HOPE: What has God promised?

(Revd. Buffy Langdown)

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking together at the book of Romans, we have considered the power of the Gospel and the freedom that it brings us, looked at the gift of Grace and the peace that Jesus brings us. Last week Revd. Emma shared Paul’s words to those in Rome about how they/we can live our lives free from the destructive negatives cycles of sin we open ourselves up to and need to be accountable for. Using the Image drawn by the author Andrew Ollerton, we now find ourselves at the pinnacle of the mountain, as we reach Romans chapter 8.

Now it may not be a surprise to many of you that I have never climbed a “real” mountain, as according to my family Mount Snowdon doesn’t really count!

When reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a friend had this to say,

‘Standing on the summit with the people I had walked up with brought a real sense of peace; that everything was going to be okay in my life. It is the calmest and most capable I have ever felt. I love the sense of perspective. You know if you can endure the fear and the pain and then get to experience the wonder of standing on a summit – well then, you can do anything you set your mind to.’

In Romans 8 we arrive at a high point of Romans a place of praise as Paul celebrates with us what the Gospel means for our relationship with God and not just for us but for all creation.

Romans 8 is a chapter full to the brim with wonder at what the Gospel has already achieved in our lives, and hope for what is in store for creation.

In fact, I could preach for over an hour and only just skim the surface of the message of joy and hope that chapter 8 brings us, but don’t worry I will not stray far over 30 mins …. Although there are no refreshments after church so….

In all seriousness now, do if you can find time to read chapter 8 in full this week, to let the promises reverberate in your mind.

Today I am going to be looking at some of the final verses in the chapter from verses 31.

Picture, if you will, a teenage girl who heads out to the desert with her friends, just to mess around. After exploring a while, they discover a rugged, desert canyon with a sheer cliff face rising almost 200 feet from where they stand. The girl boasts about climbing the cliff, and in response, her friends pester her until she does it. But almost halfway up, the climb becomes dangerous: cacti growing in the cracks, crumbling rocks, nests of insects, hot surfaces exposed to the sun. The girl's anxiety begins to rise. She slowly makes her way to a ledge of sorts and hugs the cliff face. She feels trapped.

After some time, while her friends continue to goad her from below, not really realising the anxiety and fear in their friend, the girl hears a voice from above. She looks up to see her father, hanging over the top of the cliff, lowering down a rope and harness. She is flooded with relief. As she attaches the harness, her father lets him know there's not enough rope to lower her down, so she will still have to keep climbing. While the dangers remain, with the secured harness and her father's encouragements, the girl can make the arduous climb and arrive safely at the top; exhausted, but profoundly grateful.

Now, as you ponder that illustration, I want you to ask, “At what times was the girl not safe? At what point was she safe?” Keep that in mind as I speak this morning.

Paul in all these things that he's been telling us so far in Romans chapter 8, point us to the place that guarantees us that God is going to turn our groaning into glory. Some might be tempted to say, "Well, you can talk about God having a good purpose in every circumstance of life, and that all sounds well and good. But you have never walked in my shoes. You don't know what I'm facing.

Well Paul's has got something to say. And he says it in the form of questions. They're rhetorical questions; they don't require an answer. But in each case, the answers are implied. These answers, reveal some great truths about God. The first one describes God as our protector.

Romans 8:31. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Even though the sentence is worded as a condition, there is no doubt about it. It is a condition that is assumed to be true. God is for us!

God is not against us; He's for us! He's on our side. He's on our team. He is our friend.

And when you have a friend like Him, you don't need to be afraid of anyone. "Who can be against us?"

Actually, there are lots of people who try to oppose us. Satan is against us, trying to defeat us and destroy us. Our old sin nature is lined up against us, trying to bring us back into our old bad habits and addictions. Unbelievers may be against us, jealous of our peace and joy, resentful of our separation from sin. Paul isn't saying that as Christians we have no opponents. The point is that it makes no difference who is against us. They cannot triumph so long as we are aware of the greatness of our God and resting in His sovereign care.

Let’s face it we're all afraid of something, somebody's ridicule, displeasure, or hostility. But Paul is encouraging us to think! 

Think about it! 

God is for us! 

God is Our Provider: "Will He Not Give Us All Things?" Romans 8:32. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

I wonder if the story of Abraham offering his son Isaac on the altar wasn't in Paul's mind when he wrote that verse. Of Abraham's sacrifice, God said, "...you have not withheld your son, your only son"

In Abraham's case, God intervened and provided another sacrifice, a ram. But this time, God delivered up His own dear Son, for us, for you and for me. He allowed Him to go to Calvary and there bear in His body the awful pain and suffering that our sins deserved. If He did something that extraordinary for us, He will certainly provide all we need to sustain us here on this earth, and all we need to see us through to being in His presence.

All things! What a wonderful promise! Will He not with Him also freely give us all things? He is obviously not talking about material things. This is not a rallying cry for the health and wealth. Paul himself had very little of this world's goods. He's talking about everything we need to complete our salvation and make us ultimately like Christ--"glorified," 

God Is Our Defender

To bring a charge against is a legal term that refers to making a formal accusation, "pressing charges" in other words. That's exactly what Satan tries to do. Just as he did with Job, he goes before the Judge and says, "You can't let that Buffy into your heaven, Lord. Don't you know what a sinner she is, what rotten thoughts she has in her mind, what unkind words can come out of her mouth, what awful things she has done?" And the sad fact is that his accusations are valid. Satan knows what we're like.

But the point of the verse is that it doesn't matter. "It is God who justifies." In other words, the Judge Himself has declared me to be righteous. And He did it with His eyes wide open, with full knowledge of all my sins and shortcomings. If God has exonerated me knowing full well how rotten I am, then nobody, but NOBODY, can challenge His verdict.

Do you know how chapter 8 starts, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." NO CONDEMNATION!

You can imagine Jewish persecutors or Roman authorities bringing false charges against believers, threatening civil... or even divine punishment. But I also think this speaks to inward conflicts. Which of us doesn't wrestle at times with a heavy conscience and bouts of self-condemnation.

Let's be clear, Paul is not saying here that Christians are never guilty of wrongdoing or should not be condemned in private or personal settings for unrepentant sin. 

Paul is speaking here about our ultimate standing before God. 

I am positive at one time or another it is not just me who has complained and moaned when faced with problems. "How could God allow this to happen to me if He really loved me? Why doesn't God love me anymore?"

 He does! Be assured of it. Problems cannot change that. Trials cannot separate us from Christ's love.

This is why Paul, in verse 37, can describe believers as “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” No earthly defeat can ever reverse the eternal victory that is ours because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Consider just how reassuring these words really are, especially in light of the situations, the people, the memories, the questions, the pressures, that can cause us to feel unsafe...

Romans 8:38-39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Paul doesn't leave anything out. Some people are afraid of death. Others are afraid of life, with its uncertainties and sorrows, its hardships and its disappointments. But neither one can shake us when we know that God is for us. Time is powerless against us, whether the present with its problems, nor the future with its uncertainties.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Did you notice the "Love of Christ" in verse 35, and the "love of God" in verse 39. That's another indication of Christ's divinity.

God loves you, and you, and even me. He's on our side. Nothing touches our life that does not first pass through His protecting shield of love that surrounds us. 

Like that anxious girl on the cliff face, have you experienced the Father's intervention? Though the climb is difficult, are you looking up, listening to his encouraging voice? Are you looking up, comforted by the fact that you are held up by his strong hands? He will not let go... ever.

However, you struggle, please take time to consider what God reveals. Where is fear holding you back? Why are your 'walls' up so high? What is God saying to you through your hard times? What are you forgetting about the blessings and promises of the gospel? 

Wherever you are, it's time to look up and listen to the Father's voice. It's time to either feel the rope or take the rope. It's time to talk with him about the climb... about the struggle. Shall we do that even now? He's listening. His love is the safety you and I need. 

In a moment of quiet, open your hands to experience and receive the love of God afresh, that by His grace, you're going to trust Him—to rest in Him daily,

Lord Jesus, thank you. We are forgiven, we are loved, we are children of the living God. Lord God, where we are facing hardship, suffering and challenges, please assure us of your love and presence with us. Help us to not feel abandoned or on our own. Thank you that you care for us and that nothing can separate us from you. We are your children; help us to trust and love you as our wonderful heavenly Father. Amen.