A Love the leads to the Cross and Beyond: A Love that Secures

``Name it and claim it, you're suffering. What does that mean? When we rest in the love of Christ, trials become opportunities. Trials become opportunities for us to grow in our relationship with Christ. They become opportunities for us to grow because we rely on him and trust him during those trials. More importantly, trials become opportunities for us to share our witness with unbelievers. I believe this in a big way to trials become a way for us to glorify God. Because we can glorify god by demonstrating the power that he has in our life when we are at peace in the midst of the storm, when we are at peace in the midst of the trials. That's a very powerful witness. [00:59:51] (51 seconds)  #TrialsToTriumph

As you sit there in awe staring, you hear that gavel come down. Bam. Case dismissed. Case dismissed. The righteousness of my son prevails against all accusations. Right? And Satan scurries away literally with his tail between his legs, having lost another one. There is no advocate like Jesus. This is the even more that Paul declares in our passage. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross, but even more, he has been raised and stands as our advocate. And with Jesus in our in that room, with Jesus at our side, Satan has no ability. Who can bring a charge against you that will overcome the price already paid by the sun? Absolutely no one. We have eternal security because our sovereign defender has already achieved eternal victory over every sin. [00:51:50] (75 seconds)  #CaseDismissedInChrist

What Paul is saying that the enemy, Satan, cannot condemn you for the sin in your life once you're in Jesus. Satan has no authority once you are in Christ. That authority lives with God alone. But God, through Christ Jesus, has already justified you. Jesus has already paid for your sin. So if God has justified you, if God has made you righteous, if God has declared you holy, then no accusation levied by Satan is going to stick. There will be no condemnation when Christ is your advocate. This one won't be on your screen, but Romans eight one tells us clearly, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. [00:47:58] (53 seconds)  #NoCondemnation

So Paul's halftime pep talk is a little different. He's not talking to a losing team that needs to pull together to win. Yeah. In many ways, we're still a bunch of misfits. We're still we're still losers. We're we're still sinners. Right? But we don't have a broken coach. We do not have a broken coach. Rather, Paul's half time speech is given to a team whose coach has already won the game. He has already won the game. And Paul wants us to see how that knowledge that Jesus Christ has already secured our future should have a profound impact on us. It's an argument about sovereignty and love. [00:39:13] (44 seconds)  #HalftimeOfFaith

Satan tries to convince us that somehow God's love is a little lessened if we look at them through the lens of God's attributes. He tries to convince us that somehow a God who expects obedience doesn't love you as much as one that would let you be yourself. A God that demands justice doesn't love one, doesn't love you quite as much as one who would just let you live your natural lives without consequences. Satan loves this tool. He wants you to think that god's love is somehow attenuated or lessened a little bit. But in reality, God's love is enhanced. Our understanding of God's love is enhanced when we look at his love through his other attributes. [00:40:53] (52 seconds)  #GodsLoveAndJustice

These are challenges that are are going to continue in this world. These are challenges that Christians are gonna face along with everybody else. And indeed, if you look at verse 36, we're actually going to suffer because we are Christians. These are things we will suffer. And then Paul, he asked the question in order to make the case. What matters these things when we are under the umbrella of Christ's love? What matters these things when we have eternal security? Famine's tough, but it's not gonna separate you from the love of Christ. Losing your job is rough, but it's not gonna separate you from the love of Christ. Persecution can be brutal. Torture's not fun. Right? But it's not gonna separate you from the love of Christ. War with Iran, not gonna separate you from the love of Christ. There is no sword that will cut the bonds of Christ's love. [00:58:00] (61 seconds)  #NothingCanSeparateUs

We must trust that if we believe Jesus paid the price on the cross for our sins, that his love is going to endure, that his strength the strength of his love is going to secure our salvation. A love that is so strong that Jesus Christ would leave heaven's embrace and take on the weakness of a baby, the limitations of human flesh, it is a love that is strong enough to endure. It is a love that will not falter. A love that is so strong that the king of kings submitted himself to human authority is a love that will not falter. A love that is so strong that he took our place and died on the cross for our sins is a love that will not falter. [01:12:17] (57 seconds)  #LoveThatEnduresAll

Remember, God plays on an eternal game field. He plays on an eternal field. He's playing the eternal, the long game, if you will. And in the spiritual realm, in the spirit I can't say that word. In the spiritual realm, God has achieved victory on an eternal scale. So Paul tells us with great assurance that on an eternal scale, no opposition will prevail against us because God is on our side. Our sovereign protector has already achieved eternal victory over every enemy. Our sovereign protector has already achieved victory, eternal victory over every enemy. If God is for us, who cares who is against us? [00:46:22] (57 seconds)  #EternalVictoryInChrist