God is For Us!
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
As we begin this sermon I’d like to ask some diagnostic questions of your soul, and especially of your heart in the midst of hardships in the Christian life:
Do you ever feel like you’re swimming upstream? And that you’ve lost your confidence that you’ll make it to the end?
Do you ever fear that the forces of this life are ripping you away from the Lord and/or separating you from God’s love?
Have you ever felt like the sufferings of the Christian life are keeping you away from some of the richest blessings?
It’s these questions, and our honest answers to them, that show that we’ve all faced such trials and testings of faith. When everything around us seems to be against us…. we tend to lament that nothing is going well for us. Well, it might be true, that no-thing is for us—but it’s not true that no-One is for us!
Need:
In our greatest trials, brothers and sisters, we need to know the One who will hold us up, and grant us strength to endure, with Gospel confidence and unshakeable Hope! And what is this truth that can bear us up even when all things are against us? The fact that God himself is for us! Knowing this means that in the ultimate sense, nothing can be against us! This changes everything!
Theme:
God is For Us!
Purpose:
To assure the saints in all that it means that God is For Us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Turn to Text:
Romans 8:31-39 ESV
Recap:
Last time that we were in Romans 8 we saw how the Spirit intercedes for us with divine groanings, that the God works all things together for our good, and that the salvation of Jesus Christ is by sovereign grace from beginning to end! And it’s in light of these truths that leads Paul to respond with resounding confidence and exclamation! It leads Paul to conclude: GOD IS FOR US!
Read the Text:
Romans 8:31-39 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1P) God is For Us, So Who can be Against Us? - vv. 31-37
(1P) God is For Us, So Who can be Against Us? - vv. 31-37
31 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα*;
31 Therefore, what shall we say to these things?
What things? Well quite literally, Paul’s referring to everything that he’s already declared in Romans 8! And perhaps even the truths from Romans 1-7 as well! This is a crucial moment in the Epistle to the Romans. In light of all of these glorious doctrines of our union with Christ, and our life in the Spirit, and our adoption to the Father, and the hope of glory, and the golden chain of salvation (we could go on and on and on)…. Paul cries out: What shall we say? How do we respond? What does this mean? Even in the midst of the groanings and sufferings of this present age, these truths lead Paul to sing:
εἰ ὁ θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθʼ ἡμῶν*;
If God [is] for us, who [is] against us?
Wow! In Romans 8 alone Paul has mentioned how the flesh fights against us, is hostile to God, and is seeking our death (not even to mention all the forces of the world, the devil, and his minions). What do you mean Paul? How can you say that God is for us! Clearly everything in life is fighting against us!!!
And Paul says: NO! You don’t get it! GOD is FOR US! Even in the midst of these trials and temptations! Even in the midst of these groanings and heartaches! Even in the midst of these bombarding battles and attacks! GOD is FOR US!
And all those things that seem to be against you? All of those enemies that seem to be gaining the edge over you? They can’t be against you in the truest sense, because GOD himself is FOR YOU, and is workings all things for your good! Can these things fight against God and prevail? Is God going to lose the fight? NO! Therefore, if God is for us, who can be against us! As the Psalmist says:
This I know, that God is for me.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
When God is FOR YOU, who can be against you?But you might still finding yourself asking…. well how can I know this is true? How can I know that God is for me? Clearly you don’t know my circumstances, Evan! If only you knew the forces that are lined up against me… if only you knew the battles that I am fighting and losing! … And it’s as if Paul knew that doubts would arise, and perhaps he had faced them himself … becuase right after giving this triumphant declaration, Paul gives us 4 ways in which we can know that it is indeed true that GOD is FOR US! Firstly:
(i) Because God gave us His only Son. - v. 32.
32 ὅς ⸂γε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ⸃ ἐφείσατο
32 He who indeed did not spare his own Son
Paul doesn’t simply say that God didn’t spare his own Son, but rather that God indeed didn’t spare his own Son! He makes it emphatic in the Greek! God didn’t spare his own Son in the slightest! God poured out the fullness of his wrath upon Jesus! Verily, the cup was not removed until he drank it to the full. And thus our Saviour cried out: it is finished! This God, our God, is the one who willingly gave his only-begotten-Son to be the Sin bearer and Atonement of the elect of God. He enlisted the apple of his eye, to be the one who would be pierced for our transgressions!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
John Flavel, in his book the Fountain of Life, tells this historical account to drive the point home:
A late writer tells us, that he has been informed, that in the famine in Germany, a poor family being ready to perish [by starvation], the husband made a motion to the wife, to sell one of the [four] children for bread, to relieve themselves and the rest: The wife at last consents it should be so; but then they began to think which of the four should be sold; and when the eldest was named, they both refused to part with [him], being their first born, and the beginning of their strength. Well, then they came to the second, but could not yield that he should be sold, being the very picture and lively image of his father. The third was named, but that also was a child that best resembled the mother. And when the youngest was thought on, [well he] was the Benjamin, the child of their old age; and so [they] were content rather to perish altogether in the famine, than to part with a child for relief. And you know how tenderly Jacob took it, when his Joseph and Benjamin were rent from him. What is a child, but a piece of the parent wrapt up in another skin? And yet our dearest children are but as strangers to us, in comparison of the unspeakable dearness that was betwixt the Father and Christ. Now, that he should ever be content to part with a Son, and such an only One, is such a manifestation of love, as will be admired to all eternity (Flavel).
God the Father indeed did not spare his Son… rather Paul writes that He:
ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν,
… has given him up for us all,
That the only-begotten and beloved Son of God was not kept back or spared by the Father, is a wonder of wonders!
“[That] God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son.
Have you ever noticed that this phrase seems to allude back to the story of Abraham and Isaac? You remember! When God commanded Isaac, the son of promise, to be sacrificed as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah! The very son that God promised to give Abraham (his very own son from his own body) was called to die as payment. And oh what agony of soul Abraham must have faced back in Genesis 22. But when he was just about to go through with God’s command, by faith, the Angel of the Lord stopped him and said:
“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
And so I say to you, beloved Christian: do not doubt that God is for you, even in your deepest afflictions, because God has loved you so much, that he has not withheld his only Son from being your Atoning Sacrifice and Saviour! But with this begotten Son, he wasn’t spared—you were!
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
And this glorious reality of the gift of Jesus leads Paul to reason from the greater to the lesser! He writes:
πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται*;
how will he not also with him graciously give us all things to us?
If God gave his most prized and treasured possession, his only-begotten Son, his eternal delight and all in all, then why wouldn’t he also, with Jesus, freely give you all things?
If God gave you the best prize, why would you doubt that he will give you the lesser? If God gave you a million dollars, why would you doubt his willingness to give you 5 bucks? Oh trust that GOD is FOR YOU, because he graciously and freely and lovingly gave his Son to be your Saviour! Don’t ground your confidence in your love for God, but in God’s love for you which is steady and true:
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
And thus, Paul infers… He will also give you the inheritance of all things in the NH&NE with Jesus—b/c we are coheirs with Christ! However, Paul gives another reason why we can know, right now, that GOD is FOR US! Secondly:
(ii) Because God justifies us. - v. 33.
33 τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ;
33 Who will bring a charge against the elect of God?
It’s as though Paul is saying: bring it on! Who can tear down what God has built up? Who can overturn what God has established! Can the world, the flesh, or the devil bring a charge against the elect of God such that they could fall out of favour with God and such that God would then be against them and not for them? Can the decision of our Gracious Judge be revoked or cancelled? BY NO MEANS! For:
θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν·*
God is the one who justifies.
The world, the flesh, and the devil can’t condemn us! Only God can! And what has God already declared for those who are in Christ Jesus by faith and through the Spirit?
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!
Dear Christian, you’re sins are already forgiven by the blood of Jesus which was shed, and your legal status before God is that of righteous by the obedience of Christ imputed to you…. and all of this is by God’s own declaration! God is the One who justifies! And God has already justified you! And He will never undo this gracious act of salvation! As Paul already wrote:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And if we already have peace with God, then we can rest that forevermore GOD will be FOR US! And if you don’t have this assurance, or if you don’t know this Saviour, then you need to come to Him!
The most dreadful thing in life is to hear the following words because Jesus is rejected:
“Behold, I am against you, O proud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
But most delightful thing in life is to cry out by faith in the Son of God our Savior and Lord:
This I know, that God is for me.
But it just keeps getting better! Paul gives a third reason why we can know that GOD is FOR US!
(iii) Because Christ intercedes for us. - v. 34.
34 τίς ὁ ⸀κατακρινῶν*;
34 Who is the one who condemns?
⸁Χριστὸς °[Ἰησοῦς] ὁ ἀποθανών, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐγερθείς⸆,
Christ Jesus is the one who died, and even was raised,
ὃς καί ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ,
who also is at the right hand of God,
ὃς καὶ ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν*.
who also intercedes for us.
The force of Paul’s words make us sing:
"I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me."
Yet Paul didn’t only find his comfort in Christ’s death…. but also in his victorious resurrection, his royal session, and his present intercession! There is a beautiful progression here. No one can condemn because all basis for accusation is swallowed up in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who is our sufficient Saviour!
So if the devil brings a charge against you, like Luther, you agree with him that you are guilty…. but you remind him of the death of Christ which washes you white as snow, the resurrection of Christ which secures your hope, the ascension of Christ who reigns over all things, and the intercession of Christ who holds you fast.
How can you know that GOD is FOR YOU? Because CHRIST PLEADS FOR YOU! Robert Murray M'Cheyne wrote this so long ago:
“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
So take heart, dear afflicted saint! The word for intercede in the Greek is: ἐντυγχάνω - and according to BDAG it means: “to make an earnest request through contact with the person approached”. Rejoice! Christ is earnestly pleading for you, and thus you can know that the Father will graciously hold you! As the author to the Hebrews declares:
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
But Paul has one more reason to assure us that God is FOR US, even while everything SEEMS to be AGAINST US! Fourthly, we can know that GOD is FOR US:
(iv) Because we Conquer in Calamity - v. 35-37.
35 τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ ⸀Χριστοῦ;
35 Who will separate you from the love of Christ?
Dear believer… the union is so close between Christ and his Church that what God has joined together, no man can separate! And here Paul says that no one can, and no one will χωρίσει (divide or separate) us from the love of Christ! There is an inseparable bond of salvation and communion between Christ and his Bride! There is a irreversible and permanent union between your soul and the love of Jesus. All those things that SEEM to be against you? None of them can SEPARATE you from your Beloved.
θλῖψις ἢ στενοχωρία °ἢ διωγμὸς ἢ λιμὸς ἢ γυμνότης ἢ κίνδυνος ἢ μάχαιρα*;
Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? [No]!
Your Saviour is already in heaven, he’s already won the battle, and your in him, safe and secure. If the head is above the water, the rest of the body is safe!
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
No suffering can divorce your soul from Jesus. But oh suffering can cause us to feel divorced from Jesus… as Paul continues:
36 καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι
36 Just as it has been written that:
ἕνεκεν σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν,
“On account of you we are put to death all the day,
ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς*.
[and] we are accounted as sheep of the slaughter.”
Paul here quotes from Psalm 44, which is a Psalm of both trust in God, and lament to God, in the midst of suffering. And Paul applies it to us in Christ! We are the saved and delighted in of the Lord, but we also experience the pain and agony of the times of trial and the testing of our faith. We suffer on our way to glory. And this can bring lament and doubts to our weary hearts. We can feel rejected and scattered, and even defeated and abandoned by the LORD! As the Psalmist cries out at the end of Ps. 44:
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!
But the fact that this is the Psalm that Paul quotes for us in Romans 8 teaches us that even in such afflictions of body and soul, we are never forsaken by God! And that when we feel like we are being conquered by these calamities, we are actually conquering them through Jesus our Victor! Paul adds:
37 ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ* ⸂τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος⸃ ἡμᾶς*.
37 But in all these things we prevail completely / [or] we conquer victoriously / through the one who has loved us.
The word for prevail or conquer in the Greek is: ὑπερνικάω, which according to BDAG means: “prevail completely … [namely, that] we are winning a most glorious victory”.
And note that Paul didn’t say that it’s after the sufferings that we conquer, no! It’s in these things, and in these sufferings, that we are more than conquerors! We completely prevail! We have the ultimate victory! Even in the agony of faith and the suffering of the body, God’s sovereign grace so preserves us that we are the victors! How? Through the one who has loved us! Through Jesus himself. In Christ alone!
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
So dear saint, take heart in this magnificent truth: your afflictions aren’t conquering you, you are conquering them in Jesus! Your painful sufferings don’t prove that God is against you, your Christian sufferings prove that GOD is FOR YOU! Because we must suffer on the way to glory, just as Christ had to suffer before entering into his glory!
The battle is not over, but the victory is won!
Why? Because of what Christ has done… and what we share in through our Victor:
“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.
And they have conquered … by the blood of the Lamb.
And in this, beloved, you can know that GOD is INDEED FOR YOU!
(1P) God is For Us, So Who can be Against Us? - vv. 31-37
The answer? NO ONE! Praise be to God!
So how does this truth apply to us?
(1A) Divine Confidence Comes from Gospel Meditation!
(1A) Divine Confidence Comes from Gospel Meditation!
(i) Instruction in the scope of the gifts of God that we receive with Christ!
Lift up your head dear Christian and see that all things are yours in and with Christ Jesus. You are a coheir with Christ—sharing in all the benefits of his life, death, resurrection, session, and return to make all things new! Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places if yours in Jesus! Don’t lose sight of this! You have royal blood! Your citizenship is above! Know that you are an heir of Heaven, and that you will feast in the house of Zion and one day weep no more!
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
(ii) Refutation of the idea that confidence flows from bare feelings.
As we read through these verses we find our Gospel confidence being fanned into flame, not because we are simply focusing on our emotions and feelings—but because we are meditating on the wonderful works of God! In Christian confidence doesn’t come by emptying the mind, but by filling it! Not by whipping ourselves into a fleeting hope, but by grounding ourselves in living hope! We will never feel the assurance of faith and the full confidence of hope if we are not going to meditate on the promises of God!
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(iii) Exhortation to a rich meditation on the doctrines of the Gospel.
And so instead of just sitting around and waiting for this confidence to fill your souls—put your hand to the plow, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, and fill your mind with the deep things of God! Engage yourself in study and prayer and meditation! Stand on the promises of God. Think about the glory of Jesus! Behold the loveliness of Christ! See all that He is, and all that He has done, for you! Read good theological books. And rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, in all that is yours as a child of one, true King!
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(1A) Divine Confidence Comes from Gospel Meditation!
In this, by faith, you will be able to trumpet forth that GOD is FOR YOU! Which leads Paul to conclude Romans 8 with one of the most breathtaking verses in the whole Bible! In our first point we saw that God is for us, so no one can be against us… But in our last point we see that:
(2P) God is For Us, So Nothing can Separate Us! - vv. 38-39
(2P) God is For Us, So Nothing can Separate Us! - vv. 38-39
In light of all of these glorious truths, we see firstly that:
(i) We must be persuaded - v. 38a.
38 πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι
38 For I have been persuaded that
The word for persuaded in the Greek is: πείθω, and according to BDAG it means: “to attain certainty in reference to something, be convinced, [be] certain”. This is to come to a place of being free from doubt. To come to a place of utter boldness and joy! It’s to be assured that GOD is FOR US like Abraham was assured of God’s promises, who was:
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
And this persuasion and assurance of faith is to experience those words written in Hebrews 6:
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Paul was persuaded that GOD was FOR HIM—and that GOD was FOR ALL of the ELECT! What about you? Are you assured that GOD is FOR YOU? And that GOD is FOR ALL of the ELECT?
And it’s not as though we are saved by this assurance, by no means! But oh what confidence comes when we are convinced of this salvation! We can find true rest for our souls, even in the storms of life!
And beloved, know that God wants you to know this assurance … God wants you to have this confidence … and God wants you to feel this persuasion! And he invites us to seek it by faith! And in so doing we see secondly:
(ii) That nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! - v. 38b-39.
οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ οὔτε ⸀ἄγγελοι οὔτε ⸁ἀρχαὶ οὔτε ⸉ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλλοντα οὔτε δυνάμεις⸊* 39 οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος οὔτε °τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν* (NA 28).
neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither present nor future, neither powers, 39 neither heights nor depths, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which [is] in Christ Jesus our Lord (MyT).
Now just take a moment and think of the greatest challenge that you are facing right now … in your life, in your family, in your work, in your ministry….. whatever it is. Think about it. Think about how it makes you feel anxious and afraid. Then see how it stands in relation to these verses. Whatever it is, if you are in Christ, it cannot separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord! It doesn’t even stand a chance! Is the arm of the LORD shortened, that He cannot save? Is your situation too much for the LORD, that he cannot bear it? By no means.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Your trial needs to defeat God before it can defeat you! SO NOTHING can separate you from this divine love in our divine Saviour! In fact…. Nothing in all of creation even has the δύναμαι (the ability) to do so. Not even the darkest of trials. Nothing can rip us from the hands of our covenant keeping God! The physical and spiritual realms work together for our salvation, as God works all things for our good. And because of this… whatever you are facing CANNOT rip you away from your God!
(2P) God is For Us, So Nothing can Separate Us! - vv. 38-39
The glue that holds you to your Redeemer—is a glue that has never been undone—that can’t be overcome! And so by application we learn that:
(2A) Cosmic Protection flows from Union with Christ!
(2A) Cosmic Protection flows from Union with Christ!
(i) Examination of the state and level of our persuasion and assurance.
And so I simply ask you today: are you turning to God and his mighty grace in the midst of your trials? Or or you trying to find your confidence elsewhere? We can do nothing apart from Christ. He is our only Hope and Stay! He is our only Comfort in life and in death! He is our Confidence. All things are under his feet, as Head over all things to the Church! Nothing comes against you but by his command, and thus nothing can defeat you because of his control.
You have a cosmic sized protection in Jesus. Do you have a cosmic sized assurance? Come to Him, and rest your head upon his shoulders, find rest, so that you can cry out with the Psalmist:
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
(ii) Glorification of our Triune God and his unstoppable grace unto us!
He is able. He is willing. He is covenanted. He has promised. He is faithful and true! And we are united to this God in Christ—He is our God, and we are his people—forevermore!
Things future, nor things that are now,
nor all things below or above,
can make Him His purpose forgo,
or sever my soul from His love.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
(2A) Cosmic Protection flows from Union with Christ!
So let us conclude with this Big Idea:
(C) Because God is For Us, We are Invincible in Christ Jesus!
(C) Because God is For Us, We are Invincible in Christ Jesus!
Logical Summary: In light of all that Paul has just discussed in the previous verses, he wants us to know how to respond, and the correct response is that we should glory in the fact that God is for us, therefore, no one can be against us! But how can we know that this is true? Because God has given his own Son for us and will even give us all things along with him! And how can we know this? Because God justifies us, and Christ is even now interceding for us! And we can also know that no one can be against us because calamity will not separate us from Christ’s love, but rather, we will fully conquer through Christ’s love in calamity! And all of this proves that no one can be against us while God is for us. Therefore, we can know that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ our Lord!
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
Calvary, this is a joyful and heavy day. But I couldn’t think of a better passage to close out my ministry with. In all the highs and lows that we’ve experienced together, God has been for us! And when days get hard in times to come, remember that God will still be for us! Remember the Gospel which I have proclaimed, remember the commandments which I have exhorted in, remember the Saviour who is altogether lovely, and keep your hand to the plow for the advancement of the Kingdom of God! Christ is Worthy, and Christ is Faithful, and he will keep you and tend you and hold you fast as He builds his Church until the end of the age! So dear brothers and sisters, lean into your elders and new pastor, keep in step with the Spirit, and never forget that:
(C) Because God is For Us, We are Invincible in Christ Jesus!
(C) Because God is For Us, We are Invincible in Christ Jesus!
Amen, let’s pray.
