole world, and heaven and hell too, in the question, "Who is he that condemneth?" A man may be full of faith and joy spiritually, but I will defy him under some forms of disease to feel as he would. If thou art this day an heir of heaven, remember, man, thou wast once the slave of hell. But if thou art no lover of God, but a stranger to him, I beseech thee do not pilfer to-day and steal a comfort that was not intended for thee. 6. And now, what with strifes between men and masters, which are banishing trade from England, and what with political convulsions, which unhinge everything, the vessel of the state is drifting fast to the shallows. "Put your right hand here, my boy, and place your left hand so. But no, Camillus gathers together his body of followers, falls upon the Goths, routs them and enters in triumph into Rome though he was an exile. And see what it is that we are heirs of. Happy is he who can follow the apostle step by step, and say, "Yes, I have this morning the spirit of a son; I know that my heart loves God, and I look to him as my Father, with trust, with confidence, and with love; then I am surely his son, because I have the Spirit a son; then I am his heir; I am the heir of God; and thus my faith lays hold upon the thrice-precious words of this glorious text I am joint heir with Christ.". Memory is fallen. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus," declaring as it seems to me, and rightly enough, that all believers, all who have faith in Christ are the children of God, and that they become actually and manifestly so by faith in Christ Jesus, and implying that those who have no faith in Christ Jesus, are not God's sons, and that any pretence which they could make to that relationship would be but arrogance and presumption. Home; Shop. While dwelling upon this joint heirship, let us remark what an honor is conferred upon us. I cannot of course picture what your precise trouble is. Many times you put him away. He starts! Behold his goodness that he hath spread before you! Here cometh one and he cries, "Thou hast been a blasphemer." There is a publican living in it, who is a hard, griping, grasping, miserly extortioner. Have you been called, not of man but of God? Boast not, if thou art in the true olive. There is the worldling's sense: "Who will show us any good?" may seem too mean to pray about. Thank him for little grace, and ask him for great grace. And let me further remark, that the right hand is the place of power. To be begotten is something more than to be made: this is a more personal work of God; and that which is begotten is in closer affinity to himself than that which is only created. "Joseph is not, Simeon is not, and now ye will take Benjamin away; all these things are against me," said the old Patriarch. 14:1 - 15:14. In his light shall we see light: I pray, therefore, that we may be helped of the Spirit while we consider his mysterious operations, that we may not fall into error or miss precious truth through blindness of heart. When Napoleon was on the island of St. Helena, he was watched by many guards, but after many complaints, he enjoyed comparative liberty, and walked alone. I can sit down and let him plead, and I do not want to get up and conduct the pleading myself. "All things work together for good." III. Romans 8:38-39 . Now, Christ is his people's representative. Adam in this world was in liberty, perfect liberty; nothing confined him; paradise was exactly fitted to be his seat. I thought I saw you the other day looking amazingly great, because on such an occasion you really had done some little service to Christ's Church; and you looked astonishingly proud about it. Oh! How can a heavenly one be content till he ascends to the heavenlies? He uses the word "likewise" to intimate that in the same manner as hope sustains the soul, so does the Holy Spirit strengthen us under trial. What shall we say to that? I cannot stay longer on that point, except just to notice, that we must never quarrel with this divine arrangement. There is real prayer in these "groanings that cannot be uttered." In referring to the issue of servitude to sin ( katakrima ), Paul has reference to the problem discussed in the previous chapter and in 5:12-21. O my beloved, do not ask the question. Bible > Romans > Chapter 8 > Verse 35 Library Free Downloads eBibles Romans 8:35 I must confess that I am more afraid of life than of death. Do we say that he is love? You have had God's utmost effort expended upon your behalf, and there remains no other method of salvation for you. Waiting implies being ready. I will now proclaim to you the way of salvation. In the midst of his agony on the tree, he still had full understanding concerning his sacrifice: "Knowing that all things were now accomplished," he bowed his head, and died. Believing in Jesus, we speak confidently, we have unspeakable blessings given to us by the Father of spirits. The saints in heaven are perfectly free from sin, and, so far as they are capable of it, they are perfectly happy; but a disembodied spirit never can be perfect until it is reunited to its body. We have seen that Christ's death enables us to conquer our foes, and frees us from our sins. And so, my friends, the wish that there were no God, proves that we dislike God. For that very reason they began to groan. 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? "It is Christ that died." You can make your wooden cross into an iron one, if you choose, by being of a fretful disposition. 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." Overleap the boundaries of Christ's possession if you can, and then dream of ending a limit to the possessions of the elect of God. The whole "carnal mind is enmity against God. Brethren, faith can do wonders. Only too true is that confession, "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us." Since the day when Adam fell all things have had to toil and labor. Ye are of God, little children, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one. We may safely entreat the Lord to do what he has ordained to do. The suggestion has, no doubt, been made by others; but I venture to press it upon Christians of all denominations that they may, in turn, urge all their pastors to summon such meetings. He walks streets of gold, but those streets belong to his enemy. We do cry, "Abba, Father." Shall it be, I say, that integrity shall be found in heathen lands and not be found here? Another thought concerning the universality of this statement. I. Romans 8:26-27 . We must understand the word "together," also in another sense. Others will say, "It is a family of children who have no bread." The text before us cannot be so understood, because the Lord foreknows the history of every man, and angel, and devil. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering sacrifice for sin. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. My brethren, what a glorious model! How can I pray? It is not with us a matter of doubt; we have tried it, we have proved it. Wherefore, let us be encouraged to go on, and fight against everything that is evil, especially in ourselves, and tread down all the powers of darkness, since nothing can stand against us while Christ is sor us; and for us he must be for ever and ever. If, at your leisure, you read through the fifth chapter of this epistle to the Romans, you will there very readily discover that the apostle proves, that if Christ's death be an argument for our salvation, his life is a still greater one. satanic enormity! Is then your calling a high calling, has it lifted up your heart, and set it upon heavenly things? There are few people who sincerely believe this. You do not know the love of Christ. The excellency of the power is in the doctrine, and not in my preaching. If there be work to do for him in future ages we will be the first to volunteer for service; if there be battles to be fought in times to come with other rebellious races, if there be wanted servants to fly over the vast realms of the infinite to carry Jehovah's messages, who shall fly so swiftly as we shall, when once we feel that in his courts we shall dwell not as mere servants, but as members of the royal family, partakers of the divine nature, nearest to God himself. so also shall your soul be filled to the brim with delights. This is a very solemn indictment which the Apostle Paul here prefers against the carnal mind. Look ye again at Camillus. GenesisEarly Chapters, and Patriarchs. The ills of life are many, the trials of life are many, the temptations of life are more; O life, life, life here below, thou art, after all, little better than a lingering death! man, there is an answer to thy inquiry; the book cannot be opened, but God himself hath published many a page thereof. The enemies of truth are more numerous and subtle than ever, and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. Blessed is the man to whom this reasoning is not abstract, but experimental. all his wisdom is engaged in our behalf. He thought that a sufficient reason why he should neither lie nor cheat. Remember that this is grace, and parentage, look back to the hole of the pit whence thou art digged, and the miry clay whence thou wast drawn. Here is another test. "Whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified," everyone of them. Is there anything here that can console me? The mass of men are all in uncertainty; they do not know what will become of them at last. Romans 8:28 . The children look up to the firstborn. "The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves with the abundance of peace." When another says, "I am a sound, orthodox Presbyterian," you stick to this solid ground, "Christ has died." We will come again in a few days: as we are entering the first house we see weeping faces and flowing tears, a coffin, and a hearse. What if Christ died for all your past sins? I. No condemnation: that is the beginning of the chapter. You will remember while the sinner is dead in sin, he is alive enough so far as any opposition to God may be concerned. The mind of God is one and harmonious; if, therefore, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and he move you to any desire, then his mind is in your prayer, and it is not possible that the eternal Father should reject your petitions. He called them, mark you. Suffering is the college of orthodoxy. I remember an old divine using a very pithy and homely metaphor, which I shall borrow to-day. ", Another says, "Yes, but then you have been specially guilty, there is great sin against a great God. Is not that "coming out" necessary to sonship, and were they his sons, were they his daughters, had they any claim or right to call him Father, until they came out from the midst of a wicked world, and were separate? I will have one more illustration. The rich man hoards wealth, the poor man makes it. But now to illustrate this call in its effects, we remind you that Abraham is another remarkable instance of effectual calling. Oh! Hear all those holy men who have written in the inspired volume, and ye shall find them all confessing that they were not clean, no not one; yea, one of them exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death? What says the believer now? He would say, "My labor is all thrown away on such a plot of ground as this, nothing more can be done with it, for after having done my utmost nothing but weeds is produced, so now it must be left to itself." This was thought to be a singular instance of his affability, and his kindness to his courtiers. But anyhow, things present cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We ask, but we are afraid that we shall not have, because we do not exercise the thought, or the faith, which we judge to be essential to prayer. We do not ask for these persecutions, but their might do us great good if they came. As surely as Jesus is a son, so surely are we, for the same Spirit bears witness to both, as it is written "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." and what is election, but God's purpose to do what he does do? There once was chaos and confusion, but the Holy Spirit brooded over all, and His mind is the originator of that beautiful arrangement which we so admire in the visible creation. who can tell what God is? While sense is grovelling down below, faith with eagle wing cuts through the cloud and mounts to heaven. Therefore it is that we groan. Yet was he stern in the denunciation of all evil; so should we be. My illustrations do not touch the mystery, but set forth the grace. If we could say this morning, that all the stars belong to us; if we could turn the telescope to the most remote of the fixed stars, and then could say with the pride of possession, so natural to man, "That star, a thousand times bigger than the sun, is mine. We read of "the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." but if it be an effectual call, and if salvation shall be the result thereof, what matters it though thou dost go to heaven alone? Ask him whether he is happy and content. And let the idle and slothful remember that they are a great anomaly; they are blots in the great work-writing of God; they mean nothing; in all the book of letters with which God has written out the great word "work," they are nothing at all. We have this. You are as bad as any one of us. Christ's cross is entailed on all heirs of God. Paul had been persuaded of this truth by his own experience. The apostle tells us that "they without us cannot be made perfect;" that is, until our bodies are raised, theirs cannot be raised, until we get our adoption day, neither can they get theirs. Oh, speak! I do not wish for anything more than I have here, I am perfectly satisfied, so far as this goes, but I long to look upon my household, and to be once more in my own sweet home, and until I reach it, I shall not cease to groan." It needs no stretch of imagination to conceive this place to be a Roman amphitheatre. 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