God Is For Us

Lisa told me a story several years ago about the debilitating power of fear.

A family in her community had a break-in in their home.

Several personal items were stolen.

Well, from that time on, they lived in fear that it would happen again.

They dealt with their fear by never leaving their house unattended.

Either the husband or the wife would always stay at home, as they put it, to guard the house.

They took turns going wherever they did.

They took turns going to the store, going to church, even going to family gatherings.

Now, everyone who knew their situation made fun of them.

At family gatherings, someone would ask the one who was there,

Well, where's Mary? Or where's John?

Knowing the answer.

But the man or the woman, they would always respond very seriously.

He or she is at home, guarding the house.

Now, that man and that woman, they were prisoners of their own fears and insecurities.

They apparently had no concept of acting responsibly and trusting God with their lives, their possessions, their everything.

Now, some Christians have similar insecurities.

Do you?

If I gave you a piece of paper this morning and asked you to write down your honest feelings about your relationship with God,

what would you write?

Would it be more, if you're honest now, would it be more about your fears?

Or would it be more about the peace and joy you have because of your relationship with God?

If you were to be totally honest, would you write down more about your doubts or your trust and confidence in God?

Romans 8 is one of the most well-known and well-loved chapters in the Bible

because it gives us as Christians reasons why we should be joyful,

why we should have peace,

why we should be able to live in confidence because we're trusting God.

Now, many Christians consider that Romans 8, verses 31-39

Romans 8:31–39

contain the most convincing and comforting promises in all the Bible.

I want us to look at those verses this morning.

If you would, open your Bible to Romans 8, verses 31-39,

Romans 8:31–39

and I want us to see how God so powerfully assures us in these verses that He is for us.

You know, we are going through an unprecedented time of crisis in our country right now.

It's something that we can't get away from.

It's on our minds constantly.

It's something that every rational person knows it's real,

and we need to take it very seriously.

We as Christians, we have and will suffer loss during this crisis.

Not all Christians, but some of us, we will suffer maybe a loss of health, job, money.

Some may even lose their lives.

You and I, here even in Pickens County,

we may suffer some kind of real loss during this crisis.

But I want us to understand, neither this virus nor any form of evil

will defeat you or me if we are God's children.

God's Word is clear.

He is for us.

I want you to make that personal.

I want you to write your name in this line.

God is for, put your name there.

I am confident that God is for Fred Stone.

Romans chapter 8, verses 31 through 39,

Romans 8:31–39

explain why we can have such confidence that God is for us.

Look first in verses 32 and 33.

God will never allow anything to destroy us.

Let's read these verses.

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 gave Him up for us all,

how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Now look at that first question.

What then shall we say to these things?

These things refers to what's been said in the previous verses.

For example, in verse 28, a verse that I have called attention to the last two Sundays.

It says,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

Now think about it.

Paul introduces the promises of verses 31 through 39 that explain how God is for us

by reminding us that God works in all things for our good.

Now look at the second question.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Did you note, Paul does not ask who is against us?

Because the truth is, many things are against us.

Many things are against God and God's people.

The devil is against us every day.

And sometimes he stirs up some people to oppose us.

There are all kinds of sinful and evil forces that are against us, that we do battle with.

And what we're dealing with right now in our country, this crisis, it is against us.

Paul's point is that since God is for us, it does not matter who is against us.

It doesn't matter who or what opposes us.

Having God on our side really is all that we need.

But Paul doesn't stop here.

He points out the most convincing way that God has shown that He is for us

and that nothing can ever destroy us.

Look at verse 32.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all,

how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

God has already given us the greatest gift that He could give.

He gave His Son.

There's nothing more precious to God than His Son.

Now, if you are a parent, you understand that perfectly well.

Think about what Paul is saying.

If God has given His Son for us,

we can be confident that God will never withhold anything from us

that we need to serve His purpose.

For illustration's sake, this is not going to happen,

but let's just pretend.

Suppose the president of BMW contacts you tomorrow

and says that he has chosen you to receive a brand new BMW.

All you've got to do is come to the Spartanburg plant,

show your identification,

and you can drive it home.

It's yours.

Now, what if you go to the plant tomorrow?

You tell them your name.

You show them your ID.

They take you to where the car is parked.

You get in there.

You get ready to crank it up,

but it won't start.

It won't do anything.

Well, you get out,

and the people who are getting ready,

you know, who are helping you with this,

they pop the hood.

There's no battery there.

There's no battery in that brand new BMW.

Now, that's not going to prevent you from getting the car.

If the president of BMW has promised you that car,

he's going to make sure that whatever you need

to drive it home, you're going to get.

Think about it.

If God has already given his son for us,

we can rest assured that he will give us everything else that we need,

everything that we need to serve him,

to be who it is he's called us to be in this world,

in our families, in this community.

God will never let anything destroy us.

The next thing Paul tells us,

God will never allow anything to condemn us.

Look in verses 33 and 34.

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?

It is God who justifies.

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.

Now, look at that first question.

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?

Or we could rephrase that,

who can accuse God's chosen people?

This question brings up the possibility

of a Christian being accused of wrongdoing.

Well, that does happen, doesn't it?

Sometimes our own conscience even accuses us.

Haven't you ever thought,

how can I expect God to forgive me

after doing something like that?

The devil also accuses us.

In fact, that's one of his main jobs.

He is the accuser.

He accuses us,

he condemns us,

and he tempts us to doubt

that God has really forgiven us,

even though we're trusting in Jesus

and him alone for our salvation.

But Paul wants us to understand

that if we are united to Christ by faith,

it doesn't matter who accuses us.

It doesn't matter if it comes from within or without.

God has, he tells us, justified us.

Look at the phrase,

it is God who justifies.

That means he has declared us to be righteous.

He has declared us to be right with him,

and it's all through our faith in Jesus.

Now, this does not mean,

Paul's not saying that Christians never sin.

We do, and we know that we do.

But God declares that we are right with him,

that we are not guilty before him,

because Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins.

He has taken our punishment

through his death on the cross.

If you have confessed your sins to God,

I want you to know that he has forgiven you,

and any lingering guilt that you have

is unhealthy guilt.

In fact, it's false guilt.

We can be confident

that whenever we sin against God,

if we confess our sin,

agree with God about it,

turn from it, repent,

God does forgive us.

He cleanses us,

and he restores us to fellowship with himself.

Look at this verse from 1 John chapter 1.

1 John 1 · chapter mention

If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you've sinned against God,

but you're denying it,

you're trying to act like everything's okay,

if you've sinned against God,

but you refuse to come to him

in true, humble confession and repentance,

you should feel guilty.

That's real guilt.

Now, sin in the life of a Christian

does not destroy our relationship with God,

but it certainly does destroy

our close fellowship with him.

That's why it is so important

that we confess our sins

as soon as we're convicted,

as soon as we are aware

that we have sinned against God,

we have dishonored him,

we need to confess it.

We need to talk to God about it.

We need to repent of it.

Change our mind.

Turn from it.

Confession restores

our real fellowship

with our Heavenly Father.

And when we humbly,

brokenly

confess our sins to God,

we're demonstrating to him

our desire to please him,

our holy and loving Heavenly Father.

Now look with me at the next question.

Verse 34, the first part.

Who is to condemn?

Just like the previous question,

there are many sources of condemnation

in our lives.

Again, our conscience,

the devil,

our enemies.

But Paul ignores

all sources of condemnation

by assuring us

that our Lord Jesus Christ,

he is at the right hand

of our Father

interceding,

speaking up for us.

He's doing it right now.

Look at the last part of verse 34.

Christ Jesus,

the one who died,

more than that who was raised,

who is at the right hand of God,

who indeed is interceding for us.

Look at how Jesus is described

in that verse.

It says he died.

He died on the cross for our sins.

It says he was raised.

Jesus was brought back from the dead.

He was raised by the power of God.

And when God did that,

he was demonstrating

that he has accepted

Jesus' sacrifice for us.

The scripture verse says,

he is now at the right hand of God

interceding for us.

Think about Jesus

as our defense attorney.

He's sitting right beside

God the judge,

defending us,

speaking up for us,

letting the Father know,

he or she's with me.

I've paid the penalty

for their sins.

I've made them right with you.

And they're trusting me

and resting in me for that.

I can't imagine a more powerful way

to describe how safe and secure

we are

if we are trusting in,

resting in

the Lord Jesus

as our Savior and Lord.

You know,

right now,

there's much uncertainty

about what is happening

to us,

happening all around us

in terms of

physical health,

financial stability,

even

our family's

safety.

We really don't know

what God's will

is

about any of these things.

We don't know

God's will

in advance

about such things.

But let's just be honest.

The truth is,

the reality is,

everyone

eventually

dies.

You,

me,

our family members.

The truth is,

we will leave

everything we own

behind.

our money,

our material

possessions.

We're not going to

hold on to these

things forever.

They're just a part

of life in this world.

We're not going to

take anything with us

when we leave

this world.

You know,

what I'm describing

now,

this is just a part

of living in a

fallen,

sinful world.

It was true

before the

present

coronavirus crisis,

and it'll be true

after this passes.

But we,

as God's children,

we can have

confidence

that right now

in this world

and for all

eternity in heaven,

that God

is for us.

God is with us.

And God will

take care of us.

In Christ,

united Christ

by faith,

we are

eternally safe.

and eternally

secure.

Let's look at

this last

promise.

God will never

let anything

destroy us

or condemn us,

and God

will never

allow anything

to separate us

from His love

and the love

of Christ.

Look with me,

if you would,

at verse 35,

then verses

37 through 39.

Who shall

separate us

from the love

of Christ?

Shall

tribulation

or distress

or persecution

or famine

or nakedness

or danger

or sword?

No,

in all these

things we are

more than conquerors

through Him

who loved us.

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.

A powerful

statement,

isn't it?

Paul does

his best

to describe

how nothing

in all creation

can ever

separate us

from His love

and the love

of the Lord Jesus.

In his book,

In the Grip

of Grace,

Brian Chappell

tells a true story

that's one of the

best illustrations

of the love

of God

and the love

of Christ

that I have

ever read.

Listen to this.

On a Sunday,

August the 16th,

1987,

Northwest Airlines

Flight 225

crashed

just after taking off

from the Detroit

Airport.

155 people

were killed.

One survived.

A four-year-old girl

from Tempe,

Arizona

named Cecilia.

News accounts

say that when

rescuers found

Cecilia,

they did not believe

she had been

on the plane.

The crash

was so devastating

it did not seem

possible that anyone

could have survived.

Investigators

first thought

that Cecilia

had been a passenger

in one of the cars

on the highway

where the airliner

crashed.

But then they

checked the flight's

register,

passenger register,

and there was

Cecilia's name.

As the crash

investigators

meticulously

pieced together

the details

of the crash

along with

Cecilia's

personal account,

the mystery

of her survival

disappeared

in the story

of her mother's

heroic efforts.

The experts

explain that the

reason Cecilia

survived

is that

as the plane

was falling

out of the air,

Cecilia's mother,

Paula,

unbuckled her

own seatbelt,

got down on her

knees in front

of her daughter,

wrapped her arms

and body

around Cecilia,

and would not

let her go.

Nothing could

separate

that child

from her mother

and her mother's

love.

Not tragedy

or disaster,

not falling

from the sky

or the flames

that followed

on the ground,

not life

or death.

That is the love

that the Lord

has for us.

That is the kind

of love

that He

has

for us

today.

Think about it.

Jesus

covered us

with the sacrifice

of His own

body

in order

to save us.

He will never

let us go.

He will never

let you

or me

go.

He

He has

taken care

of us.

He will

take care

of us.

Nothing

can ever

separate us

from His

love.

Not sin,

not circumstances,

not even

the demons

of hell.

I want

to encourage

you.

Read these

verses,

Romans 8

Romans 8:31–39

verses 31

through 39

again today

and even

this week

leading up

to Easter.

Keep in

mind that

this is

the Word

of God

to His

children.

God is

for you.

That's what

this chapter,

that's what

this passage

is telling

us,

promising

us in

great detail.

God is

for you.

He will

not allow

anything

to destroy

you,

to condemn

you,

or to

separate

you from

His love

and the

love of

Jesus Christ.

If you

are not

a child

of God,

I want to

encourage you

to come

to Him

now.

There is

no better

time than

right now.

And the

scripture makes

the way

clear.

Listen to

this verse,

for God

so loved

the world

that He

gave His

only Son,

that whoever

believes in

Him should

not perish,

but have

eternal life.

Listen to

this promise,

but to all

who did

receive Him,

who believed

in His

name,

He gave

the right

to become

children

of God.

That's

describing you.

If you'll

admit your

sin,

repent,

put your

trust in

Jesus and

call upon

Him to

save you,

He will.

You can

become a

child of

God now

through faith

in Jesus.

I want to

close with

some familiar

words that

come from a

song that

most of us

learned as

children.

But these

words,

they're not

just a

children's

song.

These words

can provide

comfort and

assurance

to us at

any age,

at any

time,

and especially

during this

time of

crisis.

Listen,

Jesus loves

me.

This I

know,

for the

Bible tells

me so.

Let's pray

together.

Father,

Father, we

are so

grateful for

such promises

of how you

are for us,

you are with

us, and

that you

will now

never allow

anything to

destroy us,

to condemn

us, or to

separate us from

your love.

Father, I

pray right

now for

Christians,

members of

our church

family, who

are struggling

with doubt,

who lack

assurance, and

the circumstances

of this

crisis have

made those

doubts

increase.

Lord, I

pray that you

will assure

them that if

they are trusting

in Jesus and

him alone for

their salvation,

they are your

children.

You will

never leave

them nor

forsake them.

Help them,

Father, to

rest in the

promises of

your word.

I pray,

Father, that you

will replace

their doubt

with confidence

today.

I pray,

Father, that you

will help

them to look

to you, the

objective truth,

promises of

your word.

And,

Father, I pray

also that you

will work

inwardly through

your spirit to

assure them that

you love them,

that you have

chosen them,

that through

faith in

Jesus,

they are and

will be

eternally

secure.

In Jesus'

name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.