By Faith - Romans 8:31-39
Notes
Transcript
By Faith - Romans 8:31-39
By Faith - Romans 8:31-39
Romans 8:31–39 (CSB)
What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.
Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Basis for everything that has been said in Romans 8 rests here in verse 32.
He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
Jesus took our place and gave us freedom, redemption, salvation, sanctification, and justification.
The fact that there is no condemnation, that the Spirit abides in us, and that nothing can separate us from God’s love rests in this fact,
For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
Everything we need to understand rests on this. This is the truth we need to build our lives on. This is the thing that changed everything. From here everything flows.
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
There is a fountain filled with blood by William Cowper
Jesus is our high priest
Jesus is our high priest
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
We have the Spirit in us interceding for us and we have the Son of God Himself sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. We are surrounded by intercession from the Holy Trinity.
Jesus is able to do this from the perspective of one who gets it. He was tested and He passed.
We might ask how was Jesus tested and was it a real test? Can the Son of God, God in flesh actually be tested? The answer is yes He was really tested and this is why the incarnation and the divinity of Christ is important.
Jesus has to be God to make the sacrifice and He has to be a man for it to be effect of His sacrifice to applied to us. It was humanity that must have paid the penalty but only God was able.
He was tested in every way. He was put to the test. Yes He was going to pass but He still had to pass. He still had to undergo the testing.
The devil tempted Him with the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life and Jesus passed. He understands our condition. He knows what it means to be human. So now He intercedes for us.
He is the perfect lamb of God. He is perfect man.
Jesus Interceding For Is
Jesus Interceding For Is
What does it means that Jesus intercedes for us? We can look at two things.
First, Jesus’ praying for Peter.
“Simon, Simon, look out. Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.
But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith to be strong. Peter was going to fail the test before him. Jesus knew Peter would fail the test. The prayer from Jesus was not that Peter would not fail, it was that after his failure, after his sifting, he would strengthen his brothers from a place of knowing what it means to fail and be restored. It was for his faith after the failure.
The enemy and your own flesh want your to lose. When we start following Christ we have an adversary that wants us to lose. Our enemy wants to destroy Christians lives, Christian marriages, Christian families. He is actively trying to get us to lose in such a way that it keeps others from following Christ. If you are walking with Christ you have a target on your back and he wants you taken out.
God in His infinite wisdom allows for safe failures that are designed to teach and grow us.
We so often try to avoid failure or testing. We want to stay safe and secure at all times but failure and testing are amazing teachers.
The faith that follows failure and testing is strong and durable.
It comes to us only after and makes us stronger than ever. Faith after failure and testing is solid.
Jesus knows this and He allows us to fail and be tested so that we might be strong.
As parents, as friends, as people we should be teaching others how to fail well. How to rebound after failure. How to return to faith after failure.
Failure and testing are going to come. Failure and testing are inevitable for us. Failure is an option. But what do we do after this? We return and allow God to give us a stronger faith.
Jesus so often allows us to fail safely. We might get some bumps and bruises. We might, hopefully, hurt our pride. We might get dirty but the failure is for our good so that we can learn from it and have a stronger faith.
Failure does not condemn us, failure cannot separate us from the love of God.
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Failure does not separate us but reminds us we are secure. It reminds us we are secure because God is with us in the fire.
As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
We live in this world were failure, trial, and tribulations come. They are going to happen. We will not always be blessed, unstressed, and at rest. There are times of trial and tribulation. There are times of difficulty. There are times of hardship but those times do not win. Even if the result is death we still win because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
While the enemy is trying to get us to lose and be destroyed, God is using it for good.
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.
Second, Jesus intercedes for us by giving us what we need to live.
The Spirit in us and with us to guide us is His gift to us.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
The Spirit is our assurance that Jesus is for us.
When we are weak we have the Spirit.
When we are tired we have the Spirit.
When we feel alone we have the Spirit.
The Spirit is our assurance of Jesus’ intercession and victory.
We are More than conquers
We are More than conquers
Because of all of this we are more than conquers. What does it mean to be more than a conquer? I know what it means to lose. I am all too familiar with failure. I also know what it means to be a conquer. I know what it means to win, but what in the world does it mean to be more than a conquer?
It means two things.
First Jesus has all authority and power and He gave us power in His name.
First Jesus has all authority and power and He gave us power in His name.
He says stand in faith, speak to the mountain in His name, ask in His name, whatever you need go to Jesus for it in faith.
God is the one fighting our battles. He is the one winning the wars. He is the mighty one.
We win because He wins. We have victory because He has victory. Can God give us victory over financial issues? Yes
Can God give us victory over illness? Yes
Can God give us victory over relationships? Yes
Can God give us victory over material things? Yes
God has victory over all of these things there is nothing He cannot do and no war He cannot win.
I have seen God do miracles that blow me away.
I have seen sickness healed.
I have seen bank accounts blessed.
I have seen businesses thrive.
I have seen cars fixed and gas tanks filled.
I have seen bills disappear.
I have seen God move in mighty and powerful ways.
God cares about all of these things. He is a God of miracles and He loves His children and cares for our lives. He wants His children to trust Him with everything. All of these things are possible and doable with Jesus.
I pray for a move of the Spirit in this place. I pray that we would see signs and wonders for people. I pray that we will see healings and deliverance. I pray the sick would be healed. I believe that when Jesus said,
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
He meant it!
But I also believe more than anything else that the Kingdom of heaven has come near and that salvation is available. That the deliverance of our soul is more valuable than anything.
He can move mountains, but He also wants us to be able to say in any and every situation, it is well with my soul.
and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”
Second, the greater victory was that the bondage was to sin and death and the victory is to life and peace.
Second, the greater victory was that the bondage was to sin and death and the victory is to life and peace.
If we can get there, if we can rest in any situation then we have won and we have won something that cannot be taken from us.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We are victorious over sin, death, and the grave because Jesus was. We are no longer slaves. We are the victorious ones because Jesus is victorious.
They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death.
What separates us from this? Nothing.
Nothing can separate us from this victory, from this love, from our God.
Nothing can separate us from this victory, from this love, from our God.
Paul realizes that people will ask but what about this or that?
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us? Nothing external and nothing internal. Nothing that has been done to you and nothing you have done.
Nothing can separate us. Nothing.
Anything that is a something is nothing.
What about my past?
What about my choices?
What about my abortion?
What about my drug history?
What about my lies?
What about my stealing?
What about my falsehood?
What about, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
If you can name a something God makes it a nothing.
We have victory. You have victory. You are an overcomer because of Jesus.
The salvation we have inherited is greater than anything else and I want nothing more than for people to experience this joy.