Several years ago I heard about the story of the late, great pastor Adrian Rogers and his encounter with someone on an airplane. I quote:
I once met a lawyer on an airplane. We began to talk about what we like to read. I said, “I read newspapers, books, journals, devotional studies, but primarily the Bible.” He said, “If you don’t read any further than that, how do you know what to talk about when you speak to people?” I replied, “Sir, man only has three problems: sin, sorrow, and death.” My new friend answered, “There are more than that.” I replied, “No, only three.” “Oh,” he said, “there are other problems.” I said, “All right, tell me another.” He thought for a long time, came back, and said, “You’re right, everything I can think of fits in those three categories.”
Every problem you can think of into one of these three categories: Sin, Sorrow, and Death. But the greatest news this morning is that Easter is the answer to ALL of these problems. Because Jesus rose from the dead, he defeated both the power of sin in the present and the penalty of sin in the future. Because Jesus rose from the dead, one day the sorrow of this earthly world will be replaced with the glory of heaven and eternity. Because Jesus rose from the dead, death has been defeated because for the Christian, and now death is simply the means to eternal life. And so in a very real sense, Easter IS the answer to the world’s problems.
If you don’t have a Bible today, that’s okay because we’re going to put the words on the screen, but if you DO want to follow along in your Bible, we’re going to spend our time in Romans 8 which is an unlikely Easter passage. But as we walk through the verses at the end of this chapter, I can assure you that the power of the resurrection will be on full display this morning.
And let me say this before we read this passage—I don’t pretend to know why you are here this morning. It may be because this is where you find yourself every Sunday. It may be that visiting church on Easter is a family tradition. Maybe you’re here today because you are spiritually searching. And maybe, the reason that you’re here is because you are a grown up but you’re still scared of your mom, and she told you that you were coming. I have no idea why you’re here, other than this – you are not here by accident. For the past three weeks, we have literally had hundreds of people praying for you every day, so it is no accident that you are here this morning and we think God wants to speak directly to YOU this morning.
Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say 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 with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded 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 sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.
For so many people that study the Bible, me included, this is one of their favorite passages of Scripture because it communicates both the DEPTH and the WIDTH of God’s love for us (if you grew up in church, maybe you remember the song Deep and Wide). And so this morning, I want you to see three powerful truths contained in these verses we just read…in fact, I believe they’re SO powerful that they can literally change your life. So what are they?
1. JESUS’ DEATH PROVES GOD IS FOR YOU – vs. 31-32
I have had many friends that I have invited to church over the years that have said, “You don’t want me coming to YOUR church because the roof might cave in or the walls might catch fire when I walk through the doors.” But in spite of hearing this dozens of times over the years, this very room gives testimony to the fact that that has never happened—yet (don’t get too comfortable because the day’s not over).
But in all seriousness, what’s behind that statement is that “God’s not for people like ME.” So let me correct some theology this morning – God IS against sin, but he is very much FOR the sinner. Listen to Jesus’ own words from the Gospel of Mark: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17, NLT). The Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT):“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” And that’s a guy that wrote half of the Bible! And Jesus worst critics, in the gospel of Matthew, called him “a friend of sinners.”
Now I understand that the term sinners isn’t a well-received term. It feels like the Bible’s way of calling someone a loser, doesn’t it? But popular or not, Romans 3 says, “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” So just in case you are confused, or perhaps a little pretentious, here’s the song we should have sung this morning: “I’m a sinner, you’re a sinner, wouldn’t you like to be a sinner too!” Because here’s a truth that has gotten incredibly lost in the current American church culture – that according to Romans 8, God is FOR sinners like us. Now SOME churches preach a gospel that basically says, “Yes, Jesus loves you, but he sure is disappointed in you.” I’ve been to those churches…and they’re not fun people to be around. And then there are churches that have gone the OTHER direction and preach a gospel that says, “Jesus loves you AND your sin.”
Let’s be clear – Jesus is both for you AND for your repentance from sin. It’s not either/or – it’s both/and. All throughout the Bible Jesus is calling people to repent and believe…to turn AWAY from sin and self-righteousness and to turn TOWARDS Jesus in faith and total surrender. And maybe you don’t believe that today. Not everything in the Bible is easy to believe, is it? Did God really create the earth from nothing? Was there really a worldwide flood with Noah? Did God really speak through a donkey? Did Jesus really heal blind people? And then this one…is Chix-Fil-A really “God’s chicken?”
All of these things would fall under the category of intellectual doubts. But often, our intellectual doubts find their roots in emotional doubts…especially when you feel like life is puking all over you. I told the story a while back of a college student who had a friend killed in a tragic, freak accident. When she was unpacking her grief with one of our pastors she blurted out, “I know that God loves me, but right now I just feel like he is crapping on me.” Only she said a different word!
But here’s the good news of the gospel story of Jesus—doubters are welcome. You see, the opposite of faith is NOT doubt…it’s unbelief. In fact, I heard a pastor once say that doubt is actually a normal part of faith…I myself had many doubts in my own life that I’ve had to wrestle to the ground. But one of the hardest doubts to wrestle with is doubting whether or not God actually IS for you when life gets hard. If you’re listening, smack your neighbor and say WAKE UP. God is SO for you, that he put to death his own son so that through the death of Jesus, you could experience abundant life in the present and eternal life in the future. And if you’re thinking, “No way. That’s too good to be true,” don’t take MY word for it, take GOD’S word for it. Look at verses 31-32 again: "What then shall we say 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 with him graciously give us all things?"
In verse 31, when Paul writes, “what then shall we say to these things?” that is a clear reference to all that is written in the previous parts of this letter. Let me give you the Cliff Notes version of this letter. In chapters 1-3 he is saying, “We are miserable sinners.” Thank God he doesn’t stop there because in chapters 4-5 he says, “But Jesus is a merciful Savior.” And now, in chapters 6-8, which end with the verses we just read, Paul is preaching that through salvation, we have become dead to sin and alive in Jesus. In other words, we don’t have to live like wicked sinners, because Jesus is a merciful Savior who offers us forgiveness. And now, because of Jesus, we don’t have to run away from God in fear, we can run towards him as a loving father (Romans 8:12-17).
So these verses are the crescendo of what Christ has done for us AND ALL that God offers us in Jesus…even though we deserve none of it. Look back at the first part of verse 32 again: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.” Do you know who is included in “all?” You. Jesus Christ died for YOU. God is so FOR you that the text says he “gave him up.” That is an act of the will. The word “love” can best be described as a decision to self-sacrifice on behalf of someone else. That’s what God did for US when it says he did not spare his own son. That’s why we call it “Good Friday” and not “Bad Friday.” Friday was actually a TERRIBLE day, but when we understand verse 32, it becomes a GOOD day…and THAT is the good news of the story of the gospel.
Well, sometimes, we don’t have a full appreciation of how good the good news is until we come to terms with how bad the bad news is. But verses 33-34 give us a clear picture because they tell us that…
2. JESUS’ RESURRECTION OFFERS YOU A NEW STANDING – vs. 33-34
A while back, there was a popular bumper sticker that said, “Jesus is my homeboy.” And one of our pastors asked if he should buy a t-shirt with that phrase. And we quickly said NO for two reasons: “Number one, it’s irreverent. And number two, you’re a big boy and that belly shirt is not flattering on you.” But the theology of that shirt is basically this – I’m cool with Jesus. And maybe that’s how you view YOUR relationship with Jesus. You wouldn’t say that you’re actively following Jesus – in other words, your daily life is unaffected by your relationship with him and you probably wouldn’t describe yourself as a Christian if you were asked. But you’re not MAD at Jesus either…maybe not a faithful follower, but you’re not a hater either. In other words, maybe you’re not actively PURSUING Jesus, but not actively OPPOSING him either.
But I want to read you some verses, the first of which is from the very mouth of Jesus, where he challenges this concept that you can be cool with Jesus, just not to the degree that he changes the way you act. Matthew 12:30 (NIV): “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” Then listen to the words again from the Apostle Paul in Romans 5:10 (NIV): “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Did you see that distinction? We’re either “saved by his grace” or we’re his “enemies.” There’s no in-between…nothing about being homeboys. In fact, there’s even stronger language in the very last book of the Bible – Revelation 20:15: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life (record of all who have been saved), he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Again, no allowance for being “cool with Jesus.” You’re either “in Christ” or you’re not.
As a pastor, I’ve made it my life’s work to help people in the process of accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And in my experience, there are generally two reasons why people never give their life to Jesus. One, they think they’re too bad (hopefully I’ve already shown you that that’s not possible because God is for you). And the second reason is because they think they are too good. They don’t need saving. They’re living with this idea that there is an eternal scale that if their good deeds outweigh our bad deeds, then heaven will be their reward. If this is you, let me ask you two questions: 1) How good do you have to be (in other words, who gets to decide the standard)? 2) Where is this idea in the Bible?
That’s a rhetorical question because it’s NOT in the Bible. In fact, verses 33-34 tell us exactly the opposite. Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 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.
The “elect” is just a Bible word for the “saved.” And how Paul describes those who are saved in verse 33 is that they are “justified by God.” Justification is a legal term that describes a change in standing. Note that it is God who has given US right standing with himself. The person who changes is ME. And why do I need a change in my standing before God? The answer is at the beginning of verse 34…I am condemned. In other words, outside of a relationship with Jesus, I am condemned to spend eternity in hell. We desperately need a new standing before God.
I had a Sunday School teacher growing up that taught me that the Bible word JUSTIFICATION means “just as if I had never sinned.” And while that sounds cute in Sunday School, I’ve come to realize she was a little off. But what justification actually means is “guilty but pardoned.” And friends, that means that God’s love is an even GREATER act of mercy. Yes, I’m guilty…I actually committed the crime. But despite my guilt, God moves me from CONDEMNED to PARDONED. And what’s a pardon? It’s an act of mercy granted to you by someone else. And who grants us this according to verse 34? “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.” Let me give you a paraphrase of verse 34. It’s Jesus telling the Father in heaven, “I know they are guilty, but they are with me.”
And so where is Easter in all of this? Paul describes Jesus not only as the one who died, he says, “more than that, he was raised.” Folks, THAT is Easter right there. The miracle of Good Friday was that God took my sin and your sin and placed it on Jesus on the cross. That means Jesus paid the penalty for our sin when he died. But the miracle on Easter morning was when God raised Jesus from the dead. The Bible says that God raised him from the dead to prove that Jesus was who he said he was—the Son of God—and that he could do what he came to do—forgive our sins and heal the broken places in our lives. The bad news of the Bible is that you’ll never be good enough. But the good news is “gooder” than the bad news is “badder.” And the good news this morning is that JESUS is enough, Amen?
Here’s the last truth I want you to see this morning…not only was Jesus enough to forgive your sins in the present…
3. JESUS’ LOVE GUARANTEES YOUR FUTURE – vs. 35-39
A pastor friend of mine started out as a pastor of a small country church. And there was an unmarried couple that started attending his church and soon they wanted to talk to my friend about getting married…but they were nervous because they were living together and they weren’t yet married. But my friend realized their biggest problem was NOT that they were living outside of God’s good design for marriage. It was that they had never surrendered their lives to Jesus. So in kind of a bait-and-switch move, he agreed to meet with them.
It wasn’t very deep into the meeting when the conversation did, in fact, shift to their own spiritual lives. And when my friend began explaining Jesus’ deep love for them, huge tears began streaming down the young lady’s face. And so my friend asked her about a relationship with Jesus and she exclaimed, “Yes, that’s what I want.” And then, thinking this was going to be a two-for-one Jesus special, my friend turned to the young man and asked him the same thing. “No – I don’t think I am ready for that.” And then listen to his explanation as to WHY he didn’t want to move forward. “Because I know me, and I know that I will most likely let Jesus down.”
Here’s what I want every person that’s ever thought this to hear: “Yes, you will. But JESUS will never let YOU down. Salvation is not about what you can do for Jesus, it’s about what Jesus has done for you.” We don’t get to heaven one day because we held onto Jesus, we will get to heaven because he was holding onto us. And for those who genuinely become followers of Jesus Christ, there is not ONE SINGLE THING that can separate you from Jesus once you belong to him.
How do I know this? Look back at verse 35 again: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [Then skip down to verse 38.] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.”
I think the Apostle Paul anticipated that someone would read his letter about how NOTHING could separate you from the love of God and yet ask, “Yeah, but what about ___________ ?” And so the beauty of these verses is that Paul basically includes EVERYTHING imaginable by providing four categories of things that would fall into the “but what about…” category.
• No physical thing can separate us from God’s grip (tribulation, distress, famine, nakedness, sword, life, death). I think Paul draws upon his own experience in this first category to think of all the things had ever caused him to question God’s love for him. And yet, Paul gives testimony here that in every storm in his life, God’s love proved unbreakable.
• No spiritual thing can separate us from God’s grip (angels or powers)
• No present of future action can separate us from God’s grip (things present nor things to come)
• No individual can separate us from God’s grip (rulers, nor anything else in all of creation).
I don’t know if you know this or not, but the Bible wasn’t originally written in the English language. And not every word in the original language translates perfectly into English. And so sometimes we have to go back and study the original words in the original language to make sure we understand exactly what the author was trying to communicate. When I was growing up, my dad was a pastor and when he was in seminary back in the 60’s, he literally had to learn the Greek and Hebrew languages. But now, I have a program on my laptop, and while it cost thousands of dollars, I don’t have to learn these ancient languages because I have powerful software that can tell me exactly what every single word means. The text this morning says that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And so last Thursday, I fired up that Bible software and looked up the word “nothing” in the original Greek language. And it turns out that this is not one of those complicated words to understand. It literally means “nothing.” And in this passage, do you know what falls under the umbrella of “nothing?” EVERYTHING. “NOTHING will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Friends, here’s the message of Easter. You can walk in this morning guilty and condemned and you can leave guilty but pardoned. And the reason I know that is possible is because God raised Jesus from the dead. And if you receive him today, then one day, God will raise you from the dead too. THAT’S the Easter story.
MODEL PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
