Clean Transcript

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 17

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• Romans 8, and let's begin reading with verse 28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

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• "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

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• Now, we began dealing last week with verse 34. Let me just simply, by way of review, point out in verse 31, we've covered the objection that the Apostle Paul raises to his teaching in verses 28 through 30. And that is the truth that what if something happens? In other words, his objection, his answer to that objection, is that God's person is invincible. If God be for us, who can be against us? So no amount of enemies can ever do anything against us because of the invincibility of God. And then secondly, in verse 32, here's the second objection, and the answer is that God's grace is inexhaustible.

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• "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" So if God has done the greatest for us when we were His enemies, God certainly will continue to do the lesser things for us now that we're His children.

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• Now that we are His people, so He gives that answer. And then in verse 33, He tells us that God's verdict is incontrovertible. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies." And then last week we began with verse 34, and that is that God's pardon is incontestable. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Now, I pointed out last week and also the week before that actually what Paul is doing in verses 32 and 34, or 33 and 34, is he is answering two objections. The first one in verse 33, what if someone tries to bring an indictment against us? What if someone tries to accuse us?

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• And Paul is demonstrating it's impossible for anyone to do that because they have no standing to sue. And if they did, it would have to be according to God's law. And then God Himself is the judge and no one can appeal from the verdict of God. No one can overthrow the verdict of God. So he says that God's verdict then is incontrovertible. It cannot be changed. It cannot be altered.

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• And then the next objection came in verse 34. But what if somehow some way we're still brought back into a state of condemnation? And just like we pointed out earlier, Christ Himself does indeed have standing to sue, and so what if Christ changed His mind? And the Apostle Paul is saying, look, that is impossible as well. He says, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again." So what the Apostle is arguing is this. The very death of Christ proves that He took our condemnation upon Himself. In other words, Christ did not need to die. He did not deserve to die. Everything that happened to Christ happened to Him for us, on our behalf, as our substitute. This passage has to deal with the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ. So the very fact that Christ died demonstrates and proves that He took our condemnation upon Himself. Now, He who took our condemnation upon Himself can never then be the source of condemnation for us. And then He mentions, "yea rather, that is risen again."

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• And that is an added emphasis because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a proved positive that God was satisfied, that God was placated, that God was appeased. You could say it like this. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ was God's receipt to His people marked, "Paid in full." And had God not been pleased, had God not been satisfied, then Christ would have never risen from the dead. Very clearly He was. And so Paul is arguing then, very clearly, that we can never come into condemnation because Christ took our condemnation and His resurrection proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was satisfied with His sacrifice. Now, Paul continues his argument for the final perseverance of the saints in verse 34. Once again, he's demonstrating that everything that happened to Christ happened for us. Christ is our substitute. He is our mediator. Now, in the middle of verse 34, Paul leaves the death and the resurrection of Christ, and he deals now into the realm of that which is known as the heavenly session. When we talk about the heavenly session of Christ, we're talking about the ascension of Christ, the seating of Christ at the right hand of God, and His making intercession for us.

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• This is known as His heavenly session. And once again, this indeed is for us and on our behalf, and it assures our ultimate perseverance. Now, I want you to understand that in this heavenly session, Christ is elevated, the Bible says, far above or even higher than the heavens. Hold Romans chapter 8. But look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 7. And you might as well mark that book because we're going to be going there quite frequently today. Hebrews chapter 7. And look, if you would please, verse 26, just pointing out the fact of what the heavenly session of Christ actually is. It is part of the exaltation of Christ. But he says, "For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens." So Christ is made higher than the heavens in His exaltation. The exaltation of Christ was the answer to His prayer in John 17 and verse 5, when He prayed, "Father, I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do."

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• "Now glorify Thou Me with Thyself with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." And so Christ, of course, after He died and was raised from the dead, 40 days later, He ascended into the heavens, and He sat at the right hand of God to make intercession for us.

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• Now, as we begin to think about this, I want you to understand there are at least four descriptions of this heavenly session given to us in the Bible. For instance, in Romans 8 and verse 34, Christ is merely represented as being at the Father's right hand. Look there. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God." So Romans 8 and verse 34 tells us that Christ is simply at the right hand of God. If you were to read Acts chapter 7 and verse 56, you will find there that Scripture represents Christ as standing at the right hand of God.

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• You remember when Stephen was stoned? He said he saw heavens opened and the Son of Man standing by the right hand of God. When you read such passages, and we'll read them later, as Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 3, the Bible tells us that Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And there's a reason for the Scripture saying that Christ is seated. But Scripture represents Him as being at the right hand of God, as standing at the right hand of God, and as being seated at the right hand of God. And of course, I believe there's a reason why Stephen saw Christ standing. I believe Christ arose to receive Stephen, the first martyr, into His bosom. It's just that simple. But then, fourthly, Christ is pictured walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks in the book of Revelation chapter 1 in verse 13.

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• But every one of these pictures then describe the exaltation of Jesus Christ. Now you can ask yourself a question as you look in Romans 8 in verse 34. Why in the world does the Apostle Paul introduce the heavenly session of Christ at this point? Let's go back to Romans 8 and verse 34 and look at it. He asked, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again."

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• Now you can stop there and say, well, that is sufficient. But let me tell you why I believe that the Apostle Paul introduces the heavenly session of Christ at this point. I know Chester can identify with this. It's a little word that we use frequently, overkill. What the Apostle Paul is doing is he's not just arguing, he's not just debating, he's not just reasoning, he's demolishing the objections of the objectors. Literally, he's blowing them out of the water. I have been involved in several court cases and I had one attorney tell me, "Brother Weaver, you want to win the case. You don't want to just kill everybody in it." I said, "You don't understand. I want to make sure I win this case because I'm going to use everything that I can use lawfully to demolish and destroy the opposition." Well, that's exactly what the Apostle Paul is doing. He's literally demolishing the objectors.

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• Now, to understand Paul's argument in Romans 8 and verse 34, you have to have a knowledge of the Old Testament. You have to have a knowledge of the Old Testament priesthood, especially as it related to the tabernacle and to the temple.

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• Now I'm going to tell you this, and then we're going to look at it from the New Testament. We'll look at some things from the Old Testament, but I want you to understand the high priest was probably the most important person in the Old Testament. And Scripture emphasizes that he had one main duty, and that was once a year the high priest went into the holiest of all to offer the sacrifice or the blood of atonement and place it upon the altar. That was his main function. Now, he did other things, but he made this atonement once a year. Now, why is it so important? Well, let me just ask that you go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 9, hold Romans 8, Hebrews chapter 9. Let me show you that everything that the Old Testament priest did, the high priest, was figurative of Jesus Christ, of the work that He does. Look in Hebrews chapter 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. "But into the second, that is into the holiest of all, went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors or the sins of the people."

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• "The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing." Now watch verse 9, "which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood."

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• "He entered in at once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Now I want you to note, if you would please, the Bible says in verse 9, "which was a figure for the time then present." So what that high priest did in the Old Testament prefigured the work of Jesus Christ. Actually, the word here is parable, which literally is where we get our English word parable, which means a similitude, a comparison. So he says you can compare what happened in the Old Testament to what Christ did. Now, the reason the word is parable here is because it is a comparison. It is a similitude.

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• It is not exactly the same. Because the work of Christ, although it agrees and is similar to what the Old Testament priest did, there are also differences as well. And I'm going to point some of those out in just a moment. But the Holy Spirit is telling us that when that Old Testament high priest offered his sacrifice once in a year, it was not a permanent sacrifice. It had to be repeated year by year.

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• And, of course, he says in verse 9 there that this service could not make the comers or those people worshiping there perfect as pertaining to the conscience. Now, I want you to remember that it was the high priest that bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel upon his breastplate. If you look in your Bibles, hold Hebrews chapter 9. But look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 28, and let's read verses 29 and 30.

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• There are other passages, but this will be sufficient. Exodus, chapter 28, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 29. Exodus 28, verse 29. "And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof, and to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loose from the ephod."

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• "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth into the holy place for memorial before the Lord continually." So what Aaron was doing then was representing the people. He was literally their representative when he went in once a year to offer this sacrifice.

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• Now, there's a question since we're in Exodus chapter 28 that I want to answer, and that is this. How in the world did those people know that the sacrifice was accepted? How did they know that God was pleased and God was placated for another year? Well, the answer is this. That high priest had on a priestly garment that was prescribed by God. And on the bottom, you had bells and pomegranates. Bells and pomegranates. That means when he moved, you could hear the bells. If those bells stopped ringing, guess what? He was dead. God had killed him. Look at it in Exodus 28, beginning there with verse 34.

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• God says, "A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate upon the hem of the robe round about, and it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not." In other words, as long as those bells were ringing, they knew that he was performing the function of his office and that sacrifice had been accepted. So they knew then their sins had been covered and that God was pleased to bless them for another year.

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• Now, remember, this was the chief function of the high priest in the Old Testament. Now, let me go ahead and point this out, because the Scripture is going to make this exceedingly clear just a little bit later. Out of all the furniture in the Holy of Holies, there was one piece of furniture that was conspicuously absent. You had the ark, you had the cherubim on top of the ark, but there was no chair. There was no place for the high priest to sit down in the Holy of Holies.

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• Because his work was never finished. He had to do this year by year. But what does the Scripture say about Christ? Christ, when He offered Himself once and for all, sat down.

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• Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 22. Hebrews 9, verse 22. Look at it carefully. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." Now watch carefully. "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

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• "For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that He should offer Himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others. For then must He have often suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

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• Now let's go back to verse 23. He says, "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these," that is the blood of bulls and goats. So the tabernacle and the temple were patterns. They were not the reality. So many people get everything mixed up. We tend to think that, boy, if we were alive in Old Testament days and we could see the sacrifice and we could touch the blood and we could smell the sacrifice burning and we could see the priest and we could hear the bells, we tend to think, man, that's reality. No, he said, that's not reality. That's just the type. That's an emblem. That's a pattern.

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• If you look in verse 24, the Bible says, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands," watch, "which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." So Christ is telling us that He entered into the real Holy of Holies, which is heaven itself, which is the presence of God. And all of these other things were just mere types and shadows and emblems and figures.

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• They were not the reality. Now, I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 10. He will continue this same argument. Hebrews chapter 10, beginning there with verse 1. "For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they have ceased to be offered, because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices," that is, in those Old Testament sacrifices, "there is a remembrance again made of sins every year," that is, every time that high priest went in there.

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• "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins, wherefore when He cometh," that is, Christ, "when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God." And what in the world is He saying? He is saying that all of those Old Testament sacrifices could never, ever really cover the sin. They could not purge the sins.

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• They were just simply types. They were symbols.

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• Now, if you go back to Hebrews 9 verse 24, look carefully, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands," that's the tabernacle and the temple, "which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us." Now, why did Christ enter into heaven itself for us? Because He was fulfilling that Old Testament type. He was fulfilling that Old Testament figure where that high priest took the blood and went to the Holy of Holies once a year. So Christ then, after He had shed His blood, after He had given Himself as the sacrifice, Christ then entered into the real Holy of Holies, that is, into the presence of God Himself. Ah. Now look in your Bibles, first of all, Hebrews 1 and verse 3. Hebrews 1 verse 3.

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• Scripture says, "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Now, Scripture is saying that Christ sat down. Turn back in your Bibles to Hebrews 10, and let's pick up with verse 11. Hebrews 10, verse 11.

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• I want you to note this comparison. Hebrews 10, verse 11. "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. Now, why is it that Scripture emphasizes that Christ sat down on the right hand of God?

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• Well, let me tell you, and I'm not going to cover it all because there are several other points that I could make today. But let me tell you what sitting down on the right hand of God implies. OK, first of all, sitting at the right hand of God most clearly and definitely teaches us that Christ is God Himself. God the Father calls God the Son the man that is My fellow or the man that is My equal.

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• I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of John 5, verse 23. John 5, verse 23. Look, if you would, at what Scripture says. John 5, verse 23. "That all men should honor the Son even as," or equal to, "that all men should honor the Son equally as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him."

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• Very clearly, then, if Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God, if Jesus Christ is the man that is His fellow, if Jesus Christ is His equal, it means, therefore, that Jesus Christ is God. Now, let me make this exceedingly clear. You may not be able to quote Isaiah 42 and verse 8, but I'll quote it for you. Do you remember what God said? God said, "I am God, and beside Me there is none other, and My glory will I not share with another, nor give My honor to it." Now, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He must be God. Because God is not going to share His glory and His honor with anyone else. So when the Father said, "Sit Thou by My right hand," it was a clear indication and a definite teaching that Jesus Christ is God.

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• Secondly, I've already hinted at, but I'm going to show it to you in Scripture. When Christ sat down at the right hand of God, it proves that His work was final, that it was finished, that it was complete. You see, sitting down is a sign of finality. It means that nothing further needs to be done. Look in your Bibles to Hebrews 9 and verse 28. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Look in your Bibles to Hebrews 10 and verse 10. "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," once for all. So Jesus Christ has finished the work. That's what He said in John 19, verse 30. "It is finished." So sitting at the right hand of God not only demonstrates that Christ is God, but it is finished and completed, His work of redemption. Thirdly, and I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 110. In Psalm 110, being seated at the right hand of God signifies the high content and satisfaction that the Father has in the work of Jesus Christ.

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• Now, look in Psalm 110, verse 1, "The Lord said unto my Lord," in other words, God the Father said unto God the Son, "Sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." In other words, even the heavenly session of Christ is a demonstration of the fact that God the Father was pleased and satisfied with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Fourthly, sitting at the Father's right hand demonstrates that God has rewarded Christ for the completion of His work.

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• Let me say that again. Sitting at the Father's right hand demonstrates that God the Father has rewarded Christ for the completion of His work.

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• Now, it's very important that you understand this. Because it is crucial to Paul's argument. Do you remember what Christ said? In Matthew 28 and verse 18. He said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth." What power was given unto Christ? Well, this was the lordship, this was the sovereignty, this was the authority that God gave to Christ by virtue of the fact of His perfect obedience to God and His law.

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• Let me show you, look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 1. I want you to see that Christ's exaltation was indeed a reward by God the Father. Ephesians chapter 1, note if you would please, verse 19. Ephesians 1 verse 19, "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come."

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• "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." What did God do? God raised Christ from the dead and rewarded Him. He gave Him all power and authority.

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• Now, since you're close there, turn to Philippians chapter 2. And let's begin reading there with verse 8. Philippians 2, verse 8. Notice if you would, here's the crucifixion of Christ. Here is His humiliation. He says, "...and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Well, because of His perfect obedience, what has God done? Look in verse 9. "...Wherefore..."

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• That is, because of this. "...Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." So what has God done? God has rewarded Christ for His perfect obedience. He has rewarded Christ for His completed work.

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• Now, here is the argument. This is why Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 34, "It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God." What Paul is arguing is this. If God has already rewarded Christ for saving us in a perfect manner, is it conceivable that anything could go wrong in our salvation? And the answer is no. It is inconceivable. Why? Because Christ has completed the work. It was a perfect work. There was not one thing wrong with it. And God went ahead and rewarded Christ. Christ has been exalted to the Father's right hand. Christ has been given all authority and all power. So since God has already rewarded Him, what could go wrong? And the answer is absolutely nothing. Now, let me give you the fifth thing. When the Bible says that Christ is seated at the right hand of God, it is also a pronouncement as to who He is and what He is now doing. It is a pronouncement of who He is and what He is now doing.

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• For instance, look back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 5 and verses 30 and 31. Acts 5, verses 30 and 31. Peter is preaching. Acts 5, and note if you would please verse 30. "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Now why did God exalt Christ? God exalted Him to be a Prince, that is, to be a ruler, to have dominion, power, authority, and to be a Savior. In other words, God exalted Him so that Christ could literally put into practice the salvation that He had wrought, the salvation that He had earned. So Christ, then, is a Prince, is a ruler and a Savior, and it's Christ who actually gives His salvation. He gives repentance. He gives forgiveness. Look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14, verse 9.

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• Paul says it a little differently than Peter here, but it's the same truth. Romans chapter 14, verse 9. He says, "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living." Ah, so Christ has been made Lord. Let me go back. I quoted Matthew chapter 28 in verse 18 earlier. You remember He said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Me." And then guess what? Then He gave the Great Commission. He says that we're to go and make disciples, and we're to baptize them, we're to teach them all things whatsoever He has commanded us, and then He said, what? "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." So when Christ is seated at the right hand, it is not only a pronouncement of who He is, but what He's doing, He is putting into exercise that power and authority that has been given to Him.

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• And all of this is in His mediatorial work. All of this is for us. Do you remember what the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 5? "There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." So Jesus Christ... Now, let me ask you a question. What assurance do we have, then, that we, the people of God... Let me go back and use Paul's terminology.

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• "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" What assurance do we have that God's elect will most definitely be glorified, will most definitely be with Christ? And the answer is a 100% assurance. How can I say that? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 2. And the answer is because in reality, we are already with Christ. Positionally, look at it. Ephesians chapter 2 and let's begin reading there with verse 4. Ephesians 2 verse 4.

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• "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)." Hold it. Hold it. He hath quickened us together with Christ? In other words, when God raised Christ from the dead, He raised His people from the dead. He quickened us as well. In fact, let me just stop there.

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• Go back to Ephesians 1, verse 19. And then come back to Ephesians 2. But look at Ephesians 1, verse 19. Look at Paul's prayer. "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power?" Now, Paul is saying, I want you who believe to know the greatness of God's mighty power in your salvation. That's what I want you to know. Now, let's go back and read verse 19 again. "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power?" Watch it.

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• "Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead." So the same almighty power that raised Christ from the dead is the same almighty power that raises us from the dead, spiritually speaking. And that's what he means in Ephesians chapter 2, when he said, "And you hath He quickened together with Christ? For by grace ye are saved." Watch verse 6. "And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

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• Now let me ask you a question. If Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father, and we are in Christ, where are we seated? At the right hand of God. Everything that Christ did, He did for us. He is our mediator. We are in Him. And it's true that no one can remove us from our position in Christ. And therefore, we can never come into condemnation. For in order to remove one of God's people and place him back into condemnation, he would have to remove Christ and place Christ back in condemnation.

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• And the Bible says in Romans chapter 6, in that He died, He died unto sin once and for all. He dieth no more. It's impossible to put Christ again back into a position of condemnation. And it's impossible to put all of those who are in Christ back into a position of condemnation. So if we're in Christ, the Apostle Paul is arguing, don't come up here saying, "What if? What if?" Our position is that He died for us, He was raised from the dead for us, He was exalted for us, and we're with Him in that exaltation. Now, look back in Romans 8, because in verse 34, there is one other phrase I want to deal with.

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• If you see this in its entirety today, it ought to really give you the utmost confidence in God's so great salvation. But look in Romans 8 in verse 34, he says, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Now, why would Paul tack on that little phrase, "who also maketh intercession for us"? I mean, it's very obvious that Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and He's the high priest, that He's certainly interceding for us, and the Scripture tells us that. But why is Paul adding it here? Because Paul is dealing with another objection. And that objection is that someone comes along and says, "Oh, yeah, well, I understand that Christ died and took our condemnation. Yeah, I understand that God raised Him from the dead, and that's His receipt, that He was satisfied. Yeah, I understand that we're seated in Christ, but what if?"

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• What if some of us fall into some grievous sins? That's why Paul says, "who also maketh intercession for us." Look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7 and let's begin with verse 23. Hebrews 7 verse 23. "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death." What happened to Aaron? He died. What happened to Eleazar? He died. What happened to Abiathar? He died. All of those Old Testament priests died. So he says in verse 23, "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death."

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• "But this man," that is Christ, "but this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood." Now watch this. Based upon the fact that Jesus Christ will never, ever die, He has an immutable, He has an unchangeable priesthood, "wherefore," here's the conclusion, "wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Now wait a minute. Let's go back. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."

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• What is the argument in Hebrews chapter 7? The argument is this, "Wherefore He is able also to save them completely, totally, perfectly, absolutely." Why? How can we say that Christ can save us totally, perfectly, absolutely? Because He ever lives to make intercession for us. May I ask you a question? How many of Christ's prayers has the Father denied? None. What did Christ say? "I thank Thee that Thou hearest Me always." This man ever liveth to make intercession for us. He's able to save us totally, perfectly, completely.

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• And it's true that we sin. Why is it we don't fall? Because He intercedes for us. He prays for us. His salvation is absolutely perfect.

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• Now, look in your Bibles. Let me show you. To Ephesians chapter 5. Most of you can quote this passage. But I want you to look at it in this light. In fact, in this passage, although he is talking about husbands and wives, the main theme is Christ and the Church. Look at Ephesians 5, verse 25. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Now how perfectly is Christ going to save us? We will be without spot, without wrinkle, without blemish, without any such thing. Why?

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• Seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Listen folks, the very fact that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God means this, that Christ ever lives to secure for us the benefits of His death, the benefits of His obedience. He secures them and gives them to us. And we cannot lose them because Christ never dies. He has an unchangeable priesthood. He has a perfect priesthood.

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• And the Father always hears His prayers. Now, look in your Bibles, John 5, verse 24. Let me make a couple of applications. Let me show you this verse before I do. John 5, verse 24. Look what Jesus Christ says. Watch carefully, John 5 verse 24, Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." It's impossible for one of God's own to be brought again into a state of condemnation. Why? We passed from that state into a state of life and Jesus Christ forever lives to make sure that we stay in the state of life. That's why Paul wrote in Romans 8 in verse 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 4, I want to show you one other passage. Hebrews chapter 4. You say, how in the world should this message affect me?

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• Well, I can show you one clear way that it should affect you. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." Or our confession. "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Watch.

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• "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Now what is he saying? Jesus Christ went through everything that you and I go through, sin excepted. He was betrayed. His family mocked Him. His brothers and sisters didn't believe on Him for a long time. People hated Him. They lied about Him. They slandered Him. They ridiculed Him. Everything happened to Him that happens to us. He was hungered. He was thirsty. He did without.

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• He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." He went through everything we go through, except sin. He is no stranger to suffering. He is no stranger to rejection. He is no stranger to ridicule and persecution. He knows our needs. Therefore, he says in verse 16, "Let us therefore come" how? Meekly? Weakly? Timidly? No. "Let us therefore come boldly."

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• Lord, I need help with my children. Lord, I need help with my wife. I need help with my husband. I need help with our finances. I need help with my health. I need help with this. Lord, help me, Lord. I need Thee. I have been told by You to come boldly. Because You're my high priest. You make the intercession. You pray for me. Let me tell you something, folks.

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• The argument that the Apostle Paul is giving in Romans 8 verse 34 is this. While Christ is at the right hand of God, exercising His ministry, we can never fail. We can never fall. Because His salvation is absolutely perfect. He secured it, and He's there exercising the benefits of that so great salvation. And the Apostle says what we better learn to do is this. We better learn to come boldly to the throne of grace. That we might obtain mercy, now watch, and find grace to help in the time of need. We better learn to run to Jesus Christ with every problem, every heartache. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask You to bless us and to help us and to teach us.

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• We're so thankful that Thou art indeed the perfect high priest and that You ever livest to make intercession for us. May we, Father, learn to come to Christ boldly, that we may find grace to help in a time of need. And Lord, we are indeed needy people. We need for Thee to touch our children, to touch our lives, to give us wisdom, insight, direction. Lord, help us and do that for us which we cannot do for ourselves. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:57:36Z