Romans 8:31-39 | 30th November 2025

So that's coming these next four weeks.

So please pray for John and for Peter.

Uh and as we receive God's word and as

we think about Christ this season, it's

so easy, isn't it, to just get caught up

in the materialism of Christmas and

forget the fact that the Savior came to

earth. So that's that's what's coming

ahead. Let me just pray one more time

before we jump into the text.

Father, we just need you this morning to

meet with us.

Father, we know that we can gather

together as you've commanded us and yet

our hearts are all over the place. Our

minds are racing

or tired or weary

or maybe we are coming expectant and

excited.

Father, all of these things we know that

you are aware of and we just need you to

meet with us. Father, would your spirit

be at work as we have looked that he is

you you have promised that your spirit's

at work in this chapter. This is life in

the spirit. And so would we even see

that this morning, God, as we look into

your word, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Most of you uh have heard the saying or

maybe you haven't. Uh in in this world,

nothing can be said to be certain except

death and taxes. That's from Benjamin

Franklin. So, you are certain to die and

you're certain to pay taxes. I mean,

those are just two of the certainties.

Uh that leaves a lot of things

uncertain, doesn't it? If those are the

two only the only two certain things

that the world sees, there's a lot of

uncertainty then in the midst of

everything else. Your health is

uncertain,

your family, the state of the world

certainly feels uncertain, your pension

is uncertain.

We just are are are swimming in a sea of

uncertainty. It's one of the reasons

Paul writes Romans 8. The Christian's

life in the spirit

has certainties.

It has certainties. Not not wishful

thinking, but actual

certainties.

And so, I want to review. I know Shane

did this a couple weeks ago. I'm just

going to review chapter 8 a little bit

again uh because it's really pressing

that we do that particularly for these

verses that we're going to look at.

Verse one of chapter 8. There is no

condemnation to those who are in Christ.

If you are in Christ this morning, no

condemnation,

no punishment. Verse two, you are set

free from the law of sin and death. It

has no power over you anymore. Verse

nine, you are not in the flesh but in

the spirit. The the spirit of God dwells

in you. He lives in you. He abides in

you. You're the temple of the living

God.

Verse 11, just like Jesus was raised

from the dead, your mortal body will

live.

Why? Because the spirit of life is in

you. How could you not live? Verse

14, you who are led by the spirit, do

you remember this? Are sons of God. You

are adopted into the family of God. You

can cry aba father whenever and wherever

you want.

Verse 18.

You will suffer.

You will suffer. The Christian life is

one of suffering. Life is full of

suffering, but

but those sufferings cannot be compared

to the glory that's going to be revealed

in you.

Verse 26.

When the when your words fail,

when your words fail, the third person

of the triune God, the spirit, prays for

you with groanings,

too deep for words. He knows you better

than you know yourself.

God prays for you. And if all that

weren't enough, right? I mean, that's

all pretty good amazing things. And if

that wasn't enough, verse 28, all

things, the good, the bad, the ugly, the

wonderful, the tragic, the horrible, it

all works together

for good

for those that God calls.

Man,

what a chapter.

But it didn't even end there. As if that

wasn't enough, you you get to verse 29

and we see this golden chain that Shane

spoke about last week that if you are in

Christ, God for loved you.

He predestines you. He calls you. He

justifies you and he will glorify you.

That's amazing. This chapter is amazing.

You are safe and secure in the holy,

righteous, good arms of the living God.

What more could you possibly say? Like

what more could be said if the golden

chain is not the capstone of the amazing

Christian life? It's like how how like

what could what else can we say?

Well, that's exactly what Paul's going

to start with. What more can we say to

these things? And yet, and only the way

Paul does, he still has more to say. He

still has more to say. And he does that

through asking questions.

And so, you know, some questions have

clear answers, don't they? I mean,

there's just obvious answers to

questions. But some questions have

difficult answers

and it takes a kind of a a while to

tease out what the answer is. Some

questions aren't really even meant to be

answered, right? We have rhetorical

questions. They're they're often asked

to just make a point,

not necessarily to get an answer. Kids,

you might know these questions as kind

of the duh questions,

the is the sky blue? Well, duh. Of

course, the sky is blue. Is ice cream

cold? Well, duh. Ice cream is cold. It's

ice cream.

Does 1 + 1 equal two? Well, duh. These

are the obvious questions. Sometimes

these rhetorical questions are meant to

just provoke emotions.

Questions like, who cares? You're not

really asking who cares. You just want

the emotional response from that or what

business is that of yours? Those kinds

of questions where you don't really want

someone to actually tell you what

business it is of them. Or does money

really grow on trees? Well, we know

money doesn't grow on trees, but you're

trying to make a point that, you know,

it's expensive and I don't I'm not made

of money.

The Apostle Paul uses questions all

throughout the book of Romans. I know

we've only looked at chapter eight, but

he he he does this in many different

ways. Sometimes he's anticipating an

objection. So he writes something and

then he knows what the readers are going

to think. So in in like in Romans 6:1,

Romans 6:1

he says, "Are we to continue in sin that

grace may abound?" He's he's he's

anticipating an objection. The answer to

that is no, by the way. You don't

continue in sin that grace may abound.

But sometimes he asks questions because

he just wants us to think. I mean in the

book of Romans in the Greek 70 questions

Paul asks 70 questions throughout the

entire book. And this is how he ends

chapter 8. He starts asking questions

that really have no answers or or more

and more likely the answer is just

ridiculously obvious.

It's the well duh kind of answer that

you'd think should be obvious.

You'd think that that golden chain from

from from God for loving you, for

knowing you to glorifying you would from

last week would be that the capstone,

like I said, of this chapter.

But Paul knows his readers. Paul knows

humanity.

He knows humanity.

You're cynical.

You fear,

you doubt.

Just like these Roman readers from many

centuries ago, they needed extra

assurance that God is for them.

So do you. So do I.

I want you to leave here this morning

with an extraordinary, overwhelming

sense of God's love for you and Jesus.

that God is for you and not against you.

Look at verse 31 of chapter 8. 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? 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. Who shall

separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or

persecution or famine or nakedness or

danger or sword as it is written, for

your sake we are being killed all the

day long. We are regarded as sheep to be

slaughtered. 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.

He starts with the question in verse 31.

What then shall we say to these things,

these amazing things that I just

summarized all of chapter 8? What like

what can be added to this? And then he

goes on and he adds five questions that

he wants you to think about. We're going

to look at them one at a time. Those are

going to be my my five points. And

there's amazing truths that we can glean

from each of these questions.

First point, brother and sister, God is

for you. That's the question he asks. If

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

what as one commentator I read said, you

know, he he didn't just ask the

question, who is against us? Because

there's loads of people who are against

you. There's loads of things that are

against you. The world, the flesh, the

devil, it's all against you. That's not

what he asks. He asks, "If God is for

us, who can be against us?"

You know, there's many places that you

can imagine that you would not want to

be alone.

I mean, the classic one is that dark

alley late at night. You don't want to

be alone in the dark alley. I'm not sure

which dark alley they always talk about,

but it's a dark alley somewhere that's

really scary to be in by yourself.

Abandoned buildings can be pretty freaky

at night that you might not want to be

alone there. Empty train platforms can

kind of feel like a dodgy place at night

as well. Maybe it's your own house. You

just don't like to be alone in your own

house.

They can be scary

places. But now imagine that you are

just best friends with the entirety

that's 30 plus of the Irish rugby team.

And they were with you in all those

places. In the dark alley,

in your house having a party, in that

abandoned building when you can be

protected

by 30 strong, fast, beefy men,

probably less likely to be worried that

you're alone because well, you're not

alone and it's not really a scary place

anymore because you've got these huge

men around you to protect you. So Paul

is not saying here that no one's ever

going to be against you. Of course

people are going to be against you. Of

course things are going to be against

you. He's saying that if God is for you,

it doesn't matter who's against you.

Who cares who's against you? If God is

for you when you're made fun of at

school because of your faith,

God is for you.

When your neighbor laughs at you because

you come and waste your time on a Sunday

in this place,

God is for you, not against you. And

he's not just for you in the way that

we're like for a team or like he's not

just rooting for us. He's for us in the

fullest sense of the word, right? So

he's with you. He's behind you. He's

allied with you.

We just saw that he's actually chosen

you for his team. He is pro- you

and not just some future version of you,

but like you right now. He is for you.

Pro- you

brother and sister. God is for you.

Secondly,

God will give you all things. Verse 32,

the question he asks, "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?" What do

you lack this morning?

What are you in need of today?

Maybe it's something physical,

emotional, spiritual.

Are you lacking it because God is

stingy?

No,

God is not stingy.

God has given you the most precious and

prized thing he could ever give you. He

who did not spare his own son but gave

him up for us all.

The end of that golden chain. Ho how can

God glorify you?

or verse 17, h how can God make you an

heir with Christ?

How can he do those things? He has

already given you the greatest gift that

could ever be conceived of in all

existence in the entire universe because

he's given you his son.

God did not spare his own son. This this

is a greater to lesser argument. If God

has already given you the greatest gift

ever dreamed of,

can he not give you everything else the

chapter says?

Of course he can.

Well, duh.

Of course he can.

If God can and has orchestrated his plan

of salvation from before the foundation

of the world. If he has built and

designed all of history to move towards

the birth, life, death, and resurrection

of Jesus.

If God was willing to do that, willing

to send his son to die in your place,

how will he not also with him graciously

give you all things?

God delights to give you good gifts.

He will give you all things. You are

guaranteed to inherit the universe

and it'll be a sinless universe.

And you know, one of the most amazing

things that you are going to get, one of

the amazing gifts that he is going to

give you, he's going to give you a

non-stick soul.

Excuse me. That's my third point.

Brother and sister, if you're in Christ,

you are non-stick.

You know, there is something glorious in

a in a in a lesser way, maybe using the

word glorious, of frying an egg in a new

non-stick pan. Have you done that? Have

you cracked an egg into a hot new

non-stick pan?

It just fries down. It's like it's like

floating on air. You could just I mean,

you could just almost like flip it in

the pan without even using a a spatula.

And then you can just slip it out onto

your plate. and you look at the pen and

it's like there's like nothing in it.

You're even tempted not to wash it

because you're like it's just perfectly

clean.

Brother and sister,

that next question in verse 33,

who shall bring any charge against God's

elect?

So what Paul does here is he he brings

us into a courtroom.

He brings us into a courtroom. How can

or can someone bring a charge against

you? Well, sure.

I know that people can bring a charge

against you right now. I know your

spouse can bring a charge against you

right now. I know mine can.

Children,

your parents can bring a charge against

you.

Parents, your children can bring a

charge against you.

So this doesn't mean when he asked the

question, who shall bring any charge

against God's elect? It doesn't mean

that believers never do anything wrong.

Like we know that that's obvious.

It doesn't mean that a believer's

actions or motives can never be

questioned.

In the now on this earth, there may be

many who bring a charge against you.

Some of those might be true.

So charges are coming from humanity

against you.

But that's not the only one bringing

charges against you. Revelation 12, the

devil is called the accuser. He accuses

you night after night, day after day.

So why does Paul ask this question? Who

shall bring any charge against God's

elect? Why am I calling you non-stick?

Ephesians 1, we looked a little a little

bit last week at it. Ephesians 1, he

chose you. God chose you in Jesus before

the foundation of the world that you

should be holy and blameless before him.

Why are you non-stick? Why do no charges

stick to you?

You were chosen before the foundation of

the world to be that way.

God looked down from eternity past. He

saw you, brother and sister.

He knew that you would be an enemy from

birth.

He knew that you would be a messy sinner

consumed with yourself.

But he forneew you. He loved you. He

predestined you. He called you. He

justifies you. And he glorifies you. Who

shall bring a charge against God's

elect?

Verse 33. It is God who justifies.

There's no charges against you because

God has cleaned you up all by himself.

It is God who justifies.

It means that at the end of time

as we know it, when you sit before the

judge of all the earth, there is no

charge that will stick.

Not a single one. There is no accusation

strong enough to slander you. Why?

because all of your charges,

all of your guilt, all of your shame has

been put on Jesus.

Colossians 2, and when you were dead in

your trespasses, that's sin. That's

another word for sin. You were dead in

your sins and in the uncircumcision of

your flesh, God made you alive with

Jesus and forgave you all your

trespasses. He erased the certificate of

debt with its obligations that was

against you and opposed to you all those

charges. And what did he do with them?

He has taken it away by nailing it to

the cross.

If you are a Christian this morning, no

charge will stick to you in the end.

But I need to ask the question, are you

a Christian this morning?

Are you non-stick this morning?

Or are all those charges,

all those sins, are they clinging to you

like maggots on rotten meat?

One day, each sin, each bad motive, each

evil thought or desire will be laid bare

before a holy God.

Imagine that scene.

It's terrifying. You will be unable to

lie.

You will be unable to fake it, unable to

have your way. You can't manipulate your

way out of it.

You can't charm your way into anything.

God will see who you really are.

What will he see?

Who are you? Are you a sinner saved by

the marvelous grace of Jesus

or are you a sinner guilty and

condemned?

That actually brings then us to the

fourth question

that Paul asks in verse 34.

Who is to condemn? And my point to

Christians this morning is that the

Christian cannot be condemned.

Not only can no charge stick against the

Christian, the Christian cannot be

condemned. There's no punishment for the

Christian. This chapter started off

saying that verse one, there is

therefore now no condemnation to those

who are in Christ Jesus. Well, then why

is Paul asking the question again? Like,

why is he saying it again? Like, why is

he asking that again? He's already told

us we're not condemned. Why is he asking

again? Well, I told you you doubt, you

fear,

you question.

You feel condemned.

And it doesn't just come from outside

sources.

It does come from outside sources.

But you condemn yourself.

I know you condemn yourself because I

condemn myself.

Was so yesterday. in fact

was so this morning in fact I remember

me from 13 years ago

struggling with like just deep anger

against my family living in a vicious

cycle of this anger self-pity self-

condemnation understanding

having that scary realization

understanding why men think leaving

their family is a good idea

looking down into myself instead of

gazing at the Savior.

Now, maybe that's not similar to your

moments of condemnation, but I know you

have them. I know you look at yourself

as a Christian and you just condemn,

condemn, condemn. Because we forget

that we have the perfect advocate.

We have the perfect advocate.

Jesus Christ is our flawless defense

attorney.

You see, we are still in Paul's

courtroom here.

The charges and accusations are flying

out from all sources against us. Who's

going to make the defense? Who's going

to defend you? You see, the charge

comes. You can imagine the scene in a

courtroom. You you you you have the

charge from an accuser. Oh, he's a

sinner.

Do you know what he thinks about? But

before you can even create your own

response, before you can even create

what you're going to say, Christ answers

on your behalf, he says, "I died for

that sinner and that sin."

But then the accuser keeps going. He

says, "Oh, yeah, sure, but he must die,

too." But Christ says, "No, I was raised

from the dead. I conquered sin and

death." The accuser keeps going. He

says, "Yeah, but what will the father

say?" Christ says, "Oh,

oh,

I sit at his right hand. I have the

Father's ear. And do you know who I talk

about to him with fond and eternal

affection?

I talk about him because I love him and

he is not guilty."

Look at verse 34. 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.

Brother and sister, the cross is not

generic.

The cross is personal.

Jesus Christ,

the son of God,

is at the right hand of the father and

he's interceding for you

right now.

Not just like the whole church,

but you

right now. So when condemnation comes

from an outside source or an inside

source, you can defiantly stand against

all that universe that condemns you,

knowing that your advocate is tirelessly

praying and defending you.

He's defending you.

Who is to condemn?

Why is God for you? Why is God going to

give you all things? Why do no charges

stick? Why are you not condemned? It's

the fifth point. It's the fifth

question.

Because you are forever loved.

That's the fifth point. That's the

question. Who shall separate us from the

love of Christ? Again, why is Paul

asking the question?

The implied answer is, well, no one can.

Duh. Nobody can separate me from the

love of Christ. But he still asks the

question.

Let's look at two reasons why he asked

this question. First,

he asked the question

because you feel unlovable.

You feel unlovable. Paul knows that you

feel unlovable. You will look at your

life. You'll see the mess that it is,

and you will feel dirty.

Your sin will make you feel like God

can't love you.

This is because in most of our

relationships, we find it hard to love

sinners.

And that's all of our relationships.

We find it hard to love messy people. We

find it hard to love broken people. We

find it hard to love people we determine

to be unlovable.

This could be the smelly homeless man

who's asking you for money.

This could be that neighbor who just

won't stop talking when you're running

late for something. This could be a

person that has just really sinned

against you in really, really horrible

ways. You see, our love is imperfect.

Our love is cold. Our love is

manipulative at times. We build walls

all the time with our love.

And so our understanding of love is

tainted.

We act like God loves the way that we

love.

But you know what? God has given us

amazing glimpses into his heart of love.

Comes from creation. Comes from his

word. Glimpses everywhere of his heart

of love. One of those examples to us is

mothers.

Now, I know I know that not all mothers

love well. You may have had a mother

that hurt you or failed to love you

well, and I am so sorry for that. I am

so sorry for that.

But often that's the exception.

Passage Baptist has some amazing

mothers.

Amazing mothers. And it is an absolute

joy to watch you love your children from

the the little tiny ones all the way up

to the adult ones.

It is a joy to watch you love your

children. And moms, let me ask you a

question. What could your child do that

would make you stop loving them?

It's that kind of a similar question

that Paul's asking, isn't it? Well, duh.

Nothing.

It's one of those questions that has

that obvious answer.

I mean, you carried your child in your

body for nine long months.

Before they were even born, you

sacrificed your time, your energy,

your figure for them.

You gave birth to your child, which is

both amazing and terrifying all at the

same time. You feed your child. You

bathe your child. You you clean up the

countless messes your child makes for

years.

Years.

You love your child.

But you know what? Your child doesn't

understand your love.

They might feel your love, but they

don't understand it. And if little

babies were more aware, I don't think

they would feel very lovable all the

time.

Take away the cuteness. And man, there's

some cute babies among us. But if you

could take away the cuteness, those

babies, they always need something. Not

even just babies. The kids just always

need something.

They sometimes can just whail for no

reason at all. They poop all over

themselves.

They get milk and food stuck in their

crevices.

Babies are a little gross.

If if they could think about it, they

probably wouldn't feel lovable all the

time.

But moms, you just love them.

You just love them with an indescribable

love.

Brother and sister, you are forever

loved by God.

The father's love for you began before

the foundation of the world. He for

loved you before anyone else even

thought of your existence.

He feeds you. He gives you air to

breathe. He provides for all your needs.

He cleans up your mess. And I don't mean

your mess

from milk or food. I mean the mess of

your sin.

He makes you white as snow.

We'll look at the scope of his love in a

second. But Paul's asking this question

because you feel unlovable.

Just that that little baby feels

unlovable, but it's because you don't

understand, which is why Paul's asking

the question. He wants you to know

that God loves you. Secondly, I think he

asked this question

because you will look at the hardships

of your life

and you will feel that God doesn't love

you.

Who shall separate you? It's the second

part of the question. Verse 35. Who

shall separate you from the love of

Christ? shall tribulation or distress or

persecution or famine or nakedness or

danger or sword all the immense

challenges of life in general and then

the Christian life in particular

can make us question God's love it just

does

life is hard and in those moments we

don't always feel loved

Paul then goes on to quote there from

the psalm verse 36 he says as it is

written written for your sake we are

being killed all the day long we are

regarded as sheep to be slaughtered you

know this is a psalm expressed when

Israel was actually doing all the right

things because you know Israel did a lot

of the wrong things all the time and

they were constantly be getting judged

by God all the time but this was

actually written when they were seeking

after God they were devoted

and it says for your sake God we are

being killed all All the day long we are

regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

Sometimes we feel like that because in

this world the godly just suffer. The

godly suffer in this world.

And so the question will tribulation or

distress or persecution or famine or

nakedness or danger or swords separate

us from the love of Christ?

Verse 37. No.

I love the short quick no.

Not even possible. No way.

All in all these things, all of those

hardships,

we are more than conquerors through him

who loved us. It just gets to the point,

no, that will not separate you.

You are more than a conqueror. You're

like, well, how can I be more than a

conqueror? Like, if you win, don't you

just win? Like how do you how do you

like be like more than win? Well, the

the the translation of that, the New

Living says it well when it when it

writes

overwhelming victory is yours.

It's not just like that you win this

much, but you win more than you could

possibly imagine because all of that is

just done

because of the love of God in Christ.

You are not defeated by any of those

things.

Even though they feel so defeating all

the time.

I mean that list tribulation, distress,

persecution, famine, nakedness, danger,

sword.

They can feel so defeating.

But through the love of Jesus, you are

more than a conqueror.

The love of Jesus proved, sorry, the

love of Jesus was proven through his

suffering, wasn't it? If you question

the love of Jesus, look at the cross.

Your sufferings will never separate you

from the love of Christ.

And if that weren't enough,

you'd think that this would be enough.

Paul continues to climb to the top of

his argument with verses 38 and 39.

I'll read it again. 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 would be

able to separate us from the love of God

in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul's fully

convinced.

He's fully convinced. He is so sure that

he makes this pretty substantial list of

all the things that cannot separate you

from the love of God in Christ. I mean,

it's a pretty substantial li list. Death

or life can't separate you. It's like,

oh, well, like, okay, that's pretty

all-encompassing. So, my my life as a

whole, nor my death can separate me from

the love of Christ. Angels or demons

can't separate you from the love of

Christ. The spirit realm has no power

over you at all. Time

doesn't even limit his love for you,

present or in the future.

So nothing that happens today, nothing

that happens 20 years from now and

anything in between can separate you

from the love of God in Christ. where

you are, height nor depth. You can go

down to the lowest abyss of the ocean

and you could go to a colony on Mars.

Location is not going to separate you

from the love of Christ. You can be

alone in some prison far away

or you can be here on a Sunday morning

gathered with God's people.

What does he say next?

nor anything else in all creation. Cuz

if if he hadn't ticked all the boxes,

well, it's like, well, let's just make

sure then. Nothing in all creation.

Nothing. I mean, how can he be more sure

about that?

You can look around at anything that you

have ever seen or the things that you

can't see

and know that God still loves you.

You are absolutely safe and secure.

God is for you.

He is allied to you. He has chosen you

to be with him.

He will give you all things. You will

never be condemned. Any charge in the

end will not stick because Christ paid

for it.

You are forever loved.

And listen,

your confidence

does not lie in your love of God. And to

be really clear on that, you waver,

you stumble, you fail. So do I. Our love

is weak, tainted, often pathetic.

Christ's love is never that. He never

waivers. He never stumbles and he never

fails in his love for you. Chapter 8

began with no condemnation, no

punishment for those who are in Christ.

It ends with no separation from the love

of God in Christ.

That's amazing.

You are loved beyond measure.

Beyond measure. Let us be a people.

Let us be a people who rest in the love

of God.

Let's be a people that remind one

another to rest in the love of God.

Let's be a people that when neighbors

and family and friends are are in bits

because of what's happening in the

world, we can be steady

and rest in the love of God. Because

there is not one single thing that

exists in this universe

that can separate you from him

when you are in Christ.

That's amazing. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the love that

you have shown us in Christ and that

there is nothing that can separate us.

Forgive us when we forget that. I forget

that, God,

very often.

Thank you that your word is clear

and to the point

for a a soul that doubts and fears and

forgets.

May we rest in the love of God. You have

great love for us and we thank you for

it in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's stand and sing about the love