Supernatural Conquerors Series

Romans 8 Supernatural Series/Week 5

Supernatural Conquerors

Romans 8:32-39

Bruce Miller

Supernatural Conquerors

Watching the news can be disturbing, even scary. Revolutions and revolutionary movements are surging through the Arabic world with the deadliest conflict in Libya where Muammar Gaddafi is slaughtering his own people in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. Because our world is so globally connected, we feel the effect at our local 7-eleven where gas prices have soared to over $3 a gallon because of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. It’s hard not to worry over where all this turmoil might lead. What will happen if revolution hits Saudi Arabia? What will happen to the world economy and to the flow of oil? Will violence and war spread?

It’s in such times of global unrest that God’s Word brings us such confidence and security. We are at the conclusion of a powerful series: Supernatural, a study of Romans chapter eight. If Romans is a spectacular mountain range of truth, then chapter eight is its highest peak. The theme is assurance. This is the inspirational highlight of Romans.

Let’s open our Bibles to the amazing Romans chapter eight. Remember - You can live a supernatural life by the Spirit because of God’s amazing gifts in Christ. Say that with me: You can live a supernatural life by the Spirit because of God’s amazing gifts in Christ. Today, we are diving into the last stirring paragraph, verses thirty-one to thirty-nine, that punctuates the end the chapter. Paul uses evocative language to show us what God has done for us so that we can live supernatural lives. These last ten verses are the bold exclamation point of the chapter. One recent commentator said "… the beauty of the text may be unrivalled in all of Pauline literature." (Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans. Grand Rapids. Baker Books, 1998. (Pp 456)) It is a magnificent celebration of God’s eternal commitment to his people. (Moo, Douglas J. The NIV Application Commentary: from biblical text…to contemporary life: Romans. Grand Rapids. Zondervan, 2000 (Pp 281)) Chapter eight began with “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1), and ends with “no separation” (8:35, 39). These ten verses have been called the Christian’s Triumph Song, 8:31-39. (Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1988 (Pp 334))

Please stand for the reading of our triumph song. I begin in verse thirty-one reading from the NIV 2011 edition:

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wow! Paul’s point is that you can live a supernatural life by embracing three divine guarantees: you will never be defeated, condemned or separated from God’s love because in Christ you are victorious, justified and a super-conqueror. No defeat! No condemnation! And no separation! Let’s walk through each of these three phenomenal divine guarantees.

No defeat!

It’s easy to feel defeated in this tough world. Dealing with a difficult boss to a slow economy to tension in your home, you can feel like giving up. Some days it may feel like everyone and everything is against you: after a hard day at work, you had to park in the back of the grocery store parking lot and walk in the rain. When you came back to your car it had a fresh dent in it and no one left a note. You arrive home to mail that includes a collection notice for a bill you thought had been handled. The kids are screaming at each other and as you check email there is a note from your son’s teacher about bad behavior. And this is the easy stuff. The hard stuff moves to a friend stabbing you in the back, a family member dying, sin enticing you to wreck your life, and your marriage collapsing.