Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, September 9, 2001   

We have failed; yet, God is for us.
We are weak; yet, God is for us.
We are hindered; yet, God is for us.

The verses before us have been called a hymn of security. We can surely see why! These verses tell believers that the love the God is a love that cannot let us go.

There are seven questions in this last portion of Romans eight; seven questions to which the answers assure the eternal security of the children of God.

1. VERSE 31a, QUESTION ONE: "WHAT SHALL WE THEN SAY TO THESE THINGS?"
   1. What things? Those things found in verses 28-30.
      
      1. What can we say? What can we add?
         
      2. "What shall we then say to these things?"
         
         1. What things- all things (verse 28).
            
         2. What things - the five links of God's golden redemption chain (verse 29-30).

   2. "These things" are so wonderful, so marvelous there is nothing to add.

2. VERSE 31b, QUESTION TWO: "IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?"
   1. "Who can be against us?" If that is all of the question, then we must say that there are many things against us.
      
      1. Who is against us?
         
         1. The Devil is against us- he walks about seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8).
            
         2. Hardship is against us (Verse 35).
            
         3. The unbelieving world is against us (I Corinthians 16:9, "there are many adversaries.")
            
         4. Sin is against us (7:20).
            
         5. The media is against us as a whole (Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them, that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness."
            
         6. Our families might even be against us.
            
         7. Our own weakness is against us.
            
      2. Yes, many things are against us, but they cannot prevail against our God.

   2. "If God be for us."
      
      1. Because God is on our side, because God is for us, nothing and no one can take away our salvation.
         
      2. God is for us; He gave us salvation, and He keeps us saved.
         
      3. God is for us; He has locked our salvation in (verses 30-31).
         
      4. God is for us: He promises eternal life (Titus 1:2, eternal life which God that cannot lie promised.
         
      5. God is for us, and we cannot be condemned (8:1).
         
      6. God is for us, and no man can rob us of our salvation.
         
      7. God is for us, and even sin itself cannot cause the loss of our salvation (I John 1:9).
         
         1. We were not able to save ourselves- to come to God on our own.
            
         2. We cannot by our own efforts lose our salvation. We are kept by His grace.
            
      8. God is for us and will not take away our salvation (John 10:28).

   3. Yes, many things are against us. But they cannot prevail.

3. VERSE 32, QUESTION THREE: "HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON, BUT DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL, HOW SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?"
   1. We can be sure that God is going to take care of His children.
      
      1. Will God give us all things? He already has! He has given "He that spared not his own Son."
         
         1. Abraham was willing to give Isaac; and Isaac a picture of Christ was willing to die on the cross. God spared Isaac by providing a ram in the thicket, but God spared not His Son (Genesis 22:1-13).
            
         2. Will blood bought believers ever be lost? NO! He will freely give us heaven as our home.

   2. God "delivered him up for us all." The all points back to verses 28-30.
      
      1. "Delivered him up."
         
         1. Christ died in our stead; He suffered for us: He paid our sin debt.
            
         2. Christ did for us what we could not do ourselves (Romans 5:8-10).
            
         3. Christ gave Himself for us to deliver us (Galatians 1:4).
            
         4. Jesus became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God (II Corinthians 5:21).
            
         5. In giving His Son, God gave everything.
            
      2. Our salvation is secure because of God's gift of His Son.
         
      3. Because we have laid hold of Christ we cannot be lost (Hebrews 6:17-18).

4. VERSE 33 QUESTION FOUR: "WHO SHALL LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD'S ELECT
   1. Who can accuse us and condemns us?
      
      1. No persecution will succeed. The world and the Devil continually bring charges against us, but none of them will ever amount to anything.
         
      2. No charge will stand because, "It is God that justifieth."
         
         1. We can never be condemned because the charges have been dropped. Christ took our place.
            
         2. Christ arose assuring our pardon.

   2. "God's elect." No charges will stick because God has elected, chosen us, and justified us. Believers are declared right in God's sight because of the Gospel.

5. VERSE 34, QUESTION FIVE: "WHO IS HE THAT CONDEMNETH?"
   1. All condemnations against God's people will fail because Christ has rescued us from condemnation.

   2. We are rescued because Christ's death.
      
      1. He died for the sins that would have condemned us.
         
      2. God condemned our sin in the humanity of Christ (8:3).
         
      3. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13).

   3. He is risen again. It is not only that He died but that He was buried and rose again (4:25).

   4. He is seated at the Father's right hand.
      
      1. He is resting from His finished work (Hebrews 1:3).
         
      2. Seated at the Father's right hand- the place of supreme honor.
         
      3. The High Priest can only sit down when his work is done. He cried: "it is finished." The work is done.

   5. He is interceding for us.
      
      1. He is our heavenly advocate (I John 2: 1).
         
      2. He continues to secure for His elect the benefits of His death.

6. VERSE 35, QUESTION SIX: "WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?" Paul answers this question with another question.

7. VERSE 35b, QUESTION SEVEN: "SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR PERIL, OR SWORD?"
   1. Verse 35b, Trouble cannot separate us from His love that will not let us go.
      
      1. Distress and anguish cannot separate us from God (I Corinthians 10:13).
         
      2. Persecution can never separate us. We shall suffer persecution.
         
      3. Famine, the result of discrimination, cannot separate us from God. Some have lost jobs because of their faith.
         
      4. Nakedness, hardship, destitution to the point of being unable to properly clothe oneself - this cannot separate us.
         
      5. Peril- danger, mistreatment.
         
      6. Sword- the instrument of death. The final thrust of the enemy soldier, the executioner. The murderer cannot separate us from God.
         
      7. Paul covers the bases for he wants us to know that he love of God will not let us go.

   2. Verse 36, The cost of serving Christ can be high (Hebrews 11: 36-38).

   3. Verse 37, Christ proved His love for us by His suffering, so our suffering cannot separate us from His love. We are more than conquerors.

   4. Verses 38-39, Paul was convinced that nothing could separate him from God's love. Are you convinced that you are eternally secure?