This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to our daily drive-time devotions, Romans chapter 8 verses 31 to 34, the
verses we're looking at today. This is our ninth day actually in this look at
this incredible chapter. One more day tomorrow as we take two weeks to go
through this chapter.

And as we head towards the end of the chapter, we get closer and closer to what
I would call holy ground, the top of the mountain. In a sense, when you're on
the top of a mountain, that's when you can see things clearly. After Romans 8,
we go into Romans 9.

We go back down into the valley a little bit, a little bit of the valley of
where we live in question and how this works out. So while we're on the top of
the mountain right here these next few days, I would invite you. Look around.

On the mountaintop, things are clear. On the mountaintop, you can see a long
way. So don't miss what you see here.

We've been together in Romans chapter 8 for nine days now, including this day.
And we're headed towards the peak, the incredible truths of God's love for us
that are contained at the end of this chapter. At the end of Romans chapter 8,
there are five unanswerable questions that lead to five unshakable assurances.

We're going to look at four of them today and then at one of them tomorrow.
Romans 8. 31.

First question. "What then shall we say in response to this? " Here's the first
question.

"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? " Third question.

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? " It's God who
justifies. And the fourth question.

"Who is he that condemns? Jesus Christ, who died more than that, who was raised
to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. " These are
questions, each of them, that build incredible assurance and confidence and
strength in your relationship with God.

They remind us of the truths that you can stand on every day of your life as a
follower of Jesus Christ. Truth number one, in response to that question, "If
God is for us, who can be against us? " The truth is, God is for us.

God is for us. God is for us at the beginning, he's at the end, and all the way
through. In fact, you can begin every sentence in your life with the phrase,
"God is for me.

" God is for me. I'm going to work today. God is for me.

I'm going through some problems with my marriage. God is for me. We're going to
have a baby in two weeks.

God is for me. I've got some tough decisions to make. God is for me.

On and on and on. Every sentence, every day, every moment of your life is
colored by this incredible truth that God is for you. Because of that, you can
conquer any fear of opposition that you might have.

That's not that there's no opposition in our lives, there is, but there can be
no successful opposition in your life, not ultimately, because ultimately, God
is for you. Not only do you begin every sentence in your life with that, but
that also is going to be the end of the last sentence of your life. God is for
me.

Second incredible truth that you see in these verses, God will give to us. Not
only is God for us, but he will give to us. And notice he argues from the
greater to the lesser here in verse 32.

If he didn't spare his own son, he gave him up for us, won't he also along with
him graciously give us everything else that we need in our lives? Here's this
crazy thought that some people have, "Well, if God gave Jesus, that's more than
enough, so why would he ever give me anything else? " And Paul says, "That's
crazy.

" That's not the way to think. The way to think is, God gave Jesus, that's the
best, the greatest he could ever give. That indicates he's willing to give
everything else that I need, not everything I want, all my selfish desires, but
he's willing to give everything else that I need.

It's interesting, the Greek word that's used here, "for he gave him up," is
paradidomai. It's the same word that is used for Judas betraying Jesus in Mark
14, 10. That's almost scandalous that that same word would be used.

But Judas gave up Jesus because of selfishness, because of short-sightedness,
because of sin. God gave Jesus. God gave his son.

He could have stopped it because of love, because of sacrifice, because of you.
Who gave Jesus? It wasn't Judas.

It wasn't the Jewish religious leaders. It wasn't the Romans. Ultimately, God
gave Jesus.

When we think, "God, you've given me so much, why would you give me any more? "
The point is, why would he not give us more? John Stott has said, "The cross is
the guarantee of the continuing, unfailing generosity of God.

" I remember years ago, when my kids were little, we went to Disneyland and
there's a show there where you pull a sword out of a stone. Maybe you've seen
that. We were there and Luke, our youngest, was maybe four or five at the time.

They select some people out of the audience to come and be a part of this thing.
Well, the Merlin guy in the costume pointed to me and I went up and I was the
one who couldn't pull the sword out of the stone and then they had a little
child who could, so I was the failure and the child was the success. Well, I
went up, but Luke didn't, so he saw me do this and be able to be a part of this
and as I came back, he put his head in his mom's shoulder and began to cry
because he sort of thought, "Oh, I would have liked to be a part of that.

" Well, the guy in the Merlin costume saw this and he wandered over and he said,
"Hey, come back for the next show. I'll take care of you. " Now, do you think we
were back for the next show?

Absolutely. We knew that the Merlin guy in the costume was going to point at
Luke and say, "Hey, you come on up and be a part of this," and he did. But I
thought about that later and I thought, I knew that was going to happen based on
what some guy in a costume said.

I trusted his word that he was going to give what he said he would give. How
much greater should my trust in God be? Even though we cannot see God, he has
shown himself in his Son.

Trust him. Trust him. I can conquer my fear of provision, of not having what I
need by realizing that God will give all that I need in his Son.

God is for us. God will give to us. There's a third truth about security in our
relationship with God found in the third question.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? The third truth is
God will forgive us. Now remember, forgiveness is not saying it doesn't matter.

Your sin doesn't matter. It is saying it matters enough that Christ gave us all.
He paid the price.

And the word that we've seen again and again in the book of Romans and that we
see again here, it is God who justifies, is the word justification. God has
slammed down the gavel and he said, "You are eternally not guilty for your sin.
Not because of what you've done, but because of what my Son has done.

" When we sin, there's usually embarrassment. We are embarrassed that someone
might find out. Well, God already knows.

He knew it before you committed the sin. And the gavel has already come down,
declaring you not guilty. And so I can conquer my fear of accusation.

If you're afraid of accusation for the wrong things you've done, God, who loves
you more than anyone else, has already said, "I declare you not guilty because
of your trust in Christ. " If you haven't trusted in Christ yet for forgiveness,
start there and then hear God's declaration of not guilty. God will forgive us.

God will give to us. God is for us. And then a fourth truth.

God will not condemn us. Who is he who condemns? Is Jesus Christ who died?

Romans 8. 3 at the beginning of this chapter reminded us, "God condemns sin in
sinful man. " God doesn't condemn us.

He condemns sin. God decided to condemn sin instead of condemning us. God knows
us.

And he knows how many of us struggle with a sense of inner condemnation, maybe
all of our lives. So in this one verse, he gives us four assurances. If you're
struggling right now with a sense of inner condemnation, it's easy for you to
call yourself stupid, kick yourself, not like yourself.

Listen to these assurances. This is what God says about you. Four ways that I
know it to be true that God will not condemn us.

Jesus died. That really happened. The death on the cross tells you God won't
condemn you.

Jesus lives. The resurrection really happened. God will not condemn you.

Jesus sits at God's right hand right now in power and in glory, interceding for
you is the fourth truth. He's talking to God on your behalf. You might be
thinking, "You don't know what I've done.

" You might be thinking, "I was unfaithful to my spouse and no one knows. " Or
"I've neglected my kids and I just can't live with myself. " Or "You don't know
the thoughts that I've had.

" There are four assurances that God gives us as a believer no matter what. No
matter what sin you committed, Jesus died, Jesus lives, Jesus sits at God's
right hand and Jesus is interceding for you. That does not make us excuse our
sins and continue to live with our sins.

How could it? How could it? When you truly realize what Jesus has done for you,
instead of excusing your sin, you find the freedom to live in a new kind of way,
a new kind of life.

No condemnation does not mean no consequences. You will live with consequences
when you sin, no doubt about it. But one of those consequences should not be a
sense of condemnation.

If you allow that to happen, then you're going to live feeling a distance from
God the rest of your life. A condemned man is still in prison. There is no
condemnation for those who know Christ.

I can conquer my fear of condemnation. God will not condemn us. God will forgive
us because of his love for us in Jesus Christ.

God will give to us. God is for us. I've saved the fifth assurance in this
incredible passage for tomorrow.

It is a big one. As we close today, let's give praise. Let's talk to this God
who so deeply loves us.

And as we talk to him, if you've never accepted the forgiveness of Jesus Christ,
do it now. Jesus Christ, thank you for forgiving me. I need your gift of
forgiveness.

I need your gift of new life. I'm tired of trying to make life work by
condemning myself. Instead, I accept your forgiveness and then thank him.

Whether you just made that decision right now or you made it years ago, thank
him. God, thank you for who you are. Thank you that you are for me.

Thank you that you give to me. Not only give your son, but also all the other
needs are met. God, thank you that you have forgiven me.

And thank you that you will not condemn me. In Jesus name, I am grateful. Amen.