Power For Living -- Our Mortal Enemy -- Romans 8:28-39

Introduction
Back in the 1970’s there were commercials for a little booklet called power for Living.
To be honest, I borrowed the title of this series from that little booklet.
I remember the commercials were usually played with an announcer making the pitch and a celebrity like Tom Landry giving some kind of endorsement.
As it turned out, the booklet was a copy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it was intended to give people real power for living.
As followers of Christ we have power for living but we have a real mortal enemy to that power which is our own attitude of doubt in the ability of God to keep us and bless us according to His will.

Describing the Biblical Text
Romans 8 is really a very important chapter in the Bible but here in the context of the book of Romans it is the climax of the doctrinal section of the book.
This chapter gives the essence of justification by Faith and this section puts it in the hands of a loving sovereign God.
So, where is there room to doubt that God loves us or cares for us?
Where is there room to doubt that God can and will take care of those for whom Jesus died and are now following Christ in the kingdom of God.

Narrate the Contextual application
As we look at this text. We can see that we have a passage of great comfort.
It is a passage of great wealth for the follower of Christ as it declarers an important truth for us.
All things work together for Good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Yet, this comfort is lost on so many followers of Jesus because we fail to view life with the eternal perspective that God is in control and our salvation has been His work from its beginning to its fulfillment.
We have been bought by the shed blood of Christ and the sight of God, that is not only adequate for salvation but it is that which has made our salvation complete in the eyes of God.

Life Application (thesis)
So, if our salvation would be seen as complete if viewed through the eyes of God, what can change that?
Is Jesus going to make an offering for us and then rescind it?
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus died once for all.
The implication behind that statement is that Jesus did the work and completed the process.
The priests of the Old Testament had to repeatedly offer their sacrifices but the sacrifice of Jesus was once for all time.
Even on the cross He made the statement, “It is Finished.” To indicated that the atonement for sins was a done deal.
Since Jesus has therefore purchased us by His blood, what can take place to change or remove our standing with Him?
Since Jesus has purchased us, nothing can separate us from God.

SO WHAT!! (Outline)
As we look at that idea this morning we are going to develop it in terms of factors in which we can take comfort knowing that God is keeping us.
The first factor is that we can take comfort in the providence of God.
One of the nicest feelings is to know that you don’t have anything to worry about. Several years ago, we had some family members give a gift of a vacation that was all inclusive. That means that everything was provided including meals and room cleanup and every thing. We had absolutely nothing to worry about. We could about our business each day and have fun and just show up at the restaurant at supper time and a meal would be ready for us. It was cool just to know that someone else was handling everything and that there was simply nothing to worry about.
As we look at verses 8:28-30, we are looking at 3 of my very favorite verses in the New Testament.
Why?
It is because these verses point out to us something very important.
In regards to our salvation, God handled it all.
Our salvation is simply a part of the providential plan of God that included some very important details in so far as we can see in this passage.
All things are working together because God’s providential purpose is fulfilled in our salvation.
Things are working for good to those who love God.
Those who love God are further defined as the one being called according to God’s purpose.
So everyone who is called according to God’s purpose loves Him.
Now, let’s look a little deeper into this passage
Verse 29 begins with the words, “For whom He did foreknow.”
This is the same group as the called that we find in verse 28.
If someone loves God and has been called according to His purpose, that same person was foreknown by God before the foundation of the world.
This is not a general type of knowledge either this is the knowledge that begins a relationship with God.
According to this passage, everyone that God has foreknown will become a follower of Jesus Christ.

We can see that in the following statement: For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.
This is important because it shows us that when God predestined us to salvation it was for the purpose of seeing us conformed to the image of Christ.
So, all those that God foreknows are predestined to be conformed to the image of His son.
This means that our salvation began in the mind of God and was determined by Him for the purpose of bringing us to Christlikeness.
Somehow, many followers of Jesus have gotten the idea that predestination is something that the church should avoid or something that is killing churches.
But, how can we avoid that which the Bible clearly teaches.
As a matter of fact, it should be encouraging to us that because we were predestined by God, we are secure in Him and what Christ accomplished for us on the cross.

There has also been the argument that believing in predestination would kill missions and evangelism.
I hope no one here believes that because that would be that William Carey the father of Modern missions couldn’t have been a missionary.
It would mean that James Petigru Boyce couldn’t have been the founder of Southern Seminary, the training ground of pastors and missionaries alike.
It would mean that Charles Spurgeon couldn’t have been the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, the greatest Baptist church in English History.
It would mean that Jonathan Edwards could not have been the greatest preacher in the Great Awakening.
All of these men had a very high view of the Sovereignty of God as it related to salvation.
We would call them Calvinists and much of their theology would have been informed by this very passage of scripture.
The next statement is telling: these whom He predestined, He also called
Remember how verse 28 is worded God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him who are the called according to his purpose.
The predestined are the called and they are called to conformity in Christ.
These whom He called, He also justified;
In other words, those foreknown, predestined, and called have done what?
They have exercised faith because justification or being made righteous with God is by faith or trusting Christ.
Then finally: and these whom He justified, He also glorified
Paul is writing as though our glory is already accomplished.
Think about it.
If we have been justified or declared righteous by Christ what can impede God’s glory?
There is nothing.
So if God has foreknown us, then he has glorified us in Christ as well.
So, in the Providence of God, there is great comfort in knowing that if we have called of God we are secure in Him until the day we are glorified in Christ

A second factor that we see here is
We can be comforted in the protection of God.
Look at the next several verses.
31-37
My brother in law had gone out to buy some gas and was run off the road by another car. The other car kept driving and he went home too. Later that night, the police showed up at his door and arrested him for causing an accident and leaving the scene. At the trial every thing that the other driver said and the policeman tried to prove was disproved and my brother in law was cleared and the charges were expunged from his record.

Who can bring the charge when the sin is expunged or removed from our record by God?
No one can bring a charge against us because God has been for us from before the foundation of the world when he foreknew us and will be for us in eternity when we are resting in His glory.
We rest in his protection now because if God purposed to save us and to have the blood of Christ shed on our behalf, then the point that Paul is making here is that nothing can come against that which God has secured for his own glory and conformity to the image of His son.
And, there is a third factor that we must see here.
And that is we are comforted in the promise of God.
Look at verses 38-39.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Think about that.
He foreknew us by His grace because He loves us.
He predestined us by His grace because He loves us.
He called us by his grace because He loves us.
He justified us by His grace because he loves us.
He glorified us by His grace because He loves us.

God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Everything that God has done to secure our salvation from eternity past to eternity future was done because He loves us.
And because of what he has done, nothing can separate us from that love.
Do you know the love of Christ today?
Are you feeling that call this morning to become a follower of Jesus Christ?
He shed his blood on the cross to give you an eternity with God.
He has taken away the sin that so desperately left you condemned and has replaced it with a perfect righteousness conforming you to the image of His son.
Won’t you receive Christ and follow Him today?