More Than Conquerors In God's Love
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
6/1/2014 PM
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Text:
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Romans 8:35-39
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Psalters: |
45, 97, 397, 292 |
- The battle is between many allied against God’s elect.
- The object of the battle is to destroy spiritually God’s elect.
- God wants us to know that the correct way to describe it is as their efforts to separate us from the love of Christ.
- The “us” and “we” are the foreknown, elect, called, justified, and glorified who have God’s love shed abroad in them (5:5).
- Can anything or anyone come between God’s love and us?
- “Tribulation” and “distress” speaks of outward afflictions and inward distresses (narrow places).
- “Angels,” “principalities” and “powers” are ranks of fallen angels in Satan’s army.
- “Famine” (lack of necessities), nakedness (shame and embarrassment), “peril” (any danger), “sword” (violent deaths).
- In the face of all these difficulties, we are persuaded of something which is contrary to our feelings and all efforts.
- To be “persuaded” is to have reached a settled and confident conclusion after much consideration.
- This settled conclusion was brought about by the evidence God set before Paul and me.
- That about which Paul is and I am persuaded is that nothing can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ.”
- First, this is the love of “God” Who is absolute perfection, and independent (He is not affected by anything else).
- Second, this love is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Nothing, in life or death, is able to separate us from God’s abiding, unconditional love in Christ.
- The wonderful result is that we are “more than conquerors” (not just a conqueror).
- The idea is that we are hyper-conquerors (literal) and completely victorious, so the result was never in doubt.
- We will go through all the difficulties of this life and come out better than when we entered it.
- All the trials and opposition of this life are God’s ways of strengthening us in our knowledge of and appreciation for the greatness, depth, and preciousness of God’s love.
- Let us look above the opposition and the battle and see God’s love.
- Faith is the persuasion which answers and contradicts all feelings and fears of defeat.
- Everything depends, not on our love, but on His love which is evidenced in Christ dying for the ungodly!