1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,840
We're looking again at Romans chapter 8 as we think about this wonderful theme that

2
00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,680
God is on our side.

3
00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:19,640
A 29-year-old husband and father of two went to work that morning just like every other

4
00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,180
morning he had for several years.

5
00:00:23,180 --> 00:00:30,480
He was four days before his seventh anniversary, and on that day, the seventh anniversary with

6
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:38,720
his firm, he was planning to withdraw his retirement that accumulated and to send that

7
00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:45,160
to Bible College to reserve a spot for himself for that fall because he and his wife desired

8
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:49,160
to prepare themselves to go into the ministry.

9
00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:57,560
There as he worked in the plant that day, 60 tons of metal in quarter-inch sheets slid

10
00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:04,240
somehow and crushed him to death.

11
00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:09,360
When experiences like that come, we hear about them.

12
00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,000
How do we respond?

13
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:19,280
We could respond perhaps like Jacob did in Genesis chapter 42.

14
00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:24,600
Nine of his sons came back from their journey down to Egypt looking for food.

15
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,040
Simea, do you remember, had been kept there by Joseph, although they didn't know it was

16
00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,680
Joseph yet.

17
00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:38,360
And the request from this leader, Joseph, in Egypt was, bring your youngest brother

18
00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,280
back.

19
00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:47,840
Then the report came and Jacob began to think through all of this.

20
00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,040
He said, Joseph was taken away from me.

21
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,640
Now Simeon is gone.

22
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,040
You want to take Benjamin?

23
00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:02,900
He said, all of these things are against me.

24
00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:12,320
Therefore we can respond as David did, hunted by Saul, fleeing from place to place.

25
00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:17,440
Saul's men chasing him, just getting there after David had left for the next spot.

26
00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:22,880
And finally David took off to the south and went to Philistia, where his enemies were,

27
00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:24,960
to the city of Gath.

28
00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,680
You recognize that name, don't you?

29
00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,480
That's where Goliath was from.

30
00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:35,840
Of course Goliath had been dead now for a number of years, but David was there in that

31
00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:40,760
city, in the midst of these people who were his enemies.

32
00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,800
And he became so frightened because his identity was known, and they began to whisper about

33
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,120
him, oh this is the guy that they were talking about.

34
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,400
Saul's killed his thousands, but he slain his ten thousands.

35
00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,560
David trembled with fright, so much so that he feigned mental illness there in Gath.

36
00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,000
He began to act very strangely.

37
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:11,640
He would write on the doorposts, and he would allow his saliva to run down on his beard,

38
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:15,120
feigning illness so that they might not get him.

39
00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,720
They brought him before the king of Gath, and basically what he said was, why are you

40
00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:21,040
bringing me another crazy man?

41
00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,600
Don't I have enough crazy people around here already?

42
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:25,660
And David escaped.

43
00:03:25,660 --> 00:03:32,800
But in the midst of that particular incident, he wrote Psalm 56 in which basically he says,

44
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,720
everybody wants to kill me.

45
00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:41,240
But he says, God is for me.

46
00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:46,760
When you and I come to the tough times of life, and all of us have them, we can respond

47
00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,560
like Jacob and say, all of these things are against me.

48
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:58,760
Or we can look at them from a different perspective, like David, and we can say, God is for me.

49
00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:04,560
That is what the apostle Paul writes as we come now to the 31st verse of Romans chapter

50
00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:05,600
8.

51
00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:11,560
He says, what then shall we say to these things, pointing back to those actions of God in the

52
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:17,200
previous verses, where he has stated that God foreknew, he predestined, he called, he

53
00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:22,360
justified, and he glorified his own?

54
00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,360
What shall we say to these things?

55
00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,560
If God is for us, who is against us?

56
00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:33,600
Well, we know the devil and his legions of demons are against us, but the fact is that

57
00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,640
ultimately, finally, they cannot overcome us.

58
00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,240
And so he says, if God is for us, who is against us?

59
00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,000
He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all.

60
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,560
How will he not also with him freely give us all things?

61
00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,580
Who will bring a charge against God's elect?

62
00:04:53,580 --> 00:04:55,680
God is the one who justifies.

63
00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,280
Who is the one who condemns?

64
00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:03,600
Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God

65
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,460
and who also intercedes for us.

66
00:05:06,460 --> 00:05:08,720
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

67
00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:16,020
While tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword,

68
00:05:16,020 --> 00:05:21,000
just as it's written, for thy sake we are being put to death all day long, we were considered

69
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,280
as sheep to be slaughtered.

70
00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:28,360
But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us.

71
00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:34,080
For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things

72
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:40,680
present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other created thing

73
00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:45,980
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

74
00:05:45,980 --> 00:05:49,600
What a pinnacle of truth he comes to.

75
00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:50,600
God is for us.

76
00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:51,600
How do we know that?

77
00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:57,120
Well, it seems to me that in this paragraph there are five proofs that we can point to

78
00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:02,980
that give evidence that God is for us.

79
00:06:02,980 --> 00:06:06,740
Proof number one, he delivered up his son.

80
00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:09,320
In verse 32 we see that.

81
00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,600
This of course is the central truth of the revelation of the Bible.

82
00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:21,400
It is also the wonder of the ages that God delivered up his son for us.

83
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,400
He did not spare his own son.

84
00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:32,120
That is, the one that was his in that peculiar and unique sense of God the Father and God

85
00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,440
the Son in their eternal relationship as deity.

86
00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,880
He did not spare his own son.

87
00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:46,840
That is, he did not withhold him as one might spare what is precious, but he delivered him

88
00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:50,560
over it says.

89
00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:58,720
In God not sparing his son we are reminded of Abraham who did a very similar thing in

90
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,480
Genesis 22.

91
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:07,240
There you recall that God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac.

92
00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:12,480
Abraham was fully prepared to do so and in his heart actually went through with the deed,

93
00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:19,800
but before Isaac was slain God stopped him and provided a substitute for Isaac in the

94
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,040
ram.

95
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:29,520
God said to him on that day, I know that you fear me because you have not spared.

96
00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,560
You have not withheld your son, your only son.

97
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:39,720
A little bit later in verse 16 in Genesis 22 he says, and because you have not withheld

98
00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,920
your son, your only son, I will bless you.

99
00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:52,020
God promises Abraham riches of blessing there, spiritual blessings because of his willingness

100
00:07:52,020 --> 00:07:54,440
to give his son.

101
00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,500
Well in that case there was a substitute that was offered for Isaac, but in Jesus' case

102
00:07:58,500 --> 00:08:04,680
there could be no substitute because he was the substitute for all of us.

103
00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:10,120
God did not withhold his son but delivered him over for us all.

104
00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:15,520
Please understand that that does not mean that Jesus Christ was a victim.

105
00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:21,560
A victim of circumstance or a victim of God as though he were unwilling to lay down his

106
00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,040
life and God the Father forced him into it.

107
00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,820
That is not what the apostle is saying.

108
00:08:27,820 --> 00:08:33,520
Because Jesus Christ laid down his life for us of his own accord, of his own will, he

109
00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:35,440
did that.

110
00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:41,680
But here the emphasis is upon God the Father who was willing to deliver over his beloved

111
00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:45,440
son for our sake.

112
00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:52,080
He delivered up his son and the apostle goes on to say, how will he not also with him,

113
00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,460
his son, freely give us all things?

114
00:08:55,460 --> 00:08:58,960
He argues here from the lesser to the greater.

115
00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:07,080
He says if God was willing to deliver over his son for you, if he was willing not to

116
00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:13,040
withhold his son as a sacrifice for your sake, if God is willing to do that won't he also

117
00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:18,360
give you all things, graciously provide everything that you need?

118
00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,980
And of course the answer is yes.

119
00:09:20,980 --> 00:09:26,440
God will do that because God is for us.

120
00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:34,360
Second Peter 1, 3 it says that God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

121
00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:43,240
And in 1 Corinthians 3, 21 the apostle says that all things belong to you and you belong

122
00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,040
to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

123
00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:53,280
He said whether it be things present or things to come or life or death, he says all of that

124
00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:54,520
belongs to you.

125
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,480
Have you ever looked at it that way?

126
00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:06,240
That even that last enemy, death, in a certain sense belongs to you?

127
00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:14,500
For if you're a child of God death has been delegated and reduced to the place of simply

128
00:10:14,500 --> 00:10:18,600
being a doorkeeper.

129
00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,520
That's all death is.

130
00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:24,140
An enemy to be sure, but death is no victor.

131
00:10:24,140 --> 00:10:25,140
Death is no conqueror.

132
00:10:25,140 --> 00:10:26,140
It belongs to you.

133
00:10:26,140 --> 00:10:31,400
It's your servant in the sense that it opens the door for you to the presence of the Lord.

134
00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:33,340
All things belong to you.

135
00:10:33,340 --> 00:10:34,340
God is for us.

136
00:10:34,340 --> 00:10:35,820
How do we know?

137
00:10:35,820 --> 00:10:39,400
Because he delivered up his son for us.

138
00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,000
He could do nothing more, nothing greater than that.

139
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,080
Here's a second proof that we see in verse 33.

140
00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:52,760
Not only has God given us his son, but he has declared us righteous.

141
00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:59,060
It says who will bring a charge against God's elect?

142
00:10:59,060 --> 00:11:04,120
Those are the same people mentioned earlier in verses 29 and 30, the ones that God has

143
00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,840
foreknown and predestined and called.

144
00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:13,420
He says who will bring a charge against the ones that God has chosen?

145
00:11:13,420 --> 00:11:16,880
To bring a charge against them is a legal term.

146
00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:25,280
It literally means to press charges, or who will call in for legal reasons to press charges

147
00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,800
against those that God has chosen?

148
00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:36,080
Well, of course, Satan would like to, and he has called in Revelation 12.10 the accuser

149
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:37,820
of the brethren.

150
00:11:37,820 --> 00:11:43,360
But he has no legal basis to accuse us.

151
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:44,440
Why is that?

152
00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:51,280
Because there is only one in the universe who is legally able to bring charge against

153
00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,480
you and me.

154
00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,320
That one is God himself.

155
00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:07,840
Because as David said in Psalm 51,4, against thee and the only of thy sin, all sin ultimately

156
00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:12,040
is against God.

157
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:19,320
God is the only one who has a legal basis to bring charge against us.

158
00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:27,880
And by his grace, God has already made a declaration about us, which Paul quotes at the beginning

159
00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,880
of this chapter, or states rather, at the beginning of the chapter, there is therefore

160
00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:37,320
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

161
00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:41,660
The only one who could charge us is God himself.

162
00:12:41,660 --> 00:12:45,280
And God is the one who has justified us.

163
00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:53,360
He is the one who has declared us right with himself, or righteous in his sight.

164
00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,840
The basis of that, of course, is Christ's saving work.

165
00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:59,360
But God has declared us righteous.

166
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:00,600
He is on our side.

167
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:01,980
We know that.

168
00:13:01,980 --> 00:13:06,200
He is not against us.

169
00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:10,560
Turn with me to Colossians chapter 2 and look at verses that may be familiar to you, or

170
00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:13,440
maybe they are not.

171
00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,160
But they are suggestive in the picture that they bring to mind.

172
00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:24,260
In Colossians 2 and verse 13, he says, And when you were dead in your transgressions

173
00:13:24,260 --> 00:13:30,840
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, that's before we were saved, of course, he says,

174
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:39,880
He made you alive together with him, with Christ, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

175
00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:49,240
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which

176
00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,840
was hostile to us.

177
00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:59,480
Paul may have in mind here what was customary in that day at crucifixions.

178
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:07,920
The criminal who was being taken out to be executed was often required to carry a placard

179
00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:15,720
on which was written the charge against him and for which he was giving his life.

180
00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,880
It was a certificate of debt, as it were, to society.

181
00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:24,760
Now in Paul's thinking here that's tied in with the law of the Old Testament, with

182
00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:31,240
its commandments, which we have broken, we could almost put down the Ten Commandments

183
00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:33,680
on that certificate of debt.

184
00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,240
Thou shalt not, thou shalt not, and we've broken all of them.

185
00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,280
We have, we have, we have.

186
00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:47,760
The wonderful thing is that God has canceled out that debt.

187
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,560
You remember what happened when Jesus was crucified?

188
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:56,240
The Jewish leader said, Hey, you need to put the placard up there.

189
00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:00,720
King of the Jews, he said he was the King of the Jews.

190
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:01,720
That was their point.

191
00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,800
He needs to have the reason put to the cross as to why he's being crucified.

192
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,600
Well, Pilate didn't write it just the way they wanted it written and they were a little

193
00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,320
upset about that.

194
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,400
That's the similar picture here.

195
00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,240
You and I had that placard around us.

196
00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:26,660
We've broken the law of God, but God graciously has canceled out that certificate of debt

197
00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:30,960
consisting of decrees that were against us and which was hostile to us.

198
00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:31,960
How did he do that?

199
00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:39,680
Well, it says he's taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross.

200
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,800
Not ours, but Christ's.

201
00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:50,300
And so the certificate that should have been nailed as it were to our cross, Jesus had

202
00:15:50,300 --> 00:15:54,120
nailed to his cross on our behalf.

203
00:15:54,120 --> 00:16:02,800
And so the accusations against us have been dealt with already in his death.

204
00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:07,480
And the very one, the only one indeed who has power to bring any further charge against

205
00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:13,140
us is God himself and he has already ruled in our favor.

206
00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:19,440
And he has said, justified.

207
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:29,360
I remove from you the debt that you owe and I nail it to the cross of my son and you are

208
00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,200
righteous in my sight.

209
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:37,720
And so who is it that can bring charge against any of us who are saved?

210
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,400
Because God is the one who has justified us.

211
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,100
He has declared us righteous.

212
00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:45,560
And there is no double jeopardy with God.

213
00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:52,120
Here's a third proof I want to look at as to how we know that God is on our side.

214
00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:56,960
It is this, that he received our advocate into heaven.

215
00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,240
In verse 34, who is the one who condemns?

216
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:07,600
A similar question as verse 33, but verse 33 seems to point toward the prosecutor.

217
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:09,520
Who is going to bring charge against us?

218
00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,040
Who is going to prosecute us?

219
00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,400
Here the emphasis seems to be upon the judge.

220
00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,040
Who is the one who is going to speak condemnation?

221
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:19,800
Who will condemn us?

222
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,600
Well, who is the appointed judge?

223
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:25,640
It's Jesus Christ himself.

224
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:32,680
In John chapter 5, Jesus said that God had appointed to him the judgment of all, the

225
00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,160
living and the dead.

226
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:41,120
The apostle Paul repeated a similar truth in Acts chapter 17 when he preached on Mars

227
00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:46,680
Hill and he points to Jesus Christ risen from the dead.

228
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:52,960
And by that has given proof that one day God is going to judge all men by him, by Jesus

229
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:54,360
Christ.

230
00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:58,560
He is the judge.

231
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:03,480
The fact is that for the believer he is no longer our judge.

232
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,140
He has become our advocate.

233
00:18:06,140 --> 00:18:13,640
He is the one who died and who was raised and who is at the right hand of God who intercedes

234
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,720
for us.

235
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:21,340
For him now to act as a judge and to condemn us would be for him to deny his own saving

236
00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:24,640
work on our behalf.

237
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:32,120
Skevington Wood has an interesting illustration about this that occurred apparently back in

238
00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:39,840
the early part of this century or the late part of the last century when an industrialist

239
00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:53,200
whom he names in England was acting as a judge, a magistrate in some level of court there.

240
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:59,320
And there was brought to him that day a young lady who was working with the Salvation Army

241
00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:07,480
founded by William Booth in England back in the last part of the 19th century.

242
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,360
Founded that day upon winning people to Jesus Christ.

243
00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,880
That was the passion of Booth's heart.

244
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:22,280
And this young lady had been out on the streets there in that city in Britain and had there

245
00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,880
been preaching the gospel.

246
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,880
And there was some zealous constable who felt that she was breaking the law and so he arrested

247
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,600
her and brought her before the magistrate.

248
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:40,760
Now this man was a Christian, this industrialist who was acting as a magistrate on that occasion.

249
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:45,360
The charges were read against her and he did a most unusual thing.

250
00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:51,880
He got up from his seat as the judge and got down and walked around the courtroom over

251
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:58,800
to the dock where she was standing as the charge and he stood beside her to argue her

252
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,920
case even though he was the judge in the courtroom.

253
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,240
He became her advocate.

254
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,000
And my friend that is what Jesus Christ has done for us.

255
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:16,580
He who is the appointed judge of all men has for his own left the place of the judge and

256
00:20:16,580 --> 00:20:22,360
come to the place of the accused and he has become our advocate with the Father.

257
00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:27,420
The apostle John says, these things are right unto you that you stop sinning.

258
00:20:27,420 --> 00:20:34,940
But if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

259
00:20:34,940 --> 00:20:39,720
And he is the propitiation or the satisfaction for our sins.

260
00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:44,360
And not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world.

261
00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:50,720
The cross work of our Savior where he accomplished that propitiation is the basis for his present

262
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:55,120
ministry of advocacy, of intercession.

263
00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:57,720
He died, the penalty was paid.

264
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:03,680
He was raised from the dead, the proof that God was satisfied with the payment that he

265
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:04,680
made.

266
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,120
It was a sufficient sacrifice.

267
00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:13,480
And then he ascended back to the right hand of God and there he is today interceding on

268
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:14,480
our behalf.

269
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,600
Did you pray for yourself this morning?

270
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:22,960
Well if for some reason you forgot to do that or didn't have time to do it, there was one

271
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,760
who prayed for you and for me.

272
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:33,960
And who perpetually intercedes on our behalf and that one is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

273
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:41,440
The writer of Hebrews says it this way, when he had made purification of sins, he sat down

274
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:47,400
at the right hand of God of the majesty on high.

275
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:54,080
And he sat there in that position of acceptance by God and he rises then to pray on our behalf

276
00:21:54,080 --> 00:22:00,680
and to show himself as the sufficient sacrifice for our sins forever.

277
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:07,920
When God accepted him into his presence, God accepted us in Christ.

278
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:16,320
We are as fully received by God as the Savior is fully received by God the Father.

279
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:25,720
We are as secure as our Savior himself is secure.

280
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:33,320
So the writer of Hebrews also says he is able to save forever those who draw near to God

281
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:40,280
through him since he always lives to make intercession for them.

282
00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:45,680
Tonight at this moment whatever your need, there is one who is in the presence of the

283
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:52,080
Father who is interceding on your behalf in mine.

284
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:58,000
That's why Wesley I believe it was wrote the hymn that says, arise my soul arise, shake

285
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:08,040
off thy guilty fears, the bleeding sacrifice on thy behalf appears.

286
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:11,000
How do we know that God is for us?

287
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:16,500
Well we know it for these three proofs from our text.

288
00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:22,040
He did not spare his son but delivered him over for us.

289
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:27,720
Now will he not with his son freely give us all things?

290
00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:33,120
Let's just suppose tonight that you got a telephone call from someone that you did not

291
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:37,400
even know and that person said to you, hey I've got a surprise for you.

292
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,560
I'm going to give you a brand new car.

293
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:46,560
In fact it's not just a car, it's a Mercedes.

294
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,560
And I'm even going to pay the insurance on it.

295
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,420
For as long as you own it, that car is yours.

296
00:23:52,420 --> 00:23:55,200
That would be wonderful wouldn't it?

297
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,200
So you get in the car and you can't wait until tomorrow morning, you've got to drive

298
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,000
out there and see that person tonight.

299
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:06,160
When you get there you find out you need gas in the tank.

300
00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,480
You think that person is going to give you any gas?

301
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:14,520
If he's willing to give you the car, even a Mercedes, don't you think he's willing

302
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,520
to give you gas to get the thing home?

303
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,440
Of course he is.

304
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:27,440
My friend, if God did not spare his own son but deliver him up for you, how will he not

305
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:30,720
with him freely give you all things?

306
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:37,040
There is nothing that God will withhold from you that is for your good.

307
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,360
God is for you.

308
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:42,440
Furthermore he's declared you righteous in his eyes.

309
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:49,460
And he's at work making you righteous, changing your character.

310
00:24:49,460 --> 00:24:55,920
But as far as he is concerned you are as perfect as his son because you are found in Christ.

311
00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:01,080
And therefore no one can successfully bring a charge against you.

312
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,120
God is for you.

313
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:09,520
He is for you because he has received an advocate into his presence.

314
00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:16,280
An advocate who is able to stand there and perfectly intercede.

315
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:21,960
And though Satan himself should come and attack you and accuse you in the presence of God

316
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:30,640
and well he might all of us, there is no way that his accusations can hold up because the

317
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:39,520
one who can judge us has left the place of the judge and come to be our advocate.

318
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:43,360
He says, I've cared for that.

319
00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:47,440
I've paid the price for that and you just be on your way.

320
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:48,440
God's for us.

321
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,840
He's not against us.

322
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:57,760
When we fail and we sin we still have one who is the satisfaction for our sins.

323
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:00,120
He is the propitiation.

324
00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:03,520
Isn't that wonderful?

325
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:04,520
Tonight God is for you.

326
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,880
Will you believe that?

327
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:13,280
Whatever your circumstances, whatever your fears, whatever your anxieties, understand

328
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:14,800
that God's for you.

329
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,120
He's not against you.

330
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:21,280
Would you pray with me please?

331
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:32,840
Father, I thank you for what this text teaches us.

332
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:40,840
I pray tonight that our hearts will be able to fully enjoy and relax in this truth.

333
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:50,320
So often we're uptight and when things befall us that are hard to take and when there are

334
00:26:50,320 --> 00:27:03,320
doubts and uncertainties in the midst of our trials we begin to wonder, to question why.

335
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:14,000
I thank you that you perfectly understand why although you don't always tell us.

336
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:19,360
Lord teach us to live by faith and not by explanations.

337
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:28,040
To trust your hand in our lives and to know that you're for us and not against us.

338
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:33,240
If there are some of us who like Jacob of old have said all of these things are against

339
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:41,040
me, I pray that tonight after this exposure to your word the perception might be changed

340
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:50,280
and like David we would say, but God is for me.

341
00:27:50,280 --> 00:28:00,800
In Jesus name, amen.

342
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:02,560
Bring it to him, come to the Father.

343
00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:10,160
I'd like for us to sing together a hymn that speaks about the wonderful Savior we have.

344
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,040
It's number 335.

345
00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:20,720
Annie Crosby, the writer of the words, the writer of thousands of poems and hymns who

346
00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:25,480
was blind most of her life except for the first couple of years.

347
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,960
She writes, a wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord.

348
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:34,960
To her all of those things weren't against her, but God was for her.

349
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:40,080
So she wrote in wonderful hymns about God's goodness.

350
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:44,600
Let's stand as we sing together 335.