So it's just a real joy to be here this morning.
And if you have your Bible, if you want to turn to Romans chapter 8,
Romans is in the back third of the Bible, right after Acts and all the Gospels.
And we're going to be looking at chapter 8.
And this morning, I really hope that the Word this morning will encourage you.
You know, it doesn't take much to just look around our lives and our community
and our state and our nation, the world,
and to see that there's a lot of things that could make you discouraged.
There's a lot of things you could be thinking about that would leave you discouraged
and discontent and sad and wondering whether there's hope for the future.
And I just so appreciate some of the songs we sang this morning
that pointed us away from that to what we're going to be focusing on this morning.
Because I want to encourage you with this one key truth that Paul has for us in Romans 8,
which is God is for us in Jesus.
And I know that if you've been to church for any amount of time,
if you've read your Bible at all, that sounds familiar and you know it.
But when I was in seminary, there was a counseling professor
who pulled a hundred students aside.
These are students who want to go on and do counseling
and be pastors and be missionaries.
And she asked them one simple question.
Do you believe that on your best day or your worst day
that God is a hundred percent for you only because of Jesus?
Do you believe that with a hundred percent certainty?
And only three out of a hundred said yes.
What about you this morning?
If I asked you, do you believe that on your good day or even on the bad days
that God is a hundred percent for you because of Jesus?
And so I hope this morning that maybe if it's the truth that you just know up here,
that God will work it into our hearts this morning
so that we will leave encouraged and strengthened
because there's many trials around us
and yet we have a God who is for us in Jesus.
And so this morning I just want to remind us of this truth
and remind us that the picture that Paul is going to paint for us
is that we are not spiritual orphans trying to earn the love of someone,
but we are adopted children beloved by God the Father.
And so let me pray and then we'll read Romans 8.
Father, I'm so grateful this morning that
that even though what our sins deserve
is to be cast out into the darkness,
that because of Jesus,
that you actually call us children
and welcome us into a home
and you say that you will be our God
and we will dwell with you one day face to face.
So I pray this morning
that as you speak through your word
that we would hear,
that we would have our eyes opened
and that we would be encouraged
that you are for us in Christ
so we might then live for you.
Amen.
Let me read Romans 8,
starting in verse 28.
And we know that for those who love God,
all things work together for good
for those who are called according to His purpose.
For those whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son
in order that He might be the firstborn
amongst many brothers and sisters.
And those whom He predestined, He also called.
And those whom He called, He also justified.
And those whom He justified, He also glorified.
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?
Again, 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.
Amen.
Well, this morning I just want to look at
the three things that Paul's going to talk to us about.
The reason God is for us,
the reality of Him being for us,
and the results of God being for us.
And so first, the reason why He's for us.
Verse 31 is this key verse in the passage, right?
He says, if God is for us, who can be against us?
But let's not just slide past that,
because maybe this morning you're thinking,
well, of course God is for us.
I mean, that's who God is.
He's a loving God.
He just loves us.
Or maybe you're thinking,
well, of course God's for me.
I'm a good person.
Why would He be against me?
But if you're reading the whole Bible,
and if you read the first seven and a half chapters of Romans,
you would see there's actually a lot of good reasons
for God to be against us.
Mostly because we have all set ourselves up against Him.
He made us to live for Him,
and we rejected that and went our own way.
We're rebels.
We're traitors.
We deserve eternal darkness and judgment and death.
Because God is holy.
He's perfect.
And the only people who are allowed to be in relationship with Him
are perfect people.
Not good people.
Perfect people.
And I don't know about you,
but I don't fall in that category.
And so there's no reason for me to hope
that God would be for me or God would be for you.
And yet, God is for many, many sinners.
How?
Well, Paul gives us two answers here.
First, he says in verse 29,
For those whom God foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Do you know what it's saying?
He's saying,
Do you know why God's for you?
Because He chose to be.
He just chose to be for you.
He looked at you,
a spiritual orphan,
lost and alone,
and said,
I'm going to adopt you.
Just because of who I am.
Just because I'm a God that loves to adopt orphans and to save sinners.
Before you were thinking of me,
before you were thinking about being adopted,
I just came and adopted you.
And I adopted you to be in my family, right?
Because that's the last half of verse 29.
In order that He, that's Jesus,
might be the firstborn amongst many brothers and sisters.
He's adopted us into a family.
He just said,
I'm going to adopt you.
I'm just going to love you.
Just because of me.
Not you.
Because of me.
And even that word foreknow in verse 29
is this beautiful relational word.
It's not foreknowing like,
I know what you're going to do,
what you're going to think about.
It's the kind of knowing we talk about
when I ask you a question.
Do you know Mike Salvati?
I don't mean, do you know about him?
I mean, do you know him?
Do you have a relationship with him?
And God's saying,
I foreknew you.
I knew you relationally before you ever knew me.
And I chose you before you ever knew me.
Just because I'm for you.
Because I love you.
And what's beautiful about this is,
if God being for us was primarily dependent on us,
then we'd be in trouble.
Because if God said,
well, I'm only for you if you have enough faith,
well, then what if tomorrow you don't have enough faith?
Then that foundation gets shaky.
Or what if God was just for you
because you were good enough?
You did enough good things.
Well, maybe today you feel confident,
but next week,
I don't know if I've done enough good this week,
maybe God's not for me.
But if God is for you because He chose to be,
and He doesn't change,
then you've got a stable foundation.
You've got a bed you can lay your head on.
And that's God's choice to love you.
God's choice to love those who are in Christ.
And not only that,
but I think it's really important to see this
because not only does it give you a stable foundation,
but if you think about this human relationship
that we always have,
if you were the only one doing
all of the pursuing of a relationship,
you know,
hey, let's hang out,
and the other person never returned your calls,
never initiated anything with you,
you might wonder if they liked you back,
if you're doing all the pursuing.
But since God did the pursuing of us,
just like in a human relationship,
we know that person must love me
if they did all the pursuing of me
even before I had any thought of loving them.
That's God loving us.
And not only did He choose to adopt us,
but maybe some of you know this,
adoption has a cost, right?
If you've adopted,
you know there's a cost to adopting.
And so Paul tells us in verse 32,
let me tell you what the cost was of your adoption.
He who did not spare His own Son,
but gave Him up for us all.
And saying,
do you want to know why I'm for you?
Because not only did I choose to adopt you,
but I sent my only Son
to die to make you family.
That's how much I loved.
And it really hit me
when I was talking to a non-Christian friend recently
about why Jesus had to die.
And it just hit me.
And I told him, I said,
do you think that if I could save you
any other way than sacrificing my child,
that I would sacrifice my child?
He was like, well, probably not.
I said, yet God sent His Son for us.
How can you doubt that He is for you
when He sent His Son to die?
That's the proof to go back to
when you're wondering,
is God for me?
He sent His Son.
And this really struck me several years ago,
back in 2010.
I'm a big hockey fan being from Canada.
And Roberto Luongo is a goaltender
who always got the rap of being a good goalie
but never able to win the big games.
But in 2010,
he helped Canada win the gold medal.
And right after the game,
he was being interviewed.
And he held up his gold medal and said,
from now on,
no matter what anyone says,
I can point to this gold medal
and tell them,
I am a winner.
And he's right.
He's got the evidence right there.
He can point back to it.
He can hang it up on his wall
and when people come over and say,
you see that medal right there?
That proves I'm a winner.
And Paul's saying,
that's how the cross works.
When you're wondering,
is God for me?
He says,
look back there
on that wood
where you see God's Son crucified for you
and then ask again,
does God love me?
Is God for me?
And guess what the answer's gonna be?
Yes.
That's the proof to go back to.
So when you're doubting,
which we all have doubts at points,
when you're wrestling with questions,
don't look inward
to see if there's anything inward
that God would love.
Look outward to the cross
and see there
that God is for sinners.
That God loves people
who don't deserve to be loved.
And if you've trusted in Christ,
he's for you
because of Jesus.
He chose in eternity past
to adopt you
and he paid the price
at Calvary
to make you family.
That's why God is for you.
Because of him,
not you.
But what is the reality
of living in his family
then look like?
Well, Paul doesn't leave us hanging.
He says,
I'm not just gonna tell you
that God's for you.
I'm gonna tell you
what that means
to encourage you.
So he says in verse 31,
what shall we say
to these things?
Well, first he says,
if God is for us,
who can be against us?
So that's the first reality
of God being for us
is no one can ultimately
be against you.
Now that doesn't mean
you're never gonna face opposition.
That doesn't mean
you're never gonna face
trials or difficulty.
But what it does mean
is that you have
the all-powerful
creator God
behind you.
And anything he wants
to do in your life,
no one and nothing
will stop him
from doing that
for good in your life.
Man,
that's the guy
I want on my team.
And Paul's saying,
if you are in Christ,
you have this
all-powerful God
behind you,
strengthening you.
No one can stand
against him.
But the second reality
he says in verse 32,
God will provide
what you need.
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.
You see what Paul's doing?
He's arguing
from the greater
to the lesser.
He's saying,
if God provided
for your greatest need,
you were on your way
to eternal judgment
and Jesus paid
that amazing price,
then don't you think
he'll take care
of the little things
you need?
It would be like
if, say,
a billionaire
found a homeless person,
built in this
amazing mansion,
and then one day
the light bulb
over the front door
burns out
and the person
that's now living
in the house
is like,
man,
I don't know
if the billionaire
is going to want
to pay
to replace
this light bulb.
It's like,
Paul's like,
what are you talking about?
He built you
a huge house,
of course he'll
replace the light bulb
and that's what
Paul's saying.
He's saying,
it's so easy
to think of God
as this miser
that he doesn't
really want to give us
all that we need
and Paul's saying,
what are you talking about?
He gave you more
than you needed
in Jesus.
Of course he'll give you
what you need.
Of course he's eager
to be there
and graciously,
that is,
undeservedly give it to you.
You don't need to keep
earning anything from him.
He just wants
to give it to you.
Now it's good to remember
that he'll provide
for your needs,
not your wants.
He's not going to provide
everything you want
and even what you think
you need,
you might not actually need.
But even in those
moments when you're
feeling like God's
not providing
what you need,
don't think of him
as a miser holding back.
No.
Because of Jesus,
he is for you,
eager,
gracious to give you
what you need.
He proved that
on the cross.
And I love this quote
from Hudson Taylor.
He was a missionary
that went to Africa
and he went
without asking anyone
to give him money.
He just said,
God will take care
of my money.
And he had a couple
of kids.
And people are saying,
don't do that.
That's foolish.
Don't do it.
And Hudson Taylor
looked at them
and said,
I am a father
and I know my kids
need three meals a day.
Don't you think
my heavenly father
will care more for me
than I do for my children?
And he was pulling back
this idea
that we can trust
our father
who loves us
to care for us.
Not always in the ways
we'd expect,
but he really does
care for us.
And the third reality
he mentions
is in verse 33.
He says,
who shall bring
any charge
against God's elect?
So he's saying,
look,
the scene he's painting
is imagine
it's God's courtroom
at the end of time.
And he's saying,
who can stand
before God
and say,
see that person
right over there,
God?
Did you know
the terrible things
they did?
Let me pull out
their file.
They don't deserve
to be here.
And God says,
it is God
who justifies.
That's what Paul says.
It's God who justifies.
And what Paul's saying
is, look,
if that were to happen,
if someone was to come
into God's courtroom
and say,
you don't deserve
to be there,
God would say,
I know that.
But I also know
that Jesus died
for them
and they've trusted
in Him.
And their file
is now Jesus' file.
And I am the judge
and I have declared
them innocent
and guiltless,
worthy to be here.
Who are you
to challenge my ruling?
Isn't that beautiful?
It reminds me of
the scene
in A Knight's Tale.
It's in a little
older movie,
but if you've seen it,
Heath Ledger's character
plays this peasant
who pretends
to be a noble
so he can joust
and make money
so he can eat.
And he gets caught
and so he gets
put in the stocks
and people are mocking him
and throwing tomatoes
at him.
But Prince Edward
of England
comes up
from the crowd
and he says,
my royal historians
have discovered
that actually
he is from
an ancient
royal line.
And this is
my word
and as such
it is beyond
contestation.
No one's going
to challenge
the word
of Prince Edward
on that.
How much more
when the King
of Kings
declares
you are not
guilty.
That is my word
and it is beyond
contestation.
And then fourth,
just he keeps
piling up the goodness
here.
It says in verse 34,
who is to condemn?
Who can come
and again in this
courtroom
bring more accusations
and bring condemnation?
And what does Paul say?
He says,
Christ Jesus
is the one who died.
More than that,
who is raised,
who is at the right
hand of God,
who indeed
is interceding
for us.
See what Paul's saying?
Is he saying,
look,
Jesus already
took the condemnation.
He already
took the condemnation
so you don't have
to bear it.
And more than that,
he was raised,
showing that
the check
to save you
cleared.
And even now,
he stands
as your great
defense attorney.
See,
if anyone had the right
to charge you in court,
it would be Jesus.
He's God.
You've sinned against him.
And not only that,
but your sin
put him up on the cross.
If anyone has the right
to bring a condemnation
against you,
it's Jesus.
And yet,
instead,
he acts
as your
defense attorney.
the only one
who has a right
to charge you
instead
defends you,
though you don't
deserve it.
And these two
truths together,
I think,
really touch on
one of these
deep things
in our hearts.
As human beings,
we want
to be loved
by others
and to be
deeply known.
And yet,
we're afraid
that if people
really knew us
all the way down,
they would
condemn us.
they would judge us
instead of loving us.
And yet,
here,
Paul says,
look,
the only person
that knows you
all the way down
to the bottom
that could condemn you,
that could judge you,
instead,
has chosen
to love you
in Jesus.
You don't need
to be afraid.
In Jesus,
God is for you.
And so,
fifth,
the last reality
he talks about here
is that nothing
can separate us
from God's love.
All right,
verse 35,
who shall separate us
from the love
of Christ?
And then Paul says,
shall tribulation
or distress
or persecution
or famine
or nakedness
or danger
or sword?
Because Paul
wants to do something
really careful here.
He wants to say,
I'm not just throwing out
some slogan.
I'm not just putting up
some random Facebook meme
to help you feel good.
Nothing can separate us
from the love of Jesus.
Well,
I don't know,
Paul.
There's a lot of hard
things in my life.
Paul says,
okay,
let's tackle that.
We're not just
going to throw this
out as some random
phrase to feel good.
Let's talk about this.
Can nothing actually
separate you
from the love of Jesus?
What about hard things?
And everything
Paul names
in verse 35,
he went through.
Paul's the guy
that got beaten
several times
for being a believer
of Jesus.
Stoned,
nearly to death
or maybe to death.
Shipwrecked several times,
often in want of food.
He said,
I've been there.
I can testify.
These things
don't separate you
from the love of Jesus.
And so then he says
in verse 36,
he says,
okay,
let me even remind you
that this is not
a question that's new.
I'm going to quote
from the Old Testament
from Psalm 44.
For your sake,
we are being killed
all the day long.
We are regarded
as sheep to be slaughtered.
And Paul's saying,
look,
God's people
have often felt this way.
You're not alone.
If you're sitting there
thinking,
I know it sounds good
that God's for me,
but it sure doesn't feel
that way right now.
Paul's saying,
it's okay.
I've been there.
God's people of Israel
back in Psalm 44
were there.
They were wondering,
it sure,
what it feels like,
God,
is that we're being killed
for you.
That we're like sheep
just being led out
to be slaughtered.
Where's our Father
caring for us?
Where's our Father
protecting us?
Where's your love, God?
It just feels hard.
And Paul says,
verse 37,
no.
In all these things,
not just the good times,
in these things,
in the days when you're being
like a lamb
being led out to slaughter,
in those very things,
the good things,
the hard things,
the day when you find out
that someone you love
has cancer,
the day you lose your job,
the day you have
relational breaks,
in those things,
we are more than conquerors
through Him
who loved us.
See,
we often think,
well,
we're going to be conquerors
if we conquer over suffering.
But Paul doesn't say that.
Paul says,
no,
we are conquerors
in these things.
You're not conquerors
when Jesus takes you
out of the suffering.
You're conquerors in Jesus
in the day of suffering.
Just like Jesus was.
What day did He
win the victory for us?
Was it not the day of suffering?
The day when He was whipped
and a crown of thorns
was placed on His head
and He carried a cross
and He hung on Calvary
and He experienced
the wrath of God.
in that thing,
on that day of suffering
is when Jesus
was the conqueror.
And so,
Paul says,
yes,
even in those things
we're conquerors.
And it's through Him.
Paul's saying,
look,
I know it's going to be hard.
I know it's going to be hard things.
Adoption to God's family
does not fix everything.
It doesn't just get rid
of all the hard things.
But,
through Him,
through Him walking with you
and also
through our older brother Jesus
who on the cross
actually was
cut off
from God's love
so that
anyone who trusts in Him
would never
have to be cut off.
That's how you can be
conquerors in suffering
because there was
one man,
the God-man Jesus,
who really did suffer
and who really did
get cut off
from God's love.
Father,
why have you forsaken me?
So that
I would never have to forsake
your other brothers and sisters.
That's why.
Yes,
He's for us.
And that's why
Paul can go on to say,
death can't separate you
from God's love.
Jesus already died
and He defeated death.
So death can't separate you
from God's love anymore.
Nothing in this life
can separate you.
Not angels
or powers
or principalities
because Jesus
conquered all of them
at the cross.
He showed His power
over all the political powers
in Rome,
the spiritual forces.
He showed Himself
to be the victor.
And if your connection
to God
is through Jesus,
then you have
a firm,
stable connection.
nothing can separate you
from the love of God
in Jesus.
If you're not in Jesus,
you don't have that connection.
But if you're in Jesus,
you will never be separated
from God's love.
So what's then the result
of God being for us?
Well, it's verse 28.
We skipped it earlier,
but let's come back to it.
We know,
this is the results
of God being for us,
we know
that for those
who love God,
all things
work together
for good.
For those who are called
according to His purpose.
All things.
All the hard things
we just talked about.
All those things
work together
for good.
That's the end result.
And this isn't
some general promise.
You know,
sometimes I hang out
with people at work,
and you're like,
yeah, don't worry,
life will work out
for good.
No, it doesn't always
work out for good.
If you just look
at this life,
things do not always
work out for good.
This is not a general proverb
that applies to all people
all over the world.
This is a promise
from God the Father
to His children.
For those,
what does He say?
For those who love God.
For those who love God,
all things work together
for good.
If you're His child,
you can claim this promise
that all things
will work together
for good.
And it's a good
defined by God.
It's not the good
you want.
It's the good
defined by God,
which in verse 29
He explains.
It's to be conformed
to the image
of His Son.
That's what God wants.
God wants you
to become more
like Jesus.
And He will work
everything else
out for that purpose.
Now do you see
why God can actually
love us in the midst
of suffering?
Because what if
suffering is His chisel
on you,
the block of marble?
What if suffering
is the chisel
He is using
to sharpen away
and create in you
the likeness of Jesus?
Suddenly suffering
isn't the evidence
of a lack of God's love.
But what if suffering
might be the very evidence
He does love you?
That He loves you enough
to chisel away
at all the junk
in your life
and make you more
like Jesus.
To keep working on you.
To keep refining you.
So you will be more
like Jesus.
And that's why Paul
can say
that not only
will you be conformed
to His image,
but verse 30,
that those whom
He predestined,
He calls.
And those He calls,
He justifies.
And those He justifies,
He glorifies.
What Paul's saying is
He doesn't just call you
on the phone
and say,
I'm adopting you.
He doesn't just justify you,
which is declaring
that you're innocent
and worthy to be
in His family.
But He also says,
I'm going to bring you home.
That's glorified.
And I'm going to bring you home
in the perfect image
of Jesus.
And I'm not going to stop
until that process is done.
I love you too much
to leave you where you're at.
And yes,
I might even use
all things
and some of the things
you don't want
to do just that.
Because if I've called you,
I will justify you.
And if I justify you,
I will glorify you.
You see that chain?
There's no break
in the chains.
If He calls you,
He will lead you
all the way
to glorification.
He's powerful enough
to do that.
And He's good enough.
He's good enough
that the good thing
He'll work in you
is actually really good.
And we can trust Him
with that.
And we know that
because when we look
at the pattern
of Jesus' life,
who we're supposed
to be modeled after,
His life was one
of suffering first
and glory later.
And that's the path
of the Christian.
Suffer first,
glory later.
And the suffering
is often God's
loving hand
to make you more
like Jesus.
It doesn't mean
the suffering
is good always,
but He uses it
for good.
He uses it
for good.
And He will keep
His promise
that He will glorify you
because a good Father
keeps His promises.
And that's why Paul
can say earlier
in verse 18,
I consider the sufferings
of this present time
not worth comparing
with the glory
that is to be revealed
to us.
It's not because
the sufferings
aren't real.
It's not because
they're not hard.
but the sufferings
compared to the glory
don't add up.
And when He can
keep His eyes on that,
Paul says,
I can rejoice
even in those moments
of suffering.
So this morning,
I want to close
by asking really
two questions.
Is God
your Father?
Do you know Him
as Father?
Because you're not
born a child of God.
You need to be
reborn a child of God.
But in the Gospel of John,
there's this wonderful promise.
Anyone who believes
that His trust in Jesus
is given the right
to be called
children of God.
So this morning,
have you recognized
that you don't deserve
to be a child?
Have you recognized
that you've only
been a rebel
and yet
Jesus died
to make it possible
for you to be adopted?
Have you trusted
in Jesus for that?
Have you given up
trying to pretend
that you could earn
your way into the family
and just said,
God, I want in,
but I know the only way
in is through Jesus.
So help me to believe.
Trust in Him.
If you do this morning,
you're in.
You're part of the family.
And all these wonderful things
we talk about this morning
are for you,
promises from your Father.
Maybe some of you
this morning,
you feel like,
no, I know God's my Father.
But maybe this morning,
you've come off a hard week
or a hard month
or a hard year.
Or maybe the hard week
is about to come
and you don't even know it yet.
Will you this morning
sit in this kind of truth
so you can remember,
no, God is for me.
All this suffering
is for my good
and His glory.
And if in those moments
when I'm really struggling
with doubting it,
Father, give me the eyes
to look to the cross
and see Your Son
hanging there for me
and remind me again
that You're for me.
Help me to trust You.
Not when You take me
out of suffering,
but exactly in the middle of it.
Give me the confidence
that You are for me.
And only when You know
that someone like God the Father
and Your older brother Jesus
has Your back
can You walk day by day
in often a very hard world
and still say
the sufferings are not worth comparing
to the glory that is to come.
Let me pray.
Father, thank You so much
that Your Word is just,
it's like honey,
sweeter than honey
from the honeycomb.
That in the midst of hard things,
we don't come to Your Word
and just find mere positive thinking,
but we find substance and truth
to sink our teeth into
that feeds our souls,
that strengthens our spiritual muscles
and builds us up
and encourages us
through sometimes the very long
and very hard and difficult journey
that can lie ahead.
And yet, You have promised
that for those who have trusted in Jesus,
You will never leave us.
You will never forsake us.
You are with us.
And You're with us, Father,
because Your Son, Jesus,
died and was abandoned by You
2,000 years ago
so that when He was raised again
from the dead,
He could offer the hope
that no one would ever have
to be abandoned again
who are in Jesus
and loved by the Father.
So I pray this morning
that You would,
by Your Holy Spirit,
help us to know
Your love
and to know
that You are with us
and to know
You're using all things for good
and that even this morning
maybe some here
would for the first time
believe in Jesus
and be welcomed in
to a family of love
for their good
and Your glory.
Amen.