A
Message by Pastor Michael Palmer
Given
to
May 17, 2009
NOTHING SHALL SEPARATE US
FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST
Romans 8:35-39
I.
THREATENING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TRY TO SHAKE OUR
SECURITY IN CHRIST – HOSTILE FORCES - WE ALL MAY HAVE TO FACE.
·
TRIBULATON –
From a Latin root for a “threshing
sledge” used for pressing out the grain.
It is the word for pressure or being squeezed – speaking of life’s
pressures that can be forceful and unrelenting.
Harsh pressures like:
abuse severe
illness
lost
job loss of a mate, son, or
daughter
divorce job pressure
·
DISTRESS –
HARDSHIP – A word which means a narrow space – being confined within a narrow
and oppressive space.
·
PERSECUTION –
This means being pursued by someone (or some entity) who is intent on doing us
harm. It denotes harm that is
relentless. As our culture becomes more
secular, there will be an increase in persecution (both subtle and more open)
against true Bible-believing Christians.
·
FAMINE – This
is still happening in parts of the world today.
And in the
·
NAKEDNESS –
Many have known and still know the experience of not having enough for ample
clothing. This could refer to economic
bad times resulting from natural disaster, war, corporate and government
irresponsibility, greed, etc.
·
PERIL – DANGER
– Danger in general and especially danger from treachery or mistreatment.
·
SWORD – Being
murdered – especially for your faith in Christ.
Over 600,000 Christians are killed each year because of their faith in
Christ!!
(J. M. Boice, Romans, Volume 2, page 987)
II.
COSMOLOGICAL THREATS TO OUR SECURITY IN CHRIST
FOUR PAIRS:
NEITHER
DEATH NOR LIFE:
Jesus has
conquered death. Death does not separate
us from Jesus but it is actually a DOOR to a closer relationship with
Christ! Alexander Maclaren
writes: “The separator becomes the uniter, he sends
us apart from the world that he may bring us to God.”
(Maclaren, Acts/Romans,
Volume 8, page 3, page 212)
In that day,
we shall know fully even as we also are known (1 Corinthians 13:12).
LIFE – Life
can sometimes bring deep misery; not even in the misery of life can we be
separated from the love of Christ!
NOR ANGELS
OR PRINCIPALITIES – See Colossians 2:13-15
NOR THINGS
PRESENT NOR THINGS TO COME
NOR HEIGHT
NOR DEPTH
NOR POWERS
NOR ANY
OTHER CREATED THING
III.
WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS IN CHRIST!
The phrase “more than conqueror” means literally to
hyper–conquer; to conquer as it were with success to spare!
“Those who
overwhelmingly conquer are supremely victorious in overcoming everyone and
everything that threatens their relationship to Jesus Christ. But they do so entirely through His power,
the power of Him who loved us so much that He gave His life for us that we
might have life in Him.
Because
our Lord both saves and keeps us, we do much more than simply endure and
survive the ominous circumstances Paul mentions in verse 35. First of all, we overwhelmingly conquer by
coming out of troubles stronger than when they first threatened us. Paul has just declared
that, by His divine grace and power, God causes everything, including the very
worst things, to work for the good of His children (8:28). Even when we suffer because of our own
sinfulness or unfaithfulness, our gracious Lord will bring us through with a
deeper understanding of our own unrighteousness and of His perfect
righteousness, of our own faithlessness and of His steadfast faithfulness, of
our own weakness and of His great power.
Second, we
overwhelmingly conquer because our ultimate reward will far surpass whatever
earthly and temporal loss we may suffer.
With Paul, we should view even the most terrible circumstance as but ‘momentary,
light affliction’ that produces ‘for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond
all comparison’ (2 Corinthians 4:17).
From the
human perspective, of course, the over-conquest God promises often seems a long
time in coming. But when, as true
believers, we go through times of testing, whatever their nature or cause, we
come out spiritually refined by our Lord.
Instead of those things separating us from Christ, they will bring us
closer to Him. His grace and glory will
rest on us and we will grow in our understanding of His will and of the
sufficiency of His grace. While we wait
for Him to bring us through the trials, we know that He says to us what He said
to Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in
weakness.’ And we should respond with
Paul, ‘Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that
the power of Christ may dwell in me’
(2
Corinthians 12:9).
(John MacArthur Commentary, Romans, Volume 1, pages
514-515)
IV.
IF YOU ARE CONVINCED OF CHRIST’S LOVE AND ABILITY
TO KEEP YOU, THEN YOU TOO CAN LIVE A MORE-THAN-CONQUEROR LIFE IN CHRIST.
Convinced
or Persuaded - I have through a process of persuasion come to a settled
conclusion and that conviction is central to everything I am and do!
Do you have
this assurance today? You can turn from
self and sin today and receive Christ.
Jesus is present, He is alive, and He can forgive you and take control
of your life today! You do that when you
willingly surrender your will to him in prayer.
We, (the pastors at Green Ridge), will be at the front of the Worship
Center as we sing; if you would like to receive Christ, please come forward and
tell us and we can go the Prayer Room (at the back of the Worship Center) and
you can receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior today. You can have this conviction or assurance of
Christ’s permanent presence today!
If you
would like to become a part of the Green Ridge team, please step out and come
and let one of the pastors know. If you
would like a pastor to call you to set up an appointment to help you with
spiritual matters, please fill out a communication card, note that on your
card, and give the card to an usher as you leave.