Easter 2024

Romans 8:31-35

New Living Translation Chapter 8

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Intro:

Before I was a pastor I was a leadership consultant. I had a client named Josh.

Thought he was richer, smarter, older, more put together. I was nervous to meet him.

For months, our only interaction was on Zoom.

Then I flew to Colorado to meet him in person. I was anxious. Would I be professional enough, smart enough, put together enough to keep him as a client?

He pulled up in a beat up Honda Accord, music blaring.

He jumped out, he was tall, I thought of him as being my height or maybe shorter.

And he was wearing floral pattern board shorts.

He gave me a big bear hug, threw my luggage in the trunk, and said we were going for tacos.

The mental image I had built up about Josh didn’t match the real life Josh. And that changed everything about how I thought about Josh, but also the way I thought about myself.

What we think of other people and what they think of us matters, but there is something that matters even more.

A. W. Tozer:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.

What comes into your mind when you think about God?

Whatever that is, is the most important thing about you. Crazy right?

Do you imagine a harsh father with lots of rules?

Do you imagine a grandfatherly older gentleman with a grey beard?

When you think of God what do you feel?

Fear?

Apathy?

Love?

Our

Here’s the truth about Who God is and What He has Done.

1. God is for us.

2. Jesus is God’s son.

3. God did not spare his own son (Jesus) for us.

4. Jesus was crucified.

5. Jesus rose from the dead.

6. Jesus ascended into Heaven.

7. Jesus is interceding (pleading) for his people.

8. Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

This is the Gospel, then good news of Jesus.

->Only here, in all his writings, does Paul offer such a complete and succinct summary of the Jesus-story.

>For Paul, Jesus is the centerpiece; He is the hero.(Celebrate Today) - the one true human who loved perfectly, lived self-lessly, gave his life for the sake of the world, and triumphantly defeated death itself, and now

>The trouble is, we all want to be the hero of our own story…and even when it comes to our faith, we want to make our own story and struggles the centerpiece. (more on this)

I want to be the hero of my own story - Story about being a safety patrol for Halloween when I was 5 and trying to actually stop traffic.

Do you remember a time you thought you had superpowers?

>We want to be the heroes…but I think if we’re honest we know that we can’t be. And the truth is neither were the above stories.

>Life has a way of reminding us of our limits:

-Limits on our physical abilities.

-Limits on our time.

-Limits on our capacity to love, forgive, and receive, process.

“The odd thing is that, even when we run into our inevitable limits, we often hang on to the delusion that if we just work harder, if we simply squeeze tigher, if we become more efficient, we can eventually regain control. We imagine we can keep our children safe, our incomes secure, and our bodies whole. Wehn I complain about getting older, my wife sometimes laughs and says to me, “ You have two options: either you are getting older or you are dead.” Denying our finitude cripples us in ways we don’t realize. It also distorts our view of God and what Christian spirituality should look like.” - Kelly Kapic “You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Relect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News”

We chase things in life pretending that we don’t have limits in our pursuit of relationships, career, pleasure, wealth to try and find meaning and identity.

But the truth is we have to approach God not having our act together but instead with a posture of humility and right understanding that we bring nothing to God and he brings everything to us.

NT Wright says the best way to understand this truth about who God is in Romans 8 is found in John 8

(story-tell The Woman caught in adultery.)

New Living Translation Chapter 8

All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

New Living Translation Chapter 8

Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

-Jesus confronts two sins:

-the Pharisees: self-righteousness, pride, blindness

-the woman’s adultery - seeking to fulfill her needs for intimacy and security apart from God.

The response:

The ones who thought they were GOOD - walked away from Jesus.

The one who knew she was BROKEN - responded to Jesus and received what she longed for forgiveness and acceptance and a path forward.

ME -My posture…brokenness and need for God.

GOD’S RESPONSE> “Who condemns you? Neither do I…go and sin no more.”

-This is the miracle of God’s grace. (Being good vs Being broken)

-I deserve condemnation. I am guilty. I know my limits. I am no hero. I am broken and beat up by my sin. (If any of you feel that today? This is for you… because Jesus is near to you.)

Now we are ready to understand what Paul is saying in Romans 8:

Illustration of Paul coming quick out of the corner and throwing a haymaker: (lighter mood) - growing up with WWF wrestling

“So now there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” -Romans 8:1 Wow!

-Saved From: Condemnation (Romans 8:1) Justified by God.

-Saved For: Adoption (Romans 8:2>) Belonging to God.

{We struggle is to understand Jesus and grasp His love for us; to believe what Paul is teaching is true. We ? }

5 Questions and Answers Romans 8:31-35a

->5 different times, Romans 8:31-35a, Paul asks and answers our questions about the strength of God’s love and my many doubts.

Paul names out loud the questions that are probably in his head(v.31a So what do we conclude from this? -> Romans 8:1-30)

1. Who can be against you? v.31

-If God is on your side…what else matters.

Illustration of your buddies talking trash about a basketball game but you know that you are bringing Michael, Larry, Magic, and LeBron to play on your team.

Talk trash all you want - IT DOESN’T MATTER

2. Will God provide everything you need? v.32

-Something is worth what someone else will pay for it.

-So what is your worth to God?

The way the economy works:

Value is what someone will pay.

Janet and Real Estate

3. Who is accusing you? v.33

-Bring a charge against you? “The accuser”

-If God has declared us “not guilty” who can bring a charge?

4. Who wants to condemn you? v.34

-A Charge proceeds a Condemnation.

-We move from what you’ve done to who you are here.

5. Can anything ever separate you from the love of Jesus? v.35a

-All the other questions are actually versions of this question. All these questions are a version of this final question.

-Our fear is there is something that can separate us from God.

- I think God is like me…He’s going to get tired of me and give up on me, and eventually he’ll discard me like others have.

I know I will give up on me so I assume God will too.

I assume there is a limit to God’s love for me because I know there is a limit to my love for myself and other people.

But God is NOT like us.

>I wonder what story are you believing in your heart and mind that makes you believe that you are somehow separated from God’s love today? (Can I tell you something…)

>Jesus wrote a check for all your sins (past, present, and future) on Friday at the cross and on Sunday morning the check cleared the bank.

-Because of the Resurrection, those of you who believe and receive Jesus, are sons and daughters of the King

-Saved From Condemnation and Saved For Adoption.

This symphony of God’s love finishes at the empty tomb, on Easter Sunday with these final notes from Romans 8:38-39:

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

SONG Jesus our living hope.

How great the chasm that lay between us How high the mountain I could not climb In desperation I turned to heaven And spoke Your name into the night Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness Tore through the shadows of my soul The work is finished the end is written Jesus Christ my living hope

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We are continuing our conversation about Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome - all about understanding what it means to follow Jesus.

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