"VITAL QUESTIONS"
I. "IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US."
A. For a long time in my Christian experience I somehow had the idea that God was against me.
1. That He was just waiting for me to make a mistake so that He could teach me a lesson by bringing judgment upon me.
2. Every bad thing that happened to me I blamed on God. I figured that He was punishing me for something.
3. I thought that somehow I had to earn God's favor or approval.
4. Somehow I had to persuade Him to love me, I thought that His love was something that I had to deserve.
5. Basically I thought that God loved good boys and hated bad boys.
6. That song about Santa Claus making out a list and checking it twice, going to find out who's naughty and nice was sort of describing God.
B. I did not comprehend the extent of God's love for me.
C. Should Satan ever hassle you concerning God's love for you just look at the cross.
1. For God commended His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.
1JO 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1JO 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
2. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
D. Now Paul tells us that if God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how much more shall He not freely give us all things.
1. This is moving from the greater to the lesser.
a. God has already given the greatest, His only begotten Son.
b. Anything else that we might want or need is of such insignificance in comparison to what God has already demonstrated His willingness to give to us as His children.
2. In Matthew Jesus moved from the lessor to the greater.
MAT 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
E. God loves you more than you will ever comprehend, and desires to give to you the best.
II. "WHO SHALL LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD'S ELECT?"
A. Who is going to bring charges or accusations against you?
B. Not God, He has justified you. i.e. declared you innocent of all charges.
C. Who then is bringing charges against you?
1. Satan.
REV 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
a. In the book of Job we find him acting in that capacity.
JOB 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
JOB 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
JOB 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
JOB 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
JOB 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
JOB 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
2. Many times our enemies lay charges against us, and sometimes even our friends.
3. God is not laying any charges against you.
a. As the psalmist said "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity."
III. WHO IS HE THAT CONDEMNETH?
A. Jesus Christ is not condemning you. He died for you, has risen from the dead and is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you.
1. When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus in
John 3, He told him that God did not send Him into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
a. He said that those that believed in Him were not condemned, but whoever did not believe were already condemned.
b. All of mankind was guilty of sin, "All have sinned and and come short of the glory of God." So that all are already condemned to die, for the wages of sin is death.
c. That was not the condemnation however, for Jesus said, "This is the condemnation, that light had come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."
d. So you can know this, if ever you hear a man speak in a condemning or negative way concerning Jesus Christ he is doing so because he is an evil man who loves darkness.
2. When they brought the woman taken in adultery to Jesus wanting to stone her, Jesus told them that whoever was without sin let him cast the first stone. When through writing on the ground he dispersed the crowd, He stood up and facing the woman asked, "Where are your accusers?" She responded, "I guess I don't have any." Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you, go your way and sin no more."
B. Satan is always condemning us. Every time you stumble or fall, he is there to condemn you, he tries to discourage you from trying to follow Jesus or come to God.
1. He is constantly trying to focus you on your weakness rather than on God's strength.
2. He seeks to persuade you that you must earn God's favor.
3. He is constantly telling you that you do not deserve to be saved.
4. The problem is that he can often build a strong case against us.
C. But Jesus died for your sins. He rose again and is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.
1. Going back to the beginning verse of this chapter. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."
2. When we fail the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, to draw us back to fellowship.
3. When we fail Satan condemns us telling us that there can be no fellowship for us with God.
4. The Holy Spirit draws me to God, whereas Satan drives me from God.
VI. "WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?"
A. He first mentions a list of things.
1. Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril sword?
2. No, for in all these thing we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
B. He next lists a group of things or entities.
1. Death, life, angels, principalities, powers, present things future things, height or depth, or any other created thing.
2. He was persuaded that none of these things could separate us from the love of God which was in Christ Jesus our Lord.
V. GOD IS FOR YOU, HE HAS CALLED YOU, JUSTIFIED YOU, AND GLORIFIED YOU. JESUS DIED FOR YOU, ROSE AGAIN, AND IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER MAKING INTERCESSION FOR YOU. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DWELLING IN YOU TO HELP YOU OVERCOME YOUR AREA OF WEAKNESS WITH THE DIVINE TRINITY ON YOUR TEAM, HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY LOSE? GOING BACK TO THE FIRST QUESTION, "WHAT SHALL WE SAY TO THESE THINGS?"
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
