Our Redeemer And Friend

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again my dear radio friends. How in the world are you? Well I trust things are alright at your house. I’m glad that we could be in the world but not of it. And that of course is the background of the little corny greeting that has become part of the verbal trademark of these broadcasts when I ask you how in the world are you.

It’s your good friend, Bob Cook, and we’re back together again finishing up the 8th chapter of Romans as a commentary on 2 Peter 2, that awesome, brutally, honest description of fallen human nature, the way it acts when it gets into a religious setting. We’ll get back in to 2 Peter and finish it up after we have completed our look at Romans 8 — the contrast of what God can do in a believer’s life: a new life, a new law, a new liberty, a new leadership , a new supply of every need, a new prayer life, a new assurance, a new hope, oh everything. All things, it says, “how shall he not with him oh so freely give us all things?”

So the last time we got together I was just saying you and I need somebody to speak for us. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect, who is he that condemneth? See, the devil is the accuser of the brethren and it’s his business to speak against the believer, even today, but his accusations cannot hold any credibility because he says it is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again. He’s even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. The writer to the Hebrews says “that He ever liveth to make intercession for them who come unto God by him” And so you have somebody to speak for you.

That you see is what makes all the difference. You know just by way of illustration I recalled just now what happened to me when some few years ago Coreen and I were having a couple of weeks vacation in Florida down around the Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton area, and I ran out of cash and I needed a couple hundred of dollars to be sure that we got home again, and I needed to cash a check somewhere. But being a stranger I didn’t have the slightest chance of handing anybody cashing a personal check who didn’t know me. You can understand that. Well, I thought I’ll go see my friend. And so I did. I went to see a business man who was in real estate and who later developed — I didn’t know it at that time — but I later found out that he was a director of the local bank.

And I went in to see him. I said, “I’d like to ask a favor of you,” and said, “I want to cash a personal check for a couple hundred dollars so that Coreen and I can get back home again. I ran out of cash. Would you speak a word for me to the local bank so that to identify me”. “Oh,” he said, “of course.” So he picked up the phone and called the bank and said, “I have my friend here Dr. Cook and he wants to cash a personal check and when he comes over you take care of him, won’t you?”

Well, when I got there you’d think I was the King of Siam. There was somebody waiting for me at their lobby. “You’re Dr. Cook aren’t you?” “Yes.” “Well, come right in!” And they march me on over to the head desk there, you know, and here was my little check. It didn’t amount to much but they took care of me, I’ll tell you. What made the difference? Well, I later found out that my friend was the director of the bank. He was somebody and when he spoke for me it got results.

You know, there’s somebody in the glory that is a “somebody”. There’s one God and one mediator between God and men; the man Christ Jesus. The man and the glory, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking your name this minute before God the Father. Isn’t that great? Well, yes, how do you know he’s speaking over me? Jesus said, “I know my sheep and I’m known of mine.” He said with a good shepherd called with his own sheep by name. God said through Isaiah, “Jacob, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.” God knows your name.

You’re not a number to God. You’re somebody and Jesus, our blessed living, risen, ascended Lord, at the right hand of God the Father is representing you and Satan can’t lay a finger on you. Satan can’t attack you when you’re safe under the shelter of that precious blood that was shed on Calvary. Hallelujah for that.

Now, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now, ordinarily, we start with troubles and end with the worst possible trouble of all from our human point of view which is death. So he does that in his first list here in verse 35 of Romans 8. You see it there? Tribulation, that’s our word troubles. A little boy want to run across the street and the grown up holding on to his hand said, “Hang on to my hand. Don’t you want to grow up and have troubles?”, you know. Everybody has troubles; you and I and everyone. Troubles, distress, that’s what troubles do to you. When you feel that your duodenum tying itself in a bow knot and your ulcer is kicking up, that’s distress. Persecution, that is trouble that’s caused by other people on a religious basis. Famine, you know what that is, not enough food to eat or money to buy it. Naked, that’s not enough clothing. Peril, that’s being in dangerous circumstances and sword that’s being faced with death.

Now that is a list that’s based on a human appraisal of how things go. See, trouble and the feelings that trouble cause and the troubles that other people cause and the lack of different things, like food and clothing, and then danger and then, finally, physical death, that’s the worst thing we can think of, if you’re putting the list on a human basis. No, he said, in all these things. We’re more than conquerors through Him that loved us, more than conquerors through ordinary troubles.

As a matter of fact, let me take a little detour here. Do you know that your unsaved friends are watching you to see how you react to the troubles that everybody has, as well as anything special that comes your way? You are God’s exhibit A and people watch you to see how you react as a Christian to the troubles that everybody else is having, but you react differently to them because you’re His and He’s sustaining you– troubles. They’re not going to separate you from the love of Christ. No. You’re more than conquerors through ordinary troubles. You’re more than conqueror even though your physical and emotional setup is affected by the pressures in which you live.

Persecution, you’re more than conqueror even though people get on your case and persecute you. Famine, you’re more than conquerors even if you don’t have enough of food or clothing or whatever. There’s always God. You and God are a majority, and there isn’t anything that can happen to you to separate you from the consciousness of his presence.

Now, in his other list, Paul starts with the end. I’m persuaded that neither death. Now, how did the first list end? It ended with the word sword, which is another word of being put to death. He starts now in verse 38 — this is from God’s point of view. This is the way that God sees it. Death, nor life, you got to go on living. Nor angels, you’re living in a world that’s populated by spirits all around you, both good and bad. Principalities or powers, that’s the gods of this world, the demons and all of that. Things present, that’s how you’re living, things to come; the future looming before you. What if somebody pulls the trigger? Some madman pulls the trigger on a nuclear war. Things to come, nor height nor depths nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. The cosmonauts went up out into space and said I looked around in space and didn’t find God.

The Christian, God-fearing cosmonauts, astronauts we call them, go went up into space and found the presence of God real. There’s the difference; height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. This business of God giving us all things takes care of every possible emergency in life.

If you belong to the Lord Jesus you have long since decided that you are not afraid of death. Take this list now that Paul gives us at looking at it from God’s point of view. Death, he starts with that, you’ve decided that for me to live as Christ and to die is gain. Paul said, “I’d love to be part and be with Christ which is far better.” You’ve long since decided that death holds no terrors for you, but you have to go on living and sometimes it’s harder to go on living than it is to die, isn’t it? But you’re more than conquerors in that too.

Neither death nor life, and then you realize that you are in a world where you’re surrounded by spirit powers. Not all of which are friendly. And, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood” says Paul in Ephesians chapter 6, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The devil and all of his hosts are out to pull down and to tear down and destroy the work of God. And so, to go on living means to go on into a battle, but you’re more than conqueror. Why? Because the one who is the victor is with you, “Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. O.J. Smith used to say, “We know the Victor so we’ve got the victory.” So nothing, he says, height nor depth, nor any other creature; you can’t imagine anything that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Once you’ve committed yourself to Him, you’re His and he’s not going to — I often say to people on the radio and otherwise, God hasn’t brought you this far to dump you now. God has taken on a responsibility concerning you my friend. So Paul says in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing that He which hath began a good work and you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

All these things, all things, see, you got all things, verse 32 and all things verse 37. See? And then you have the obverse side of it; nor any other creature. All things in the positive side and all things we are more than conquerors and then turn the list around and see if there’s anything, turn the bag upside down and shake it. There’s nothing left, nor any other creature, all things. Everything in your life is included in the plan of God. Every opposition you’ll ever face is included in the victory of God. Every tear you’ll ever shed is included in the compassion of God. He knows what He’s doing. You are His forever and forever and forever.

Now, how do you make that real today in your own life? Now, the only way to do it is to get on your knees and say, “Holy Father, I am yours and tell me once again by the indwelling Holy Spirit how much you love me and how you have planned for me and to reassure me just now. As I look into your Word and as I pray, reassure me that I am not ever going to be separated from you. You’re not going to leave me. You’re going to keep on working with me.” “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

Get on your knees, tell your Lord that you want His touch upon your life, and you’ll know the truth of the “all things” that we’ve been talking about.

Blessed Lord, thank you for your faithfulness and love and all that Thou does mean to us in Christ. I’m so glad, Lord, that you said you’re going to hang on to us. Keep on blessed God in Jesus name. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio walk with the King today, and be a blessing!