Sermon Title- “Nothing Means Not Any Thing?”
Sermon Subject- God’s Plan for Those Who Chose Him
Scripture- Romans 8:26-39
Date- 28 July, 2002 (Tenth Sunday after Pentecost)
ROMANS 8:28 HAS BEEN SPECIAL TO DOTTY AND ME FOR A LOND TIME DATING BACK TO THE MID TO LATE 70’S WHEN DOTTY’S OLDER SISTER DIED UNEXPECT-EDLY AT AN EARLY AGE LEAVING BEHIND 5 GRIEF STRICKEN CHILDREN, A DEVISSTATED HUSBAND AND BOTH FAMILIES IN DISARRAY. WE CLUNG TO THAT VERSE LIKE DROWNING PEOPLE TO A LIFE PRESERVER. THEN OVER THE ENSUING MONTHS AND YEARS WE WATCHED AS OUR FAITHFUL GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE AND TURNED THAT HORRIBLE EVENT AND ITS AWFUL RAMIFICATIONS INTO GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD. WE PRAISE HIM FOR THIS TO THIS DAY. NOTICE THAT IT SAYS ALL THINGS, NOT THE MAJOR EVENTS, BUT THE MINOR EVENTS AS WELL I DON’T KNOW WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED WITH MY WRIST, BUT I AWAIT EAGERLY TO SEE TH GOOD THAT WILL COME OF IT. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES. IT IS WITH THIS PROMISE THAT PAUL INTRODUCES SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL WORDS OF ASSURANCE FOR CHRISTIANS IN ALLTHE BIBLE.
THROUGH VERSE 30 PAUL DEFINES WHO “THOSE WHO LOVE GOD “ ARE. THEY ARE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SEEK HIM AND ACCEPT HIS SAVING GRACE IN JESUS CHRIST. GOD PREDESTINED THAT THOSE WHO SEEK HIM AND ACCEPT JESUS AS SAVIOR WILL BE TRANSFORMED TO BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST. IN THE BEST WESLYIAN TRADITION GOD’S PREVENIENT GRACE SEEKS US AN PREPARES OUR HEARTS, GOD’S SAVING GRACE LEADS US TO ACCEPT CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND GOD’S JUSTIFYING GRACE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING IN US TRANSFORMS US TO BE CHRIST FOR OTHERS. THIS IS NOT GOD PREDETERMINING WHOM HE WILL ALLOW TO FIND HIM; WE STILL HAVE THE CHOICE.. THIS IS GOD PREDETERMINING THE PATH WE WILL FOLLOW WHEN WE SEEK HIM AND PROMISING HE WILL BE WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WE WHO LOVE GOD ARE NEVER ALONE.
WITH THESE TWO PROMISES AS THE INTRODUCTION:
1. GOD WILL MAKE ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND
2. THOSE WHO SEEK GOD AND COME TO LOVE HIM NEVER WALK ALONE. GOD IS WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY PREPARING, CALLING, SAVING AND GLORIFYING, YES GLORIFYING EVEN IN THIS LIFE.
PAUL THEN PROVIDES THE POWERFUL WORDS OF ASSURANCE IN THE FORM OF ANSWERS TO 5 QUESTIONS.
Q1- IF GOD IS FOR US, THOSE WHO LOVE HIM, WHO IS AGAINST US? ASKED ANOTHER WAY, IF GOD IS FOR US WHO CAN RUIN HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIVES?
GOD CONTROLS THE NATRAL FORCES OF OUR UNIVERSE THAT HE SET IN MOTION WHEN HE CREATED ALL UNIVERSES AND OUR PLANET TO UNIQUELY SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN OUR LIFE. GOD HAS POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH AND OVER GOOD AND EVIL, EVEN OVER THE PRINCE OF EVIL. GOD GAVE THE LIFE OF HIS SON FOR US. THERE IS NONE SUPERIOR TO OUR FAITHFUL GOD IN POWER OR MAJESTY. HOW CAN YOU OR I EVER DOUBT GOD’S ABILITY TO TAKE TO COMPLETION HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIVES?
Q2-. WHO CAN BRING ANY CHARGE AGAINST GOD’S ELECT? ASKED ANOTHER WAY, WHO HAS THE ABILITY AND CREDENTIALS TO CHARGE THOSE WHOM GOD LOVES WITH BEING UNFIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
IT IS GOD WHO CALLS US AND IT IS GOD WHO GAVE HIS SON FOR US. IT IS GOD WHO DECLARES OUR SINS FOREGIVEN AS HE VIEWS US THROIUGH THE SAVIVG BLOOD OF HIS SON. AND IT IS GOD WHO DECLARES US HOLY AS HE IS HOLY BECAUSE HE SEES THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN US. YOU AND NEED NEVER FEEL THAT GOD WILL EVER LET ANYONE CHARGE ONE OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AS BEING UN FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Q3- WHO IS HE THAT CONDEMNS? OR ASKED ANOTHER WAY, ON JUDGEMENT DAY WHO CAN CONDEMN THOSE WHO LOVE GOD TO HELL?
NO ONE CAN CONDEMN THOSE WHO LOVE GOD TO HELL. GOD GAVE HIS SON TO DIE FOR SIN IN OUR PLACE. THEN GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND PLACED ALL AUTHORITY IN HISHANDS. NOW JESUS IS AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND AS THE ADVOCATE OF THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND DECLARE JESUS AS LORD. FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD THE FIX IS IN- OUR DEFENSE LAWYER IS OUR JUDGE AND OUR JUDGE IS OUR DEFENSE LAWYER. THERE IS NONE WHO CAN CONDEMN US.
Q4- WHO OR WHAT CAN SEPARATE US, THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
WE DO NOT HAVE TO REPHRASE THIS QUESTION AS IT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR. THE ANSWER IS ALSO CLEAR. NOTHING, NOT ONE THING, CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF HIM WHO DIED FOR US. HIS LOVE IS ALWAYS THERE FOR US. BUT THERE IS ONE PERSON WHO CAN SEPARATE US FROM HIS LOVE- WE, OURSELVES CAN DO THIS. WE CAN STOP PRAYING. WE CAN STOP READING GOD’S WORD. WE CAN STOP SEEKING A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. AND WE WILL SOON FEEL FAR FROM HIS LOVE, BUT IT IS NOT HIS LOVE THAT HAS MOVED FROM US. AND IF WE BEGIN TO PRAY, TO READ GOD’S WORD AND TO SEEK RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, WE WILL FIND THAT HIS LOVE IS WHERE IT ALWAYS IS- IN US AND SURROUND-ING US. NOT ANY THING AND NOT ANY ONE CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Q5- HOW CAN WE BE MORE THAN CONQUORERS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVES US? OR ASKED ANOTHER WAY, HOW CAN WE BE MORE THAN VICTORIOUS OVER DEATH THROUGH CHRIST?
THROUGH CHRIST WE BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD. SINCE CHRIST WAS THE FIRST CHILD OF GOD’S FAMILY, WE BECOME BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF CHRIST. AND AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF CHRIST WE BECOME CO-HEIRS WTH CHRIST AND WE, TOO, ARE WELCOME AT THE THRONE OF GOD. WE BECOME PARTAKERS OF GOD’S HOLY RULE THROUGH ALL ETERNITY. TRULY GOD MAKES ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AS HE BRINGS TO COMPLETION HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE AND FOR MY LIFE. PRAISE TO OUR AWESOME GOD. ANNE GRAHAM LOTT IS RIGHT WHEN SHE SAYS OVER AND OVER, ”JUST GIVE ME JESUS”! AMEN.