What’s Holding us Back?

Recap Groaning

We took a little break the last couple of weeks to celebrate Holy Week. Last week we looked at the Resurrection of Jesus and what that means for us as believers. Jesus is God incarnate. Nothing can hold Him back. He is not limited like we are limited. He created the universe and all the stuff we see. He is the One that set up the rules of physics and biology. God is in the business of doing miracles. Throughout the Scriptures we see miracles being performed often. There’s the whole miracle of creation. Then there is the miracle of sending the plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt. The miracle of providing manna while on the Exodus. The various victories that Israel enjoyed throughout their history. Then we see Jesus and the miracles He performs while on earth. Feeding the 5,000, the 4,000. Turning water into wine. The greatest miracle that He demonstrated, though, was His power over the grave.

In the little g god pantheons, in their mythology, there are some stories of their small gods coming back to life. However, the difference is that in those instances, there was a swap. Someone else had to die in their stead. Not so with Jesus! There was no one for one swap! Jesus physically died and then brought Himself back. That shows nothing has any hold over Jesus. Nothing has power over Him. He is all powerful!

We got a little into apologetics last week. Apologetics is technically a contronym. An apology is used to explain away something. It is used to dismiss a poor behavior. At least that is typical within the secular world. However, an apology can also be used to defend something. We engage in apologetics because we defend the faith. Some doubt the credibility of the Gospels based on certain stories not lining up word for word. However, from an investigative standpoint, this actually proves their authenticity. Some today cast doubt on Jesus as an historical figure. However, that is easily dismissed. More and more we are finding that the history as recorded by the Bible is accurate. For instance, for a while there, people were doubting whether king David existed because they could not find extra Biblical sources stating David. However, they have now discovered an extra Biblical text citing king David. The time where Israel was paying tribute to the Assyrians was called into question, until we found a cuneiform tablet marking how much the Israelites had paid the Assyrians that year. Recently, new proof of Jesus as an historical figure was discovered. However, it was offensive. It was anti Jesus graffiti. I won’t get into the specifics about it, but it was blasphemous graffiti geared at making fun of Jesus and His followers. If Jesus had not existed, then the Greeks wouldn’t have taken the time to make graffiti of Him. I find more and more that the secular realm is trying to erase Jesus. For instance, many scholars have shifted from BC for Before Christ and AD translated from Latin to “the year of our Lord”. Now they have changed it to BCE and CE. Before the common era and common era. Still, just changing the name doesn’t remove what Jesus did. He separated two epochs. I also go through and change it up to say “Before Christ’s Era” and “Christs’ Era”. It fits.

All that to say, Jesus is King no matter whether people believe in Him or not. God continues to be God whether people submit to Him or not. One day we will all meet Him face to face. One day we will all give account. Some of us will go to Him and see Him as a loving father. Others will see Him and dread because they are confronted with how sinful they are. God does not exist for our benefit. He does not exist to do our will. We exist to do His will, but only a few of us are going to figure that out.

Today, we are going to jump back into Romans. We have been reviewing where our help comes from. We have asked who should we fear? The only One we should fear is God. Proverbs 9:10 ““The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” That is the One we should have fear of. It should not be a terror kind of fear, but a reverence of Him. Still, we might fall into the trap of fearing stuff that we should not fear. There are all kinds of scary things out there. I spend plenty of time worrying about stuff that I really shouldn’t. At the end of the day, I know where I am going. I know that I belong as a citizen of heaven. I’m just here visiting. So no need to fear man, or war, or famine, or plague. All that stuff is going to pass. Hard times will eventually end. Even if it takes us to our death, we gain so much because we will be in heaven. Later in his ministry, Paul will proclaim in Philippians 1:21 “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul knew that no matter what he suffered, even if he died, that would be of incredible gain. Why? Because he would be with our LORD. I know there is some debate on what that looks like when we get done here. I don’t know either. All I know is that when Christ was on the cross, He told the one criminal that he would be in paradise with Jesus that night. So no matter what it looks like, we know that it is paradise and it is much better than what we have here.

Today, we are going to wrap up 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.

Paul gives some assurances through his line of questioning here. He asks point blank if God is for us, who can be against us? This is Paul trying to stir them up to go and take the Gospel message further. Back in those days, there were people still hesitant to present the Gospel. The same thing happens for us. We can get wrapped up in the worry that we won’t be effective or we are scared to tell people about the LORD. If we are struggling with that, we can take comfort in knowing that others before us had the same problem. However, what we have to remember is that we are not alone in this. We have God on our side.

Paul is assuring them that they can expect opposition. Opposition will happen, especially in a place where Christ is considered something fake to the pagans around them. They could not fathom how an all powerful God would come in and willingly die for His people. As far as they were concerned, might made right. God is different, though. He willingly gave Himself up because His perfect blood was the only thing that could fix our sins. God’s sacrifice was not an example of weakness, it was an example of extreme power.

God is all powerful, when He directs us somewhere, then we can rest in knowing that He will see it through. When God tells us to do something, then we better do it. When God directs Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah gets on a ship headed in the exact opposite direction. While underway a terrible storm hits and they are trying to figure out who is responsible. Jonah explains that he follows the one true God and it is his fault because he isn’t doing what God told him to. So they throw him over the side, Jonah is swallowed by a big fish, and is then vomitted out on the shore three days later. Notice that when Jonah decided to run, God did not say “okay, well, I’ll find someone else to do it.” Not at all. He directs Jonah through a series of painful events to get him to Nineveh. When God confronts Moses as he is tending his father in law’s sheep, He tells Moses to go back to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh let God’s people go. Moses complains that he is not eloquent in speech. What does God do? He doesn’t say. “Oh okay, I’ll find someone else.” Instead we read in Exodus 4:13–15 “Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do.”

When God tells us to do something, it is in our best interest to do what He has called us to. If God wanted someone else to do it, He would have told him or her to. If God is telling us to do something, then we know for sure that we are the one that God wants to do the work. Pretty amazing when we think about it. God would call us into His great plan. That He would use little old me to do His will. It’s nuts! Every Sunday I thank God for the opportunity to go and share His word with His people. It is our privilege to serve God, not a burden.

But our heads can get in the way, can’t they? We start worrying about logistics and how certain things are set up. We worry that a plan won’t come about or that we won’t have the resources to take care of it. That worry does not come from God. That worry comes from the world and it comes from the devil. It’s not just us that it happens to. We think practically, don’t we? I know that I think practically, sometimes too practically. But when we worry about the silly things of the earth, then we are limiting God’s power. When He says to do something, we can rest assured that He is going to give us what we need. Where God guides, He provides.

A few weeks ago, I had a meeting with the field strategist and other mission council members. We have our annual meeting coming up here at the end of the month. I’ll be headed to Richmond for a couple of days as we hash things out. Well, the topic of discussion, the sole reason we were brought together for the meeting is because the BGAV wants to know what we would need if they had unlimited resources. If the BGAV had unlimited resources, what could they do for us? So we met for a solid hour and a half and talked about all the possibilities if the Virginia Baptists had a ton of money.

However, when we got done with the meeting, I had a great sense of guilt. I met with Andy a few days later and talked to him about it. I said something along the lines of “I think the question is flawed. It doesn’t matter what resources the BGAV has. God is the One that provides. His resources are unlimited. So maybe rather than asking what the BGAV could do for us if they had unlimited resources, maybe the better question is what is stopping us from operating like we don’t have unlimited funds? Why are we putting limits on God?” I think it’s a good question. Why would we have any fear of failure if God is the One directing the path? I know I have shared my vision that I have for this church here with several people. When I do, I always give the clarifier at the end that I pray my vision matches God’s. I know full well that if my vision doesn’t match God’s then it’s going to amount to nothing!

So what is holding us back? Certainly if God has told us to do something, then we can just jump in an do it because He will make it happen. I think I shared a while back about my call to ministry. God said to go into ministry, I asked that He let me do my 20, but I would do whatever He wanted. The next day, the new chaplain checked in to the building I was stationed at. I explained what was going on and within a week, I was on the path to seminary. It wasn’t coincidence, it was God! Why would we trust the world to meet our needs more than we trust God?

Matthew 7:9–12 “Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

God is the good Father. He is the only One that is good. We are evil and still we give our kids good stuff. So how much more will God provide what we need to do His will? Why would we let the world hold us back? Why would we doubt His ability to come through? I think the problem goes back to people thinking they can demand that God bend to their whims. Many in this world want a god created in their image. So when we are given a “no” from God, rather than give thanks for the answer, we get upset because we didn’t get it our way. How often do we have to tell our children no because they are heading toward destruction? I don’t know about you, but I have to correct my kids and tell them not to do certain things pretty regularly. It’s what parents do!

The second question feeds off the first. “He did not even spare His own Son, but gave Him up. How will He not also with Him grant us everything?” Paul is right. God gave up His own Son so that we could benefit. I say regularly that God goes all in for us so we should go all in for Him. This question reminds me of the story of when God tells Abraham to take Isaac out and sacrifice him at the spot God shows him. Abraham is faithful. He packs up and starts heading out with Isaac, the one son that he had with his wife Sarah. God had promised Abraham Isaac for decades before he arrived, but here now Abraham is being told to take him out and kill him. Abraham is faithful, they go, and just as the knife is lifted up for him to plunge it into Isaac’s body, Abraham is stopped. Genesis 22:11–12 “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”” At that, Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket. They sacrifice it, and they head home. This very place where this event happened is where the Dome of the Rock is at in Jerusalem. We, of course, cannot get in to see the rock where this occurred, but it is there. Abraham was willing to give Isaac back to God. He was not going to withhold his son from God Almighty.

So why do we hold back? If God told us to give up something or go do something, how would we respond?

The third question Paul asks regards justification. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? No one can. A Roman could bring a charge against a citizen for worshipping a king other than Jesus, but that charge has no effect in the eyes of God. God is the One worthy of worship. He is the One we are supposed to worship, not some man or woman in charge. If the devil brings a charge against us, that still won’t stick. God has already brought forth all of our charges and nailed them to the cross. They are taken care of. So even though we mess up and will continue to mess up, those charges don’t stick because they have already been adjudicated. We are God’s. We are His elect. We belong to Him. No man or woman can bring any charges against us. They can bring accusations, but they aren’t going to stick. They can bring contemptible words, but that is not going to remove us from God. We belong to Him and Him alone. What can separate us from the love of God? Absolutely nothing! There are going to be many forces both natural and supernatural that are going to try to convince us that we have been separated from the love of God. Don’t believe it. That’s why Paul is summing it up like this “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, neither height nor depth, nor any powers” can separate us. That is great news. That is wonderful news for those of us that believe.

Before Jesus is crucified, He spends the night beforehand praying with His disciples. At one point, Jesus gives one of the most comforting things we will ever read in the Bible. John 10:27–30 “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.””

When we know Jesus, when we belong to Him, nothing is going to take us away from Him. The challenge this day and every day of the rest of our lives is to get up and remember that we are children of God. We have no need to fear man or the silly things this world can throw our way. All that his here is temporary. Our home in heaven is there forever. So every day let’s get up and live for God. Let’s seek His will and ask Him what He wants us to do. He will let us know. Once He has given us our orders, let’s then go and follow those orders. Let’s do what He has called us to do. Nothing should hold us back. If God is for us, who can be against us? We belong to the maker of heaven and earth. We belong to the One that delivers on His promises. We belong to the good Father that gave His Son for us. Let’s never forget that even though we can’t, God can. So let’s get up every day and rest in that promise. Let’s get up every day and serve in that promise.