'More Than Conquerors'

(S1) — SERIES—Romans(8)

Paul declares with such glorious confirmation, his words unarguably not his own, but of Christ, his faith in the permanency of God’s love for the believer—one who professes Christ crucified…

One commentary…describes the study of chapter 8 as climbing a step ladder…the believers victory cry!

— as the truth’s of God’s love for us comes to us like a mom speaking to a fearful child in the dark of night, with only a tiny night light and the assurance of the moms words…its going to be ok nothing can come between you and my love for you.

…the Christian is not void of the troubles of this world and of life…but has the assurance of God, that in Christ nothing can seperate them from the love of God!

In Christ, we are more than conquerors…

— May we find such assurance today as we ascend to the top rung…in hearing this glorious declaration of the permanency of God’s love for all who believe.

(S2) — Romans 8:35-39, 9:1

PRAY

(S3) —

Thomas/Auto show/Separated

Some times God feels distant/separation from his love—especially when life seems to be going wrong—Even to the one who profess faith in Jesus.

—Even to the one who profess faith in Jesus

(S4)

The first followers of Jesus were called to profess faith in Christ under some of the most difficult circumstances.

— Paul certainly had his own...

— The churches he and others had planted—Opposition from religious leaders…

— Opposition from religious zealots

— Nero (54-68 AD), a brutal dictator, who instituted the beginning of Rome’s official persecution of the Christian Church.

— Burning of Rome/Execution of Paul and many Christians, who became martyrs for the faith

What is the worst we might face as Christians today?

— How do I equate the things believers then endured with our circumstances today? Which non compare?

Can one who trusts in Christ, be separated from the love of God? The Love of Christ? If so then how?

Three big challenges believers may face today…

First, the feeling of being unworthy of God’s love

Not receiving communion/Myself avoiding prayer

Ever felt unworthy of God’s love?

Second, the slow fade from of our first love of God…due to life circumstances, and misplaced priorities.

Social Media…gets more of our attention…things that only distract us..

Ever felt out of sync/step in your faith? Distant from the love of God?

Third, and often the hardest...unresolved and unconfessed sin in our life

(S5)

All of these can be like the Linus cloud…hanging over our heads—feeling distant from God’s

Linus’ Cloud

What is it for you that seems to only want to separate you from Christ love?

All of these are our distancing ourselves from the live of God, not the other way around.

In Romans 8, Paul speaks to the PERMANENCY of this love— that in Christ Jesus there is no possbile means of separation for the one who lives life in the Spirit

— that in Christ Jesus there is no possbile means of separation for the one who lives life in the Spirit

He asks 5 rhetorical questions...offering assurance for the church in Corinth, and for believers...

—Lifting any cloud of doubt with the intent of drawing them closer to the blessing of God’s love.

(S6) —

(31a) What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?

8:1, 3,10, 18, 26, 28,

28-30

In other words, in lite of all this…what is there left to say?

(S7) — he continues…

2. (31b,32) Who can ever be against us? No one! God is FOR us!

3. (33) Who dare accuse us? No one! Christ alone JUSTIFIES!

4. (34) Who can condemn us? No one! Jesus INTERCEDES on our behalf!

Two monumental truths of this glorious chapter (bookends)

1. NO CONDEMNATION...

In Christ Jesus, there is FREEDOM from our troubles (sin)…and the troubles of the world

Because of all these wonderful things God has done in Jesus, the believer TRIUMPHS by living LIFE in the SPIRIT

(S8) — The 5th question…

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

First, notice the confidence in Paul’s words…we will see that come out in his answer found in verse 39...

Because of all these wonderful things God has done in Jesus…the believer TRIUMPHS by living LIFE in the SPIRIT

Three foundations of the believers victory cry

I. We are more than CONFIDENT in the love of God!

Paul’s confidence is clear—Question is not one seeking an answer, but a statement of faith…seen throughout his life in Christ

2 Corinthians 3:4–5 “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”

Notice the authority by which Paul asks the question—

(NLT) Can anything ever..

Notice his confidence throughout these verses—No (37), I am convinced (38), I speak truth…(9:1).

This kind of confidence comes from faith in something they cannot yet fully see

The disciples willingness to follow…Peter’s to jump out of the boat

How confident are you your faith? Do you trust what the word of God tells us about Christ’ love

Romans 5:8 “But God...demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It takes a confident faith to give up what we love for a greater and everlasting love

Psalm 103:17 “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—”

It takes a confident faith to speak to God of what where we fall short

Romans 3:23–24 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

By faith the believer walks in victory and is MORE than CONFIDENT in the love of God!

The second thing to notice is, the WHO is now a WHAT…can seperate us…

(S9)

35b Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

A list of adversities and adversaries that might be thought of as coming between us and Christ’s love

trouble—hardship—persecution

“which together seem to denote the pressures and distresses caused by an ungodly and hostile world. (The Message of Romans, John Stott)

The lack of adequate necessities—famine, nakedness…which Jesus promised for the faithful

Matthew 6:25 “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

Paul’s confident faith was based on what he knew of God…his encounter with Jesus…and his living life in the Spirit

He concludes this list with the risk of suffering that those who have faith in Jesus may face even death

(S10) — Psalm 44:22

36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

—A willingness of one to stand up for one’s faith in hardship—Martyrdom

“A psalm of complaint to God in the midst of suffering. The suffering, in the Psalm, has not come about because of Israel’s infidelity. It has come about despite the fact that Israel has been faithful. Paul for Everyone,

Paul is more than confident in the love of God so that in the face of his own suffering, he can continue to proclaim the gospel—which has a profound effect in the people.

Philippians 1:14 “because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Not an over confidence in himself…but in the Gospel of Jesus revealing the permanancy of God’s love.

Do you have faith? Do you have faith in suffering?

Living life in the Spirit, In Christ, you have all you need to be MORE THAN CONFIDENT of God’s love

The second truth of the believers victory cry

II. We are more than CONQUERORS through the love of God!

(S11)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Paul is not minimizing what they have and will face…its very very real...

— Just as our feeling of unworthiness, our struggle with the things of this world…and our own sinfulness

It’s almost as of Paul made up a word—nowhere else in the Bible

— hypernikaō—To have COMPLETE triumph—Overwhelming VICTORY—To WIN

(LEB) In Christ we can prevail completely…

We are more then conquerors…

“not because we are something special…but the conquering nature we enjoy is provided for us…through Him who loves us. Alistair Begg

Paul spoke of this previously in 8:5

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Roman cities/Jerusalem under Roman authority—conquering kings entrance into the city

—proudly displaying the remnants of victory...

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem…the people not yet knowing a different kind of victory that Jesus death would usher...

— Jesus himself would be the remnant of a great sacrifice—

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Living life in the Spirit, In Christ, you have all you need to be MORE THAN CONFIDENT of God’s love. That you are more then conquerors in Jesus who conquered sin and death

The third truth of the believers victory cry

III. We are more than CONVINCED by the love of God

(S12)

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation...

peithō — means to be persuaded by proof

—Paul is speaking not just of faith but of the knowledge of God’s love in Christ Jesus

How many know that first hand knowledge is more convincing?

— it is Paul’s experience which led him to be so CONVINCED in the love of God...

I Know Whom I Have Believed (Hymn)

Jesus’ death, resurrection, and gift the the spirit...convinced his followers and latter Paul to trust in Christ and believe in the permanency of his love!

I do now trust in Christ in all things and with all of my life! J.W.

Convinced that the Christian is triumphant even over all the hostile powers of this world and beyond, that would try to separate them from the love of God.

neither death/in the face of martyrdom—nor life with all its distractions and snares

neither angels/good and bad—Jesus is higher than the angels

Hebrews 1:4 “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”

present nor future—

any powers seen and unseen—principalities, or rulers

Isaiah 9:6–7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

height nor death…

Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

and in case he left anything out, or anything else…

So convinced he is…leading to this final triumphant conclusion of living life in the Spirit…

— In Christ, there is No SEPARATION...

(S13)

39 NOTHING...will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—

nothing...

in Christ Jesus as lord…a declaration of surrender to God who loves us in Christ Jesus who died for us...

So what are we to say to all of this? How are we to respond?

“Our security is in our relationship to Christ or in His relationship to us. The only harm that can come to us must first destroy this relationship. And the consolation here is that we are not holding Him. He is holding us. We are only yielding and responding. His love for us enables and inspires our love for Him. So we can confidently trust and rejoice in triumph. The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 5: Romans–Philemon (4. The Triumph of the Christian (8:35–39))

Living life in the Spirit

— The greatest triumph of all victories...

— The most beautiful finally in the best of concerto...

— The triumphant proclamation of the Christian

who is...

(S12,13)

— More than CONFIDENT…in God’s love

— More than CONQUERORS…through God’s love

— More than CONVINCED…by God’s love

Ever felt unworthy? Know God loves you...

Ever gotten distracted...felt distant from God’s love? Trust the God has his hand on you

How have you missed the mark of God’s best for you? Any unresolved, unconfessed sin in your life?

— You only need to trust in Christ who loved you enough to die for you

(S14) — LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

NO CONDEMNATION…

NO SEPARATION…

In Christ Jesus, you can know the PERMANENCY of God’s love…

Resources

1. The Message of Romans (c. Five Unanswerable Questions (31–39))