In his sermon 'If God Be for Us (Part 1)' based on Romans 8:29-31, Pastor Steve Hopkins explores the eternal purpose of God in salvation. He emphasizes that the ultimate goal of God's plan is the glory and exaltation of Jesus Christ, who is to have preeminence in all things. Pastor Hopkins explains that believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, highlighting the unbreakable 'golden chain' of salvation that assures believers of their eternal security. He delves into the preeminence of Christ, referencing Colossians 1, and underscores that all creation was made by and for Christ. The sermon assures believers that nothing can interrupt God's plan for their salvation and encourages them to find comfort in the certainty of their ultimate glorification and eternal worship of Christ. Pastor Hopkins also touches on the inward call of the Spirit, the assurance provided by Romans 8, and the eternal love of God set upon believers before time began.

Welcome back to Burnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the book of Romans. If you would turn with me in your Bibles once again to the book of Romans. We are continuing in our study verse by verse exposition of the book of Romans. We'll be going over verse 29 briefly again and then picking up with verses 30 and 31.

And if you would stand with me for the reading of the word of the Lord. Let's read together Romans 8 verses 29 through 31. 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 say to these things?

If God be for us, who can be against us? Let's pray. Father, apart from a work of your Holy Spirit. Every word spoken by man must necessarily fall to the ground. Father, I ask Lord for your Spirit to be given.

The Spirit God would fall upon this place and do a mighty work in the heart and the lives of your people in whom your Spirit dwells Lord upon those who have never known you and so desperately need a Savior. God I pray that you would open up our understanding of your Word by your spirit and that you would bring glory to the name of your Son our Lord Jesus in this hour. We ask it in His holy name who suffered and died for our sins is risen, exalted to your right hand and coming again to receive us to Himself. In Jesus name, in His name, we pray these things. Amen.

In our last session, we looked at the end of verse 29, and I hope everyone will open your Bibles and really stay tuned in, so to speak. Let's really focus in here. What my intent in our last session was to drive home to our hearts and our minds the reality of the ultimate purpose the ultimate end in the mind of God in our salvation what is I'll ask you now some word here last week what is the ultimate end for which God fixed his love upon a people in eternity past and then predestined them, as we read in verse 29, to be conformed to the image of his son one day in glory. We read it at the end of verse 29, the answer to that question, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, that he, that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren. And I said when you think of the word firstborn, think preeminence.

Think preeminence because that's what's being communicated here. The firstborn in the Old Testament and the Old World held the most distinguished and exalted place among the children of the family. And I said Paul is using figurative language here. When he speaks of the firstborn, he's talking about preeminence. He's talking about superiority.

He's talking about supremacy. He's talking about one who is first in rank, First in priority, first in dignity, and first in honor, with regards to Christ in all things. In all things. And in every respect. In Colossians chapter 1, in verse 18, the Apostle Paul puts it this way, that in all things, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Christ might have the preeminence. And beginning with verse 15 of Colossians 1, Christ's preeminence in all things is detailed. We looked at this briefly in our last session where we read that he, quote, is the image of the invisible God. That is the exact image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of every creature, that He is supreme over all creation.

And then we read, for by Him all things were created. All things were created by Him and all things were created for Him. Everything was created by Him. Your version may say through Him. It's a Trinitarian work.

And all things were created for Him, for Christ. It's awesome just to think on it. Paul is saying it's all ultimately about Him. It's all ultimately about Jesus Christ. And He is before all things, he goes on.

That is, He is eternal. And by Him, everything is held together. By Him, all things consist. When you think about Jesus, do you think of Him in that way? Lord Jesus, you're praying to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus, in the name of God's Son, and do you think I'm praying in the name of Him who holds all things Together by the word of his power This is the Jesus of Scripture.

He's holding it all together. He's holding your body together He's holding the elements of the universe and everything all together. This is the Jesus Christ of Scripture and the one who came and suffered and died for our sins and rose again to bring us to God. He is the head of the body, Paul goes on, the church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that is, in the place of preeminence in the resurrection of the body, the first to rise and never die again, and guaranteeing that all who die in him will also be raised. And then he ended with this, that in all things he might have the preeminence, that in all things he might have the preeminence, the first place.

Brothers and sisters, the eternal purpose of God, the plan of God from all eternity the ultimate purpose for which God made all things The ultimate end for which he predestined a people to be redeemed from all iniquity and conformed to the image of his Son in glory is the glory and exaltation of his son, that his son might have the preeminence in all things. And as we read in the text before us this afternoon, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, the preeminent one, the one in the place of supremacy, exalted among the many sons and daughters that he's bringing to glory, and that for all eternity. For all eternity that he might be praised. For all eternity that he might be worshiped, forever honored, forever exalted, forever adored by an innumerable host of redeemed and glorified saints who with sinless souls and resurrected immortal bodies being made like him will forever glorify him." Revelation 7, 9, we didn't turn there last week, you might want to turn there right now in your Bibles. Revelation chapter 7 verse 9, this is the future, eschatology at its finest.

Future, eschatology at its finest. After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude, a great multitude which no man could number, innumerable of all nations and all kindreds and all tongues all people and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes that's in the righteousness of Christ with palms in their hands and they cried with a loud voice saying salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb. Brothers and sisters we will be praising Him forever. I ended with that in our last session. You were made to worship God.

You were made to praise Him. You were made to give Him glory. You were made for Him, as we read earlier in Colossians 1 you were made for him Where does that worship where does that love? Turn to love for the great love we're with you, love you. Where does that begin?

Where does that praise begin? Where does that worship begin? It begins here and it begins now. We who worship and love and serve and Praise our Lord Jesus will be the same who will worship and serve and praise him forever and ever and ever in glory There will be an innumerable host of glorified redeemed Saints who will stand before the throne and they will worship him forever and ever. And as Isaiah the prophet said, he shall see of the travail of his soul.

Amen? Jesus will see of the travail of his soul. He will see that all that He did in coming to earth and taking flesh in His life, not only being a cross, but a perpetual cross, and then going to that cruel Roman cross and taking upon Himself the sins of His people and dying forsaken of God, rejected of men, he will see the travail of his soul. Bearing the wrath that was due sinners, due his people, he will see the travail of his soul and he will be satisfied. He will be satisfied.

Brothers and sisters, the ultimate purpose for which you were created, and for which all things were created, and for which we were redeemed out of the mass of fallen humanity, and it's a large, dark, sinful, wretched mass. The purpose for which you were redeemed out of the mass of fallen humanity and Predestinated to one day be perfectly conformed to Christ's image and glory at his coming is that he might be forever worshiped and loved and endured by a vast multitude of redeemed and glorified Saints forever. I quoted John MacArthur in our last session, The goal of the mission of God in the world was to create a preeminence for his son where he would be forever exalted by those who love him and adore him. Amen. I quoted a part of Martin Lloyd Jones.

I want to link in that quote today. Martin Lloyd Jones put it this way, it is most important. I can just hear his voice right now. How many of you, anyone ever listen to Martin Lloyd-Jones? If you don't listen to Martin Lloyd-Jones, bring up some of the sermons from Westminster Chapel in London in the 1950s and 1960s.

I've told many, you know, people say, well you know you have a heavy metal background, a rock and roll background and everything. Who's your favorite? Who's your favorite your favorite contemporary Christian artist that I said Martin Lloyd Jones I didn't know he sang and I always say he didn't know he sang either See they were recording him as this, you know 5, 000 people at this chapel in London, England as they're singing the hymns, here he is being recorded. I don't know if he knew he was being recorded or not, but his voice is over the wall and I love it because he's just intense. It's real.

It's from the heart and he is just totally, you know, into every word. But Martin Lloyd Jones, one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century, he put it this way, died I think in the 1980s. It is most important, says Jones, that we should look at salvation from this standpoint. We must not only think of it, of salvation in terms of ourselves. Think about that.

How do you think about salvation? What's just about me? Jesus saved me and it's all about me and about my salvation, the salvation of his people. Jones says no, you shouldn't look at salvation from this standpoint. We must not only think of it as in terms of me or ourselves, But we must realize that God's ultimate object in planning and introducing the scheme or the plan of salvation is to glorify His Son.

The ultimate object of salvation is that the Son that Jesus Christ might be set in the position in which at his name every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Close quote. The eternal purpose of God in bringing many sons to glory, the plan of God from all eternity, the ultimate purpose for which God made all things, and the ultimate end for which he predestined the people to be redeemed from all iniquity and conformed to the image of his Son in glory was that his Son might have preeminence, the preeminence in all things, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, that he might be forever praised, forever worshiped, forever honored, and forever exalted and adored by an innumerable glorified host of redeemed humanity. And I labored this point in our last session because this is where every one of us is headed who are in Christ You realize that I'm sure you do. This is where every one of us is headed who is in Christ We are destined to glory We are destined Predestined to be made like Christ to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Does that excite you? Does that thrill you? If you're a believer here today, you are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Christ in glory. You're gonna be made just like him. Not going to be made God, not talking about being made deity, but you're going to be made like him.

You're going to have a sinless body, a sinless soul, an incorruptible body, an immortal body that could never die. And you're going to be enabled to worship him as he deserves to be worshiped and praised and glorified for all eternity amen that's your future if you are a believer today we are predestined to be made like Christ conformed to the image of Christ for Christ. For Him. And the whole of Romans 8 assures us of it. That's what we've been talking about really for the beginning of Romans 8 it's the assurance chapter.

You're assured of this fact. Nothing is going to interrupt it. What we need to understand is that no thing and no one is going to defeat God's plan to bring many sons and daughters to glory. Nothing is going to interrupt that plan. If you're a believer here this afternoon, you love God in the midst of a God-hating world and you have a glorious future.

But think about this for a moment. The reason why you love God, the fact that you love God today, which we've looked at in the last couple of sessions, is because he first loved you. He fixed his love upon you in eternity past. He predestinated you to glory before the world began, and that for the eternal glory and exaltation of his Son." And as we pick up with verse 30, look at this, he says, moreover, whom he did predestinate. So it's the assurance chapter.

From the beginning to the end, It's all about assurance. There is therefore now no condemnation, what, to those that are in Christ Jesus. That's verse 1. By the time you get to the end, nothing's going to be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, love that began in eternity past and was set upon you in eternity past. And it's all for the eternal glory and exaltation of His Son.

And then we pick up with verse 30 and he says, moreover, he's gonna drive this home whom he did predestinate Paul is going to tie up all the loose ends here in Chapter 8 he's gonna tie up all the loose strings He's gonna lay it all down for his readers very clearly in what theologians have referred to in history as the ordos salutis. How many are familiar with that term? Ordos salutis. It means the order of salvation. He's going to tie it all together and he's just going to go boom, boom, boom, boom, nail it all down.

Here's how it works. This is the order of salvation. And this order of salvation, we're going to see, and many have already studied this many times and understand this, what we're gonna see is laid down in an unbreakable chain. And it's a chain that begins in eternity past and is consummated in glory. And Paul's intent, I believe, is to remove every doubt.

That's what he's been driving at through the entire chapter of Romans 8. He wants to remove your doubts, brothers and sisters. He doesn't want to encourage those who are dead and trespasses and sins to have false hopes. He wants to remove the doubts of believers as to the eternal security that is theirs in Christ, that is yours in Christ, who believe on His name. He wants to assure his readers to remove every doubt as to the certainty of the eternal glory to which they are destined, every believer is destined, and to assure his readers that no believer finally comes short of salvation.

No believer finally comes short of salvation. In the words of Robert Haldane back in the 1800s Paul has already assured us that all things work together for the ultimate good of them that love God. Everything's working together for your good to them that love God to those who are the called according to his purpose, that is God's eternal purpose concerning all those in his Son, a purpose that cannot be thwarted, a purpose that cannot be interrupted, his purpose, his eternal purpose that cannot be overthrown by anything or anyone in heaven or earth or below the earth, and Paul has already assured us that we who love God were known before of God in eternity past, for loved of God, before time began, and predestinated in eternity past to be conformed completely to the image of his Son in glory that he might be the firstborn among many brethrens and by laying down now the order of salvation he assures believers that Nothing can interrupt this. Nothing can stop this. Because here's how it works.

He says, whom God did predestinate, verse 30, them He also called. And whom He called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, then he also glorified. Nothing can impede or obstruct the plan of God to bring those that he forloved in eternity past to the end, which is glory, to which he predestined them. There is no break in the chain.

We who are united to Christ by faith in his person and his work will be conformed to the image of Christ. You will be conformed to the image of Christ. You will be conformed to the image of Christ in glory, perfectly in glory, at His return. Just like the old hymn says, sinless there forever, we shall laud Him ever. That's your future.

That's what's coming. It's a golden chain and the golden chain of our salvation is an unbreakable chain For whom God did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son for the eternal glory and exaltation of his son Then he also called remember we looked at this he called not like this. Hey Hey, come no, that's that's not the call The inward call of the Holy Spirit, everybody, everyone that he forloved, he predestinated to be conformed to his son, and those he predestinated he called with an internal call of the Holy Spirit. You are called internally by the Spirit of God, and those who are called are justified. So in other words, everyone who's called, look at the text, is justified.

Can't be the outward call of, hey, hey, back there in the back, whoever. No, it's not the outward call of the gospel, it's the internal call of the gospel. They're all saved. They're all justified. They all are brought to saving faith.

They're all brought to the place where they are now declared just in the sight of God, right in God's sight. And they're all glorified. Those he justified, whom he justified, he also glorified. Past tense, it's all a done deal. Brothers and sisters, the golden chain of our salvation cannot be broken from eternity past when God fixed his love on you and predestinated you to glory to your calling and justification in time and on to future glory the chain of your salvation is unbreakable is that a comfort to you it is a comfort to me it is unable to be broken by any force in heaven or earth or hell below and what should our response be to that Paul writes what shall we say then to these things?

How should we respond to these things? And he goes on he says, this is what we should say in light of these things. If God be for us, who can be against us? If God be for us, who can be against us? If God be for us who can be against us if the things Paul is saying here are true and they are true Then the only conclusion the only possible conclusion that we could reach is that God must be for us and if God is for us who could possibly be against us?

To be against us then, to be against the people of God, that is to be successfully against us and interrupt this golden chain of salvation. To be able to interrupt that would be to stand against God, to be against God, to stand against God himself and who can stand against God. Will any succeed who have set themselves against God and his decrees concerning those he loved before the world began? It's God's chain of salvation. Will any man be able to break it?

Could anyone on earth ever be able to pluck even a single link from the chain that God began in us and for us before the world began? Those God knew lovingly before the world began, He predestinated. And those He predestinated, He also called. And those He called, He justified. And those He justified, He glorified.

What God initiated in eternity past concerning his loved ones is a done deal. It's a done deal It's a done deal just look out there just confidently say it's a done deal I know I know Lord that sometimes I fall I know that sometimes I grieve you and I hate it but I trust in your word I know that your word is true and I know that this chain of salvation is unbreakable That it is unbreakable because it's your chain. It's your chain. It's a done deal. Charles Hodge comments here, if God's love has led to all the good just specified referring to our predestination and calling and justification of future glory what have we to fear for the future brothers and sisters what do you have to fear for the future oh we've got things that we deal with in our lives we have sickness and we have trials we have financial issues and we have relationship issues God forbid but we have them right?

There's relationship issues. But what do we have to fear for the future? Hodges saying God's love led to these things and Paul's saying what should we then say in response to these things? Friends we're to say if God is for us who can be against us and God is for us since he's for us No one can be against us. We will come to that place that God is bringing us and began from the foundations of the world when he loved us and determined to send his son to die for us.

If you're a believer here today, I hope that this has been driven home in the last few weeks. God's love was fixed upon you before time began. Long before you were ever born, his love was set upon you. That's the reason you have any affection for him at all. Love is not natural.

It doesn't come naturally. Love for God does not come naturally it's not a part of our nature and God's love is for you. It's not like our love God's love isn't like ours Christians don't pick the petals at random, you know from flowers saying God loves me He loves me not he loves me. He loves me not he loves me. He loves me not no he loves you He loves you and He set that affection upon you before time began, before the world began, and it will never be taken from you.

His love is eternal. Who can then be against us? Well, just the whole world. The whole world, just the whole world can be against this, yes, but ultimately no one. Successfully no one.

Believers sit in the hollow of God's hand. Who is going to take them out? Matthew Poole back in the 1700s writes, sinners may be against us, oh yes. So may be the enemy of our souls, Satan. But their power to destroy us has been taken away.

Bless God, their power to destroy us ultimately has been taken away. Can any man ultimately destroy us or do us to the ultimate harm? David said in Psalm 118, 6, the Lord is on my side. God is for me. The Lord is on my side.

I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Dr. Sproul writes, all the human opposition that arises against us is meaningless in the final analysis because all the opposition in the world cannot overthrow the glory that God has laid up for his saints from the foundation of the world, from the foundations of the world." Close quote. Brothers and sisters, there is no ground to fear the future if God is for you.

The Apostles question is of course rhetorically saying, because God is for us, who could possibly be against us since God is on our side? What does it matter who's on the other side? Is anyone mightier than he who was for us? Is anyone stronger than God? I asked that question to one of the children in the congregation and she responded with a look of shock at the very thought of it and just a quick no.

That's the way we should all be. No one is stronger than God. No one will take you out of His hand. No one can take you from the hollow of His hand. No one can take away His love.

No one can interrupt that love that He fixed upon you in eternity past. God was with us in and through Christ before we ever came into the world. The love he had for us was in his Son. And therefore our final salvation is completely secure who are united to his Son, to Christ by faith in his person and in his work. Since God knew us with a distinguishing love before time and predestinated us before time to glory.

How could anyone or anything possibly interrupt that in the process of time? When God begins, God completes. Again, I said earlier, he's not like us, right? His love isn't like our love. He's not like us.

We start things we never finish. Our projects pile up all around us. But this is God's project, his doing, and he will bring it to completion. We have his word on it We have his word on it brothers and sisters. You can't be shy here, you know Some ever tell you well, you know you you were a shy child.

You can't be shy about this You can't be shy about this You have to be able to bring your lips to say these words, since God is for me, no one and nothing can rob me of my salvation. Can you say that and just trust the Lord in His Word? Since God's for me, and I know that because I see this order of salvation I know he sent his son to die for me nothing can rob me of my salvation what God has begun to me he will complete I have his word on it Philippians 1 6 God will complete that which He's begun in us. Brothers and sisters, do you love God? Do you love God?

You realize that that is an impossibility, apart from the work of God upon the heart of sinning man. If you love him, you love him because he first loved you. He put that love in your heart. Love for God is not, as I said earlier, not natural to man. No one is born loving God.

It took a power alien to you, outside of you, alien to your nature to create affection for God and Christ in your heart. You love Him? It came from somewhere else. It didn't come from within. It came from without.

It is an alien love just like the righteousness in which your cloth is an alien righteousness. You had to be raised by the power of God from the state of spiritual death. Your love for God, if you love him today, is a response to his love for you. And that love was fixed on you way before you were born, again, all the way back in eternity past. And because he for loved you with that distinguishing love before the world began, he did also predestinate you to one day be conformed to his Son in glory and nothing's going to stop that.

To be conformed to a Son in glory, imperfectly here, perfectly there. And in time he called you. If you love God, He called you with an effectual call, with the internal call of the Holy Spirit, and he raised you from the graveyard of those dead in trespasses and sins. If you love him, that's what happened. Something happened to you.

Do you understand that? Something happened to me. Praise God. And it doesn't happen to everyone. No.

That's why you Responded to the outward call of the gospel to repent and believe in on Jesus when others around you sat there stone-faced That's why Something happened to you That's why you were you were softened under the same message that made other people mad. Something happened to you. That's why you embraced Jesus when others around you laughed at him. That's why you came under conviction for your sins and confessed to them and turned from them when others conceal theirs and continue in them. That's why you cry sometimes when you think about some of the things that you have said and done and thought in your lifetime.

And you think of Jesus being treated as though he did all those things that you did, I did. And you see him through eyes of faith suffering and dying in your place for those things. Sometimes you cry and that's why. That's why. That's why you know something happened to you.

That's why you know that it's by grace alone that you've been saved. Because you know what you deserved and what you got instead. The question is do you understand what's happened to you? If you love Christ it's because something wonderful has happened to you and it doesn't happen to everyone. Everyone isn't melted under gospel preaching.

Many are hardened. Maybe God just saved you. Or maybe you've been saved for many years, but if you love him, praise him for what he's done for you and end you and for you and is continuing to do in you and will one day bring to completion without a doubt. I'll end with this slightly modified quote from Scottish theologian Robert Haldane once again from the 1800s. Quote, let every believer glory in this grace of God by which he is predestinated and called and justified and glorified.

This is all his consolation and all his joy, for it is an indissoluble chain which neither the world nor the powers of hell can break. Do you feel a holy sadness for having offended God? Do you feel a holy desire to struggle against the corruptions of your heart? Do you have a desire to advance in the work of your sanctification, that is to grow in holiness and obedience to God? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?

Are you seeking to put on the new man and to possess more of the image and character and likeness of Christ, if so you can conclude from these certain marks of your calling that you are justified and that the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to you and that your eternal happiness is as certain as if you were already glorified. God is for you and since he is for you, who or what could possibly be against you? Let's pray. Father, we thank you God for the truth of your word. I pray God that it has penetrated the hearts of many this day and will continue.

We thank you God, Father, that it is your will, as we read in Scripture, that it is your will, that all whom you have given to your Son will not be lost, and that he should lose nothing, none of those you've given him, but will raise them all up at the last day. We thank you for the truth of your Word. May it sink into our hearts, God. May we, God, who have been for loved of you, God, have predestinated and called with an internal call, the internal call of the Spirit, who have been justified and are headed to glory, God may we praise and thank you every day of our lives, God, even as we will be thanking you and praising you for all eternity. For the giving of your Son, for the reconciliation that came through the cross, for the blood of that cross, for his death, burial, and resurrection.

Our trust is in the person and work of your son, Father, our Lord Jesus. And I pray God that we would give him the glory to his name. And if we haven't already, begin to praise him and thank him. Now, even as we will be thanking him and praising him for all eternity. For it's in his name we pray these things, amen and amen.