Romans 8:31-39 More Than Conquerors!
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
If you have your Bible go ahead and flip to Romans 8.
We have been in Romans 8 for a few weeks now.
As we have slowly been working our way through what some say is the best chapter in the best book of all the Bible.
last week we were able to see Pauls encouragement for us as we face suffering in our life.
and we ended last week with the encouragement that Paul gives us in Romans 8:27-29 that God is faithful to bring our faith to completion.
Now tonight we get to what I think may be one of the most singular greatest passages in all of the Bible.
A passage that tells us just how great God is. How much he loves us. and it shows us our future reality.
Theres just so much goodness in this passage tonight and I feel like its almost Pauls locker room speech for his team of believers before they begin the big game.
OR maybe its his big halftime speech for us as believers as we try to figure the first 8 chapters of Romans out.
If Romans got you down and depressed about your sinfulness. Romans 8:31-39 is the joy and happiness you need to show you how great life with Jesus is.
What Paul accomplishes in Romans 8 can more or less be summed up with his beginning words and his ending words.
He begins in Romans 8:1 telling us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus and he ends Romans 8 telling us there is no separation for us from Christ Jesus.
and in between no condemnation and no separation what Paul has taught us is that there is No defeat for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
this is the Good News of the Gospel clearly seen in Romans chapter 8.
Read Romans 8:31–39
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
5 Questions from Paul
5 Questions from Paul
If God is for us Who can be Against us? v31
If God is for us Who can be Against us? v31
Romans 8:31 “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
We have talked about this before. But in Greek there is a way to write a question so that it implies the answer.
this again one of those situations.
The question implies that the answer is no one.
If God is for you nothing can be against you.
Sometimes I think this is where we have to test our beliefs and make sure we aren't like other religions who believe in polytheism or multiple gods.
what I mean is we kind of compartmentalize God.,
god is the god of creation. He’s my god. He’s the god who loves me.
But what we miss is that God really is these things. And he’s the ONE TRUE GOD.
HE CREATED WITH HIS SPOKEN WORD.
HE Knitted us together in our mothers womb.
HE breathed life into our lungs.
HE knows every thing.
He sees all things.
HE is always presence.
He is perfect.
He is the ALMIGHTY God.
Think about how great God is.
and then realize that he is even greater than what you can imagine.
AND THAT GOD is the God that is for you.
That God is the ONE who has adopted you into his family.
That God calls you his son or daughter.
So if That God is for you who can be against you?
NO one can. Nothing Can.
None is greater than him.
How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? v32
How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? v32
Romans 8:32 “32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
the question that Paul is really answering here. Is what happens when God grows tired of us?
If we are sinners what if God gets sick of forgiving us.
Couldn't God get tired of us. And just want to move on?
Because we think of God as a person we think he is like us.
And if we are honest if we had to love someone as inconsistent as ourselves we would probably get tired of it and want to move on.
Like I know Im annoying.
I know there are times i’m not easy to love.
If it was my job to love me I would quite.
But God isn't like us in that way.
He doesn't change.
But not only that, theres a reason why
He doesn't change and he doesn't grow frustrated with us because he gave his own son for us.
Why would God stop giving you grace? When he never stopped punishing his son for your sin.
Because he sent His Son and his son took the punishment for our complete and full sin then why would God grow frustrated with us?
Paul is asking us to fix our eyes on the cross. To remember and know in the depths of our soul that Jesus died in our place.
And then to remind ourselves that if God did that. And his Son did that for us.
Is there anything He wouldn’t do for me? and for you?
Now does this mean that God will give us anything we asks? So we can ask for lambo and a billion dollars.
Of course not. Those things are meaningless.
But the promise God has made with us is so much better.
He has promised us strength to overcome temptation.
Hope in the midst of darkness.
Joy in the midst of mourning.
A lambo would be cool. Billions would be awesome.
But all you have to do is watch the award shows each year. they do a section in memory of all those who died that year.
and youll see the faces of men and women who died many of whom ran after riches like they would solve all their problems just to be left empty and void.
Yet GOD promises us much better things. And we know his promise is true because he sent his SON.
Who will bring any charge? v33
Who will bring any charge? v33
Romans 8:33 “33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
Pauls ask us this question and the answer once again is no one.
If you belong to God.
He is the judge, the jury and the executioner.
Others can charge you with whatever they wish.
But before God have already had your trial.
Now this is where things go differently than the world thinks.
Because you were innocent.
God the Judge charged you with Sin.
God the Jury found you guilty.
and God the Executioner has put to death the one who wore sin.
But we know that though we were the ones guilty and deserving death that Jesus took our place.
And we say that JESUS JUSTIFIED US.
JUSTIFICATION is to be made just as if I have never sinned.
So there are no charges any longer.
Who can bring a charge against you to destroy your faith?
No one can. Because you didn't save yourself. God saved you. God justified you.
You didn't justify yourself. God did.
Who is to Condemn? v34
Who is to Condemn? v34
Romans 8:34 “34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
This fourth question is a lot like the third question.
Who is the one who condemns us? Its Jesus. God himself.
Jesus died for your sins so the price has been paid.
But it doesn't just stop at his death.
Jesus rose from the grave!
HE lives today. And He lives as the one who took the punishment for sin.
He is at the right hand of God.
And he goes before God for us.
God doesn't forget things. But its like Jesus is right there. Hey remember I paid for his sins. Don’t kill him. Don’t strike him down.
But then Paul tells us the role that Jesus plays
And Paul uses the word Paraclete. Now this word is used in the Bible for both the Holy Spirit and Jesus.
It literally translates as Lawyer or “one who is called alongside another to help”
Jesus used this word to describe the Holy Spirit when he told the disciples that they were going to receive the HS as their counselor in John 16.
and in 1 John this word is used speaking of Jesus saying he is the one who speaks to the Father in our defense.
I love how JMB explains this
“This is a picture of a divine law firm with two branches, a heavenly office and an earthly one. On earth the Holy Spirit pleads for us, interpreting our petitions correctly. In heaven the Lord Jesus Christ pleads the efficacy of his shed blood to show that we are saved persons and that nothing can rise up to cause our condemnation by God.”
Nothing can Condemn us because if we belong to God. We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our advocates.
Who Shall Separate us from Christ? v35
Who Shall Separate us from Christ? v35
Romans 8:35 “35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”
What Paul does here is just a masterclass and such a encouragement to us.
He tries to answer for us.
Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
Tribulation: NOPE
Distress: NO WAY
Persecution: NA
Famine: NOT EVEN CLOSE
Nakedness: Nothing
Danger: Cant take me from God
Sword: NOTHING
If you belong to the Lord you belong to HIM and HE will hold you in his hand for eternity.
Theres nothing that can separate you from God if you have come to him through Faith in Jesus.
In V36 Paul reminds us what we are up against and that for some of us our faith in Jesus is going to lead us to a worldly death.
BUT can even that separate us from God? NO never.
Paul ends Romans 8 with these powerful three verses Romans 8:37–39
“37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I love what John Piper wrote in his book Don’t Waste Your Life about these verses.
He says:
What does more than a conqueror mean? How can you be more than a conqueror when you risk for the cause of God and get hurt for it?
If you venture some act of obedience that magnifies the supreme value of Jesus Christ and get attacked by one of the enemies mentioned in verse 35, say, famine or sword, what must happen for you to be called simply a conqueror”? Answer: You must not be separated from the love of Jesus Christ. The aim of the attacker is to destroy you, and cut you off from Christ, and to bring you to final ruin without God. You are a conqueror if you defeat this aim and remain in the love of Christ. God has promised that this will happen. Trusting this, we risk.
But what must happen in this conflict with famine and sword if you are to be called more than a conqueror? One biblical answer is that a conqueror defeats his enemy, but one who is more than a conqueror subjugates his enemy. A conqueror nullifies the purpose of his enemy; one who is more than a conqueror makes the enemy serve his own purposes. A conqueror strikes down his foe; one who is more than a conqueror makes his foe his slave.
Application:
Application:
1. Believe and make Christ Lord.
1. Believe and make Christ Lord.
2. Trust in the Finished Work of The Cross.
2. Trust in the Finished Work of The Cross.
3. Live Boldly as More than a Conqueror.
3. Live Boldly as More than a Conqueror.
