Well, dear church family, we do continue in our series in Romans. Previously in this chapter, we thought about what it is to be a spirit-filled believer who is justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We considered how that saving faith comes with loving responsibilities and duties and, of course, privileges. which are a direct result of receiving the new nature of God through the Holy Spirit. And we also thought about anything really that resists the Holy Spirit's new governance. of us, the Holy Spirit's new management of us, must be mortified, it must be subdued, and it must be brought into subjection by the grace of God. We also thought about the Christian's anticipation of glory in this chapter, where the sufferings of this present time as a follower of Christ is not compared really to the glory which shall be revealed in us. And we indeed saw that the whole of creation also groans and anticipates the day of glory, didn't we? Where it will be restored, of course, into the new heavens and the new earth. It will be remade again. The Holy Spirit within us gives us patience, doesn't it? And assurance and strength and a sure hope which this world nor the trials that we face as believers can ever take away. And so the believer and creation's sufferings will not last forever. Afflictions will give way to untold glory one day. So we must always have that heavenly perspective and that spiritual mind perspective amidst such things. And this really brings us to this evening's text in Romans 28. We're just looking at three verses this evening. Really it's got to do with that grand subject. I mean there can be many sermons about this but we're looking really at predestination. For some that is a divisive word but it's a wonderfully comforting doctrine really if we truly embrace it. And so, as believers in Christ, we're given this really wonderful heavenly perspective that we are indeed more than conquerors, aren't we, through Christ that has loved us. through saving faith in Christ, no matter how hard trials may become, no matter how dark providences may appear, how dark the valley or the shadow of death may be, the believer understands that ultimately there is a sovereign design and a purpose really behind all life's circumstances. The Lord is on his throne, isn't it? Isn't he? And he is sovereign over all the affairs of our lives. And so in this evening's sacred narrative we're given really many reasons why we have great cause to rejoice. And we have really a great cause to rejoice as believers firstly because all our trials are customized and they are tailored really by the Lord for our good. Never forget that. that every single difficulty, every single province, whether it's with cars, whether it's with sickness, whether it's within our families, All sorts of these trials, never forget that they are all customised and they're all tailored for your good and the good of other believers. That is the purpose of every single trial that we go for. They have a spiritual higher purpose. And we see that, don't we, in verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Of course, it says here that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So not some things, all things work for good. Not necessarily our good sometimes, but for the good of others as well. Sometimes we go through things, yes they work for our good, but they can also work for the good of other believers in our lives. Often years later, I've testified this truth, there's a wonderful truth that you can go through a sickness or really long protracted trials or difficulties, and then later on in your Christian walk with the Lord, Other believers can go through similar things, and because the Lord has taken you through that, and because he's given you a tender heart and that respect and wisdom, you can then share how the Lord has taken you through that, and how he's strengthened you. And ultimately, you have that perspective that perhaps someone hasn't had at the time, and you can encourage them in the Lord. And so this really cannot be said of the wicked there, can it? The wicker cannot say all things work together for good, really, and rather the opposite. We think, of course, of Pharaoh and how his heart just continued to get hard, didn't it? Didn't it? Against God's judgments. But we know, really, that although sometimes we cannot see what the Lord is doing in our lives. Like Job, like Joseph, and like many of the saints, we can't see him. Like Job says, I can't see, I can't perceive. But ultimately we trust in him. We could say like Job, oh my redeemer liveth. There's a purpose, there's a design behind these things and I trust in the Lord. My understanding is limited. as it were. But of course, for us who know and love God, everything without exception is working for the benefit and blessing of God's people. There's a wonderful little book by Thomas Watson, the Puritan, All Things Work Together for Good. It's been a wonderful comfort to me over the years, and I would encourage everyone to get that book. I can lend it to anyone here. It's a wonderful, practical book. Consider today's inspired penman, Paul, who was given a thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12 7. Whether this was a physical pain, an actual physical pain in his body, an ailment like titus and others. Or whether it was a particular circumstance. Some people think it was a circumstance that he's talking about. You could say that person's been a thorn in my flesh. And some people think it's talking about people, actual people or a certain person. that was very difficult to Paul, who perhaps gossiped or was a Judaizer and made it very difficult for him. Whatever it was, I personally believe it was a physical pain, it was actually a thorn in the flesh. Even such things worked for his good and the good of God's people because it kept Paul humble, didn't it? Now Paul, by the grace of God, was a very humble man, but that thorn in his flesh kept him humble. It kept him from pride, because the Bible says so. And so with us, dear friends, the many providences and circumstances that we go through, trials that we go through, we can't see them, but it's the Lord's way, really, of keeping us on the straight and narrow. Consider David, who numbered God's people. Remember that he did that national census, And in particular, it was of the men. If you read the narrative carefully, he did that national census where he numbered all the people, the fighting men, as it were, of age in Israel. And it took them, I think it was Joab, which he employed to do that, and it took them a year to do that. Roughly, I think it was a year. It was a great waste of time. It was a great vanity project. It was almost as if God momentarily removed his hand from David, not completely obviously we know, but just allowed him momentarily to fall into the sin of pride. And we know there was a purpose behind that. We know that before that occasion, that Absalom led a revolt, didn't he? And that many people in Israel were devising plans against King David. And it was God's way, you see, although it was David's sin, it was God's way of bringing judgment upon many rebels still in Israel, really, who were rebelling against the king. You know, they still hadn't been dealt with. And this was God's way of bringing judgment upon those who, perhaps, who had rebelled. I'm talking about those who were serious about that. And God was bringing judgment upon those men. in Israel, and in so doing David actually a great favor, although David didn't see it that way. He saw it as his own sin. Of course it was his own sin, but God still used it for good. God still punished the wicked doers that maybe would have caused problems in the future. in Israel. And so when we see that even the things that we go through, even our falls in life, even the things which we can fall, God can still use those for good, such as His grace and His mercy to us. We remember, of course, Joseph. He was cast into a pit, wasn't he, by his jealous brothers and sold as a slave. into Egypt and then again worked his way up in Potiphar's house and again he did nothing wrong as it were, he was such a type of Christ wasn't he? And then he was lied to, wasn't he, about that, with part of his wife he was lied to. Someone told false witness about him and he was thrown into prison for something he didn't do. And he bore that punishment. And then of course he helped even people in prison, didn't he? And eventually, well after a decade, more than a decade, the number escapes me, but I think it was coming up to two decades, he suffered, didn't he, in those trials. But he could say what you meant for evil, God meant for good. to bring about many, many people. Many people were saved because of the afflictions and the difficulties, the heartaches, the pains. Many people were brought, even people in his family. We think of Jacob, when Jacob says, all these things are against me. And he kept on repeating, all these things are against me. And yet, providentially, all those things were actually going for him, unbeknown to him. God was actually, with all those difficulties, working out his purposes. And of course, the whole family were brought in. And it's just, it's wonderful, isn't it, when we think about God's providences and how he does indeed know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to God. to his purpose. And yes, every providence has a tendency to spiritual and eternal good for those who love God, whether that be directly or indirectly. And there can be many ingredients, as it were, that make up a cake for it to taste good. That might not be my cake. You don't want to taste my cake. I'll tell you that. My children will tell you that. But if you taste someone who is good at baking a cake, And the cake, once it's got all the ingredients and wisdom and experience and time, that cake will taste amazing, won't it? But if you taste the ingredients by themselves, of course they taste awful, don't they? over time there is a wonderful cake, it tastes great, doesn't it? And the friends, there's no one more wiser and more experienced and more understanding than our everlasting God, isn't there? Every trial and providence you endure is tailored, it is bespoke, it is customised to the to your ultimate spiritual good and to the good of other believers. And we would do well, would we not, to remember this every time, every day. We would remember just to have this chalked indelibly upon our hearts that our trials are tailored, they're bespoke, they're customized for our spiritual good. ultimately our spiritual good, and for that, of course, of others. Our ways are not God's ways, are they? For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than ours. We must trust in him, no matter what. The Apostle Paul having given us really the many ingredients that ultimately will be for our good as believers, in the Lord Jesus Christ now gives us the grounds upon which they are laid. What are the grounds here which upon all these wonderful truths are laid? And that, of course, is God's predestination of us, that he has beforehand predetermined and ordained us to these things. Look at verses 29 and 30. 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. Now, of course, to predestinate, friends, means simply to ordain beforehand, to predetermine beforehand. God foreknew who he would save and ordained from eternity past those who would be called by His grace through the gospel and who would be justified by the faith of His Son and born of the Holy Spirit of God and conformed to the image of Christ and then ultimately, of course, glorified. This was all wonderfully in the mind and heart of our triune God. He predetermined it beforehand from eternity past. Now like I said to begin with that the doctrine of predestination or election has always been really one of very fierce contention and I don't know, it shouldn't be really because it's absolutely biblical. And also, it's incredibly comforting. It's a comforting doctrine, really. And it's so sad to think of all the contention that goes on over this wonderful doctrine. But I do think, and I have observed, and you can tell me if I'm wrong about this. I welcome that. I do think, though, that a lot of the contention is partly to do with the way in which it is presented. nowadays. Because I don't see this really with when you read the old commentators. How it's presented nowadays is different from how they used to present these doctrines. Often I see now from leading Calvinists, whether it be on YouTube or wherever they are, it often is presented practically in a sometimes a very cold and a mechanical and sometimes even, may I even dare say, in an arrogant way. And it seems to me that some Calvinists, especially amongst the big names out there, seem more interested in making a name for themselves as a Calvinist than simply just being a Christian, a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. They focus that so much of being a Calvinist and that is to them it would seem more than actually to being a follower of Christ. They almost would see that they would prefer to be a follower of Calvin than Christ. And I'll never forget hearing a Christian leader really speaking to a church visitor in this respect. He was almost a bit of a hyper-Calvinist. And this person came into the church, this was somewhere else, and and he came into the church, and this person wasn't a believer, he was a visitor, and there was a good gospel message preached, and this person said, so I've got to believe, and he was trying to reason within what he was supposed to do, and this person, this leader, was saying to him, Well, you can't believe. You can't believe unless God beforehand makes you believe. And I was just, within me, I was just cringing, saying, what are you doing, man? You know, the scripture doesn't go that far. You know, you're practically, you're making the gospel so complex. The scriptures don't make it that complex. It doesn't say that. And so the way he was applying it was just extra biblical. And there is almost a spirit now, sadly, within Calvinists. And it's very unhelpful. And it really doesn't help. And although such Calvinism theory can be right on the doctrine of predestination and election, in practice the way in which it is presented can be extra biblical. They can put an overemphasis upon it which Holy Scripture does not do. And that is not helpful. Scripture does not put this massive overemphasis upon it. The doctrine of predestination and election is actually a wonderfully comforting doctrine, and when properly presented and understood, and I have my failings and my faults, I already admit, but it is a wonderfully comforting doctrine, and it should be presented as such. we should say yes salvation is of the lord he is sovereign over who enters into his kingdom yes he chooses yes but that is not without the context and the balance of scripture which promises to seekers, that those who seek shall find, that those who knock upon the door, the door shall be opened unto them. And those who come to Christ, he will in no wise cast out. And those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, it shall be added unto them. These are the promises of God. You see, there's a balance here, isn't there? And so anyone who wants to be saved, God's way, through his son, through grace, will be found, ultimately, to be found in Christ. they'll be found to be predestinated. We don't have to get extra biblical on presenting Calvinism this mechanical way. And it's so unhelpful. You and I really need to ask ourselves whether the real question really is not to ask ourselves whether we are God's elect. And I remember a dear brother admonishing me in this with perhaps a sermon which I went a little bit too far with once, but he said, you know, especially for young believers, it's not helpful, you know, to make them doubt so much, because it's like digging up the soil in a young plant. You're never going to let a young plant grow, are you, if you dig up the soil of a young plant? It's going to stub the growth, isn't it? And so the question is, is not whether we are God's elect or not. If you push yourself on that, and especially seekers, that cannot be helpful. The real question is, is have I truly sought the Lord with all my heart and with all my strength? And with everything I have, as the Bible promises, have I sought the Lord as a pearl of great price. And if I have, if I have sought him, he will in no wise cast me out. I will be found in Christ because I'm holding to his promises. And so it's just as simple as that. It doesn't have to be as complicated as the scholars and the apologetics ministries and everyone make it to be. But I must say, with that being said, On the liberal side, this is going off the point a little bit, on the liberal side, the same is true where you have liberals with their clothing blazed all upon it, that Jesus loves you, and all these things. They shout that out from the streets. Well, that's not being honest with them either. That's not presenting the gospel truthfully either, is it? Because God is angry at the wicked every day. And so we must be honest to people about these things. There's the balance. There's a balance to be had there. Well that said, what are the evidences of those who know and love God through his sovereign free grace to us? What are the evidences? It is that they are made, predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, verse 29. And in simple terms, they become more Christ-like, don't they? They become more like their saviour. Less of self, more of Christ. In holiness of heart, not just outwardly, but at their heart. And in faith, and in perseverance, and charity, and so on. And just as Christ is the very express image of who God is, we who are born of God become more, we're not the express image of Christ of course, but we become more like him, don't we? Because we are in the vine, and of the sap of the vine we partake. And so we become more like him, we bear forth fruit as it were. Christ, of course, said in John 14, 20, 12, verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also. You see, we follow our Good Shepherd, don't we? And we do the things which we are bidden to do. And so, It goes on to say, when it says in verse 29, it speaks about Christ being the firstborn among many brethren, it is referring to our new relation and adoption into the divine family of God through God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom there are many believers of all different tribes, as per the promise to Abraham, that we are now in this new relation, we're adopted into the divine family. Christ being the firstborn means that in all things he gets the preeminence, doesn't he, as the firstborn. Christ also is the first begotten of the Father, not created, begotten. And therefore he is our great high pattern, isn't he, in life and of course also in death, in the resurrection as well. Romans 8.30 says, 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. We see here that God's sovereign plan for us firstly begins with being called. Called. Has there been a time where you've been called out of darkness into his marvellous light? Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he called. This is talking about the divine calling, isn't it? The divine calling described here is not simply speaking about an external outward calling through the preaching of the gospel or the reading of the gospel. Yes, it includes that, but it also includes more importantly the internal calling which is effectually wrought by us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Herein, says Ephesians, where you call, you are dead in trespasses and sins. And herein have you been quickened, who are dead in trespasses and sins. There is an internal calling, isn't there? The external calling comes into our ears and in our minds through the preaching of the gospel. Romans 10, 14 comes to mind. How shall they hear without a preacher? The internal calling, however, comes into our hearts through the Holy Spirit of God, and our affections, and our convictions, and our principles, and our conscience, and enables us, this internal calling, to embrace Christ as our Saviour, to embrace what He's done upon the cross in a very personal way for you and me, and to embrace and believe in the promise of God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the internal calling. And only really you know, deep in your heart, if you've responded to that. and you've come, you've been drawn by the Holy Spirit as it were and you're following now the Lord and you're believing in his promises. The divine calling is said to be effectual when we respond to both callings externally and of course and we see that with things like baptism, don't we, but also Internally as well, you can have people who are baptised and not regenerate or not saved. You can have people who are not baptised and are saved. But we must be those who received this divine calling and respond to it, not just outwardly And again, I'll give you an example of myself. When I was young, we did, for a time, my parents, we had a fair amount of church hopping for a while. We went to this one charismatic type church. And I remember the preacher saying, come up to the front. And they put this massive pressure on everyone. Come up to the front, give your life to Christ. And again, I wasn't ready. I don't think I even heard the gospel. Gospel wasn't preached. Sin wasn't preached. But yet I needed to come up and give my life to Christ. That wasn't my time then. I wasn't ready. I was living in sin, as far as I know. But I came up anyway. You see, the divine inner calling was not there. You see the outward calling was there, but the divine inward calling, I was still very happy in my sin, living in my sin. The calling of God is truly effectual when the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ and we come to him from the heart. in true saving faith. That's the heart of the matter. It's the matter of the heart. It must be. It must affect our affections. That's what's called affectual calling. It must affect your affections, your deep desires, who you are in the dark, your principles. It must affect that. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you. That's the inner calling. When no one else is there, you're a praying, thoughtful person. who takes hold upon the law by faith and depends upon him and upon his grace. John 6, 37 says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. There we go, a promise. That he will in no wise cast out those who seek him. John 10, 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. They follow the good shepherd, they hear. His voice. Are we following our Good Shepherd? Have we all responded to the divine calling within our hearts? The effectual calling is from South to Christ, isn't it? Not my will be done anymore, but thine be done. It's not about me anymore. It's about the Lord. It's about His glory. It's all about Him. And so the effectual calling is from self to Christ, from sin and vanity to grace and to holiness. Whom the Lord called, we're told, he also justified. And that is we are made to be justified in simple terms. I like to keep it simple. to be justified is simply to be made just in God's sight. We are now made just in God's sight through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are accepted now as righteous Because we have Christ's righteousness imputed and credited to our account. Like Abraham believed in God, in his promise concerning his seed and the Saviour, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. It was counted to him, credited to his account. for righteousness, and that's what it is to be justified. We're accepted righteous. When God sees us, he doesn't see our failures and our sins and our shortcomings. He sees the imputed righteousness of his son credited to our account, our accounts. So if you're in debt, and I've been there before, and you're in the red, and you need to be in credit, you need, some countries require To enter into some countries you need, I think Switzerland's one of those countries, you need like a million pounds or something like that to enter in. I can't remember what it was, I might be mistaken about that. Unless you're a specialist worker or this, that or the other. and the same as with heaven, it's not just about our sin, we need righteousness, we need to always do that which is right, always in our hearts and in our lives. Well Christ has done that and he gives that to us, credits it to us when we believe upon him by faith. What a wonderful word that word justification is. You know how often we should dwell upon it. I'm a justified man. I'm a justified woman. I'm a justified young person. If we just thought about that, how much comfort would we derive from that every day? Well beloved, we are no longer under God's wrath. We are no longer considered enemies to God because of our sin. We've been forgiven because of God's love to us through our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and by His grace. Our punishment has been taken by our Saviour. He bore it upon the cross in Calvary. We are acquitted, fully acquitted, and cleared from all guilt and sin. We're justified by faith in Christ. And friends, again, what a wonderful word, that word justification. You know, Romans is really all about that, isn't it? Justification by faith, that wonderful doctrine. when we are feeling in the dumps as if we're embattled by the enemy of our souls, think upon that word, justification. I'm a justified believer. As a brother prayed, I'm a pilgrim here, but I'm a justified pilgrim here. And it's not always going to be like this. I'm not always going to have to fight against sin and the effects of sin in other people's lives and in the principalities and the powers and all these things. because I'm going to be with the Lord. And really that's what we see here in closing, don't we? If so be that you and I have been called, divinely called and justified, we can be certain that we will be glorified, won't we? we will be brought home to glory, to heaven, to forever be with the Lord like the thief upon the cross who was justified right at that moment by the Lord and was in paradise that day with the Lord. 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. Nothing can come between the called and the justified soul. and glory. They will be glorified and be brought home to heaven. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, can it? Nothing. And that's really what we're going to be looking at next Tuesday, is that we are indeed more than conquerors through Christ that loved us. Amen. Feel free to contact us at Sovereign Grace Church in Tiverton. Email us at grace2seekers at gmail.com. That's grace2seekers at gmail.com. Alternatively, you can visit our website at www.sovereigngracereformedchurch.co.uk.