What, Then Shall We Say!
Romans 8:35,31
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (NIV)
Acknowledgments:
Now – lets preach.
For our scripture today let us consider Romans chapter 8 verses 31 and 35. But I want to do something a little different. I want to read verse 35 first, then verse 31. lets read.
(Read text)
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (NIV)
Turn to your neighbor and look them DEAD in the eye and say, what, then shall we say!
I took the liberty to look up the word separate in the dictionary and found that it means to keep apart, to withdraw, scatter, to part company, disperse, to come apart, to stop living together as spouses, to become divided into components or parts.
As I looked at the definition of this word it became clear to me that another tactic of the enemy to separate us from the love of Jesus. As a matter of fact, this word separate plays right into his main purpose for the bible says the devil has come to steal, kill, and destroy. So if he succeeds in separating us from the love of Christ, he has completed his purpose.
Young people, this is the most important time of your life. This is the time in you life where God is growing and developing you into the young men and women He wants you to be. However, Young people, you are faced with so many things in your young lives that tend to try to distract you. You are faced with stuff that disconnect you. Your are confronted with things that will keep you apart, You are faced with things that try to separate you from God and His plan for you.
If I can get a few adults to be truthful, you know there was a dark period in your lives between your innocent youth days and before you became sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost. You know that before you totally surrendered to the will of God, there were some things that came in your life that tried to keep you from God.
Yeah there were some people we met that didn’t have church on their agenda. There were some days, months, even years for some when we never woke up with our minds stayed on Jesus. (I know I’m right about it.) There were hardships that came that divided us. There were troubles that came to keep us away. There were dangers that came trying to keep us from ever having a relationship with God.
And now our youth stand where we once stood. Our youth are standing on the threshold of young adulthood and they need answers, they need guidance so my question to you parents is, WHAT, THEN SHALL WE SAY!
What shall we say to our young men? Do we tell them to get their run out? Do we tell them boys will be boys? Do we teach them how to run game? Or do we teach them to become honorable men after Gods heart?
And what shall we say to our young women? Do we tell them that all men are dogs? Do we teach them how to play hard to get? Or do we teach them how to become a virtuous woman?
WHAT, THEN SHALL WE SAY?
Before I go further, let me let you in on what’s going on in the book of Romans.
Paul begins in chapter 1 giving us a description of the deplorable condition of the Gentile world, which begins the proof of the doctrine of justification by faith. It is in this chapter Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2, he takes the focus of the gentiles and puts it on the Jews. He proves in general that Jews and Gentiles stand on the same level justice in the eyes of God. The Jews needed to know that they were no better than the Gentiles. Paul was telling them that they needed to practice what they preach.
And I might need to stop here to let somebody know that they need to practice what they preach. You can’t encourage somebody to stop drinking if you’re still drinking. You can’t tell somebody to quit stealing if you steal. You can’t preach to somebody to stop shacking if the person sleeping in your bed is not married to you. Paul is saying you’re the very reason why we can’t get them to come to church. Look at somebody and tell him or her to practice what you preach.
After proving that both the Gentiles and Jews were guilty, he goes on in chapter 3, to say that all have sinned and come short Gods glory. Chapter 4 he uses Abraham for an example to show that he was justified not by works but by his faith.
Chapter 5, Paul shows us some fruit of being justified. He lets the Christian know that our suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope. And our hope does not disappoint us because our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. It is in this chapter where we see the new life we have through Jesus Christ.
In chapter 6, Look at somebody and tell them he’s almost there.
In chapter 6, we are reminded that we are dead to sin, and that we are slaves to righteousness. Paul lets us know sin is no longer our master because of Gods grace. He says we used to be slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to holiness.
Some of you can remember when you were slaves to sin. You remember waking up looking for sin. Sin was your master. Sin had control over you. And if you look back on the things you used to do, you can’t find one benefit from it. Where is the fruit of our sin? There is none because sin cannot produce fruit. All it did was made us ashamed. Ashamed of the foolishness, ashamed of the filth, ashamed of the stupidity, ashamed of the dirt. The result of my sin was death.
But thanks be to God for his grace. Thanks be to God for setting us free from sin through his Son Jesus. Now we are His. And since I’m His, I can produce real fruit. I can produce love. And can produce joy. I can produce peace. I can produce faithfulness. I can produce goodness. I can produce holiness. And the result of my fruit is eternal life.
In chapter 7 Paul describes the struggles with the old sinful nature. He says the thing he don’t want to do, is the very thing he finds himself doing. He says when he wants to do good, evil is always there with him. Oh what a wretched man I am declares Paul.
Which brings us to chapter 8. And youth there are some things I need to give you then I’ll take my seat
I. The first is knowing trouble will come.
Trouble is defined in the dictionary as a state of distress, affliction, difficulty, or need. Trouble has a way of finding the best of folk. And don’t fool yourself into believing just because you’re a Christian, you will elude trouble. In fact just ask any grown person if their life has been a bed of roses, and I’m sure they will tell you no. But you really don’t have to ask the grown ups. You know for yourself by now that trouble will pop it’s ugly head out every now and again. A lot of yawl can give evidence that what started off with good intentions, turned into trouble. A lot of yawl can bear witness that all you wanted to do was hold hands, but things heated up and holding hands turned into something deeper. Even good intentions on coming to church turned to trouble for some people, because they came in shouting, but left cursing someone out in the parking lot. (You don’t have to say amen, I know I’m right about it.) I don’t know about you but I know Trouble has it’s way a finding you, and it’s intention is to try to separate you from Christ.
II. Secondly you need to know is dangers will also come.
Yes dangers are oftentimes the result of trouble. To be in danger is to be exposed to harm or risk. When you’re in danger you in a position where you feel helpless. When you’re in danger the enemy has power to harm you. Some of us know that we have put ourselves in some dangerous situations before. I can remember when I use to go to clubs. Some nights there would be shootings, and I would escape unharmed. I didn’t realize it then that I was putting myself in harms way every time I went to places like that. It’s only now when I look back on the things that could have happened to me that I realize that God’s hand was on me. Youth you put your self in harms way every time you decide to do things your way and not God’s way.
You might ask well preacher how do I know God’s way. Well believe it or not, when you came into the fellowship of Christ, you received everything you needed in order to run this race. When you received Christ, you received His spirit inside of you. His spirit is trying to guide you and lead you down the right path. Your only job is to be able to listen to the spirit.
His spirit is not going to tell you to cheat on a test. His spirit is not going to tell you to curse someone out. His spirit is not going to tell you to talk back to your parents. His spirit is not going to tell you it’s all right to smoke blunt.
However if you are not listening to His spirit - then you are heading for danger. And danger can separate you from Christ.
So we know that trouble will come. And as a result of trouble, we know that dangers will come. But what shall we say. What shall we say when troubles come our way. What shall we say when hardship comes. What shall we say when there’s no food to eat? What shall we say when there’s no money in the bank account? What shall we say when sickness comes. What shall we say when it seems like the whole world is against us.
What shall we say when our best friend turns on us. What shall we say?
Well Paul gives an answer in our text. He simply lets us know that if God is for us then who can be against us. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to shout right there.
What shall we say to trouble? If God is for us who can be against us.
What shall we say to heartache? If God is for us who can be against us.
What shall we say to persecution? If God is for us who can be against us.
When you realize that God is for you, then all you have to do is wait for Him to show up. (Oh you don’t hear me)
I need some help. Come here Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. Tell us how God showed up in the mist of trouble.
Well the king had made an image of gold. And he decreed that at the sound of the instruments everyone had to bow down and worship the image. And anyone who didn’t bow would be thrown in the fiery furnace. But when the horns blew we didn’t bow down. And the king heated up furnace seven times hotter than usual. Then he tied us up and threw us in the furnace.
I need to pause right here to say that’s how trouble is sometimes. Sometimes you just feel tied up with no options left.
But they threw Shadrach Meshach and Abednego into the fiery furnace. And when the king looked in -- he saw a fourth person in the fire that looked like the Son of God. And Shadrach Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire unharmed.
Come here Daniel. Tell us how God showed up in your life.
Well the king had a decree that anyone who prayed in the next 30 days to any other God or man other than the king would be thrown in the lion’s den. But I was a person who prayed at least 3 times a day and I just couldn’t go that long without giving thanks to my God. So I got down on my knees and started thanking God for all He’s done for me. Well I was spotted praying by a group of men, and the king had me thrown in the lion’s den. But early the next morning, when the king came back to see what was left of me. God had already sent angels to shut the mouths of the lions.
Come here Jesus. Can you testify what happen to you? Well I grew up preaching the good news. But one day one of my closest sold me for 30 pieces of silver. They took me into captive and I was tried and sentenced to be crucified on a hill call Golgotha. They striped me of my clothes and they whipped me until my back was raw. They spit on me and mocked my name. They placed a crown of thorns on my head. Then they made me carry an old rugged cross up Calvary’s mountain. Then to make sure I didn’t come down from the cross, they drove thick dull nails in my hand, and in my feet. And even though my flesh was in pain, I never said a word. I didn’t say anything because I knew if I’d be lifted up from the earth I would draw all men unto me. So I stayed on the cross until my flesh was dead. And they took my body down and placed it in a borrowed tomb, but while I was there I still had some work to do. So I went to the grave and took the keys to death. That took about 2 days, because early Sunday morning I got up from the grave with all power. I said all power of heaven and earth is in my hands.
You ought to shout right there because you know Jesus has all power. You ought to shout because you can look your troubles in the eye and say – if God is for me, who can be against me!
You can look death in the eye and say – if God is for me who can be against me!
You can look sickness in the eye and say – if God is for me who can be against me!
You can look danger in the face and say – if God is for me who can be against me!
What, Then Shall We Say!
