If you have your Bibles, you'd like to open it up to Romans 8. That's where we'll be this morning. We've been in Romans 8 for quite some time now. Today we will be officially finishing up this wonderful chapter of God's letter to the church in Rome. If you need a Bible, make sure you raise your hand. Our ushers would be happy to bring Bible to your seat so that you have the Word of God there open before you. We can all be on the same page as we study together and enjoy the benefits of God's Holy Word. It is humbling to take an honest look at the state of Christianity throughout the world today. Were we to do so, if we were to examine the Church in its broad stretches throughout the earth, we would have to admit that many of the exact things that the Apostle Paul has been hoping to guard us from in chapter 8 of Romans, by and large, are what many, a great many churches today are actually suffering from, particularly in the West. What has Paul worked so hard to guard us from becoming in chapter 8 of Rome? He's guarded us from becoming timid Christians, from becoming fearful Christians, Christians who can see their need for faith in Jesus, but have spent so much time thinking about those who are against them, and so little time thinking about the one who is for them, that they've largely shrunk back. They've neglected their responsibility to engage with the lost world around them using the message of hope and transformation that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather than boldly proclaiming that the power of sin is no match for the relentless love of Jesus, many Christians choose instead to stay quiet, keeping their views to themselves, opting out of the important conversations that need to be had with people who are pointed in the wrong direction and remain without hope trapped in their sin. Perhaps they stay silent because they think other more articulate Christians will speak up. Or perhaps they stay silent because they are actually not all that confident that they themselves stand redeemed. Justified beyond a shadow of a doubt because of what Jesus has done for them. Christians who do not experience the living hope of knowing that their justification is entirely the work of God himself. and is not hinging on their personal ability to be faithful and uphold the law of God, find themselves wondering where they stand before God. They know their sin, even if others do not see it like they do, and because they are placing their confidence at least in part on their own ability to exercise faithfulness, they must contend with the fact that their obedience doesn't look as spotless and consistent as the obedience of their Savior. And there are many things that have played into this widespread timidity in our land, not the least of which is the sad truth that too many of our brothers and sisters have a paper-thin theology. Such a vague grasp of the doctrine of salvation in particular, such a minimal view of God's sovereignty, that the very solid truths that should fortify them and should embolden them remain largely a mystery to them. So there's no surprise then that the church is not as bold as it needs to be. The church is often timid where it should be forceful and confident. But I don't come to knock on the church this morning, for there is hope for the church. All of that can change. All of this timidity and this passiveness in the church can change when we put our eye upon the word of God and see the fruit of being refined by his holy truth. Those who have put too much of their hope in failing things can come to realize that their life can and must be built on a firmer foundation. Those who have not yet come to see the invincible quality of God's mighty love can be awakened to it and can exchange their weakness and fear for courage and reinvigorated faith. And so in this final section of chapter 8, Paul has worked to put a capstone on the encouragements that fill this chapter from top to bottom. And he's structured this conclusion around four questions that ask who. The first, verse 31, who can be against us? Is there any enemy in the world that should cause us to tremble? Any opponent who might threaten the gift of grace that we have received from God? The second question, verse 33, who will bring a charge against us? A charge that might change the mind of the judge? God has decided to love His people, but is there a serious enough charge that might be brought against the Christian that could make God stop and shake His head and change His mind about loving His elect? Apostle Paul says there is not. In verse 34 he says, Who is it that might condemn us? We've been assured that we are righteous now, that we've been separated from our debt, but could there be someone who could reverse that ruling? Someone who could build a case against us? Is there someone who could find a way to make us guilty again? And now one final question framed by this idea of who is out there. Really, it's the heart of the first three questions. Verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who shall separate us? Let us see how the apostle brings to a final conclusion all of this speculation that might threaten our peace and our assurance. I will begin by reading the passage and then we'll pray over the reading of God's Word and the teaching of God's Word and then we'll look at it in its parts and its pieces. Starting in verse 35 of chapter 8 in Romans. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword As it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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. Let us bow our heads and ask God's blessing over the teaching of His Scripture. Almighty God, You are our professor. Teach us, Lord God. You are our Father. Build us up as Your children. You are our Redeemer, Lord God. So remind us through this passage of Scripture how secure we are because our salvation is not built on something that we have done or might do in the future. but it is built on you, the mighty one, the unshakable one, the one who never changes, the one who keeps every promise. May you fortify and strengthen our hearts, Lord God, and may we understand exactly why you put these words on paper before us so that the saints throughout all the ages can go back to this passage and be reminded of how secure your love for us actually is. We love you and thank you for all that you do in Christ's name. Amen. Let's start with a basic breakdown of this passage, verses 35 through 39. Paul begins by presenting to us a long list of things that might threaten our loving bond with God. He delivers that list to us, actually, in two parts. Verse 35, we see the first part of the list. Paul lays out for us seven set of circumstances that might challenge a Christian's belief that God really loves him. We see a second portion of this list in verses 38-39 where Paul adds 10 more threatening permutations for his reader to consider. This list is split into two parts because Paul interrupts the list with two additional bits of information. First, he gives us a quotation from Psalm 44. The theme of which is going to prove to be very important to our understanding of this section here in Romans chapter 8. And then he gives us a bold assertion that rather than being conquered by these challenges and these circumstances, we are actually more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Paul gives us the second half of the list and then he concludes chapter eight with a final declaration that nothing will be able to separate us from the love that provides our strength and victory in Christ. So our final question of who, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? That is what it all should really boil down to, saints. Our desire to remain in the love of Christ, that should be of utmost importance to each one of us who call upon the name of God's Son. How important is the love of God in Christ to you, Christian? Is that the one thing that you know you cannot afford to lose in your life? Is that the one thing that would turn your world upside down if there was something found that could put that into jeopardy? Is the love of God for you a sinner, such a sweet and priceless jewel, that were you to lose it, you know in your heart of hearts there would be no hope for you to regain it, that there's nothing you could have done to get it in the first place. And so the possession of this love is of utmost importance to you. There will always be those who draw near to God for reasons other than His love or for reasons in addition to His love. Some want to be out of the trouble that their sin has caused them. There is perhaps an addiction in their life that they can't seem to kick, and so they turn to Jesus because they need an ally in that fight. They want to be free from their shameful urges, and they see God as that higher power that might get them that last little bit of the way. So some seek God because they see that He is mighty, and maybe He can set them free from their sin. Others seek to be a part of God's church because they want to be on the winning side. Sin has proven destructive. They can see that consequences of sin are divisive and devastating, and they've seen enough to know that the Christian church aligns itself with God in this battle of good versus evil. They don't want to end up on the wrong side of that equation, and so they draw near to God so that they can avoid an eventual fiery judgment. Some simply want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, something that has meaning, something that lasts, something that unifies. And the church is perhaps the one thing they can gain access to. It seems to be open to anyone, to all kinds of people, even people like them. And so they grab a hold of the church and they dive in with both feet. And none of those are bad things, right? All of us have considered things like this in our ongoing commitment to approach this life through the Christian worldview. But each one of them is really about something secondary. It's about a secondary feature of what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple. Eventually, God needs to take us to the true heart of the matter. For the sincere Christian, the love of God granted to you through the work of Jesus Christ is the pinnacle of the salvation that he gives to you. God cannot give you something greater than his love. And if you're a Christian, you've come to know that. To have been a fool, a wicked person, a rebel, a stubborn thorn in the side of justice, but to have had God take a hold of you and raise you up from that lowly station. To put you into His own flawless company and at no small price to Himself. All the side benefits of knowing God by faith, whether it be victory over some particular sin, or becoming a part of the community of faith along with other believers, having the direction of knowing what life is really all about and where the world is headed, all of those things are important things, but all of them really must flow from this breathtaking reality that the God who has every right to cast you away into outer darkness, has elected instead to give you exactly the thing that you in no way deserve to receive. He has given you his priceless, covenantal love. Have you ever just sat back and thought about the words of Charles Wesley's hymn? We sing it from time to time here at First Family Church. Let me read these words to you. Charles Wesley wrote, and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood? That question of contemplation, can it actually be that I would gain an interest in the Savior's blood? Died He for me who caused His pain? For me who Him to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me? What would cause Jesus to suffer the shame and the pain that He did on our behalf? What would drive Him to endure the cross, the ugliness of it? What would make Him endure the Father's wrath for sinners on our behalf? Nothing short of divine, graceful love would do that. And so what Paul is asking here is, is there anyone who could separate us from the efficacy of Jesus's sacrificial love, from the power of his saving love? It is interesting that Paul immediately considers some potential threats, and none of them are a who. They are all what's to begin with. They are all circumstances that tend to do damage to our faith, and which have the potential to make us doubt that God's love has truly become our prize. Verse 35 says, could tribulation do it? Could distress or persecution, could famine or nakedness, danger or sword? seven sets of circumstances, each of which has the potential to discourage our faith and to make us disbelieve that God has a love for his people. Think of that. If you were to go through some of those things, just listen in verse 35, if you were to become poverty-stricken to the point where you didn't even have clothes to put on your back, if you were in danger of losing your life from those who threatened you, if you were in great distress, if there was constant persecution, Could you see your heart becoming discouraged? Could you see yourself wondering if God really does love you since he's allowing you to go through these things? These sets of circumstances have the potential to occupy our thoughts so fully and to fill us with concern that we become consumed with all that is temporary to such an extent that the permanent things of life, the eternal things that God has blessed us with, stop having that anchoring effect that they are intended to have upon our souls. These styles of circumstances and these seven are not all there are in the world. There are others that could be added to this list. They can produce a fear in us that would make us timid. That would cause us to act as though true discipleship is too risky. Could make us be cautious Christians, quiet Christians, disengaged Christians. And as we think about the circumstances that populate that first portion of the list, we cannot help but notice that the Apostle Paul is likely here recounting from his own personal experience, cataloging some of the greatest threats that he has had to deal with in his service to the Kingdom of Heaven. Maybe you remember reading from Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 11, chapter 23 through 29. Listen to what he wrote there. He's speaking of others who have criticized him. He says, are they servants of Christ? I am a better one, and I'm talking like a madman with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. He's telling us what he's gone through for the gospel. Verse 24, five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was adrift in the sea on frequent journeys in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers. in toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst often without food, in cold and exposure. And apart from other things, there is this daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall and I am not indignant? You see, Paul is not just speaking about an article that he read once. He's telling you what Christians may have to endure because he as a Christian, as one beloved of Christ, has had to endure those things himself. And so he knows the pain that Christians have to go through. He can relate to the anxiety it brings upon them when life grants them circumstances that are contrary to them, that are dangerous and that seem to drag on and on and on. While most of these challenges are challenges that you and I will never really have to contend with, there are Christians throughout the world today who could read this list and could absolutely relate and could say, yes, as a Christian, I've gone through those things. Will these kinds of circumstances threaten to separate us from God's love in Christ? Paul provides a quote here then from Psalm 44, and it's not exactly the quote that you would expect if Paul's goal in chapter 8 of Romans is to edify us and to strengthen us. He writes, quoting from Psalm 44 as it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. I mean, he could have chosen any number of quotes from the Psalms that declare God's great love for us or that shows that the righteous will triumph over the wicked. But he quotes this. Why? A quotation like that makes it almost seem as though Christians are the ones being conquered. But I believe that Paul's use of Psalm 44 is very strategic here. going far beyond the one line that he quotes, which is Psalm 44 verse 22. And so go ahead, if you've got your Bibles and you want to open them up, turn to Psalm 44 right now. This Psalm is a cry of distress in a time of great challenge for Israel, but it begins with a reflection. The psalmist looks back to the legendary works that God has done to redeem Israel from tribulation in times past. And so reading the first three verses of this psalm, which is a psalm of the sons of Korah. It says, O God, we have heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us what deeds you have performed in their days, in the days of old. You with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted. Stop there. There is... There is no shortage of evidence that God has the power to set free, that God has the power to meet even the greatest needs that His people might develop. Yahweh has a proven track record, in fact, of showing up in amazing ways to make sure that His people will not be utterly destroyed. to make sure that they will not be forgotten, but that they will indeed fulfill the purposes for which He has ordained them. And yet in Psalm 44, after acknowledging the hand of God in generations past, the question becomes, well then why God? Are you not showing up for us now? Though you have saved your people in the past, why are we on the brink of utter destruction today, with no sign that you are in the process of delivering us from the peril that seems moments away from us? And so in verse 22 of Psalm 44, we read, Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself, do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly clings to the ground. Rise up, come to our help, redeem us, notice why, for the sake of your steadfast love. when a Christian is forced to endure the kinds of difficulties that we see listed in Romans 8, verse 35. It is understandable if they begin to feel the same kinds of bewilderment that the psalmist feels in the example that we just read. Especially considering the fact that God has declared his steadfast love to the nations. And yet a reference to Psalm 44 sends us a very important message, friends. When we read of the suffering of those saints, and when we think and reflect upon Paul's suffering as an apostle of the church, we should recognize that suffering should not be seen as a strange thing to a person who has experienced the love of God. When we feel like we are suffering perhaps more than we should, it is wise to remember that suffering, and sometimes suffering to an incredible degree, should be well within the realm of our expectations of what God might allow the church to experience. Remember the words of the Apostle Peter in chapter four of his first letter, when he writes, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes to you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. So church, suffering is no reason to think that you have somehow been separated from the love of God. Those who are loved well by the love of God experience suffering as part of his designs for the church. Of course, the greatest example that we consider would be Jesus Christ himself. Did God the Father cease to love God the Son when He sent Him to the cross? Absolutely not. The farthest thing from that. And yet no one has had to suffer in quite the way that Jesus did. God sent the Son to suffer. And He sent Him not as a judgment, not as an indictment on Christ, but He sent Him to show the victory of His mighty eternal love and to show it in a tangible way, a way that would redeem a people for Himself. We are more than conquerors, church. And a conqueror is not someone who is able to avoid every battle. A conqueror is not one who never has to taste the difficulty of warfare that actually exempts you from being a conqueror. A conqueror is one who marches right into the danger of the battlefield, knowing that he will come out the other side victorious, confident that the one who sent him in will sustain him through it. When we think about this phrase, more than conquers, it's actually one word in the original Greek language. Hoopernikomen. Hoopernikomen, which is a compound of several words built into one word. It's from hooper, meaning over or beyond, and nikau, which means to conquer or to overcome. And so to be an overcomer, to be one who is more than a conqueror, means to triumph in an utterly decisive and thorough fashion. And how do we do that, church? How do we do more than simply emerging victorious? We do so by exhibiting contentment and joy despite the fact that we may be exposed to great physical discomfort, despite the fact that we might lack the earthly comforts within the scope of the victory that we are winning. We show more than the ability to conquer by having joy even in the midst of our suffering. The presence of struggle does not indicate that God has abandoned us, church. It is simply the arena within which God demonstrates to us that His mighty love is all that we need. And it will certainly hold us fast. And more than that, will cause us to rise above even the unfathomable hardship and difficulty that is sometimes present in this life. The apostle says, remember, that in all these things we are more than conquerors. It doesn't say that after all these things we are more than conquerors. You are a conqueror now. As you stand firm in your faith, and even as you in your weakness waver in your faith, and God carries you through, you are more than a conqueror. Because Christ has already written the ending of the story that he is causing you to live out before him. The removal of all suffering is not the condition that must be met in order for us to confidently say that the love of God belongs to us. In the midst of all kinds of suffering, we can count ourselves as more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Now returning for a moment to Psalm 44. As is often the case in the Psalms, we get an unfiltered and honest mixture of both great confidence in God and at the same time moments of very real and honest weakness and even insecurity from the pen of the psalmist. Despite his concerns and fears, he's able to communicate in verses 4 through 8 a very mature understanding of the fact that when the people of God manage to overcome in any given situation, it is not because of their own strength. Rather, it is because of the strength that God is working in and through them. Look for just a moment at verses 4-8 of Psalm 44. The psalmist writes, You are my King, O God. Ordain salvation for Jacob. Through You we push down our foes. Though through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah. Here is where our confidence comes from, Christian. Not that there is some great power of our own that we can draw from, Not that we have anything in and of ourselves that we might boast about or rest in. Our confidence is founded on the fact that even when we may feel weak and inadequate, even when we might be powerless to change the circumstances of our own hardship and suffering, we know that a greater power is at work right now, not only around us, but within us, to strengthen us, and to fortify us, and to produce in us, even in our faithful suffering, a demonstration of God's ability to overcome every circumstance, any condition, and every foe. Paul does not try to ignore the difficult plight that many believers will inevitably be faced with. Instead, he hits it head on. His encouragement is not an optimistic promise that the faithful Christian won't suffer. Rather, in some ways, it's a promise that we will. It is a bold declaration that despite the suffering that God's elect will encounter, the advantage is still ours, for God is for us. Remember what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1.12. He says, But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He, that He is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Do you know that He is able, church? When you look in the mirror and you say, I don't think I can do this, look beyond yourself and say, but I know the Lord can. I know that Christ can overcome, and I know that He is sustaining me, even through these tears, even as I tremble, He is mighty and good. A conqueror is not a conqueror unless they experience victory. And what is victory for us, church? That God would be glorified and that we would remain bound to Him in love. That is the victory. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. And so the victory is knowing that we are firmly in His grip. that we are beloved of the Almighty God who is pure and righteous himself and has granted to us a righteousness that we did not earn. Brothers and sisters, we need to adapt this kind of strong language in the way that we talk about the victories that we enjoy in life, that when something grand happens to us, that we're able to testify right off the top of our heads that the good love of God has been working in my life. Praise God, for I can see that where I would have been foolish, He gave me wisdom. He put my feet on stable places. Even though I would have wandered without Him, He made me go where I would have needed to go. Praise be to the great name of God, that despite my weakness, and despite the fact that I don't deserve it, here I stand, sustained by God, thankful to Him because of the power that He is working in my life and through me. That's the kind of ways we need to rejoice in the blessings that God has given to us. It's not a proud boast in ourselves, instead it is a boast in the wonderful God that we come to serve and worship and praise. What are we to think of ourselves as conquering in this life? Are we to think of ourselves as conquering the devil? Or to think of ourselves as conquering the culture? Or to think of ourselves as conquering the atheists of the world? We often think of the spiritual war in terms of the gospel overcoming sinners in an evangelistic sense. But in this context, Paul is more likely thinking of a victory of a more personal nature. We are conquering doubt. We are conquering the difficult circumstances that God would have us walk through. We are conquering the temptation to fall back into the sin that used to define us. in part due to our inability to see God's love persevering in us in the midst of pain. We are persevering over that. We're conquering over our potential weakness. Remember when we spoke in the beginning of our sermon today about how the church is not as strong as it could be, and yet the victory that God wins in us, when we look at the Word and the promises of the Word, and we begin to live like we believe these things, So we begin to see that definition of what the church has changed. We begin to see a church that desires good doctrine, that wants to know firmly about this God in whom they believe. A church that remembers the history of God working in and through His people, and how God has never been stifled or kept from His will. We can be a church that is mighty in faith, the church, if we look to the Word of God and recognize the promises that He has laid out for us are good promises, and they are promises that He will surely keep. Though Paul has already listed many circumstances that might present trouble to the believer, in verses 38 through 39, he adds 10 more things for us to consider. He says, might death or life or angels or rulers Present things, or things to come, might powers, or heights, or depths, or any other created thing, may any of these things separate us from the love of God, and His answer is a very firm answer. Absolutely none of them can threaten us like that. In this second part of the list, Paul finally does include some who's, doesn't he? He's been talking about what's, even though the question was who can separate us. And here he speaks about angels. And just to clarify, that almost certainly refers to fallen angels, demonic forces. There is spiritual warfare that goes on in life, though we cannot see it, though we can't always articulate what's going on around us, we know that there are forces in heavenly places. Now that may be what he's speaking about when he speaks of rulers. We might think of rulers opposing the church as governmental rulers who would press in against our God-given freedoms or would try to keep us from exercising our faith the way that we have been called to exercise it. But perhaps that reference to rulers has in mind what Ephesians 6.12 has in mind. where the Apostle Paul writes, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. See, God is ready to protect us against even the things that we cannot see, even the things that we can't tangibly know we are battling against, but we know because the Scripture reveals it to us. God is defending us in those realms. And he's defending us in this present evil age as well. He's defending us from heartache and from despair, from hopelessness and faithlessness. There is a poetic build in the way that Paul lists off these potential foes. He is so determined to leave us with a complete sense of confidence that there is no circumstance too dire for our God to hold us fast through. that Paul leaves no stone unturned. There's absolutely nothing that can separate us from God's love except the one who is holding us in his love. Who could cast us away? Is not God the only one who has the authority to cast us away forever? Who could separate us from the love of God? It is a love freely given and not a love earned. So therefore nothing can threaten to separate us from God's love unless God Himself chooses to stop loving us. And the nature of His love is such that He will never do that. It is enduring. It is a steadfast and committed love. It is a love not easily swayed by our failures and missteps because it was not based on our performance to begin with. The love that we should cherish is a love that God chose to give apart from any merit on our behalf. And for that reason, we rejoice, church. We rejoice. The one who has the right and the authority to be against us is God. He is the keeper of justice. And had he not satisfied justice by paying the penalty for our sin, then we would have every reason to fear because the debt would still crush us today. But he doesn't do that, does he? I'm reminded of John chapter eight, where some Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus in a conundrum. And so they drag before him a woman and they say, we have caught this woman in adultery in the very act. And you can see where their heart lies. Their heart is not for this woman to be redeemed, bless you, and for the sin that she has committed to be forgiven, for her relationship to be repaired. They simply want to put Jesus on the hot seat and make a decision that's going to put him at odds with some of the people. And yet we know from reading that passage in John 8 that Jesus stood up and said to the woman, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? And she said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. Go from now on and sin no more. You see, he had looked at those accusers and he had said, he who is among you who is without sin, cast the first stone. And the great irony of that is that Jesus was the only one standing there who was without sin. He was the only one that could have picked up a stone and cast it at that woman. And yet all her accusers, realizing that they had sin in their life that they needed God to overcome, turned in shame and left. And God looks to this woman and says, where are your accusers? There's no one who's picked up a stone against you. Neither do I. Go and sin no more. God is the only one who has the power to separate us from the love of God. and he never will, church. His love is a steadfast and enduring love. Thanks be to God, grace has been poured out onto us in great measure. The one that we would fear is now our very advocate. We only need to fear if our hope is not in Christ. And if our hope is in him, then it is to him that our minds must return whenever we're faced with what appears to be insurmountable odds and suffering. Remember the admonition of Hebrews 2 verses 1 through 3. Remain uncompromised, church, in your understanding that it is Christ who saves and it is Christ who preserves us as well. And with that, this section that Paul really began at the beginning of Romans chapter 5, verse 1, comes to a grand conclusion. Think back for a moment on what Paul wrote there in chapter 5, verse 1. He said, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. The work of Jesus Christ has granted us pardon for our sin. By that, we have gained access into the covenant of grace that defines our lives now. By the justification that Jesus earned for us at the cross, the wrath of God has been entirely satisfied, and we now get to experience peace with God, knowing that He loves us and has drawn us near to Him. We used to be at war with Him, but now we are His own adopted sons and daughters. Knowing that God is fully in control of this process, we don't even have to worry about the hardship and the suffering that may come upon us in life. There is no need to interpret those things as God rejecting us, for we know that God has already declared His enduring love for us. Rather, we can have great confidence that He uses every circumstance to build more appreciation in us for the gift of grace that remains thanks to His sovereign hand. And so Paul concludes the eighth chapter. leaving the believer in a solid state of assurance, having built a hearty affirmation of the doctrine of justification, and having shown how each person of the Trinity contributes to the sense of peace that we have, knowing that our salvation is a free gift from God that has come to us according to His will and His power, and which we can be certain will remain with us by that same unwavering power. Chapter nine is going to mark a change in direction. He's going to embark on a new train of thought. As the apostle works through the reality that his assurance that he has articulated belongs only to the elect of God. In the sermons to come, we will meditate on the kind of heart that a Christian should have for the lost, as Paul expresses his broken heart for his fellow countrymen, the Jews. Paul is going to defend the fact that God is not the author of sin, and he will strengthen our doctrine of sola fide by demonstrating once again that our reconciliation to God cannot come about by any effort of our own doing. All this God will use to the edification of his people, Lord willing, and in his timing. when the days come. So let's pray and thank Him for the way that He edifies His church. God, we are blessed to know You and to be near to You. Help us, God, by Your great and mighty strength, navigate every challenge that comes before us, Lord. And may You plant deep into us an enduring joy a great confidence that you are surely the one who through us is bringing about good things even from our trials. We love you, Lord God. We are blessed to hear the testimony of the Apostle Paul. Help us to put these things in our heart that we might not sin against you. Continue to bring us along near to you in maturity, God. We praise you and thank you for all the victories in Jesus' name. Amen.