Please turn with me in your Bible to the end of Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verses 31 to 39. Our teaching theme this year is, “A Lamp Unto Our Feet: Knowing and Loving the Word of God,” and we have been memorizing a section of Scripture each quarter and so you’ll remember that we memorized together Psalm 1 in the fall, and then in the winter, in Advent, we looked at a number of verses in Isaiah chapter 9. And now this spring we are looking at this last section of Romans chapter 8. And we’ve tried to devote some teaching time from the pulpit to each of these sections of Scripture that we’re memorizing. And so this morning we come to Romans chapter 8, verses 31 to 34.
And before we read, something to help orient us to the text; some of you will have seen this. During the 2020 Covid lockdown, there was a famous entertainer, a famous actor, named John Krasinski who started a show during the pandemic that was titled, “Good News in the World.” And there was a clip on his show of an old man and he was living in Alabama and he was visiting his wife who was in an assisted living facility. And you remember that assisted living facilities and nursing homes were hit very hard by Covid and there were strict policies for visitors. And so this man, as you can imagine what it would be like to have a spouse in one of these facilities where you could not see them in person, you could not pull up a chair next to them, you could not hold their hand, and so this man, this case was particularly sad because this man’s wife had Alzheimer’s. And so he didn’t want her to forget. He didn’t want her to forget his love. He did not want her to forget their life. And he did not want her to forget the love of God, that God has pursued her in His grace and that He has made peace with her. And so this man, for weeks and months during the pandemic, would go outside of her window and he would sing to her. He would sing to her songs like, “Jesus Loves Me” – “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And he would sing to her songs like, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” It was this beautiful story.
And when we come to texts like Romans chapter 8, these are these grand and glorious promises that are singing at us. They are singing at us. But maybe for you, like me, the question is, “How will these grand and glorious promises, how will they drip down? How will they drip down from my head down into my heart? Why do I have such a hard time, why does my heart have such a hard time believing what I say that I believe?” Or maybe we could put it like this – It is one thing to be told, “Jesus loves you;” it is another thing to hold onto that, it is another thing to experience His love and to draw down on it and for it to change you, for it to change your life. It is one thing to know the beauty of Christ and the cross of Christ and the grip of Christ and the love of Christ, but it is another thing for that to plant in your heart, to experience it in your complicated, forgetful hearts. And so for those of us who are prone to say, “Yes, but does He really love me? These are the truths, but does He really love me?” who have a hard time getting those truths, those promises to drip down from your head down into your heart, is there good news for us this morning? Is there good news in this section of Romans chapter 8? And so let’s give our attention to it. Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help.
Our great God and heavenly Father, we thank You that You are not silent, but we thank You for Your Word. And so we pray that You would come and give Your Word success and that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts would be pleasing and acceptable to You, O Lord our strength and our Redeemer. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 31. This is God’s Word:
“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? 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. This is God’s Word.
Maybe you remember as a child when you would go to maybe a concert or a sporting event and you are kind of desperately on the hunt for an autograph of a famous person. And occasionally, you know, when you received an autograph you would get not only the signature but maybe they would write something they want you to remember, or they would write something that they are known for alongside of their signature. I don’t know this from experience, but Michael Jordan, on his autograph, would often write his famous number, number 23. I don’t know this from experience, but Bono, the lead singer of U2, would often include on his autograph a self portrait with his famous sunglasses. Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, would often include his number, number 12. One author joked that if Paul, if Paul was giving out autographs, that he would have to include this closing section or something from this closing section of Romans chapter 8. That this is his equivalent of David’s Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” This is his equivalent of the apostle John’s, John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world.” This is Paul’s most well-known, this is Paul’s most loved piece of writing. It’s not more inspired than the rest, but in his writing style and in how he has been building his argument, this is a weight section. This is a weighty, “so what” section. And so how will these grand and glorious promises drip down? How will they drip down from head to heart?
I remember in the summer of 2009, and many of you as well, that our teaching minister at the time, Dr. Derek Thomas, preached a Sunday morning series that summer on Romans chapter 8. And the title of his series was, “The Best Chapter in the Bible.” And Dr. Thomas pointed out, and look with me at the text, he pointed out in verse 1 of Romans chapter 8, in verse 1, that when God grips you with His love, verse 1, there is “no condemnation.” And then at the very end of the chapter, verse 39, that when God grips you with His love, there is “no separation.” So Romans chapter 8 begins “no condemnation,” and Romans chapter 8 ends with “no separation.” No condemnation and no separation when God grips you with His love.
And this morning we’ll see in verses 31 to 39 when God grips you with His love, it is a love that will not let you go, Christian. And we’ll see first, in verses 31 to 34, we’ll see that it is a love that will not forsake you. It is a love that won’t condemn you in the courtroom of heaven. That it is a love that will not forsake you. And just so that we can tell David Strain that we kept up the alliteration when he was gone, second, in verses 35 to 39, it is a love that will not fail you. And so it is a love, verses 31 to 34, that will not forsake you in the courtroom of heaven, and then from the courtroom to the battleground of our lives, in verses 35 to 39, it is a love that will not fail you in the greatest battles of your life against the greatest enemies of your life. It is a love that won’t forsake you and it’s a love that won’t fail you.
And so first, verses 31 to 34, a love that won’t forsake you. It won’t condemn you. Many have pointed out that these verses, verses 31 to 34, read like a courtroom drama. You have all of these rhetorical questions with legal language in these verses. And so you look at verse 34, Paul writes, “Who is to condemn?” So who is to pronounce guilty? And then he says right after that, “It is God who justifies.” This legal, this courtroom opposite of condemn. Condemn, to pronounce guilty, and to justify, to pronounce innocent – this opposite. And then you see in verse 33, “Who shall bring any charge?” Verse 32, “He who did not spare His Son.” Verse 31, “Who can be against you?” So this language of condemned and justified and charged. This is a courtroom metaphor; this is legal language.
And I think that everyone in this room understands, I think every one of us knows what Paul is getting at here. Paul is getting at the war. He is getting at what is so often the loudest voices in our lives – the voices of condemnation, the voices of accusation, the voices of allegation, the voices of shame, the charges against us, the verdicts on us over our lives. And when Paul asks these questions, “Who can be against you? Who can bring any charge? Who is to condemn?” maybe you’re thinking like me, “Well there’s a lot of charges. There’s a lot of condemnation in my head and in my heart.” We all, each of us, live in a courtroom of charges, in a courtroom of condemnation. And the voices of our hearts when they accuse us, and the voices of the world around us, and the voices even of the devil, the accuser himself, what do they tell us? They tell us that the case is not closed, that the case against us is being appealed, that the case is reopened and retried and they tell us that God will forsake us. And the volume on these voices is played up. So much of our lives, voices that come at us with accusation, voices that tempt us to despair, voices that point back at our failure and shine the spotlight on unbelief and on weakness, on pride. Voices that say that our position before God is hanging by a thread depending on our best efforts, depending on the best efforts of our daily performance. Voices that say that you are unacceptable, you are unlovely, you are unclean. Voices that say that God regrets calling you His child. You feel at the end of yourself. You feel in a prison, the worst possible spot, no exit, no way out.
But what Paul is saying, Christian, what Paul is saying is that you do not need to deny a single charge against you because in each case, one commentator writes, “In each case, the legal challenge is answered by the cross of Christ. When the accuser brings charges against you, he has to put a hand over his mouth when he sees the cross.” And so Paul, in verses 31 to 34, is telling you, “Christian, turn the volume up on the cross of Christ.” He references verse 32, Genesis 22 when Abraham is giving up Isaac. When we read that God here “gave him up.” God did not spare Jesus but He gave Him up, He handed Him over for us all. We read in verse 33, “It is God who justifies.” We read in verse 34, “Christ Jesus is the one who died, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, interceding for us.” And so you see, Christian, if you have any doubt that God is for you, Paul is saying, “Look at the cross. The cross is preaching to your heart.” As one author said, “The cross is God’s pronouncement that you will not be a prisoner of things that you have done, that you will not be a prisoner to your own heart.”
And so anchor your life, Christian, in what God says about you, not in what others say about you – that you are dirty, that you are damaged; not what the accuser may say about you – that you are false, that you are fake; and not even what you may say about yourself – that you are your sin, that you are your shame. But Paul is saying you need a new narrative. You need a higher voice. You need to turn the volume up on the grip of His love. That He will not let you go. That He will not forsake you. That He will not let your sin, He will not let your shame, He will not let your past, He will not let your deficits defeat you. Turn that volume up. Paul is saying if God the judge is for you, of course there are charges, of course there are accusations in your head and in your heart, but he’s saying if God is for you then who can be successful against you? Who can be successful against you? Who can bring a charge that is successful against you? And so you have today rival stories. You have these rival voices, these rival songs that are vying for your attention. They are vying for the allegiance of your heart.
Not that long ago, we introduced our children to the famous 1991 Steven Spielberg movie, Hook. And it’s an amazing movie where Captain Hook, he abducts Peter Pan’s children and he brings them to Neverland. And once there, the pirate, Hook, he attempts to condition the children, he attempts to condition Jack and Maggie into believing that their father, Peter Pan, that he doesn’t love them and that they are better off with him. And he convinces them of this other story – that they belong to him. And at one point in the movie, Hook organizes a baseball game for Jack. And you remember this scene. It becomes obvious that the pirates don’t know anything about baseball because when Jack gets up to the plate, the pirates are cheering and they make signs for Jack. But instead of cheering, instead of the signs saying, “Homerun Jack! Homerun Jack! Homerun Jack!” you remember what they cheer? They cheer, “Run home, Jack! Run home, Jack! Run home, Jack!” And there’s this moment where Hook’s spell is broken and Jack remembers who he is, that he is Peter Pan’s son, and he remembers where he belongs. He belongs at home with those who love him, with those who will not forsake him. He remembers what is true.
And this morning, we need to remember, we need to retune to that higher voice, that heavenly voice – that God looks at you, Christian, and He says, “I am for you,” verse 31. “I am not against you. I am for you.” And so finish that sentence – “I am for…” and then insert your name. “I am for David.” And so for those who place their trust in Jesus Christ, He says, “I am for you.” Who have empty hands, who have empty pockets, who spread their trophies at His feet, who bank everything on Him, who are resting on Him, He says, “I am for you. I am not against you.” And so hear the higher voice this morning, the heavenly voice. If God is for you, who can be successful against you? The court is adjourned. The case is closed. That He has gripped you with His love. You are secure. You are not condemned. You are not forsaken. When God grips you with His love, it is a love that will not let you go.
And so you see then in verses 35 through 39, second, it’s a love that will not fail. It won’t fail. Here we go from the courtroom to the battleground with this most pressing question that’s lodged so often in our hearts and in our minds, this final rhetorical question. Verse 35 – you see it? “Who shall separate us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Maybe we know in our heads that the answer is, “Nothing. Nothing shall separate us.” Maybe we know that in our heads – but our hearts? Again, our experience in the living has that drip down. Who shall separate us? Our hearts doubt and our hearts fear and our hearts question, our hearts are prone to wander as the seven trials that he lists here, these seven enemies plague us and they threaten us to separate us from the love of Christ. And look at the list. Paul writes, “Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” This list is not exhaustive of the things that we fear shall separate us from the love of Christ. It’s not exhaustive of the things that persuade us that His love will fail us.
Many have pointed out, though, that these are the very things that Paul himself experienced, that these are his personal enemies. This is his personal testimony that we can read about in 2 Corinthians chapters 11 and 12. All except the last one – the sword, which was coming for Paul. And then we see this second list in verses 38 to 39 where Paul lists these contrasts, so from one extreme to the other. He says, “Death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor anything, nor anything will separate us from the love of God in Christ.” And of course these days we may have additional enemies that we would place on this list. Can my anxiety, can my anxious thoughts separate me from the love of God in Christ? Can my cancer separate me from the love of God in Christ? Can my Parkinson’s separate me? Can my infertility separate me? These things that tell me that God doesn’t love me, can they separate me from His love? Is it possible? This pressing question – is it possible that I might be separated from the love of God in Christ because my enemies rise up, they rise up in my heart and that’s what they’re saying.
And you see here in verse 36 that this has always been the question. This has always been the question for God’s people. Paul quotes Psalm 44. Psalm 44 verse 22, this lament, this song of grieving that the people of God would sing together as it seemed like God had failed them and that He had rejected them. And we read, they cry out, “Yet for Your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” And so the psalmist has the same question that we have. This has always been the question, that we are regarded as sheeps to be slaughtered – “Can I have confidence, can I have confidence that the Lord won’t lose His grip, that He won’t fail me? Is it possible that I might be separated from His love?” And so whatever disappointment we bring into this room, whatever this list would look like for us, whatever our place of desperation, whatever defeat, see Paul is saying whatever our need, whatever we are facing, whatever we never saw coming, whatever we never expected, that we never wanted, we never chose, that we never thought would happen to us, that we never thought would be a part of our story – that might be someone else’s story; that won’t be a part of my story – whatever came around the corner, all that we’ve suffered, it is a crossroads. It is a transforming moment for your heart. “Who shall separate us?” When this question rises in our hearts, when our enemies rise to bring these questions, “Will God fail us?” and you look at your life and it seems there are so many enemies that are screaming at you that God will fail you. But see, Paul says in the climax of his argument here in verse 37, “In all of these things, in all of these things, that we are more than conquerors.”
In other words, each one of these threats, each one of the enemies of your life will ultimately be defeated despite the worst that they can do. But they’ll be defeated in this way – not that they will be removed from your life, not that they will be removed from your story, but they will be defeated, Paul is saying, in that they will not cause God’s love to fail. The greatest enemies of your life will not cause God’s love to fail. They will not crush you. They will not separate you from His love. And so how will these grand and glorious promises, how will they ever drip down? You see in the second part of verse 37 that we are super conquerors, Paul is saying, “through Him who loved us.” And so how will these truths drip down? You look afresh at Jesus Christ. You look afresh at Jesus and you hold onto His love because His love is holding onto you. That when God grips you with His love, it is a love that will not let you go and nothing, not death, not sin, not your sin and not even time can stop His love. It is an everlasting love. As Ralph Davis said, “It is a love with no expiration date.”
And let me close with this. I have a friend who recently directed me to the StoryCorps, which is a non-profit organization where people share stories of compassion and stories of love. And some time ago they had a segment where a mother was interviewing her adult son. And her adult son was twenty-three and his name was Josh and he had Down Syndrome. And the mom asked this question, “Josh, did you ever have dreams about what you wanted to become when you grew up?” And Josh replied, “Oh yeah, I dreamed” – and this is an amazing combination by the way – he said, “I dreamed that I would become a minister and a WWE professional wrestler.” And he said, “I dreamed that I would become those things so that my parents would be proud of me.” And there was this pause in the interview because obviously Josh had not become those things. And so the mother asked Josh another question. She said, “Josh, do you think we are proud of you?” And Josh said, “Oh yeah, I know that you are proud of me.” And he had this amazing line. He said, “because you love me with an everlasting love. You love me with an everlasting love.” And then you find out in the interview how Josh is able to walk through life and hold onto this love because the mom ends the interview by saying, “Josh, do you remember what we used to say to each other?” And he said, “I remember.” And she said to him, “You are my Josh.” And he said, “You are my mom.” “You are my Josh.” “You are my mom.” And back and forth, “You are my Josh.” “You are my mom.” Over and over. “You are my Josh.” “You are my mom.”
And there is so much beautiful in that story. There is so much that is beautiful as Josh is able to hold onto his mother’s love. Which brings us back to where we began. That it is one thing for you to be told, “Jesus loves you,” it is one thing for you to be told that, but it is another thing to hold onto it. It is another thing to experience it. It is another thing to draw down on it. Well Christian, one of the ways that these truths drip down for you is when you slid your knees up under His Table, when you come bruised and broken, when you come weak and heavy-laden, weak and wounded, sick and sore, when you come to His Table. That’s one of the ways that these truths, these promises drip down – when you slid your knees up under His Table and you feast and know His love for you – that He is here at the Table, Jesus is here at the Table preaching to you today and He is preaching that He loves you. And when He grips you with His love, it is a love that will not let you go. And so can you say today, “Jesus loves me. I believe that Jesus loves me, even as I am just getting starting in learning what that means. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Amen. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
Our God of all grace, we pray that we would have strength today, that we would have strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and the length and the height and the depth of Your love for us. Help us to believe it. Help us to live in the riches of it, that we would hold onto it, experience it, and draw down on it today. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.