Moments of Victory
Romans 8:37-39
September 7, 2014
Morning Worship
We are concluding a series of messages in chapter 8 of Romans this morning.
Week 1: God works through every moment of our lives for the purpose of His good. The good that God wants to bring into our lives is to make our character like that of Christ. The ultimate goal of God is to help us become more like Jesus. God knows us in a deep and personal way. He strives to bring the best into our lives even when it means using the bad and ugly moments we have to face.
Week 2: God is at work in the various moments of our lives. He brings us hope in the midst of the trials of life. There is nothing that can defeat us. There is nothing that can stop us. If there is anything that we gain as encouragement it is the reality of Paul’s four questions.
If God is for us who can be against us? No One
Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? No One
Who is he that condemns us? No One
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? No One
Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Romans 8:35 (MSG)
Have you ever felt defeated? Things just were not going to go your way in any way. There is a frustration that comes when we feel defeated. There is a feeling of weakness that comes when we feel defeated.
Paul may have felt that things looked bleak but he was never defeated. If God is for us, who can be against us? The truth is that we should never feel like life has the best of us. No matter what happens to us is not nearly as important as what God does in us. Paul continues his call on the Roman church to stand strong through the challenges of life.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39
1. Absolutely nothing will be able to defeat us
No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us
What things is Paul talking about here?
Trouble: To deal with struggles, trials and afflictions
Hardship: To suffer anguish, strain, not knowing where to turn
Persecution: To be abused, mocked, attacked or injured
Famine: To have no food and to have no way of securing food
Nakedness: To be stripped of clothes and all earthly comforts
Danger: To be exposed to the most severe risks
Sword: To be killed or to face martyrdom
Paul says all of these things cannot bring us down. The truth is that we will face these kinds of situations in life. There will be times when life throws more at us than we can handle. Life can be overwhelming. Life can be filled with troubles of all kinds. Life can be unfair. Paul makes it clear that we do not have to live in defeat because we can live every moment of our lives in victory.
There are no victories at discount prices – Dwight Eisenhower
* Victory over sin
* Victory over death
* Victory over trials and trouble
Nothing will ever be able to beat us, as long as, we remain in Christ. The love of Christ gives us the strength to get through anything that life can throw at us. Nothing can drive a wedge between us and Jesus. Nothing can force us apart from the love of Christ. Christ has the power to carry us through every trial we ever face. Jesus has the ability to take us through every trouble we experience. He has the strength to help us in our every point of need. All of this is possible because of the love of Christ.
Because of Your Love – Paul Baloche
Because of your love, we’re forgiven. Because of your love, our hearts are clean. We lift you up with songs of freedom. Forever we’re changed because of your love.
There is absolutely nothing that can drive a wedge between us and the love of Jesus. It is the love of Jesus that gives us the strength to keep forging ahead in life. It is the love of Jesus that changes our lives. There is nothing that can cause Jesus to love us any less than He does right now. There is nothing in all of life that can keep us from experiencing the love of God. Our entire life is a vehicle for encountering the presence and the love of Christ.
How can this be? How are we supposed to experience the love of Christ in those moments that are less than pleasant? Everyone is going to have those moments that are good, some moments will be bad and some will be just ugly. We often don’t see the love of Christ working in those ugly moments of life. We don’t see the love of Christ working in the moments when we suffer. We don’t see the love of Christ in those moments of tragedy and trial.
We need to remember that it is the love of Christ that gets us through the grind of life. Where would we be without the love of Christ working in our lives? Our lives would be a lost cause. We need to remember that because of the love of Jesus we have hope in the midst of suffering. We must remember that we have peace in the middle of the storms of life.
2. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death cannot separate us
Death has no ability to separate us from Christ. Those who are in Christ will be united with Christ in death. It is vital to remember that Paul is speaking about because in death we receive our eternal reward.
Life cannot separate us
Life has many situations that make us falsely believe that Christ has left us or that we have been separated from his presence. Life has a way of making us feel less than victorious. There is no problem, no trial, no pain, no suffering, no person and no trouble that can come between us and the love of Christ.
Angels and demons cannot separate us
There is no supernatural being or creature that has the ability to separate us from the love of Christ. Not even Satan has the power to keep us from experiencing the love of Christ.
The present and the future cannot separate us
We cannot be separated from the love of Christ at any time in our lives. Not today or any day to come. There will never be a time that we will ever need to wonder if Christ is with us.
Height and depth cannot separate us
There is no place in all of creation that can separate us from the love of Christ. No matter where we are, Christ is with us. No matter how difficult the place, Christ never leaves us.
Things we learn here:
1. The love of Christ allows us to experience His power
2. The love of Christ never leaves us
3. The love of Christ never fails us
