WWUTT 167 Who Shall Separate Us From the Love Of Christ?

The Apostle Paul said, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation? Distress? Persecution? Famine?

Nakedness? Danger? Or sword? And he's not saying we won't go through those things, he's saying we will. But nothing will be able to separate us from God when we understand the text.

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Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. Romans chapter 8 verses 31 through 39. Again today, if you want to open up your

Bibles and join with me there. Romans chapter 8 starting in verse 31. 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. So yesterday we looked at verses 31 through 34. Let's skip ahead to verse 35.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And basically this is Paul repeating the same question that he had asked in verse 31.

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Or you could also ask the question, what shall separate us from the love of Christ? As Paul goes on to ask, shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Shall any of these things separate us from the love of God? Verse 36 is very important in qualifying what

Paul has said in verse 35. He says, as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long.

We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered, which is a reference from Psalm 44 .22. Paul in referencing this

Psalm is saying that all that he had listed in the previous verse, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, these are things we will endure.

Just because we are in Christ does not mean that we have been delivered from the trials of this life.

We will experience tribulation and distress, persecution and famine, nakedness, danger and sword.

We will undergo those things. For your sake, we experience those things.

We are being killed all the day long, regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. A lot of times when it comes to a verse that talks about suffering, we tend to reduce the meaning of what's being talked about there.

For example, in Romans chapter 5, where it says we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character and character produces hope.

We'll take the suffering aspect and we'll apply it to the everyday tasks in our day. I got up this morning, what a struggle that was.

I was suffering and I endured through that suffering and it's producing character and hope. Or my kid spilled his cereal and I had to clean it up.

I was suffering. Traffic wouldn't move today. I couldn't get the guy to go and I was suffering.

Now while it is true that we need to rejoice in all circumstances, as James put it in James chapter 1, rejoice when you are facing trials of various kinds.

Various kinds is like the miscellaneous drawer. Whatever is in that drawer, you're supposed to rejoice in that.

When Paul said to the Corinthians, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. He's saying in part that even in the most menial tasks, even in the most, the littlest things that you wouldn't think of as being worshipful moments, even in those moments we give glory to God for what we are given, for what we have, for another breath in our bodies.

That is yet another opportunity to rejoice in God. So yes, there is some undertone of understanding that we are to rejoice in God in all of these things.

But when we read in Romans chapter 5, 3, we rejoice in our sufferings.

Understand that Paul was talking to a church that was truly suffering.

Members of that church were being put to death for declaring Jesus as Lord instead of Caesar as Lord.

If on a particular Sunday there were 48 of them that gathered together for a church service and then the next

Sunday they got together and there was 45, it's because three of their brothers over the course of the week had been put to the spear for declaring

Christ as Lord instead of Caesar as Lord. So when Paul writes to the

Romans, we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance. Yes, I think it's okay for us to see in that a command to rejoice in all circumstances, but it is also necessary for us to understand a proper context that Paul was talking to a group of believers who, for declaring their faith, might cost them their lives sometime during the course of the week.

That's simply something that we do not understand in 21st century

America when we are protected by the freedom of religion. Yes, that right is slowly being taken away from us, but this

Sunday you're not going to be held at gunpoint by the government because you declared Jesus Christ as Lord.

If you were a missionary in North Korea, you might lose your life for declaring

Christ as Lord. Parts of China, parts of the Middle East, it is a dangerous thing to be a

Christian in a great deal of the world, but not so much in the United States of America.

So that's why we have that tendency to read passages like Romans 5 -3 or in James chapter 1 to rejoice when we face trials of various kinds.

We have a tendency to look at that and think of that as I just need to be happy when my kid spills his milk. But that's not necessarily the context that's being said there.

Like I said, as we were in Romans chapter 8, we will undergo these sufferings for the cause of Christ.

Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword. We read in 2 2

Timothy 3 12 -13 indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted while evil people and imposters will go from bad to worse deceiving and being deceived.

Those are a couple of verses that don't get read in many churches. Instead, we'll look at a passage that says like Philippians 1 -28 which says do not be frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that from God.

We'll read a verse like that and come up with this interpretation. He said, it doesn't matter who opposes you.

This verse 28 is a sign to them that they will be destroyed but that you will be saved.

So the same struggle that you've been taking for a sign that you're going to be destroyed is actually a sign that you're going to be delivered because if the devil could have destroyed you, he would have by now but the fact that you're still struggling is a sign that you're going to make it!

You are! Yeah, what

Stephen Furtick didn't read there was the verses that follow. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

It has been granted to you that you would not only believe. The belief that you have didn't come from you.

You didn't manifest it. God gave it to you. It's been granted to you that you should not only believe but also suffer.

That is a gift from God that you should suffer. Engaged in the same conflict that you saw

I had and now hear that I still have because Paul was writing that letter from prison where he had been put for preaching the gospel of Christ.

Again, 2 Timothy 3 .12. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Paul said this to the Corinthians. We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not us.

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed. Perplexed but not driven to despair.

Persecuted but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed. Always carrying in the body of death of the...

in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

That's 2 Corinthians 4 .7 -10. And Peter says this several times in his first letter.

We have him saying in 1 Peter 2 .20 -24 If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

It's a gracious thing that you would do good and suffer for it as you endure.

For to this you have been called. You've been called to this. To suffer and endure for the cause of Christ because Christ also suffered for you.

Leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. Jesus committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth.

When he was reviled he did not revile in return. When he suffered he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed. Another way we tend to misuse those verses that talk about suffering as we use them to talk about how this is developing character when the reality is that the struggle that we're in is probably the result of our sin.

So we'll try to excuse the sin and say oh God is using this to make me stronger instead of paying attention to the words that Paul wrote in Romans 2 4

Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

There's probably something that we need to repent of there and that might be the result of the difficult circumstance that we are in.

We're not being persecuted for our faith. We're probably suffering because of our sin.

And I've encountered this before as a matter of fact I had a situation that happened just last week where I was telling somebody to repent of a false teaching that they believed in and they excused it as well the

Bible says that we're going to be persecuted for our faith so you telling me that I need to repent of this is just you telling me that or just you persecuting me because what it is that I believe.

Oh please. So again that's another way that we'll tend to misalign those verses to our benefit and to our glory.

Peter goes on in 1 Peter 4 12 -14 to say, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share

Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 5 8 -11 be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world and after you have suffered a little while the

God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. So now coming back to Romans chapter 8 verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Again, God predestined us for salvation before the foundation of the world as we read previously in verse 29 and 30 those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined he also called, those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

So as I put this before you yesterday, who can possibly change the plan of God? If he had set these things in place before the foundation of the world began, then who can change it?

But we have the assurance that has been given to us in verse 34 that Christ has not only predestined these things but he is still active in his creation and interceding for us at the right hand of God.

Verse 35, who shall separate us from that? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ who is interceding for us at the right hand of God?

Who shall separate us from what we have been predestined to endure for the cause of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

We will experience all of those things. Jesus said to his disciples, you will have tribulation in this world.

You will have tribulation but take heart for I have overcome the world. Distressed?

We will be distressed. Paul talks about that in the first chapter of 2 Corinthians where he talks about how he and his missionary brethren had experienced such distress that they thought they had been given the sentence of death but it was just to teach them to rely more upon God who saves them from death.

How about persecution? We read about the persecutions that the apostles endured all the way through the

New Testament. Famine, nakedness, these kinds of trials that we will experience as well may not necessarily be the result of a persecution but nonetheless will be things that we will suffer because of what we have given up for the cause of Christ.

Or danger or sword? Folks, I tell you even living in the

United States of America I know that I've got listeners abroad as well, appreciate you also but to those specifically who live in the

US, if you have never been persecuted for your faith I tell you you've just not been trying hard enough.

There are absolutely places that you can go in your own town and your own community and proclaim the gospel and be persecuted for it.

I've experienced it here in Junction City, Kansas places that I've gone and people that I have talked to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and some of the things

I've been threatened before for proclaiming the name of Christ. Those things will happen even in a nation that has in their constitution the freedom of religion because as it is written, verse 36, for your sake we are being killed all the day long we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered verse 37, know in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us more than conquerors means that not only do we overcome these things or not merely do we overcome these things but we use them for some greater purpose and greater glory

God's glory and these things are being used to conform us to the image of his son as it says in Romans 8 29 have you thanked

God for the belief in Christ that you have have you ever prayed and asked

God that you might suffer for his sake as we read in Philippians 1 29 it has been granted to you not only that you would believe but that you would also suffer for his sake that is a blessing it is a graciousness from God that we endure for the cause of Christ so be ready to suffer and even in these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us our great

God we thank you for these words of assurance that have been given to us in the scriptures and I pray that we would not be surprised at fiery trials that come upon us to test us as though something strange were happening to us but that we would share in Christ's sufferings we would even desire to share in his sufferings so that we may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed if we are insulted for the name of Christ we are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon us remind us of these things and grant it to us that we would not only believe but suffer for your sake knowing that we are more than conquerors through him who loved us praying these things in Jesus name

Amen This has been When We Understand The Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes If you'd like to submit a question to this broadcast or just send us a comment email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com