Essential Scripture #2

Essential Scripture #2: “If God is for us who can be against us?!”
(Romans 8:31b; September 20, 2020)

When I was in Maine a few weeks ago, I prayed and meditated on what to preach upon my return. I thought about the chaos and confusion of this strange time in which we live amid the pandemic and politics leading up to a presidential election.

In our own personal lives, too, we struggle with various challenges that often threaten to take us under.

So I thought about what is it we all need to hang in there and have peace and not just survive, but thrive.

I thought about essential Scriptures. I thought about stronger faith.
I find great comfort and encouragement in knowing that God is working on our behalf, no matter what things look like; and if He is for us who or what could possibly be against us?!

So last week, (or two weeks ago), we studied “Essential Scripture #1.”
Does anyone remember what it was?
[Romans 8:28 “And we know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”]

It’s not all things at work on our behalf, it’s God. And it’s Him who works through all things. Not just some, but all.

It’s not for bad, but for good.

It’s not for anyone, but for us who love Him.

And, we’re called according to His purpose. It’s not purposes. It’s purpose.
Purpose is what helps us overcome selfishness. Purpose is what helps us fight past pain. Purpose is what helps us overcome depression, and discouragement, chaos and confusion.

Because of God’s love and purpose in our lives, we can trust in Him. We look to Him for our identity and security. And we learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because we know that God is with us. We know we will learn and grow stronger through the struggle. We also know God’s goal is to make us more like Jesus.

How many of you used this verse throughout last week, or the week before, after it was highlighted in the teaching? How many times did you encounter a challenge and say to yourself, or pray, “I know God is working all things together for good for me.”

If you didn’t, or haven’t yet, I invite you to add this Essential Scripture to your tool box. Learn it. Use it. Pray it. Employ it. Believe it.
Every time you come up against something that makes you feel like God has forgotten you, remind yourself of this verse.

When you are looking at a circumstance that threaten to take you under, pull yourself up out of the water with this verse! Wrench your eyes off the circumstance and onto Christ. That’s where we find the peace and the hope.

“I KNOW that God is working all things together for good…”

We can trust in Him. We can count on Him and believe that He is working on our behalf, even when we can’t see it.

After all, If God is for us, who can be against us?
This is “Essential Scripture #2: Romans 8:31b “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

When Paul wrote the letter of the book of Romans to believers in Rome, he clearly set forth the foundations of the Christian faith: All people are sinful; Christ died to forgive sin; we are made right with God though faith & this begins a new life with a new relationship with God.

By the time Paul got to what we call chapter 8, he was getting excited about this relationship, and the freedom that goes with it, through the Spirit who gives life,
which is the Holy Spirit!

Paul begins Romans 8 with the assurance that “there is, therefore, now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus!” (8:1)
{Teach on this verse as led…}

Paul goes on, in this most essential chapter filled with most essential Scriptures, to tell us that as God’s people filled with His Spirit, we are to live by the Spirit, and not the flesh.
Romans 8:9 from the Passion Translation puts it like this: “But when the Spirit of Christ empowers your life, you are not dominated by the flesh, but by the Spirit.”

More essential scriptures come next: Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”
And from TLT: “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, "Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
Or “Abba,” Daddy.

{Teach on “children of God” if led…}

We learned an essential Scripture in July from 2 Timothy (also written by Paul) 1:7 which echoes the thought of being fearless as God’s children: “For we are not given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind.”

We have God working on our behalf and in Romans 8:26 Paul also assures us “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us though wordless groans,” or “inexpressible groanings.”

Sometimes we just don’t have the words, or the hurt is so bad or the pain so deep we can only lean on the Holy Spirit to intercede for us with wordless groans.”

The important part is we are being interceded for, and God hears these prayers!
God cares! And God will answer… it just may not be the way we thought it would be, or in the timing we hoped for.

And that’s why Paul wrote “Essential Scripture #1, Romans 8:28, which we’ve already been over several times.

Paul isn’t finished yet. Romans 8:31-39 is one of the most important passages in the Bible and contains Essential Scriptures #2, 3 and 4.

You’ve heard the second one already. “If God is for us…”
We need this for reassurance as we look at our lives and think, “This is not how I pictured it.”

Have you ever thought, or thought lately, “This is not what I thought my life would look like at this point?”

David was someone in the Bible who trusted God in spite of how differently his life looked from what he thought it would be.
David was considered a hero for beating Goliath; eventually became head of the military and led many successful military campaigns; married the king’s daughter; and was anointed king of Israel. He had it all going for him.

Then suddenly, because of jealous king Saul, David spent the next ten years, or so, on the run from this man determined to kill him. He spent a lot of time holed up in caves with a motley crew of misfits. It was not what he thought his life would look like at that point. {Read it yourself if haven’t already… I Samuel 16 onward…}

In difficult times, we may be tempted to believe that God has abandoned us, or dropped his plan and purpose for our lives.
The temptation to believe our dreams are shattered and hopes destroyed is strong!

But God…
But God will help us turn away from that temptation and through prayer and His Word and Godly counsel from Godly friends who won’t give up on Him or on us…
we can be assured that if God is for us, no one or nothing can prevail against us!
We choose whether our faith is going to be in the distressing circumstances, or in God!
Here’s the important part many of us are learning:
Putting our faith in God means we’re not going to quit. We’re not giving up on Him. Or others. Don’t give up! Don’t give in!

Instead, we will continue to learn and grow, and change what we need to change.
It may take a while. It may take years.

God’s destiny for our lives does not change because of our circumstances.
In fact, David’s destiny was fulfilled, and he became king of Israel.

And, actually, his circumstances made him a more humble and compassionate king.
Isn’t that what happens to us?

What we go through, which is so painful and difficult, turns out to draw us closer to God and others, and also help us to become more humble and compassionate.

So as we come up against the sometimes terrifying giants of our lives, like David, we can take the tools around us, (in his case, a slingshot and five smooth stones; in our case perhaps becoming part of a life group or reading something special in Scripture), and trust in God and face our giants without fear!

The story of David and Goliath is found in I Samuel 17. There are many sermons in this story. For one thing, the way David viewed Goliath is a lesson for us all.
Where most of those present saw only a giant, David, a simple shepherd boy at that time, saw a human man defying Almighty God.

David knew he was good with a slingshot and Goliath would be a big target!
(How’s that for looking differently at the circumstances?)
David also knew he would not be alone. He knew God would be with Him.

And he knew that if God was for him, NOTHING, not even a giant Philistine man,
9 foot 9 inches tall, named Goliath, could prevail against him.

Who or what are the giants you are facing?
Looking at them from God’s point of view changes the scenery dramatically. There’s nothing He can’t take care of. {Let’s put our names in that essential Scripture this morning… “If God is for me, insert name, nothing can stand against me!”}

Another lesson from this story with David is that he didn’t let criticism stop him. His elder brother was anything but supportive, and, in fact, said some nasty things to him.
But David didn’t let that stop him.
People may try to discourage us, too, with negative comments or mockery. But let’s just continue to do what we know is right. By doing what is right in God’s eyes, we’ll be pleasing Him whose opinion matters most.

David grew in his relationship with God throughout his life, which had a lot of ups and downs.
Sometimes our ups and downs in life feel like a roller coaster ride. But it is a comfort to me to know God is the One in charge of the ride, and He’ll step in and get us out of the seat if needed. He’ll keep us safe. He’s watching over us. We can trust in Him.

David knew that his purpose in life, like ours’, was to grow God’s Kingdom.

Later on, another Jewish guy in the New Testament, Matthew, would record Jesus’ words which say, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (6:33) Another essential Scripture.
God’s kingdom is simply the King, Jesus Christ, (also a relative of David’s by the way), and His domain.
God is the ruler and the King of the whole universe. We are His servants and part of His domain. His kingdom includes every believer who names the name of Jesus Christ.
It includes every congregation and family of churches who honor Him as Lord and believe in His Word.

Aren’t we grateful to get to belong to this Kingdom?!
As grateful disciples, we also want to be obedient to His command, also recorded in Matthew (28:17-19) “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

David knew God was with him.
We can know God is with us too, and that if He is for us, who can be against us?!

Earlier in Romans 8, verse 19 says, “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”

I’d like to ask you this morning, do the people around you, does the creation around you, know that you’re a child of God? Is it obvious you live for Christ? Or is it a secret?

Are you a child of God? Have you publicly confessed belief in and Lordship of Jesus Christ? Have you followed this up with baptism in water and of the Holy Spirit?
Are you reading His Word, the Instruction Manual?
Are you spending time with Him in prayer? Do you worship Him on a regular basis and even tell Him sometimes you love Him? He sure loves you.

And are you obeying His final words to go and make disciples? Are we meeting needs and building relationships which then give us the right to tell others about Jesus and His Saving Grace?

George Barna did a study not too long ago that found that only 50% of committed Christians had even heard what is known at “the Great Commission.” Today, you will not be counted in that number. You’ve heard it.

The bigger question is, what are you doing about it?
Let’s ask our Big God to fill us to overflowing with the power of His Holy Spirit to be able to fulfill our purpose and grow His Kingdom too! Our purpose is not to be comfortable. Or healthy. Or see how old we can get.
It’s to make disciples. It’s to be effective grapes on His vine which are fruitful. Lush and fruitful. Sweet, and not bitter. Let’s let others see Christ in us! And then let’s share Him.

When we give our lives to help others by praying for them, reaching out to them and discipling them, the Lord will make sure we are blessed in return.

The ways of the Hebrew people of the Old Testament, our Jewish brothers and sisters which included David, always included generous hospitality. It was often through staying with God’s people and experiencing this unconditional caring and sharing, which led others from outside the faith to want to come in.

May the same be true of us.
This past Saturday (beginning Friday night) and Sunday was “the Feast of the Trumpets,” or “Rosh Hashanah,” the Jewish New Year.
Happy New Year! It’s now Hebrew year 5781.

Rosh Hashanah ends tonight. (Or last week.) Then Yom Kippur will begin next Sunday. (Or tonight.) and end on Monday. These are considered the two “High Holy Days.”

Rosh Hashanah, literally means “head of the year.” And yes, Deuteronomy 28:13 says “The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” Notice the “if…”

Add Matthew 28:18,19 to that list. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the names to pray for, or pray in. Ask for “divine appointments” where you can share the love of Christ.

Rosh Hashanah begins a ten day period, known as “Days of Awe,” leading up to Yom Kippur. God’s first people were never to lose their awe at His act of Creation and all that He had done for them. As they shared a meal, and prayer, together, they would enjoy apples or challah bread dipped in honey to symbolize blessings for a sweet new year. After ten days of reflection and repentance, too, they would approach Yom Kippur with tossing bread into water as symbolism of casting off sin. Today, we know that the Ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, has done this for us! Let’s grow in closeness to Him! Let’s grow our faith and trust in our Savior who is for us!
After all, if He is for us, NOTHING can stand against us!
Let’s walk in His strength and our heritage as God’s children filled with His Spirit, and be about the disciple-making business every day of our lives. To His glory.

[Pray]