Love Of God In Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Lately we have been studying through the theme of “In Christ” by looking through the different passages in the New Testament that specifically demonstrate the benefits and blessings found “in Christ.” Up to this point we have notice…
How to get “into Christ.”
The blessing of “Faith in Christ.”
The blessing of “Redemption in Christ.”
The blessing of being “Alive in Christ.”
And what it means to have “Freedom in Christ.”
Today we turn our attention to the “Love of God in Christ.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.
There is no doubt that God the Father, Son, and Spirit love all humanity as they created each and every person ever conceived.
In fact God sent his only begotten Son for our sins, because he loves everyone.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
However, as created beings with the ability to “choose to love God or reject God” we can separate ourselves from God and thus his love.
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
It’s not that God stops loving us rather it’s that we remove ourselves from God’s presence so that his love cannot envelope us.
This, again, is why it’s so important to have the “Love Of God In Christ.”
Let’s read Paul’s inspired words again from Romans 8:37-39.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.
With this in mind let’s examine our lesson for today.
In Christ we cannot be separated from the love of God by…
Life OR Death
Life OR Death
Life
Life
There is nothing in this life that can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
You and I know this world is sinful and Satan has plenty of servants (2 Corinthians 11:15) that are trying to bring us to the “dark side” if you will.
But Satan’s servants do not have the power or ability to separate us or cause us to sin and be separated from God. When we sin, we can’t say, “they made me do it.”
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Thanks be to God that nothing created in this life can force us to sin.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
Not only is there nothing in this life that can separate us from the love of God but there is not in death that can either.
Death
Death
It might sound silly to think that after death we could be separated from the love of God, but keep in mind that mythology dealt with this idea all the time and was a very prominent theology at the time.
However, when we die, we will be carried by the angels to paradise.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,
Once there, there is nothing today that can remove us from it, since true miracles do not occur anymore. Not even the rich man could get Lazarus out of paradise to go tell his family to repent.
27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Summary
Summary
Neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Satan’s servants in this life and in torment in the next will not be able to separate us from the love of God.
Paul also reminds us that not only can life and death not separate us from God’s love, but neither can…
Angels OR Powers
Angels OR Powers
Angels
Angels
Because this earth is the only place wherein sin can occur(Matthew 7:21-23) there is no doubt that those “angles that sinned” (Jude 6) did so here.
That tells us that, at least at one time, angels or created spiritual beings could influence mankind to sin.
Paul, in Romans 8:38, reminds the church in Rome that not even angels, or the spiritually created messengers of God can separate us from the love of God.
Now, throughout the scriptures Paul uses this type of langue, not as a way of saying angels “try” and lure us away from God, but that even if they did try we shouldn’t listen to them.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
If we shouldn’t listen to them, we certainly can’t be forced to listen to them.
Now, as we said, God’s spirit messengers don’t strive to lead us away or separate us from God’s love but that can’t be said of the…
Rulers & Powers
Rulers & Powers
The words rulers and powers here are referring to the spiritually deviant known as demons or Satan’s angels i.e. messengers.
These demons spread their vile message and tempt people in all sorts of manners.
They tempt through idolatry.
20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
They tempt through false doctrine.
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
They tempt through over running countries.
2 And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
Now to be clear these demons do not work through physical possession anymore (Zechariah 13:1-2) but through temptation of mankind.
Make no mistake however, as the scriptures are clear these “principalities & powers” are active today.
Summary
Summary
Though they are active they cannot separate those in Christ, from the love of God.
No spiritually created being has the power or authority to do so and in fact, we have been given the “way of escape” from all attempts by others to get us to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Conclusion
Conclusion
When are obey the gospel and are added to the church, the kingdom of Christ, and thus are in the body of Christ there is nothing in the life that can separate us from the love of God except ourselves.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.