June 26, 2016 (013110) NOTES NOT EDITED.
Text: Romans 8:26, 28, 31-39
Text: Romans 8:26, 28, 31-39
Title: Hyper Nike
SIS: When we cross the bridge of faith we become
“more than conquerors.”
Some of the most spectacular structures man has ever
created are bridges. One only needs to
view the fog-encased Golden Gate Bridge spanning the opening of the great San
Francisco Bay to prove my point. It is a
spectacular sight. Though not the
tallest, or the longest bridge in the world it is perhaps the one of the most
famous.
The Golden Gate (which is actually orange) bridge
[SLIDE] is suspended on two great cables consisting of over 80,000 miles of
steel wire. That’s enough to circle the
equator of the world three times. There
was enough concrete poured to anchor the towers into the choppy waters of the
San Francisco Bay to pave a five-feet wide sidewalk from New York to San
Francisco!
As fantastic as that is, the Golden Gate is small
compared to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan [SLIDE]. This is the longest suspension bridge in the
world. It stretches almost 3000 feet
further than the Golden Gate Bridge to connect the city of Kobe with Awaji-shima
Island across the Akashi Strait. The
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge isn't just long -- it's also extremely tall. Its two
towers, at 928 feet, soar higher than any other bridge towers in the world.
Of course, my favorite bridge in all the world is the New
River Gorge Bridge [SLIDE] spanning the breathtaking New River Gorge in
Southern West Virginia. Before the
bridge was built it took about 40 minutes detour to cross the New River
Gorge. Now, it takes about a minute.
Bridges are fascinating
marvels of human ingenuity.
Bridges serve a very simple
purpose: they connect two places that were not connected before. That’s why a “bridge” perfectly illustrates
the biblical concept of faith. Through
faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord of Life, God and man are “connected.” The Word says:
8
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith (Eph 2:8)
through faith (Eph 2:8)
God in His infinite mercy
and abundant grace responds to one’s faith by providing salvation. Saving faith in the person and work of Jesus
Christ bridges the gap of sin that presently separates man from God – and will
continue to separate man from God through eternity (if one fails to make the
“faith connection in this life”).
A metaphor is a comparison
between two objects or ideas that share common traits. I’d like to show you this morning how “faith
in Jesus Christ” is a bridge that connects a person in this world with the God
of eternity in what we call, salvation.
This “grace bridge of faith” is the ONLY way that provides for present
victory and eternal bliss. It is faith,
and “faith alone” that makes us what Paul calls, “more than conquerors” or
“hyper nikes” as we will see later.
There is nothing else long enough, strong enough, or high enough to make
the eternal connection between God and man across the impassable gorge of sin
but “saving faith.”
Let’s read together Paul’s description of the kind of faith that makes us
“More than Conquerors.” Romans 8:26, 28,
31-39
26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
.............................
28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who
have been called according to his purpose.
..............................
31
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be
against us? 32 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? 33 Who will
bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised
to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For
your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered." 37 No, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.
Here’s four reasons why
faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that can bridge the gap of sin that
separates man from God:
1. Saving Faith is LONG enough (v.39)
[nothing ] in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A bridge that is not long
enough simply is not good enough. It is a waste of materials. There is an old, much beloved hymn based upon
The text in the Book of Acts when Paul is making a defense for the gospel before
the non-believing King Agrippa I. Paul’s
argument for faith in Christ was almost strong enough to persuade this wicked
King. The King says: "You
almost persuade me to become a Christian." Acts 26:28-29
The hymn writer put it like
this:
“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say, // “Go,
Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day // On
Thee I’ll call.”
“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail; // “Almost” is but
to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail— // “Almost,”
but lost!
In faith, like
bridge-building, almost comes up catastrophically short.
Have you ever been driving
down a freeway and come across a new overpass being constructed? The road rises high above the freeway but
seemingly stops in mid-air. The entrance
is blocked off because traveling across such a structure would lead to certain
death when one plunged off the unconnected end.
In faith, like
bridge-building, almost just isn’t good enough. People try to build all kinds
of bridges to cross the gorge of sin.
Some people build bridges of charity and good works – but good works are
not good enough. Some people try to
build bridges of wise-sounding philosophy – but even the best philosophy is not
good enough to connect man with God.
Some people try to build bridges of religion to span the gulf separating
man from God. Religion is a bridge that
is simply NOT LONG ENOUGH to bridge the gap of sin that separates man from
God.
Good works won’t connect
you with God. Great philosophy and
high-thinking won’t connect you with God.
The most sincere acts of religion will not connect a person with
God. Only the bridge of faith in Jesus
Christ can do that.
The Bible says, (1
Tim 2:4-6) 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men-the testimony given in
its proper time.
The word “mediator” means
“someone who stands between two others,” a bridge if you will between two
parties.
Jesus Christ is God’s
bridge to man – the only bridge long enough to span the gorge of sin and save a
person for eternity.
God, Himself, provides the
only bridge long enough to connect man with Him for all eternity – it is the
bridge of “faith” in Jesus Christ. He
alone is long enough.
2. Saving Faith in Jesus Christ is also STRONG enough (26, 31)
26
in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
..................................
31
What, then, shall we say in response to this?
If
God is for us, who can be against us?
Let me turn verse 31 around
a little to get at its meaning. “If God is for us, who can be against us” is
our response to this.”
That begs the question,
“what is the ‘this’ Paul is talking about.” Look at verse 18 which really opens
the section we are studying. Paul says,
18 I consider that our present sufferings
are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Go down the page a few more
passages and you will get an even clearer message of “who, or what comes
against us”–or the “this.” Paul says
declares in 35-36:
35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For
your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered."
Trouble, hardship,
persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword. These are the foes that come
against us as we try to live for Jesus in this world. I’ll say more about living above life’s
circumstances in a minute, but here I want to consider the question: “is
faith in Jesus Christ strong enough to withstand the storms that come against
our lives?” The answer is
“yes!” Nothing can overcome us if we are
firmly connected to God across the bridge of faith in Jesus Christ. NOTHING.
NADA. ZIP. ZILCH! The “this” is
outlined in verses 1-30 under the general principle of “living the spiritual
life.” Living a life in Christ is living
a life in victory, strong enough to withstand whatever may come one’s way.
Some people have the
mistaken notion that a person becomes saved by the grace of God through simple
faith in Jesus Christ but STAYS SAVED by right living or religious ritual. Friend, that is a schizophrenic faith that
ain’t never going to allow you to become “more than a conqueror in Christ.”
The bridge of faith in
Jesus Christ is strong enough because it is a bridge built with the material of
God’s promises in the Bible.
For example, listen to Phil. 1:6: being confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.
Friend, there is no need to
doubt your faith if your faith is in Jesus Christ. It is strong enough to stand
against any storm that comes into your life.
Robert Louis Dabney was an
outstanding Presbyterian theologian during the mid-19th century. He served as a
minister, as a chaplain, as chief of staff to General Stonewall Jackson, and as
a seminary professor. He also helped establish a seminary in Austin, Texas. As
he aged, Dabney began to worry about his impending death, and he expressed his
fears in a letter to a former student and theologian, C.R. Vaughan. Dabney wondered about his ability to die
honorably and to hold on to his Christian faith. Vaughan replied: "Dear friend, let me advise you now as
you often have me. If you were about to cross a deep chasm, and there were a
bridge over it, would you stand there looking in at yourself, wondering if you
trusted enough in bridges to be able to cross? Or would you not rather go and
examine the beams and timbers of the bridge and the quality of its construction,
and determine whether the bridge was trustworthy, and then pass over it in
confidence? Our faith is in Christ; spend yourself focusing on Him and His
sufficiency, rather than on your own strengths or merits."
Faith is simply taking one
more step and trusting the “beams and timbers” of God’s providence
to protect you along life's path. We simply keep taking one more step trusting
that God will provide the way. Our trust
– our faith – is in God, not our goodness or abilities. When we have faith, God
always makes a way for us to become "more than conquerors." Faith is
not trusting in our beliefs but believing the One that is trustworthy. Don’t confuse the two.
The Bible says in Col 2:6, as
ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (KJV)
We receive salvation by
grace through faith, so we must continue our walk by grace through faith. The weakest bridge we can build in our lives
is a bridge built on good works. That
will never get us to heaven. Good works
are not strong enough to “help us in our weakenesses.” Only God can do that.
And, “If God is for us, who
(or what) can be against us!” The answer is nothing or no one.
3. The bridge of faith is not only long enough
and strong enough, but it is HIGH ENOUGH (v 38, 39)
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.
In my studies this week I
came across something that pricked my heart.
After describing the beauty and awe-inspiring elegance of the Golden
Gate Bridge, a man sadly pointed out that the glorious bridge across the bay is
also a final stop for many who commit suicide by jumping from the bridge.
If you stand on the Golden
Gate Bridge and look down into the choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay 245
feet or so below, it can be a scary sight.
Death awaits anyone who plunges into the chilly, choppy, shark infested
waters.
My point is this: the
bridge of faith is designed by God to keep us ABOVE the choppy, chilly waters
of sin. Faith is a bridge that is not
only long enough and strong enough, faith is a bridge HIGH enough to allow us
to be “more than conquerors” through Christ Jesus. God didn’t save us just to get “by” in the
world, but to get “ahead.”
Many, perhaps most people, in church seem to think that the goal of salvation is to meet some “minimum” standard in order to get into heaven. Salvation is like a “fire insurance policy.” No, no, no. God didn’t save us to simply get us out of this world, but to get the world out of us—faith requires holiness, and holiness requires living “above” the sin-stained pattern of the world.
Many, perhaps most people, in church seem to think that the goal of salvation is to meet some “minimum” standard in order to get into heaven. Salvation is like a “fire insurance policy.” No, no, no. God didn’t save us to simply get us out of this world, but to get the world out of us—faith requires holiness, and holiness requires living “above” the sin-stained pattern of the world.
As I said a minute ago, we
are saved by grace and we are kept by grace, but we still have much work to do
to become the quality of disciple that God has purposed us to be. In other words, if we truly have faith in
Jesus Christ, we have the power to live above the sin of the world—to be “more” than just saved, but to be
pursuing holiness. We may not work to
gain our salvation, and we certainly cannot work enough to keep our salvation,
but if we truly have faith in Jesus Christ, we will certainly work to live high
above the choppy waters of sin.
Think about what we read in
verses 38-39. Below our bridge of faith
is the choppy of waters of death, demons, and worry about the future. There are the heights of pride and the depths
of depravity. In short, all around us as
we stand on the bridge of faith are opportunities to cave in to sin and
worldliness. Paul says that the bridge
of faith is HIGH enough to keep us above a life of sin and the dangers of
depraved living:
But, we can jump off the
bridge of faith into the chilly waters of worldliness anytime we have a mind to
do so. If we are truly saved, we will
not lose our salvation by participating in sin – but we will certainly lose our
testimony and effectiveness as believers.
And . . . we may even lose our life and health.
In confronting the Church
at Corinth about their worldliness and sin Paul said, That is why many of
you are weak and sick, and some have even died. (1Cor. 11:30, TLB)
As disciples of Jesus
Christ, we are to exercise our faith by living high above the immorality of the
world. The Word tells us that we are to
avoid even “the appearance of evil” (1Thess. 5:22).
In a word, the bridge of
faith gives us the power to be “holy.” In regard to man, that doesn’t mean we
are perfect, but that we live our lives in such a way that we “set aside”
exclusively for service to God – that’s the meaning of holiness.
When Jesus commended the
two servants in the Parable of the Talents who faithfully invested their
talents in the Kingdom He called them, "good and faithful." (Mt.
25:21). We can be "good," and
we can be "faithful." Christians can live above the level of
worldliness.
Without a doubt the bridge
of faith in Jesus Christ spans the chilly, choppy danger-ridden sea of
worldliness. On the bridge we are high
above the dangers of sin. But . . . if we leap from the faith that God has
given us, death in one way or another is sure to be the result—death of the
body, and/or death of our witness and testimony.
The bridge of faith in
Jesus Christ is HIGH enough to keep us above the powers of sin. By accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior we
are released from the penalty. By living
the HIGH life of a disciplined life of holiness, we constantly exercise power
over sin. One day, when we are in heaven
with Jesus we will even be released from the very presence of sin.
But for now, we must travel
on the Bridge of Faith that is HIGH enough to allow us to be “more than conquerors”
in the battle against worldliness.
It is a lie of the Devil
that says a saint in Christ cannot live a disciplined, holy life living far
above and beyond the allure of the spirit of this world. The Bible says,
“Be
holy for I am holy”
(1Pet 1:16) and, . . . "Since we have these
promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that
contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for
God.” (2 Cor 7:1)
The Bridge of Faith is
definitely HIGH enough to keep us far above and beyond any threat from death,
demons, or doubts about the future.
There is a fourth
characteristic of the bridge of faith that summarizes the other three. Because the bridge of faith is LONG enough,
STRONG enough, and HIGH enough, it is a Bridge that WORKS. Look back at v 28
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.
Underline those words: “God works.”
Sanctification, that is the
process of becoming holy, is not a matter of "good" works, but
"God works."Oh, what a difference an “o” makes!
Everything else in life
will fail you. Family will fail
you. Friends will fail you. Finances
will fail you. But, faith in God will
NEVER fail you. It works the first time
and every time for all time [REPEAT]
Everyone is looking for
something that will give them assurance and confidence for the future. People buy lottery tickets, look for hope in
a bottle, try to make life work with drugs or illicit sex. But, when crunch time comes, none of that
works. What DOES work every time for all
time is: faith. It is a bridge that
connects you to the All-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God of the
universe. If that doesn’t excite you and
make you want to throw yourself at the feet of Jesus, then . . . I don’t know
what else to tell you.
Becoming “more than a
conqueror” only happens when we step out in faith and God through Jesus
Christ. He's the Bridge that connects
man with God.
The words “more than
conquerors” is a translation of a single word in the original Greek. That word is “hupernikomen.” Most of you are familiar with part of
that word, “Nike.” It is the
brand name for a sporting goods company.
It is also the name of the Greek god of victory. But, Paul has no patience with the petty gods
of the pagan Greeks. Paul supes-up the
word Nike like they supe-up cars on “Pimp My Ride.” He says, “We are not just victors – we are
hyper-victors! We are
super-victors! We are “more than
conquerors” when we cross the bridge of faith in the Jesus Christ.
No
truer words have been spoken in an action movie, perhaps, than those spoken by Indiana
Jones as he takes his first step into what appears to be certain death. He says, “It
must be a leap of faith.” That
was the key to the bridge connecting Indiana Jones with the other side across
an impassable gulf.
[PLAY VIDEO CLIP of
bridge appearing as he walked]
Friends,
God has provided the bridge through Jesus Christ. Now, it is a matter of exercising your faith.
Whether
it is exercising your faith for the first time in salvation. Or to follow in baptism . . . or, to become a
minister of the gospel through this church . . . or, to overcome some difficult
situation in your life. The Bridge is
available. You can "cross that
bridge of faith and become more than a conqueror."
Would you consider crossing
that bridge today, by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
