More Than Conquerors
Romans 8:31-39
Chris Patton
December 9, 2024
Sermon Recap PDF
Sermon Summary
- In this fallen world, we are all vulnerable to specific thoughts and patterns of thinking, that are wrong, unbiblical and spiritually destructive.
- We would all likely admit there are ways we need our minds corrected, renewed, transformed (Romans 12:2).
- Part of the sanctification process is as someone has said “learning to think God’s thoughts after Him.
- As part of the sanctification process, throughout our lives the Holy Spirit delights to help us to think less like the world and increasingly more in line with the way our Savior Jesus Himself thinks.
- This process of transformation and renewal of the mind also involves spiritual warfare because one of the primary ways our Enemy seeks to devour and destroy, is to try and get servants of the living God to think his thoughts after Him rather than God’s thoughts.
- This sermon benefited from Sinclair Ferguson’s book, “By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me.”
- One of the insightful things Ferguson points out it that the first rhetorical question Paul asks is a “what question.” “What then shall we say to these things?” The other questions are “who questions”
- “who can be against us?”
- “who shall bring any charge?”“who is to condemn”
“who shall separate”
- Ferguson points out, the “who” here is primarily our enemy Satan and his demons who lie and deceive and seek to undermine and destroy the believer’s hope, trust and peace in the goodness and love of the Lord.
- This passage was given by God to help every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ
- to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
- To help us truly fasten the belt of truth to our waists to defend against the fiery darts of the lies of the evil one that come our way daily.
- To help you and me and every Christian in the unique trials and circumstances God has sovereignly ordained for us, to be “more than conquerors”
- We went verse by verse through the text, allowing each verse to equip us for the battle we face and to be more than conquerors.
Key Quote:
We learn from all the history of the saints, that Christ has a way of infusing supernatural strength into the weakest of the weak. The Holy Spirit, when he comes into contact with our poor, wavering, feeble spirits, girds us up to something which is absolutely impossible to man alone. You look at man as he is, and what can he do? Brethren, he can do nothing. “Without me, ye can do nothing.” But look at man with God in him, and I will reverse the question— What can he not do? …Oh! it is glorious to think that God should thus take the meanest, poorest, feeblest things, and should put himself into them, and then say, “Come on, all ye that are wise and great, and I will baffle you through those that are foolish and feeble! Now, come, ye devils of hell; come, ye men of earth, who breathe out threatenings, and foam with cruelty; come all of you, and this poor defenceless one shall laugh you all to scorn, and triumph even to the last!” It is the power of Christ.— Spurgeon
Questions for Discussion/Application:
- Consider taking time to read Romans 8:31-39 out loud. What initial insights or observations of the text do you have?
- Overall how have this passage and this sermon encouraged and ministered you?
- Re-read verse 31. “God is for us.” Why do we need this reminder? What lies of the enemy does that truth contradict? How can the reality that God is for us strengthen us as we continue on in the Christian journey?
- Re-read verse 32. When the enemy assails us with the thought that “your difficult circumstances are a message from God that God is not on your side, that He is against you”– how can this verse help us to reject that lie?
- Re-read verses 33-34. How do these verses help us when we struggle with condemnation?
- Re-read verses 35-36. How does it comfort and strengthen you to be reminded that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ?
- Re-read verse 37 and the Spurgeon quote in the recap. How is that in our weakness, we as believers can truly be more than conquerors?
- Re-read verses 37-39 and then take time to pray asking God to cause these truths to go deep into our souls and to strengthen us deeply in our walks with Christ