The Unshakeable Love of God
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Romans 8:26-39.
Apostle Paul ends this section of his letter to the church in Rome with one of the most dynamic statements on God’s unwavering Faithfulness to us and His unconditional Love expressed to all of mankind.
In a world filled with uncertainty, anxiety, and constant change, there exists one truth that stands firm and immovable: the love of God is unshakable.
Romans 8:26-39 presents one of the most powerful declarations of God's faithfulness ever written, a passage that has comforted believers through persecution, suffering, and doubt for nearly two thousand years.
This represents some of the deepest theological prose ever to have been penned.
1- Spirit Support
1- Spirit Support
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Just as we are encouraged to call out to God, “Abba, Father” in the previous section...
Here we see the Holy Spirit, actively joining us in our prayers and petitions to the Throne of God.
Sometimes, when situations come at us so hard and fast, we struggle to keep up,
The Holy Spirit intercedes, (or acts as a go-between or mediator) with groans too deep for words.
Think about that for a moment.
When you are at your weakest, when circumstances hit you so hard and fast that coherent prayer seems impossible, the Holy Spirit steps in as your advocate.
He translates your wordless groans, your silent tears, your confused thoughts into perfect communion with the Father.
This isn't just theological theory—it's practical comfort. Your prayers don't bounce off the ceiling and disappear like vapor.
They don't need to be eloquent or perfectly structured. The God who knows your every thought hears not just your words, but your heart.
And when your heart can't speak, the Spirit speaks for you.
TO provide a bridge between our human weaknesses and God’s divine strength.
In Psalm 136, the recurring line 'His steadfast love endures forever' echoes through each recounting of God's mighty acts in history.
This refrain serves as a reminder of God’s ongoing commitment to His creation.
Each verse celebrates a different instance of deliverance or provision, reinforcing that God's love is a foundational aspect of His identity—
A love that sustains and perseveres through every challenge we face, reminding us of His unbreakable covenant with humanity.
It should be comforting that the God of the universe, who knows our every thought, as is noted thorough Scripture:
Psalms 139:23, Jeremiah 17:10, in the OT
And
Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 in the NT
And not only does He hear our prayers, He responds to them as well.
Our prayers do not just bounce off the ceiling or enter the air and disappear like vapor in the wind...
In the Book of Lamentations, the author reflects on the devastation of Jerusalem but finds hope in God’s character:
'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.'
This lament illustrates a recognition of suffering yet emphasizes the faithfulness of God's love.
Despite our darkest times, His love remains a constant source of hope and restoration, proving that we are never beyond the reach of His grace.
And this is a wonderful example of how the Trinity works together:
God the Father knows our prayers because He knows the Holy Spirit
Christ, Himself, intercedes on our behalf to the Father as well.
God the Father, knows the hearts of mankind, intimately.
The Holy Spirit and God the Son then respond to the Souls of Man
According to the Will of God the Father.
It is all perfectly orchestrated when we allow the Holy Trinity to work on our behalf.
You may feel overwhelmed by the daily challenges of family life, leading to feelings of inadequacy.
Remember that God's unwavering love for you means He sees your efforts, even when you feel invisible.
To combat feelings of frustration, set aside time each evening to pray for each family member, thanking God for His steadfast love and asking for patience and guidance.
Making this a habit, will help you anchor your worth in God's love rather than your performance, creating a more loving and patient environment at home.
Now that we have seen how intercession works for us-
Let’s examine what is the source of strength that makes it work-
2- When God is for Us...
2- When God is for Us...
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
As a Believer in Christ, we all have a place in God’s family.
As we remain under God’s umbrella of protection, we have the assurance of:
A Love that cannot be measured by human standards
Absolutely nothing can separate us from Him
As the Holy Spirit works in complete agreement with God the Father
All the while bringing us closer to spiritual maturity
The lesson to be learned here is what cause many believers to faulter in their faith.
While it’s true that in God’s plan “All things work together for good...”
It does not promise that the journey will all be happy and good
Paul’s point is that God will work with all the stuff of our lives
The Good, Bad and the Ugly, hurtful painful and shameful stuff
God will take the entire package of what makes us...us
And, when we let Him, He will make it all workout for His Glory and our Good.
“For those that love God and are called according to His purpose...”
That “Called” part means that, in our Love of God, we submit our lives for His purpose
Because He really does know what is best for each of us, which means
It will work out best for us and for His Glory.
Some of those things working out, we will not see until we reach eternity.
God intended it this way, because He knows the heart of man
And we have a way of boasting of the good things in our lives, as if we have something to do about it.
When we live in Christ, we boast- Not of our greatness, but of God’s Glory at work in our lives.
Paul models this for us in Phil 1:12-13.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
And in 2 Cor 12:9-10 in regards to Paul’s “Thorn in the flesh”
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
What follows is some of the most hotly debated text in all of the NT Scripture.
Vs 30- And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love / 8:28-39
What does predestination mean?
What keeps foreknowledge and predestination from being determinism? How can belief in predestination avoid leading someone to despair over the futility of any human choice?
Romans Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love / 8:28-39
God’s foreknowledge
Romans Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love / 8:28-39
Since God
As an example:
There were times, when raising my kids, that knew what my child would before they did it.
Does that mean I some kind of fore-knowledge, future-reading ability?
Not at all.
What it did mean was that based on PAST behavior AND the childs current state of mind, I could fairly accurately predict what they’re response would be.
Knowing your children is simply being a good parent.
Romans Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love / 8:28-39
God’s foreknowledge, as much as we can understand it, means that God knows who will accept the offer of salvation.
T
In the same way that a person who buys a plane ticket to any given city.
Upon the purchase of the ticket and boarding the plane- That person is predestined to arrive in that city.
Romans Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love / 8:28-39
To explain foreknowledge and predestination in any way that implies that every action and choice we make has been not only pre-known, but even predetermined,
Seems to contradict those Scriptures that
Paul points out the process of “The Three Easy Steps of Gods Plan of Salvation”
For those that have committed to belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior
Called (Rom 1:6, 8:28)
Justified (Rom 3:24, 28, 4:2, 5:1,9)
Glorified (Rom 8:17, Col 1:27, 3:4)
And while Paul uses the past tense of Glorified
It is a future event, but so assured that it is as good as done.
When we are finally conformed to Christ we will be glorified
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared;
But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
From the introduction of this letter, Paul has stressed how important Faith is to the process. ( 1:17, Faith from first to last...)
By Faith we recognize the calling of the Holy Spirit
By Faith we are Justified through the Righteousness of God
By Faith we are Glorified, coming into eternal peace and rest- Just as God planned from before the beginning
At every step of the way God is active in the process and we are reactive to the process.
This is God’s Sovereignty above all else
3- What Else Can be Said?
3- What Else Can be Said?
What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
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?
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies.
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.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.
Questions and Answers.
It is my belief that there is nowhere else in Scripture, the Glory and total essence of God, is laid out so succinctly.
So lets break it down:
After detailing the over all Goodness of God
And how that alone should be enough to strengthen our Faith
Paul asks, “ What then, shall we say to these things?”
If God is for us, Who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own, but gave all of Himself for all.
Who shall bring charges against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies.
Who is to Condemn?
Jesus Christ was the only one to die AND be raised again, seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
And then the greatest question of them all- Followed by the greatest answer of them all.
“Who, then, shall separate us from the Love of Christ?”
“Shall tribulation, distress, or persecution, famine or nakedness?”
“Or danger or Sword?”
Paul now quotes Psalms 44:22. But for context I will provide...
If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
And now for the Christian Faith defining conclusion:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.
Paul also added in-
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—
That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
That is my Daily prayer for all Followers of Christ around the world-
To be filled with the fullness of God- Throughout all generations- Forever and ever- Amen
