“Can Anything Separate Us From God?”
Romans 8:34-39
Great Questions of the Bible Series: 8/29/10
Introduction: There are many kinds of separations in life: we can be separated from our family if we move away; we can be separated from friends or family through arguments and choosing to no longer talk to each other; we can be separated from God through our sin or choosing to not connect ourselves with God. Today I finish up our series, “Great Questions of the Bible,” as we look at the question “Can Anything Separate Us From God?”
I believe today’s question is one of the most important, because it has implications of our life here on the earth, as well as eternal implications. It is an important question for those who believe, and for those who don’t believe. It is at the core of what God desires us to know. It is why God sent His son into the world so that all people might have a definitive answer to this topic. So let us talk about the idea of condemnation, separation, and God’s love.
I. To Be Condemned- (Romans 8:34, 3:23, 10:13-14; 1 Peter 1:16;
John 3:17, 8:1-11)
a. Who is to condemn?- The first important question that leads us to
answer our ultimate question is: Who is to condemn? Meaning, who has the right and the authority to condemn us. In the movie “A Few Good Men,” there is a powerful court scene between Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessep and Tom Cruise as a lawyer named Kaffee trying to find out the truth about the death of a soldier under Jessep’s command during a hazing act. There has been a cover-up that is trying to hide that this soldier was killed during the hazing act. Jessep tells Kaffee that the soldier, Santiago, had been given transfer orders because they felt it wasn’t safe for him to be there anymore. But then Kaffee shows Jessep that the transfer orders were actually doctored up later to make it look like he was being transferred, to aid in this cover-up. Kaffee shows some other discrepancies in what transpired, and the testimony of many witnesses, poking many holes in their story. Colonel Jessep tries to strong arm Kaffee with his words, confuses him a little, and then says thank you and starts to leave. Kaffee tells him that he is not done examining him, in essence ordering him to sit back down, which doesn’t go over well with Colonel Jessep. He is used to being the one giving orders. He feels he is above all of the law./ The examination continues until Kaffee has angered Jessep with his questions, causing Jessep to explode, saying: “You want answers?!” KAFFEE: “I want the truth.”
JESSEP: “You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?…I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me there…I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it…” He then admits that he ordered the code red, and they proceed to arrest him. He doesn’t understand why they are arresting him, or why he is being judged; he doesn’t believe they have the authority to condemn him for this action, even though it led to the death of a soldier!
Just as Colonel Jessep believed he was above the law, so there are many people in our world that believe they are above God’s law; they don’t understand that Jesus is only one who has the power to condemn as He was given that power by God the Father.
b. Criteria for judgment- So what is Jesus’ criteria for judging us and
for condemning us? And what does condemnation bring? The truth is, that Jesus’ criteria is holiness. Since God is holy, and can’t be in the presence of unholiness, then we must be holy to get to heaven. As 1 Peter 1:16 says, “for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I’m holy.’” And yet we know from scripture, that because of sin, we cannot be holy. Romans 3:23 reminds us: “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” This doesn’t seem fair. How can we be judged for something that we can’t be?
This is where we need to hear the good news, that Jesus came into the world, not to judge the world, but to give us a way out of the condemnation. As John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” This is indeed great news, as Paul tells us in Romans 8, that the one who CAN condemn us died for us, to pay the penalty, so that we wouldn’t be condemned. The criteria for judgment then becomes faith. FAITH IN JESUS. When we have faith in Jesus, our condemnation is overturned by the blood of Christ!
We see this truth in the story of the woman caught in adultery, in John chapter 8. The woman is brought to Jesus, she has been caught red handed, they remind Jesus that the law says the punishment is stoning her to death, and they are condemning her right in front of Jesus. But they ask Jesus what He thinks. He responds in verse 7, “… ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’” Jesus reminds them that they don’t have the authority to condemn her, because of their own sin. Only Jesus, who is sinless, has this authority. Then in the end Jesus pardons her as we read in verses 10-11, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”
Author Joel Rosenberg tells a story of when Tony Hall, the former Democratic congressman, had been appointed by the president to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies. Hall was outspoken in urging all those in both parties, who believed in Jesus, to not be shy of bringing their faith to their office. In one trip he took to an Islamic country, he was met by the ambassador of the U.S. to that country. This ambassador said to him: “I just want to remind you that you’re in a Muslim country. Please don’t talk about religion, or it could really set back what we’re trying to do here.” When they arrived at the office of the king, the king asked him why he had come to the country. So Hall was honest and forthright, as he said: “I would like our countries to be friends. And I would like to invite you to the National Prayer Breakfast, in the name of Jesus.” The U.S. ambassador went pale. But the king got very excited. He slapped his knee and said: “That is remarkable. You have come all this way to be my friend and to talk to me about Jesus. That is wonderful. My mother used to talk to me a lot about Jesus when I was a child. We should talk about Jesus more often.” Then the king turned to the U.S. ambassador and said: “Why don’t you talk about Jesus?”
Romans 10:13-14 says, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” People will only be condemned if they don’t have Jesus. We are called to tell people about Jesus, and about how there is no condemnation in Jesus for those who have faith!
II. Separation-
a. Separation from loved ones- Through this idea of condemnation, we
also think about being separated. Separation can be difficult. When I got the job at Ecumenical church, in Pueblo West, Colorado, it caused Tami and I to have to be separated from our family and friends here in California. We, in essence, were separated from our support system. This became especially challenging after we had our first child. When you have children, you realize that living away from your family is not easy. We started taking a great amount of video so that we could send these tapes to our family. Every vacation we took was back to California to see our family, and so that the family could see Tyler. Separation is not easy.
When my parents got divorced, I was an adult, with a wife, and child, and a home. I didn’t think that it would affect me. But it did. One way it affected me was in regards to separation. Because my parents were no longer married, I was separated from the two of them; meaning that because they couldn’t be together, it was more challenging to spend time with them. There was also the separation of distance, since after the divorce my dad moved to Hemet and my mom moved to Arizona, and I was living in Colorado!
When my dad died, there was separation. The death of a loved one is one of the greatest aspects of separation. You no longer can be in their physical presence. I have the memories, which are wonderful, but I can’t go and visit him, and he can’t come to my house and see my children, or go to their games or concerts. There is definite separation.
While separation is part of life, it is not an easy part of life to deal with, because it can leave us feeling alone. Only in God can we have those feelings comforted and blessed.
b. Separation from God- An even greater separation is from God. As I
said before, our sin can separate us from God, because God cannot be around sin. Maybe we have anger towards God because we feel that God has not given us our due, or answered our prayers as we desire, or made our life out to be what we think it should be, or we feel that God isn’t fair with us compared to others. This too can lead us to separate ourselves from God. For others, they might isolate themselves not just from the world, but from God as well. Maybe because of depression, or anxiety, or stress, they choose to isolate and separate themselves from ALL of their relationships.
There is a STORY of two masked men with guns who came charging into a church one and yelled out, “Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are.” Immediately the choir fled, the Deacons fled, and most of the congregation fled. Out of the 2,000 in the church, only 20 remained. The man who had spoken took off his hood, looked at the pastor, and then said: “Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites, now you can begin your service. Have a nice day.” And with that they walked out.
We need to understand that there is only one thing that can keep us from separation from God, and that is JESUS. Jesus is how we know God, and how we can sustain our faith in God, and how we can stay connected to God. We must have the kind of faith that keeps us believing not matter what happens in life!
III. The Love of God- (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 4:8)
a. What is love? Probably the most popular bible passage read at
weddings is 1 Corinthians 13. It is popular because it talks about love; true love; unconditional love. It talks about the love that we long to have for another. It talks about a love that is patient: oh how we want someone who is patient with us, because we know of all the faults we have. It talks about a love that is kind: who wouldn’t want to be married to someone who is kind? It talks about a love that is not boastful or arrogant. We want someone who will care about us, and pay attention to us, not someone who only focuses on themselves, and brags about all of their wonderful qualities. And then it goes on: “Love is not rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
Wow. What a description. We hear this description, and we are in awe, because we know it is talking about perfect love; a love that we fall short of living ourselves. But how we can dream. Yet, we don’t have to dream, because 1 John 4:8 tells us that “…God is love.” Love is not just the essence of God, but God Himself. Love is at the core of God’s nature. If you were to take away love, God would not exist. Even before you think about or talk about what God has done for us, we must understand that God is love. Love is what motivates God to do anything that He has done.
As you look at the list of 1 Corinthians 13, you see that God fulfills all of those qualities, as God is patient and kind, unselfish and hopeful, truthful and enduring. God’s love for us does not, and will not end!
b. How does God show His love? Stories for the Heart, “The Small Gift,” p. 122
There is a story of a couple who were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The husband was asked what the secret to their successful marriage was. He answered with the story of how after the wedding ceremony, his father-in-law took him aside, and gave him a little gift. He opened it with excitement, and saw that it was a large gold watch. As he examined the watch, he noticed an inscription; an inscription that led him to the secret of a successful marriage; it said: “Say something nice to Sarah.” Sometimes just saying nice things to each other will go a long way. But God does more for us than just say nice things. How else does God show His love? Let me just briefly list a few…
1. God first showed His love by creating the world. God created
this world for you and for me, and for the rest of His creation. He created the plants, and trees, and animals, and all living creatures, for us to enjoy and care for. He created this world to fit together beautifully, and to be beautiful in its nature.
2. He next showed His love for us by creating us in His image.
God could have created us in so many different forms, but He wanted us to be like Him in so many ways. He created us to love, and to think, and to reason, and to be able to create, and to be in relationship with others and with God.
3. A third way He demonstrated His love for us was by His
dying for us. As Romans 5:8 says, “For God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When we were in our weakest place, lost in our sin, unable to show love to God, God showed His love for us so that we would not forever be lost in our sin!
4. Along with that we see God’s love in His redeeming us. If you
have ever failed in something, you know that you can feel down on yourself. That is what our sin can do to us as well. God knew that He needed to do more than die for us, which is the technical aspect of our being saved, but He needed to get us to believe in ourselves again, so He redeemed us in a way that helps us to see that we are gifted, and talented, and capable. He gave us purpose again.
5. Not only does God forgive us when we accept Him as our
Lord and Savior, but He offers us forgiveness every time we sin, if and when we confess our sin to Him. What a great show of love, that God has provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven. What an important part of our relationship with God!
6. Sixth, His love is shown to us by giving us eternal life in a
place like heaven. We are told that in heaven there will be no more sickness, or pain, or tears. Heaven will be a place of love, and peace, and joy. Heaven will be a place where we get to live IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD; where we get to see God face to face.
7. I could talk of so many more ways that God shows His love
for us, but the last one I want to mention is that He makes it so that nothing can separate us or condemn us. As Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Conclusion: “For my sister,” Stories for the Heart, p. 123. There is a story of a little girl had been diagnosed with a rare disease and needed a blood transfusion. The doctors knew that her only hope was to receive a transfusion from her brother who had recovered from the same rare disease and had the same blood type. The doctor asked Johnny, the girl’s brother “Would you give your blood to Mary?” Johnny hesitated, he thought seriously for a time, then he answered “Sure, for my sister.” As the two children lay side by side on hospital carts, with the blood line connected one to the other, Johnny asked in a broken voice, “Doctor, when do I die?” At that moment the doctor realized that Johnny had thought that giving his blood to his sister meant he would die. That is why he hesitated before he answered. He was willing to die to save his sisters life! The answer to the question “Can anything separate us from God,” is NOTHING, if you have Jesus. What a great and important message for us, and for all of humanity. Let us believe it, and share it, this day and every day. Amen.
Romans 8:34-39
Great Questions of the Bible Series: 8/29/10
Introduction: There are many kinds of separations in life: we can be separated from our family if we move away; we can be separated from friends or family through arguments and choosing to no longer talk to each other; we can be separated from God through our sin or choosing to not connect ourselves with God. Today I finish up our series, “Great Questions of the Bible,” as we look at the question “Can Anything Separate Us From God?”
I believe today’s question is one of the most important, because it has implications of our life here on the earth, as well as eternal implications. It is an important question for those who believe, and for those who don’t believe. It is at the core of what God desires us to know. It is why God sent His son into the world so that all people might have a definitive answer to this topic. So let us talk about the idea of condemnation, separation, and God’s love.
I. To Be Condemned- (Romans 8:34, 3:23, 10:13-14; 1 Peter 1:16;
John 3:17, 8:1-11)
a. Who is to condemn?- The first important question that leads us to
answer our ultimate question is: Who is to condemn? Meaning, who has the right and the authority to condemn us. In the movie “A Few Good Men,” there is a powerful court scene between Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessep and Tom Cruise as a lawyer named Kaffee trying to find out the truth about the death of a soldier under Jessep’s command during a hazing act. There has been a cover-up that is trying to hide that this soldier was killed during the hazing act. Jessep tells Kaffee that the soldier, Santiago, had been given transfer orders because they felt it wasn’t safe for him to be there anymore. But then Kaffee shows Jessep that the transfer orders were actually doctored up later to make it look like he was being transferred, to aid in this cover-up. Kaffee shows some other discrepancies in what transpired, and the testimony of many witnesses, poking many holes in their story. Colonel Jessep tries to strong arm Kaffee with his words, confuses him a little, and then says thank you and starts to leave. Kaffee tells him that he is not done examining him, in essence ordering him to sit back down, which doesn’t go over well with Colonel Jessep. He is used to being the one giving orders. He feels he is above all of the law./ The examination continues until Kaffee has angered Jessep with his questions, causing Jessep to explode, saying: “You want answers?!” KAFFEE: “I want the truth.”
JESSEP: “You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?…I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me there…I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it…” He then admits that he ordered the code red, and they proceed to arrest him. He doesn’t understand why they are arresting him, or why he is being judged; he doesn’t believe they have the authority to condemn him for this action, even though it led to the death of a soldier!
Just as Colonel Jessep believed he was above the law, so there are many people in our world that believe they are above God’s law; they don’t understand that Jesus is only one who has the power to condemn as He was given that power by God the Father.
b. Criteria for judgment- So what is Jesus’ criteria for judging us and
for condemning us? And what does condemnation bring? The truth is, that Jesus’ criteria is holiness. Since God is holy, and can’t be in the presence of unholiness, then we must be holy to get to heaven. As 1 Peter 1:16 says, “for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I’m holy.’” And yet we know from scripture, that because of sin, we cannot be holy. Romans 3:23 reminds us: “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” This doesn’t seem fair. How can we be judged for something that we can’t be?
This is where we need to hear the good news, that Jesus came into the world, not to judge the world, but to give us a way out of the condemnation. As John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” This is indeed great news, as Paul tells us in Romans 8, that the one who CAN condemn us died for us, to pay the penalty, so that we wouldn’t be condemned. The criteria for judgment then becomes faith. FAITH IN JESUS. When we have faith in Jesus, our condemnation is overturned by the blood of Christ!
We see this truth in the story of the woman caught in adultery, in John chapter 8. The woman is brought to Jesus, she has been caught red handed, they remind Jesus that the law says the punishment is stoning her to death, and they are condemning her right in front of Jesus. But they ask Jesus what He thinks. He responds in verse 7, “… ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’” Jesus reminds them that they don’t have the authority to condemn her, because of their own sin. Only Jesus, who is sinless, has this authority. Then in the end Jesus pardons her as we read in verses 10-11, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”
Author Joel Rosenberg tells a story of when Tony Hall, the former Democratic congressman, had been appointed by the president to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies. Hall was outspoken in urging all those in both parties, who believed in Jesus, to not be shy of bringing their faith to their office. In one trip he took to an Islamic country, he was met by the ambassador of the U.S. to that country. This ambassador said to him: “I just want to remind you that you’re in a Muslim country. Please don’t talk about religion, or it could really set back what we’re trying to do here.” When they arrived at the office of the king, the king asked him why he had come to the country. So Hall was honest and forthright, as he said: “I would like our countries to be friends. And I would like to invite you to the National Prayer Breakfast, in the name of Jesus.” The U.S. ambassador went pale. But the king got very excited. He slapped his knee and said: “That is remarkable. You have come all this way to be my friend and to talk to me about Jesus. That is wonderful. My mother used to talk to me a lot about Jesus when I was a child. We should talk about Jesus more often.” Then the king turned to the U.S. ambassador and said: “Why don’t you talk about Jesus?”
Romans 10:13-14 says, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” People will only be condemned if they don’t have Jesus. We are called to tell people about Jesus, and about how there is no condemnation in Jesus for those who have faith!
II. Separation-
a. Separation from loved ones- Through this idea of condemnation, we
also think about being separated. Separation can be difficult. When I got the job at Ecumenical church, in Pueblo West, Colorado, it caused Tami and I to have to be separated from our family and friends here in California. We, in essence, were separated from our support system. This became especially challenging after we had our first child. When you have children, you realize that living away from your family is not easy. We started taking a great amount of video so that we could send these tapes to our family. Every vacation we took was back to California to see our family, and so that the family could see Tyler. Separation is not easy.
When my parents got divorced, I was an adult, with a wife, and child, and a home. I didn’t think that it would affect me. But it did. One way it affected me was in regards to separation. Because my parents were no longer married, I was separated from the two of them; meaning that because they couldn’t be together, it was more challenging to spend time with them. There was also the separation of distance, since after the divorce my dad moved to Hemet and my mom moved to Arizona, and I was living in Colorado!
When my dad died, there was separation. The death of a loved one is one of the greatest aspects of separation. You no longer can be in their physical presence. I have the memories, which are wonderful, but I can’t go and visit him, and he can’t come to my house and see my children, or go to their games or concerts. There is definite separation.
While separation is part of life, it is not an easy part of life to deal with, because it can leave us feeling alone. Only in God can we have those feelings comforted and blessed.
b. Separation from God- An even greater separation is from God. As I
said before, our sin can separate us from God, because God cannot be around sin. Maybe we have anger towards God because we feel that God has not given us our due, or answered our prayers as we desire, or made our life out to be what we think it should be, or we feel that God isn’t fair with us compared to others. This too can lead us to separate ourselves from God. For others, they might isolate themselves not just from the world, but from God as well. Maybe because of depression, or anxiety, or stress, they choose to isolate and separate themselves from ALL of their relationships.
There is a STORY of two masked men with guns who came charging into a church one and yelled out, “Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are.” Immediately the choir fled, the Deacons fled, and most of the congregation fled. Out of the 2,000 in the church, only 20 remained. The man who had spoken took off his hood, looked at the pastor, and then said: “Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites, now you can begin your service. Have a nice day.” And with that they walked out.
We need to understand that there is only one thing that can keep us from separation from God, and that is JESUS. Jesus is how we know God, and how we can sustain our faith in God, and how we can stay connected to God. We must have the kind of faith that keeps us believing not matter what happens in life!
III. The Love of God- (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 4:8)
a. What is love? Probably the most popular bible passage read at
weddings is 1 Corinthians 13. It is popular because it talks about love; true love; unconditional love. It talks about the love that we long to have for another. It talks about a love that is patient: oh how we want someone who is patient with us, because we know of all the faults we have. It talks about a love that is kind: who wouldn’t want to be married to someone who is kind? It talks about a love that is not boastful or arrogant. We want someone who will care about us, and pay attention to us, not someone who only focuses on themselves, and brags about all of their wonderful qualities. And then it goes on: “Love is not rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
Wow. What a description. We hear this description, and we are in awe, because we know it is talking about perfect love; a love that we fall short of living ourselves. But how we can dream. Yet, we don’t have to dream, because 1 John 4:8 tells us that “…God is love.” Love is not just the essence of God, but God Himself. Love is at the core of God’s nature. If you were to take away love, God would not exist. Even before you think about or talk about what God has done for us, we must understand that God is love. Love is what motivates God to do anything that He has done.
As you look at the list of 1 Corinthians 13, you see that God fulfills all of those qualities, as God is patient and kind, unselfish and hopeful, truthful and enduring. God’s love for us does not, and will not end!
b. How does God show His love? Stories for the Heart, “The Small Gift,” p. 122
There is a story of a couple who were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The husband was asked what the secret to their successful marriage was. He answered with the story of how after the wedding ceremony, his father-in-law took him aside, and gave him a little gift. He opened it with excitement, and saw that it was a large gold watch. As he examined the watch, he noticed an inscription; an inscription that led him to the secret of a successful marriage; it said: “Say something nice to Sarah.” Sometimes just saying nice things to each other will go a long way. But God does more for us than just say nice things. How else does God show His love? Let me just briefly list a few…
1. God first showed His love by creating the world. God created
this world for you and for me, and for the rest of His creation. He created the plants, and trees, and animals, and all living creatures, for us to enjoy and care for. He created this world to fit together beautifully, and to be beautiful in its nature.
2. He next showed His love for us by creating us in His image.
God could have created us in so many different forms, but He wanted us to be like Him in so many ways. He created us to love, and to think, and to reason, and to be able to create, and to be in relationship with others and with God.
3. A third way He demonstrated His love for us was by His
dying for us. As Romans 5:8 says, “For God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When we were in our weakest place, lost in our sin, unable to show love to God, God showed His love for us so that we would not forever be lost in our sin!
4. Along with that we see God’s love in His redeeming us. If you
have ever failed in something, you know that you can feel down on yourself. That is what our sin can do to us as well. God knew that He needed to do more than die for us, which is the technical aspect of our being saved, but He needed to get us to believe in ourselves again, so He redeemed us in a way that helps us to see that we are gifted, and talented, and capable. He gave us purpose again.
5. Not only does God forgive us when we accept Him as our
Lord and Savior, but He offers us forgiveness every time we sin, if and when we confess our sin to Him. What a great show of love, that God has provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven. What an important part of our relationship with God!
6. Sixth, His love is shown to us by giving us eternal life in a
place like heaven. We are told that in heaven there will be no more sickness, or pain, or tears. Heaven will be a place of love, and peace, and joy. Heaven will be a place where we get to live IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD; where we get to see God face to face.
7. I could talk of so many more ways that God shows His love
for us, but the last one I want to mention is that He makes it so that nothing can separate us or condemn us. As Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Conclusion: “For my sister,” Stories for the Heart, p. 123. There is a story of a little girl had been diagnosed with a rare disease and needed a blood transfusion. The doctors knew that her only hope was to receive a transfusion from her brother who had recovered from the same rare disease and had the same blood type. The doctor asked Johnny, the girl’s brother “Would you give your blood to Mary?” Johnny hesitated, he thought seriously for a time, then he answered “Sure, for my sister.” As the two children lay side by side on hospital carts, with the blood line connected one to the other, Johnny asked in a broken voice, “Doctor, when do I die?” At that moment the doctor realized that Johnny had thought that giving his blood to his sister meant he would die. That is why he hesitated before he answered. He was willing to die to save his sisters life! The answer to the question “Can anything separate us from God,” is NOTHING, if you have Jesus. What a great and important message for us, and for all of humanity. Let us believe it, and share it, this day and every day. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 7:08 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home