More than Conquerers
Notes
Transcript
Planning
Planning
Passage
Passage
31 What, then, shall we say in response 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, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered 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 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, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Passage structure
Passage structure
Rhetorical questions to rejoice in our victory in Christ (vv. 31-35)
More than conquerers even despite current defeat (vv. 36-37)
The reason (vv. 38-39)
Big stuff
Big stuff
Big idea: In Christ, we are more than conquerors.
Fallen condition focus: We try to be winners through our own efforts.
Good news statement: Despite our own failures, we are more than conquerors in Christ.
Felt need: We want to be on the winning side.
Big question: Is it possible to be on the winning side?
Sermon structure
Sermon structure
Intro
Winning in life
1, The specifics of our victory (vv. 31-35)
v. 31 - “then” / summary of previous Sundays
vv. 1-11 - from condemnation to freedom
vv. 12-17 - from alienation to adoption
vv. 18-30 - from suffering to glory
(vv. 31-39 - from defeated to conquerors)
Explain vv. 31-35
v. 34 “interceding for us” - Before the Throne of God Above: “A great High Priest whose name is love Who ever lives and pleads for me”
Winning in life: it cannot be based on our own efforts
Spectrum of winning, losing, in between
Winning based on our own efforts is temporary
C.J. Tudor (author) - There are no winners in life. Life is ultimately all about losing: your youth, your looks. But most of all, those you love.
Simon Sinek (inspirational speaker) - No matter how much money we make, no matter how much power we accumulate, no matter how many promotions we're given, none of us will ever be declared the winner of life.
Without Christ, we might be temporary winners. But ultimately, without Christ, we’re all losers. The reality of loss and death
The good news: God is for us. We are winners in Christ (quote from the passage)
Remember your victory in Christ
“your”
Call to repent
Clarification that “us” is Christians
Romans 10:9 “9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Assurance of Christ’s love - v. 35
Transition: Victory doesn’t mean no suffering
2, The suffering despite our victory (vv. 36-37)
v. 36 - the reality of our suffering and others considering us as losers
We do lose in other situations
The Bible is realistic: not fake optimistic.
But it shows us true, realistic hope as well.
v. 37 - we are more than conquerors
We are winners in what matter most: eternal life, relationship with God
Encouragement not to allow others to condemn you
Encouragement not to condemn yourself
Some people are stuck on v. 36 and don’t see the rest.
Encouragement to remember your identity
We mustn’t place our identity or our state of being on the imeddiate circumstances
Things that are closer (in distance and time) look bigger.
People answer “how are you going?” with immediate circumstances.
Encouragement to keep being encouraged by brothers and sisters
Transition: Encouragement to remember our identity as winners not because of our works but because of God
3, The security for our victory (vv. 38-39)
Read vv. 38-39
All of this is because God loves us.
Reassurance (and correction of our understanding) of God’s love when we doubt during suffering
v. 38 - all encompassing: nothing can separate
Including our own doubt and weak faith
Including our own sin
Come back to God’s love, not yourself
Conclusion
Game of Life
Pray
Sermon
Sermon
Intro
Intro
Olivea and I recently came across a board game called The Game of Life.
The Game of Life.
In this game, you and other players take turns to progress throughout life.
Both luck and skill determine what job you get.
How much money you earn.
What properties you can buy.
Whether you start a big family.
Ultimately, whether you win in life.
I suspect this board game is quite popular because it resonates with people.
People want to win in life.
That could be through work, or relationships, or family, or money, or something else.
People want to win in life.
So let me ask you,
Are you winning in life?
Are you winning?
In a church like ours, we’ll get a whole spectrum of responses.
Some of us would say yes.
Life is going well.
You’re happy.
Work’s good.
Family’s thriving.
You’re winning in life.
Some of us would say no.
If you’re honest, you feel like a total loser.
Maybe work’s difficult.
Or you’ve disappointed people.
A struggle with sin you just can’t seem to overcome.
And most of us would probably be somewhere in the middle.
We’re winning in some areas and losing in others.
There’s ups and downs throughout.
With all these different responses, is it possible to be winners in life?
Is it possible for us to consistently have the joy and confidence of being a winner?
This morning, I hope to help us see that in Christ, we are winners.
I don’t want to give an inspirational, shallow pep talk about how life will be fine and dandy.
But I do want us to understand the reality that we are “more than conquerors”, as Paul describes it.
And I hope we will experience the joy and confidence that comes from that reality.
This morning, we’re looking at Romans 8:31-39.
And learn from Romans 8:31-39 through three points.
1, The specifics of our victory
2, The suffering despite our victory
3, The security for our victory
The specifics of our victory
The suffering despite our victory
The security for our victory
We’ll start with the first point.
The specifics of our victory.
1, The specifics of our victory (vv. 31-35)
1, The specifics of our victory (vv. 31-35)
Well in verses 31 to 35, Paul asks seven questions.
These questions aren’t just theological statements.
They’re joyful and confident expressions of our victory in Christ.
These questions build on what we’ve learnt earlier in Romans 8.
If you look at verse 31, Paul is drawing our attention to what he’s just said.
[Don’t read]
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? ...
These things are the great shift in our identity that we’ve experienced because of Jesus.
You might remember three weeks ago that Michael preached from verses 1 to 11.
He showed us how we were once condemned because of our sin.
But now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
We are set free from sin and death.
The second Sunday of January was on verses 12-17.
We learnt that we were alienated from God because we had rejected him.
But he has now adopted us through Christ.
We are his children!
Last Sunday, Tim took us through verses 18 to 30.
We saw the reality of our present suffering.
And we look with hope to certain glory.
So with all that in mind, we come to today’s passage, where we’ll see that we aren’t defeated, but we’re more than conquerors in Christ.
We’ll see that in the seven questions Paul asks in verses 31 to 35.
And as we look at those questions, have a guess at what the answer is.
We’ve already looked at question 1 in verse 31.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? ...
The answer is the rest of the chapter, especially summarised in verse 37, which says
“we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”.
Question 2 is also in verse 31.
[Don’t read]
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
The answer of course is: no one.
No one will be able to say any accusation against us because God is on our side.
That’s astounding when we think about it.
We have the Creator of the whole universe, the one who directs every single thing, who plans out every event...
We have God on our side working for our good.
Question 3.
Verse 32.
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
This answer is a bit trickier since it taps into a theme in the Bible that isn’t discussed that often.
In the new creation, it’s not just Jesus who is King.
Jesus shares his reign with us.
So the answer to question 3 is that God will give us all things in the new creation.
We will rule alongside Jesus over all things.
Question 4.
Verse 33.
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? ...
Answer: No one.
Or even if they do, that charge is meaningless.
The rest of verse 33 says that God justifies us.
[Don’t read]
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
That means he declares us righteous.
He says that we have been washed clean from our sin.
And that means that any charge against us has no substance.
It’s the same with question 5.
Verse 34.
34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
We don’t use the word ‘intercede’ very much but it basically refers to pleading for someone else.
I picture verse 34 as Jesus here at the right hand of God.
And he’s speaking to God.
“God, look here at Martin.
He’s done lots of things wrong.
He continues to sin.
But I died for him.
I took the penalty for his sin and I have given him my righteousness.
And you raised me to life so that he too would have new life.
He is righteous, beloved child.”
And questions 6 and 7 are in verse 35.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Of course, the answer is: nothing.
Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love.
Verses 31 to 35 form a victory speech that show us that we are winners because Jesus died and was raised to life for us.
And when you think about it, that’s remarkable.
The world tells us that you win or lose in life based on our own efforts or our circumstances.
You succeed when you work hard and you have the right environment.
And otherwise, you lose.
Whereas this passage tells us we are more than conquerors because of Jesus.
It’s a stark difference.
A worldly view of success gives us no assurance that we’re on the winning side.
It requires constant hard work to win.
It demands the right circumstances.
But the gospel gives us assurance because it’s not based on anything we’ve done.
We are winners because Jesus’ sacrifice means we are declared righteous.
We are more than conquerors because we will be ruling with him forever.
We are on the winning side because we have Jesus on our side.
I point out these different perspectives because it’s not just about proclaiming the truth.
It’s about helping us see what the world gets wrong, since we’re surrounded by the world and we’re tempted to listen to it.
I know many Christians who know the truths in this passage about their glorious identity in Christ.
But they’ve listened to voices in this world that tell them that they’re losers.
And they believe it.
Is that you?
When you do the wrong thing, do you listen to the world and believe that you’re a failure?
If so, please let go of the lie that your identity is based on what you do.
It’s probably true that you’ve disappointed others.
You’ve disappointed yourself.
You’ve disappointed God.
The world says that all of that means that you’re a disappointment.
But God gives us a true and greater message.
He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us.
Jesus died on the cross and took on all our wrongdoings, including the times when you’ve disappointed people.
He is now at the right hand of God interceding for us.
And he continues to love us, even when we fail him.
Brothers and sisters, God has given you a new identity in Christ.
If you trust in Jesus, your sin has been placed on him at the cross.
And his righteousness is yours.
You are God’s beloved child.
You’re more than a conqueror.
In Christ, you’re a winner!
So when you’re tempted to listen to the world and feel like a failure,
Look to Jesus instead.
And let him remind you who are you really are.
Nothing can separate you from his love.
Now, other people listen to the world’s message and they feel pretty good.
There’s lots of people like that in Canberra.
It could be you.
You work hard.
Life is going well.
You feel like a winner, because of your effort and your circumstances.
If that’s you, enjoy those wins.
Thank God for them.
But remember, those wins are temporary.
Sooner or later, your hard work will be frustrated.
Your circumstances will change.
Things will become difficult.
And if your identity is grounded in how life is going, that’s quite an unstable position to be in.
The author C.J. Tudor takes this a step further and says:
There are no winners in life. Life is ultimately all about losing: your youth, your looks. But most of all, those you love.
In a worldly perspective, she’s right.
Without Christ, we might be temporary winners.
But ultimately, without Christ, we all lose.
That’s the reality of loss and death.
But we have something that overcomes loss and death.
We have the love of Christ.
Because of him, death is not the end.
Because of him, we will spend eternity with God.
We will be given all things and we’ll rule with Christ.
Only in Christ is there true and lasting victory.
So let’s hold on to that victory.
Let’s keep reminding ourselves of what he has done for us.
And how that makes us winners in Christ.
Now some people are a bit uncomfortable with the language of being a winner.
Because it might sound like we’re saying that we’re winning at everything.
That we don’t face any suffering at all if we’re a winner in Christ.
Is that the case?
We’re now at point 2.
2, The suffering despite our victory (vv. 36-37)
2, The suffering despite our victory (vv. 36-37)
The suffering despite our victory.
To be clear, our victory in Christ doesn’t mean we have victory in every single area of life.
It does mean we have victory over the biggest problem in our lives - the problem of sin and death.
But it doesn’t mean that we are free from suffering now.
The Bible is realistic about suffering.
We saw that last week in the previous verses and we see it this week as well.
In verse 36.
Verse 36 is affirming the reality of all the troubles in verse 35 and it shows us that God’s people have always experienced suffering.
It quotes Psalm 44.
In that context, Israel experienced persecution at the hands of their enemies.
In the historical context of the letter to the Romans, these Roman Christians experienced persecution too.
Throughout all of history, God’s people have experienced suffering.
Let’s read verse 36.
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
Suffering is a reality.
And the reality of suffering causes people to view us a certain way.
When we suffer, people don’t think of us as winners, as conquerors.
They see us as losers.
That’s the end of verse 36 - we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.
And yet… that’s not the end of the story.
Verse 37 starts with a “No”.
That’s not a negation of verse 36.
It’s an answer to the question in verse 35.
Can suffering separate us from the love of Christ?
“No”.
What’s more is that since nothing can separate us from that love, we have a transformed identity.
Others might view us as sheep to be slaughtered.
Others might think of us as losers.
But the truth is that Jesus has won for us the greatest battle of all.
He has defeated sin and death.
He is the ruler of the world.
He reconciles us to God and gives us new, eternal life.
And that means we’re not losers.
We have a new identity.
Let’s read verse 37.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Wow!
I don’t hear many Christians saying they are more than conquerors.
But it’s true.
If you trust in Jesus, you are more than a conqueror.
You are a winner.
Not because of anything you’ve done but because of Jesus.
You are a victor in Christ.
So how does all this relate to suffering?
Well in our suffering, sometimes we’re tempted to tunnel vision on the suffering.
Others see us as sheep to be slaughtered.
And we ourselves might see ourselves as losers too.
If that’s the case, then it’s like we’ve only verse 36 and we can’t see the rest of the chapter.
So what do we do then?
Well the answer isn’t about giving in to despair.
And it’s not about denying the reality of our suffering either.
The answer is of course to look to Jesus.
Remember Jesus and how much he loves you.
Recall how he died for you so that you would be reconciled to God.
Know that he has won the battle against sin and death for you.
And enjoy that you have a new identity.
You are more than a conqueror through Christ who loves you.
Looking to Jesus isn’t always easy when we’re going through suffering.
That’s why it’s so important for us to be reminded about Jesus by our brothers and sisters as we spend time in God’s word together.
So as we begin a new year, may I encourage you to commit to coming to church each Sunday?
I’m not saying you should do that just out of obligation and duty.
No, I’m saying this because, throughout the week, you will hear plenty of voices from the world, telling you who you are and fixing your eyes on yourself.
Here at church, we hear from God in his word about who we really are.
Our brothers and sisters remind us of the gospel.
We help each other look to Jesus, even through our suffering.
So keep coming to church.
Every Sunday.
The gospel is a message we need to hear that often.
Well we’ve learnt into the specifics of our victory.
We saw that we are more than conquerors because Jesus has won the battle against sin and death.
We’ve learnt about the suffering despite our victory, and that we can keep looking to Jesus even when we suffer.
We’re now at point 3.
3, The security for our victory (vv. 38-39)
3, The security for our victory (vv. 38-39)
The security for our victory.
How can we be assured of our victory over sin and death?
Well it can’t be because of our efforts, because we make mistakes.
It can’t even be based on the strength of our faith, because that fluctuates.
The security for our victory is God’s love.
The security for our victory is God’s love.
And because our security is in God, then there is no obstacle too big for God to overcome.
That’s why Paul concludes this section with so much joy and confidence.
Let’s read verses 38 and 39.
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, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You may have noticed that this verse describes the love of God whereas verse 35 has the love of Christ.
And that expresses the unity that the three persons of the Trinity have.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all share the same love for us.
And verse 39 helps us see that that love is centred in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In other words, as we saw earlier, the Father gave up the Son for us.
The Son died for us, was raised to life, and intercedes to the Father for us.
And the Spirit testifies to us about the Son.
All of this is evidence that God loves us.
We are secure in that love.
And that security is true even when we face difficulties in life.
See, sometimes we’re tempted to think that God has withdrawn his love from us when life is hard.
This passage tells us instead God always loves us… even through life’s difficulties.
It doesn’t explain why God gives us these difficulties.
Often we don’t know the reason for our suffering.
But the passage does help us see that God continues to love us no matter what.
That includes our struggles with sin.
Some Christians have given in to serious sin.
Maybe that’s you.
It's appropriate to grieve sin.
But if you trust in Jesus, nothing can separate you from God’s love, even your sin.
All of your sin, even the terrible sins that you are deeply ashamed of, all of you sin has been taken on by Jesus as the cross.
Other Christians think that their doubt might separate them from God’s love.
Of course, doubt isn’t a good thing and we should do what we can to strengthen our faith.
But our salvation isn’t dependent on the strength of our faith.
It’s dependent on God’s love expressed in Christ.
And yet, isn’t our faith how we receive God’s love?
So isn’t the strength of our faith important?
Don Carson is a famous theologian.
And Don Carson answers that question by telling us to imagine the Israelites during the first Passover.
He says to imagine two Israelites during the tenth plague in Egypt.
That’s the plague where the angel of death would kill the firstborn in the household unless there is blood of a lamb on the doorframes.
One Israelite has weak faith.
He puts the lamb’s blood on the doorframe but is really nervous because he doesn’t want his son to die.
The other Israelite has strong faith.
He also puts the lamb’s blood on the doorframe and he’s confident and joyful that God will protect him.
When the angel of death passed through the land that night, which of the two lost their firstborn?
Neither.
Don Carson is saying it’s not the strength of our faith that saves us.
Faith is just how we receive that salvation.
It’s the object of our faith that’s most important.
And Romans 8 is showing us that the object of our faith is God’s love shown to us in Jesus.
Both Israelites and their families were saved through faith in God.
I would rather be like the second Israelite who was joyful and confident.
But whether we have strong faith or weak faith, our response shouldn’t be about looking inward.
It’s about looking to Jesus, the embodiment of God’s love.
Jesus has died on the cross so that we can be reconciled to God.
Jesus gives us new life.
Jesus promises us eternal glory in the new creation.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Some people think that life is like a board game.
Like the Game of Life.
You win only if you do the right things and you have the right circumstances.
The reality is that life, both now and eternity… life is about Jesus.
You win if you rely on him.
Success isn’t dependent on what your effort or your environment.
In Christ, we are justified, we are securely loved, and we are more than conquerors.
Let’s keep relying on him.
I’ll lead us in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you are for us. You did not spare your own Son but you gave him up for us. You declared us righteous because we are united to Jesus, the Righteous One. Thank you that nothing can separate us from your love.
Help us now to live in light of that love. Give us a joy and confidence, not in ourselves, but in your love. Strengthen our resolve to keep relying on Jesus.
In his name,
Amen
