"CONFIDENT CHRISTIANITY"

Paul writing Roman church with hope that church would be a staging ground for mission to go further West. But these Christians were living at heart of most powerful empire in history of world. Indimidating time to live as a Christian. Every day living for Jesus was at risk of being seen as competition for Roman Emperors rule. And in church battling with reality of 2 cultures colliding - Jews and Gentiles, and what it meants to live united.

Fears we experience in Christian life

Will I ever overcome this sin in my life?

Will I ever stop giving in to doubts

What if my faith isnt strong enough to see me through?

What if God has given up on me?

How can I be sure i’m really saved?

With all thats going on in life and in world - how can i be sure God loves me at all?

Today Paul wants to show us that we can

KNOW TRUE ASSRUANCE IN CHRIST

Romans 8:28–39 NIV

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. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response 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, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.

What questions does Paul ask - and what are the answers his gives?

Paul drawing together everything from ch 5-8.\

AIM: believer - true assurance in gospel.

2 unchanging truths for anyone who is in Christ.

for believer to have certainty to see them through life.

Nothing can stand against you before God

Romans 8:31–32 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response 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, along with him, graciously give us all things?

2 reasons nothing can stand against you before God

FIRST: God is on our side.

BIG BEAR LITTLE BEAR GREAT BEAR

“BIG ANDY” Ricky, not big, but had a big mouth.

BANK OF MUM AND DAD - all money I had was from there anyway.

As we place our trust in Jesus - God is on our side. - if God is for us, who can possible stand against. How can we have enough to keep us going - because we have an infinately resource and a generous giver.

Reference to Abraham. Abraham who did not withhold his own Son from God, God blessed him in everythign else he could be blessed with.

How much more will God, who did not spare his most treasured possession, but gave him to secure salvation for sinners like me and you not also give all other resources needed to complete it.

Because he is on our side, because he did not spare his Son, he will also give us all things to ensure our salvation is complete, and all things that we could ever dream when it is.

You go up against creator of all things - you lose.

SECOND: Because he has justified us.

Romans 8:33–34 NIV

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

If enemy can’t defeat God, then perhaps can turn him against us. Paul says not so.

Law court language.

Imagine you are on trial for a crime. Judge, Jury. Prosecution and defence. During trial proseuction will bring evidence against you, and witnesses. testifying against you, trying to get Judge and Jury to see your guilt.

Reality is that we are guilty. On own Merit evidence stacked aginst us. God is judge. But gospel is that we have greatest defence - Jesus. Doesn’t just try to suspend case or make deal, or plead. But takes our place in the doc, and taken on guilty verdict - sentanced to death for us on our behalf, and God’s wrath poured out on him.

Which means all the accusations directed at the beleiver united to Jesus have been dealt with.

And God as judge looks at Jesus and see that justice has been doen - and so justifies those who are in Him.

Which means that when accusations are made - when charges brought up, Jesus is standing before God declaring we are innocent

Romans 8:34 NIV

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Therefore who can condemn - no one - no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Should a Roman emperor seek to bring a charge against a believer in Rome for worshiping a king other than Caesar, that charge would have no effect in the eyes of God. Should Satan seek to bring a charge against the elect of God in order to discredit their faithfulness, such a charge would go unregistered. God has already brought all the charges which could possibly be brought against the believer to the bar of justice and declared them erased:

As surely as he lives, nothing can stand against us before God.

Second

Nothing can seperate you from the love of God

We might be innocent before God but are we loved by him? How easily can fears creep into consciousness. Am I suffering for a reason? What if I wake up on the other side of death and discover I have been fooled? What if I do not wake up on the other side of death? Where will the love of God be then?

Reality of life can cause us to question power or presence of God

Paul aware and desperate for Roman church to be prepared for whatever they might face - helping them to know truth.

So asks question -

Romans 8:35 (NIV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Then goes to every physical exteme possible that Roman Christians could face. Anything that enemy might use to pursuade them that God has given up on them, that cost is too high.

Psalm 44:22 NIV

Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Quote sums up Christian experience.

Why has this happened - if God loves us, surely this isnt right.

See Paul’s response.

Romans 8:37–39 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.

In response doesn’t just think about physical extremes, but every extreme to show that nothing can stand between believer and love of God.

Death nor life - because our fate is tied to Jesus, which means in this life he is with us and in our death we will go home to be with him.

Neither angels nor demons, nor any power: These powers have been defeated at the cross, where:

Colossians 2:15 NIV

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

When Christ rose, Ephesians 1:21 says, he was exalted "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion." So, even though these scoundrels are on the loose, they cannot do ultimate harm to God’s elect.

Neither present nor future : No circumstances we will every face take God by suprise. Nothing we can face or do will undermine his love for us.

Height nor depth:

Psalm 139:7–8 NIV

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

What is Paul saying - sums up, just in case we aren’t sure.

Nor anythign in all creation.

will be able to seperate us from the love of God tha tin Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here is deal. through faith, by Spirit you are united to jesus forever. And he is at the right hand of God, ruling and interceding — so as surely as he lives and is loved by God, so surely if our life eternally safe in his hands, and God’s love for us certain and unbreakable. We are loved with the everlasting love of a Father.

John Chrysostom (A.D. 347?–407), preacher in Constantinople. he was brought before the Roman emperor he was threatened with banishment if he remained a Christian. This was his reply

“Thou canst not banish me for this world is my father’s house.”“But I will slay thee,” said the emperor.“Nay, thou canst not,” said the noble champion of the faith, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.”“I will take away thy treasures.”“Nay, but thou canst not for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.”“But I will drive thee away from man and thou shalt have no friend left.”“Nay, thou canst not, for I have a friend in heaven from whom thou canst not separate me. I defy thee; for there is nothing that thou canst do to hurt me.”

Chrysostom understood what Paul wanted the believers in Rome to understand—that once we are liberated from the condemnation of sin and death, we are truly free. Nothing else matters—

we can know peace because we are safe with God and loved by God immeasurably and inseperably. Which means there is nothing to fear, but rather as Paul says.

YOU ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS

Romans 8:37 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

PICTURE - FIRE OF ROME UNDER NERO

Romans (IV. Life Application: Conquering the Conquerors)

At its greatest extent, the Roman Empire reached as far north as the British Isles, into Europe as far as modern Germany, eastward throughout Asia Minor, and arounthe eastern Mediterranean rim south throughout North Africa. And yet Paul, in his letter to the Roman believers in A.D. 57, said that Christians were “more than conquerors.” Little did the Christians know how this would play out. As Christianity grew, so did tensions, and Public and official opinion began to turn against Christianity, and in A.D. 64—seven years after the writing of Romans—it took an ugly turn. On July 19, a fire swept through Rome, raging for seven days, destroying ten of the fourteen wards in the city. While many thought Emperor Neror esponsible, he blamed the Christians in Rome. For the next four years, until Nero’s death in A.D. 68, Christians were persecuted, impaled on poles and used as torches, thrown to ravenous dogs in the arenas, and made to spill their blood over Rome and much of the empire. Even Paul and Peter were killed during this period of persecution.But who conquered whom in that tragic period of persecution? We need only to look around the world today and see a worldwide church—and no Roman Empire—to answer the question. Nero was not enough to conquer the church of Jesus. The church turned out to be more than (their) conquerors! As through them gospel spread everywhere.

We don’t know what the future holds. What fears might come to fruition.

Some plague

or famine,

or persecution

might come time we are imprissoned for faith or even killed - as in other placed in world.

But know this. We are more than conquerors through Christ.

Nothing can stand between us and God, and nothign can seperate us from him love, and nothing can thward his purposes in us and through us in the world.

Jesus has secured victory and will give us all things to see it throught to completion in us and through us.

When we battle sin and it feels difficult, and long, and can cause doubts and fears.

When we face trials and suffering and feels like might not make it.

As we seek to hold out gospel to the friends, family, Northfield, world, and only see apathy or mockery, or slander or hatred

Need to know this. We are more than conquerers - true assurance is ours as we keep living confidently for Christ, filled and led by His Spirit in us.

Let say together. No more fear. We are more than conquerers in Christ.