How is your love life?

 

Romans

 

Text: Romans 12:9-11.                       Theme: How is your love life?

Introduction:                                       Reading: Romans 12:9-11.      

“Let love be without falseness. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” Romans 12:9-11.

 

Allow me to introduce to you two imaginary Christians: Both are saved, but each is living the Christian life entirely differently from one another, they are opposites.

Miserable Jack

Though saved, he has an unhealthy love life with Jesus. He always has a smile and shakes hands, but something does not ring true. He is totally interested in himself. His attitude is what is in it for me? He never served much in church. He complains about things but is never a part of the solution. He has no devotions, no walk with God. He rarely opens his Bible and prays only over food, (if he remembers to).

Hallelujah Jill

She also smiles and greets you, and it seems real. She is excited about the things of God and has a real walk with God. She is always trying to be a blessing to others in the church she serves in.

 

What is the difference? It is their love life. Love = agape. Agape love is unselfish. It is sacrificial and self-giving. Greek literature hardly ever uses this word. It is so uncommon in worldly literature because it was in their culture a sign of weakness. It is a dog-eat-dog world, you have got to look out for number one, it is every man for himself!

But Agape love is the supreme virtue of a true believer. It is what Christianity is all about. It is the keynote of the Christian. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (a task reserved for the lowest slaves) He said, here is a new commandment, “love one another,” and that is how the world will know you are My followers!

Many Christians just play the part. But how is your Love Life? The qualities of a healthy spiritual love life include:

 

1.    CONVICTION, VERSE 9.

“Let love be without falseness. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good.”

 

Conviction is to love God, hate sin, and serve others. The true test of spiritual love is not if you can raise your hands during a worship song, it is the choice of a holy walk with God! Real love is not insipid emotion. It is not letting people do what they please. Real love draws lines and has some convictions about right and wrong.

It is impossible to absolutely love God without hating sin.

The doctor that loves to bring health hates disease.

The fireman that loves to save people hates fire.

The Christian that loves Jesus hates sin. “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” Psalm 97:10.

God is love. It was love that motivated Him to allow Jesus to die for us, “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” John 3:16. He is love, He loves sinners, but He hates their sin!

Do not allow yourself to become so deadened by this world that you stop hating sin. We are attacked by sin all around us and worldly standards are dropping all the time. The only real safeguard against sin is that we continue to be shocked by it!
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” Proverbs 8:13.
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” 1 Corinthians 6:18.

2. AFFECTION, VERSE 10.

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.”

 

Affection is when your love life is right, it will show up in the way you treat others.

Preferring one another means making them more important than you! It is the opposite of selfishness. On Facebook and like, people reveal what is most important to them. Often, they talk about themselves.

Real love shows up with kindness and a positive outlook. It can be a tough few minutes being in the presence of a person with no love in their life, but imagine BEING them. Think of all the time they spend with that person looking back at them from the mirror!

Conviction is your position. Affection is your character. We need the balance of getting both right. If your love life is right, it will affect your character. Love is action. It makes you do the right things. It leads you to serve others. The happiest person is the giver.

3. FERVENT, VERSE 11.

“Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

 

Enthusiasm about God’s business. The church seems split today. You are either excited about God or not, for there is no middle ground.

Football supporters get a lot of stick about their enthusiasm for their sport and team. Always talking about the goals and the players, willing to pay anything not to miss a match, come rain or shine. The same goes that follow fashion, pop music, the film world, etc. And such were the likes of us.

Becoming a Christian should not knock the enthusiasm out of us. If anything, we have found the perfect team, the perfect leader, and His name is Jesus. You may not feel like you have a lot to offer, but you can be enthusiastic and fervent in spirit!

Conclusion:

 

A small girl told her mother about her dolls: I love and love them, but they never love me back. Does God feel that about us? How is your love life?

 

Yielding to God.

 

Romans

 

Text: Romans 12:1.                             Theme: Yielding to God.

 

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

          We need to yield daily to the Holy Spirit. Confession of sin in itself is not enough to enable the believer to automatically walk in the Spirit. He or she must then become a yielded instrument for God’s service.

 

1.    WHAT IS TO BE YIELDED?

 

          The simple answer is you are! “Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” Romans 6:13; “Therefore submit to God” James 4:17.

 

          This yielding to God involves both:

1. The body, Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:20. “Glorify God in your body.”

2. The mind, Romans 12:2 “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

 

          Since it is with the body that actions conceived in the mind are conducted. Or it may be said, “which is conceived in the mind is carried out in the body;” thus, one’s whole being must be presented by a decisive act of the will, too God for His service.

          Yielding must not be thought of simply as a willingness to do some special thing for God. Rather, it consists of the dedication by a person to do whatever God commands.

          Yielding leads not only to dedication, but also can result in separation; “Do not be conformed to this world” Romans 12:2. Since the world is fixed in purpose to oppose God, one cannot follow its standards, values etc.    

The word translated “conformed” here, is translated “fashioned” in 1 Peter 1:14. So the concept of separation in values being “unfashionable” in spirit thought values and actions according to the world’s standards.

          Yielding includes transformation of the mind. This work is said to be accomplished through a lifetime of “renewing” of the mind. And at the same time do the will of God. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him” 1 John 2:15.

 

 

 

 

2.    WHY A LIFETIME?

 

          Because man’s mind has been darkened by sin. “Because the carnal (fleshly) mind is enmity AGAINST God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” Romans 8:7. The mind of man must be brought to the place when it thinks as God thinks, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind” Ephesians 4:23.

          This renewing can only come by PRAYER to God in everything, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication” Philippians 4:6. And through constant meditation on the Word of God, Psalm 119:1.

          This transformation is a lifelong process that will not be completed until we are with Christ Himself, Philippians 1:6 “He who has begun a decent work in you will complete it when we see Jesus.”

 

Pray for the peace of Israel.

 

Romans

 

Text: Romans 11:30-31.                      Theme: Pray for the peace of Israel.

Introduction:                                       Reading: Romans 11.

 

          “For as you were once disobedient to God yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience (Israel), even so these also have now been disobedient (Israel), that through the mercy shown you (the Church) they (Israel) also may obtain mercy.”

         

Pray for the peace of Israel and the salvation of the people of God! For verse twenty-six says “All Israel will be saved.” The salvation of ALL ISRAEL remains an eschatological fact, but the number of Jews joining the Church at any given time will depend on the love shown them by Gentile Christians.

           So, we need to pray for the salvation of the people of Israel. “I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed” Genesis 12:3. This was spoken by God to Abraham when the Lord made a covenant with Him to be the father of the people Israel and “The gifts and the calling of God are unchangeable” Verse 29. Today I want to impart something of our spiritual background with God’s chosen people, the people of Israel.

 

1.    THE JEWISH BACKGROUND OF THE CHURCH.

 

          We need to honour our roots, for Christianity did not spring forth from a vacuum. It sprang from the advanced tradition and culture of Israel. For instance, can we understand Jesus (Yeshua) in His Jewish tradition?

           He wore the garment of a Jewish prayer shawl “For She came and touched the fringes (tzit-tzit), of His garment” Luke 8:44. Just as many orthodox Jews do today, fulfilling the commands of the Law Deuteronomy 22:12 “You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover yourself”. You can often see the tassels of the prayer shawl under the black suits of orthodox Jews in Israel today.

          We sometimes forget that even our Bible is an almost Jewish book. All of the authors are Jewish, (Luke was a Gentile?). Jesus (Yeshua), in His ministry, dealt exclusively with Jews and was very hesitant about ministering to Gentiles (see Mark 7:24-30). He said Himself “He came mainly to the household of Israel” Matthew 15:24.

          Likewise, the early Church was a Jewish church. It had its headquarters in Jerusalem, and its leadership were all Jews. Yet through Christ Jesus, Gentiles would now be able to receive the Jewish scriptures, to heed the Jewish prophets, and to sing the Jewish Psalms. The Apostle Paul stressed the importance of keeping the right attitude toward Israel and the Jewish people.

That attitude was to be one of humility Verse 20, mercy Verse 31, and kindness, even to the point of sharing our gifts with the people of Israel Romans 15:27.

 

2.    SALVATION IS FOR JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE.

 

          In Verses 17-25 with the symbol of the olive tree we can learn much about Israel and the Church. Paul here tells us the olive tree represents Israel in its purest expression of faithfulness and steadfastness. Both God and His people committed to their and His covenants and promises. Yet those that turn away from that relationship were broken or cut off.

          The Christian is the wild branch grafted among the natural branches to “became a partaker with them of the root and fatness of the olive tree” Verse 17, which God established. You can note the root was not cut down for it is almost indestructible, but others were grafted to it. In verse eighteen the root supports the branches, and not vice versa, as it is in nature.

          There is no room for the notion that we have replaced Israel, or that God has rejected Israel, as both the natural branches and the engrafted wild branches only remain by faith Verses 18-21.

           Instead, there should only be Godly fear Verse 20 and thankfulness for the Lord’s great mercies to us Verses 33-36. It is through Israel and His covenant people that God gave us everything we Christians hold spiritual dear!

 

Conclusion:

 

          God’s ultimate purpose for the world is here revealed; it is mercy for Jew and Gentile alike. For Divine mercy is to be extended to ALL without distinction.

 

 

Faith comes by hearing.

 

Romans

 

Text: Romans 10:17.                           Theme: Faith comes by hearing.

Introduction:                                       Reading: John 8:32.

 

“So, then FAITH comes by HEARING, and HEARING by the WORD of GOD.”

 

Revelation 1:1 says, “Blessed is he (or she) who READS and those that HEAR the WORDS of this prophecy.” This not only includes the book of Revelation but the “whole” of the Bible. Why? See appendix “The Word of God.”

          My wife has treasured those odd times I have put pen to paper because of my love too her. How much more should we treasure the WORDS of the Lord, which tell of His great love and grace towards us.

 

1.    WHY WE READ THE WORD OF GOD.

 

A. BECAUSE WE KNOW GOD THROUGH HIS WORD.

          “The people who know their God shall be strong,” Daniel 11:32.

          We need a personal knowledge of God. For the knowledge of God is desperate, since to know God personally is to be saved and have eternal life, “This is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God.” John 17:3. This is why God has spoken to us in His Word, revealing Himself to us that we may know Him.

          Since our knowledge of God is incomplete, we must increase our knowledge of Him through spiritual growth by the READING and studying of His Word. For the Scriptures are like a teacher that brings the wisdom that leads to salvation and grace in the knowledge of God.

 

B. BECAUSE WE KNOW GOD'S WILL THROUGH HIS WORD.

          “I delight to do Your will, O my God,” Psalm 40:8.

 

1. Firstly, and most important of all, is to know the will of God in believing in Christ Jesus as our personal Saviour, John 6:40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life.”

 

2. Secondly, there are clear statements in Scripture which teach that God's will for every Christian includes sanctification, 1 Thess. 4:13. Giving thanks to God, 1 Thess. 5:18. Doing good, 1 Peter 2:15. And other guidelines.

 

3. Thirdly, the Bible is God's will and must be applied to our lives, “Those things which are revealed belong to us,” Deuteronomy 29:29. The Word of God reveals that commands are to be obeyed, principles are to be followed, disallowances are to be avoided, and living examples are to be followed.

 

C. BECAUSE GOD'S WORD EQUIPS US.

          “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16.

 

1. It equips us for evangelism. Philip used Isaiah 53 to point the eunuch to Christ in Acts 8:26-35.

 

2. It equips us for counselling others, 1 Timothy 1:3, 18; 4:1315; 2 Timothy 2:1-2.

 

3. It equips us in the use of spiritual gifts, Ephesians 1:1719; 4:7, 11-14. Paul says knowledge of God's Word will provide us with the maturity we need to use our gifts in the most effective ways.

 

4. It equips us for doing battle with the Devil, Ephesians 6:10-17. The in the full armour of God, and our main weapon is the “sword” of the Word of God, Eph. 6:17.

 

2.    WHY WE HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.

 

          “You will keep him (or her) in perfect peace, whose MIND is stayed on You, because he trusts in You,” Isaiah 26:3.

 

          Christianity is a supernatural experience, but we are not to “turn off our heads” and go with the experiences only. For the Lord addresses the mind, appeals to the conscience through His Word and the Holy Spirit that the Gospel truly makes good sense. It is the TRUTH of the Word of God that transforms the minds, hearts, and lives of men. “You shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free,” John 8:32.

          The Lord God wants to address our “minds” the following are but a few of the many passages of Scripture on this subject:

“To love God with ALL our MIND” Matthew 22:37.

“With the MIND I myself serve the law of God” Romans 7:25.

“They received the Word with all readiness of MIND and searching the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” Acts 17:11.

          Why does the Lord tell us to open our minds to His Word? Because a strong Christian is an informed Christian, but how are we to be informed if we know not the Word of God? “The Son of God has come and given us an understanding” 1 John 5:20. Like most pastors I have a concern that believers will go after experiences only, yet experience is no substitute for sound doctrine.

          Why should we be informed by sound doctrines from the Word of God? Because:

“For the time will come when they will not endure “sound doctrine” - they shall turn away their ears from the TRUTH” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables” 2 Peter 1:16.

          How will you know sound doctrine from devised fables if you read not, know not, the Word of God? The Word of the Lord are “pure words” Psalm 12:6. So we need to READ and HEAR the Word of God.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

          God's Word confirms to establish a truth.

1. It confirms our salvation. For often young Christians are troubled with doubts about their conversion experience. Yet a number of Bible verses may be used to confirm our salvation, Romans 8:1.

2. It confirms that the hand of the Lord is with us in all of life's bitter disappointments, Romans 8:28.

3. It confirms our forgiveness when we sin. Repeatedly the Bible assure us that all confessed sin is instantly and eternally forgiven, 1 John 1:9.

          So, we need to READ and HEAR the WORD of GOD. This is our motivation to LISTEN to, study and learn the Bible. The best way to know the Lord is to READ and HEAR the Word of God.

          Will YOU today come on board with us to READ and HEAR the Word of the Lord on tape from Easter for 40 days till Pentecost?

 

 

No Separation!

 

Romans

 

Text: Romans 8:38-39.            Theme: No Separation!

“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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

The love of God keeps us in the palm of His hand and has been demonstrated to us through the atoning sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. Yet, Paul amplifies the question by asking if it is possible that tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword can enter our lives and undo what Christ has completed on our behalf at the cross.

Instead of separating us from Christ’s love, these things only succeed in drawing us closer to Him. We are not only “conquerors,” but “more than conquerors.” ^ A very literal rendering is “we are super-conquers.” It is not simply that we triumph over these dreadful forces, but that in doing so we bring:

1.    Glory to God.

2.    Blessing to others.

3.    Good to ourselves.

4.    We make slaves out of our enemies and steppingstones out of our roadblocks.

But all of this is not through our own strength, but only “through Him who loved us.” Only the power of Christ can bring:

1.    Sweetness out of bitterness.

2.    Strength out of weakness.

3.    Triumph out of tragedy.

4.    Blessing out of heartbreak.

 

The apostle has not finished his search. He searches the universe for something that might possibly separate us from God’s love, and then dismisses the possibilities one by one:

 

1. “For I am persuaded,” means that Paul knows.

 

2. “Death” with all its terrors. “Death,” cannot separate us, in fact, it will take us into His presence. The response of many of the early Christian martyrs when they were threatened with death was, “Thank you, you will transport me right into the presence of my Saviour.” You cannot hurt people like that.

 

3. “Life” with all its fears. “Life,” often it is more difficult to face life than to face death.

But life’s temptations, failures, disappointments, uncertainties, and sufferings will not separate us from the love of God that is in Christ our Lord.

 

4. “Angels nor principalities,” supernatural in power and knowledge. “Powers,” whether human oppressors or angelic adversaries.

“Angels,” and I think he means fallen angels “principalities and powers” are spiritual enemies of the believer see, Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

 

5. “Things present,” means present circumstances, crashing in upon us.

 

6. “Things to come,” refers to the future disturbing fearful futures.

 

7. Neither “Height nor depth,” those things that are in the realm of dimension or space, including occult forces. ^ Then, to make sure that he is not missing anything, Paul adds:

 

8. “Any other created thing,” would include anything else you want to mention. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God which is centered in Christ. If God, the Creator, is for us, and no created thing can separate us from Him, then our security in Him is complete.

 

The outcome of Paul’s search is that he can find nothing that can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No wonder these words of triumph have been the song of those who have died martyr’s deaths and the great joy of those who have lived martyr’s lives!

 

Paul connects these questions to lead us to the wonderful truths that:

1. God is for us.

2. He will freely give us all things.

3. He has justified us.

4. He prays for us.

5. We cannot be separated from His love.

All these precious blessings are granted to those who are in Christ Jesus. With encouragements such as these, the Christian can endure suffering with hope and assurance.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Salvation is a love story. We love Him because He first loved us. Nothing can separate us from that. We entered this chapter with no condemnation; we conclude it with no separation; and in between all things work together for good. Can you improve on this? This is wonderful!

 

Paul searches the entire universe to see if there is anything that can possibly separate us from the eternal presence of God.

1.    He goes first to the realm of death and finds nothing there.

2.    Then he turns to the realm of life and again finds nothing.

3.    He looks to the angels, and they have no power to separate us.

4.    He turns to principalities which, in this case, may refer to the angelic hosts representing Satan. There is nothing there.

5.    He proceeds to examine “things present” and finds nothing.

6.    He explores the future and in the “things to come” there is nothing which can separate us.

7.    Nothing can happen now nor in the future which can remove the love of God from us or us from His eternal security.

8.    Paul does not stop here for next he searches the entire universe and nothing in the expanses of space, “height, nor depth” can be found to prohibit the presence of God from us.

9.    But just in case he has missed something, Paul then says that there is no other creature or creation of God that is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

10. Nowhere can the apostle find anything in the whole universe of God which can sever the relationship that the children of God have with their Father’s love.

11. This great assurance comes to those who are “the called” in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born, of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”

 

Paul has completed this great chapter in the same way he began it. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is persuaded that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All these wonderful promises belong to us because we belong to Him.

Spiritual Warfare.

 

ROMANS

 

Text: Romans 8:37.                             Theme: Spiritual Warfare.

Introduction:                                       Reading: Acts 4:23-31.

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

 

          We are destined to be conquerors in Christ Jesus. But why did God allow sin to enter into His creation? I believer the answer is found in His Word. It is because without sin man could not prove that he could conquer sin. At least three times God wanted man to conqueror the forces around him.

 

BODY:

 

1. Genesis 1:28 “Fill the earth and subdue it; have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth”.

          Here, man was to have DOMINION over all things. But humanity fails to have dominion because of sin. For in the taking of the tree of good and evil, man lost his dominion over creation, for the knowledge of evil. So here man fails, being himself conquered by Satan.

 

2. Joshua 1:3-6 “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, “NO MAN SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE”. Be strong and of good courage.”

          Here Joshua was to drive out the evil men of the land of Cannan, FOR NO MAN WILL BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU said the Lord God. In Judges 3:2, we are told the men of Israel where to be taught warfare, to drive out the enemies of the Lord God. But they failed to conqueror the land of Cannan, by allowing the evil men of the land to live among the called of God.

 

3. Romans 8:37 “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us”.

          Here the Lord God commanded the New Testament Church and the Church of today to be conquerors in Christ Jesus. Revelation twenty-three says SEVEN TIMES to the “overcomes.”

a. Romans tell us that Christians are to overcome sin.

b. Galatians tells us that Christians are to overcome self.

c. Ephesians tells us that Christians are to overcome Satan.

d. Colossians tells us that Christians are to overcome all things by the CROSS of Christ Jesus.

 

          In Joshua 10:24 Joshua said, “Put your feet on the neck of these five kings, and the conquerors did so.”

This is both the feeling and strength of victory to those that overcome in the power of the Lord God. The victory of the believer is based on Genesis 3:15 when the seed of the woman was to bruise Satan's head. 2 Corinthians 10:4, tells us that, “The weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds”. For this is the will of God for our lives to be conquerors in Him.

 

          There are many levels of spiritual warfare.

1. There is the personal area of spiritual warfare,     our lives.

2. There is the family area of spiritual warfare,        our homes.

3. There is the church area of spiritual warfare,       our church.

4. There is the local area of spiritual warfare,          our town.

5. There is the nation area of spiritual warfare,        our nation.

6. There is the world-wide area of spiritual warfare, and the world at large.

 

          So, in each area of spiritual warfare, we are to be conquerors in Christ Jesus and the CROSS. But we need to note unless we have won the battle in our personal lives, we have no authority to move to a higher area of battle. The trouble with many believers is to try to win the battle in a higher area without the authority to be there

 

          How are we to do battle in spiritual warfare?

1. By personal prayer and the power of the Word of the Lord.

2. By group prayer and the power of the Word of the Lord.

 

          Let us take a look at one example of spiritual warfare in the early church in Acts 4:23-31, when the church came under attack of both men and Satan, you will notice FIVE MUSTS.

 

1. Verse 24 “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord”.

           You MUST “exalt the Lord.” We are to praise and worship the Lord for He is the Almighty God, but Satan is limited in his power. Jesus is Lord, and every knee MUST bow to His Almighty Name. And in Christ Jesus we are being placed in heavenly places.

 

2. Verse 25 “Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The Kings of the earth took their stand, and the rules were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.”

          This is a quote from Psalm 2:1-2. Verse four goes on to say that “The Lord laughed at them.” So, we MUST use the “Word of the God” in spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:17 says, “The Word is the sword of the Spirit of God.” Hebrews 4:12 says “It is a two-edge sword.” So, the Word of the Lord is a mighty weapon in the hand of the conqueror in Christ Jesus.

3. Verses 27-28 “They plotted against the Lord, but Your purpose was determined before them”.

          We MUST have “spiritual discernment or spiritual awareness,” both in the workings of Satan and the workings of God. In verse twenty-seven the disciples of the Lord discerned that the Devil was at work in the plotting of the death of Christ. Yet in verse twenty-eight the disciples also discerned that God was working out His purposes at Calvary. We can learn much by discerning the moving of both Devil and God.

 

4. Verse 29 “Lord grant that to Your servants that with all boldness that they may speak Your Word”.

          We MUST have “divine ability” in the Lord. Let the weak, say that they are strong. This strength only comes by the ability of the Lord as we walk in Him. When Joshua was against the walls of Jericho, it did not matter if the walls were four feet thick or forty feet thick, for his ability was in the Lord.

 

5. Verse 28 “Do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done”.

          We MUST have “divine supernatural intervention.” For unless the Lord is with us, we will fail. Here the disciples knew the will and the power of the Lord in their lives. For they had an insight into the plan of God.

          When Moses stood before the Red Sea, he needed a breakthrough, that breakthrough came by the divine intervention of the supernatural God at work. Who parted the Red Sea before His people?

 

Conclusion:

 

          We can only be conquerors, through Christ Jesus. So let us go forward and upward in Him. “For we are more than conquerors in Him who loved us.”

 

 

The assurance of the eternal presence of God.

 

ROMANS

 

Text: Romans 8:35-39.

Theme: The assurance of the eternal presence of God.

 

35. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36. As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come.

39. 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.”

 

Our assurance in the eternal presence of God is based upon the unfailing love of God. It is the love of God that keeps us in the palm of His hand and has been demonstrated to us, through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Paul here amplifies the question; can we be defeated? By asking is it possible that “tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword” can enter our lives and take away what Christ Jesus has achieved on our behalf at the CROSS!

 

1.    ARE WE DEFEATED?

 

Faith gives its final challenge: is there anything or anyone here in these verses who can take away the justified believer “from the love of Christ?”

A search is made of every unpleasant circumstance that has been effective in causing separations in other areas of human life. But none can be found!

Paul gives us these seven-fold causes: “tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword.”

1. Not the trouble and pain of “tribulation” with its pressure of affliction and suffering. Can take us from God!

2. Not the trouble and pain of “distress” bringing extreme suffering to mind and body. Can take us from God!

3. Not the trouble and pain of “persecution,” inflicting brutal suffering, and death on those who dare to differ. Can take us from God!

4. Not the trouble and pain of “famine,” piercing, and wasting away the body unto death. Can take us from God!

5. Not the trouble and pain of “nakedness,” with all it means in the way of hardship, putting us on view, and helplessness. Can take us from God!

6. Not the trouble and pain of “peril,” with the threat of forthcoming awful danger. Can take us from God!

7. Not the trouble and pain of the “sword,” cold, hard, and with its death-dealing blows. Can take us from God!

The pain, suffering, and tribulation that enter our lives, which have featured so highly in this chapter, are not enough to separate us from God’s love, demonstrated at the CROSS of Christ.

 

2.    FOR WE ARE CONQUERORS!

 

Instead of separating us from Christ’s love, these things only succeed in drawing us closer to Him. We are not only “conquerors,” but “more than conquerors.” ^ It is not simply that we triumph over these terrifying forces, but that in doing so:

1. We bring glory to God.

2. We bring blessing to others.

3. We bring good to ourselves.

But all of this is not through our own strength, but only “through Him who loved us.” Only the power of Christ can bring:

1. Sweetness out of bitterness.

2. Strength out of weakness.

3. Triumph out of tragedy.

4. Blessing out of heartbreak.

We do not merely hold our own in the face of testing, but through suffering we are drawn closer to Christ and become more conformed to His image.

In the midst of illness, suffering, and countless of life’s afflictions, we have God’s assurance of His eternal presence and therefore are said to be “more than conquerors.”

The word used here in the original language (is hypernikaō), which literally means that we are “super-conquerors.” Notice, however, the means by which we are super conquerors, is “through Him that loved us.”

Personal boldness and inner strength are not providers to success in the Christian life:

1. As we owe our justification to Him.

2. As we owe our sanctification to Him.

3. As we owe our assurance to Him.

4. All we have we owe to Him.

 

 

3.    PAUL’S CONCLUSION.

 

Paul searches the entire universe to see if there is anything that can possibly separate us from the eternal presence of God.

 

1. He goes first to the realm of death and finds nothing there.

2. Then he turns to the realm of life and again finds nothing.

3. He looks to the angels, and they have no power to separate us.

4. He turns to principalities which, in this case, may refer to the angelic hosts representing Satan. There is nothing there.

5. He proceeds to examine “things present” and finds nothing.

6. He explores the future and in the “things to come” there is nothing which can separate us.

 

Nothing can happen now, or in the future which can remove the love of God from us or us from His eternal security. Then, to make sure that he is not missing anything, Paul adds: “nor any other created thing.”

The outcome of Paul’s search is that he can find nothing that can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nowhere can the apostle find anything in the whole universe of God which can sever the relationship.

No wonder these words of triumph have been the song of those who have died martyr’s deaths and the great joy of those who have lived martyr’s lives!

That the children of God have their Father’s love. This great assurance comes to those who are “the called” in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born, of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”

 

Paul has completed this great chapter in the same way he began it. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” verse one.  Paul is persuaded that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

All these wonderful promises belong to us because we belong to Him. Nothing can separate us from the love of God!!!