Held In God's Hands Part 2

Flores looking to Jesus phoned her when Babe Ruth pointed to center field where that all was going.

Christians can know where they're going after death.

That's because our assurance of salvation is built on three pillars in the Scriptures from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to win with Dr. Erwin Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Romans eight and a series on how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God. So far, Pastor Luther, you've told us about the plan of God and the pardon of God. David, as you know, I very much appreciate the opportunity to always explain the doctrine of salvation no matter how often we hear it we need to be reminded of the fact that God is very sovereign, but he loves to save sinners, even great sinners today were going to be talking about the pledge of God that is to say the assurance that he gives us in his word that once we are his. We are his forever on ask you a question.

All those of you who are listening today. Are you blessed as a result of this series of messages would you like to be able to share it with your friends listen to it over and over again. You may have missed some of the messages for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series of messages how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God.

And now let us listen God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns Christ as the one who died, he a writer who was raised was at the right hand of God the father. He intercedes for us. How shall we, as the accused handle these accusations, shall we say no, they are true. That of course is not even an option in this court. It may be in a Chicago court room that may work for some aldermen it may work for some members of Congress, but it doesn't work in the presence of God. The issue here is not truth.

The issue is justice when we can begin to minimize our sin since I got if you only understood don't you realize I'm better than other people. Don't you realize. I did try to serve. You don't remember. I walked forward in a meeting got but I did pray once, don't you remember during the war, Lord, what will I do know Satan has marched in and he's winning the court case if the defendant is wise he will do the only thing that is wise to do that is to pump the bowl to the defending attorney and say Jesus I can't handle this.

You handle it for me, who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect is God that justified who is he that condemns it is Christ that died in a rather that is risen again and is even at the right hand of God the father reminding God the father that salvation was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son cleanses us from all sin and that Jesus died for some messy and very ugly sin and God the father accepted the payment justice has been satisfied, and the defendant is acquitted, and he can go free five bleeding wounds. He bears received on Calvary.

They pour effectual prayers. They strongly leave forgive him all forgive, they cry and let not that rents in the center die. This past week a man called me on the telephone. Asked my advice regarding counseling. A woman who had an affair Christian woman now suddenly in the slough of despond and despair and depression.

Not all depression is because of sin and guilt but a lot is how do we as Christians handle it.

I do not merely mean handle the outworking of reconciliation with her husband that is going to be very painful under any conditions.

I'm talking about. How do we handle it theologically so that this woman can look into God's face again and be cleansed and be redeemed is the on one level is a Christian. She is as pure as Christ clothed in his righteousness, even though a center she needs to see that if she does not see that she will be driven into despair. On another level. She must also see that inexperienced she has sanded grievously and she must ask forgiveness not might again receive the holiness of God which he now has as a free gift already, but that she might be reconciled to the father, whom she has wounded so deeply through her sins. You see, there is the object of the results of the subjective cleansing and the cleansing has to do with the purging of the conscience so that she not only is pure before God, but that she knows she is.

She must be given hope to understand that no matter what the accusations are. If she looks to her defending attorney, the Lord Jesus Christ. God, the God of the universe has pronounced her clean. Now who is it shall declare her guilty if God has spoken. All I know she's in for some hard times in reconciliation with her husband because those sins run deep. She needs to know that she is cleansed, washed, accepted, who is he that condemns Christ die and God accepted that death is a sacrifice for sinners and by the way those of you who are troubled and hassled by a pass that will not leave you what you must sometimes do is to memorize these passages of Scripture and maybe even quote them out loud to the enemy of your souls wants to keep dragging down in guilt. You must say to him be gone. The Satan, for it is written, who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect, God has justified me for who is he that condemns Christ die and you look to the redeeming Savior for your acceptance and for your forgiveness. The second pillar that goes down to bedrock is God justifying sinners and they remain holy. Despite their sins and even though their need for discipline and the need to be cleansed and to be forgiven. Subjectively, they remain holy in the side of a God who has accepted them because of his son is the pardon of God. Thirdly, third pillar is the pledge of God.

The pledge of God. Nepal becomes very realistic. He does not become like some creatures painting a very rosy picture of the Christian life as I know, if you believe you're going to be healthy, wealthy and wise and all of your life you're going to have a beautiful path with flowers on both sides know he says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Verse 35 and then he lists seven things that Christians often have thought separated them from the love of Christ. You and I know and we probably have been there ourselves whether those are simply say God doesn't love me anymore and we ask and it's one of the seven things I don't know what else there could be among that could separate us from the love of God that we might think would separate us from his love. If it's not one of the seven shall tribulation let me ask you, how was this past week, you say well it was so filled with tribulation. I don't think God was on my side anymore.

Paul says tribulation is not going to separate you from the love of Christ. Well, you say, what about distress you say.

Well, I always was told that Christians never have distress, they just go to heaven every evening and return again in the morning and and they walk with such on interrupted victory that there is no distress. I want you to know today, Christians have distress pulses know if you have it. This is one thing that will separate you from the love of Christ persecution. The ancient times Christians were marched to the lions. They cried to God. They pled with God for forgiveness and alliance came and devoured them. There is no deliverance that separate them from the love of Christ pulses know no take something else.

Maybe not bad. What about famine, so the economic plan in the United States doesn't work we go into another recession economy unravels and there's nakedness. That's another one. Poverty peril that won't separate us from the love of Christ. But what about death itself.

If somebody takes a sword to you in here in this church. As you know we had several families who have lost teenagers through drive-by shootings, boys have been gunned down on the streets of this great city will that separate you from the love of Christ with a sword, do it will a gun do it, no, no, no, in fact, he quotes from the Psalms for thy sake we are being put to death all day long we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. That was true in the Old Testament. It's true today, persecution, difficulty, death, despair, ill health, has always play the people of God, just as it has played to those were not the people of God pulses these things will not separate us from the love of Christ and then just in case there's some enterprising person who says I think Paul missed something. Pulses I want you to know that I'm gonna cover everything, but in all these things we are overwhelmingly conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels. While we wouldn't expect them to separate us from the love of God, but what about principalities, what about the demons they would love to separate us from the love of God for sure, nor things present. Well, he could imagine somebody says well you know this was ancient. This is 2000 years ago. So pulses, nor things to come things that will exist in the 20th century or the 21st, nor powers, nor height nor depth, and pulses. For those of you who want a closed case nor any other created thing will be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I get the impression that Paul wanted to leave with us. The general idea.

But if you're a believer you'll never be separated from the love of Christ.. And if you think that this kind of teaching was unique to the apostle Paul. Jesus taught it as well. Today we have emphasized of the three pillars that Paul puts in the ground here is the plan of God is to save those whom he foreknew and he will save.

Despite the difficulties along the way and then he goes on to say the pardon of God is such that God's elect stand justified in his sight, despite their sinfulness, and despite their distress and weaknesses and then pulses we have the pledge of God that nothing shall separate us from God's love. You say well that's what Paul taught.

Did Jesus agree with him. Did Jesus agree with the apostle Paul, the answer is yes turn to John 10 for just a moment John chapter 10, where Jesus is talking about his sheep and what he wants to make plain is that his sheep will never perish.

In fact, it would be embarrassing if the sheep were to perish know if you are given 100 sheep in the morning and you return later on 95 in the afternoon you would be a laughingstock among they would say you know what kind of a shepherd is gonna lose some shape not just comment on this verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand summaries is old yes but we can snatch ourselves out of his hand is not quite that easy. My dear friend, because we are not only in his hand of the Bible says we are his hand is not that simple. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand.

Jesus that he can trust my hand at least trust I had of my father and what you have in this passage is hands in harmony. You have the sons hand you have the father's hand, and the sheep are in those hands clasped together and at the end of the day. The shepherd brings older sheep home.

What would you think of a shepherd who returned home with 95 after being given 100 and then say well you know you just don't understand how stubborn the sheep are you if you knew how stubborn the sheep are they find all kinds of false paths that they take what was I supposed to do I just let them wander according to their own free will. They didn't want to come to the sheepfold at night, we'd save friend look for another job, do something else.

Your calling lies in another direction. Shepherds bring shape home and it is unthinkable that those sheep that are a gift from God the father to the son.

Those investors given me that in the end God would say well summer missing but you just don't understand how stubborn they were. They will arrive will arrive. What about Ted Turner and a continuation of the quote with which I began. He said the business of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for sinners is weird stuff man said. You see, it is possible for people to pray to even generally believed to even emotionally have an experience and not be genuinely one of God sheep you say well how then do we know that we are one of God sheep.

How do we know if our faith is real faith. The answer that is come back next Sunday. That's what I'm preaching on.

That's what the whole for the whole deal is what the whole deal is because there is a false faith, but we can also know that we have a true faith and as many as received him, to those he gives the authority to become the children of God, they become his children for ever. Now you say well I can't wait till next week. Let's all right, even now, if you are here today and do not know Christ as Savior and you you look to him and you say Jesus I transfer all of my trust to you as best I know I cleave to you alone to receive the gift of eternal life.

You can be saved.

Yes, my friend. If you are a believer you are held in God's hands and when it comes time to die. Despite the doubts and the darkness God's sheep will make it all the way home and if you will let us pray our father, we do want to thank you today that long before we were born we are already specialty you the Bible says that we were loved in Christ.

We were chosen in Christ. We were foreknown and we've been in your mind for all of eternity and overwhelms us to think about me will be in your mind of her eternity to come and it's all by grace, and you did it for people who are so overwhelmingly unworthy that all that they could do throughout all of eternity.

Sing your praise. We thank you thank you today that we are held in hands that are much stronger than we are in now before I close this prayer. Perhaps you don't know where you stand in your relationship with God.

When you at this moment say Lord Jesus to save me depend wholly on him. Seek him because it may well be that he is seeking for you.

Father let no one leave here today without a recognition and a solid conviction that they belong to you, pray in Jesus name, amen. This is pastor Luther, of course, whenever we speak about the grace of God. It's easy to be misunderstood because there are some people who think that when you teach grace you give people a license to sin, but of course that's not the case we do rejoice in the grace of God because it is given freely to sinners and it changes our hearts. Let me ask you a question. Have you been blessed as a result of these messages may be you haven't been able to listen to all of them and you can have them in permanent form. Then you can listen to them again and again share them with your friends for a gift of any amount.

This series can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 now perhaps I gave you that information too quickly. I hope that you have time to pick up a pencil because I'm going to repeat it. It's very important that you have these messages how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God.

Go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or you can call us right now at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for helping us because together we are making a difference. Ask for this sermon series how you can spend eternity with God. It's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor lutes or a question about the Bible or the Christian life, a passage in Mark chapter 3 has caused many to fear for their eternal futures. Ray Jean listens to running to win and has this question, what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit at one time when I was a teenager I felt I had blaspheme the Holy Spirit and now I wonder if unable to be saved. Ray Jean hear this from my heart to yours.

We've all been where you are. I remember as a teenager I had some horrible thoughts and I thought for sure I blaspheme the Holy Spirit. The good news is I didn't and the good news is you didn't either the blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is the sin that the nation Israel committed when they rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they committed the sin of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Now there is such a thing as a blasphemy against the spirit there is a derivative kind of sin and that is somebody who hardens his heart against God, they become absolutely hard. They want nothing to do with God. They've stifled a work of the Holy Spirit and they can't be saved because they don't want to believe in, nor can they believe, but you are different. You're different because you wrote to me and you asked about the question because you are concerned, Ray, Jean, if you want to believe on Jesus you believe you trust come to him come to him with your doubts come to him with your conscience. The troubles you and receive the gift of eternal life that Jesus Christ died to give to those who would trust him.

You have not committed this sin. Move on from here. Thank you Ray Jean for sharing your concern Pastor lutes or thank you for your answer. If you'd like to hear your question answered. You can just go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 believers in Christ.

Look forward to a certain home in heaven and this outlook turns their inward looking to win up wordbook look full of promise and hope. This hope is something we can share with all who ask us why we have that whole next time I'm running to win when loser begins the final message in a series on how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God. Plan to join us then as we hear knowing for sure running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin lutes or this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church