The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 20: More Than Conquerors

Episode Date: June 3, 2018

God’s love toward us (as demonstrated through the cross and resurrection) is infinitely greater than anything this world can throw at us.

Amen and amen. How are we doing, church? Everybody good? You looking good. If you got your Bibles, I hope you do grab them. Romans chapter 8, hopefully you figured out that's what we've been reading on the video for the past four weeks. If not, that's okay. Welcome.

We are wrapping up this kind of mini-series within a series, the great eight. And the greatest letter ever written in the history of humanity, which is the book of Romans. And the greatest chapter in that, I believe, and many others believe, is Romans chapter 8. and then we're going to get to one of the greatest verses in all of the scriptures. And so we're just going to pick it up from where we left off last week. In verse 31 it says this, what then shall we say to these things? And hopefully you ask, when the Bible says that, you've got to ask, so what things? And the things are the things right above it.

And remember last week I said, everybody loves some 828. Everybody loves some God works in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. Some of you have a coffee cup with it or bedazzled on a lot. a sweatshirt, all right? Praise God. You love that verse. But the only way that verse is a reality is because of the verses that Americans don't like that much, which is 29 and 30. That is what makes 28 a reality, and that's what also makes 31 a reality. So we've got to back up to these things real quick, the good verse, and we know that for those, this is verse 28, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. Let me ask you quit. What things?

All things. All of them. The good things, the bad things. The seemingly evil things. The things that happened to you and the things that you do that you wish you wouldn't have done. That the sovereign hand of God can even work our own sin for his own glory. It's crazy. You go to Genesis, the last chapter in Genesis, Genesis chapter 50.

There's some brothers try to kill their brother Joseph. He sold into slavery. He's put in jail, wrongly accused, accused of rape. He didn't do it. Everything bad goes on for him for about 20 years. And when he gets there, he says this, what you intended for evil, God intended for good. It does not say what you intended for evil God used for good,

like God's just driving the cosmic ambulance right around going, man, I'm got to clean all this mess up. No, what you intended for evil, God intended for good. That's the sovereign grace of the Almighty God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose, verse 29. For those whom he foreknew, that means like pre-loved, not because of anything that you have done, but because of who he is.

He placed his love on you. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he justified, and those whom he justified. he also glorified. And so what shall we say to those things? In other words, what he's saying, Paul's like, I don't, how do, I'm out of words. I mean, what do you say to the sovereign love and grace of God? How do you respond to that kind of truth? And he could be referring,

not to just those few verses, but he could be referring to the great eight itself, the entire chapter eight. He could be saying, so what do you say to the reality that therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What do you say to that? And he could be saying, what do you say to what we did the second week that we have not been given a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have been given a spirit of adoption, that we would be sons of God and that we would cry out, Abba Father.

What do you say to that? In all this election language and all this chosen language and all this adoption language, this would have meant so much to the Romans in the first century. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar, the most powerful man on the planet, was murdered. There were a group of about 10 people. They got together. They thought they could fight for and take over all of Rome that they could kill Julius Caesar

and divide up all of the Roman Empire into 10 kingdoms. Remember this? You've seen the movie, It Too Brute. All right, that's what this is about. And then when they kill Julius Caesar, they all gather together as a nation to read his last will and testament. and in his last will and testament, he's got this distant nephew. And in his last will and testament, Julius Caesar legally adopts his, he's a college kid in Greece, going to school, like a sophomore, sleeping on a futon, eating ramen noodles, half worthless. And for some reason, the language of Julius Caesar's last will in testament says, I foreknew you and predestined you to be Caesar.

And Paul, Paul uses, listen, that was the most scandalous biggest, it was like bigger than the royal wedding, okay, it was big, everybody was into it. And Paul is such a brilliant mind inspired by God that he uses that picture of adoption to paint the picture of God's adoption of us. King of the universe adopts us. Good for nothing, just worthless, sophomore, nothing. And then he changes his name. His name is Octavius. And he was known as Caesar Augustus, because he was adopted. And the entire Roman kingdom was in his hands.

So what do you say to those things? Because we have been given the spirit of adoption, that we are children of God. And if children heirs of all that God has for us, what do you say to that? And what do you say that it's the cross and not our circumstances that demonstrate God's love for us? what do you say to these things God's sovereign grace towards you what do you say to that he foreknew you he predestined you he called you

he justified you he glorified you before you could ever perform anything what do you say to that this is how Paul is going to end Romans 8 and what he's going to say he's going to say it all over again with different words you know what we call that preach it that's what we call that

and so what he does is Paul lists five questions but you can't see them really as questions. They are, they're rhetorical questions. And you know, a rhetorical question isn't really meant to be answered. You're actually making a statement when you ask a rhetorical question. Like if you look at your kids and go, didn't I tell you to clean your room? That's not a question.

You're not asking, did I or did I not? No, that is not what you were saying. I'm about to kill you. That's what you're saying. And so he is making these statements based on where we have been for the last three weeks. And he's going to ask these, or he's going to form in a form of rhetorical question where he's making these statements. And so he goes, what shall we say to these things? Here's what we're going to say.

We're going to say five things. Number one, if God is for us, who could be against us? If God is for us, who could be against us? And you're intended to look at this and go, no one, Paul. No one can be against us. And what he is addressing here is that if, listen, if you know that God is for, you. you, then what in the world are you afraid of? What in the world are you afraid of?

Like I've told you a million times, man. Growing up, I knew if my daddy was with me, I just was not afraid because my dad could whip your dad. He was tough. He was a boxer in the Navy. He probably lied about most of that stuff, but whatever, I believed it. But God is not a liar. So all throughout the Bible, the most commanded thing ever is this.

Do not be afraid. Right? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be afraid. Why, Joshua? Because I am with you. And he says, and Paul says, if God's for us, then who could be against us? Now, you look around in a little bit and you go, well, actually, there's a lot against me. I mean, the enemy's against me. My circumstances are against me. My health is against me. And what he's saying is not that there will be anything against you, but God has no rival.

Not that people don't come against him, not that he has to have an enemy, but the victory. But the victory is already settled. And if God is for you, if you are on God's side, then you are on the winning team. God is for you. Now here's the reality. Okay, I kind of have to balance this a little bit because we can get into some us about some verses that aren't about us. This verse is not about you, it is about God. So God is for you. It's just not about you. There's a difference. He is for you. Romans 5-8 that God demonstrated his love for us. Okay, so if somebody dies for you, they're for you. It's just not about you.

So all of the circumstances, because what will begin to happen, if you think it's about you, then your circumstances can kind of jack with your theology a little bit. Wait a minute, God. If you're for us, then how come my life isn't working out right now? Well, because it's not about you. God may be running you through the ring or for you. his glory. But don't worry about it because he's still got the whole world in his hands.

You see, here's how we know, man. Go to some familiar text, okay? I'm going to be at a funeral this weekend. This will be read. Psalm 23. We love Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me, and what that means is I shall not be in want. When I was a kid and I would hear this, the Lord is my separate, but I don't want him. That's not what it means, okay? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness. You read that and you're like, I don't know, pastor. Sounds like he's into me. All right, hold on. You got to keep going for his namesake. Everything God has for you is for you. It just ain't about you. It is all for the glory

of God, and listen, this actually frees you up to take a breath. It's the most freeing thing in the world. If you think the whole world revolves around you, everything has to be in perfect rotation around the center of the universe, which is you for you to be complete. That is an exhausting way to live. You know why? Because it never happens that way.

I mean traffic rain your team loses or it could be big things a doctor's visit whatever it is and what this is telling us in Psalm 23 is I do those things for you it's just not about you it's for his name's sake that he is the center of the universe and we revolve around him and that frees us up, that frees us up to live for him. And he even goes on to say, and though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil why, for you are with me. So if God is for us, then who could be against us?

It doesn't mean you're not going to have things come against you. It means they just can't do anything eternally to you because God still has you in his hand and no one can pluck you out of this. there. So, if God is for us, who could be against us? The second thing, the rhetorical question that he delays out is this. In verse 32, he who did not spare, I think this might be the most glorious verse in the whole Bible, okay? There's a lot of good ones. I have about 19 favorites. But right now this week, this is my favorite. Secondly, he who did not spare his own son,

but gave him up for us all. Now just stop right there for us all. Now just stop right there for us. second. I think the reason, it doesn't hear, like John 316, for God's so love the world, that he gave his only begotten son. I think the word spare and gave him up are to show us the anguish of a father to overcome the greatest obstacle in the Godhead for the sake of sinful people to reconcile them back to himself was to pay the ultimate price and the ultimate price would be the blood of his very own son, Jesus. You want to know how much something is worth? It's worth what somebody would pay for it, period.

The gospel according to eBay. I don't care what you think the thing is worth. Put it on eBay, that's what it's worth. Nah, but it means a lot to me. Okay, but it still means that six bucks. That's all that means. And the Bible tells us that you are not your own. You were bought at a price.

And so what was the price that God was willing to pay? for you. Here's the price. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. If you fall in the us all category, then Jesus died for you. When we go to Israel, one of the things we do is we go to the Garden of Gassimini, the place of crushing. It's an olive grove where they would take olives in the first century and there were three layers of crushing. and Jesus, when he was betrayed and flogged and crucified, there were three layers of crushing until the pit itself was crushed. And Jesus walks into that garden and he falls on his face and he cries out,

Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. You know what he's saying here? He's saying, Father, if Oprah's right and all roads lead to you, seems like an awful waste of my blood to go down the cross tomorrow. Why can't we just be better people? I can teach that. Why can't we just align our chakras, obey the Ten Commandments of all roads lead to heaven? Let's just leave this one out.

There's plenty of other paths out there. But if this is it, if the price for sinful man to be reconciled to a holy God is a perfect sacrifice of the Lamb, not my will, but your will be done. and the father in that moment does not spare his own son but gave him up for us all and then here's the question so how will he not also with him graciously give us all things all things do you know what he's addressing here listen if god was willing to spare his son for you then he can be trusted which means this, there's no need to worry. There's no need to worry in your whole life.

What in the world could you be worried about? You see, this is, in Roman literature, there was a method of comparing where you would compare something so extreme that when you compare the next thing, you would be like, of course, of course you would do that. Here's what it would be like. If you ask me for a million dollars, you'd be asking the wrong person. If you ask somebody for a million dollars, and they said, of course, here, have a million dollars. I'm happy to give you a million dollars. And then three weeks later, you thought,

you know what, I could use a tick-tack. Don't you think the person that gave you a million dollars would also be willing to let you have a tick-tac? You wouldn't worry about asking for a tick-tac because he had demonstrated his love for you in the million dollars. So what's a tick-tac? This is what he is saying. That Jesus on the Mountain of Beatitudes would say, who by can add a single hour to his day. Do you see the birds? Do you see the flowers? They don't worry about Jack.

And my father in heaven knows how to take care of them. So why are you worrying? You see, one of the things that the enemy will do, man, is he will try to make us anxious to get us to worry about our circumstances. And Paul is saying here, you don't have to worry about your circumstances. Why?

Because God's got the whole world in his hands and he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, here's the most important part, with him graciously give us all things. He is talking about God will never withhold his eternal inheritance from you. And the all things that you get is you get Jesus. You know, sometimes God's greatest gift in our life is not giving us what we ask for. I remember I was in the first grade and I begged Santa Claus through my dad to bring me a shotgun and a horse. Please. A shotgun and a horse.

Santa Claus through my dad gave me a BB gun and a puppy. Why? Because he loves me and he didn't want me to shoot my leg off on a horse. And sometimes it's crazy. Sometimes the things that we are praying hardest for in our life are the very thing. that would drive the greatest wedge between us and the one that we're praying to. And sometimes God knows that we are so prone to fall in love with the gift at the expense of the giver. And he would go, no way would I do that to you. And he go, well, then how can I trust him? Here's how, because he who did not spare his own son gave up, gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

The third thing The third rhetorical question statement that he makes is this And who shall bring any charge against God's elect? Now why does he say God's elect here? And who shall bring any charge? Why didn't he say against believers or Jesus followers or Christians? Here's why. Because what he wants to remind us of is that God works in all things

for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose and those whom he foreknew he predestined and conformed to the image of his son, he wants you to be reminded once again that the reason that you were loved by God is because God decided to love you. Not because you did anything. You see how freeing that is? That God just decided because God is love and he loves you. And so who shall bring any charge against God's elect? You know what this means that in the gospel there is no guilt?

Now the truth is the enemy will bring charges against you all the time it is what he does and what he's saying is so what so what and here's how, look how Paul responds to this who shall bring any charge against God's elect

he does not say because you are justified he says it is God who justifies that he shifts the attention not to our own... He could have said that it would have been true you're justified the price has been page. But he doesn't say that. He doesn't talk about the fact that we are justified. He talks about the God who justifies. He doesn't focus on us. It focuses it on God. Remember in Romans chapter 3. We studied this a while ago. Romans 3 23 and following, for all have sinned and fallen short

of the glory of God, which means this. You can bring many, many, many, many charges against us. However, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justices. by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. That word is so important. I'm going to teach it until every person knows what it means, from two years old to 102. Propitiation means a payment that satisfies. That when the enemy does bring charges, those charges have already been satisfied.

Imagine walking around with the Supreme Court justice. And then some little torpied lawyer goes, ha, so bring some kind of accusation against you. And a Supreme Court justice goes, that's already been taken care of, man. Get out of here. This is the kind of image that Paul is bringing. And so if Jesus is the propitiation,

the payment that is, that perfectly satisfies the law and the righteousness of God, that means that God cannot, be dissatisfied in you because if you are in Christ, if he were to be dissatisfied in you, that he would be dissatisfied in his own son at the cross. And he's not. It is finished. And because it is finished, who could bring any charge against God's elect?

We talk about it all the time. This means that you were not your past. You were not your sin. You were not your struggle. You were not your sexuality. You're not your orientation. You're not your political party. That is not who you are.

You're not your mistakes. You're not your cravings. You're not your none of those things. You're not your Facebook status. You are none of those things. You also are not your title at work. You are not your success. You were not your paycheck.

You were not your rewards. You were none of those things. That is not what defines you. God defines you. Only God gets to tell you who you are. And he says that that one, that one is my son. And so to that, who shall bring any charge against God's elect? verse 34 the fourth one and who is to condemn who is to condemn you see in christ therefore now there is

no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus because the answer is in the on earth is that the enemy condemns all the time your boss condemns all the time your kids condemn all the time people condemn you all the time but in christ therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So those those condemnations are meaningless, worthless, worthless, nothing. That in Christ, in God's sovereign love of you, they do nothing. And this week I was working on my sermon on my back porch. And we've got a pool back there.

And I'm sitting there and these ducks come flying in. And they land in my pool. And you think it's awesome until they leave. And then there's duck stuff. everywhere. So it's not awesome. And so Gretchen told me if you see the ducks, get them out of here. And so I get up and I shoe them away. Get out of here, ducks. And they just frat, you know, and they leave. And about the time I sit down, they're just coming right back. And I'm like, all right. And I just shoe them out again. And they go. So I go get my red rider

BB gun. Straight up, man. Now listen, it takes, like a red rider doesn't even shoot straight. You know what I mean? When you get your red rider, you got to understand, is this a left or right? You know, I got a draw on mine, a slice, this is a sinker. Like, it is, man. You know, you could throw a BV faster, all right. It takes a special shot to kill a duck. It just does from a shotgun, like a 12-gauge, boom, boom, all right. So I know it's, but I'm still not going to shoot him in the head or anything.

I'm just figuring I could sting this dude, and he ain't coming back to my pool. So, you know, I cock it, put it up there. I figure I'm going to kind of shoot him back here. And I go, poop, and it goes kind of right around and curveball. so you got to lead him a little bit because you got the Red Rider sorry and then the next one it hit that duck right here and you know what he did he just went right right I just shot him with a BB gun didn't even I think he took my BB I didn't even see it fall off of him just nothing he's like what I what you got man so even though like the arrows are coming

they just have no effect who is condemned well the enemy condemns all the time he whispers you God is done with you. You are unfit for use. But when you're saturated in the sovereign grace, the sovereign love of the father who has adopted you as his very own son, and you're a co-air with Christ, and you understand that therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, then when the flaming darts of condemnation from the enemy come to you, they just bounce off and you're like the duck. You're like, whatever, man. That's what this means.

Who is to condemn? And then the focus, again, it's not on you. The focus goes straight to Jesus. 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.

Remember last week we said, the spirit in you, in our weakness, when we don't know what to pray for anymore. When we do feel condemned, When we are worried, when we do feel alone, when we do feel guilty, when we are in those places of weakness and we don't know what to pray for, last week we learned that the Spirit himself prays in us through our own groanings when we have words that don't even make sense and praise on behalf of us to the Father. And simultaneous to that, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, sits at the right hand of God and prays for you, intercedes for you by name when the condemnation of the enemy comes at you.

That's what's happening. Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who was at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. I think Paul wants us to pay attention to our king and to our judge, to our father, to our savior, not pay attention to our accuser. because at the cross our accuser is powerless. The greatest condemnation in the history of mankind was at the cross. And Jesus overcame it. He said, he closes this way.

This is the fifth statement as a question. And who shall separate us from the love of God? Is there anything that can separate us from the love of God? He wants us to know that you are not alone, that God never leaves you. And then he runs through some things. See how tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Paul wants us to know, these are still options for the adopted Son of God Christian here.

It ain't all just cotton candy and Cadillacs once you sign up for the Jesus train. And for most of us in this room, these things are. you know, there's more like theoretical, almost poetic. In the first century, there were just realities. This year, there will be more than 150,000 Christians around the world that will die for their faith. This year. Tribulation. Distress. Persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. You see, because I'm sure what would happen in the Roman church's people, Jesus followers would think,

if my circumstances are dire, does that mean that God isn't with me anymore? Did I do something wrong? Has he taken his eye off of me? Because I took my eye off of him. And then what Paul does here is he quotes Psalm 44, as it is written for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. I always thought when I would read this, like in church,

like everything's flowing, Paul. Like you got this good thing. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. Why you got to quote this dying like sheep verse right there and mess up the flow? Well, the reason, if you read, it's always a good idea to go read the text that Paul or any New Testament author would quote from the Old Testament. It's a rabbinical teaching technique called a remez. See, the Psalms are songs.

When they would sing one lyric of the song, then your own. mind would sing the rest. It would happen to you. You know, if I go, happy birthday, everybody, you just have to go there, right? I mean, I can take you positive or no, you can go, I like, big, and you're done for the night. And depending on your context, your mind will go different places too. If I go, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, okay, if you're my age and under, you go stop, and if you're older than me, you say pressure. That's what happens. I don't have to teach that. it's already there. So this was possible. The entire Psalm 44 is about the crushing of Israel and Israel is crying out, have you taken your eyes off of me? That is that, that's the way it is. That's the question it asks. God, have you taken your eyes off of us? Have you neglected us? Have you rejected us? And so the question that he answers in 37, answers the question asked all the way back in Psalm 44. And the answer is a resounding no. No. No. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? God, if my circumstances are dire, does it mean that you've left me, that you're not with me? And he goes, no, in all these things, what things? In tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword, in those things. Also, in the five rhetorical questions that he asked in fear and anxiety and guilt and condemnation and loneliness. How about in those things? No, no, no. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. More than conquerors. So first, let's start with a conqueror. Conqueror means you conquered. You won.

That you overcome. Who? The enemy. I thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the names of the enemy in the scripture so that you and I could know who we are conquerors of in Christ. Matthew 4.3, he's called the tempter. Matthew 4-5, he's called the devil. Matthew 1224, he is called Beelzebub, which means the ruler of demons. Matthew 25, he's called Satan, which is an Aramaic term for the accuser. Matthew 1339, he's called the enemy. John 844, he's called the Father of Lies. John 14.30, he's called the ruler of this world.

2nd Corinthians 3.4, he's called the God of this age. 2 Corinthians 615, he's called Belial. It means worthless. He's called worthless. Ephesians 2-2, he's called the prince of the power of this world. 2 Corinthians 1114. He's disguised as an angel of light. 1 Peter 5.8.

He's called the adversary who prows around like a roaring lion. Revelation 12.9, he's called the great dragon, the serpent of old. Revelation 1210, he is called the destroyer. and against that you and I in Christ are more than conquerors which means this in Christ we have conquered temptation in Christ we have conquered the devil's schemes in Christ we have we are a conqueror over the demonic in Christ we are a conqueror over accusation in Christ we are a conqueror over the lives of this world in Christ we are a conqueror over this world in Christ we are a conqueror over this age. In Christ, you are a conqueror over worthlessness. In Christ, you are a conqueror

over any power that would come against you. In Christ, you are a conqueror over deception. In Christ, you are a conqueror over the prowling lion of isolation. In Christ, you are a conqueror over the cosmic forces of evil. And in Christ, you were a conqueror over destruction. You are more than a conqueror of all those things. But it doesn't just say conqueror. It says more than a conqueror. So what is it more than a conqueror? Here's what's more than a conqueror. You're a son. If you're in the army and you win a victory, then you won. Congratulations. And then you go home. But if the general is your dad and you're in the army and you win a victory, you go home with your dad. This is what it means to be more than a conqueror. Because we are sons. We have a spirit of a

option, we cry out, Abba father. And again, so if you're, if you're just a soldier and you conquer, then there are some spoils of the victory that are yours. But if you're a son of the king and you're a conqueror, the spoils are the kingdom itself and a relationship with the king that in Christ, you and I are more than conquerors. We're sons of the most high king. And then he says this, for I am sure. Remember the context of all of chapter 8 is when things are not going well, when circumstances are not going your way.

And now, after he establishes the sovereign, relentless, unending grace and love of God the Father, he goes, for I am sure now, not based on my circumstances, but based on the sovereign love of God, 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, our Lord. We've got to go over it more. Because if you're a Christian and your head doesn't blow up when you read those verses, then you don't understand what they mean. Like you should have exploded out of your seat like you have issues, okay? And so that means you don't understand it yet. That's all right. That's why I work here. I'm going to unpack them. Ready?

For I am sure that neither death, neither death. Jesus conquered death. Jesus conquered death. He's talking about what could separate us. He goes, I am sure that death. So whether it's a diagnosis of cancer or a chronic injury or incurable disease or the death of somebody that you love like crazy, that I am sure that neither death. Why? Because it is finished. And Jesus says, into thy hands, I commit my spirit. And then three days later, to conquer sin and death, God the Father resurrected his son from the grave. So death can't stop you. For I am sure that neither death nor life,

that Jesus' life is credit to us as ours. So your successful career, your magnificent marriage, your life going great can't separate you. You will rejoice but not misplace your hope in this life. Why? Because Jesus says, I am the resurrection in the life. So neither death nor life Nor angels

You see Jesus is greater than the angels And one day he will set all of his sons adopted sons as ruler over the angels No spiritual forces, no demonic powers Nor angels nor rulers That Jesus is reigning as the Lord of the universe Here's what this means Regardless of who the president is

What the Supreme Court decides What rights are taken away from you or rights are granted to you. If your boss fires you, if you get passed over, if the growing hostility towards Christian tries to overtake and overwhelm, there is no ruler that could separate us from the love of Christ. Paul says it this way in Colossians too. And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands, this he set aside nailing it to the cross he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumping over them in him rulers cannot separate you from the love of god neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present that jesus has suffered and been tempted in every way that we have been tempted so no matter what current situation is, no matter your debt, your financial failure, whether you're in poverty or riches, your marital problems, your sickness, abuse, addiction, don't look to your circumstances,

look to the cross. Because things present cannot separate us from the love of God, nor things to come. Because as we look for things to come, Jesus will return as a conquering king, securing our future. So whether it's the death of a loved one or losing your family or a divorce or financial failure or your greatest fear comes true, do not worry about tomorrow because Jesus still has the world in his hands and he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So the things to come cannot separate you from the love of God, nor powers that Jesus has defeated the power of sin and death in Satan. The game is over. We're just, we're in the victory formation, just kneeling it out until the clock runs down.

So regardless of what ISIS does and North Korea does or pressure from your boss or co-worker, some of them you feel like you work for ISIS, your pressure from your unbelieving parents or unbelieving friends or unbelieving spouse, no weapon formed against you will prosper. Because there is no power. And God has equipped us with the full armor of God to stand firm against the devil and his evil schemes. To put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation and feet fitted in the readiness of the gospel of peace

and take up our shield of fate and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, and pray, pray, pray, there is no power that could take you out. For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, that Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God most high where he is interceding for us right now.

So whether it's heights of success that make you feel lonely, Or it's chasing after the things of this world, the heights of success of this world, cannot separate you from the love of God. David says it this way in Psalm 139, where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to the heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in the depths of Shio, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. there are no heights that could separate you from the love of God, nor depth that Jesus descended into the depths experiencing the worst that sin could do to him, deeper than any depths that we could experience as a believer. That Jesus in the Garden of Gassimony, he says to his disciples, would you come and pray for me, I feel sorrowful as if I'm going to die. That's what Jesus said.

He prayed with such an intensity that the doctor Luke said that he sweat drops of blood because he knew that he would endure the full wrath of a holy, righteous, and just God. And that by his stripes, we would be healed. He understands the depths of the pain that you and I have been through. And even those depths will not separate us. from the love of God, nor anything else in all creation. Jesus holds the entire universe, all of his creation by the sheer word of his own power. And who can separate us, nor anything else in all creation?

That means no thing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. So one more time. for I am sure after four weeks in Romans chapter 8 after 20 weeks in the book of Romans 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. Amen, church. Amen. So for those of you that look at me right now and be like, how could God love me? You know what I would say to you? Who do you think you are? I mean, honestly, who in the world do you think you are? I mean, I'm telling you, you are a gnat on the

backside of an elephant that we can't even see right now, okay? I know. You walk. You through it, right? But his love is so big, it is so immense, it is so overwhelming, it is so overtaking, you were, you were drowning in a sea of grace and you don't even know it. There is no thing you can do. You're not powerful enough, you're not big enough, you couldn't muster up enough sin if you tried hard from this day until eternity to get him to quit loving you. You're not strong enough, you're not big enough, you're not smart enough, you can sleep too long

and you can't outrun him. You can't, you can't outrun him. C.S. Lewis referred to himself as the most reluctant of all converts. That he would sit in a pub, you hear that Baptist, he would sit in a pub with J.R. Tolkien. He was a teacher of medieval literature at Oxford and Cambridge. No dummy, okay? And he would talk, he would talk about how the imagination worked and he was an atheist. And so he and Tolkien, Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings. And Tolkien

would say, no, no, no, the very idea that you have an imagination and that we have created things like fairies. The idea that we would think of a little creature flying around with fairy dust and stuff means that there is more to us than just us. I mean, I cannot imagine the level of nerddom happening in that moment. Tolkien begins to walk C.S. Lewis through the saga of the Lord of the Rings to be a picture of Jesus as our rescuer. And C.S. Lewis says that he leaves the pub one night on his bicycle to go to his garden, and he is not sure what happened, but he had not intended to do. He was running from God with everything that he was made of in his words,

but the hounds of heaven chased me down and I could not outrun them. Do you know what that means? Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate you from the love of God. If you were to ask, how could God love me? do you think you are? It is not about you. It is about who God is and his love is infinite. His love is never ending. His love is relentless and he poured out his love for you. And if God is for you, then who could be against you? So the point is God's love towards us as demonstrated through the cross and resurrection is infinitely greater than anything this world can throw at us. Let me say that

again, God's love towards you, God's love towards you, is infinitely greater than anything that this world could throw as. And how do we know that? We know it because if he didn't spare his own son, but gave him up for us, will he not give us all the good in Christ that we have as a co-air with him? and so the way we're going to wrap up Romans chapter 8 is I'm going to pray and then at all of our campuses our campus pastors are going to set up communion there and then we're going to have communion right here so would you pray with me our good and gracious heavenly Father God we love you more than anything God forgive us when we think too highly of ourselves, even in our own condemnation. How silly are we to declare our sin somehow bigger than your grace? What a joke we are. Lord, I pray that by the power of the spirit, by the authority of your word, by the blood of Jesus,

and the love of the Father, God, you would open up our eyes to see your never-ending, relentless. infinite love towards us that there is no thing on this planet or in any heavenly or demonic realm that could ever take us away from you. God, I thank you for the blessed assurance that we are yours. I thank you that, God, we couldn't lose our salvation because it's not ours to lose. You've saved us and you never lose. And because you are a conqueror and we are your sons, that makes us more than a conqueror. And God, that only comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We prayed in Jesus' name.

Amen.