ROMANS 8:31-39 YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR2015 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 8:31-39 You Are More Than A Conqueror

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2015. Alright, well this evening we're in Romans chapter 8. We'll be looking at verses 31 through 39. And so let's begin by reading through that passage together. Romans chapter 8 verse 31 says...

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen.

Verse 37.

Yet 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 principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Here in Romans chapter 8, we are finishing up this eighth chapter of the book of Romans. And man, it has been an incredible chapter as Paul has brought to kind of the climax the benefits and the position that we have as a result of the gospel.

And he's been building the case ever since chapter 1 about our need for the gospel and our need for salvation. But he's made it very clear here in Romans chapter 8 that by believing in Jesus, the salvation we have gives us this incredible standing in Christ, this incredible relationship with God, this incredible connection to God.

And that continues as we look at verses 31 through 39 here in chapter 8. The title of the message this morning or this evening is, You are more than a conqueror. And I want you to know, and I encourage you to know, God wants you to know this evening that you are more than a conqueror. Do you ever feel like your Christian life is

your spiritual walk. You're just kind of like barely scraping by. You know what I mean? Like it's just like you're getting through life. You're walking with the Lord, but it's just kind of

You know, you're just barely making it. You know, you think about eternity. You think about the kingdom of God. You think about, you know, your impact for the kingdom of God. And you just think, man, it's just like I'm just barely in the kingdom. I'm just barely part of God's plan. I'm just barely involved or barely in what God has called me to do.

You know, that idea of, you know, keeping your head above water. You know, it's like you're just doing everything you can to just not go under completely. But you're just like right about to be wiped out. You're just barely hanging on, hanging on by a thread. You're just kind of really not more than a conqueror. But Paul says, and God wants you to know, you are more than a conqueror.

Now that idea of more than a conqueror, the word more than a conqueror, it's one word in the Greek. It means to have a decisive victory. And so the idea is to have an overwhelming victory. I was thinking about some expressions that we use and maybe would kind of convey this a little bit. You know, like when you pass a test and sometimes we say, you know, well, he passed with flying colors and

I don't know why we use the phrase. It goes way back to, you know, actually ships flying flags, flying their colors. But the idea is he passed with flying colors. That is, he didn't just pass the test, but he passed it really well. He did great on the test. Or sometimes it's described when a politician is elected that they won by a landslide, right? That it was just an overwhelming victory. They just overtook all the votes.

Now, those are the two expressions I could think of off the top of my head. I was trying to think of some sports examples, okay? Like, I think there's something called a sweep, right? Series sweep or something. I don't know. There's the shutout. I know that one, right? There's the shutout. It's like, you know, it's not just a victory, but it's like an abundant victory, right?

That's the idea here where Paul will say that you are more than a conqueror. And you need to know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are more than a conqueror.

This is your position. This is your standing. And this is true of every believer. Although you might feel like you're just barely scraping by or you're just like on the fringe, you know, like you're barely in the kingdom. God's not really excited that you're there, but somehow you snuck in, you know.

You are more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ. And this is true for every single believer in Jesus. Whether you're mature or immature, whether you are faithful or unfaithful, whether you are growing or whether you are complacent and backsliding, this is true of you as a believer in Jesus Christ. You are more than a conqueror. And there's five points I'd like to walk you through in this passage here. Romans chapter 8, verses 31 through 39 says,

to help us understand this position that we have in Christ that is this abundant victory. And why is it that we can have this abundant victory even though we're still messed up and even though we're still sinful and even though we still are failures many times and are complacent and backsliding? How can we be more than a conqueror

When it's still us, you know, we don't really see much change in us. We see the same struggles and issues. So how is it that we could be called more than a conqueror? So five points to help us understand that. The first one is found in verse 31. And point number one is that God is for you. The first reason why you can clearly know and understand that you are more than a conqueror is because God is for you.

God is on your side. In verse 31, he says, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? What shall we say to these things? Now, Paul's going to ask several questions. In fact, he's going to ask about five questions in our passage this evening, and it kind of develops for us the five points that we have to walk through. And as he asks these questions, he's saying, what shall we say to these things? Again, the point is,

There is no real response that is adequate to these things that Paul will be challenging us with. He's asking kind of rhetorical questions to help drive the point home so that we know we are more than conquerors in Christ, so that we know the position and the status that we have in Christ. It's kind of a summary or a conclusion of all the things that he's been teaching in chapter 8 thus far. And so he says, if God is for us, who can be against us?

We saw a few verses earlier that God works all things together for good to those who love him. God works all things together for good. Paul's continuing that thought here. God is working on your behalf. And so if God is for you, who can be against you? Now, he uses the word if. If.

And so that leaves a little bit of room for someone to say, well, you know, maybe I'm not included. Maybe I'm not one of those that God is for. Maybe he's for Pastor Pule, but he's not for me, you know, we might think. But the word if, it's not an actual question. It's a logical argument that he's building. You know, if, you know, this is true, then this is true. That's the idea. And so it's if, it can also be translated since.

So you could read it, since God is for us, who can be against us? That's the point that Paul is making. God is for you. This is a definite. It's not a question, although Paul is asking the question. He's asking the question so that you know it's not a question. He's asking the question so that you know this is the reality. This is the truth. God is for you.

Now, what does it mean that God is for you? That means that God is on your side. It means that God is a fan of you. Jonathan's not here, so we can pick on him a little bit. He's watching online, hopefully. You guys know what team Jonathan is a fan of? Who's he for? The Angels, right? If you don't learn anything else tonight, learn this. Jonathan is for the Angels.

Right? No, no. He's for the Dodgers. You can be for a team. It means you want them to win. It means you want them to succeed. And it means you build a shrine to them in your home, right? You're for the team. You want what's best for them. You want them to succeed. In the same way, God is for you. Now, you can also be against a team, right? So as much as Jonathan is for the Dodgers, he's against...

other teams. When you're against the team, right, you want them to lose, you want them to fail, you glory in that, you rejoice in that, and that is quite different than being for the team. Or you can be like me, and you can not care one bit either way about any of them. So there's for, there's against, and then there's not caring at all. Now, when you think about God in relationship to you, you need to understand God is...

very interested in what happens to you. He does care whether you win or lose. He does care whether you succeed or fail. So he's not like me regarding the teams. He's not disinterested. He cares greatly. And he's not against you. He's not rejoicing if you fail. He's not wanting you to lose. He is for you. He is on your side. He is your biggest fan. He wants you to succeed. He

Who is God rooting for? He's rooting for you. He's on your side. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to win. He wants blessings and abundance in your life. Now, I think the illustration of, you know, thinking about it as a team, it helps a little bit, but you also got to understand it's more than that.

Because God's not a spectator watching on TV, you know, just kind of changing the channels or maybe a really engaged spectator attending the game and being involved. He's not just watching. He's actually in control. He is sovereign and on the throne. And so it would be more like a fixed match between

You know, where someone's paid to take the fall, that kind of thing. God is for you and he's in control. He's on your side. He wants you to win. And he's the one who's orchestrating everything that's going on so that he can work all things together for good for you because he's for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. And so this is the first way that we can understand you are more than a conqueror.

Because God is for you. He's fixed the match in your favor. He's stacked the deck in your favor. He's arranged everything so that it works together for good on your behalf. Because God is rooting for you and he wants what is best for you. God is on your side.

So you are more than a conqueror. You're not just barely scraping by. You don't just have, you know, victory by the skin of your teeth. You have victory by the divine sovereignty of God. You have victory by God working all things together for good on your behalf. Well, going on to verse 32, we have point number two, and that is that God freely gives you all things. Verse 32 is a crazy verse.

You got to learn this verse and hold on to it and repeat it back to yourself many times, especially in those hours of difficulty and struggle. Verse 32, he who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? So Paul asks another question, but he starts out with a reminder of what God has done for us.

He who did not spare his own son. So before he gets into the actual question part, he's saying, okay, let's just remember who we're talking about here. We're talking about a God who did not spare his own son. Calling us back really to John 3, 16, right? 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.

God gave his only begotten son. He did not spare his own son. He didn't withhold his own son. He didn't hold back or keep from us his only begotten son. Instead, he freely gave his only begotten son. I hope you understand. God could have let you perish. He was not obligated to save any of us. He could have spared Jesus.

the pain, the humiliation. He could have spared Jesus all that he endured by becoming a man and being crucified upon the cross for us, but he didn't spare him. He was moved by his love for you to send Jesus, to give Jesus that you would have the opportunity to have life in his name. You are so important to God that God looked at you and your condition and he counted it worth it. And he said, you know what? I'm not going to spare my son.

I'm going to give my son because you're worth it, because you're that valuable, because I love you that much. Now, understanding that he who did not spare his own son, verse 32 goes on to say and ask the question, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? So here's the idea. God has already demonstrated his care for you by paying the ultimate price.

He's already demonstrated his great love for you by dying upon the cross, by sending his only begotten son. Now, since God is willing to pay the ultimate price, Paul says, of course, God will also provide everything else that you need. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? So God looks at your condition and he says,

It's going to cost the ultimate price, but I'm going to give you my son. And so he gives Jesus on your behalf, on my behalf. It's the ultimate price. It's the greatest price that could have been paid. Now, since he did that, how shall he not with that freely give you all things, freely give you anything else that you need? And especially as you consider everything else that you need doesn't cost God anything.

When God gave his only son, that was the ultimate price. That was the greatest expense. That was the greatest sacrifice that has ever been given in all of history and could ever be given in all of history. And it met your greatest need. It met my greatest need, my need for salvation, my need for forgiveness of sin. It met the biggest need. Now, I also have other needs. I have needs for

I have needs for food. I have needs for clothing. I have needs for companionship. I have needs for... I have needs. You have needs. But if you think about all the needs that you have, God can meet those needs and it doesn't cost Him anything. We're talking about the creator of the heavens and the earth. It doesn't cost Him to give you money. It doesn't cost Him to give you clothing. It doesn't cost Him to give you bread. There's no...

Like, deficiency that he feels like, oh, man, I know she needs this. But if I give her this, then I'm going to be lacking here. There's no cost any longer. He already paid the ultimate price. Everything else that you need to God, there's no cost. It's not something that God has said, well, I'd like to give you that car. But, you know, I got to save up for it. Give me a few months. And let me save up for it. And then I could give you some transportation. Right?

If he did not spare his own son the ultimate price, the greatest cost, how will he not also freely give you everything that you need, especially as you consider everything else that you need does not cost God anything. When I was about 20 years old, my parents moved from California to northern Nevada.

And ever since then, there's been a campaign to try to get me to move up there with them, right? But it's not happening. I love Southern California.

I love what God has us doing here. But we do go visit my parents from time to time. And they're really excited about it when we visit. In fact, they give us incentive to come and visit. And so one of the things that they'll do is they'll pay for our gas. Hey, if you come, we'll cover the cost for you to get here so that we can spend time with you.

And so we'll go up to visit my parents. They pay for our gas. They cover the cost of driving up there. But then they charge us for every glass of water that we drink. No, they don't do that, right? They give us as much water. In fact, they'll say, hey, what else do you want? Do you want some soda? Do you want to go out to dinner? What do you want? And it's like those things, it's like no big deal. Of course, yeah, take whatever you need.

In the same way, God has already given you Jesus. So how will he not give you everything else that you need? Now, this is really important because you have needs and you need to understand that God is both willing and able to meet those needs. The struggle that we have many times is that God works on a different timeframe than we work. And also we don't always know our needs.

God knows our needs way better than we do. And many times the things that we think we need are things that are not good for us at all. And so we need to understand that, well, God withhold things from us because they're not good for us. Not because he's not able to provide. And sometimes we wonder about that though, like, because, you know, the bill is due or the job is needed. We need that place to stay. We have that need, but God's able to meet that need immediately.

Money is easy for God. He could just rain down on you. That's easy. What's much more difficult is your heart. And so God allows situations and he works in our lives to meet our, well, eternal needs. That's his greater focus. But the point here, coming back to the idea that you are more than a conqueror, understand you are more than a conqueror because God freely gives you all things.

Because everything that you need for life and godliness, God is able to give to you and he gives it to you freely. Everything that you need to be the husband that you need to be, that you should be, God's able to freely give you. Everything that you need to be the wife,

that you should be, God's able to freely give you. To be the provider, to be the employee, to be the Christian, to be whatever God's called you to be. Everything that you need, God is able to give you and it doesn't cost him anything. And he freely gives you all things because he already paid the ultimate price in giving Jesus on your behalf. As I was considering this thought, it reminded me of that great Psalm, Psalm 23, where David says, the Lord is my shepherd and

I shall not want. That word want, it's not the way that we use the word want. You know, I want a new phone. I want a million dollars. I want whatever, right? When he says, I shall not want, it means I don't lack anything. I'm not lacking anything. But he's connecting it to the first part, that is, the Lord is my shepherd.

Because the Lord is my shepherd, I do not lack anything. Now, if you think about it in the idea of a shepherd and sheep in a very literal way, the shepherd's responsibility is to provide for the sheep. And a good shepherd provides pasture for the sheep, provides water for the sheep. And so a sheep who has a good shepherd doesn't lack. They have everything they need because, well, their shepherd is providing for them.

And David was a shepherd as he's writing that. And as he is taking care of these sheep and doing his best to be a good shepherd and to make sure these sheep have what they need, that they're protected from the enemy, that they're protected from disease, that they have the nourishment, that they have the refreshment that they need. He's doing all of this. And then he looks to the Lord and says, what I'm doing for these sheep, God, you do for me. And because you're my shepherd,

I shall not want. There will never be a time that I lack because you're the one who's taking care of me even better than I'm able to take care of these sheep. And this is your condition. This is your position in Christ. You are more than a conqueror because the Lord is your shepherd. You do not want. And you say, but wait, I want. James tells us, where do fights and quarrels come? Well, they come

from your wants, those desires within. Yes, you have those desires within, but the Lord is your shepherd and you do not lack. You might think that you lack, but wherever you think that you lack, understand that's where you're in conflict with God. Where you think, well, I really need this, but I don't have that. That's where you're not understanding the big picture.

You're not understanding what's best for you. The only time that you want or that you lack, it's when you're out of line with God's will. When you want what's not best for you. Sometimes, you know, you like the junk food. When you know the healthy food is better for you, right? That's what's best for you. But you want and you crave and you desire and you lust after the junk food, right? In the same way in life, we feel like we lack and we have this want that's

You're more than a conqueror in Christ because he's your shepherd and everything that you need, he will provide because he's already paid the ultimate price. He's already proven his care for you. He's already proven that he is the greatest shepherd. So of course, he will provide everything else as well. Those things cost him nothing and he already gave you what cost him the most.

Well, moving on now into verse 33, we have point number three, and that is that God does not accuse you. So you are more than a conqueror, number one, because God is for you. He's on your side. He's rooting for you, and he is the one who's in charge. Number two, God freely gives you all things. He provides and meets every need that you have.

And so as you seek first the kingdom of God, he adds all these other things to your life. Everything that you need is taken care of. But number three, here we see that God does not accuse you. Check out verse 33. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. So here Paul asks another question. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Now he's talking about you.

Who shall bring a charge against you? This word to bring a charge, it means to come forward as an accuser. So who will step forward and accuse you? Who is it that will do that? I like the way the New Living Translation puts it here in verse 33. It says, who dares accuse us whom God has chosen? Who dares accuse you when God has chosen you?

Now we know who dares accuse us, right? In Revelation chapter 12, verse 10, it speaks of the devil, Satan, as the accuser of the brethren. And it speaks of him accusing the brethren before God day and night. Picture that for just a moment, would you? The enemy is standing before God right now, day and night, accusing you before God. And he's saying, you know, Lewis, God, there's this guy, Lewis, he's messed up.

He doesn't deserve any of all this that you're providing for him. You should let him lack. You should let him want. Why are you for him? Why are you rooting for him? Why are you on his team? Don't you know what he does? Don't you know the thoughts that he has? Don't you know the way that he is? And the enemy's there saying, hey, there's this lady, Janine. She's not worth your time, God. OK, it's getting too rough. OK, this is the devil. This is the accuser. He's slandering you before God night and day.

Who dares to bring an accusation against God's elect? We see this, of course, in the account of Job, right? Remember in Job chapter 1, Satan comes before God and God says, hey, have you considered Job? He's a righteous man. And Satan accuses Job. He slanders Job. He says, no, Job's not a righteous man. He loves you because you bless him. And if you stop blessing him, he would stop loving you. He's accusing Job before God. This is

what the enemy does. He accuses us. But notice the role in the picture that I'm painting there. It's Satan who accuses the brethren. God does not accuse you. It's not God saying, you know, that guy, that dude, he is, man, I can't believe I even let my grace go that far because that guy is now getting in. I'm just really upset about this.

God is not accusing you. Yes, we have an enemy, the adversary who hates us and wants to destroy our lives, and he accuses us. Yes, but he never convinces God to join his team. God never says, hey, you know, you're right, Satan. That guy is it. Yeah, you're right. He's slandering you night and day, but God does not accuse you. And we can be confident. We can be certain of that

Because it's God who cleared your record. Again, here in verse 33, he says, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. It's God who justifies. Now, we talked about being justified a lot in the earlier chapters of Romans. The word justified, it means to be declared not guilty and to be declared righteous, right?

As a believer in Jesus Christ, when you believe in Jesus with no additional steps, with no extra, you know, things that you have to do, when you believe in Jesus Christ, you are justified. God declares you not guilty. He declares you absolutely, completely, perfectly righteous. Now, if God is the one who's made this declaration,

If God is the one who has made this announcement and he has declared, you are not guilty, then you easily understand God does not accuse you. He has nothing to accuse you of because he's already cleared your record. He's already washed your sin. And as far as the east is from the west, your sin has been cast from you. There is nothing for God to accuse you of.

There is nothing for God to slander you about. There's nothing that God would charge you with because you've believed in Jesus Christ and that has taken care of. That has washed away every single sin. No matter how bad, no matter how often, your sin has been washed. You are more than a conqueror because God does not accuse you. Your record has been wiped clean. Now, if you still had a record clean,

then you would not be more than a conqueror. You would, well, you would need to be fearful as you thought about standing before God, as you thought about entering into eternity, because you have these things that are on your record that, well, they're worthy of judgment. But God does not accuse you. He does not bring a charge against you. The enemy does. And sometimes, you know what? We let the enemy deceive us into thinking that God feels the same way.

But that's not the reality. God does not accuse you. Sometimes we accuse ourselves and we slander ourselves and we bring a charge against ourselves. But God does not. And sometimes we jump on the bandwagon against other people or other people charge against us. But understand that God is the final authority. At the end of the day, we stand before the throne of God and it's God who has cleared our record.

So it really doesn't matter what everybody else says and the charges they may bring against us. It really doesn't matter what charges the enemy brings against us, the accusations that are thrown about. It really doesn't matter. You're more than a conqueror because at the end of the day, when you stand before God, who is the final judge over all, he looks at your record and there's no accusation to be made because the blood of Jesus Christ has washed you and cleansed you from all sin. You are more than a conqueror.

Going along right with that is verse 34 and point number four, and that is that God will not condemn you. So not only will God not accuse you, but God will not condemn you. Verse 34 says, Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who is he who condemns? Here's the next question that Paul asks.

So who is the one who accuses? Well, that's Satan. Who's the one who condemns? The word condemn, it means to judge worthy of punishment or to pronounce a sentence of judgment upon someone. Who is the one who pronounces the sentence of judgment? Who is the one who condemns? Now, some would wonder, is there such a thing as condemnation? Is there such a thing of eternal judgment?

The Lord reveals to us in Revelation chapter 21 verse 8, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. This is condemnation.

This is the final judgment, the sentence of judgment. It is the reality. It is the truth. There is a condemnation. There is a final judgment. And it is for those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Now, understanding that there is this judgment...

Paul's question here is, who is the one who makes that judgment? Who is the one who condemns, who sentences people to the lake of fire, the second death, that eternal place of judgment? Who's the one who has the final say, who gives that sentence? And he answers that question here in verse 34. The one who gives that sentence is Christ who died. It's Jesus who gives that final sentence. The one who died for you

is the one who is the final judge. Now this is really important. Jesus died so that whoever would believe could be delivered from condemnation. But at the same time, those who refuse to believe, it's Jesus who delivers them over to condemnation. He is the one who has that authority. It is Christ who condemns.

Jesus said in John 5, verse 22, he says, the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. It's Jesus who condemns. Now, that's not typically what we think about when we think of Jesus, right? Jesus loves you, we might say. That's what my shirt says, right? Jesus loves you, but it's also Jesus who condemns. And because he loves you, he made a way for you to not have to be condemned, but he also gives you the choice, right?

whether or not you respond to his provision is up to you. For those of us who've responded as a believer in Jesus Christ, this is really good news. This is one way that I know that I'm more than a conqueror in Christ because the one who gives that sentence of judgment is the one who died for me. He is the one who paid that ultimate price. Jesus has all authority.

He has the final authority. He has the final say of who is judged. And he's the one who died for me and promised me that if I believe in him, that I will have everlasting life. Jesus has all authority. If you think about this place, Calvary Chapel, Living Water, I have some authority here. As a pastor, I have some authority, but it's very limited. I was thinking about

Many years ago, when I was much younger, and I'm sure you've heard me share the story at least once or twice, of as a young man having all kinds of issues with my driving record and such, and I got pulled over right across the street from the church. My registration had expired. I was driving without a license, and I didn't have insurance, you know, all kinds of issues that were going on there. And I remember Pastor Tom walking across the street

and negotiating ferociously with the police officer so that my car would not get impounded, my truck would not get impounded. And Pastor Tom, you guys know, he can be very persuasive, right? He can be very forceful. He can many times get his way. He had authority here, but across the street, that was beyond the extent of his authority.

And my truck was impounded, even though he tried really hard and he made a great case and he was very persuasive and he did his best. But his authority was limited. He couldn't prevent that condemnation, that impounding of my truck. But here in this passage, we're talking about Christ who has all authority, the final authority. He's the one who has the say of whether or not judgment is brought upon a person. And he's the one who died for me.

He's the one who's given me opportunity for life in his name. And that's why Paul says in the beginning of chapter 8, chapter 8, verse 1, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. There's no condemnation, no more judgment for you because as a believer in Jesus Christ, well, you've been declared righteous. Your record has been cleared. There's nothing to charge you with.

And there's no judgment that will ever be issued against you. No wrath of God against you at all. It's all been fulfilled upon Christ there at the cross. And so God will not condemn you because the one who condemns, the one who has that final say, the one who has that authority is Christ who died on your behalf.

You are more than a conqueror because when you stand before God, there will not be a hint of wrath. There will not be a moment of judgment or punishment. God will not condemn you. Now, Jesus did not die for you and then just say, okay, now you're on your own. I did the hard part. You know, now the rest is up to you. But verse 34 goes on to say,

The one who has the power to condemn is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen and is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us. So it's not that Jesus cared one time and he did, you know, just really great big act of love and then you're on your own from there. No, Jesus continues to intercede on your behalf, to work on your behalf. He's for you.

You are more than a conqueror. You are guaranteed as a believer in Jesus Christ. God will not condemn you. No question, no hesitation, no reservations. Well, finally, point number five found in verses 35 through 39 is that God loves you. God loves you. And Paul wants to make sure, he's quite elaborate here in these verses, to make sure we understand

Don't think of some scenario where we're the exception, you know, and now, okay, well, maybe God loves other people, but he doesn't love me. Verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? So here's the next question Paul asks. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who can get in the way and keep God from loving you?

And sometimes we think that people are getting in the way. So we're missing out on God's love. We're missing out on blessings from God because, you know, that dumb boss, he just won't give me the raise that I need. You know, they're getting in the way. They're thwarting God's plan. No. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Who can change God's mind about loving you? Now, again, the accuser, he tries, right? I don't know why you love them, Lord, but nobody can change God's mind about you. He's

decided once and for all, he loves you. And there is no one who can separate you from the love of Christ. There's nothing that can separate you from the love of Christ. Sometimes we feel like we've been separated from the love of God. And a lot of times when we feel like we've been separated from the love of God, we feel that way because of the circumstances of our lives, the situations we're going through. And then we begin to wonder, does God really love me?

And we base that upon what's happening in our lives and what we're going through. I think the New Living Translation gives us an interesting perspective on that here in verse 35. In the New Living Translation, it says, can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? It says, does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death?

Does it mean he no longer loves us if we suffer? Now that's where we start to think, well, maybe God doesn't love me. But Paul's making the point here, even when you suffer, God still loves you. And the suffering that you experience is not an indication of God's love one way or the other. It doesn't mean that God stopped loving you, and so that's why there's calamity.

That's why there's trouble in the home or the workplace or whatever situation you're in, because God stopped loving you. No, Paul's asking the question to help us understand there's no question. God loves you and nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. When you feel like you've been separated because you have trouble or calamity,

Or when you're persecuted, when there's attacks against you and you feel like maybe God doesn't love me or God's withheld his love or stopped loving me. Or when you're hungry and so you start to think maybe God doesn't love me or you're destitute or you're in danger or you're threatened with death or you're naked or you're whatever the case might be. And you start to think maybe God doesn't love me. Paul's asking the question so you know it's not a question. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ.

Well, then he gives us a little snippet of an example in verse 36. He says, Now, this is a quotation from Psalm chapter 44. And without getting into a lot of the details, the psalmist there is saying, Lord, what's going on? I mean, we're experiencing all kinds of attacks and hurt and heartache and difficulty, but

And we haven't forgotten you. We haven't turned away from you. If we did, you would know that. And so the psalmist is wrestling with, God, do you still love us? Because we're suffering. And so in verse 22 of Psalm 44, you have this quotation that Paul uses in Romans chapter 8. For your sake, we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughtered.

And then as he continues this prayer, he says, awake, why do you sleep? Oh Lord, arise, do not cast us off forever. And then notice verse 24. Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression? Why are you hiding your face? Why are you forgetting the affliction that we have, the trouble, the things that we're suffering? Why are you not rising up and delivering us from these things?

Now, the psalmist is wrestling with these emotions, with these questions, the same way that you and I do. And so Paul brings this in to say, look, this isn't unique to us. So you start thinking, oh no, maybe God doesn't love me because of all these things I'm suffering. That's the same feeling that saints have struggled with throughout all of history. We do suffer. It's part of life.

It's part of our fallen world that we live in. It's part of our own fallen nature that we are bound with. We suffer. There's trouble. There's nakedness. There's famine. There's persecution. There's difficulty. We do suffer, but it does not mean that God has abandoned us. And it does not mean that God does not love us.

Remember what Paul said earlier in Romans chapter 8 in verse 18. He says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. These sufferings are accomplishing something far greater in eternity. We think of it as a disconnect that maybe, you know, God's pulled himself back and that's why we suffer. But Paul says, no, no, no, you do suffer, but it's going to be worth it.

It's going to be worth it. You won't even be able to compare it to the glory that you have in eternity. And so, yeah, there is suffering. And yeah, you might wrestle with, well, I don't know. What does that mean? Does that mean? And Paul wants you to know, there's no question here. And this is when he gets to the point in verse 37. Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. So in the famines, in the distresses, in the persecution, we

He says, in those things, we are more than conquerors. I've been talking about us being more than conquerors, and I've been talking about how God is for you, how God freely gives you all things, and we're like, yeah, that's awesome, right? All those great blessings, the benefits of God on our side, and that is why we are more than conquerors. But Paul is pointing directly back to the sufferings, and he says, in those sufferings, you are more than a conqueror.

It's not an indication of whether or not God has stopped loving you. God still loves you. And even in the midst of those great difficulties, you are more than a conqueror. Of course, we don't like suffering. It's not our favorite thing in the world, and it's not where we want to be. But God, who is on the throne-- remember, He's sovereign-- God, who works all things together for good, has worked it out so that even though you suffer, and even though at the time suffering doesn't feel like victory in suffering,

You have an abundant victory, more than a conqueror. It's a decisive victory. It's winning by a landslide. It's the sweep. It's the shutout. It's whatever you want to look at it. It's a great victory that you have. Now, this requires faith. You really have to believe God because in the midst of suffering, you don't feel like, man, I'm winning by a landslide. Yeah, because I didn't get to eat today.

That's not the way it feels at the moment, right? It feels like, God, do you not love me anymore? Where are you? Like the psalmist, we're saying, awake, come, wake up, pay attention. I'm hurting here. I'm suffering. It requires faith. You have to believe God. It requires strong conviction. And so Paul expresses that in verse 38. He says, for I am persuaded. Are you persuaded? This is where you and I need to be.

so that we can experience the life that God has called us to live, the victory that God has called us to have, that we could live and enjoy that victory and not live as if we're defeated, even though we have victory. I am persuaded, he says. I am convinced. I firmly believe. It requires faith to believe that even in the midst of suffering, you are more than a conqueror. And Paul says, I'm persuaded. I'm convinced. I'm convinced.

that nothing can separate me from the love of God. There's nothing that changes that. And then he gives a bunch of examples. Now, I'm not going to try to dissect all the examples that he gives, but the point is, he eliminates any possibility of us saying, well, I am the exception and God doesn't love me. He used to love me, but he stopped loving me because of whatever we might think, you know, is the reason. He says, I'm persuaded that neither death nor life

There's nothing that can separate you from the love of God.

And it doesn't matter how high you go, how low you go, how far you go, which way ever you go. It doesn't matter who you're involved with or who's involved in your life or what powerful being gets involved. If it's Satan or any of his minions. I don't know why I use the word minions now. Just got yellow flashing through my mind. Nothing is able to separate you from the love of God. Absolutely nothing. Are you persuaded? Are you holding fast to

to that reality? Do you have that faith, that strong conviction? Grab hold of this.

God loves you. He proved that once and for all at the cross. He demonstrated his love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And nothing can change God's love for you. He already knew the worst of the worst about you and loved you enough to send his only begotten son to die upon the cross. No one can change his mind. Nothing can separate you. And so you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus as a believer in Jesus.

You have an abundant victory. You might feel like you're just barely scraping by, like your chances of getting into heaven are kind of, you know, iffy. You might feel that way, but that's not the reality. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you're not just barely keeping your head above water. Even if you feel that way, you're not just hanging on by a thread. No, you're winning by a landslide. You have the hope. You have the promise, the guarantee of eternity because God is for you.

And he freely gives you all things and he does not accuse you. He will not condemn you because he loves you. And let me just remind you, this is true of all believers. There's no exceptions to this. Every believer has this standing. Every believer, God is for you. Believe that. Be persuaded. Grab hold of that. Count on that reality. God is for you.

Don't let the enemy rob you. Be persuaded. There's nothing that can separate you from the love of Christ. God is for you, and he freely gives you all things. And when we're lacking, we're not really lacking. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Be persuaded. Trust God that God will provide for you what you need, guaranteed, because he is your shepherd. God does not accuse you. You ever feel like God's out to get you?

God's upset with you. He'd love to just kind of slap it around a little bit. God does not accuse you. There's no slander in his thoughts, in his mind towards you. There's no condemnation left. There's no wrath towards you at all. Not a hint, not a whisper, no judgment. That was all given to Jesus on your behalf at the cross because God loves you and nothing can change that. This is your position in Christ. Amen.

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you. This standing that we have in you, Lord, is a solid foundation, unshakable, immovable. Lord, nothing can separate us. Nothing can change this. You're on our side. You're sovereign, on the throne, in control, working all things together for good, for our benefit, because you love us. You are so good to us, God.

Thank you for your incredible mercy and grace. And Lord, I pray that you would help us to rest in your work. Lord, that we would not try to do a bunch of good work so that you would be for us. But Lord, we would recognize as we believe in you, you already are for us. We don't have to persuade you to be on our side. You were on our side before even we were on our side.

We don't have to do a bunch of good works. We don't have to work real hard for you to love us. And if we fail to work hard, you don't stop loving us. Nothing can separate us. Lord, help us to rest in that, to trust in you, to receive the work that you've done and to stand being fully persuaded, absolutely convinced of these truths. Lord, that we might experience what it means to be more than a conqueror. Lord, we have the victory. Help us not to live in defeat.

but to enjoy the victory that you've provided for us. Lord, to enjoy that victory, sometimes it kind of feels like arrogance. Sometimes we want to punish ourselves. We feel like we deserve it. But Lord, help us to understand this is not about us. This is about you. It's not arrogance to trust you and believe you at your word. So help us to do that, to enjoy the victory that you've accomplished for us. We are more than conquerors in you. Thank you, God. You did this by your son.

And it's in his name we pray. Amen.