Tuesday, August 30, 2011

August 28/29, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert on Romans 8:31-39


August 28/29, 2011 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert - Pentecost 11
Sermon text - Romans 8:31-39
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 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.
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Parents here, what is your response to your children? You do a lot for them, don’t you. And what about us as a congregation? I’d like to think that we do a lot for our congregation’s children too. We have a Sunday School and its staff for weekly training in the Word of God. For daily training we have an expensive school. Its large staff now includes three who are being installed this Sunday: Mrs. Denise Bloomquist, Mrs. LaRae Fromm, and Mrs. Samantha List. We welcome them to our church family of workers here.
Now as individuals what is our response to what our congregation is doing for our children? Hopefully it will be supporting all of our staff, supporting all of the work we are doing here for our children, as well as supporting the wider work of our congregation and our synod.
But why would that be our response? Looking now at our sermon text, let’s make our sermon theme:
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD BEING FOR US
I MARVEL AT WHAT GOD HAS DONE (31-34)
1. We start with an "if" statement. (31)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
a) Is God all-powerful? If so, then certainly nobody could
possibly be successful against us.
b) But that is true only if God actually is for us. Is He? With all
of the problems we can have, is God really for us?
2. Consider some proof for that statement. (32-33)
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.
a) God was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son for us,
miserable sinners that we are. What proof of His love for us!
b) God chose us, we did not choose Him. And He justified us,
tells us we are not held guilty of sin because Jesus paid for our
sins. What tremendous proof for the fact that God is for us!
3. Look closer at His Son’s involvement in this. (34)
Who is he that condemns? 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.
a) Jesus’ death is proof God is for us. But Jesus not only died.
He also arose, proof of the victory He claimed on the cross.
b) And He now stands in eternity’s court, interceding for us when
the devil tries to claim us. When I die I won’t stand alone
before God’s judgment throne. Jesus will be there, pointing
out that I a sinner have been justified by what He did for me.
4. What can we say in response to this? (31)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
a) Our response? Let us marvel. Let our hearts be filled with
thankfulness for God’s grace shown us in His Son.
b) And let that marveling and thankfulness be not only in our
hearts. Let us show it in our daily Christian living, in our
worship, in our willing service to our God.
c) And let us keep on showing it in our Christian education
efforts for our children in our homes and in our school. We
want our children to know and believe how wonderfully God is
for them. We want them, with us, to marvel at what God has
done for us. But as we marvel, we also need to
II RECOGNIZE MUCH CAN BE AGAINST US (31,33a,34a,
1. About God there is no "if". (31) \35-36)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
a) While there is no "if" about God being for us, there also is no
"if" about things being against us.
b) It is a fact and not an "if" that problems and difficulties and
sickness, struggling to find a job and to meet expenses, plus
many other things, can oppose us, really hurt, be very painful.
2. The "who" of opposition is caused by sin. (31b,33a,34a)
Who can be against us? -- Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? -- Who is he that condemns?
a) The "who" is our own sinful nature, the devil, the sinful world
around us, all of which oppose our Christian nature and try to
lead us into sin. Because of that sin the devil could quickly try
to charge us, to condemn us, to say we belong to him.
b) That applies not only to us as adults, but equally to our
children who are not exempt from temptations simply because
they are being educated within the walls of our own school.
3. There can be other separating influences. (35-36)
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."
a) The devil will use any hardships or troubles of various types to
shake our faith. How many special troubles are facing some in
our congregation right now? We may not realize how many
sitting near us are hurting. If we are older we may not fully
realize the persecution our young people face if they openly
stand up for Jesus in their behavior and with their language.
b) By many of such things the devil will try to separate us from
the love of Christ by telling us it doesn’t pay to be a Christian.
4. What can we say in response to this? (31)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
a) Our school is one of our responses. Its purpose is not to
isolate our children from the world (that isn’t possible today),
but to strengthen them in faith and knowledge so that with
God’s Word they can better deal with the world around them.
b) For all of us let our response be faithful worship, our religion
an open part of our family and daily life, a trust in God that in
hardships makes us ready to say, "Your will be done."
c) Then we can change the question "Who can be against us?"
to a joy that says, "God is for us!"
III REJOICE THAT GOD GIVES US THE VICTORY (31-32,
1. God has proved He is for us. (31-32) \35a,37-39)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? 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?
a) "All things" does not mean all that we want, like giving
orders to God and expecting Him to deliver whatever we want.
b) That would be like parents giving their children all things they
want. Certainly you parents are smarter than that. And surely
God is smarter than we are and has promised that He in all
things will work only for the good of those who love Him.
2. That is because He doesn’t want us to be lost. (35a)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
a) God paid a tremendous price for us!
b) He wants no separation from Christ and heaven. That is
why He wants us now to remain strong in our faith in Him. 3. That means through Him we are the victors. (37-39)
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.
a) This listing can be summed up with the word "nothing."
Nothing is greater than God and His love for us in Christ.
b) That means we are not losers with God on our side. Instead
God in Christ has made all who believe in Him conquerors, yes
more than conquerors. Not death or anything else we have to
go through in this life can take from us the final victory.
4. What can we say in response to this? (31)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
a) Let it be that we stay in the Word of God, stay in the faith.
b) Let it be bringing up our own and our congregation’s children
in the true faith. Parents, keep in your prayers the teachers
you are asking to assist you in this.
c) And rejoice that, no matter what the world can throw against
us, God makes His people to be more than conquerors, makes
them heirs of heaven’s glory.
What about a closing caution here? Do you remember what Jesus said once to one of His disciples, to Judas? Judas had had rich opportunities to be with Jesus, to learn from Him, to experience His love. And what was Judas’s response? Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" What a sad response!
What is OUR RESPONSE TO GOD BEING FOR US? Marvel
at His tremendous love in Christ. Stay in God’s Word, train up your
children in His Word, don’t let anything in this life separate us from Him. And rejoice, rejoice that eternity will show that "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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