Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you
from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen
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.”
In the Name of Jesus
We have had a noticeable
trend to our readings and sermons for the past month, month and a half. Talking about the life of the church, the
processes of sowing and reaping, celebrating the natural processes of growing
the church through the work of the Holy Spirit.
This is because we are church season known as the Sunday’s after
Pentecost. The Green Season. The season focused on that growth and life of
the church.
Therefore it is also
fitting that with growth of the church, we also contemplate on the growing
pains of the church. For each growing
plant is subjected to danger. When it
grows in the outside elements, things such as heat, cold, rain, hail, even sunshine
prove to be too much at times. Even if
the plant is sheltered, it is at risk of being kept from its most basic, most essential,
needs. The plant is attacked, its very
life at risk each day.
So it is with the Bride of
Christ, his church. Each day she is
attacked, her very life is at risk.
Wonder if that is true? Open a
paper, turn on the news, go to an online news source, where we will read about
Iraqi Christians who were run from their homes with nothing more than the
clothes on their back in fear of their lives.
The call from Islamic extremists, convert or die.
We look at Paul’s words
here in Romans, we compare them to the world events happening as we speak, and
we wonder. Paul writes, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger,
or sword? Our first sinful, human instinct is to
reply a resounding yes! Absolutely these
things can separate us from God. Our
minds, our bodies, can only take so much.
At what point to we stop and ask, why? When is enough, enough God? Paul was is absolutely right, For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be
slaughtered. It is
for your sake, YOUR SAKE GOD that we, on earth, are being persecuted, that our
fellow believers are being taken to the slaughter.
People are killed for much less these days. Unborn children killed out of
convenience. And yet our loving God
allows his children to be carelessly murdered for his name sake? Where is the outrage? Where are the calls for tolerance as we are
cut down, belittled, for standing up for what we believe in?
Have you ever sat back and wondered why
Christians? Why are we the only
touchable faith when it comes to persecution?
Everyone else is off limits.
Don’t fire them for their beliefs, don’t ask them to leave an
institution because of their faith, and just to be make sure they are
comfortable and feel accepted, let’s accommodate them by removing all
references to God.
Paul
was right. For your sake we are being
killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be
slaughtered. It is a troublesome fight. But let’s look at Paul’s words in their
context. Here again from verse 31.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how
will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's
elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one
who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for
us. 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.
Nothing will be able to separate, same word for
divorce, for put asunder, us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
What then shall we say about the persecution that
happens in our world today? What shall
we say to those who are led to their death because of their faith in the One
True God? Shall we say, well sorry it
comes with the territory? Oh its okay,
pretend to go along with them, you can confess faith in their god all the while
secretly holding to your faith in the One True God.
NO WAY!
Our Lord tells us everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also
will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in
heaven. Instead
we share with them, we remind ourselves, of Paul’s words. If
God is for us, who can be against us?
Seriously, if God is for
us who can be against us? He paid the
ultimate price for you. He sent his only
son to die on a cross for you. He is
omnipotent, he is the most powerful in the world. Why, then, would he let something get in the
way of your eternal life? Why would he
let something, which he has control over, undo what his son graciously did for
you?
Paul gives us great
assurance that our God is in control. He
protects us. If
God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but
gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us
all things?
But that’s not enough. Our God is also the judge…Panicked? Remember this…our Father sees us in light of
what Christ has done for us. While we
deserve to have the book thrown at us and casted into the pits of eternal hell,
Christ took the filth of our sin and in exchange gave us pure, heavenly
garments. And so Paul writes who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It
is God who justifies. Who
is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was
raised—who is at the right hand of God, who
indeed is interceding for us.
Which leads to Paul’s final question. 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.”
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For the one facing persecution for the
faith, this question is of utmost importance.
This one question can make everything else fall into place. What can separate you from your Savior? Can trouble hardship, persecution, famine,
nakedness, danger, sword? Can the thorns, evil weeds, scorching sun, take away
from the love of Christ?
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.
One of the most important things we can remember is that nothing,
no one, can touch our faith. Once we
were marked and washed, as we saw last week with Luke, and will see again soon,
we were placed safely in the arms of our Savior. While we are not promised smooth passage
through life, we will sin, we are still tempted, we will grow up with the weeds
planted in our lives by the devil himself, Paul gives us the guarantee that we
so desperately need to hear each day we draw breath in this world.
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.
The love of God. That is where our spiritual life began, that
is where it will be for an eternity. And
so as we observe from a distance our brothers and sisters persecuted, executed
for the faith, we know, it is more precious to exit this life fully relying on
God and to live a life of exhile from our Creator.
Martin Luther makes this
point so clear of us in our hymn of the day.
I would bet many of you could say it by memory. The fourth verse of Amighty Fortress…”and
take they our life, good, fame, child, and wife, those these all be gone, our
victory has been won, the kingdom ours remaineth.”
Let them take our
life. Let them feel like they are
winning the battle to wipe Christianity from the face of the earth. Because in the end, we are winning. We are the ones who, when we leave this life,
are taken to a far better place. Paul’s
words are perfect. 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.
Our faith is safe in the hands of our Savior. God be praised that, even in the midst of
trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, and sword he is by our side
to the end. God bless and keep you until
you arrive to your eternal home.
AMEN
+SDG+
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