May 27, 2021: SOAP #4193:  Proverbs 4-6; Romans 8

SCRIPTURE:  Romans (NIV) 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

OBSERVATION: Paul is certain.  He has no doubts.  None of the things listed have the power within themselves to separate us from God’s love!  Satan will try to use them to pry us out of God’s loving arms, but He cannot. This verse presents a great security for the believer!  It is an amazing love from an amazingly powerful Heavenly Father expressed through His Son and the keeping power of the Holy Spirit!

Should we choose to walk away, we will never be able to blame it on anything but ourselves.  We must judge ourselves guilty.  The God of love gives us a choice because love is only satisfied when the one returning the love chooses to do so.  It is not a choice unless we are free to make it, and God allows us to do just that. Nothing on the outside can be held responsible for our choosing to push away or walk away from God.  It is a heart matter.

Does this verse (and others in this chapter) give license to sin? NO!  Consider Psalm 66:18; John 15:1-2; Hebrews 6:4-6; 2Peter 2:20.

APPLICATION:  When I sin, I must repent; every sin can be confessed and forgiven, and I can be justified by the blood of Jesus.  The danger is in allowing unconfessed sin to remain in my life.  Soon I am thinking that my sin is not really so bad.  Soon I am thinking that God overlooks my sin.  Satan wants me to forget that “the wage of sin is death!” (Romans 6:23)

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I want to value our relationship as much as you do.  You have set it that nothing can separate us.  I want to commit myself that I will also allow nothing to separate us.  When I have allowed sin to hinder our fellowship, I will do my part to repent and confess it to you, knowing that you will do your part to forgive.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!