If God Be For Us
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Derrel Strickland
Romans 8 highlights God's unwavering love and assurance that "if God be for us, who can be against us," offering encouragement to overcome life's challenges. Through biblical examples and a call for unity and faith, believers are reminded to trust in God's presence and promises amidst today's trials.
The core takeaway from this message is that God's unwavering love and support ensure that no matter the challenges we face, we can stand firm in our faith with the assurance that "if God be for us, who can be against us."
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Embracing the Promises of Romans 8: God's Unwavering Love
Romans chapter 8 is a cornerstone of encouragement and hope, filled with promises that have resonated with believers for centuries. This chapter emphasizes God's everlasting love and assures us that "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord." It highlights that nothing can separate us from God's love and that we are more than conquerors through Him.
The Assurance of God's Presence
One of the most profound promises in Romans 8 is the assurance that "if God be for us, who can be against us?" This statement encapsulates the security and strength believers have in God's unwavering support. This assurance is a reminder that no matter the opposition or challenges we face, God's presence and support are constant and unfailing.
Biblical Examples of Faith and Trust
The lives of biblical figures such as Moses, Joshua, and David illustrate the power of trusting in God's promises. Moses, despite his imperfections, led Israel out of Egypt, relying on God's promise to be with him. Joshua, following in Moses' footsteps, was assured that "no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life." David, in his darkest moments, encouraged himself in the Lord, demonstrating a profound trust in God's support.
Unity and Love in Challenging Times
In times of division and discord, the call for unity and love becomes even more crucial. The message emphasizes that while we may not always agree on everything, walking hand in hand with a shared purpose is essential. Quoting Tim Hill, "We don't have to see eye to eye as long as we can walk hand in hand," underscores the importance of unity despite differences.
God's Unchanging Promises
God's promises are eternal and unchanging. In Joshua 1:5-9, God assures Joshua of His constant presence, a promise that extends to all believers. "I will not leave you nor forsake you" is a recurring theme, providing comfort and strength. This promise reassures us that God is with us in every situation, guiding and supporting us.
Faith and God's Faith in Us
While our faith in God is important, it's equally comforting to know that God has faith in us. Despite our shortcomings and failures, God sees our potential and is committed to lifting us up. This divine faith encourages us to trust in God's greater plan, knowing that He believes in our ability to overcome and thrive.
Encouragement in Adversity
The message offers profound encouragement, especially in times of adversity. Drawing from historical events like the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and 9/11, it reminds us of the resilience and unity that arise in challenging times. These moments of collective strength and faith highlight the enduring truth that "if God be for us, who can be against us?"
Conclusion: Standing Firm in God's Love
In a world filled with uncertainty and challenges, the promises of Romans 8 provide a foundation of hope and assurance. God's unwavering love and support empower us to face any obstacle with confidence. By trusting in His presence and holding onto His promises, we can navigate life's trials with the assurance that we are never alone and that, indeed, "if God be for us, who can be against us?"
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Reflect on Romans 8: What promise in this chapter speaks to you most, and why?
Moses and Joshua's Faith: What can we learn from Moses and Joshua’s experiences of trusting in God?
Unity in Differences: How can we embody the quote, ‘We don’t have to see eye to eye as long as we can walk hand in hand’ in our daily lives?
God’s Support: Share a time when you felt God’s presence supporting you through a difficult situation.
Practical Faith: How can we practice encouraging ourselves and others in the Lord instead of relying solely on self-assurance?
Praying for Our Nation: How can we effectively pray for unity and healing in our country? What role can our faith play in bridging societal divides?
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Connecting our kids to what we as adults are learning and hearing on Sundays is vital to passing on our faith to the next generation. Use the summary below as a great way to talk about the message we heard with your kids.
The Tale of Brave Joshua and God's Promise
Once upon a time, there was a brave leader named Joshua. God had chosen Joshua to lead His people into a beautiful new land. But Joshua was a little nervous. What if he couldn’t do it?
One day, God spoke to Joshua. He said, ‘Joshua, just as I was with Moses, I will always be with you. Be strong and brave. Don’t be scared, because I will never leave you!’
Joshua remembered how God had helped Moses, so he trusted God’s promise. With God’s help, Joshua and the people faced many challenges, but they always won because God was with them.
Even when Joshua felt alone or scared, he knew God was by his side. And guess what? God is with you too! No matter where you go or what you face, remember: If God is for us, who can be against us?
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Cultural and Political Environment:
Romans chapter 8 was written by the Apostle Paul around AD 57. During this period, the early church was growing, but Christians faced significant persecution from Roman authorities. Rome's culture was a mix of Greek and local traditions, and it was a time of great political upheaval and power struggles.
Religious Atmosphere:
Judaism was the primary religion in Judea, but the Roman Empire was polytheistic, worshipping multiple gods. Christianity, which was a new and growing faith, was often met with suspicion and hostility.
Geographical Significance:
The letter to the Romans was written while Paul was in Corinth. Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire, was one of the most influential cities in the world. Paul’s letter aimed to strengthen the faith of the Roman Christians and provide them with theological teachings.
Purpose of the Letter:
Romans 8 is particularly impactful because it reassures believers of God’s unwavering love and promises. Paul uses this chapter to remind the Roman Christians that despite persecution and hardships, God is for them, and nothing can separate them from His love. This message was crucial for the early church facing trials, and it continues to resonate today.
Key Verses:
Romans 8:31, ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ was a powerful assurance to Christians that God’s love and support are eternal. This chapter encapsulates the hope and strength found in faith, even amidst adversities.
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Romans chapter eight is one of the most impactful chapters in the entire Bible. It is chock full of promises. It speaks of God's everlasting love. It talks about the promise that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.
It tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. It gives us a promise that we can call him Abba. Father tells us that we are more than conquerors. It tells us nothing can separate us from the love of God. They're all great truths.
All great truths. And I'm sure some of you could add more to that in that one great chapter.
But God began to lay this message on my heart a couple of weeks ago. And Pastor Jeff last Sunday gave a great introduction, great introduction to this message.
He didn't know. I didn't know what was going to happen yesterday afternoon. When Gator shared part of this at the men's breakfast yesterday, we had no idea what's going to take place a few hours later. Gator didn't know. But I can tell you one thing, or I can tell you one person that was not caught by surprise.
That's God. See, God spoke through Paul in Romans chapter eight. And he gave great, great, great words of encouragement that has stood for 2000 years and it will continue to stand as long as we have life here on this earth. Romans 831. What then shall we say to these things?
If God be for us, who could be against us? Turn to your neighbor and quote that to them. If God be for us, who can be against us? Abraham Lincoln had a lot of great quotes, but one of his quotes was, America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we faltered and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Another quote, as the civil war was beginning, he said, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My greatest concern is to be on God's side. For God is always right. I know that many of you, like myself, are concerned about the dissension, the division, the hatred, the anger in our country.
We need a revival.
A couple more recent quotes. The first one was from Tim Hill, the resigning or retiring leader of the church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee, he said this. We don't have to see eye to eye as long as we can walk hand in hand. Let me say that again. That's good.
Thank you, Gator. It's worth an amen. We don't have to see eye to eye as long as we can walk hand in hand. You know, if we get together and we start discussing anything, whether it be religion or politics or the weather or anything else, we gonna come to some disagreements. We're not gonna be agreeing in total agreement of anything, and I got that.
And I'm encouraged by that because I realize that you've been wrong before, so we don't have to agree. But if we can walk hand in hand in spite of our differences. And another quote that I don't know if this came from Tim Hill or not, it was in some of my notes from, you know, I write down something that's worth repeating, and this I think's worth repeating. If people are not on your heart, they're probably on your nerves.
But the reality is, if we are praying for someone, we have compassion for them, we have a love for them, not a hatred. And I think it's time for the church to join hands and stand for God, realizing we will not always be or we will never be in total agreement. But we can't agree on this. If God be for us, who can be against us? I believe the message that God gave me over two weeks ago for this morning is one of the most encouraging messages in the Bible.
If God before us, who can be against us? Remember Jeff's message last week? If you didn't hear it, it's online. You can get it. But when things looked the bleakest for David, he encouraged himself in the Lord.
David was devastated. His world had crumbled around his ears because he had taken some men out to do battle. And while his army was out, somebody came in and destroyed his city or his residence there, captured all of his people and that same army, his same military leaders that were known as his mighty men said, let's kill David. Let's kill him. They were ready to revolt.
They were devastated. They lost their families. Everything was gone. And David encouraged himself in the Lord. Now notice, and I thank Pastor Jeff for mentioning this, making it so strong.
He did not encourage himself in himself. Now, I know that some of you like me, we talk to ourself, and I like to try to drum up support with them myself. I like to pump myself up, say, okay, self, let's do better. Let's do better. But usually self lets us down.
David didn't even encourage himself with his military might. He had had some great victories already, but no, he encouraged himself in the Lord, I think, even though it had not been written yet, he understood, if God before us, who can be against us? Moses set a great example. Was Moses perfect? No, he was not perfect.
But he made a statement after he had taken the nation of Israel out of Egypt, and they were getting ready to, God said, step, by the way, Moses, let me destroy them. And he stood on interceding for them, and he made a statement. He said, God, if you're not going with me, I don't want to go. I don't want to go. And I believe it's time for America, and not just the citizens of America, but I believe the churches of America, to take a stand and say, God, if you're not going, I don't want to go.
If you're not in this, I'm not interested, because I realize a great promise. If God be for us, who can be against us? See, Moses had learned something. He tried it on his own, and it didn't work really well. Have any of you ever tried to do it on your own?
Maybe you bought one of those easily assembled sheds years ago. Remember those? Oh, yeah. Easy, easy. I couldn't even figure out which was a and b.
And we think that we can figure out life on our own. But if God before us, who can be against us? But when God called Moses from the burning bush, he made a promise to Moses. What was that promise? He said, I will go with you when we become a child of God.
Contrary to what some people tell you, he did not promise that you'll never have another financial need. He did not promise that you'll never have a day of sickness. He did not promise that all of your family was going to be perfect.
He promised, I'll be with you. And if God be for us, who could be against us? David tried it on his own. Moses tried it on his own, and that didn't work. But when we go in the power of the almighty God, we can say, if God be for us, who can be against us?
See, it didn't stop with Moses, because Moses had a protege that we know as Joshua. And Joshua had a great life. But one of the greatest testimonies of Joshua is whenever it came to the end of his journey, he said that he had done everything that Moses had told him to do. Put that in our language. That means that he had taken his checklist and every one of them was completed.
But he didn't do them by himself.
If God before us, who can be against us? Notice what it says in Joshua, chapter one, verse five. This was God speaking to Moses. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall call this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and courageous. Very courageous, being careful to do according to. To all the law that Moses, my servant, commanded you do not turn from it to the right, hand to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. Why don't you talk about now? They only had at this time, they didn't have anything except what Moses had given them. You and I have got the whole book. It says, listen, I promised it over and over and over and over again.
I will not leave you nor forsake you. And if God be for us, who can be against us? And it says, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed.
For the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. Here's a news flash, and I know I'm tiptoeing on dangerous ground, but regardless of who wins the election in November, God will still be God. God will still be God. God will still be God. Thank God that former President Bush was not killed yesterday.
Thank God for that. We need to pray for him and pray for our country. But we need to understand something. If God be for us, who can be against us, that God is one. Did I say bush?
I wanted to see if he was asleep. Thank you. Thank you. But I'm glad Bush wasn't shot, too. We can have two for one, right?
Yeah. But if God be for us, who can be against us? Now, I know what some of you are thinking, because some of you think just like I do.
Moses was somebody special. Joshua was somebody special.
But some of us are nobodies.
I said, some of us are nobodies. At least that's what Satan tries to tell us, that you're nobody. So you say, well, what about me? Well, as I was taught in a sales class number of years ago, I was taught how to handle rebuttals or excuses on why people would not buy. And we asked that and said, well, Moses was a great man of God.
Joshua was a great man of God. I'm not that great. What about me? And that answer to that rebuttal is, so what? So, because if you go with me over to two, Peter, chapter three, verse eight.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. What in the world is he saying? He said, listen, time is not relevant to God. He is eternal. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Now, I didn't look up all because I thought what I knew what all meant, all means all, but I didn't look up any. I looked up any in the Greek to find out what that meant. And what did it mean? It literally means a certain one or everyone. God is not willing that you should perish.
God is not willing that any should perish. He wants everybody. Whosoever will may come. So when he tells us, when he tells us, if God before us doesn't mean just the leadership, does it just mean Donald Trump, does it just mean the pastor? It means every one of us.
Because God is not willing for any to pass to perish. God willing that any should perish. So that any literally means a certain one or anyone. After the bombing of Pearl harbor, and you know what was said after Pearl harbor, they've awakened a sleeping giant. But after the bombing of Pearl harbor, thousands joined the military.
They couldn't keep up with them. Initially, thousands joined the military, but, you know, even in that, some of them were turned down because there were some daddies and granddaddies that went and said, I'm going to go fight. They said, you're too old. They wouldn't accept them.
But when God says, whosoever will may come, that's one of those, Ennis, every one of us. He said, whosoever will may come. Now, an amazing thing. Now, I've got to verify this, because I just found it yesterday when I was looking it up and checking out those that joined the military after bombing of Pearl harbor. And according to that one statement, when you signed up, you did not sign up for a term.
You signed up for the duration the war. How many knows? When you signed up with God, you didn't sign up for a term. He didn't say, I'm going to serve two years and I'm coming home. He didn't even say, I'm going to serve 20 years, and I'm going to retire.
We signed up and he said, if God be for us, who can be against us? Who can be against us? The greatest joining of the military since Pearl harbor. Anybody want to guess when it was the day after 911 when we realized we need God, we need to bind together, and we need to agree that if God before us, who can be against us? I could cheer on and on and on, but I don't have time.
But I do want to go to Isaiah. Isaiah, chapter 18. Isaiah. Excuse me. Isaiah, chapter eight.
When God was prophesying the assyrian invasion, that means that the Babylonians were coming to come and defeat Judah. They were going to destroy Jerusalem.
For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand upon me and warned me not to walk in the way of this people saying, do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy. Now, folks, I'm just going to say I'm sure there's a lot of conspiracy out there.
Everybody's got their conspiracy theory, but don't call everything conspiracy, except just realize that Satan is out to destroy everything that God stands for, our freedom, the love for God.
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy. And do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. Why? But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and ensnare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You say, wait a minute. That sounds contradictory, what he's saying. Those that do not allow him to lead them, they will be destroyed. But if we're following him, and if we're, as Lincoln said, if we're on his side, guess what?
If God be for us, who can be against us, and many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken. They shall be snared and taken. Bind up testimony. Seal their teaching among my disciples, I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs importance in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. He said, you're going to be my witnesses. You're my example. To do that, and I can tell you, I think we have to agree that the church has failed miserably in being the example that God wants us to be.
But he still promises. His promises are still true. If God before us, who can be against us? I know some of you saying, well, pastor, you said this was encouraging. This doesn't sound very encouraging to me, but it is.
Because when we signed up for the duration of the war, we need to be reminded that if God be for us, who can be against us? I've already mentioned it, but when the bombing of Pearl harbor, did they take everyone? No, but I remember. Any of you remember Vietnam? Some of you served.
I was all ready to go. All I had to go was to go to Miami, take my physical, be sworn in, and I was gone. I was within two weeks of going, but I flunked my physical. I was embarrassed because I was pretty healthy. And some of you know, in the early seventies, if you could walk and blow bubbles, you could qualify, but not me.
I can tell you in the natural, a lot of us would never qualify to be God's kids. But I'm glad, said, whosoever Will, I'm glad he promised me will that if God be for me, who can be against me? Now let me ask you this.
How much do you love God?
Now, I hope that your love for God is growing. I hope your love for God is just like your love for your spouse. It's a lot greater than it used to be because we're growing and falling in love with Jesus daily.
But I can tell you. I cannot tell you how much you love God, but I can tell you that God loves you more than you love him.
I said, God loves you more. Even with my failures, even with all my blemishes, with all my issues. Yep. And if God be for me, who can be against me?
How much do you love God?
Another question they'd have to ask is, well, how much do you love your children? How much do you love your grandchildren? And you say, well, I love them a bunch. But you don't love them as much as God does.
Now, that's hard for us to comprehend. But see, his is a perfect love. And the Bible says perfect love covers a multitude of sins. He doesn't see us as we are. He sees us what we can do.
Thank you, Lord. He can see us with our potential. And if God be for us, who can be against us?
Here's another question. How much faith do you have in God?
Now that's a big question. Early on in my ministry, it was right when the confession and positive confession doctrine was sweeping the world. And people tell you, if you had enough faith, all you need is enough faith.
But, you know, I know a lot of people with a lot of faith that still died, they still had issues, and I come to the conclusion that wasn't how big my faith is. It's how big my God is.
And I found out something, Gator. The closer I got to goddess, the bigger he got. Huh? The closer I get to God, the bigger he gets. And you know what?
The bigger my God gets, the smaller my problems get. Because if God before me, who can be against me? I realized that I didn't need a ton of faith. I just needed to be God with a mustard sized faith, because my God is bigger.
But let me throw this at you. When I ask you how much faith you had in God. I can't answer that question, but I can't give you an answer. God has more faith in you than you have in him. That's good.
Amen. I said, God has more faith than you. See, that's what's encouraging about this, Gator, is to know that in the midst of all my garbage and all my weaknesses, if God be for me, who can be against me? Who can be against me?
You say? Well, how can you say that? Because with him, we are more than what? Conquerors. Okay, that's my introduction.
Now turn with me to Hebrews chapter 13.
Don't turn me off yet, Daniel. Don't quit recording. I won't be here much longer. But Hebrews chapter 13. I want to read verse one and then drop down to verse five.
Because I believe number one is very critical in our today's situation. Let brotherly love continue, folks. The world is full of hate, but God's not full of hate.
The world's full of dissension. God's not full of dissension. We need to let brotherly love continue. Then drop down to verse five.
Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me because of God before me? Who can be against me?
Now, in a quick reading, where it says here that says, there's two words that seem to be almost duplicates, he says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. They are comparable. But the word forsake means that God will not abandon you, he will not desert you. He will not leave you helpless or will not forsake you.
But then the word leave has a little bit different connotation, because if you look the word leave up in the Greek, it literally means not to up. It says, I will not. So it means a negative. I will not leave you helpless. And then the next, when you ready for this, he said, I will not let you sink.
Praise God. You're there fighting for your life, going down the third time, and God says, I will not let you sink. I'm not going to leave you by yourself. I'm not going to abandon you. And I'm the best lifeguard you've ever had, and I've never lost one.
I can pick you up in the midst of it. And I know that there's things going on, and our hearts are breaking for our country. But I need to remind you that God said, if God be for us, who can be against us? In 1979, anybody remember 1979?
There was a gospel group. Now, those of you that are southern gospel fans, you know this because when the imperials first came out, they were really not appreciated by the southern gospel group. They were the contemporary of the contemporaries back in their day. A new sound. They don't even scratch the surface contemporary these days, but then they were.
And in 1979, they sang a song. Says, he didn't bring us this far to leave us. He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn't build his home in us to move away. He didn't lift us up to let us down.
What a promise. Now, some of you today may feel like you're sinking and you're going down for the third time. But he promised he would not let us sink. Now, I know I've already mentioned death, and death is a terrible thing to mention because we think that's the final. No, no, listen.
For the believer, death is not the period. It's a comma. You just go into the next thing. Matter of fact, there's some people that said the reason Jesus wept at Lazarus tomb. I don't know how scriptural this is.
I know he wept. And there's one thought that says he wept because he didn't want to have to bring Lazarus back to that mess.
I can guarantee you, for those of us that are in Christ, 30 minutes after we're gone, we wouldn't want to come back. Even if we missed the election. Some of y'all get that after a while, we wouldn't want to come back. Why? Because we're more than cockers.
Why? Because greater is he that's within us than he is in the world. Why? Because if God be for us, who can be against us? Ephesians, chapter six, verse nine, masters, do the same to them.
And stop your threatening, knowing that he is both their master and yours. In heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. They say, how does that apply today? What does that mean? It means that God is no respecter of persons.
I said, God's no respecter of persons. He knows you. He says, if God before you, who can be against you? Isaiah prophesied it, and Matthew proclaimed his fulfillment.
Matthew, chapter twelve. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to the victory. And in his name, the Gentiles will hope.
That's the great majority of us here. Our hope is in nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness. Some of you may feel like, well, you know, my dad used to say something when we'd ask him about some money, and he'd say, well, I'm not broke, but I'm bent mighty bad. Some of you know what I'm talking about, but I'm not broke.
And God made a promise that he's not going to break. That broken, weak reed and that fire, that little flame that you have maybe just flickering just a little bit. But I can tell you a promise that God is not going to blow it out. He's not going to blow it out. Why?
Because if God be for us, who be against us? I told you that this message was given me two weeks ago, a little over two weeks ago. Had no idea what was going go yesterday. But it just reaffirmed the fact that God says, if God be for us, if God be for us, who could be against us? We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.
And today, should we be praying for our country? Certainly, I said we need to be praying for our country. We need to be taking a stand. We need to be in agreement, and we need to join hands, even if we're not totally in agreement. But we can walk together in Jesus knowing that in him there's peace, there's unity, there's contentment.
And if God be for us, who can be against us? Father, I ask you to minister to us today. Our nation is hurting.
A lot of confusion, a lot of hatred, a lot of anger, a lot of bitterness. But if you be for us, who could be against us? And God, I know that there are some people here that need a miracle in their bodies. There are some people that are watching online, some that may not even be able to watch today, but they're still standing in need of prayer. And if you before us, who can be against us?
So, Father, as we bring this service to a close, we ask you to help us to rejoice in the promise and the promises of your word. That if you be for us, who can be against us? We are more than conquerors. That nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. That you're not going to blow out our wick.
That you're not going to let us go down that third time. You're going to rescue us. Have your way today.
