City Life Church San Diego
Welcome to the City Life Church Podcast, where faith meets action in the heart of Mt. Hope. We are a diverse family of God, united by Jesus, led by Scripture, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are committed to caring for both the spiritual and tangible needs of the lost and hurting. Through inspiring messages and practical lessons, we seek to equip and encourage you to live out God’s calling in everyday life. Join us as we grow in faith, serve our community, and share the hope of the Gospel with the world.
City Life Church San Diego
Romans 8:31-39 More Than Conquerors
God's ultimate sacrifice of His Son demonstrates that our inheritance in Christ is unshakable and eternal. Nothing—no accusation, circumstance, or enemy—can separate us from God's love when we truly belong to Him.
• God made the ultimate sacrifice so our inheritance would be unshakable
• When you truly belong to Jesus, no one can bring a valid accusation against you
• We are not only secure in Jesus, we are strong through Him who loves us
• The devil has no power over believers but wants us to think he does
• Your season might be one of suffering while still being secure in God's love
• Our weakness often becomes our strength when God works through it
• We are more than conquerors not because we avoid hardship, but because we overcome through Christ
Come join us at City Life Church as we continue exploring God's unshakable promises and the confidence we can have in His unfailing love.
So, guys, we're going to be in Romans 8, 31 through 39. If you'll remember where we came from in Romans 8, we thought of this idea, that we saw this idea that there was no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of love has set you free, christ Jesus, from the law of sin and death, and we know that God works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. But we also remember that that often means suffering, right, and many times we don't actually always acknowledge that. And the thing is is when someone else is suffering, we should not always go to them and say, hey, you're suffering because God knows it. That's not what we said. We said oftentimes it's when we are suffering that we can tell people about the goodness of God, not necessarily someone else.
Speaker 1:There's one word that I use when your friend is suffering and what you should do with them the most. Does anyone remember what that word is? I don't know. You might not know. Grieve, what's that? Grieve, grieve, I think that would count. Not know Grieve, what's that? Grieve, grieve, I think that would count. Yes, it's even more simplistic Sit, sit, sit. Sometimes people just need you to sit with them when they're suffering. You don't gotta tell them all the right things, you just be with them and you can pray for them when they want it, when you shouldn't.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're gonna be in Romans 8, 31. Are you guys there, your Bibles? Does anybody have one of these physical Bibles with them? Because I just love them. I just think they're so beautiful, oh, and even some of the they're shiny sometimes too. What's that? Love to see your Bibles, love to see you today. Today's a beautiful day and I'm going to get hot. I can't wait until I want that air conditioning. I'll have to wait for the sermon Romans 8.31.
Speaker 1:Here we go. What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, with him, grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns Christ? Jesus is the one who died, but even more has been raised. He is also at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Speaker 1:Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword, as it is written. Because of you, we are being put to death all day long. We are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Encourage me, no, in all these things, things, we are more than conquerors. Through him who loves us, loved us, for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Speaker 1:This is God's beautiful word. Will you pray with me, father? Thank you for being you and thank you that we have so many promises in your word that can encourage us, promises that can draw us to you. But, father, our world is in a precarious position at the moment, but it's not like we haven't been here before and it's not like you're afraid. But if we're real, sometimes we are afraid, and even if we've been in worse positions at times as a plant, this is our moment and there are people who are worried around us. God of all comfort.
Speaker 1:First, I ask that you would give comfort to those in need. Would you empower your people to fight for justice. Not on the internet via sharing memes and articles, lord, but if you are calling our people to seek justice and love, mercy, I pray that you would mobilize our hands and feet. Mobilize our hands and feet, our hands and feet. Mobilize our hands and feet. I pray protection from us just doom-scrolling on our phones and computers. I pray for protection from fear that only causes exhaustion. And as swiftly as we pursue justice as a people, god, would you help us to be kind to our enemies, even as we hold them accountable? Would your gospel always feel urgent to us as we seek to share love? And please don't allow bad actors to cause us to sin in anger. Protect us by your spirit so we may continually seek the good things, the better things. Teach us from your word this morning so we may know your voice. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be pleasing to you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, and all God's people said Amen.
Speaker 1:In May of 2003, there was a woman who was shot to death in front of her home in Sun Valley, california. The prime suspect was her brother, juan Juan Catalin. Months later he was arrested and he was charged with murder. By the way, I hate it when I say Hispanic last name and then I see somebody. Look at each other. Stop it, I know I say things wrong. How would I say it? Catalin, catalin, catalan, that was so much better than that, but now I have to say his name several times. We'll see how this goes. So the prime suspect was her brother, juan. Months later, he was arrested and charged with murder. Investigators grilled him and he was unable to remember exactly what he was doing that specific day, many months before, and so he went to jail and he stayed there. But Juan's girlfriend did research and it was actually the day that he took his six-year-old daughter and other family members to a Dodgers game. It's at that dump they call Shop Israel. I'm sorry, I had to put that in there, forgive me. Forgive me, but police continued to interrogate him Again and again, trying to get him to confess to the murder, trying to get him to slip up and admit he was the one. But his girlfriend was able to find the tickets, the tickets that he had bought Investigators. Still, they were like that's not evidence. That's not really going to clear his name. We need more evidence to release a man. So he was in jail for six months.
Speaker 1:So his lawyer contacted the vice president of operations at Dodger Stadium and he was given access to all the footage from the baseball game that day. And they found him. But it was grainy and the judge and the prosecutor was like no, we're still going to pursue murder charges. Wasn't enough to save him. Juan had a record and he was actually looking at death row for this. Now you know as well as I do we don't often use the death penalty here in California, but oftentimes life in prison can feel much like that.
Speaker 1:But then he remembered something. Juan remembered that there was a camera crew that day also that was filming a TV show as a game. It was actually a popular show starring the creator of Seinfeld. His name was Larry David and the show was called Curb your Enthusiasm. Once again, his lawyer dug in and contacted HBO and tried to get every single bit of footage. He tried and guess what? There in the footage was Juan with his six-year-old daughter, clearly seen headed back to their seats after getting concessions. This was not the era of AI. Okay, he was exonerated. It was clear this was his face. And guess what? There was Juan free again, but, but. But.
Speaker 1:The lawyers of the prosecution contended that Juan could have somehow driven in Los Angeles traffic and still done the crime somehow. It was insane. He had been exonerated. Have you ever tried to drive like a block in Los Angeles traffic? Don't do it, especially by that stadium. No, but he had proven to be innocent and almost free. Now, without that footage, he may not even be alive today. But once the court found one not guilty, there was no amount of arguing that could ever be done by his enemies that he had committed this crime. No matter how much someone wanted to say he did it, no matter how much evidence they thought they could dig up about him, there was nothing that could connect him to this crime. So he was free. The lawyer tried to make up new, crazier and crazier ideas of what he had done wrong, but he lost Friends.
Speaker 1:Some of you in the room today have been told all kinds of awful things about you. You are a drug dealer. You are a crip. Only you are a murderer. Only you are only five, nine grams. You are a drug dealer. You are a crip. Only you are a murderer. Only you are only five, nine grams. You are a prostitute. You are an addict, you are a loser.
Speaker 1:Some of you don't need the devil to accuse you either, because you have said it to yourself, but I want to tell you today that, with full confidence, if you have given your life to Jesus, guess what? You are a son of God first and only. All those other things do not describe you. They're just things you've done in the past that are not held against you. You cannot be accused of by God.
Speaker 1:You are a son of God, and we read earlier you, men and women that belong to Jesus, are sons of God, ladies who have given your life to Jesus. You are a son because the Bible says that you will receive the inheritance that a son receives because of Jesus. Man, children of God, no one can say otherwise to you. No one can call you anything else based on your past mistakes, based on the mistakes you make today, based on the mistakes you make tomorrow. If you belong to Jesus, you belong to Jesus, and it says you are a co-heir with Christ, receiving his inheritance. That he would do, and if God is for you, who can be against you? And the answer Nobody, no one. I'm yelling Sorry.
Speaker 1:So today we're actually going to unpack what that actually means, though, and I'm going to give you three points on belonging to God, and my first point is this God made the ultimate sacrifice so our inheritance would be unshakable. God made the ultimate sacrifice so that our inheritance would be unshakable. I think, here in California, we understand unshakable right, because we build buildings that cannot be knocked down by earthquakes, because we have to build them differently so they can handle a shape. We have to build them on a foundation. So verse 31 says what, then, are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will we, how will he not also, with him, grant us everything?
Speaker 1:See, I was once told by a friend that there was a law in Georgia, and I'm kind of sad because I researched it and then I was like man, I can't find that law. I don't know if it's real, but I love the idea behind it. The idea was that you are allowed to disown your children, but if you adopt a child, you are not allowed to disown them in your will. This idea that it's irrevocable, the inheritance. I find that to be quite beautiful. This is a way to protect a child from being treated differently in their hour of need because they've been adopted. But I love this idea behind it. And once you belong to the family of God, it cannot be undone. You can act a fool, you can do stupid things, but you can't lose it.
Speaker 1:The Bible says we are signed and sealed in the Holy Spirit because of that sacrifice that was made on our behalf. And this was only made possible because our God made extreme, extreme sacrifices for us. First, I would say the Father's sacrifice, wouldn't you? Verse 32, god, the Father, did not even spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. That is sacrifice, and he was in a perfect relationship with his son.
Speaker 1:Have you ever had an important relationship in your life, like a really important relationship in your life, severed against your will? Maybe that person just cut you off and ghosted you? You have no idea why it happens to me. Maybe someone you love dearly passed on. You lost them. Someone that you had the most intimate, beautiful connection with is gone. What did that feel like? It felt like something broke in your life. Right, it was so painful, it was so hard. See, here's the thing. That's what it was like for God.
Speaker 1:Of course, the father had a perfect relationship with his son and he was willing for it to be broken down, broken so you would be included in the family cookout, the family inheritance, whatever you want to talk about. So did he love us more than he loved his son? No, no, no, no, god, the Father loved his son more than anything, but he loved us too, and one of us in his family. But not only did the Father, god, love his enemies, jesus, jesus, god the Son. He loved us too and he was willing to sacrifice himself for us, and we know it wasn't easy.
Speaker 1:Before Jesus was captured, he spent his time praying prayers of anguish in his garden called Gethsemane. In that garden, as Jesus prepared to surrender himself to torture and murder, he wept, and it says he prayed, and he wept so painfully, so full of bubble guts, so full of inner torture. That was about to happen. That sweat dripped from his face like blood. What does that even look like? I don't even know, but this is not a sacrifice. That was cheap, was it? This was not like hey, you got a dollar, sure, no, no.
Speaker 1:This was someone forgoing his relationship with the Father in this moment, forgoing his relationship with life in the moment and being willing to carry the sins of the world, the weight of our hatred, the weight of our disgust of other people that don't deserve it. He was willing to carry that. He took that sacrifice, and later he sat there on the cross, bleeding out, suffocating, because he had to lift himself up on the nails every time he wanted to take a breath. This sinless man, who did no wrong, sacrificed himself, sacrificed his relationship with his father, his perfect relationship, and he became our sin, and God, the Father, turned his back on him and all our sin was thrust upon him in that moment. You think death is bad? Imagine that. Was it painful? Yes, was it painful for the Father? Yes, but he loved us that much.
Speaker 1:The beauty, though, of this good news, this gospel, is that it's for me and you, his enemies, and for anyone who might embrace Jesus. And because this gift was so costly, we can have confidence in it, because Jesus, after being murdered, rose again on the third day, showed that he was alive, showed us the scars of his hands, hundreds and hundreds of people, and he was there, present receipts showing that he had conquered sin and death. Man, that is such good news, and that's the reason we can have confidence. The Bible says he transferred us from the kingdom of darkness who's in charge of the kingdom of darkness? The devil right? And he transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. That's good news, friends. See, god gave up everything to adopt his children. So, yes, the father suffered and the son suffered badly. And then it says he did not even spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, with him, grant us everything?
Speaker 1:So if you belong to God, you might want to expect some of the same things that happen to you, that happen to Jesus, though I don't really like to hear that, honestly. The thing is, you shouldn't be surprised, though. When things are hard, you Christian may suffer. The Father didn't even spare his son from suffering, whom he loved. Jesus prayed in the garden. Father, if it be possible, let this cup meaning, this pain, this suffering, this wrath, pass from me Nevertheless, not as I will, but you? He wasn't like pumped about it in some ways, right, like he was a little bit concerned about what was about to happen. And so you too can be stripped naked and murdered for belonging to Jesus. You too can be hated, just like him.
Speaker 1:A lot of times I'll be mad at someone. I'm like you know, we're out here painting things and people get mad at us. I'm like, why are you mad at me for doing something good, you know? And then I remember like well, he did the best stuff and people were always mad at him. So it doesn't necessarily mean that when you do the right thing, people are going to like you for it. But our God is merciful and he took the suffering we deserve. So, yes, god is merciful, though, but he's also just, and the Bible says he will return to exact justice upon those who don't belong to him.
Speaker 1:When you're in prison, everybody has an idea of justice. Right, when you're in jail maybe more prison everybody has an idea of justice, and it's if you did something to kids, like watch out, and if you see somebody who did something to kids, you better do something about it. We have this idea. We want justice, but the thing is we all deserve that justice, like we deserve justice, but Jesus willingly helped us out of that position. We belong to him. But the sad fact is that some will receive justice, but Jesus willingly helped us out of that position if we belonged to him. But the sad fact is that some will receive justice.
Speaker 1:I hate it. I don't want anyone. The Bible says he doesn't want anyone to receive it either. It's that he's patient because he loves us that much, so patient because he doesn't want anyone to perish. That's the beauty of God. But the thing is he is just. We inside of us desire justice. We do. Our society loves justice. But you know what our society also loves they love gentle Jesus.
Speaker 1:Jesus with the long, beautiful hair, no split ends, that's the Jesus we love Like. He talks really softly. He only tells you what you want to hear. Oh, you, you, you. He tells us seek your truth, baby, you know, I'm sorry, I don't mean well, I didn't say baby. And he forgives us Even if we don't repent. That Jesus, with the perfect care, forgives us Because it must not be very costly.
Speaker 1:But the problem is that he also loves justice as much as he loves mercy and grace. And he took justice upon himself so we wouldn't have to have it. But for those of us who sit on the outside and say, man, I don't want anything to do with you, guess what that justice is coming for us? He's like let me take it for you, let me have that justice for you, but it's going to like you still have to pay the bill. Someone has to pay the bill and Jesus is like I want to pay it. But some of us, we sit on the sidelines and say, nah, I'm good. You know, I help old ladies across the street. I gave a dollar to that guy in front of Costco, so I'm good. And he's like no, no, no, no, you deserve more justice and the justice will be poured out.
Speaker 1:It says when robe dipped in blood. Says he'll have a sword in his mouth to slay the wicked. Says he has a tattoo on his thigh that says King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Like he's not coming to play at that point, but he's still full of grace, he's full of justice and he's full of grace and he'll take the justice on himself. But not if we don't ask him for it, not if we don't commit it to him, not if we don't commit it to him, not if we don't confess our sins to him, lay our lives down to him and say I want what you want, gentle Jesus. There is no such thing as only gentle Jesus can't do that. He can't let somebody off the hook, just like some of the people who've been in prison know. We've got to do something about this guy.
Speaker 1:God still wants to change us for our good and his glory. He still wants us to be conformed to the image of his son. But a lot of times, you know, we got signs looking out there that say sinners, welcome, come just as you are. But, guys, we need to remind you that he wants us to change because he loves us. But once we belong to him, we still sometimes feel like we can lose his love. We're talking about confidence today and I just tell you I've talked to so many of you that maybe I never really gave my life to Jesus. Maybe I really didn't. There's so many of you that are always worried about that and I just want to say believers, screw up. Believers are dumb, like me. You cannot lose his love, friends. You cannot lose his love. You cannot lose his love, friends. You cannot lose his love. You cannot lose his forgiveness once you are a part of his family. And this brings us to our second point. When you truly belong to Jesus, no one can say boo against you. When you truly belong to Jesus, no one can say boo against you Now, I realize that's kind of silly to you, but guess what? You'll probably remember this point when you truly belong to Jesus, no one can say boo against you.
Speaker 1:Verse 33 in Romans, chapter 8. Who can bring an accusation against God's elect? Now, god's elect means God's chosen people. Now remember justification. He says God is the one who justifies. Next, you have to remember you're in a courtroom. The judge has read aloud all of your sins against God and the judge is going to read the verdict. But instead Jesus says he took on our punishment, made us clean in the eyes of the court, and so we are justified in the eyes of God. Are we perfect? No, but he views us that way. Now Congolese pastor Dr David Casale says Satan and our consciences still try to accuse us of being unworthy of salvation because we have sin in our lives. But God has passed his verdict and that verdict is that we are justified.
Speaker 1:Once the judge has spoken, the case is closed. All accusations against the believers are dismissed. The judge says we are not guilty. Even crazier. You know who the judge is Jesus For real. John 5 know who the judge is? Jesus For real. John 5 tells us that Jesus is the judge Meaning like he's up there like banging his gavel and then he goes down and he's like I'll take it on you, it's kind of wild right. Then he goes back up. I guess not guilty.
Speaker 1:Judge says we are not guilty and then it says in verse 34, who is the one who condemns Christ? Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised. He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. So not only does Jesus not condemn his brothers, that's us. He intercedes for us. You remember hearing about interceding, the idea of kind of like stepping in front of something for someone. If you remember from last week, it said the Holy Spirit, that's God who lives in us, intercedes and pleads on our behalf. So here's the cool thing God, the Spirit, prays on our behalf and now we hear that Jesus, the Son, is pleading on our behalf in heaven, sitting on the throne.
Speaker 1:How love should that make us feel? How confident should that make you feel? Like, if God is for you, who can be against you? Now I know some of you guys are like only God can judge me. I'm going to go out, I'm going to go do crazy, terrible things with no desire to follow God and I just let you know he will judge you for that. You better watch out. You've got to belong to him For real. You have to commit to him For real. You have to commit to him. You have to try to follow him. If you're not even trying, and you've never been trying, well that's a problem. But going on to verse 35. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution, or famine or nakedness, danger or sore, as it is written, because of you we are being put to death all day long. We are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
Speaker 1:Guys, I have no doubt that this new Paul is speaking from experience. He had been whipped. He got the 40 minus 1. Does anyone know what that is? Probably some of you might remember by now. But the 40 minus 1 of the lashes meant that they believed that if you got 40 lashes it might kill you. So they would always give you one fewer lash. I'm not talking about the eyelashes, I'm talking about lashes from a whip. He had been whipped, he had been shipwrecked, he had been bitten by poisonous snakes. He had been thrown in jail. He had been starving. He had been taken for dead, stoned to death with rocks that had been thrown at him. But these things only caused Paul to cling to Christ.
Speaker 1:So when you hear an untrue accusation against you, remember you can be confident in Christ, don't worry about anyone who's accusing you. And even when it is a true accusation, when someone brings an accusation against you, that is true. If you belong to Jesus, if you seek Jesus, if you repent, guess what? That cannot spoil your relationship with God. So let me say this when people bring fake stuff against you, they can't touch your relationship with God. When people bring real accusations against you and you belong to God, they can't touch your relationship with God.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing the devil, his name's Satan. It means adversary or accuser, accuser. So we're talking about accusations here. Who can bring an accusation against me? Now I'm going to read to you the words of Martin Luther from 1530. I don't love everything about Martin Luther, especially his anti-Semitism, but sometimes God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. So I'd like to read you something beautiful that he wrote. It really encourages me. Let's work. He says that he wrote. It really encourages me. He says when the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell. We ought to speak thus I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I should be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means, for I know one who suffered and made a satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is there, I shall be also man. Tell me, those words aren't impactful to you. When you receive an accusation, you can look the devil square in the eyes and say, uh-uh, not today, sorry Guys. If youuh not today, sorry Guys.
Speaker 1:If you can earn your salvation though it would be so easy to unearn it If you have done anything to get the salvation that you have right now anything, then you could probably lose it. You've done nothing. You've done nothing. You did none of the work. It was all Him. So you don't have to worry that. You have enough power to unhack it. That is solid. The foundation of Christ is solid. If you could have built it yourself, then you wouldn't have needed Jesus, but instead he died for you because you couldn't do it. So guess what. It's not going to be easy and you probably just cannot lose it. What. It's not going to be easy and you probably just cannot lose it, I'm going to say you can't. Okay, because everything in scripture tells us that you can't lose it that way. Guys, if you could earn salvation, it would be easy to unearn it, but you can't. You can't save yourself. Jesus had to do it and you can't easily lose it.
Speaker 1:Now, seeing as an accuser had very little power, he's still going to use tricks on you. You have to understand this. The devil is going to always want to use tricks on you. He's going to want to divide us. He's going to want to separate us. He's going to want to hurt you. He's going to want to put you in a corner because he wants you to think he has power over you. That's his game, you guys. He's had thousands of years of practice and he wants to sit you in the corner and make you think he controls you. He cannot control you, friends. He just has had thousands of years of practice.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to tell you one time I went over to a friend's house and this is probably like six, seven years ago now and I tried on the virtual reality helmets. Has anybody ever put those on before? The virtual reality, yeah, you're like yeah, old guy, chill out. So all the young people in the room just went. Yeah, of course, but I went over, I put on the virtual reality and they're like cool, you're just going to walk through this dark house. And I was like, oh, cool, sounds fun.
Speaker 1:Now, you know, nothing in the virtual reality could hurt me Right Now. You know nothing in the virtual reality could hurt me, right, nothing. But you would not believe how much something fake like that could get me. I'm like walking through this dark room and you know, I just get into this place where it's like some kind of like abandoned, like daycare center, uh-uh, no, no. And you know, I've got all my friends around me and I don't. I don't even feel like they're there anymore, I just feel alone. And there's this like thing in the corner, since there's kids. I'm not going to say what it is, but I was like nope, nope, nope, taking it off, like I kind of like maybe hit some people first. I don't know, I can either confirm or deny that. Um, but it's so funny. Nothing there could hurt me and yet I allowed myself to be hurt by it. I allowed myself to actually punch the people around me because I didn't want that thing to get to me from the ring, guys. It had no power over me, but I allowed myself to give it power, and then sometimes you can just take the lens off and say, no, we're done.
Speaker 1:The devil is trying to do that to you, friends. The devil is trying to do that to you. He's trying to tell you that he has power over you. He does not. You belong to Jesus. Who can bring any accusation against you? Nobody, you belong to Jesus. Now, if you do not watch out because he has that power over you, he can accuse you again and again, and he's going to be right.
Speaker 1:Can movies affect you? Only if you let them. They cannot physically touch you. Can VR physically touch you? It shouldn't. It's weird if it does, guys, these things are fake. They cannot touch you. That is how the devil works. In the same way, he wants you to think he has power over you. He wants to separate you from people. He wants you trying to punch everybody around you rather than punching him in the nose. That's the way he works. See, god gave up everything to adopt his children Everything. And now the devil has no say on God's kids. The world has no say on God's kids. Sin has no power over God's kids. Anymore. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Speaker 1:Now, there was an African bishop named Athanasius. His nickname was actually the Black War. He was likely born in the 200s. Many of our ideas of the Trinity come from Athanasius. Actually, there were a lot of people who came at Athanasius over. This idea of the Trinity and all the Orthodox theology that we actually subscribe to today came directly from Africa.
Speaker 1:By the way, this man stood up for the Bible on countless occasions and guess what? Everybody hated him for it. They hated him for it. And you know what his tombstone reads? Do you know what Athanasius' tombstone reads? It says Athanasius contra mundum. It means Athanasius against the world. And then deis pro nobis, but God was for you, but God was for you. Take the world, but give me Jesus. So we understand. God did everything to give us security and nobody can speak against the salvation we have if we truly commit ourselves to God. But we have one final point. Final point is this we are not only secure in Jesus, we are strong. We are not only secure in Jesus, we are strong.
Speaker 1:Verse 37. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors. Through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord man. That is such good news. So if we are more than conquerors and God loves us, does this mean we won't have to go through all the awful things just listed? Guess why they were listed? Because we're going to have to go through some of them. All the Christians of the world will deal with some of these. So why does he say we are more than conquerors then?
Speaker 1:Well, this verse is really taking on the context. A lot, a lot, and then people think that they're doing something wrong. But life gets hard, like God must not have made me a conqueror because there's bad things happening in my life. God must have not made me a Christian because bad things are happening to me, which you know. Once again, I'm like. Bad things happen to Jesus, by the way.
Speaker 1:But Paul lists these hardships because many of us are going to have to endure them, many of us. But he is saying we will not be overcome by them, we will not be destroyed by them. It can't take our faith, no matter what they take from me. They can't take away my security in God, because Jesus holds the key to our salvation and nothing and no one can snatch us from his hand. Christian, feel that security of God and operate on it. So, yes, we are more than conquerors, but some of you are walking with God and you're going to lose your job. Some of you are going to get cancer. Some of you are going to lose a loved one, but that cannot separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1:All the world, be really careful around anyone who says this is going to be your season. You are more than a conqueror. Just watch out. When they say you are going to get a raise, a new house, god told me You're going to get a blessing and a car, especially when they don't share it with you. They share it with all of Facebook. I'm like, well, who is this one for? Guys, that's not the Bible. You know what that is. That's a fortune cookie. That's not the Bible. That's a fortune cookie. What does that even mean? Guys, it might be your season, yes, but it also might be your season of suffering. It might be your season to suffer well and find joy in the midst of your sorrow. It might be your season to proclaim God is good above your grief and your sorrow. This might be what your season looks like Now.
Speaker 1:The poly pastor, dr Ramesh Patri. He once said God has not promised to give us what we want, but he will give those who have turned to Jesus in faith what they need to progress, to becoming like Jesus. I don't want to be like Jesus. I don't want to be like Jesus. I don't want to be crucified. But God is making me more and more like his son, I hope by the power of his spirit. Even though I'm messed up sometimes, even though I'm going to mess up again, he's changing me. Friends, your weakness is your strength. Your situation and struggle might be your strength, because guess what God works in the weakness, doesn't he? When you're doing something for God in a weakness, then we know it's not you, it's God.
Speaker 1:Philippians 4.11 says I don't say this out of need, but I've learned to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself. I know how to make do with little. I know how to make do with a lot In any and all circumstances. I have learned the secret of being content whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or need, I am able to do all things through him, who strengthens me.
Speaker 1:Once again, you see a text that is used the wrong way. He's saying I am willing to suffer. I am able to suffer because God will rise above that. The joy of the Lord will work through it, even when I'm mad and angry and hurt and so full of grief and suffering. Church, we can handle anything when we have Jesus, we are more than conquerors. In Jesus, we can always trust that we are family and we're always invited to the cookout In Jesus. In Jesus, we know that if we truly belong to him, even when we are screw-ups, the devil can't say anything about our salvation. In Jesus, we can handle hardship and be secure and have joy, abundant joy, in our suffering. So I'll close with this City Life Church. God gave up everything, everything to adopt his children, and now the devil has no say on God's kids. The world has no say on God's kids, sin has no power over God's kids and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Speaker 1:Let's pray, father. We come before you with confidence and some of it's not confidence. So would you fill out that weakness? Would you give us the confidence that we need, god? We know some people are hungover right now. We know some people are struggling right now and yet we know, at least in our brains, that you love us, god. We pray that you would help us to feel that in our hearts In this moment. We bring to you our confessions of our sin and we silently bring them to you right now. Please accept them.
Speaker 1:Father, we thank you that when you look upon us, you see the righteousness of your son Jesus, that as far as the east is from the west, so are sinners from your side.
Speaker 1:Father, we thank you that when you look upon us, you see the righteousness of your son Jesus that as far as the east is from the west, so are sinners from your side.
Speaker 1:God, where we have confidence, we pray that you would help us to humbly have confidence when we have no confidence. Would you give us that confidence? And, god, when the devil is trying to accuse us, when the devil is trying to separate us, when we might strike out at the people around us, when he has no power over us, would you give us the understanding of what it truly means to belong to you. Would you give us the understanding that we do belong to you and that you love us and that you go before us and you make a way that you have adopted us into your family? The devil has no say, god, the world has no say, our accusations on ourselves have no say and sin has no power. Because of you, because of the gift of your son, and so we thank you, we bless your name and we are blessed to be in your presence today. We love you and pray this, all in Jesus' holy name, and all God's people said Amen.