Nothing Can Seperate us, Romans 8:31-39
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I know there has been a lot of teaching on these verses but it has been laid on my heart to once again step into this area. God wants us to understand that the only person who can separate us from His love is ourselves. You see He doesn’t separate us from Him. No, we separate ourselves from Him. I am one who has found this out over and over again. I walked away from Him. He never walked away from me.
So lets take a look at this a little more deeply and cover a few of these verses.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Indeed, who can be against us? As we go through life we find a lot of this. There are so many who are against us. Some may be in the form of persecution, some may just be out right seeking to give you emotional hurt, some physical harm, and the list goes on. You see, if we think about it, we can learn a great deal from two men in the Bible that I tend to gravitate towards. First is Job. The other is Paul. Both of these men suffered many things yet never were separated from the love of God.
Here are some things that try to separate us in no particuliar order. 1) Pesecution John 15:20 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Persecution we should expect. Here we are taught that if the world persecuted Christ they will persecute us as well. Then in Romans we are taught how to handle those who persecute us. You see they can not separate us from God’s love. So what shall we do then? Romans 12:14 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
We should bless them and do not curse them. Persecution may be one of the toughest things for us to suffer and yet we are to still bless the ones who do this unto us. There are many things that may try to separate us. Many may be a little more personal than others and may be a little harder to overcome. But remember nothing but our own self can separate us from God’s love. What else can seperate us?
2) Life This could mean that all of life, its ups and downs, the sufferings both physical and emotional can separate us. The good the bad and the ugly. Nothing that life throws our way can separate us from Him. As long as His love is in us and His works are done by us we shall not be separated. In life, it seems, we have so many sufferings. Most recently I learned a lesson once again. The lesson that love in life hurts and is in the human world can be very unpredictable. I am grateful, however, that God’s love is predictable and unconditional. God loved us before we loved Him. He loved so much He delivered Himself up for us. Life, at times, can be very painful and not only emotional but sometimes physical. The pain and suffering handed to us by those who claim to love us can be overpowering. It is possible that we will suffer physically to the point of making it difficult to function normally day in and day out. At times we will just want to give up on life and begin the journey of eternal life. I, for one, have even prayed for this relief. I have prayed to be done here and to began the eternal life where I know it is free from pain and suffering. I continue to struggle with this. I continue to ask why I have to learn this lesson again and again? I do, however, keep moving forward each new day and give it to God. He rolls me out of bed in the morning letting me know that each day is a new day and He promises that He will not give more than I can handle together with Him. So again I find myself humbled by Him and seeking His grace.
Hebrews 13:5 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
He has not left me nor forsaken me. Again, I must have left Him. Each time I feel alone I must have begun a new direction in my life and it was not His direction. I began a new chapter and not allowing Him to guide me in this decision. The lesson should be learned and the chapter closed. As with any enemy, we learn that we should keep those that persecute us close. I need to keep them close so they can not strike out and hurt me again. Life and love is so very strange here on this earth. We set out to hurt others. We claim to love. Then we strike and pierce hearts. We all claim to love, yet we hurt others instead of blessing them. I, for one, do not understand how if you love one, you can hurt one? Sure there are many types of love. There is brotherly love, parental love, friend love, and so forth. I must also point out that there is "Perfect Love" better known as Godly love. You see, God loved us first and He loves us perfectly. He doesn’t seek reasons, excuses or conditions. He loves completely, unconditionally and He forgives and pardons.
We hear in these verses nothing can separate us from His love. In life and in death we are His. No demons or principalities can take His love from us. So what do you say to Him? Only you can take His love away. Let me restate this. His love is not taken away, we just choose not to receive it and follow a different path. However, when we are done with that path and realize we are going down the road that leads to death and destruction, He is there waiting for us to come back home. He is there with arms opened wide and waiting. He is there not to ask for excuses but to welcome you home with open arms and to forget. He is there to give you His love and eternal life with Him. Now it is your time to step forward and receive the perfect love that only can be through Christ Jesus.
John 14:6 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
But what if you have always been separated because you have not accepted His gift of eternal life? What then do you say to Him? He is waiting with open arms for you too. You can start down the right path today. Then you will not have to be separated from God. He will love you unconditionally too.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Are you ready to recieve Christ back into your Life? If so please pray this prayer.
Father in Heaven I come back to you this day. Please forgive me of my sins. I am ready to start that walk again. Ready to move down the narrow road to righteousness. Father I am this day surrendering my all unto you. Father gude me and protect me. Arm me with your armour. Father walk not above me nor behind me but beside me. Father I ask this day that you will grant me great wisdom and strength. Father I ask these things in the name of Jesus
Amen
Pastor David Azbell
07/08/04
