Romans 8:36-37 – Undeniable Victory – Bible study

Romans 8:36-37 Undeniable Victory Notice in \#Romans 8:37\, an extraordinary statement. Lets outline it. 1. Who is this statement about? "For thy sake WE." Paul is making the statement, so the WE would be us, Christians. 2. What is the statement? What is its point? "we are more than conquerors." Paul is declaring that we have victory, that we, Christians, are undefeatable. 3. When or where? In which battle are we undefeatable? "in all these things." a. The word ALL would imply in all battles. b. However, if we place it in the context, we might see a more strict interpretation. c. \#Romans 8:35\ We are the victors in. (1) tribulation (2) distress (3) persecution (4) famine (5) peril (6) sword d. \#Romans 8:36\ Even while we are killed like sheep all the day long, we are still more than victorious. 4. How? "through him that loved us." Pauls statement, then, is of an undeniable victory. How can this be? We can be persecuted, but we are victorious. We can be distressed by others, but we are victorious. We can be in peril, but we are victorious. We can be killed, but we are victorious. How can these things be? The victory Paul speaks of must not be of our body. It must be of our soul. This passage seems to be indirectly teaching us that our bodies, and what happens to them, are not as important as we may think. As you contemplate that possibility, think on these thoughts. I. We have a soul that cannot be harmed. Mt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. A. All of these things that Paul describes are things which can be done to the body. 1. The body is nothing more than the shell we live in. 2. Certainly, what happens to the shell affects the disposition of the soul, but it brings no harm to it. 3. Notice John the Baptist. Luke 7:19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. a. John had been in prison since before Jesus began His ministry \#Matt 4:12-17\. (1) How long he has been in there, we do not know. (2) However, those conditions appear to be affecting him. (3) \#Luke 7:19\ It appears that John has some question about whether Jesus is the Messiah or not! b. \#Luke 7:21\ Notice that Jesus does not rebuke John but reassures him. (1) Jesus reassures John by doing miracles that only God could do. (2) No doubt, some of Jesus greatest miracles were performed that day! (3) Equally of no doubt is that Johns spirit was refreshed and his spirit encouraged and his soul was protected. c. Herod will later behead Johns body, but no one will touch Johns soul. (1) This is the way God has designed things. (2) Our souls are beyond the reach of everyone and everything. B. From time to time, we think, "Wouldnt it be nice if this spiritual walk did not have to be completely by faith?" Wouldnt it be easier if we could see the spiritual?" 1. Have you ever wondered why God keeps the spiritual and the physical so well separated? 2. Suppose for a moment, man with all of his science, could see the human soul. What do you suppose he would do then? 3. I know I am stepping into the Twilight Zone here, but is man ever content with just knowing something? 4. Doesnt he have to see if he can play with it? a. We saw the atom but we were not content to know it was there. (1) We had to understand it, to know how it worked, to harness it. (2) The next thing you know, we have created a bomb with the potential of destroying the world. b. What about the molecular cell? (1) We saw what cells were made of, on a molecular scale, so we felt bound to see what we could do (2) We started by taking it apart, then trying to mix it up. (3) We put cells of rabbits in mice and cells of mice in pigs and to be honest, we dont know what has been created in secret laboratories. (4) We do know man was not content until he could clone a living thing, and Dollie the lamb was just the beginning. 5. I am not saying what we learned or created hasnt been helpful in many ways, just that mankind doesnt like to leave things he sees alone. 6. So suppose we could see the soul? a. What do you think man would want to do then? b. I do not know, but I believe that he would not be content until he found, if it were possible, some way to torment the soul. 7. God has not left that issue as a possibility. a. God has placed the soul and spiritual matters totally out of the reach of human beings. b. God has put barriers between the physical and the spiritual, barriers that I feel mankind will never breach. c. God has insured that no harm will ever come to the human soul. C. Because our soul cannot be harmed, we have an undeniable victory. II. We have a soul that cannot be stolen. A. In John 10, Jesus describes the safety of our soul. 1. Repeatedly, Jesus points out that robbers and destroyers are after our soul. John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. John 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. 2. Yet, we are safely locked behind the walls of the sheepfold and the Door, which is Christ Himself. John 10:1 He that entereth not by the door into the SHEEPFOLD. John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand. B. What is the point of the parable? No one can steal our soul from God. No one. 1. Satan cannot steal our soul. a. He would like to. b. Indeed, he would if he could. c. He cannot. 2. The world cannot steal our soul. a. The world can steal our body but not soul. (1) Sickness can afflict our body but not our soul. (2) Our bodies are subject to the starvation of famine and the perils of war, but our soul is safe. (3) Accidents may steal our health even our life. (4) Time will steal our youth. (5) Thieves may steal our riches. (6) Oppressors may steal our freedom. b. But nothing in, on, under, or above this world will ever steal our soul. 3. No human or power of this world can steal our soul. a. Friends may betray us. b. Spouses may divorce us. c. Children may abandon us, but our souls are save. 4. Neither can we lose our soul. a. Well I remember the man who denied eternal security. b. He agreed that no man could take his soul, but he thought he could sin away of his own accord. c. Yet, the text is clear. d. "NO MAN IS ABLE TO PLUCK THEM OUT" – You cannot pluck your own self out of Gods hand for that power is not given to you. C. Because no man can steal our soul, we have an undeniable victory. III. We have this victory because no one can separate our soul from God. A. Quite often, I speak about predestination and election. 1. I do this because there is a great deal of confusion about it. 2. I constantly affirm that God has not predestinated WHO will go to heaven but HOW we will go to heaven. a. God, in His foreknowledge, does know WHO will accept Jesus but I do not believe He has determined who will accept Jesus. b. Rather, God has decided that anyone who will repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be the saved. B. What, then, is so special about this group? If each individual must make a decision, of their own will, to trust Jesus as their Savior, what makes them special? What have they been "elected" to? 1. It is not the salvation they have been predestined to, it is all of the other perks! a. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets heaven. b. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets the Holy Ghost. c. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets discernment. d. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets understanding of the Word. e. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets an Intercessor. f. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets direct access and fellowship to the God. g. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets a glorified body. h. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets enrollment in the rapture. i. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets a "get out of the tribulation" card. j. Everyone who accepts Jesus gets access to the riches of God. k. And this text tells us, that everyone who accepts Jesus gets eternal life, a written guarantee that nothing will ever separate their soul from Gods love. 2. God did not ask us if we wanted these. He pre-determined to give them to us whether we want them or not. a. It might actually be that someone would prefer not to be raptured before the tribulation. b. We will all have lost ones who are left behind. c. Some, knowing their souls is safe, might prefer to endure what- every physical torments there are to aid, comfort, and even witness to the lost during that time. d. But God did not ask you. e. He has made that choice. f. Therefore, you have been predestined. You are the elect. C. Here Paul tells us that among the things that God has pre-determined is that nothing will ever separate our eternal from God or His love. 1. Once a child of God, always a child of God. 2. Once you are in, you are forever in. 3. Once saved, always saved. 4. Word it any way you like, it is a predestinated fact. 5. Nothing will ever separate you from God! D. Because our soul cannot be separated from God or His love, we have an undeniable victory. We have a victory we have, not in this body but in our soul. Let the devil and the world hurl their sharpest daggers, they cannot claim our victory. We have an undeniable victory which cannot be revoked! What we need to learn to do is to concentrate more on the victory of the soul than on the battles of the flesh. The effects of this life has very little meaning when it comes to what is really important. Safety, comfort, ease, luxury, longevity – if we are not where Christ wants us to be, they have no value at all. May God help us to comprehend what is truly important. May God help us to have wisdom to select what is truly important. May God give us the courage to seek that is truly important.